As Lin Dong came downstairs and entered the Wanjin Merchant Association's main hall, he immediately sensed that something was off about the atmosphere.
Besides Xuan Su, who had invited him in the first place, and Xia Zhilan, the Wanjin Merchant Association's eldest daughter, whom Xuan Su had introduced to him when he first arrived, there were three other people in the hall.
Two of them were elderly men who seemed to belong to the Wanjin Merchant Association. Judging from the Primal Energy fluctuations coming from their bodies, both were probably at the Lesser Yuan Dan Realm.
The last was a young man dressed in blue. He was rather handsome, and his strength was not bad either. Like Lin Dong, he was at the mid stage of the Heavenly Yuan Realm. Judging by his manner, he seemed quite familiar with Xia Zhilan.
"Zhilan, I know you have some misunderstanding about me, but you can't let that make you lose sight of the big picture. You can't just find some random nobody to take my place. If we lose, all the effort you've put in over these past few months will go to waste."
When the young man noticed Lin Dong enter, he raised his voice, seemingly on purpose so Lin Dong could hear.
Lin Dong's brows furrowed slightly, but he didn't react. He simply turned to Xuan Su and asked quietly,
"Sister Su, when are we setting off?"
"Since you're here, we can leave now."
Xuan Su smiled warmly at Lin Dong. Then, as if she had noticed something, her beautiful eyes suddenly narrowed as she gave the smiling young man a long look.
After turning away, Xuan Su's expression turned colder, and she said sternly,
"Song Qing, I've already explained this to your father. If you keep making trouble, don't blame me for being rude."
Song Qing's expression darkened. He hurriedly signaled to one of the old men beside him. Seeing this, the man chuckled and said,
"Manager Su, this is no small matter. You're suddenly replacing someone at the last minute. If we lose and the association's interests suffer, I'm afraid it won't be easy to explain to the president!"
"Are you saying that Song Qing would guarantee victory if he went? Could he be Yue Shan's illegitimate son, with that kind of pull?"
Xuan Su let out a cold laugh. She knew all too well how the Song Family liked to sit on the fence. Earlier, she'd had no choice but to accept Song Qing because there simply hadn't been anyone else available.
But now she'd found the perfect candidate. There was no way she'd let Song Qing, that fence-sitter, interfere.
"Kid, you look like you'd be pretty easy to bully."
Seeing Xuan Su and the others still arguing, Cang Wu teased him with a laugh. He was determined to get the Yin Yang Qi this time, so naturally, he was paying close attention.
Lin Dong subconsciously rubbed his nose and replied inwardly with an awkward laugh,
"Senior, don't make fun of me. Maybe I just look weak because I'm young?"
"Then doesn't that mean you've got another chance to get some practice?"
Cang Wu's words left Lin Dong momentarily stunned. Just then, he saw Xuan Su's chest heave with anger. She gritted her teeth and said,
"Fine. If you want a contest, then we'll have one. If you lose, you two elders have questioned and obstructed me time and again. I assume you're prepared to accept the punishment!"
The two elders' expressions shifted slightly, but they gritted their teeth and nodded firmly.
"Then let's do it. We know Song Qing's strength well. Does Manager Su really think you can just pull some random person in to replace him?"
Xuan Su gave a soft snort and ignored them. Instead, she turned to Lin Dong, who looked a little bewildered, and said quietly,
"Little Brother Lin Dong, I'm sorry I didn't arrange things properly. Just teach him a lesson, and I'll compensate you with a hundred Yang Yuan Pills afterward!"
Naturally, Xuan Su wasn't paying for the hundred Yang Yuan Pills herself. They would be taken from the two elders as punishment. Since they'd insisted on forcing a wager, they would have to pay the price.
"A hundred?"
Lin Dong was taken aback, then delighted. A hundred Yang Yuan Pills was no small sum.
Then he understood what Senior Cang Wu had meant earlier about getting some practice.
"Sister Su, it's fine. Let's have the contest."
Lin Dong grinned at Xuan Su and shook his head. If every contest paid this much, he could keep fighting until he was completely exhausted.
"Since that's settled, let's have a contest."
One of the elders immediately chuckled. But as he spoke, Song Qing, who had already understood what to do, suddenly threw a punch at Lin Dong.
"Shameless!"
Xia Zhilan's expression changed sharply, and she immediately cursed. Seeing Lin Dong seemingly fail to react, worry crept into her eyes.
Though Song Qing's attack had come suddenly, Lin Dong had sensed him gathering his Primal Energy. He simply couldn't be bothered to dodge such a sloppy punch.
Seeing Lin Dong apparently freeze, Song Qing's face twisted into a vicious grin. He secretly gathered the Primal Energy concealed within his body, planning to unleash his full strength and cripple Lin Dong after landing the punch.
But just as Song Qing saw his fist reach Lin Dong and began to smile, Lin Dong moved.
Lin Dong abruptly raised his hand and slapped the back of Song Qing's hand with his palm, using the Lin Family's first-grade martial art, Falling Stone Palm.
"Smack!"
His palm struck the back of Song Qing's hand with a crisp sound. Beneath it, a faint crack came from Song Qing's arm.
The agonizing pain of a broken bone twisted Song Qing's face instantly. But before he could scream, Lin Dong rushed in, lowered his elbow, and slammed it into Song Qing's chest.
"Crack!"
This time, the sound of ribs breaking was much clearer. Everyone in the hall heard it plainly.
Seeing Song Qing taken down with just two moves and sent flying by an elbow, everyone present looked astonished. Even Xia Zhilan and Xuan Su were no exception.
They had known Lin Dong was a Symbol Master and assumed he would use some of his Symbol Master abilities against Song Qing. They hadn't expected him to finish the fight in just two moves.
"Sister Su, can we leave now?"
Lin Dong asked with a light laugh. He wasn't even out of breath, as if the fight had been no more than brushing dust from his clothes. It hadn't taken any effort at all.
Xuan Su came to her senses and smiled sweetly, nodding.
"Then let's go."
With that, Xuan Su led the way, and Lin Dong turned to follow her.
Meanwhile, Song Qing climbed to his feet and stared at Lin Dong's back with a venomous look. A glint of cold light flashed from his sleeve, and a sharp broken blade silently appeared in his hand.
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