Hunting

A deathly silence persisted; no one spoke, as they remained immersed in the lingering image of that sword light.

The power of that sword light was not particularly overwhelming, but its aura was suffocating, and its speed was as fast as lightning, leaving no visible trajectory behind.

How could one not be shocked that such a casual strike from Lin Ge could produce such a terrifying blow?

"I lost."

Lin Xia collapsed onto the ground, her eyes vacant as she spoke.

Hearing this, Lin Ge withdrew his longsword, and that suffocating aura vanished along with it.

"Th-this... how does this guy cultivate? That strike just now was too terrifying!"

"That didn't look like a martial art..."

The younger generation whispered among themselves, while the guests in the VIP seats and the high-ranking members of the Lin Clan, including Lin Zhentian, wore exceptionally grave expressions.

The juniors could not discern much from that strike, but they could.

In that strike just now, Lin Ge had not used any Yuan Power; it was merely a pure, simple swing of the sword.

In other words, from the start of the competition until now, Lin Ge had not used his full strength at all!

"This child's future achievements will surely be extraordinary!"

Lin Zhentian and the others thought to themselves, a glimmer of light appearing in their eyes.

The talent Lin Ge displayed far surpassed that of Lin Xiao in his youth, and was perhaps even on par with Lin Langtian, causing Lin Zhentian's long-dormant heart to stir with excitement once more.

He seemed to see it already: at the next clan assembly, Lin Ge leading the Lin Clan members into the inner clan of the Lin family!

Lin Ge noticed the excitement in the depths of Lin Zhentian's eyes, but he felt nothing of it; after all, even without him, Lin Dong would eventually lead the Lin Clan into the inner clan.

Thinking of Lin Dong, Lin Ge's gaze crossed the crowd and landed on him.

Lin Dong met Lin Ge's gaze, his hands involuntarily clenching tight.

"Boring. I'm leaving."

Lin Ge said this, turned around, and walked toward the main gate.

Lin Ken, who was still in a state of shock, snapped back to reality and hurriedly asked, "You still have one match left; you cannot leave yet."

"I don't want the reward. Just leave it for Lin Dong and Lin Hong."

Lin Ge did not care at all about the rewards for this clan competition. He said this indifferently and vanished before everyone's eyes.

"He doesn't want it?"

Once these words were spoken, Lin Ken was dumbfounded, and the people in the VIP seats looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

"Continue the competition."

Lin Zhentian was also somewhat shocked by Lin Ge's choice, but as the head of the Lin Clan, he had to ensure the clan competition proceeded normally, otherwise, it would become a laughingstock.

Hearing the old man's words, Lin Ken nodded slightly and said, "Next, the final match: Lin Hong versus Lin Dong!"

Hearing this, Lin Dong took a deep breath and slowly walked toward the stone platform.

Without any surprises, Lin Dong won the match with difficulty and became the champion of the clan competition.

But everyone knew that his title as champion was not truly earned; if Lin Ge had not withdrawn from the competition, he would have only placed second.

Lin Ge, this youth who had appeared out of nowhere, had become a Mount Tai standing before the younger generation of the Lin Clan. If they could not move him aside, they would never find relief.

"Lin Ge..., next time, I will defeat you fair and square!"

Looking at the champion's reward in his hand, Lin Dong secretly swore in his heart that he would definitely surpass Lin Ge and make this championship truly deserved!

And so, the Lin Clan's competition ended. Lin Ge's name spread to every corner of Green Sun Town that day, and he was even hailed as the number one genius of Green Sun Town!

Deep within a bamboo forest somewhere in the Lin Clan, there stood a crude house. Inside, there was nothing but a bronze tripod and a bed.

At this moment, behind the house, Lin Ge held a refined steel sword, swinging it through the air.

Lin Ge's sword dance was full of momentum; every strike was as fast as lightning, faintly emitting the sound of tearing through the air.

As he finished his sword dance, a trace of worry appeared between Lin Ge's brows.

"My power is still too weak. I must condense my sword intent; only then can the power be significantly increased!"

Since the clan competition, he had discovered the weakness in his swordsmanship: it had plenty of momentum but lacked sufficient power. He urgently needed to improve the lethality of his sword techniques.

"Hmm?"

Lin Ge suddenly frowned, his gaze shifting toward the depths of the bamboo forest. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he said, "Who is there?"

"Hehe..., not bad, not bad. I didn't expect your senses to be so keen. It truly exceeds this old man's expectations."

An old man walked out with a chuckle, speaking with a look of gratification.

Seeing the visitor, a flash of surprise crossed Lin Ge's eyes, and he immediately asked, "What brings the Clan Head to my place?"

Hearing this indifferent tone, the smile on the old man's face faded, and a complex emotion entered his eyes.

The old man was none other than the Lin Clan Head, Lin Zhentian. Since the clan competition, he had wanted to have a good talk with Lin Ge, but he had never been able to find him, until he heard from Lin Ken that Lin Ge's home was behind this bamboo forest, and he had hurried over.

He had originally thought Lin Ge would be very excited, but seeing the coldness in Lin Ge's eyes, Lin Zhentian understood that this youth held resentment toward the Lin Clan.

"Do you hate the Lin Clan?"

Lin Zhentian held high expectations for Lin Ge, so naturally, he did not wish to see Lin Ge harbor resentment toward the Lin Clan; he wanted to dissolve this grudge.

"Why would I hate the Lin Clan?" Lin Ge countered with a question.

This retort left Lin Zhentian momentarily speechless.

Indeed, why would he hate the Lin Clan?

Regarding the matter of Lin Ge's parents, the Lin Clan had done nothing wrong; in fact, they had even provided assistance. Although they ultimately failed to prevent the death of Lin Haiyuan, the Lin Clan could hardly be said to have wronged Lin Ge's family.

Then, where did Lin Ge's hatred come from?

Lin Zhentian pondered for a moment, found the answer in his heart, and sighed, "You are blaming the Lin Clan for not taking good care of you all these years."

Lin Ge was slightly stunned; he had never actually considered this question.

"I do not hate the clan for that, because it was my own choice."

Lin Ge shook his head, his tone calm as he spoke.

"Then why are you so distant toward this old man? I am your grandfather!" Lin Zhentian asked, frowning.

"The path I cultivate is the Path of Heartlessness. Family ties mean nothing to me now. Even if my parents were still alive, my attitude would not change."

Lin Ge sheathed the longsword in his hand and explained calmly.

He had long anticipated that Lin Zhentian would come to find him, though he had not expected it to happen just now.

To Lin Zhentian, Lin Ge's words sounded more like an excuse, but he had no way to resolve the resentment in the boy's heart for the time being. He could only sigh and say in a low voice, "The end of the year is approaching, and the hunting event in Green Sun Town will soon begin. The juniors from the other factions in Green Sun Town will all be participating; you should join them as well."