Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Madam Ma explains that the Feng Family has learned about the Spirit-Raising Pill’s effects, but likely only knows its ordinary benefits—not that it can help open the Sea of Consciousness early. Lin Tian realizes that a wider revelation of the pill’s true power could attract dangerous attention from powerful families.
• Lin Tian asks for time to consider working with Madam Ma, since he is unsure whether the pill will benefit him and wary of the risks. Madam Ma gives him one to test.
• As soon as Lin Tian senses the pill’s medicinal potency, his Sea of Consciousness responds with a faint tremor and apparent longing for it. He is encouraged but reserves judgment until he can test it.
• Zhou Cai apologizes for asking about Lin Tian’s cultivation the previous day. Lin Tian says he holds no grudge.
• Zhou Cai tries to ask about his cultivation again, but Madam Ma intervenes. Lin Tian realizes the question matters to the family and decides to answer, partly to reciprocate Madam Ma’s candor and strengthen the potential partnership.
• Lin Tian reveals his strength by releasing the aura and true essence power of a true essence realm martial artist, astonishing Madam Ma and her daughters.

Character developments

• Lin Tian remains cautious about the dangers of the Spirit-Raising Pill, but grows more interested after sensing that it may suit him. He also shows strategic generosity by choosing to disclose his cultivation to build trust.
• Madam Ma reveals how precarious the Zhou Family’s position is: she trusts almost no one within it and sees Lin Tian as a crucial ally. She is candid about the pill’s secret and eager to secure his cooperation.
• Zhou Cai is curious and direct, though her mother considers her questions potentially inappropriate. She is relieved when Lin Tian agrees to answer.
• Zhou Ling remains mostly quiet but shares Madam Ma’s concern about what Zhou Cai is about to ask.

Significant themes

• Trust and reciprocity: Madam Ma’s willingness to share sensitive information prompts Lin Tian to consider revealing something important in return.
• Power and danger: The pill’s true potential could provoke powerful families, making cooperation both valuable and risky.
• Family vulnerability and dependence: Madam Ma’s lack of trusted allies within the Zhou Family makes Lin Tian’s support especially important.

Character interactions

• Madam Ma offers Lin Tian the pill and explains the limits of the Feng Family’s knowledge, while he weighs the risks of partnering with her.
• Zhou Cai apologizes to Lin Tian; his easy forgiveness reassures both her and her mother.
• Madam Ma tries to stop Zhou Cai from asking about Lin Tian’s cultivation, but Lin Tian raises the subject himself and reveals his true essence realm power to the family.

Key plot points and events

• Lin Tian reveals a strand of True Essence, confirming that his true cultivation is at the True Essence Realm. Madam Ma and her children are stunned.
• Madam Ma sees Lin Tian’s strength as a chance to protect and reunite the fractured Zhou Family, and potentially raise it to the status of a major clan. She renews her offer of cooperation.
• Lin Tian says he will consider working with them if the Spirit-Raising Pill proves effective. Madam Ma leaves with Zhou Cai and Zhou Ling.
• Zhou Cai wants to ask Lin Tian for martial guidance, but Madam Ma tells her not to disturb him while the Zhou Family’s future depends on his decision.
• Back in his room, Lin Tian swallows a Spirit-Raising Pill. He rapidly refines its medicinal power, after which his Sea of Consciousness begins moving in rhythmic, surging waves.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Tian is candid about his cultivation once cooperation is discussed, while maintaining caution. He tests the pill immediately and observes its effects with curiosity.
• Madam Ma shifts from hopeful suspicion to delighted confidence after witnessing Lin Tian’s True Essence. She remains pragmatic, urging her daughters to avoid jeopardizing the potential alliance.
• Zhou Cai is awed by Lin Tian and eager to learn from him, but accepts her mother’s warning. She believes the pill will persuade him to join the Zhou Family.
• Zhou Ling shares the others’ shock but has little direct dialogue.

Significant themes

• Strength and security: Lin Tian’s power could transform the Zhou Family’s prospects and protect its members.
• Trust and caution: Lin Tian admits he concealed his strength out of habit, while Madam Ma acknowledges the need for caution between new acquaintances.
• Opportunity and ambition: The family views cooperation with Lin Tian as a path to greater influence, while Zhou Cai hopes to gain personal martial insight.
• Uncertain consequences: The pill appears to affect Lin Tian’s Sea of Consciousness, but the chapter ends before its full purpose or impact is clear.

Plot points and events

• Lin Tian takes a Spirit-Raising Pill and senses his Sea of Consciousness begin to expand almost immediately.
• Meanwhile, the Feng Family’s Grand Elder returns from the City Lord’s Manor and announces that the Feng Family will move against the Zhou Family the next day.
• To secure a powerful ally, he plans to give the Dragon Family 70 percent of the Zhou Family’s business-partnership benefits. The Spirit-Raising Pills are excluded from the deal; the Dragon Family will serve publicly as cover while the Feng Family pursues its real objective.
• After a night of cultivation, Lin Tian’s Sea of Consciousness has grown by five percent. Impressed by the pill’s potency, he decides he needs more and considers accepting the Zhou Family’s proposed partnership.
• Zhou Cai arrives in alarm, reporting that the Feng Family has surrounded the Zhou residence and that members of the Dragon Family are with them. Lin Tian agrees to help the Zhou Family, citing both their situation and his interest in working with them.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Tian becomes more convinced of the Spirit-Raising Pill’s value and sees the Zhou partnership as a way to obtain more. His decision to help the family combines practical self-interest with a willingness to honor the prospective alliance.
• The Feng Family Grand Elder reveals himself as calculating and ambitious, using the Dragon Family’s strength to conceal the Feng Family’s own plans. The Feng Family Head is impressed by his scheme and follows his instructions.
• Zhou Cai is frightened and uncertain, but urgently seeks Lin Tian’s help after seeing the Zhou Family surrounded. Lin Tian responds reassuringly and commits to assisting her family.

Significant themes

• Power and cultivation: Lin Tian’s rapid mental-strength growth demonstrates the pill’s extraordinary value and advances his plans to cultivate a powerful formation diagram.
• Strategic alliances and deception: The Feng Family offers the Dragon Family a large share of the apparent spoils to gain protection and divert attention from its true aims.
• Self-interest and loyalty: Lin Tian has a practical reason to cooperate with the Zhou Family, yet chooses not to abandon them when danger arrives.

Chapter summary

Key plot points and events

• Lin Tian agrees to help Zhou Cai, who is relieved and urges him to leave immediately. He says they cannot waste time taking a carriage, though the chapter ends before he explains how they will travel.
• Meanwhile, Feng Family members force their way into the Zhou Family estate. The Zhou elders are too weak to stop them, but both sides avoid fighting publicly to keep the City Lord’s Manor from getting involved.
• In the main hall, the Feng Family Head announces that his family wants a marriage alliance. He crudely proposes that Madam Ma, the Zhou Family head, become a concubine to his “good-for-nothing” son.
• The Zhou elders erupt in anger at the insult. The Feng Family Head remains confident, then reveals why: the Feng Family Grand Elder has recently broken through to the True Essence Realm. With that power, the Feng Family claims it is on the verge of becoming a Millennial Clan and implies the Zhou Family should consider the proposed alliance an honor.

Character developments

• Zhou Cai is hopeful that Lin Tian will help her, trusting him enough to follow his lead.
• Madam Ma remains composed despite the Feng Family’s intrusion and insulting proposal, trying to protect her family from a rash confrontation.
• The Feng Family Head displays arrogance and treats Madam Ma as an object to be appraised, using the Grand Elder’s breakthrough to intimidate the Zhou Family.
• The Zhou elders show that, despite their internal divisions, they will unite when their family’s dignity is attacked.
• The Feng Family Grand Elder emerges as the source of the Feng Family’s sudden confidence, his new cultivation making him a major threat.

Significant themes

• Power and coercion: The Feng Family uses its superior strength to force its presence and demands on the Zhou Family.
• Dignity and status: The proposed concubinage is framed as an “honor,” exposing the Feng Head’s contempt and the conflict between social rank and self-respect.
• Family unity under pressure: The Zhou Family’s internal disputes fade when outsiders threaten its collective reputation.
• Restraint versus provocation: Madam Ma tries to avoid a costly fight, while the Feng Family deliberately pushes the Zhou elders toward one.

Character interactions

• Zhou Cai appeals to Lin Tian for urgent help, and he takes charge of their departure.
• Madam Ma confronts the Feng Family Head and demands to know his purpose; he answers with a degrading proposal.
• The Zhou elders react angrily, but the Feng Family Grand Elder’s arrival and aura halt them, shifting the encounter decisively in the Feng Family’s favor.

Key plot points and events

• The Feng Family demands that Madam Ma become a concubine, intending to take control of her Spirit-Raising Pill recipe and the business built around it. The Zhou Family elders resist because losing Madam Ma would jeopardize a lucrative partnership and their trade.
• Madam Ma argues that the Feng Family cannot force her to marry under Wanbang City’s rules. The Feng Family Head counters that they secured the City Lord’s approval, and the Grand Elder declares that they will escort her away in three days.
• Madam Ma quietly plans for her daughters, Zhou Ling and Zhou Cai, to escape, but Zhou Ling realizes her mother intends to remain behind. She suggests asking Uncle Zhao for help.
• Zhou Cai arrives with Lin Tian. He reveals a True Essence Realm aura far stronger than the Feng Family Grand Elder’s and challenges him, using the same aura the Grand Elder encountered before.
• The Grand Elder recognizes Lin Tian and backs down, but insists he is acting on the City Lord’s orders. Lin Tian senses another, even stronger True Essence Realm cultivator is present and realizes the dispute may not be easily settled.

Character developments and interactions

• Madam Ma stays composed despite the threat, prioritizing her daughters’ safety and concealing her own willingness to sacrifice herself.
• Zhou Ling becomes frightened for her mother and urgently searches for a way to help.
• Zhou Cai brings Lin Tian to the Zhou residence, giving the family unexpected support.
• Lin Tian intervenes decisively but tries to resolve the matter through intimidation rather than immediate violence. His confidence gives way to concern once he detects a second powerful opponent.
• The Feng Family Grand Elder shifts from issuing commands to showing deference toward Lin Tian, though he maintains that his City Lord mandate constrains him.

Significant themes

• Power versus law: The Feng Family uses the City Lord’s endorsement to make its coercion appear lawful, while martial strength determines who can enforce that authority.
• Family and sacrifice: Madam Ma’s plans reveal her willingness to risk herself to protect her daughters.
• The limits of strength: Lin Tian’s arrival changes the balance of power, but the presence of another formidable cultivator suggests that strength alone may not settle the conflict.

Plot and events

• Lin Tian interprets the Feng Family’s claim that the city lord ordered the match as pressure rather than an unavoidable decree. He agrees the Feng Family may seek Madam Ma’s hand, but insists they must first defeat him.
• By making the matter a personal test, Lin Tian blunts the Feng Family’s chief leverage: even the city lord’s backing would not automatically secure the marriage.
• Just as the Feng Family’s Grand Elder reacts, a voice transmission appears to change his mood. Long Wuhui, the Dragon Family’s Second Elder, arrives and offers to fight Lin Tian on the Feng Family’s behalf.
• Long Wuhui takes the challenge into an open space, expecting Lin Tian to yield because Long is more powerful.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Tian shows strategic composure and resolve. He protects Madam Ma without directly challenging the absent city lord, framing the dispute as a test of strength.
• Madam Ma is shocked by Long Wuhui’s arrival. Zhou Cai wants to respond to Lin Tian’s apparent agreement, but Madam Ma stops her, fearing that protest would be pointless.
• The Feng Family’s Grand Elder first believes Lin Tian has conceded, then realizes Lin Tian has undercut the family’s advantage. His confidence returns after receiving a voice transmission.
• Long Wuhui intervenes as an ally of the Feng Family, claiming the right to stand in for its junior. His patronizing remarks reveal that he expects Lin Tian to be intimidated.
• Lin Tian, however, is not surprised by Long Wuhui and privately regards his direct challenge as convenient.

Significant themes

• Courage versus intimidation: Lin Tian refuses to back down despite facing powerful families and the city lord’s influence.
• Strategic use of rules and status: He avoids a direct political confrontation by turning the issue into a contest of ability.
• Arrogance and misjudgment: Long Wuhui assumes Lin Tian will defer to superior strength, while Lin Tian’s calm response suggests the elder may be underestimating him.

Lin Tian faced Long Wuhui in the arena after the Dragon and Feng Families targeted him as part of their plan against the Zhou Family. Long Wuhui attacked without holding back, but Lin Tian defeated him with a single punch, leaving him buried in dust.

• Long Wuhui tried to provoke Lin Tian into apologizing and surrendering, while Madam Ma realized he meant to injure him and feared for the Zhou Family.
• Lin Tian leaped into the arena and mocked Long Wuhui's plans to return to his courtyard for tea.
• Long Wuhui unleashed the power of his third True Essence tempering, and the onlookers retreated from the force of it.
• Lin Tian stood unmoved and beckoned Long Wuhui to attack with one hand, enraging him.
• Long Wuhui charged with a powerful True Essence strike, but Lin Tian answered with a punch that tore through the surrounding force.
• Lin Tian's punch sent Long Wuhui flying through several walls until dust obscured him, stunning the Zhou and Feng Family members.

Lin Tian defeated Long Wuhui with one punch, then pressured the Dragon and Feng Families into abandoning their attempt to arrange a marriage with the Zhou Family. The Feng Family Grand Elder accepted the defeat and agreed not to blame the City Lord, Lin Tian, or the Zhou Family as the visitors were invited to stay for a meal.

• Lin Tian severely injured Long Wuhui with a single punch, shocking both families.
• Long Wuhui apologized to Lin Tian and blamed the Feng Family for bringing him to the Zhou Family.
• Lin Tian invited the Feng Family Grand Elder to fight him, but the Grand Elder refused and said the Feng Family gave up.
• Lin Tian warned that leaving and complaining to the City Lord could make the Zhou Family seem defiant, so the Grand Elder said the Feng Family alone was too weak to pass the test.
• Lin Tian approved of the Grand Elder's response and invited the visitors to stay for a meal at the Zhou Family.

Lin Tian forced the Feng Family to roll out of the Zhou Family estate, then received thirty Spirit-Raising Pills from Madam Ma. When he said he would soon leave Wanbang City, he showed her a token revealing that he was a True Disciple of the Dao Origin Sect.

• Lin Tian stopped the Feng Family Grand Elder from leaving and ordered the Feng Family members to roll out through the Zhou Family gates.
• Zhou Cai laughed about the Feng Family's humiliation, and Madam Ma apologized for her daughter's behavior.
• Madam Ma gave Lin Tian thirty Spirit-Raising Pills as part of their cooperation, and he put them away.
• Lin Tian told Madam Ma and Zhou Cai that he planned to leave Wanbang City soon, disappointing Madam Ma.
• Lin Tian showed Madam Ma his token, and she discovered it identified him as a True Disciple of the Dao Origin Sect.

Lin Tian revealed that he was a True Disciple of the Dao Origin Sect and explained that he had come to bid farewell and discuss his cooperation with Madam Ma. Madam Ma firmly chose to continue supplying him with Spirit-Raising Pills, and Lin Tian began to show his sincerity.

• Madam Ma told Zhou Cai and Zhou Ling that Lin Tian was a True Disciple of the Dao Origin Sect, leaving them shocked and making Zhou Cai embarrassed about her earlier behavior.
• Lin Tian reassured the mother and daughters that they could treat him as before, then explained that he would soon leave Wanbang City and offered Madam Ma two choices for their cooperation.
• Madam Ma immediately agreed to keep working with Lin Tian and supply him with Spirit-Raising Pills on behalf of the Zhou Family.
• Madam Ma reaffirmed that the Zhou Family would regularly supply the pills, and Lin Tian said he would show his sincerity as his face began to change.

Lin Tian revealed his true appearance and identity to Madam Ma and her daughters, leaving them his Dao Origin Sect token as protection before departing. After visiting the Feng Family, he continued his journey and broke through in cultivation, bringing himself closer to being able to cultivate the Formation Diagram.

• Lin Tian shed his disguise, revealed his true face, and told Madam Ma and her daughters that he was Lin Tian, the fifth-ranked True Disciple of the Dao Origin Sect.
• Lin Tian entrusted Madam Ma with his token and instructed her to keep his identity secret, promising that she could contact him if the token could not resolve a problem.
• Madam Ma agreed to protect Lin Tian's secrets and left to arrange the monthly delivery of Spirit-Raising Pills, while Zhou Ling teased Zhou Cai about watching Lin Tian leave.
• Lin Tian departed from the Zhou Family and descended into the Feng Family's grounds before continuing his journey.
• Nearly half a month later, Lin Tian broke through in cultivation, expanded his sea of consciousness to almost twice its former size, and produced a strand of blood-colored true essence.

After his blood-colored true essence increased his strength, vitality, and lifespan, Lin Tian worried that his blood might attract the Demon Sect. He then investigated the Six-Armed Stone Buddha and discovered two techniques that complemented the Demon-Subduing Golden Body.

• Lin Tian realized his blood-colored true essence strengthened his body and added twenty years to his lifespan.
• Lin Tian suspected his blood had become a potent medicine and decided to avoid shedding it lest the Demon Sect discover its properties.
• Lin Tian examined the Six-Armed Stone Buddha he had taken from the Feng Family's Underground Vault and uncovered the Six Demon-Subduing Forms.
• Lin Tian searched the statue's legs and discovered One Reed Crosses the River, a technique claiming to be the fastest under heaven, without equal.

Aboard the Flying Boat, Lin Tian tested the Six Demon-Subduing Forms and One Reed Crosses the River, gaining powerful defensive, soul-attacking, and movement techniques before returning to the Dao Origin Sect. He found the Inner Sect’s disciples reduced by at least two-thirds, apparently because of the Demon Sect.

• Lin Tian tested Demon-Subduing Golden Body Construction and found its golden protection could withstand attacks from powerful cultivators.
• Lin Tian used Demon-Subduing Brahma Sound, discovering that it attacked enemies’ souls and seas of consciousness at the cost of his own mental power.
• Lin Tian activated One Reed Crosses the River and moved nearly fifty meters in a step while the world seemed to slow around him.
• Lin Tian cultivated for half a month aboard the Flying Boat, advanced toward his fourth true essence tempering, and returned to the Dao Origin Sect.
• Song Bao'er greeted Lin Tian and accepted the Flying Boat Token as she accompanied him into the Inner Sect.
• Lin Tian noticed that the Inner Sect had lost at least two-thirds of its disciples and suspected the Demon Sect was responsible.

Lin Tian received Elder Zhou’s deployment order and learned that the Demon Sect’s advance had drawn the Dao Origin Sect, the Great You Dynasty, and the Heavenly Dawn Upper Sect into a chaotic three-way campaign. He flew toward his assigned post, anticipating conflict among the forces.

• Song Bao'er gave Lin Tian a scroll about the Demon Sect and a letter from Elder Zhou containing a deployment order.
• Lin Tian learned that the demonic scourge had become severe and that the True Disciples had been sent to assigned suppression posts.
• Lin Tian told Song Bao'er to manage the courtyard and left immediately aboard a Flying Boat.
• Lin Tian read that the Great You Dynasty had sent the Golden Guard and that the Heavenly Dawn Upper Sect had joined the Dao Origin Sect near their shared border.
• Lin Tian concluded that the three forces would likely clash internally as well as fight the Demon Sect.

Lin Tian arrived at the Hundred Veins Land to reclaim the authority over the Dao Origin Sect camp and gain access to its sky fire marrow crystals. As he headed to the main tent, the Heavenly Dawn Upper Sect’s Leng Qingfeng learned who he was and dismissed him as no cause for concern.

• Lin Tian learned that the Hundred Veins Land’s sky fire marrow crystals could improve cultivation and temper the body, then decided to pursue them.
• Lin Tian landed at the Dao Origin Sect camp and saw that the person managing his assigned post had not come out to greet him.
• Lin Tian asked a disciple to lead him to the main tent, where he heard people talking and went inside to reclaim his authority.
• Song Qian mocked Lin Tian as a coward who had come for the resources, while Leng Qingfeng told her to show him respect.
• A messenger confirmed that the arriving True Disciple was Lin Tian, and Leng Qingfeng concluded that he was no cause for concern.

Lin Tian arrived at the Dao Origin Sect's main tent and met Qi Tianliang and four other Heavenly Steed Lineage experts. Rather than reclaiming authority over the sky fire marrow crystal distribution, he asked to join their discussion and left after listening.

• A Golden Guard member asked the woman leading the Golden Guard whether they should prepare for Lin Tian's arrival, but she dismissed him as no threat to their plans.
• As Lin Tian approached the Dao Origin Sect's main tent, a woman inside threw a concealed weapon at him, and he caught it.
• Qi Tianliang and the other four experts greeted Lin Tian with a show of force, then apologized and welcomed him after he entered.
• Lin Tian returned the concealed weapon to the woman who threw it and asked Qi Tianliang if he could join their discussion.
• Qi Tianliang welcomed Lin Tian, who sat down and listened silently as the group discussed sky fire marrow crystal resources.
• After the discussion ended, Lin Tian rose and left the tent.

After three days of cultivation, Lin Tian’s Sea of Consciousness compressed and grew powerful enough to extend his awareness nearly four thousand meters and manifest a spear. He suspected the Spirit-Raising Pill had caused the unusual change.

• Qi Tianliang reassured his companions that Lin Tian would not challenge his supervisory authority unless he was prepared to contend over strength and sky fire marrow crystals.
• Lin Tian learned that the crystals emerged from volcanic eruptions and that the allied factions pooled them before dividing them according to strength.
• Lin Tian stayed away from the main tent and cultivated for three days while waiting for a chance to reclaim his authority.
• Lin Tian’s Sea of Consciousness compressed to half its former size, increasing its reach from about one thousand meters to nearly four thousand.
• Lin Tian manifested a consciousness spear, recognized that his Sea of Consciousness had gained Mind Manifestation unusually early, and suspected the Spirit-Raising Pill was responsible.

Lin Tian discovered that the volcano’s eruption had produced rare skyflame marrow crystals with exceptionally potent spiritual energy. He joined the Dao Origin Sect’s experts to inspect them while remaining alert for the Demon Sect.

• Lin Tian tested his mental power and manifested three spears, but could not create a fourth or enough weapons for his formation plans.
• Lin Tian sensed an unusual eruption approaching and watched as the volcano unleashed a brief, massive pillar of fire.
• After the eruption subsided, ordinary disciples from the three factions searched for sky fire marrow crystals while True Essence Realm experts guarded against the Demon Sect.
• Lin Tian sensed unusually powerful crystals among the scattered resources, and Zhan Qitianliang also noticed them.
• A disciple identified the rare finds as skyflame marrow crystals, prompting the True Essence Realm experts to hurry toward them.
• Lin Tian examined the black crystals, recognized their immense spiritual energy, and considered using them to advance his cultivation.

Lin Tian watched the three factions gather Skyflame Marrow Crystals and learned that Qi Tianliang’s Dao Origin Sect group feared they would receive little or none. The factions met to distribute the resources, where Song Qian mocked Qi Tianliang for arriving late.

• Lin Tian surveyed the area for Demon Sect members, but none appeared while the three factions gathered the treasures.
• Qi Tianliang and the Dao Origin Sect cultivators realized that the other factions had stronger experts and might claim the Skyflame Marrow Crystals.
• A Dao Origin Sect disciple urged Qi Tianliang to keep their group’s crystals, but Qi Tianliang refused, warning that it could provoke the other factions and bring severe consequences for the sect.
• Lin Tian listened to the exchange and wondered whether the Golden Guard and Heavenly Dawn Upper Sect would share any of the crystals with the Dao Origin Sect.
• Lin Tian returned with Qi Tianliang’s group to a clearing used for resource distribution, where Song Qian mocked Qi Tianliang for arriving late and suggested he had run off with the crystals.

Lin Tian watched the factions prepare to divide the gathered resources, as the Dao Origin Sect faced a humiliatingly small share and exclusion from the skyflame marrow crystals. The chapter ended when Lin Tian objected before Leng Qingfeng could finalize the distribution.

• Qi Tianliang stopped a Dao Origin Sect expert from confronting the Heavenly Dawn Upper Sect and the Golden Guard, then led his disciples forward with their collected resources.
• Leng Qingfeng proposed giving the Heavenly Dawn Upper Sect fifty percent and the Golden Guard forty percent of the sky fire marrow crystals, leaving the Dao Origin Sect ten percent.
• Qi Tianliang asked how the more valuable skyflame marrow crystals would be distributed, and Leng Qingfeng said the Heavenly Dawn Upper Sect and the Golden Guard would divide them between themselves.
• Leng Qingfeng challenged Qi Tianliang to fight if he objected, but Qi Tianliang held back because he knew he could not defeat him.
• Lin Tian calmly declared that he had an objection.