Lin Xun Under Threat

"You're too pure—not as wanton as Leng Yaozhu. We're breaking up!"

"You're too wanton—not as pure as Yali. We're breaking up!"

Those two short sentences had tarnished the splendor of the continent's two greatest beauties.

Yali had earned a fine reputation across the continent through her selfless aid, while Leng Yaozhu had risen to the top ranks on her looks alone.

Both were known as the continent's number-one beauty.

Yet these two women, possessing both beauty and strength, had been won over by the same man. With one hand, that man had suppressed the peerless Sky-Soaring Douluo Yun Ming, then with a turn of his hand, he had subdued the Vast Sea Douluo Chen Xinjie.

He had suppressed an entire generation of prodigies.

He had also married the two great beauties in succession, only to break up with them in short order for different reasons.

Even now, Leng Yaozhu still resented Yali because of this.

The two were like fire and water.

Of course, it was mostly Leng Yaozhu's one-sided hostility toward Yali. Given the latter's temperament, she rarely took the initiative to show her emotions.

And now, that fiery woman was sitting in the principal's office, her crimson eyes sweeping over Lin Xun before her.

Principal Yu Zhen stood to the side with a smiling face, as attentive as could be.

"Principal Yu, sorry to trouble you. I have a few words to say to this child in private."

Leng Yaozhu's voice remained languid.

Yu Zhen nodded. As he left, he casually shut the door behind him.

Only the two of them remained in the room.

Faced with this situation, Lin Xun still felt immense pressure, but his composure was excellent. He showed just the right amount of puzzlement on his face.

"Did you need something from me?"

Leng Yaozhu sat on the sofa with her legs crossed. The hem of her little white dress slid up slightly with the motion. Her dark crimson eyes stared unblinkingly at Lin Xun.

"Why are you standing so far away? It's not like I'm going to eat you."

Lin Xun did not move.

He acted somewhat reserved.

Leng Yaozhu rose to her feet instead. Her round-toed flats made soft sounds against the floor as she walked toward him step by step.

She stopped less than half a step away from him, bent forward slightly, and brought that bewitchingly beautiful, almost unreal face close to his.

He could even smell the faint cool fragrance in her hair.

"Lin Xun."

Leng Yaozhu spoke the name as though savoring it carefully in her mouth, though it was impossible to tell whether she was relishing it or grinding it to pieces.

"A good name. A hundred years ago, there was also someone named Lin Xun. Do you know what relationship that person had with me?"

"I don't know. We just happen to share the same name. There are so many people on the continent; that should be pretty normal, right?" Lin Xun scratched his head, displaying the confused nature of a teenage boy.

"It isn't just the name." Leng Yaozhu straightened up and pulled something from her bosom. She held it between two fingers and raised it before his eyes.

It was a gold card—the Spirit Pagoda Supreme Gold Card. Fine dark patterns lined its edges, and its entire body gleamed gold.

A tower-shaped emblem sat at the center of the card, with a line of ancient seal script engraved beneath it.

Spirit communication across all realms, spiritual connection beneath heaven.

Without a doubt, it was exactly the same gold card Lin Xun had produced last time.

"You recognize this, don't you?"

Leng Yaozhu narrowed her beautiful eyes, her expression turning increasingly serious. "Stop playing dumb. You used it at the East Sea Spirit Pagoda last time, and there are records here. Every gold card has a unique serial number, and the owner of the number on your card disappeared a hundred years ago."

Damn!

Lin Xun nearly failed to keep his expression steady. Fortunately, he had mastered the art of the poker face. He truly had not known that the gold card had a serial number.

No one had mentioned it despite him using it so many times before. He had assumed there were at least twenty such cards on the continent, so using one would not matter.

He had never expected it to have a unique serial number.

In truth, the card he had possessed in his previous life had naturally disappeared long ago. Reincarnating in another body made it impossible to bring it along; he could not even bring back his soul power, much less anything else.

The card he had used at the Spirit Pagoda that day had been a super ultra-high-quality counterfeit he had bought from the system, modeled after his old one.

It was extremely similar to the real card.

Naturally, the main advantage of this thing was information disparity. Apart from Spirit Pagoda staff, no one else even knew such cards existed, let alone that there were counterfeits.

Lin Xun simply had not expected the counterfeit to be so convincing that it had even copied the serial number.

Lin Xun inwardly groaned, but his face still maintained the innocent look of a teenage boy. He retreated half a step, his gaze falling on the Supreme Gold Card, while a trace of perfectly timed surprise surfaced in his eyes.

"This card? I got it by chance, and I've never known where it came from."

He spread his hands, his tone frank. "I've been an orphan since childhood, with no family or relatives. I don't know the person from a hundred years ago that you mentioned, either. Maybe we just happen to share the same name."

Leng Yaozhu stared intently at his expression, her fiery red eyes not missing the slightest fluctuation on his face.

She secretly used her spiritual power to probe him, but Lin Xun's mind was as steady as a rock. His emotional fluctuations were perfectly natural, nothing like a deliberate disguise.

She had long since sent people to thoroughly investigate Lin Xun's background. Before entering Donghai Academy, he had been all alone. He had once lived in an orphanage under Star Luo City, and his origins were spotless—there was not the slightest trace of any bloodline connected to that person from a hundred years ago.

His appearance was entirely different as well. That man had once possessed sharp, flamboyant features, while the youth before her carried himself with restraint. Judging by their looks alone, the two had no connection whatsoever. Other than both looking like proper men.

Yet there were simply too many suspicious points.

A rare Supreme Gold Card, even its exclusive serial number replicated without the slightest discrepancy, coupled with an identical name—how could there be so many overlapping coincidences in this world? At first, she had guessed that he had concealed his bloodline, changed his appearance, or was a descendant.

But after several investigations, there were no flaws in his background. His identity as an orphan was unquestionably real.

Leng Yaozhu slowly withdrew the card in her hand and straightened up again. Her faint, cool fragrance still lingered around Lin Xun.

"An orphan?"

The woman murmured softly, her tone betraying neither joy nor anger. "No matter how many coincidences there are in this world, having two of them collide one after another is far too strange. The original owner of this card was someone who once stirred up the entire Douluo Continent."

Lin Xun feigned confusion and scratched the back of his neck. "Hearing you say that, Senior, is giving me the chills. When I found this gold card, I only knew that it could grant privileges at the Spirit Pagoda. I knew nothing else. If it brings me trouble, then I simply won't use it ever again."

He deliberately put on a troubled expression, as though he wished to stay far away from trouble—like an ordinary youth who had somehow been dragged into something he did not understand.

Watching his performance, Leng Yaozhu's doubts only deepened. If he were that man's descendant, or his reincarnation, then he would either deliberately conceal it or reveal some flaw. Yet the youth's reaction before her was simply too reasonable.

But every clue pointed in the same direction, leaving her unable to set aside her suspicions.

She slowly stepped back and sat down on the sofa. Her fiery red eyes remained locked firmly on Lin Xun. "That itself is the greatest point of suspicion. How could an orphan with no background whatsoever obtain a Supreme Gold Card replicated so perfectly?"

In truth, Leng Yaozhu already had a rough guess. The Lin Xun before her was definitely connected to that man from a hundred years ago. And perhaps this little fellow did not even know it himself.

And that gold card—perhaps that scumbag had secretly given it to him.

So he was still alive!?

After a long silence.

Leng Yaozhu's fiery pupils narrowed slightly. The trace of laziness from before faded, replaced by a chill severity.

"You make it sound so simple. You think it'll all be over if you just stop using it?"

She gave a cold laugh, but the smile did not reach her eyes.

"You have no idea what you're holding. Do you know how grave the charge is for impersonating someone with a discontinued Supreme Gold Card from the Spirit Pagoda?"

Lin Xun's heart tightened slightly. He knew Leng Yaozhu too well—this woman was definitely about to threaten him.

"Senior, I truly didn't know. I only happened to find it, and I never intended to profit from it."

"You didn't know?" Leng Yaozhu raised her eyes, her gaze as sharp as a blade. "Every gold card is issued by the Spirit Pagoda. You openly used a counterfeit with an identical serial number at the East Sea Spirit Pagoda and enjoyed the highest privileges. If the higher-ups launch a thorough investigation, do you know what the consequences will be?"

She leaned forward slightly, her imposing presence spreading outward.

"Forgery and impersonation of a Supreme token—at best, your martial soul will be destroyed, your soul power stripped away, and you will be expelled from every soul master system. At worst, you will be thrown into the Spirit Pagoda's purgatory, never to see daylight again."

There was truth mixed with lies in those words, but it was enough to frighten anyone. The Spirit Pagoda's rules were strict, and the Supreme Gold Card symbolized authorization on the level of the Pagoda Master. If they truly wished to pursue the matter, pinning a crime on him would be effortless.

Panic surfaced in Lin Xun's eyes at the right moment, though he understood perfectly well inside.

Damn it.

This woman really was going to get leverage over him.

Sure enough, Leng Yaozhu reined in her hostility, and her tone became languid once more.

"Still, you're lucky. For now, I'm the only one who has noticed this. I can temporarily suppress the records on the Spirit Pagoda's side. No one will investigate."

Lin Xun immediately went along with her. "Senior, then what do I need to do?"

He deliberately lowered his posture, looking as though he would let her arrange everything.

As Leng Yaozhu watched his obedient, frightened appearance, a calculating certainty flashed through her eyes.

She could almost be certain now. This brat was absolutely connected to that bastard from a hundred years ago. The most likely possibility was that the man was still alive, hiding in the shadows, and had secretly left the card to this child connected to him.

And the child himself knew nothing about it.

He was the most precise clue that bastard had left behind in this world.

As long as she kept Lin Xun in her grasp, carefully nurtured him, and watched over him at all times, sooner or later, that man hiding in the shadows would reveal some trace of himself because of this boy.

When that time came, the resentment of a hundred years, the humiliation of being toyed with, and her century-long opposition with Yali—

All of it could be settled.

A smile curved across Leng Yaozhu's lips, stunningly beautiful yet filled with calculation.

"It's very simple. Take me as your master and become my personal disciple."

Lin Xun's pupils contracted. This time, it was not an act—he was genuinely startled.

"What, unwilling?" Leng Yaozhu raised a brow. "You may refuse. But tomorrow morning, the East Sea Spirit Pagoda will receive a report demanding a full investigation. Have your martial soul destroyed or be imprisoned—you choose."

"You have no one to rely on, your background is clean, and you have no backing whatsoever. Across the entire continent, the only person who can protect you right now is me."

She rose to her feet, looking down at him from above.

"Become my disciple, and I'll erase every hidden danger for you and protect your cultivation. Resources, opportunities, connections—I will give you all of them. If you refuse, tomorrow will bring your doom."

On one side was the protection of a peak expert; on the other, a hopeless abyss of eternal ruin.

The answer did not need to be chosen.

Nor could it be.

Leng Yaozhu watched him quietly, determination gleaming in her eyes.

Take Lin Xun under her wing and trap the lead.

After a century of grudges, she had finally gotten the chance to turn things around.

Yali, this time, I got the chance before you did.

In the end, Lin Xun still agreed.

There was no helping it. Even he had no better solution at this moment. What a careless oversight. He had assumed he was only using the card once, and that Leng Yaozhu, the busy Vice Tower Master, would never notice.

More importantly, he had never expected the damn thing to have a serial number.

The crucial point was that the system had been unreliable so many times, yet it had to be reliable this time and screw him over.

Bright delight surged within Leng Yaozhu's fiery red eyes. That smugness hidden between her seductive brows made her all the more captivating.

She tilted her head slightly, a mischievous amusement in her expression as she urged softly, "Since you've become my disciple, call me Teacher so I can hear it."

Teacher.

She wanted him to call Leng Yaozhu Teacher.

How absurd. How ironic.

Who could have known that this formidable, high-and-mighty Vice Tower Master of the Spirit Pagoda before him, this woman who had plotted against him at every turn and whom countless powerhouses across the continent admired—even an Ultimate Douluo had to show her some respect—had once followed closely behind him a hundred years ago.

Back then, how could Leng Yaozhu have been as forceful, domineering, and calculating as she was now?

Spoiled yet gentle, flamboyant yet obedient—she had been like a clingy little beast, her entire heart and mind filled with him. She had put him first in everything, let him tease and manipulate her as he pleased, and had been an utterly obedient little puppy who listened only to him.

But times had changed, and a century had passed in the blink of an eye.

The person he had once casually coaxed and teased, then casually discarded, now stood above him, held his fate in her hands, and forced him—who had lain hidden in the world—to bow his head and call her Teacher.

Such were the vicissitudes of life.

A hero fallen into the dust—such was the time, such was fate.

Lin Xun took a deep breath and suppressed all the complicated emotions in his heart.

For the bigger picture, to avoid exposing his identity, and for the sake of his grand breakup mission, he had to endure this small humiliation.

After a long while, he raised his head, his voice low and gentle.

"Tea... Teacher."

The instant the words fell—

Leng Yaozhu's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.

A corner of her heart that had been sealed away for a hundred years was suddenly struck hard by that soft, obedient form of address.

An indescribable feeling instantly swept through every part of her body!

It was too wonderful.

An overwhelming sense of satisfaction and control, mixed with a trace of secret delight, spread wildly through her heart.

For some reason, hearing the person before her call her that gave her an extraordinary sense of accomplishment.

After leaving the principal's office, Lin Xun's face remained dark.

Humiliating. Too humiliating!

If this body of his had not been so weak, then even if his identity were exposed, he would never have been so subservient.

Calling his ex-girlfriend Teacher... this feeling...

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river!"

Lin Xun snorted coldly.

But no matter what, Leng Yaozhu would never suspect that he was that person. Still, when all was said and done, it was the system's fault. The system's very purpose was to promote the grand breakup mission and make the name of the playboy resound throughout Douluo Continent.

So it would not let him change his name, though it could alter his appearance.

Even so, the previous intervals had always been tens of thousands of years, so having the same name had not mattered. This was the first time only a century had passed, so he truly had not expected it to cause trouble.

"System, get out here and explain yourself. Aren't you some Pin Shaoshao product? Since when have you become so authentic?"

"Putian-made. Worth trusting!"

"..."