"The people from the Emperor Pass arrived quite quickly."
Lin Fan pushed open the window of the Sutra Repository, his gaze passing through the courtyard and corridors, landing in the direction of the main hall.
He sensed it.
There was more than one person who came.
He closed the last ancient book in his hand, casually stuffed it back on the bookshelf, patted off non-existent dust from his robes, and with a flicker, disappeared from the window on the seventh floor of the library.
The next moment, in the Lin Clan's reception room.
The aroma of tea wafts through the air, and steam swirls around the rim of the celadon cup.
An elder with half-white hair and an ordinary face sat to the left of the main seat, holding a teacup and taking a slow sip, his expression as composed as if he were entertaining a distant relative.
There were no protectors standing behind him.
The Lin Clan did not make a show of force.
Not a single elder came out to greet them; they simply sent an ordinary elder who usually handled miscellaneous tasks to receive them.
All who come are guests, and for ordinary Lineage, people from the Emperor Pass must be treated as honored guests!
But the Lin Clan is no ordinary family; the Emperor Pass is nothing to them.
Sitting opposite me was a young man who looked to be in his early thirties.
He was tall and slender with a handsome face. He wore a silver-gray robe with a very faint gold pattern embroidered on the hem, like a variant of some ancient clan emblem.
He kept his aura contained and did not deliberately release any pressure.
However, a complete and harmonious underlying principle made the air inside the reception room slightly heavier than outside.
Behind him stood a young follower, Late Sage King Realm, who also concealed his aura, but the sense of superiority between his brows was somewhat unnaturally suppressed.
"Elder Lin, you're too kind."
The silver-robed youth picked up his teacup but didn't drink immediately. His gaze lingered on the rim for a moment before he smiled gently and said, "Although the Emperor Pass and the Three Thousand Provinces are separated by a No Man's Land, I have a long-standing tradition of facilitating the travel between the two realms. This visit is nothing of great importance."
" Young Master Tian has come from afar; my Lin Clan will naturally treat you with the utmost courtesy."
The elder put down his teacup, his smile as lukewarm as leftover porridge, unhurried and unperturbed. "However, the Imperial Prince is currently reading books in the Scripture Pavilion, and this old man of mine dares not disturb him rashly... Let's wait a bit!"
Upon hearing this, the young man in the silver robe twitched his brow almost imperceptibly.
His name is Tian Ming.
Emperor Pass, a direct descendant of the Tian Clan Lineage, a longevity clan, Early Quasi-Emperor Realm and belongs to the younger generation of Emperor Pass.
Before he arrived, he had heard many rumors about the Lin Clan son: slaying Long Aotian, suppressing Wang Teng, and defying the Jin Clan's Quasi-Emperor...
These events circulated more than once throughout the Three Thousand Provinces.
But he hadn't expected the Lin Clan's hospitality to be so... relaxed!
Tian Ming put down his teacup, his tone carrying just the right amount of curiosity, "The Imperial Prince is in the Scripture Pavilion? I've never heard of the Lin Clan Prince having such an interest."
"Young people should read more books."
The elder chuckled and said, "As you know, our Three Thousand Provinces are not like the Emperor Pass. The laws are incomplete and the Spiritual Qi is thin. We can't just rely on our fists to force our way through everything. Occasionally, we have to flip through ancient books and find some inspiration from our predecessors, don't you think?"
Tian Ming's lips pursed slightly.
These words sounded polite, but he could clearly sense from the other person's tone that the prince was busy and that he should just say what he needed to say, or simply have some tea.
Just as he was about to speak, the light at the entrance to the reception room suddenly dimmed for a moment.
It wasn't dark; something was blocking the sunlight from outside.
A figure walked in from outside the door, dressed in white with silver hair, walking with a leisurely pace and a nonchalant smile on his lips.
"We have a distinguished guest; why didn't you have someone call me?"
Lin Fan's voice was neither loud nor soft, carrying a casual tone as if he had just woken up. Yet, in the reception room, it was like a pebble dropped into still water, creating a silent ripple.
"The Emperor's Son!"
The elder quickly rose, bowed to Lin Fan, and then looked at Tian Ming: "This is Young Master Tian, who has come from the Emperor Pass."
"Yes, I heard you."
Lin Fan nodded, sat down in the chair opposite Tian Ming, picked up the teapot on the table, poured himself a cup, and took a sip without waiting for it to cool.
" The Emperor Pass Tian Clan?" He put down his teacup and looked at the silver-robed youth. "What's your name?"
Tian Ming.
Tian Ming glanced at Lin Fan, and several descriptions of this person from intelligence reports quickly surfaced in his mind.
At the Peak Sage King Realm, he slew the Quasi-Emperor of the Jin Clan at the Emperor Pass and condensed Immortal Qi.
But when he saw Lin Fan with his own eyes, he still felt that something was wrong.
This feeling is hard to describe...
It's like you've heard someone has a really strong fist, but when you stand in front of them, you realize they don't even need to throw a punch; just sitting there, they exude an immense sense of pressure...
"The imperial prince is indeed as rumored... free-spirited."
After careful consideration, Tian Ming finally chose these two words.
Lin Fan laughed, "Casual? Alright, enough with the formalities. Young Master Tian, you've come to my Lin Clan for more than just tea, haven't you?"
Tian Ming was silent for a moment, then smiled.
The smile held a hint of relief, yet also a touch of eagerness. "Your Highness is straightforward, so I won't beat around the bush either. I've come here with two matters to discuss."
"First, in two and a half years, the Emperor Pass will officially open its access passage. At that time, all the geniuses and prodigies who have emerged from the Immortal Ancient Ruins will be qualified to go to the Emperor Pass for training. The Imperial Son is ranked first and will naturally be among them."
"The second thing..."
Tian Ming paused, his gaze hardening slightly. "I would like to invite the Imperial Son to a Dao Discussion Conference six months from now."
"Discussion Meeting?"
"Discussion Meeting."
Tian Ming's tone became more serious. "This Dao discussion was jointly initiated by the prodigies of several senior Lineage in the Emperor Pass. Although it's called a Dao discussion, it's actually more like... a qualification for entering the ruins."
"Among the younger generation of the Three Thousand Provinces and the Emperor Pass, few are qualified to be invited, and the Imperial Son is one of them."
Lin Fan leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. "Ruins? What ruins?"
Tian Ming lowered his voice, his tone tinged with solemnity. "It's related to a once-extinct, immortal Lineage."
"The Immortal Lineage?"
Lin Fan raised an eyebrow. He had spent more than half a year rummaging through ancient books in the Lin Clan's library, and happened to have read records about the Longevity Lineage.
In Emperor Pass, any lineage that can be called a " Lineage immortals" has produced at least one immortal.
The so-called "imperial clan" of the Three Thousand Provinces, by the standards of the Emperor Pass, could at most be considered a "great clan with a rich history".
The Emperor Pass Guan Lineage, with its longevity, truly touched upon the realm of immortals.
The Lin Clan is an unparalleled imperial clan in the Three Thousand Provinces, and is also known as the Immortal Lineage in the Emperor Pass! They have produced more than one immortal, and have been active since the Immortal Ancient Ruins...
"The annihilation of the immortal Lineage... such a thing is rare."
Lin Fan's fingers stopped, and his gaze lingered on Tian Ming for a moment. He remembered vaguely sensing a system notification on the way here.
I didn't look at it carefully at the time, so I'm checking it now.
With a thought, the system panel faintly lit up in the corner of his field of vision.