Jin Zhen's fingers paused on the armrest for the third time, then he slowly clenched his fist.
A wisp of extremely faint golden Immortal Qi emanated from his fingertips, circled gently in the void, and then receded.
Buzz!
Although it was only for a moment, the fluctuations emanating from that Immortal Qi caused the cultivators in the surrounding seats to turn their heads and look over simultaneously.
"That's... Immortal Qi?"
"Has the Jin Clan's prodigy become angry?"
"Nonsense, his cousin was just hacked to pieces in the street. If you were in his shoes, wouldn't you be furious?"
The murmurs subsided, and many people subconsciously moved away from the Jin Clan's seats.
Just then, at the end of the stone path, a figure in white slowly walked in.
It didn't fly in; it walked in.
He walked slowly, even with the casualness of someone who had just finished a stroll, as if he were not there to attend a philosophical discussion, but rather to visit a teahouse.
The clamor in the arena seemed to be muted the moment that figure stepped into the arena, remaining quiet for two breaths before surging back up with a lower, denser wave of sound.
"They've arrived."
"It's him! The Lin Clan son!"
"He looks... younger than I expected."
"He was younger when he killed Jin Han at the door."
"Shh... don't say anything, the Jin Clan is watching him."
The crowd was buzzing with discussion.
Lin Fan ignored those stares.
He walked along the stone path to the edge of the seats directly in front of the arena, his gaze sweeping around the arena before finally settling on the figure sitting upright in the very center of the Jin Clan's seats.
Their eyes met for a fleeting moment in mid-air.
The intertwining of the laws was like two invisible blades that lightly touched in the depths of the void before retracting themselves.
"You're Lin Fan?"
You killed my cousin.
Jin Zhen's gaze darkened slightly, and a layer of golden ripples of law emanated from him, like a pond ruffled by the wind. "You have nothing to explain?"
Lin Fan thought for a moment, "His mouth was too foul, so I took care of it."
This was said very casually, as if it were a statement about something that had nothing to do with him.
Jin Zhen's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.
The golden laws surrounding him suddenly exploded, and a dazzling immortal Immortal Qi shot into the sky, like a divine spear drawn from its sheath, piercing straight into the heavens.
That Immortal Qi was both pure and domineering!
It carries a sense of profound weight, as if this is not a simple display, but a silent declaration.
"Hiss... Immortal Qi!"
" The Innate Immortal Qi of the Jin Clan's prodigy! Such a powerful fluctuation!"
Is he going to make a move here?
"No, he's putting pressure on them... he's forcing a response."
Sure enough, Jin Zhen's voice rang out, each word like iron slamming into the ground. "You killed members of the Jin Clan, you deserve an explanation. My Jin Clan is not some insignificant clan on the street. You, a Early-Stage Quasi-Emperor of the Three Thousand Provinces, killed my clansmen in Immortal Burial City, are you not even prepared to give an explanation?"
He spoke slowly, but the Immortal Qi surging around him made every word carry a heavy sense of pressure.
There was a moment of silence in the room.
Just then, a voice, neither loud nor soft, came from the direction of the head of the table, like a gentle breeze, yet impossible to ignore. " Jin Zhen, stop."
That was one of the two figures sitting in the top seat.
A man in a green robe, with a thin face, was holding a teacup, his gaze fixed on the tea in his own cup. His tone was as calm as if he were discussing the weather. "Private duels are not permitted at the Daoist discussion."
Jin Zhen's breath hitched slightly.
He didn't immediately stop, nor did he continue to unleash his oppressive aura. He merely glanced at the figure in the green robe, his brows furrowing. " Young Master Tian..."
"That's the rule."
The young man in the green robe put down his teacup, finally lifting his gaze from the tea and fixing it squarely on Jin Zhen: "If you want to find him, you can. But you'll have to wait until the Dao Discussion Conference is over, and once we're inside the Longevity Dao Field, you can settle accounts with him however you like."
He paused, his tone still calm, but with a newfound weight. "To take action in Immortal Burial City would only cause trouble for both realms."
"This person is no small fry in the Three Thousand Provinces."
The last two sentences were transmitted telepathically. "You must understand, your Jin Clan has accumulated some influence and connections in the Emperor Pass over the years, but this is the Three Thousand Provinces..."
To avoid causing unnecessary trouble.
Jin Zhen's brows furrowed even deeper.
He remained silent for a few moments, and the golden Immortal Qi surging around him finally subsided slowly, receding layer by layer like the receding tide.
He didn't speak.
But the look he gave Lin Fan was no longer as outwardly expressive as before... it had been replaced by a deeper, more intense coldness.
It's like a knife that's been sheathed again.
It seemed quiet now, but the blade still gleamed coldly.
Jin Zhen finally spoke, his voice cold and short, "Fine, then we'll settle this once we're inside the Longevity Dao Field."
He turned around, walked back to the Jin Clan's seat, sat down, and didn't look back again.
At the seats of the two families of prominent scholars, the young man in the green robe and the young man in the gray-white long gown exchanged a very brief glance before looking away.
"Interesting," the young man in the greyish-white robe said softly. "He held back."
"But he hasn't gotten over his anger," the young man in the green robe said. "He can hold back for now, but he'll still come out once he's inside the dojo."
"Let's see how many moves that Lin Clan can withstand."
Lin Fan stood there, watching Jin Zhen's figure disappear into the shadows of the Jin Clan's seats, without immediately taking a seat.
"Oh, you're the important person they were talking about?"
He tilted his head.
Then he spoke, his voice not loud, but just loud enough for everyone in the Jin Clan's section to hear clearly. "A wisp of Immortal Qi, and another wisp of Immortal Qi mixed with impurities, it seems like nothing special, is it?"
Jin Zhen's figure suddenly stopped.
He turned around, his gaze like a knife suddenly drawn. "What did you say?"
Lin Fan didn't look into his eyes, his gaze fixed on the spot where the Immortal Qi had just dissipated, as if he were looking at a freshly opened lab report. His tone was calm and casual. "That Immortal Qi you just exuded wasn't pure. The first one was indeed condensed by yourself, and its quality was quite good."
"But the second dish... is a bit complicated."
As he spoke, a faint purplish-gold light flickered deep within his pupils.
It was a trace of Double Pupils, fleeting yet enough for all those with keen senses present to simultaneously capture that instantaneous change.
Jin Zhen's face turned ashen in an instant.
The immortal Immortal Qi that he had just subsided surged up again, like a pool of water being boiled, emitting a deep rumble.
It was his honor to cultivate two strands of Immortal Qi!
He was fearless even when facing prodigies from families with a long history of immortality.
The second strand of immortal Immortal Qi was impure; this was his secret, known to very few. Lin Fan Fan's public revelation of it was a complete disregard for his dignity.
This time, it wasn't just anger, but also a hint of panic after having his secret exposed in public.
The cultivators who were secretly observing fell silent for a moment, then someone whispered, "Artificial Immortal Qi? The second strand of Immortal Qi of the Jin Clan son was refined?"
"He never mentioned it..."
Everyone in Emperor Pass thought he had created it all by himself.
"So his second Immortal Qi of immortal energy wasn't actually pure?"
"A refined Immortal Qi can only unleash seventy to eighty percent of the true power of Immortal Qi."
"Doesn't that mean..."
Someone swallowed hard, not finishing their sentence, but everyone's gaze had already changed.
Jin Zhen stood amidst the surging golden laws, his face ashen. His gaze towards Lin Fan was like a poisoned blade as he repeated, word by word, "What a Double Pupils!"
Lin Fan did not answer the question.
He simply looked at Jin Zhen, his gaze unusually calm, his tone still casual. "You've sent people time and time again to steal my things, kill my people, and take over my territory, and you even tried to scare someone with a fake Immortal Qi of immortality?"
"It's time to settle things between us!"