In the reception room of the City Lord's Residence.
"Please have a seat, both of you. Don't be shy."
Wu Qi said with a smile.
Lin Xiao and Lin An bowed respectfully before sitting down.
" Lin An, you must be planning to Competition Ceremony next month, right?" Wu Qi asked.
"That's right, that's indeed the idea," Lin An nodded.
"With your qualifications, young friend, there's no need for you to make this trip. My City Lord's Residence has extra spots available. If you'd like, you can come to the royal city together then," Wu Qi said.
Lin An knew that the other party was trying to curry favor with him, but his purpose was not just to compete for a spot to go to the royal city. His main goal was to hunt enough Sin Beast and obtain a large number of attribute points.
"Thank you for your kindness, City Lord, but I would also like to see other prodigies, and I am also quite curious about this Spirit Realm," Lin An said.
"Haha, young friend, you are indeed a promising young man, and you should be full of ambition. It was I who was being too lenient."
Although he was rejected, Wu Qi was not dissatisfied. Instead, he smiled and said, "With your strength, I believe you can easily secure a spot. However, if you encounter any problems in the coming days, you are welcome to bring my token to the City Lord's Residence."
As Wu Qi spoke, he waved his hand, and a token flew to Lin An's front.
"Thank you, City Lord. I won't stand on ceremony then."
Lin An accepted the token without hesitation.
"Very well, I like straightforward people like you, young friend. It's getting late, and a banquet has been prepared in the manor. Please follow me."
"This will also allow the younger generation of my Wu Clan to witness your heroic prowess, young friend."
Wu Qi spoke, he stood up and led the two towards the banquet hall.
Lin Xiao and Lin An exchanged a glance, then followed.
When the two arrived at the banquet hall, it was already quite crowded.
Men, women, young and old, all looked at Lin An and his companion with curiosity.
Especially Lin An.
After all, this is someone who can leave their name on the Ancient Spirit Tower Stele, and I heard that they are first-class, even their own ancestors have been pushed to the back.
Such people, even if they cannot become close friends, do not necessarily need to become enemies.
If we do them a favor now, they might be able to save the Wu Clan at a crucial moment when they grow up.
Understanding this, the Wu Clan and others did not underestimate them; on the contrary, they received the two with great enthusiasm.
During the meal, a woman from the Wu Clan took the initiative to talk to Lin An, the meaning of which was self-evident.
Lin An was fully aware of the Wu Clan's intentions, but he had no objection to them.
He could only brush off the advances of the Wu Clan women.
Knowing that the Sin Abyss World would connect with Blue Star in less than two years, he had no time to devote to matters of the heart.
At the banquet, the younger generation of the Wu Clan sat around Lin An, inquiring about the situation inside the Ancient Spirit Tower.
Lin An smiled as he recounted his story to everyone, but he added some subtle embellishments to his account of how he cleared the game.
What was clearly a fatal blow was instead described as a fierce and thrilling battle, full of twists and turns, eliciting gasps of surprise from the crowd.
Lin Xiao sat with Wu Qi and other elders, chatting about the hardships of the lower city and their experiences in raising children. They seemed to be having a very pleasant conversation.
The banquet lasted for about three hours before Lin Xiao and Lin An took their leave.
Wu Qi originally wanted the two of them to live in his mansion, but they naturally refused.
"Brother Lin, if you need anything later, you may come to the City Lord's Residence at any time." A middle-aged man led several people to escort Lin Xiao and Lin An to the gate of the mansion.
This person is named Wu Jin, a peak Diamond Tier expert, the head of the Wu Clan, the eldest son of Wu Qi, and the next city lord of Guangwu City.
" Wu Clan, you are too kind. It is our great honor to be invited by the City Lord today. We will remember this kindness," Lin Xiao said, cupping his hands in greeting.
After exchanging pleasantries, the father and son left the City Lord's Residence.
After watching the two leave, Wu Jin's smile faded, and he coldly swept his gaze over the people hidden around the City Lord's Residence, a hint of warning in his eyes.
This startled many people who were secretly observing, and they quickly withdrew their gazes.
Wu Jin then returned to his residence and headed towards a study.
"They went back?" Wu Qi didn't look up, focusing intently on writing with his brush on the table.
"I personally escorted the two of them out of the manor, and also warned those who were secretly spying on them." Wu Jin to the desk, picked up the ink stick, and ground the ink.
"Hmm, do you think these two are people worth befriending?" Wu Qi asked.
"At today's banquet, it was clear that these two were not arrogant or complacent; on the contrary, they were polite and respectful," Wu Jin said.
Although the banquet was ostensibly to celebrate Lin An's passing, it was also a way to test the character of the two men.
While they wouldn't be enemies with such arrogant and self-satisfied people, they also wouldn't get too close to them.
" Lin An so young yet possesses such strength, and he can still uphold his principles. It's truly remarkable. It's a pity that my Wu Clan's daughter has never caught his eye," Wu Qi sighed.
"Father, although Lin An is exceptionally talented, our Wu Clan does not need to form a marriage alliance with him. After all, he has not yet matured, and who can know what the future holds?"
"That's right. If we wait until he grows up, how will my Wu Clan have any chance? My Wu Clan may seem glorious, and we may even have a foothold in the royal city, but in the end, we will find it difficult to restore the glory of our ancestors."
"Very well, since he's unwilling, we can't force him. Go and find out about the situation in Shenglin City; you can offer some assistance. That child seems to be grateful."
Wu Qi said, "And those with ulterior motives, we can also secretly give them a warning."
Although he didn't know Lin Xiao before, he had already had someone investigate the Lin Family's situation during the banquet.
They knew that the Lin Family possessed an extremely powerful cultivation technique that could allow one to cultivate at a rapid pace.
The only drawback was the inability to break through to the Platinum Realm, but now that Lin Xiao has reached the Platinum, he must have found a way to make up for that.
It would be impossible for him to have no thoughts about such a technique, but he wouldn't be so blinded by it.
Moreover, with his Epic Tier strength, how could he not detect Lin Xiao's subtle actions of holding some kind of trump card?
Such a prodigious talent, if not killed in one blow, will cause endless trouble.
Moreover, compared to the value of this cultivation technique, he was more concerned about the benefits that a prodigy like Lin An could bring to the family after he grew up.
"Father, rest assured, I will arrange these matters," Wu Jin nodded.
Although he was only the head of the Wu Clan, he actually handled many things in Guangwu City.
The city lord Wu Qi serves more as a deterrent.
"By the way, let Peng'er and Rui'er stop suppressing their cultivation levels and break through to the Platinum Realm before the ceremony ends," Wu Qi said.
Wu Peng and Wu Rui, both around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, are the young prodigies of the Wu Clan, having already reached the Gold Ninth Grade a year ago.
If it weren't for this grand ceremony, which required entering the Spirit Realm, I would have already broken through to the Platinum Realm.
Upon hearing this, Wu Jin paused in grinding ink, his brows furrowing slightly. "Father, are you going to abandon the rare treasure in the Spirit Realm to win over Lin An?"
"I have that idea, but given Lin An's strength, even if Peng'er and Rui'er enter the Spirit Realm, it will be extremely difficult for them to obtain rare treasures. It would be better to withdraw directly and avoid taking any more risks."
"Should we inform those families?"
"Once you enter the Spirit Realm, life and death are in the hands of fate."
Wu Jin's eyes flashed, and he already knew what his father was thinking.
If Lin An were to kill the younger generation of the Ten Great Clans in the city, he would not only suppress these families, but also put them on the opposite side of Lin An.
At that time, only the Wu Clan will be able to protect the Lin Family.
They didn't need to do anything; all they had to do was have their two younger relatives leave the Spirit Realm.
Even if things don't go as they expected, they won't suffer any losses.
Wu Jin said no more and continued grinding ink.