Profound Heaven Soul Sovereign

"Lin Ming," he snarled the name in a low voice, his eyes ice-cold and his tone filled with agony.

Everyone thought what happened back then was just an accident. Only Lin Tian knew it wasn't.

To this day, he could still clearly remember the flash of malice deep in Lin Ming's eyes as he had suddenly struck out with that palm.

That image was deeply etched into his mind, unforgettable for all eternity.

But he hadn't told a single soul about this, not even his father or grandfather.

He knew that as long as he couldn't break through to Tier Six Martial Venerable, no one would believe him if he spoke of it. His father and grandfather would be powerless to do anything, and it would only bring them more anger and pain.

'The only hope is the Venerable Pill,' Lin Tian prayed silently.

A day passed in the blink of an eye.

Before he knew it, it was the next day.

All sorts of strange things happened every day in the trading center. After all, it was a melting pot where all kinds of people gathered, the central hub of the entire Celestial Capital Prefecture. The regulars had seen it all.

However, what happened today was particularly bizarre, leaving many of the veteran Martial Artists in the trading center completely baffled.

It all started with a Pill.

It was a Pill called the Venerable Pill. Though it was a high-quality Sixth Grade Pill, that alone shouldn't have been enough to attract the entire trading center's attention. But the seller had spent a whopping ten thousand Lower Grade Profound Stones to run a minute-long ad for it on the main screen. Furthermore, the only asking price was an exchange for rare materials.

What was even more outrageous was that they demanded Tier Seven materials in exchange—and at least three different kinds.

This move immediately earned the collective scorn and ridicule of everyone in the Celestial Capital Prefecture's trading center. No one thought the Venerable Pill would sell. They were all just waiting for the next day to laugh at the seller's failure.

However, to everyone's astonishment, the Venerable Pill actually sold the very next day. And the items it was traded for were beyond anyone's wildest expectations.

Phoenix Blood Stone, Immortal Grass, a Memory Crystal, and ten thousand Lower Grade Profound Stones.

Someone had actually used these four things to trade for a single Sixth Grade Venerable Pill.

The trade instantly sent massive waves through the trading center.

Phoenix Blood Stone, Immortal Grass, Memory Crystal—every one of them was a legendary, top-tier Tier Seven material. On the open market, any single one would fetch a price of sixty to seventy thousand Lower Grade Profound Stones. And even then, they were the kind of treasures you couldn't buy even if you had the money.

Combined, the three of them were worth a rough estimate of over two hundred thousand Lower Grade Profound Stones. Their value could even be compared to some of the lesser Tier Eight materials.

Yet someone had used such precious materials to trade for a mere Sixth Grade Venerable Pill. Everyone was left dumbfounded, completely unable to understand.

A Sixth Grade Pill would normally go for twenty to thirty thousand Lower Grade Profound Stones. Even if its effects were incredibly powerful, it might fetch fifty or sixty, maybe even seventy thousand at most. It was simply incomparable to those three materials.

Therefore, the instant the trade was marked as successful, the first thought that crossed everyone's mind was, 'That guy must be crazy.'

The second thought that followed was, 'It has to be a sham transaction.'

He spent ten thousand Lower Grade Profound Stones on the ad and paid a hefty transaction fee, all to hype up his Pill and make a name for his Profound Light Pavilion.

Many people were convinced of this idea, believing they had uncovered the truth.

However, the subsequent investigation took an unexpected turn.

Someone's secret investigation revealed that the buyer of the Venerable Pill wasn't the original seller, but a young man from the Lin family.

People immediately began to speculate. Was the Profound Light Pavilion one of the Lin family's businesses?

But as the investigation deepened, they discovered that the Lin family didn't own any business called the Profound Light Pavilion. Furthermore, the family had no plans to enter the Pill market.

This result stunned everyone. And so, people's attention shifted back to the young master of the Lin family who had bought the Pill.

The investigation brought a shocking revelation.

It turned out that the young master from the Lin family who bought the Venerable Pill was none other than Lin Tian—the top genius who had emerged years ago but had vanished from the public eye in recent years.

Lin Tian's story had once caused a sensation in Celestial Capital Prefecture. Almost everyone in the prefecture knew about him.

Everyone knew that Lin Tian had been crippled four years ago, rendered unable to ever break through to Tier Six Martial Venerable. With that in mind, his reason for buying the Venerable Pill was plain to see.

After hearing about this, a Lord Level Alchemist who had once treated Lin Tian directly stated that it was wishful thinking for him to try and break through with a Venerable Pill. His Profound Vein and Profound Sea were completely sealed, and for the rest of his life, he could only ever be a Tier Five Martial Sect.

As soon as these words spread, the Lin family immediately became the laughingstock of Celestial Capital Prefecture. And Lin Tian, already known as a cripple, was now seen as a fool in everyone's eyes.

Just think about it. Trading rare materials worth over two hundred thousand for a Sixth Grade Pill worth only a few tens of thousands? In everyone's mind, only a complete lunatic would do such a thing.

This Lin Tian was clearly desperate to break through, so much so that he had gone mad with obsession.

When the Lin family got the news, they were furious. Lin Tian's actions had made their family the laughingstock of Celestial Capital Prefecture. The family's upper echelon immediately convened an emergency meeting. Some demanded Lin Tian be expelled from the family, while others used this as an opportunity to impeach his father and grandfather.

A storm was brewing within the Lin family, and it also shifted everyone's attention from the Venerable Pill to the family itself.

As one of the top families in Celestial Capital Prefecture, any change in the Lin family's internal affairs could shake the prefecture and alter its power dynamics.

Everyone was eagerly waiting to see how the Lin family's internal structure would change this time.

「At this moment, outside Lin Tian's courtyard.」

A group of powerful experts was approaching menacingly.

Each of them wore a gloomy expression, their faces etched with displeasure, and they all exuded terrifying auras. One man among them, however, looked anxious and slightly worried, a stark contrast to the others.

One of the men snorted coldly. "Lin Zhan, look what your 'good son' has done! See the damage he's brought to our family! No matter what, he must leave the main Lin family in Celestial Capital Prefecture today and be exiled to one of the subsidiary businesses."

The anxious middle-aged man replied in a deep voice, "Lin Bo Xiong, how my son is to be dealt with must be decided by the Elder Council. Besides, I believe he must have had his reasons for doing this."

"His reasons? The Lin family has already become the laughingstock of Celestial Capital Prefecture, and you're still talking about his reasons? Hmph! I think your son has gone mad from his desire to break through! After all these years and all the family resources he's wasted, he dares to use even more family resources to trade for some useless Venerable Pill? This is outrageous!"

"Lin Bo Xiong, the Phoenix Blood Stone and the other items were my, Lin Zhan's, private property. They were my personal assets. My son can use them however he wishes."

"Personal assets?" Lin Bo Xiong scoffed. "Even if those things belonged to you personally, they are still a part of the family's resources. If your son had traded such precious family assets for some other treasure, it might have been excusable. But he exchanged them for a single Sixth Grade Pill! This is a loss of family resources and must be severely punished."

Fuming, the two argued back and forth as they quickly arrived at Lin Tian's courtyard.

Behind them trailed a large group of Lin family disciples, all discussing the matter in hushed whispers.

"Where is Lin Tian? Tell him to get his ass out here and see me!" Kicking open the gate to Lin Tian's courtyard, Lin Bo Xiong saw Lin San inside and barked the order coldly.

"My lords, Young Master Lin Tian is in seclusion for his cultivation. Please, do not disturb him for now," Lin San said, trembling all over under the terrifying pressure the men were deliberately releasing.

"That brat still has the nerve to be cultivating at a time like this? Tell him to get out here right now!"

Lin Bo Xiong immediately tried to barge in.

"Wait."

Lin Zhan's figure flickered, and he instantly appeared in front of Lin Bo Xiong, blocking his path. "Since my son is cultivating," he said in a low voice, "I must ask you all to wait a moment."

"Wait for what? The boy has acted with such audacity! He must be taken back to face the family's punishment. Lin Zhan, get out of my way."

"Lin Bo Xiong, what are your real intentions, being in such a hurry to disrupt my son's cultivation? Can you not even wait a little while?"

"Lin Zhan, stop putting on a show. Your son has cultivated for so many years, consumed countless Pills, and eaten who knows how many heavenly treasures, yet he has never been able to break through. Do you really think one mysterious Venerable Pill is going to make any difference? Move. Now. Or don't blame me for what happens next."

Lin Bo Xiong immediately released a terrifying pressure, blasting it toward Lin Zhan.

"Lin Bo Xiong, do you think I, Lin Zhan, am afraid of you? If you dare harm my son, I swear this won't be over between us!"

"Fine! If you insist on being stubborn, Lin Zhan, then don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Lin Bo Xiong snorted. Seeing that words were useless, he prepared to attack.

"Who dares to touch my grandson?"

Just then, a cold snort echoed through the air as a terrifying pressure descended, enveloping Lin Bo Xiong and his men.

A burly, imposing old man with graying hair and a beard appeared before them.

The newcomer was none other than Lin Tian's grandfather, Lin Bo, a Tier Eight Second Layer Martial Emperor and a core elder of the Lin family.

He had been in seclusion but had rushed to the scene immediately after receiving a message from his son.

Seeing this man, Lin Bo Xiong's expression tightened. He was quite wary of the core elder, Lin Bo. The man was known for his iron-fisted methods and arrogant demeanor. When angered, he would even dare to curse the Clan Leader. He was an incredibly difficult person to reason with.

"Elder Lin Bo, we don't wish to harm your grandson. It's just that what Lin Tian has done this time is too much. He has caused our Lin family to lose all face. If we don't punish him, how can our family maintain its standing in Celestial Capital Prefecture?"

"Elder Lin Bo, you have always been righteous and a pillar of the family. We trust that you will understand our actions and not try to shield him."

Several high-ranking family members stepped forward to speak.

Lin Bo's expression was grim. He snorted coldly. "The family has its laws, and the clan has its rules. I, Lin Bo, will naturally not shield anyone. However, my grandson is currently in seclusion cultivating. Can you not even grant him this small amount of time?"

Lin Bo also felt that this was a thorny situation. The matter had blown up too much for him to suppress. He was anxious and worried, but he felt helpless.

Seeing that the others seemed to agree with Lin Bo, Lin Bo Xiong quickly interjected in a cold voice, "Elder Lin Bo, it's not that we won't give him time. It's that the Lin family is currently being ridiculed by the entire Celestial Capital Prefecture. This is a time when we need to redeem our name, yet your grandson is holed up in seclusion. Are you suggesting that all of us should just wait for him? If he cultivates for a year, are we supposed to wait for a year?"

Lin Bo's face immediately darkened. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly whipped his head around and stared in shock at a sealed room within the courtyard.

A rather powerful fluctuation of Profound Power was emanating from it. Despite being muffled by the sealed room, it was clearly transmitted into everyone's minds.

"This kind of Profound Power fluctuation... could it be..."

Lin Bo and Lin Zhan exchanged a glance, and a look of shocked ecstasy instantly appeared in their eyes.