Chapter 136 - 13: High Hopes
The most crucial thing was that Lin Sheng and his three companions chose this exact moment to fall silent.
Lin Sheng and his companions were even weaker than Lin Kang. They were afraid that if they spoke up, Lin Yan would challenge them directly to the Combat Platform. Refusing would be humiliating, but fighting on the Combat Platform and losing would be even more so.
"I understand what you mean. You want to fight me on the Combat Platform, right?"
Lin Yan took the initiative to speak. The moment he did, Lin Yuming’s eyes lit up. ’I can’t be the one to challenge Lin Yan to the Combat Platform; I can’t afford that loss of face. But if Lin Yan proposes it himself and I accept, no one will gossip.’
’If anything, people would just say Lin Yan got overconfident after a single victory.’
"What? Don’t tell me you actually dare to challenge me to the Combat Platform? A mere Third-Time Skin Smoothing Realm like you?"
Lin Yuming spoke with deliberate disdain, trying to bait Lin Yan into his trap.
"Challenging you on the Combat Platform... well, it’s not out of the question."
Lin Yan nodded and said earnestly, "I’ll do it when your Qi Blood has declined enough for you to drop to the Third-Time of Skin Smoothing."
"Lin Yan!"
The calculating glint in Lin Yuming’s eyes gave way to pure rage. He finally understood that Lin Yan had just been toying with him.
’I’m only twenty-three and already at the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing! How could my Qi Blood possibly decline to the Third-Time level? Lin Yan is clearly cursing me!’
"Alright, good dogs don’t block the road. I have things to do."
Ignoring the devouring rage in Lin Yuming’s eyes, Lin Yan strode forward and brushed past the group.
"Lin Yan, don’t think you can rest easy just because you’re at the Third-Time of Skin Smoothing!" Lin Yuming roared at Lin Yan’s retreating back. "Unless you stay at that realm for the rest of your life, I, Lin Yuming, swear this: the day you reach the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing, I will be waiting at your door every single day!"
However, Lin Yan didn’t deign to respond. He didn’t even turn his head, simply continuing on his way as if he hadn’t heard a word.
A short distance away, a few clansmen from other branches heard Lin Yuming’s hysterical shouting and couldn’t help but snicker.
"Looks like Lin Yan really provoked him. I can’t believe he’d say something so mindless."
"Haha, even if clan rules didn’t forbid taunting someone at their own door, Lin Yan would still be reaching the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing long after Yuming. If Yuming actually goes to Lin Yan’s home to challenge him, the only ones who’ll lose face are him and the Fourth Branch."
...
...
The Yantian Mountain Range lay five hundred li outside Qing State Prefecture City, stretching for a thousand li across the land of three counties, its end nowhere in sight.
A man and a horse made their way toward the mountain range.
Boshan County!
Upon seeing the boundary marker on the main road ahead, Lin Yan pulled on the reins and gazed at the distant mountain range.
Soaring peaks stood tall, flanked by steep cliffs and precipices.
The closer he got, the more he understood how the Lin Family managed to defend the Yantian Mountain Range.
On the Boshan County side alone, the edge of the range was a vast expanse of steep cliffs, towering a thousand feet into the air and as sheer as if carved by a blade.
At such a height, ordinary people would shrink back in fear. Even a Skin Smoothing Martial Artist would have to be extremely cautious to climb it, and would be easily spotted during the day.
The cliffs stretched for dozens of li, almost completely sealing off the foot of the mountains. Only a few sparse areas with gentler slopes could serve as paths into the mountains, and these were all guarded by men sent from the Lin Family.
The destination of Lin Yan’s trip was one of these entrances within Boshan County.
Lin Yan reached one of the entrances at the foot of the mountain just around noon.
The entrance at the foot of the mountain was not as desolate as he had imagined. Instead, a cluster of houses had been built there.
They had walls of blue-gray stone, dozens of buildings large and small, scattered gracefully on either side of the mountain path.
A few wisps of cooking smoke rose from the rooftops, drifting lazily into the air and lending the scene a surprisingly pastoral charm.
In the open space in front of the houses, many people were gathered in groups. Some were sharpening their blades, some were mending animal traps, and two men were sparring while several others cheered them on.
Seeing Lin Yan approach on horseback, the men all stopped what they were doing. Their eyes swept over him before landing on his belt, their gazes hardening slightly.
One of them cupped his fist in salute. "Greetings, Young Master of the Lin Family."
Lin Yan swung himself off his horse and returned the salute. "I am Lin Yan. I have come to the Yantian Mountain Range on clan orders to stand guard."
The man’s face broke into a smile. "Please wait a moment. I’ll go inform Master Yuan."
The man left, and the others continued to size up Lin Yan with furtive glances, though none came forward to speak with him.
Lin Yan didn’t mind that no one approached him, and he tilted his head back to look at the nearby thousand-foot cliffs.
The cliff face was as sheer as if hewn by axes, piercing straight into the clouds. The sun slanted down from the top, casting a massive shadow at the foot of the mountain.
"You’re from our Third Branch... a branch clan member?"
A voice came from his side.
Lin Yan turned toward the voice and saw a young man emerging from a bend in the mountain path.
Hearing the man’s three words, "our Third Branch," Lin Yan’s eyes lit up. He quickly said, "This junior, Lin Yan, is from a branch family of the Third Branch."
"None of that ’junior’ business. For you guys from the branch families, sorting by generation is a hassle. Let’s just go by age. I’m older than you, so just call me Brother Yuan."
"Brother Yuan." Lin Yan was happy to oblige.
Lin Mingyuan laughed heartily, stepped forward, and clapped Lin Yan on the shoulder. "Did you take this assignment on your own?"
"Brother Hai gave me a heads-up."
As Lin Yan replied, he was also using his Perception on the height of the man’s Martial Arts Tree in his mind.
’Holy hell!’
’So thick!’
’So long!’
Lin Yan was dumbfounded. Brother Yuan’s Martial Arts Tree was the tallest he had ever seen.
A full eight feet, seven inches tall!
The Martial Arts Tree was also more than double the thickness of his own.
’Compared to that, mine is just a twig.’
’What Realm does a height like that even correspond to?’