This Martial Saint is Too Cautious

’I’m still short on money.’

The good news was that the medicinal power of the Bodhi Pill hadn’t worn off. Lin Yan could feel it was still active within his body and should last for at least another day.

...

「Two days later.」

The Lin Family’s branch competition officially began.

To the Lin Family, this competition between branch family members was hardly a major event. Each main branch had only dispatched a single member—one in charge of the branch families—to the Combat Platform to maintain order.

As a Blood Exchange Realm powerhouse, Lin Yan was exempt from the preliminary rounds. He would advance directly to the finals and compete with the ten who emerged from the qualifiers for a spot in the top five.

For the three days of the preliminary rounds, no one paid any attention to the competition aside from the branch family members themselves.

"Lin Yan, I’m out. I stopped at fifteenth place."

On the third day of the competition, Lin Yu came to Lin Yan’s courtyard. He wasn’t discouraged by his failure to enter the top ten; he knew his own limits. Unless he was willing to fight his opponent to the death, there was only a slim chance he could have won, and it simply wasn’t worth it.

"Even if I’d risked my life to get into the top ten, so what? The four of you at the Blood Exchange Realm are at the top, which leaves only one spot in the final five. I know my own limits. There’s no way that last spot would ever fall to me."

"That’s right. It’s important to know your own limits," Lin Yan said with a nod.

"I know you’re telling the truth, but did you have to be so blunt about it?"

Lin Yu rolled his eyes. He hadn’t come looking for comfort from Lin Yan, nor was he there to complain about the clan allocating so few spots. He was here on serious business.

His expression turned serious as he said, "Lin Wang has broken through to the Blood Exchange Realm. Given the grudge between you two, I’m afraid you’re in for a tough fight."

The day before, a piece of news had broken from the Fourth Branch that shocked all the branch family members.

Lin Wang had reached the Blood Exchange Realm.

Everyone had assumed that after being defeated by Lin Yan and losing face for the Fourth Branch, Lin Wang would be abandoned by his family. And for a time, Lin Wang had indeed been quiet. But no one had expected him to rise again and break through to the Blood Exchange Realm.

"He merely forced his way into the Blood Exchange Realm. It’s nothing to worry about."

Lin Yan’s expression was placid. When he heard the news yesterday that Lin Wang had broken through to the Blood Exchange Realm, he was indeed a little surprised, but that was the extent of it.

Based on his understanding of Lin Wang’s temperament, he suspected Lin Wang hadn’t even managed to refine his Qi Blood past the halfway mark. Even though he had broken through to the Blood Exchange Realm, his future on the path of Martial Arts was effectively ruined.

He had spared Lin Wang last time out of respect for Lin Rong, but if Lin Wang still didn’t know what was good for him, he would not hold back again.

A defeated opponent who had just entered the Blood Exchange Realm posed no threat to him personally, but he could still be a danger to his loved ones.

Ever since the son of Ma Xiong from Qingfeng Stockade had hired men to take revenge on him and his family, Lin Yan had understood a crucial principle: when you cut the weeds, you must pull out the roots.

"’Merely forced his way in’... That’s easy for you to say."

Lin Yu pursed his lips. He would have loved to "force his way in" too, but he couldn’t even control his Qi Blood with enough precision to make it possible.

...

「The Fourth Branch.」

Lin Mingchuan’s gaze was chilling. On the desk before him rested the memorial tablet of his younger brother, Lin Mingyu.

A moment later, Lin Mingguan strode into the room.

"Brother Chuan, Lin Wang has agreed. But if we do this, I’m afraid the Third Branch won’t let the matter rest."

"If the Third Branch pursues the matter, we’ll just use Lin Wang as a scapegoat. A ruined Blood Exchange Realm practitioner has no value to our Fourth Branch."

Lin Mingchuan’s tone was ice-cold, as if he were discussing a piece of merchandise. A flicker of confusion crossed Lin Mingguan’s eyes; he didn’t understand why Brother Chuan was targeting Lin Yan.

He could understand targeting Lin Mingyuan, as Brother Chuan had lost face over the matter in the Yantian Mountain Range. But to target Lin Yan, someone from a branch family, seemed completely unnecessary.

After all, Brother Chuan had paid a hefty price to help Lin Wang reach the Blood Exchange Realm, investing nearly all his savings from the past several years into it.