"Who knows, but Lin Hao's broken spirit roots have been reshaped and the second Earth Gate has been re-established... But guess what rank of spirit body that kid obtained?" A young disciple said mysteriously, his eyes gleaming with disdain.
The elite disciples who had just returned from outside were incredibly curious. Could it be that Lin Hao obtained a treasure-grade spirit body again? They were curious and doubtful.
"Could it be another treasure-grade?!"
"Or perhaps, above treasure-grade?!"
Everyone was filled with shock and doubt.
"Hehe... it's a common-grade spirit body." The young man laughed loudly, his disdain growing even stronger.
Upon hearing this, many elite disciples were speechless, then they sneered in disdain.
Thinking back, before Lin Hao's spirit roots were shattered, he had found a treasure-grade spirit body in the second Heavenly Gate, causing a great stir among the higher-ups of the Lin family. They even went to great lengths to send Lin Hao to the sect world.
But what was the result? Lin Hao did not bring any benefits to the Lin family. Not only did he waste a large amount of resources, but he also left a bad impression on the Holy Heaven Sect. From then on, it would be extremely difficult for Lin family disciples to join the Holy Heaven Sect.
And the root of all evil was Lin Hao.
However, the concept of the sect was not strong among the Lin family disciples. Not everyone had the qualifications to enter the sect world. For example, even the two outstanding figures of the Lin family's inner gate, Lin Xiurui and Lin Wuxin, might not have the qualifications to enter the sect.
Still, even so, many elite disciples were quite annoyed, believing that Lin Hao had deprived them of the opportunity to join the Holy Heaven Sect.
"Hmph, that good-for-nothing, unlucky guy should have died in the sect back then. How dare he have the face to return to the Lin family," some elite disciples said, deliberately looking at Lin Hao with a provocative expression.
Lin Hao stood at a distance, unperturbed by insults or praise. In his previous life, he had interacted with a generation of outstanding figures. Even in his youth, he had competed with those heaven-defying geniuses. Naturally, he would not take the words of the Lin family members to heart, as they were not strong enough to catch his attention.
Even if there was a competition, what Lin Hao hoped for was to compete with the outstanding figures of this era, such as the four princes of the Northern Mystic Realm on the Yellow Wasteland Continent, or the top-tier young geniuses of the Eastern, Western, and Southern Mystic Realms. He would never compete in the Lin family or even in the Flowing Cloud City, a small place.
Lin Hao's indifferent expression greatly angered some of the elite disciples. Among them were fifth-grade spirit body cultivators, and even sixth-grade spirit body cultivators, who were well-known in the Lin family and throughout the Flowing Cloud City. Their names were recognized by many senior martial artists.
Soon, a fifth-grade spirit body cultivator, a young man, stared at Lin Hao with eyes as sharp as swords, as if he could capture his soul from a distance.
Lin Hao remained expressionless, not even bothering to look at him. He had come to the training ground not to spar or show off, but because Elder Lin Chen would appear there today to discuss the details of tomorrow's ranking competition.
Seeing Lin Hao ignore him, the fifth-grade spirit body cultivator was about to shout in anger when more than a dozen young men and women walked over from the back mountain.
Seeing this, everyone was slightly startled.
The leader was dressed in a white robe, holding a folding fan, with a long and steady aura. It was Lin Tian, the first person of the outer gate!
Around the Lin family, there were also several other outer gate cultivators.
"Lin Zhen, second in the outer gate ranking, has reached the seventh-grade spirit body strength. He is a physical constitution cultivator of the Lin family's outer gate, having practiced body tempering for many years. With a wave of his hand, he can shatter boulders. At the peak of the seventh grade, he can even challenge Lin Tian!" a disciple said in surprise, looking at a bare-armed man nearby.
His physique was extremely powerful, his upper body exposed, his chest like a protruding boulder, and his entire body like steel and iron, full of explosive power.
Lin Zhen's appearance made many elite disciples tremble slightly.
"That's... Lin Xiaoran, third in the outer gate, known as the Ghost Shadow, skilled in body techniques and leg techniques!"
"Lin Caiyi, skilled in hidden weapons... fourth in the outer gate..."
Seeing the top ten outer gate elites appear one after another, many elite disciples were moved. They could all feel the strength of the top ten. To defeat them and become the new top ten was no easy task...
"Lin Tao has also advanced to the peak of the sixth grade?" Someone felt Lin Tao's aura, which was incredibly close to the seventh grade. The title of 'Soul-Breaking Prince' was also very famous, and he was among the best in the outer gate.
At this moment, Lin Tao's gaze, intentionally or unintentionally, fell on Lin Hao, a cold smile on his lips.
A few days ago, Lin Tao had planned to teach Lin Hao a lesson when the Lin family was distributing salaries, but he was interrupted by the candidate elder, Lin Ye. Today was a good opportunity.
Lin Tao's attitude and expression were noticed by most of the disciples. Some were gloating, while others were secretly worried about Lin Hao, knowing that the two had a grudge from a few days ago, seemingly because Lin Hao had beaten up Lin Tao's younger brother.
But upon closer thought, Lin Hao had even dared to sue a major steward. What was there that he wouldn't dare to do? Beating up Lin Kuan was nothing...
Lin Yan'er, with a hint of disdain in her smile, knew that Lin Tao's strength was not comparable to the fifth-grade spirit body of Luo Feng. Lin Tao's strength had already reached the peak of the sixth grade, very close to the seventh grade. Even five or six Luo Fengs combined might not be a match for Lin Tao.
Some young men, though scattered around, had their eyes fixed on this spot. Lin Tao clearly wanted to make a move, but it was unknown how Lin Hao would respond.
At this moment, Lin Tao took a step forward, and the true qi on his body rippled in the air, spreading out like water waves. Some lower-grade outer gate disciples felt their blood and qi surge, and instinctively retreated.
Lin Tao's terrifying strength was evident to all. Even the aftereffects of a single move could send ordinary third and fourth-grade disciples flying.
Faced with Lin Tao's overwhelming aura, Lin Hao, the party involved, remained incredibly calm. He squinted and glanced at Lin Tao, seemingly not very concerned.
Lin Tao sneered inwardly, thinking that Lin Hao's arrogance was indeed true. Thinking he had surpassed Luo Tian, he dared to look down on everyone. This was not just arrogance, but ignorance. Even five or six Luo Tians combined could not defeat him.
Lin Tao had three reasons to challenge Lin Hao. First, Lin Hao had sued the major steward, and as an outer gate member, he naturally had to stand up for Lin Wuxin and Lin Xiurui. Second, Lin Hao had beaten his younger brother, Lin Kuan. Third, Lin Hao was arrogant and looked down on everyone, even daring to ignore the elite training system proposed by Lin Tian. If he did not punish him severely, how could he justify it?
"Lin Hao, do you dare to fight?" Lin Tao said, a powerful aura enveloping Lin Hao.
Upon hearing this, Lin Hao finally looked at Lin Tao. The challenge from Lin Tao was within his expectations. However, for Lin Hao, it was not a matter of daring or not, but of willingness.
...
"Lin Tao, ranked eighth in the outer gate, is challenging Lin Hao?!"
"Isn't this lowering his status? Lin Hao could be easily taken down by any fourth or fifth-grade spirit body disciple!"
"Fourth or fifth-grade disciples? I don't think so. A few days ago, Luo Feng from the Luo family came to cause trouble for Lin Hao but was driven away by him. He seems to have had some opportunities..."
"Even so, Brother Lin Tao shouldn't challenge him personally. It would be a loss of face..."
Some outer gate disciples spoke up.
Lin Xin and Lin Wu were also paying attention to Lin Tao and the others, somewhat worried. Although Lin Hao's spirit body realm had improved rapidly recently, if his opponent was Lin Tao, he might not be able to withstand three moves.
Moreover, Lin Hao had beaten up Lin Kuan a few days ago, offending the major steward's faction and not giving Lin Tian any face. If he were a top-five elite disciple, it would be one thing, but he wasn't.
"We can't help..." Lin Wu shook his head. His strength had only reached the fifth-grade spirit body, and Lin Xin, who had obtained a 'Juyuan Pill' a few days ago, had only advanced to the sixth grade. Facing Lin Tao, they would be eliminated in less than one round.
Besides, they didn't need to offend Lin Tao and the others for Lin Hao's sake. It wouldn't be worth it.
"Lin Hao, do you dare to fight me?" Seeing Lin Hao remain silent, Lin Tao shouted coldly, the pressure spreading around.
"Do we even need to ask... Of course, Lin Hao doesn't dare to fight, hehe."
"Right, Brother Lin Tao is at the peak of the sixth-grade spirit body, while Lin Hao is at most a fifth-grade. How could he dare to fight?"
"Hmph, you're wrong. Lin Hao's courage is beyond imagination. He not only beat Lin Kuan in front of Brother Lin Tao but also sued the major steward at the elder's place. I think Lin Hao will accept Brother Lin Tao's challenge easily. He won't be a coward."
Some outer gate disciples who were close to Lin Tao and the others mocked.
However, no matter how these young men and women mocked, Lin Hao remained unmoved. From beginning to end, his expression did not change, as if they were talking about someone else...
"Spit, coward!"
"Ha, even if he doesn't dare, when the ranking competition starts tomorrow, Lin Hao won't be able to escape, unless he doesn't participate."
"Hehe, with Brother Lin Tao here, Lin Hao might not even have the courage to participate."
Seeing Lin Hao remain silent and not respond, everyone thought he didn't dare to fight.
Lin Yan'er glanced at Lin Hao, her expression full of disdain and disgust.
Lin Xin, Lin Wu, and even Lin Bai, all breathed a sigh of relief. Lin Hao's decision not to fight was the wisest choice; otherwise, he would surely suffer a great loss at Lin Tao's hands.
Not long after, some stewards arrived, and everyone finally quieted down.
The ranking competition for the outer gate would start tomorrow, and today, the outer gate disciples needed to complete their registration. These necessary tasks should have been completed long ago, but many elite disciples had gone out to train together and had not returned in time, so it was delayed until the last day.
After a quarter of an hour, Elder Lin Chen, who rarely appeared at the Lin family headquarters, also arrived. The elder's appearance, accompanied by a powerful aura, made the disciples present look shocked.
Elder Lin Chen had opened the third Earth Gate and was at the great accomplishment stage, a third Earth Gate cultivator with extraordinary strength, capable of suppressing ordinary mid-grade beasts with a single finger.
Many elite disciples greeted him, and even Lin Hao could not be an exception.