Lin Xiuwei's body suddenly bent as if an endless number of Tian Mountains were piled upon him. His divine soul was pierced with pain, and his realm of intent was rapidly dissipating.
"This... How is this possible... His realm of intent..." Lin Xiuwei was shocked. Facing Lin Hao's realm of intent, he had no room for resistance. Just a thought from Lin Hao could scatter his combat power. Lin Xiuwei even had the illusion that Lin Hao's realm of intent was stronger than his father's, and only the elders could possibly match Lin Hao in a battle of intent.
"Kneel down." At this moment, Lin Hao's face was stern, and he uttered two words.
As soon as the words were spoken, there was a loud boom, and the ground beneath Lin Xiuwei's feet quickly shattered. In Lin Hao's realm of intent, Lin Xiuwei had no means of resistance. His body felt as if it were under the weight of ten thousand catties, and he stumbled, kneeling on the ground.
This scene stunned all the disciples present. Lin Xiuwei, who was always the first among the younger generation of the Lin family, was actually overwhelmed by a disciple from the outer sect. Just the impact of the realm of intent left Lin Xiuwei powerless, truly a terrifying sight!
Elder Lin Chen was greatly surprised. Lin Hao's realm of intent was indeed very strong, almost beyond the realm of his own cultivation. Moreover, there was a peculiar and indescribable power within this realm of intent. Even with Elder Lin Chen's extensive knowledge, he could not figure it out immediately.
"Enough!" Suddenly, the Grand Steward shouted, a wave of invisible power emanating from his body, causing ripples to spread through the void.
With the Grand Steward's words, Lin Hao's realm of intent was instantly shattered. Thanks to the Grand Steward, Lin Xiuwei's divine soul was not injured; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Lin Hao and Lin Xiuwei had already signed an agreement, but the Grand Steward's sudden intervention to break Lin Hao's intent pressure was unreasonable. However, no one dared to say anything, as the Grand Steward's status was second only to Elder Lin Chen.
"Lin Hao, your realm of intent has surpassed your cultivation level, so let's stop here." The Grand Steward looked at Lin Hao and said softly.
Lin Hao was not concerned. He had not intended to do anything to Lin Xiuwei. After all, he still needed to spend some time in the inner sect's villa. He would deal with this father and son when he left the Lin family.
Elder Lin Chen glanced at the Grand Steward with deep meaning and then led Lin Hao away, finding him a graceful pavilion to stay in.
Given the strength Lin Hao had displayed, he was undoubtedly the strongest among the younger generation of the Lin family. Even Lin Xiuwei was overwhelmed by a single thought from Lin Hao, leaving him powerless. Who in the entire Lin family could match Lin Hao?
Elder Lin Chen was confident that not only in the Lin family, but also among the younger generation of the other three major families in Liuyun City, there was no one who could match Lin Hao.
"Liuyun City can no longer contain him. This boy... always so unpredictable..." Elder Lin Chen sighed as he left, feeling a myriad of emotions.
It had to be said that Lin Hao had given the Lin family many surprises. From the first time he discovered a treasure-grade spirit body and entered the sect, to being injured and expelled by the Holy Heaven Sect.
If this were told, no one would believe it. A treasure-grade spirit body owner, yet his realm did not advance at all in a few years...
Until the end, Lin Hao broke through and established himself, quickly growing to his current level, with many twists and turns.
Currently, Lin Hao still lacked a breakthrough. Once he opened the third Earth Gate, he could venture into the higher and farther reaches of the martial world, competing with the true sons of heaven.
If Lin Hao continued to stay in the Lin family, there would be no significant development. At most, he would take over after the old patriarch stepped down in a few decades.
"I hope you can successfully enter the Immortal Sword Sect. The blood feud and humiliation of our Lin family..." Elder Lin Chen's eyes flashed with determination, but he sighed. His thoughts were too far-fetched, perhaps never to change...
...
In the dead of night, Lin Hao wandered in the Hundred Refinements Mountain Range for a while. He felt uneasy, always sensing the aura of monsters, not too far from the villa.
However, after searching for a long time, Lin Hao found nothing. The Hundred Refinements Mountain Range was vast, and the terrifying beasts in the depths could be encountered nearby. If one was unlucky, they might even encounter a high-level fierce beast. With Lin Hao's current strength, he could only fight a mid-level fierce beast, and even a mid-level elite fierce beast would be a challenge. Encountering a king-level beast, he might not even be able to escape.
The Hundred Refinements Mountain Range was dangerous, and the villa was protected by a special array. Ordinary fierce beasts could not enter, but if one left the villa and the array's protection, it was a different story.
After about half an hour, Lin Hao returned to his room. His top priority was to consolidate his realm and advance to the ninth level of the spirit body.
Lin Hao was not worried about advancing his realm. The concentration of spiritual energy in the Hundred Refinements Mountain Range was several times that of the outside world, and there were no bottlenecks in cultivation. Moreover, the effects of the 'Return to Truth Pill' had not been fully absorbed. Once absorbed, he could easily reach the ninth level.
Opening the third Earth Gate was just a matter of time, and it would not take long, at most half a month.
At the Earth Gate stage, various medicinal resources were essential. In a true major family, even a disciple who was a rare waste could become a powerful figure with the help of medicinal resources. While they might not reach the 'Heavenly Spirit' level, opening the fifth Earth Gate was no problem.
In some true martial continents, there were three or even four levels of heaven, and the starting point for disciples was the 'Heavenly Spirit Realm,' far beyond what this era could compare.
The martial path of the entire Yellow Wasteland Continent was extremely backward. Firstly, martial culture and heritage were scarce, like primitive tribes. Secondly, the concentration of spiritual energy in this world was very thin, unable to compare with other martial continents.
However, for Lin Hao, this was a good start. In his previous life, the ninth Heaven Gate was a bottleneck. Even 'Nine Heavens Emperor' Gu Changfeng relied on a great heritage to break through to the ninth Heaven Gate, with a weak foundation compared to the other eight veteran emperors.
As his strength and realm increased, his perspective broadened. If he was once a frog at the bottom of a well, after jumping out, he felt a deep sense of awe and a clearer understanding of his own insignificance.
If Gu Changfeng was a frog at the bottom of a well in his youth, when he opened the ninth Heaven Gate, he realized he had only just jumped out. Above, there were even more mysterious and glorious martial worlds, and the nine emperors were nothing in comparison.
Although the Yellow Wasteland Continent was backward, it allowed for better consolidation of cultivation, step by step, solid and steady. Combined with Lin Hao's mindset, he might break through the constraints of his previous life in the future.
At this moment, in the Grand Steward's room, Lin Xiuwei's face was filled with gloom and unwillingness. Today's battle with Lin Hao, which he thought would be a crushing victory, ended in a complete defeat. He was overwhelmed by Lin Hao's realm of intent and had no means of resistance. If his father had not intervened, his divine soul might have been injured.
"Xiuwei, at the Bai family auction house, why didn't a disciple of the Star Feather level dare to act against Lin Hao?" The Grand Steward looked at Lin Xiuwei and asked.
"Father, Lin Hao took out a temporary token from his pocket. From their conversation, it seemed to be a high-level token from the Immortal Sword Sect..." Lin Xiuwei pondered for a moment and then replied.
"High-level of the Immortal Sword Sect..." The Grand Steward fell into deep thought, not understanding why Lin Hao would have any connection with the high-level figures of the Immortal Sword Sect.
How could a disciple from a small family like Lin Hao have any contact with such a high-level martial artist?
"This boy cannot be left alive, or the consequences will be unimaginable..." The Grand Steward's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and he said viciously.
Hearing this, Lin Xiuwei's expression changed: "Father, do you mean... to secretly kill that boy?"
"He cannot be left alive, but he cannot be killed either." The Grand Steward shook his head.
"Neither can he be left alive nor killed? Father, why?" Lin Xiuwei was confused.
"We do not know what kind of connections Lin Hao has behind him. If we touch him and it leaks out, we will both die without a place to bury our bodies. Moreover, even without this concern, if Lin Hao is killed in the inner sect's villa, the higher-ups will surely suspect us." The Grand Steward sighed.
There was a reason why Lin Hao could not be killed. Everyone knew the conflict between them and Lin Hao. If Lin Hao were killed, the blame would certainly point to them.
But if Lin Hao were left alive, it would also be a problem. The conflict between them was significant. If Lin Hao developed, whether he stayed in the Lin family or went to the sect world, they would be in trouble.
After all, it was he who had sent Lin Hao to the Phoenix Arrival Array, nearly taking his life. This could be considered a blood feud. If Lin Hao developed, he would not let them off.
"Father, we cannot act ourselves, but we can hire an assassin to take his life!" Lin Xiuwei said with a cold laugh.
"No." The Grand Steward shook his head upon hearing this.
If Lin Hao were to die, it must be reasonable. If he were killed for no apparent reason, anyone would know it was their doing. The Lin family might be fine, but if Lin Hao truly had support from a sect's powerful figure, it would be disastrous.
"Then... what should we do?" Lin Xiuwei was at a loss, unable to understand his father's thoughts.
Regarding this, the Grand Steward had no good plan. He said, "There's no rush. Lin Hao is still in the inner sect. Opportunities and methods will come."