High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices-Chapter 89: The Lin Family

"Guo Yu? For real? You ran into him?"

"Hurry up and tell us, what Martial Arts did he use? What’s his Life Energy Level, exactly?"

"How was he? Do we stand a chance?"

Guo Yu watched the questions scroll rapidly across the screen and typed on the virtual keyboard, "His Life Energy Level is 15.5. The panel info was right. As for what he was like... I’d say he lives up to his reputation."

He organized his thoughts, trying to describe it as objectively as possible. "He basically used the Basic Body Refining Technique the entire time, occasionally mixing in some kind of Burst Step Technique. His defense was impenetrable. I went all out on offense for five minutes and couldn’t even make him catch his breath."

"At the end, I went for a desperate, all-or-nothing strike, and he used a... uh, a ’Bow Step Punch’? He just shattered my attack head-on."

By the end of his own explanation, even Guo Yu wasn’t so sure anymore. ’The Basic Body Refining Technique... that’s just too much.’

The group chat fell silent. Only Guo Yu’s messages hung there, solitary.

A few seconds later, he added another message, his tone filled with a lingering sense of fear and awe, "He wasn’t even using his full strength. He looked completely relaxed."

"@Chu Shanhe, Shanhe, if you run into him, you have to be careful. That guy... he’s ridiculously strong."

"The Basic Body Refining Technique? That’s..."

"That’s insane. He wouldn’t even use any proper Martial Arts?"

"He’s completely looking down on people!"

The students of Lijiang First High School were in an uproar, and the news that Xu Wuyi had easily defeated a 14.3-level opponent in his first match without even using his full strength quickly spread through the circles of exam candidates from all the major high schools in the provincial capital.

...

The news spread far faster than anyone could have imagined.

「Two hours later.」

Inside a heavily guarded, manor-like building in the center of Linjiang City, the Lin Family quietly convened an internal meeting.

The atmosphere in the antique-filled study was heavy.

The current Patriarch of the Lin Family, Lin Zhen, sat upright on the red sandalwood chair at the head of the room.

He was about sixty years old, his hair meticulously combed. His expression was dignified as his gaze swept over everyone present.

He was the public helmsman of the Lin Family, a veteran Innate Martial Artist. Although he was old and his Qi and Blood were no longer at their peak, his authority remained undiminished.

Lin Liren sat in a subordinate seat, his expression calm. He held a teacup, his gaze fixed on the wisps of rising steam, seemingly unconcerned with the topic about to be discussed.

Besides them, there were four or five others in the study—all core figures of the Lin Family. They were either uncles who held significant power or outstanding members of the younger generation who were already qualified to participate in family affairs.

"Has the news been confirmed?" Lin Zhen asked slowly.

A middle-aged man in charge of intelligence gathering responded immediately, "Patriarch, it’s been basically confirmed."

"Xu Wuyi’s first opponent was Guo Yu from Lijiang First High School, Life Energy Level 14.3. The defeat was decisive. Although we couldn’t get details of the process, according to Guo Yu himself, Xu Wuyi indeed did not use any High-Tier Martial Techniques. He won easily using only the Basic Body Refining Technique."

A few faint gasps could be heard in the study.

Even though they had been mentally prepared, hearing that Xu Wuyi had crushed a 14.3-level expert in such a "simple" manner still shocked many of them.

When the results of the rating battle had first come out, they had held on to a final shred of hope, suspecting that Xu Wuyi’s rating might have been "inflated." Now, they had no more excuses.

"It seems we all underestimated him," a white-haired old man said in a low voice. He was Lin Zhen’s cousin, Lin Yongfeng, who held a senior position in the family. "First place in the rating battle might have involved some luck, but this fight proves his true worth."

"This boy’s rise is too fast, too sudden. I refuse to believe there isn’t someone backing him," another sharp-featured, middle-aged man chimed in. This was Lin Liren’s cousin, Lin Liye, who was mainly in charge of the family’s external businesses.

"That old fox, Zhang Qiming, probably made preparations long ago. It’ll be difficult to interfere now."

"The issue isn’t whether we should interfere," Lin Yongfeng said, looking toward Lin Zhen at the head of the room, his tone grave. "The issue is that he’s in the spotlight right now. If his performance in the upcoming matches becomes even more dazzling, and he even... ends up overshadowing Chu Shanhe, what will public opinion be like then?"

He paused before continuing, "Back then, we used our connections to give Liren’s spot to Grandmaster Ren’s disciple. Although there were no procedural flaws, everyone in the inner circle knows what really happened."

"It wouldn’t matter if Xu Wuyi remained obscure, but if he soars to prominence, this incident will inevitably be dug up and used as ammunition against our Lin Family. Accusations of our family having poor judgment and suppressing new talent would be the least of our worries."

Lin Liye, however, waved his hand dismissively. "Third Uncle, you’re worrying too much. Just because this Xu Wuyi is in the spotlight now doesn’t mean he’ll be the one laughing in the end."

"Which of them, Chu Shanhe or Shen Wei, is a pushover? He’s just a kid from a small city with limited resources. It’s still uncertain how far he can go."

"In my opinion, we should just give him the cold shoulder. What storms has our Lin Family not weathered? Why should we care about a little bit of trivial public opinion? As long as we don’t engage and don’t respond, the buzz will naturally die down."

"Is someone really going to openly make trouble for our Lin Family over a student who hasn’t even matured yet?"

"Easy for you to say, Liye," another, more conservative family member retorted. "We still don’t know what kind of character this boy has. If he’s the type to hold a grudge over the smallest slight, he’ll inevitably resent the Lin Family for what happened when he becomes powerful in the future."

"Rather than wait until he’s fully fledged, we should try to ease the tension now before a deep-seated grudge is formed. It’s easy to add flowers to a brocade, but difficult to send charcoal in a snowstorm."

With both sides at a stalemate, the atmosphere in the study grew stuffy.

Everyone’s gaze, consciously or not, drifted toward Lin Liren, who had been sitting to the side in silence the entire time.

After all, he was the person at the center of this matter. He was also the one who had previously insisted on donating five hundred thousand in his own name as compensation.

Lin Zhen’s gaze also fell on his son. He tapped his fingers lightly on the smooth tabletop. "Liren, what are your thoughts on this matter?"

Lin Liren set down his teacup and looked up, his face devoid of emotion, as if he were discussing some trivial matter that had nothing to do with him.

"I will follow the family’s arrangements. However we decided then is how we should respond now. If the family believes we need to make amends, I will find a way to make contact. If it’s decided that we should ignore it, I have no objections."

His words were flawless, pushing the decision completely back onto them, but the detached, ’it-has-nothing-to-do-with-me’ attitude in his tone still made Lin Zhen frown slightly.

Lin Zhen knew that this son of his was exceptionally capable, but also had a calculating mind.

He knew Liren held a grudge because the family had, under some pressure, forced him to give up the more "correct" choice in favor of supporting Su Yueling. But Liren had always prioritized the big picture and would not openly object.

Lin Zhen mulled it over for a moment, having already reached a decision.

He first glanced at Lin Liye. "Liye, on the public opinion front, I’ll leave it to you. Do the necessary guiding, but don’t be too obvious, or you’ll give people something to talk about."

Lin Liye nodded in agreement. "Understood, Patriarch."

Then, Lin Zhen’s gaze turned to another man, a refined, middle-aged man who had barely spoken. This was his nephew, Lin Zhengwen, who was mainly responsible for maintaining the family’s relationships within the education system and with some local factions.

"Zhengwen," Lin Zhen began, "are you still in contact with Principal Zhang Qiming of Honghe First Middle School?"