Chapter 649

On the banquet seats, the lights were brilliant, and goblets and cups clinked together.

Inside the main hall of the Lin Family Compound, more than a dozen banquet tables were laid out, and mountain delicacies and sea fare came down like a flowing stream onto the ground.

Those guests who had just been trembling behind the crowd now each wore flattery-filled smiles, raised their wine cups toward Lin Zhenshan's direction to toast, and poured out congratulations as freely as money.

Jiang Feng directly took the main seat.

The grandmaster chair was specially brought in by Lin Zhenshan, covered with bright yellow brocade cushions, and its backrest was carved with auspicious clouds and immortal cranes.

Lin Zhenshan personally presided over the apprenticeship ceremony.

He stood in the center of the main hall, his face flushed with red light.

He first said a few courteous words thanking the guests, then shifted his tone, and his voice grew louder.

"Today, I, Lin Yanqian, Lin Family's legitimate daughter, having received Mr. Jiang's favor, formally bow to become a disciple under Kunlun! This is Yan Qian's blessing, our Lin Family's honor, and also Tianzhou's glory!"

The guests all echoed, and applause and cheers rose and fell.

Lin Zhenshan looked toward Lin Yanqian, his eyes full of eagerness.

Lin Yanqian wore a light teal long dress, simple and clean, stepped forward, held a cup of tea in both hands, and knelt respectfully before Jiang Feng.

She lowered her head, raised the tea cup, her voice small yet very respectful.

"Master, please have some tea."

Jiang Feng looked at her, his gaze carrying a hint of approval.

He took the tea cup, sipped, then reached into his bosom, took out a Jade Pendant, and handed it to Lin Yanqian.

The Jade Pendant was entirely pure white, warm and delicate.

The surface of the Jade Pendant shimmered with a faint glow, as if something inside was slowly moving.

"Since you have entered my sect, from today you are also a Kunlun Disciple."

Jiang Feng's voice was not loud, yet everyone in the main hall heard it clearly.

"However, you are now only a named disciple; the path of cultivation is still long. Yet you may keep this Kunlun Jade, travel the jianghu, and no petty villains will dare trouble you."

Lin Yanqian took the Jade Pendant with both hands; when her fingertips touched the warm jade surface, she felt a warmth flow along her fingers into her body, as if something inside her gently awakened.

She respectfully kowtowed once, her forehead touching the cold ground, her voice bearing a solemnity she had never had before.

"Disciple Lin Yanqian, I will keep the teacher's grace in mind."

In the observing crowd, Lin Zhenhai sat in a corner, watching the scene, his eyes bulging with rage.

His fingers gripping the wine cup trembled, and the spilling wine splashed onto his lapel without his noticing.

He stared fixedly at the Jade Pendant in Lin Yanqian's hand, feeling as if a fire had been shoved into his heart, burning his chest.

"Why?"

His son Lin Yaotian is exceptionally gifted; at a young age he has already become an entry-level warrior!

Although merely the lowest tier in the cultivation world, he is a genuine practitioner, with true Qi circulating in his body, able to draw Spiritual Energy inward.

"What about Lin Yanqian?"

A medical apprentice girl, without even the strength to bind a chicken, not even a cultivator—how could she be favored by the Martial Sovereign?

How could she so easily ascend and bow under Kunlun?

This world is so unfair!

Lin Zhenhai grew angrier the more he thought, the more he hated, but before he could act, he felt a hand reach from beside him and press against his arm.

Lin Zhenyan, at some point, sat beside him and lowered his voice, saying.

"Second brother, don't be foolish. The Eldest branch has clung to the Martial Sovereign's thigh, and you still think of replacing it? No matter how much you hold a grudge now, you must lower your stance. From now on, this Lin Family will have no right to speak without our two families."

Lin Zhenhai turned his head to look at him, his lips moved as if to retort, but seeing Lin Zhenyan's seriously cold eyes, the words at his mouth were swallowed back.

He knew clearly that Lin Zhenyan's words were rough in phrasing but not without reason.

From now on, the vast Lin Family will be dominated solely by the Eldest branch!

He took a deep breath, forced that fury down, slowly released his grip on the wine cup, but the gloom on his face could not be concealed.

At this moment, Lin Zhenshan had already walked to the center of the main hall.

He rubbed his hands, his face bearing an uncontrollable pride and joy, and cleared his throat.

"Thanks to Mr. Jiang's esteem in selecting my young daughter, this is our Lin Family's apprenticeship gift…"

As soon as the words fell, the old steward, at some point holding a roll of red paper, loudly began to recite.

"Ten pairs of Jade Ruyi!"

"Ten roots of Hundred-year Ginseng!"

"Twelve Night Bright Pearls of Donghai!"

"Five thousand-year Lingzhi mushrooms!"

"Three pairs of premium Blood Coral!"

"One hundred bolts of superior silk!"

The old steward's voice echoed in the main hall; with each item recited, the guests let out a gasp of amazement.

The value of these gifts could no longer be measured in metal; each was a rare treasure that could not be sought.

Although the Lin Family is wealthy, presenting so many items at once clearly turned over half of their fortune.

Someone murmured in low voices.

"The Lin Family's generosity is too great! Just to make a named disciple, they spend such a fortune?"

The person beside him sneered.

"What do you know? If their own child has a chance to step into Kunlun, they are willing to spend their entire fortune!"

Amidst the hall's envy and amazement, Lin Zhenshan's smile grew brighter, as if he had become ten years younger.

At that moment, the candlelight at the main hall's entrance dimmed briefly.

A lone figure walked in, steps light and brisk, the crisp footfalls on the dark wood floor sounding as if they were treading on everyone's heartbeat.

Linghu Xue was dressed in a sleek, tight outfit, her hair tied in a high ponytail, her face bearing a bright smile.

She entered the main hall, gave a slight bow toward the seat of Jiang Feng, her posture respectful yet effortlessly graceful.

She spoke, her voice crisp and resonant, instantly quieting the previously noisy main hall.

"The Linghu Family congratulates Jiang Wuzun on happily taking a beloved disciple, specially presenting one Luohua Treasure Pearl! One ancient volume, the Record of the Phoenix's Nine‑Heaven Journey! Eighteen items of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, to honor Jiang Wuzun!"

As soon as those words were spoken, the main hall seemed struck by something, instantly erupting into chaos.

Luohua Treasure Pearl?

That is one of the Linghu Family's clan treasures, a legendary artifact said to cleanse the Divine Soul and enhance insight; across the entire empire, only a handful of Luohua Treasure Pearls are even known by name.

The Record of the Phoenix's Nine‑Heaven Journey is an even more legendary tome, purportedly the cultivation notes of a Great Being from antiquity, its recorded techniques capable of transforming an ordinary cultivator completely.

And there are eighteen items of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, indeed a full eighteen pieces!

Enough to empty the majority of the wealthy families present of most of their assets!

The crucial question is, what level of faction is the Linghu Family?

One of the Four Great Families of the Capital, even within the empire's highest circles they stride as a dominant presence!

Yet even the powerful Linghu Family must present lavish gifts for this Jiang Wuzun's disciple‑acceptance ceremony, showing just how formidable Jiang Wuzun's status is!

Lin Zhenshan stood there, his mouth slightly open, watching the lacquered wooden crates being hoisted in one after another, his whole being stunned by a surge of immense joy.

He had originally thought the items he presented were already astonishing, but now that the Linghu Family's gift list was revealed, his modest assets suddenly seemed rather meager.

Yet he felt not the slightest bitterness; instead, he grew even more smug.

The more the Linghu Family gives, the heavier Jiang Feng's weight is deemed, indicating the higher the value of the master his daughter is apprenticing to. He felt as if standing at the mouth of a gust, being lifted upward by the wind, his whole self light and buoyant.

Lin Zhenhai sat in the corner, his complexion completely ashen.

He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them, the resentment in his heart finally deflating like a punctured balloon.

He resigned himself, completely resigned.

The Eldest branch backed by a Wuzun as a patron is no longer something he can shake.

Jiang Feng sat on the main seat, watching the items Linghu Xue brought in, his mouth twitching slightly, saying nothing, yet his gaze held a hint of understanding.

He knew the Linghu Family was currying favor, using these precious items to bind the two families' relationship tighter.

He neither refused nor declined, merely gave a gentle nod, thereby accepting the sentiment.

Linghu Xue saw his nod, her smile deepening further, she stepped back a pace and stood aside.

"The apprenticeship ceremony ends here; you may continue, I'll return to rest first…"

Jiang Feng said that, turned to leave, but before walking, he glanced back at Qiao Zhenyu.

"Commander Qiao, if you don't mind, come sit with me!"

When those words were spoken, Qiao Zhenyu suddenly felt as if he were being held still!