Chapter 591: Teng Wangshan: Pitying the Clan

When Teng Wangshan stepped out of the Elder Chief’s mountain cave, his face still bore shock.

He was stunned by the contents of the jade slip the Elder Chief had shown him.

Yin Wushuang had entrusted the Elder Chief with a request in the jade slip: to let Lin Chen join the Four Clans’ struggle.

The four ancient descendant clans had long held a clan competition, but outsiders had no right to participate—even Lin Chen, as Imperial Son-in-Law, found it nearly impossible to gain entry.

“Why would Yin Wushuang arrange this?”

“That elder of the Dongfang clan once visited our Hua Clan and also went to the other three clans, defeating all their strongest warriors. Yin Wushuang wants Lin Chen to walk the same path of invincibility.”

Even though half a cup of tea had passed since his conversation with the Elder Chief, Teng Wangshan still could not hide his inner shock at the Elder Chief’s answer.

Yin Wushuang held such high regard for Lin Chen—it was no longer merely believing Lin Chen could reach the Ten Thousand Phenomena realm; it was believing he could walk the very path taken by that Dongfang elder.

But how could that be possible?

The Divine Seal has changed, and the next holder is already confirmed to be that Dongfang elder—the first in the entire history of the Yan Imperial Dynasty, not comparable to any so-called top hundred.

While the ninety-nine opponents Lin Chen defeated on the Invincible Arena varied slightly in strength, they all belonged to the same tier; that Dongfang elder stood alone, in a class of his own.

Teng Wangshan admitted Lin Chen was outstanding, a peerless prodigy—but every age produced one or two such prodigies, while the Yan Imperial Dynasty had produced only one Dongfang elder in all its centuries.

He did not know why Yin Wushuang dared to bet so heavily on Lin Chen, even willingly relinquishing half their territory just to gather all clan resources to secure Lin Chen this opportunity.

The Canglan Sect’s devotion to Lin Chen was beyond words.

Regardless, Teng Wangshan was certain of one thing: the Canglan Sect no longer treated Lin Chen as merely a regular disciple—he was being treated as the successor.

Telling Lin Chen not to worry about the sect was meant to spare him any burden.

Even the great families treated their heirs no better than this.

…

…

Yaochi.

These two days were the most leisurely for Lin Chen; the environment of Yaochi filled him with profound ease, his entire spirit completely relaxed.

Sitting cross-legged beside the pavilion at Yaochi’s edge, Lin Chen watched the mist rising from the pool and the few carp drifting through the water—utterly tranquil.

“How have you been staying these past two days?”

Teng Wangshan’s voice came from the entrance to Yaochi. Lin Chen turned and smiled: “This place is extremely comfortable. Is there some special arrangement here?”

“Naturally.”

Teng Wangshan laughed heartily: “Yaochi was meant for the Princess’s residence. The water here comes from the Xichen Spring, a unique substance of our Hua Clan. The mist alone calms the spirit and quiets the mind; bathing in it can cleanse spiritual impurities.”

“But at your current spiritual strength, the Xichen Spring has little effect.”

Warriors who reached the peak of the Primordial Four Realms had already purified their spirits multiple times; their impurities were long gone, and further refinement could not be achieved by the Xichen Spring.

“Moreover, the ambient energy here is the most concentrated in our Hua Clan—your cultivation speed here is nearly two to three times faster than outside, though this refers only to the speed of absorbing ambient energy, not the speed of breakthrough.”

Teng Wangshan added: Primordial warriors must absorb Primordial energy, but abundant Primordial energy does not guarantee faster breakthroughs.

Spiritual strength, talent, elixirs, bottlenecks…

Too many factors influence a warrior’s breakthrough speed; abundant ambient energy merely accelerates cultivation under equal conditions.

“Senior, is Jiang Sister still in seclusion?”

“Yes. The Princess is undergoing the clan’s inheritance, but she’ll emerge soon. You need only wait patiently. If you grow bored, feel free to wander anywhere in the clan.”

Hearing this, Lin Chen raised his eyes with a flicker of surprise—this Teng Elder was letting him wander the clan?

To the young generation of the Hua Clan, he was a boss with maximum envy value; wherever he went, he’d draw challenges. Was this Teng Elder stirring up trouble?

“What? Do you think our Hua Clan isn’t worth your wandering?”

Teng Wangshan feigned not understanding Lin Chen’s gaze and snorted: “Our Hua Clan’s scenery surpasses even your Canglan Sect. I know you know Liu Mei and the others—this time, let them accompany you.”

After the events in the Shang Clan, Liu Mei and the others had reported back to the clan elders; Teng Wangshan naturally knew.

Lin Chen fell silent. Teng Elder was clearly misinterpreting his intent—but he did not refuse. He wanted to know what the Teng Elder was really up to.

Half an hour after Teng Wangshan left, Teng Cheng and Liu Mei appeared at the entrance to Yaochi.

“Greetings, Lin Young Master.”

Compared to their last encounter in the Shang Clan, Teng Cheng and Liu Mei now treated Lin Chen with far greater respect—not only because the elders had recognized him, but because he had conquered them with his strength.

They had fully accepted his status as Imperial Son-in-Law.

Lin Chen smiled and greeted them, then suddenly wondered: “Cheng Brother, what is your relationship with Elder Teng?”

Elder Teng’s surname was Teng, and so was Teng Cheng’s—were they related?

“Elder Teng is my third grandfather.”

Teng Cheng was straightforward. Lin Chen understood: Elder Teng had sent Teng Cheng to accompany him, hoping he’d grow closer to Teng Cheng?

A clan elder would always prioritize the clan’s interests in major matters, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have personal motives. Lin Chen was the clan’s Imperial Son-in-Law; Jiang Sister was the Princess; one day, they would rule the entire Hua Clan. Strengthening ties between Lin Chen and Teng Cheng would benefit Teng Cheng’s future without harming the clan’s interests.

…

“Lin Young Master, this is one of our Hua Clan’s Four Great Scenic Wonders—the Colorful Flower Sea. Over ninety percent of all flowers in the Yan Imperial Dynasty grow here, and our clan has long collected new flower species born from mutations during growth.”

On a vast plain stretched an endless sea of flowers, as if drenched in the most vivid, brilliant pigments—layer upon layer, boundless, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Beautiful!

Unparalleled splendor!

Lin Chen had never been a flower lover—neither in his past life nor this one. To him, those who cultivated flowers were merely dull people.

But seeing this sea of flowers, Lin Chen changed his mind for the first time.

The Hua Clan cultivated so many flowers not merely for beauty—gazing upon this ocean of blossoms stirred his spirit.

How could this be?

“Lin Young Master, if you seek the most breathtaking beauty in the world, it is this Colorful Flower Sea. I once heard an elder say that while warriors pursue the ultimate in martial arts, the ultimate principles of all things are interconnected—the ultimate in beauty is also a Dao.”

Beside him, Liu Mei spoke—but Lin Chen had no attention to spare. Gazing at this peak of beauty, he thought of the Ancestral Master of the Piaomiao Cloud Palace, who had observed the sea of clouds—its shifting waves were also the ultimate of change…

At that moment, his spiritual sense slowly unfolded, reaching toward the flower sea, clearly perceiving the vibrant life within the flowers, surging in waves with every breeze.

Lin Chen attempted to simulate the flower sea’s rhythm within his spirit—and next instant, he flew into the sea, completely immersed.

“Lin Young Master?”

Seeing Lin Chen’s figure vanish into the flower sea, Teng Cheng and Liu Mei exchanged glances, both surprised.

According to clan rules, the flower sea could not be entered without permission; unauthorized intrusion invited punishment.

But Lin Young Master was the clan’s Imperial Son-in-Law, his status unique—whether he must obey clan rules was uncertain.

More importantly, they could tell Lin Chen had fallen into some kind of insight. To disturb him now would break the insight.

After reaching the Primordial Realm, every insight was a rare opportunity; many warriors only advanced their spiritual strength—and eventually their realm—after such moments.

Both were troubled. They exchanged glances, then decided not to disturb Lin Chen’s insight.

Within the flower sea, Lin Chen’s entire spirit was immersed. He felt his spirit’s exhilaration—the rhythm of the flower sea gave his spirit a rare vitality.

The star-cloud vortex in his dantian was now absorbing a certain energy—an extremely special energy. He could feel his spirit becoming more agile.

…

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