The Lin's Patriarch is weird.

Chapter 17: 17. Thirty years to the east, thirty years to the west, do not bully a poor youth!

After the brief introductions, the elder finally revealed his name.

"Bong Haoran."

The name was spoken casually, yet several elders immediately memorized it.

Regardless of his attitude, he was still an elder of the Mystic Sky Sect.

Soon afterward, Lin Zhenghai personally stepped forward.

"Elder Bong, this way please."

The old man led the group toward the clan’s training grounds.

Over the past few days, the Lin Clan had specially prepared the area for this occasion. freёwebnovel.com

An arena had been erected at the center, while rows of seats surrounded it on all sides.

The younger generation quickly took their places.

The elders followed shortly after.

When they arrived, Lin Xuan’s eyes twitched slightly.

Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Zhenghai had walked directly toward the central seat that had been prepared for the Patriarch and sat down.

Beside him, Elder Bong Haoran took the guest seat.

The two immediately began chatting as though everything was perfectly normal.

Lin Xuan stared for a few seconds.

This old bastard really is insufferable.

Fortunately, he couldn’t be bothered to make an issue out of it.

Arguing over seats in front of a guest would only make the Lin Clan look petty.

Without a word, he walked toward the seat prepared for the Supreme Elder and sat down.

Coincidentally, it happened to be located on the left side of Elder Bong.

Seeing this, Lin Zhenghai’s smile stiffened slightly.

Lin Xuan ignored him completely.

Soon, everyone settled into their seats.

Taking advantage of the moment, Lin Zhenghai rose and addressed the elder.

"Elder Bong."

He gestured toward the arena.

"In order to help Elder select the most outstanding seed among our younger generation, we’ve prepared a small competition. The disciples will engage in a series of battles."

Bong Haoran nodded lazily.

"Very well."

His tone suggested he wasn’t particularly interested.

Lin Xuan sat quietly to the side.

Truthfully, if not for the system quest regarding the Blood Pill, he wouldn’t even be here.

There were far more important matters demanding his attention.

Most notably, he still hadn’t properly spoken with Lin Zhaoyue since she emerged from seclusion.

The thought alone made him increasingly irritated.

But did he really dare allow one of his clansmen to die just so he could spend time celebrating with his daughter?

The answer came almost immediately.

No.

Of course not.

Which was why he was here despite having no desire to be.

Soon, the first match began.

The two disciples stepped onto the arena.

Lin Zhaowen and Lin Zhaohao.

The moment the battle started, the difference between them became obvious.

Lin Zhaohao had reached the Seventh Layer of Body Tempering.

A respectable achievement for his age.

Unfortunately, his opponent was Lin Zhaowen.

A cultivator at the Tenth Layer of Body Tempering.

The outcome was decided almost immediately.

Within a few exchanges, Zhaohao was forced to retreat repeatedly before finally being knocked from the arena.

The crowd erupted into applause.

Lin Zhenghai’s smile widened noticeably.

Meanwhile, Bong Haoran nodded approvingly.

"It won’t be long before that boy enters the Qi Refinement Realm."

His eyes remained fixed on Zhaowen.

"What a promising child."

The praise immediately caused excitement to spread through the audience.

Lin Zhenghai’s expression became even more pleased.

The competition continued.

One battle followed another.

Some matches were close. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

Others ended quickly.

The younger generation fought with everything they had.

Yet Bong Haoran’s reactions gradually became less enthusiastic.

Most of the time, he barely looked at the arena.

Occasionally, he would nod.

Other times, he would simply close his eyes altogether.

The only exception was whenever Lin Zhaowen appeared.

The moment the boy stepped onto the arena, Bong Haoran suddenly became interested again.

Sometimes he would even offer a few comments.

The favoritism was becoming increasingly obvious.

It reached the point where even the younger disciples began noticing.

Several of them exchanged glances.

Others lowered their heads in disappointment.

Meanwhile, Lin Xuan quietly observed everything.

The more he watched, the stranger it felt.

Take Lin Zhaofeng, for example.

The boy had only awakened a Grade Two Knife Martial Spirit.

Yet somehow, in only two months, he had reached the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering.

Such cultivation speed should have sparked at least some curiosity.

Any reasonable elder would have asked a few questions.

Yet Bong Haoran didn’t even spare him a glance.

His attention remained firmly fixed upon Lin Zhaowen.

As though everyone else in the arena existed merely to fill time between the boy’s appearances.

Lin Xuan narrowed his eyes slightly.

Another match concluded and polite applause echoed through the training grounds before gradually fading away.

Lin Xuan watched as yet another disciple stepped down from the arena with a disappointed expression.

The child had fought well.

Unfortunately, his effort had earned little more than a passing glance.

At that point, Lin Xuan had seen enough.

He immediately rose from his seat.

His sudden movement immediately attracted attention.

The arena gradually fell quiet.

Lin Xuan swept his gaze across the younger generation before speaking calmly.

"There is no need to continue this competition."

A ripple spread through the crowd.

Lin Zhenghai frowned.

Lin Xuan continued, "The winner was decided long before the first match even began. Since that is the case, there is no point wasting everyone’s time. The competition is hereby canceled."

The atmosphere immediately became tense.

Lin Zhenghai stood up at once.

"Patriarch, what is the meaning of this?"

Lin Xuan looked at him calmly.

"The meaning is exactly what I said."

"This is absurd." Lin Zhenghai’s expression darkened. "The disciples have spent days preparing for this opportunity. How can you simply cancel it halfway through?"

Before Lin Xuan could answer, Bong Haoran’s face sank.

"Patriarch Lin."

The title sounded more like a reprimand than a greeting.

"Are you implying that this elder’s judgment is unfair?"

Lin Xuan turned toward him.

"No."

Bong Haoran narrowed his eyes.

"Then why are you stopping the competition?"

"Because there is no competition."

Lin Xuan’s voice remained calm.

"You have already made your choice."

The elder’s expression grew colder.

"And if I have?"

Lin Zhenghai immediately stepped forward.

"Patriarch, Elder Bong is a respected elder of the Mystic Sky Sect. Your words are inappropriate."

Lin Xuan finally looked at him.

"Am I wrong?"

Bong Haoran snorted.

"Even if I favor a disciple, what of it? Talent naturally deserves attention."

Lin Xuan nodded.

"I agree."

The answer briefly surprised everyone, then he continued.

"If you wish to favor Lin Zhaowen, that is your right.

If you wish to recruit him, that is also your right."

His gaze settled directly upon Bong Haoran.

"You may disrespect me. I do not care."

The smile on Lin Zhenghai’s face slowly disappeared.

Lin Xuan’s expression remained calm, but his voice grew noticeably firmer.

"But disrespecting the future generations of my clan is where I draw the line."

The arena became completely silent.

Lin Xuan looked toward the younger disciples gathered around the arena.

"They trained and prepared themselves tirelessly for this opportunity.

They stepped onto this arena believing they would be judged fairly."

His gaze returned to Bong Haoran.

"If your decision was already made before the competition began, then all of this was nothing more than a performance."

Lin Xuan’s voice remained steady.

"My clan disciples may lose, they may be inferior and they may not possess the same talent as Lin Zhaowen but they deserve better than being used as decoration for a decision that was already made."