The Lin's Patriarch is weird.

Chapter 3: 3. What comes first? family or clan.

A First-Grade Mortal Rank Martial Spirit possessed almost no cultivation potential.

In most cases, the clan would not waste valuable resources nurturing such individuals.

They would be assigned minor duties throughout the estate and spend the rest of their lives as ordinary clan members.

The gap between everyone’s expectations and reality was simply too great.

Lin Xuan silently observed everything from his seat.

As a transmigrator who had arrived in this world only moments ago, he should not have felt anything toward Lin Zhaoyue.

Yet when he saw the disappointed gazes directed at the young girl, a strange feeling surfaced within him.

His chest tightened, and an overwhelming urge to shield her from those looks rose from somewhere deep inside.

It was a remnant of the original owner’s emotions.

Even though the soul inhabiting this body had changed, the father’s love that had been carved into it remained.

Lin Xuan frowned as his gaze settled on lin Zhaoyue.

A First-Grade Mortal Rank Martial Spirit represented the lowest rung of the cultivation world.

Talents like these were rarely nurtured because the resources invested in them almost never produced results.

Yet something about the situation felt wrong.

The young girl stood amidst countless disappointed eyes, but there was no trace of grief on her face.

Instead, the faint smile she had worn before stepping onto the altar seemed even more genuine than before, as though the awakening result had confirmed something she had long expected.

The sight left Lin Xuan thoroughly confused.

Before he could think further, the younger generation finally recovered from their shock.

"A genius?" one boy mocked loudly. "More like trash."

The remark immediately drew laughter from the surrounding children.

"So much for being the pride of the clan."

"I’ve seen servants awaken stronger Martial Spirits."

"All those years of praise were wasted."

"Looks like intelligence can’t make up for terrible talent."

"Imagine being called a genius for ten years only to awaken garbage."

The insults came one after another.

Many of these children had spent years living beneath Lin Zhaoyue’s shadow.

Now that she had fallen from the pedestal they had placed her on, they seized the opportunity to vent their resentment.

Lin Zhaoyue paid them no attention.

She simply walked through the crowd with the same gentle smile she always carried, treating their words as though they were no different from the wind passing through the courtyard.

Watching her, Lin Xuan slowly leaned back into his chair. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

The girl was far too mature.

A child who had just watched her future collapse should have been devastated. She should have been angry, confused, or searching for comfort.

Instead, she accepted the ridicule of her peers with a calmness that seemed completely out of place for someone who had only recently turned ten.

Rather than reassuring him, that maturity only made him feel worse.

His fingers tightened around the armrest.

Just what kind of childhood had she experienced to become like this?

How much pressure had been placed on her shoulders for her to learn to hide every emotion at such a young age?

The more he thought about it, the heavier his heart became.

Without realizing it, he rose from his seat.

The movement immediately drew the attention of the surrounding elders.

The Supreme Elder frowned.

"Patriarch, the ceremony is not over yet."

Lin Xuan continued walking.

"I know."

The old man’s expression darkened slightly.

"Then where are you going?"

"I’m going to look after my daughter."

The answer came so naturally that Lin Xuan himself was momentarily surprised.

For a brief moment, he wondered why the word daughter had left his mouth so effortlessly. Before he could dwell on it, the Supreme Elder spoke again.

"What use is there in worrying about trash?"

He pointed toward Lin Zhaowen, who was currently surrounded by clan members offering congratulations.

"If you wish to support someone, support a child like him. You are the Patriarch of the Lin Family."

The surrounding elders immediately fell silent.

Lin Xuan slowly turned around and looked at the old man.

The Supreme Elder suddenly felt a chill crawl down his spine.

"Are you defying me right now?" Lin Xuan asked.

His voice was not loud, but the pressure behind it caused the old man’s throat to tighten.

Only then did the Supreme Elder remember that regardless of age or seniority, the man standing before him was still the Patriarch of the Lin Family.

Lin Xuan took another step forward.

"Before I am the Patriarch, I am a father."

His gaze remained fixed on the Supreme Elder.

"Move."

The old man hesitated for a moment before stepping aside.

The confrontation had already attracted the attention of many clan members. Some stared in disbelief while others exchanged uneasy glances.

The Supreme Elder clenched his jaw.

Still, he had achieved exactly what he wanted. The entire clan had now witnessed the Patriarch openly prioritizing a child with no future over a promising genius.

Yet Lin Xuan no longer cared.

Ignoring the countless stares directed at him, he walked away from the ceremony.

As the Patriarch and guest of honor, leaving before the awakening ceremony concluded was deeply inappropriate. Many would undoubtedly criticize him for it later.

Even so, Lin Xuan continued forward without hesitation.

Somewhere deep down, there was an unexplained feeling, a feeling that If he left that child alone right now, the regret he would feel afterward would far outweigh any criticism the clan could throw at him.

And so, beneath the astonished gazes of the entire Lin Family, Lin Xuan abandoned the ceremony to follow after his daughter.