Three days had passed since the family competition. Lin Yan had been secluding himself in his room, consolidating his Golden Core realm foundation and familiarizing himself with the power of the Supreme Sky Halberd fragment. Under the system's guidance, his combat skills and spiritual energy control had improved by leaps and bounds.
On the fourth day, Lin Yan received a message from his grandfather—he was summoned to the family ancestral hall. As he walked through the Lin family's corridors, he noticed that the disciples and servants he passed bowed to him respectfully, their eyes filled with awe. The change in their attitudes was stark, a far cry from the contempt and mockery he had endured just a few days earlier.
When he arrived at the ancestral hall, he found his grandfather and several senior elders waiting for him, their expressions serious. The usually warm and jovial grandfather had a furrowed brow, his eyes filled with worry.
"Grandfather, elders. You summoned me?" Lin Yan asked, his voice calm.
The head elder sighed, stepping forward.
"Yan'er, we have bad news. Last night, three of our family's spirit stone mines were attacked by unknown bandits. All the guards were killed, and the spirit stones were looted. The bandits left no traces—they were well-trained and powerful, at least at the early Golden Core realm."
Lin Yan's eyes narrowed. Spirit stone mines were the Lin family's lifeline—without spirit stones, the clan's cultivation resources would be severely depleted. The timing of the attack was also suspicious: it came right after he had won the family competition and rejected the Azure Cloud Sect's invitation. This was no random bandit attack.
"Did the bandits leave any clues?" Lin Yan asked.
His grandfather shook his head, his face grim.
"Nothing. But we suspect it's not bandits—it's the work of the Ye family."
The Ye family was the Lin family's mortal enemy, a rival aristocratic clan in the same city. For decades, the two families had been fighting for control of the spirit stone mines and business routes in the area. In his past life, the Ye family had collaborated with Lin Feng to betray the Lin family, leading to its ultimate downfall.
Lin Yan's fists clenched tightly, cold killing intent surging in his eyes. The Ye family had dared to strike while the Lin family was celebrating his victory—they were asking for death.
"Grandfather, elders. Let me handle this," Lin Yan said firmly. "I'll go to the spirit stone mines tomorrow and track down the culprits. Not only will I retrieve the stolen spirit stones, but I'll also make the Ye family pay for their crimes."
The elders exchanged glances, their eyes filled with hesitation. Although Lin Yan was in the Golden Core realm, the Ye family's young master, Ye Chen, was also a Golden Core cultivator—an early Golden Core realm expert with a vicious and cruel fighting style. They were worried Lin Yan would be in danger.
Lin Yan's grandfather placed a hand on his shoulder, his voice heavy.
"Yan'er, the Ye family is not to be underestimated. Ye Chen is accompanied by several Golden Core realm guards. Are you sure you're ready?"
Lin Yan nodded, a confident smile on his lips.
"Grandfather, you don't have to worry. In the past three days, my strength has improved even further. Ye Chen and his lackeys are not my match."
He released a trace of his aura—flawless Golden Core realm pressure, far more powerful than an ordinary early Golden Core cultivator. The elders' eyes widened in surprise—they could feel that Lin Yan's strength was already close to the mid Golden Core realm.
"Very well. We'll send ten Foundation Establishment realm peak disciples to accompany you," the head elder said.
Lin Yan shook his head.
"No need. I'll go alone. Too many people will only slow me down. And I want to let the Ye family know—provoking the Lin family means provoking me, Lin Yan."
His resolute tone left no room for argument. The elders had no choice but to agree, handing him a map of the spirit stone mines and a token that would allow him to mobilize the Lin family's forces in the area if needed.
The next morning, Lin Yan set off for the nearest spirit stone mine—Black Rock Mine, the largest and most profitable mine owned by the Lin family. He traveled on foot, moving at an extremely fast speed, his spiritual energy covering the surrounding area to detect any traces of the enemy.
After two hours of travel, he arrived at Black Rock Mine. The scene before him was one of utter devastation: the mine's entrance was shattered, the wooden fences were burned to the ground, and the bodies of the Lin family's guards lay scattered around, their wounds clean and precise—obviously the work of sharp weapons and powerful spiritual energy.
Lin Yan knelt down, examining one of the guard's wounds. A faint trace of green spiritual energy lingered on the wound—this was the signature of the Ye family's martial arts, the Green Python Fist.
"Ye family… you've made your move. Now, it's my turn," Lin Yan muttered, his eyes cold.
He stood up, his spiritual energy exploding outward, covering the entire mine and the surrounding forest. A moment later, he detected several faint auras hiding in the dense woods a mile away—exactly the same green spiritual energy as on the guards' wounds.
Lin Yan's body flashed, moving toward the woods like a bolt of lightning. In the blink of an eye, he arrived at the hiding spot, where five men in black robes were gathered, counting the stolen spirit stones. Their leader was a young man with a cold face and a cultivation base at the early Golden Core realm—Ye Chen, the young master of the Ye family.
When Ye Chen saw Lin Yan, he was stunned for a moment, then a sneer appeared on his face.
"Lin Yan? I didn't expect you to dare come here alone. You're even more stupid than I thought."
The other four men, all at the late Foundation Establishment realm, stood up, surrounding Lin Yan with malicious grins.
Lin Yan ignored them, his gaze locked on Ye Chen.
"Ye Chen, you attacked my family's spirit stone mines and killed my guards. Today, you will pay with your life."
Ye Chen laughed loudly, his voice filled with arrogance.
"Pay with my life? Lin Yan, you were just a useless waste a few days ago. Even if you've broken through to the Golden Core realm, you're no match for me! I'll kill you here and take your head back to the Ye family as a trophy!"
With a roar, Ye Chen charged toward Lin Yan, his right fist glowing with green light, transforming into a giant python head that lunged at Lin Yan's throat—this was the Green Python Fist's ultimate move, the Python Devours the Heavens.
The four late Foundation Establishment realm cultivators also attacked, their spiritual energy forming a net to trap Lin Yan, leaving him no way to escape.
Lin Yan's expression remained calm. He did not dodge or block—instead, he raised his right hand, and the fragment of the Supreme Sky Halberd in his palm emitted a faint golden light. A terrifying aura surged from his body, far surpassing Ye Chen's early Golden Core realm pressure.
"Too weak," Lin Yan said indifferently.
He punched out casually, the golden light from the divine artifact fragment merging with his fist. The giant green python head shattered into pieces in an instant, and the powerful force sent Ye Chen flying backward, crashing into a big tree and spitting out a mouthful of blood.
The four late Foundation Establishment realm cultivators were even worse—they were thrown back by the shockwave of Lin Yan's punch, their bones broken, and they lay on the ground unable to move.
Ye Chen struggled to stand up, his eyes filled with terror and disbelief.
"How… how is this possible? Your strength… it's far beyond the early Golden Core realm!"
Lin Yan walked toward him step by step, each step making the ground tremble slightly.
"You should have thought about the consequences before you attacked the Lin family. Now, it's time to die."