The forest remained silent.
Everyone stared at Lin Jinxing. The ordinary-looking cultivator who had suddenly revealed Foundation Establishment cultivation.
The pressure he released still lingered in the surroundings. Even the leaves of nearby trees trembled under the remnants of his aura.
Meanwhile—
Lin Jinxing's expression remained calm.
At least externally.
Internally?
His thoughts were in complete chaos.
'Damn it.'
'Damn it.'
'Damn it!'
He wanted to smash his head against a tree.
How had things turned out like this?
Wasn't cultivation supposed to be simple?
Find a safe place.
Cultivate quietly.
Avoid trouble.
Reach Foundation Establishment.
Then continue cultivating quietly.
Only a fool ran around attracting attention. Yet somehow he had been dragged into this mess.
His gaze briefly landed on the half-dead Lin Jinyun.
The urge to kick him was becoming stronger by the second.
'Why the hell would this idiot start a fight?'
'Wouldn't it be easier to cultivate until Foundation Establishment and then get revenge?'
'Why cause trouble now?'
The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he became.
Then another thought surfaced.
His expression almost cracked.
'The divination only said today would be auspicious.'
'It didn't say I'd reveal my cultivation!'
His eye twitched.
This was exactly why he disliked relying on divination.
The heavens loved playing word games.
Then a far more terrifying thought appeared.
Senior sister Lin Yan, unlike the nice, protective big sister persona that shows only to Lin Sheng. She's simply a brute.
The moment he remembered her, his scalp tingled. Sooner or later she would hear about this.
Then she would inevitably ask questions.
Questions such as:
"When did you reach Foundation Establishment?"
"How did you break through so quickly?"
"Why didn't you report it?"
"Why were you pretending to be a Qi Refining cultivator?"
Lin Jinxing suddenly felt a headache coming.
Fortunately—
After years of cautious living, he was extremely experienced at creating excuses.
His eyes brightened.
'I can always say I found an opportunity.'
'Yes.'
'I encountered a lucky chance.'
'I obtained a Foundation Establishment Pill.'
The more he thought about it, the more reasonable it sounded.
By the time he finished convincing himself, his expression had already returned to normal.
Satisfied, he finally looked toward Lin Shou.
Unfortunately—
Everyone else interpreted that look completely differently.
In their eyes, a Foundation Establishment expert was now deciding their fate.
Lin Jinxing cleared his throat.
"Infighting among Lin Family members is prohibited."
His voice was calm.
The pressure of Foundation Establishment accompanied every word.
"Therefore there will be a punishment."
The group's expressions darkened.
Lin Shou slowly stood up.
Despite being injured, his back remained straight.
"How much?"
Lin Jinxing answered immediately.
"Fifteen thousand low-grade spirit stones."
Silence.
Even the wind seemed to stop.
Then—
Everyone gasped.
"Fifteen thousand?!"
Lou Han nearly choked.
Zhao Feng's eyes widened.
Lin Xiaolu's expression became strange.
Even Lin Shou froze.
Fifteen thousand spirit stones.
That wasn't a fine.
That was robbery.
Many Qi Refining cultivators couldn't earn that amount in their entire lives.
Even Lin Jinxing himself almost felt embarrassed after saying it.
Truthfully—
He simply wanted an amount large enough to discourage future fighting.
Unfortunately, it came out sounding absurd.
Lin Shou's face darkened.
He lowered his head.
Remaining silent.
Seeing this, Lin Jinxing frowned.
"Do you yield?"
No response.
Lin Shou remained silent.
The resentment within his eyes had not diminished at all.
Lin Jinxing sighed inwardly.
Then released more of his aura.
Boom!
Foundation Establishment pressure descended.
Lin Shou was immediately forced onto one knee.
The ground beneath him cracked.
Yet he still remained silent.
The others wanted to help.
Unfortunately, the pressure also fell upon them.
Even Zhao Feng found it difficult to move.
Lin Jinxing's expression became increasingly helpless.
Why were martial artists always so stubborn?
Meanwhile—
The previously beaten Lin Jinyun suddenly regained some confidence.
After all, someone was finally standing on his side.
He immediately pointed toward Lin Shou.
"Senior Brother Lin Jinxing!"
"Kill him!"
"He tried to murder me!"
"He deserves death!"
"Kill him!"
His voice echoed throughout the forest.
Lin Jinxing didn't respond.
Not because he agreed.
But because he was trying very hard not to lose his temper.
Unfortunately—
Lin Jinyun misunderstood.
Thinking he was being ignored because he wasn't important enough, his expression became increasingly ugly.
"Senior Brother—"
Before he could continue—
Lin Jinxing slowly turned his head.
Their eyes met.
A chill ran through Lin Jinyun's body.
The warning contained within that gaze was obvious.
Shut up.
Immediately.
Lin Jinyun's mouth snapped shut.
The forest became quiet again.
Lin Jinxing returned his attention toward Lin Shou.
At this point he had already decided to end the matter.
A small warning.
A small punishment.
Then everyone would leave.
Simple.
Peaceful.
Exactly how he liked things.
Spiritual Qi gathered around his palm.
Not enough to injure seriously.
Just enough to serve as a lesson.
Unfortunately—
Fate clearly disagreed.
Because at that exact moment—
A far more powerful aura descended.
BOOM!!!
The forest shook.
The pressure struck Lin Jinxing from the side like a tidal wave.
His expression changed instantly.
He was forced back several steps.
The gathered Spiritual Qi scattered.
The oppressive pressure on Lin Shou and the others shattered immediately.
Everyone turned toward the source.
A familiar figure stood there.
Gang Qi surged around his body.
The surrounding Spiritual Qi trembled.
An invisible protective aura continuously expanded and contracted around him.
His presence alone forced everyone to look up.
Lin Sheng.
He had arrived.
Lin Sheng calmly walked forward.
His gaze swept across the battlefield.
The injured Lin Shou.
The suppressed group.
The half-dead Lin Jinyun.
Then finally—
Lin Jinxing.
The air became tense.
Lin Sheng helped Lin Shou back to his feet before looking directly at Lin Jinxing.
His voice was calm.
Dangerously calm.
"You don't get to judge anything."
Lin Jinxing narrowed his eyes.
Lin Sheng continued.
"Especially not as a hypocrite."
The words landed heavily.
Several people became confused.
Others became nervous.
Lin Sheng's gaze never wavered.
"You've been watching from the start."
"You saw who initiated the conflict."
"You saw who lied."
"You saw who escalated everything."
"Yet you chose to suppress only one side."
The atmosphere became increasingly heavy.
Lin Jinxing's expression finally changed.
For the first time—
He felt genuine surprise.
This Xuan Gang martial artist had noticed him much earlier than expected.
Meanwhile—
Gang Qi surged around Lin Sheng.
The pressure increased.
Lin Jinxing instinctively responded.
Boom!
Foundation Establishment magic power erupted.
The surrounding Spiritual Qi immediately became active.
The two auras collided.
One represented immortal cultivation.
The other represented martial cultivation.
Trees shook violently.
The earth cracked.
The cultivators nearby hurriedly retreated.
Fear filled their faces.
Especially Lin Jinyun's companions.
This situation had escalated beyond anything they imagined.
Meanwhile—
Lin Jinxing stared at Lin Sheng.
Lin Sheng stared back.
For several seconds neither moved.
Then something strange happened.
Lin Jinxing raised both hands.
"I surrender."
Silence.
Everyone froze.
Even Zhao Feng blinked.
Had they heard correctly?
A Foundation Establishment cultivator...
Surrendered?
Just like that?
The tension that had reached its peak instantly collapsed.
Lin Sheng wasn't surprised.
Not in the slightest.
Because while everyone else only saw Foundation Establishment cultivation—
He had sensed something deeper.
Something ancient.
Something hidden.
A force sleeping within Lin Jinxing's body.
Not necessarily stronger than him.
But definitely troublesome.
The same was true for Lin Jinxing.
The moment their auras clashed—
He sensed things he didn't want to deal with.
Dangerous things.
Unpredictable things.
Most importantly—
Troublesome things.
Neither wanted to expose their trump cards.
Neither wanted unnecessary attention.
Therefore—
Fighting was stupid.
Lin Jinxing smiled awkwardly.
"No harm."
"No foul."
The others stared at him.
The sentence felt absurd after everything that had happened.
Yet Lin Jinxing appeared completely serious.
He immediately pointed toward Lin Jinyun's companions.
"Carry him."
The three cultivators hurried over.
The battered Lin Jinyun looked as though he wanted to protest.
One glance from Lin Jinxing immediately silenced him.
Soon they began retreating.
Lin Jinxing followed behind them.
Before leaving, he glanced toward Lin Sheng one final time.
Lin Sheng did the same.
Neither spoke.
Yet both understood.
Today was not the day.
Eventually—
The group disappeared into the forest.
Only after their auras completely vanished did the pressure finally disappear.
The battlefield became quiet.
Zhao Feng was the first to speak.
"...What just happened?"
No one answered.
Even Lin Xiaolu looked confused.
Lou Han scratched his head.
Lin Shou remained silent.
Meanwhile—
Lin Sheng simply looked toward the direction Lin Jinxing had left.
A thoughtful expression appeared in his eyes.
That man...
Was far more interesting than he appeared.