Chapter 1481: Absolute Certainty

Chapter 1481: Chapter 1481: Absolute Certainty

Wang shouted at Lin Tian, expressing dissatisfaction with being called "old man." Throughout his life, even his own wife hadn’t addressed him that way.

This young fellow in front of him was simply challenging his limits.

However, upon second thought, in the journey of cultivation, the accomplished take precedence, so if he called him that, let it be—it’s not like he’d lose anything—and he couldn’t do anything about it anyway.

His anger doesn’t anger me, harming oneself with anger benefits no one.

With this mindset, Wang replied to Lin Tian’s disrespect with a cold snort, arrogantly saying, "Of course, I know. But I won’t tell you, you naive brat."

Wang’s competitive nature made him retort. Naive brats lack knowledge and experience.

Not wanting to engage in a war of words with the old man, Lin Tian said, "Hmph, it’s just a broken pill, what’s so special about it."

Wang looked at Lin Tian in surprise, clearly not expecting Lin Tian to know.

"Old man, let me ask you, how much of this Luban Lock have you solved?"

"Brat, don’t underestimate this Luban Lock. It’s not a child’s plaything, it’s the crystallization of the wisdom of the ancients and the essence of true Mechanical Skill. With limited ability, I spent nearly a month and a half just removing the outermost layer and found copper wires thinner than a hair inside, truly precarious and hard to progress."

Lin Tian laughed dismissively, "After all that talk, it’s still about your lack of ability?"

Wang’s face immediately turned red, not out of shame but anger!

"What do you mean by lack of ability?! Even the mechanical masters wouldn’t do any better than me!" Wang said, his mustache bristling in anger.

Lin Tian chuckled mischievously, "Not necessarily? I’m entirely confident I can open it without triggering any mechanism inside."

"Hmph, don’t use empty words to fool me. Your words are so weak, I’m afraid even you don’t believe them?"

"Place the Luban Lock upside down, and to the right of the copper wire, there will be a protruding bump there. Try pulling it out forcefully." Lin Tian said casually.

Wang paid no attention, thinking what right did a boy who’d never handled a Luban Lock have to command him? Clearly just talking nonsense.

"Haha, I know you don’t believe me, but you’ve noted it in your mind, and not acting now is just to show disdain for me. Once I leave, you’ll try it. Why not test it here, and let me win your admission of defeat." Lin Tian smiled harmlessly.

Wang lightly snorted, annoyed at having his thoughts unveiled by the boy. He merely said, "Alright! Let me see how ignorant you truly are!"

Saying that, Wang walked to the long table, sat down, and placed the Luban Lock upside down.

As Lin Tian and the others were about to move closer for a better look, Wang suddenly picked up a hammer and held it above the Luban Lock, glaring and saying, "Stay back! Move further away, or I’ll smash it with one hit!"

Lin Tian knew he wouldn’t smash it—he was just saying it to scare them. After all, the Wang Family had invested considerably in this Luban Lock.

If he really smashed it, he’d be the family’s sinner! Dying here, facing the accusations of his ancestors.

But to be safe, Lin Tian, Chen Moxiang, and the others backed up a bit. Even then, Wang was not satisfied, asking them to back up three times before, at a great distance, he cautiously bent over to carefully examine the Luban Lock.

Wang was very nervous now, nervous enough to hear his own heartbeat—a common reaction whenever he made new progress with the Luban Lock.

He felt Lin Tian was deceiving him, but was willing to try, because Lin’s words seemed credible... Better believe than disbelieve! He hadn’t made any progress in days!

Upon closer inspection, indeed! To the right of the copper wire was a block of wood protruding, about a finger joint’s size, easily visible.

Following Lin Tian’s words, his Inner Strength surged as he gripped the block and pulled.

It wasn’t as difficult as he imagined, a crisp crack sounded as the block came out—it was a rivet holding things together.

With the rivet pulled out, the hair-thin copper wire snapped instantly.

Wang’s face changed dramatically! This wire was extremely delicate yet tightly strung, always so cautious never to touch it for fear a mere force might snap it.

Yet now, it broke unexpectedly—without any warning causing shock and panic!

Wang even imagined Lin Tian’s sinister grin, which must have been intentional to break the wire triggering the internal mechanism leading to his death.

Countless thoughts flashed in his mind in an instant, before anger could arise, the Luban Lock reacted—the outer shell on the other side suddenly dropped to the ground under gravity.

This sound scared Wang out of his wits. It didn’t trigger the mechanism, rather he had made progress—the fallen outer shell was proof!

Lin Tian stretched and yawned. Seeing Wang’s careful manner, he felt almost sleepy.

But Wang Sijing, Chen Moxiang, and Xv Jiazhi were different, watching intently from afar. They didn’t know what they were observing; perhaps in such an environment, they were influenced.

When the shell fell, sighing relief, they wore joyful expressions.

Xv Jiazhi glanced at Lin Tian, anxious thoughts unknown.

The most excited person was Wang, laughing heartily, expressing internal joy. Lastly, he fixed his gaze on Lin Tian, "Mr. Lin, when holding the Luban Lock, it was upright. How did you find the key?"

The title shifted from "brat" to "Mr. Lin," and the respect for Lin Tian increased significantly, genuinely felt and not feigned.

It’s not just Wang who wanted to know; the other three also displayed expressions of desire for knowledge.

Lin Tian, hands behind his back, posed as a reclusive expert and said lightly, "I had said before, I’m fully confident I could open it—do you believe now?"

Wang’s delight intensified, forgetting prior disdain for Lin Tian.

"Mr. Lin, what’s the next step?" Wang asked.

Lin Tian, face darkening, replied irritably, "You old man are truly greedy! Not having progress in days, I’ve helped, yet now you expect to know the next step? This requires brains. You’ve kept me so far away? How should I know the next step?"