Chapter 124 Grandpa, I Didn’t Bully Him!

Chapter 124: Chapter 124 Grandpa, I Didn’t Bully Him!

Chapter 124

"Hahaha! What did this little troublemaker do this time?"

Lin Hao’s laughter filled the room.

Lin Xian’er immediately wriggled out of Lin Feng’s arms and ran to Lin Hao’s side, wrapping her little arms around his leg.

"Grandpa, I really didn’t do anything!"

"Is that so?" Lin Hao asked, still smiling. "Then why did Elder Lin Feng bring you here?"

Lin Xian’er looked at Lin Feng.

Lin Feng looked back at her.

For a moment, neither spoke.

Finally, Lin Feng sighed.

"Ancestor, I found her bullying another clan member. She froze his feet because he refused to become her follower."

Lin Hao paused.

Then he looked down at the little girl clinging to his leg.

"His feet?"

Lin Xian’er hurriedly raised her head.

"Grandpa, I didn’t bully him! I just wanted a follower!"

Lin Hao’s mouth twitched.

"And freezing his feet was part of your recruitment process?"

"He wouldn’t listen to me!"

Lin Feng shook his head.

"You wanted a follower, so you froze both his feet. What exactly did you expect him to do afterward?"

Lin Xian’er puffed out her cheeks.

"He’s the one who doesn’t know how to fight back! He’s not as strong as I am!"

Lin Hao stared at her for a moment.

Then he laughed again, even harder.

"Hahaha! You little rascal! So you’re saying it’s his fault for being weaker than you?"

Lin Xian’er nodded enthusiastically.

"Exactly, Grandpa!"

That only made Lin Hao laugh more.

Lin Feng could only shake his head.

The little girl had somehow turned getting caught bullying someone into an argument about the other child’s strength.

After laughing for a while, Lin Hao finally got himself under control.

"Xian’er, come here."

She stepped closer at once.

Lin Hao gently patted her head.

"It’s good to be strong, and there’s nothing wrong with wanting friends or followers. But you must never use your strength to bully your own clan members."

Lin Xian’er looked up at him.

"Why not?"

"Because the people of the Lin Clan are family. We should help one another grow stronger, not make life hard for each other. When we face enemies from outside the clan, that’s when you show them what your strength can do."

He tapped her little forehead lightly.

"Remember, your strength is meant to protect your family, not bully them."

Lin Xian’er thought about his words, then nodded obediently.

"Yes, Grandpa. I won’t do that again!"

Lin Hao smiled.

"Good girl. Now go and play. Just remember what I told you."

"Okay!"

Her distress vanished almost instantly.

She turned and dashed toward the door, but stopped just before leaving.

"Grandpa, can I still find a follower?"

Lin Hao nearly laughed again.

"You can make friends. Whether they want to follow you is up to them."

Lin Xian’er tilted her head.

"So I just have to convince them?"

"Yes. But without freezing their feet."

She giggled.

"Okay, Grandpa!"

And she ran happily out.

Lin Hao watched her disappear through the doorway, a fond smile on his face.

Then he turned to Lin Feng.

"That little girl certainly has plenty of energy."

"Indeed, Ancestor." Lin Feng sighed. "I’m more worried about the poor child she decides to recruit next."

Lin Hao chuckled.

"At least she listened this time."

Lin Feng gave him a doubtful look.

Neither man spoke for a moment.

Then Lin Hao picked up his tea again.

"Let the children play. They’ll grow up eventually."

Outside, Lin Xian’er was already racing back toward the courtyard.

She had a new plan.

If she couldn’t force someone to become her follower, she would simply find someone who wanted to be one.

After all, there had to be at least one child in the entire Lin Clan with good judgment!

And if there wasn’t?

Well, she would just have to keep looking.

---

Banners bearing the emblems of the participating forces fluttered above the alliance’s gathering grounds.

Cultivators kept arriving through the main entrance, while groups of independent cultivators gathered beneath the banners to talk about the alliance and its growing influence.

At the center of the grounds, Dao Xuantian, Sect Master of the Heavenly Dao Holy Sect, was welcoming the newcomers.

His gaze swept across the crowd until it settled on an elderly man in simple robes.

"Old Man Qingyuan?"

The elderly man turned and smiled.

"Dao Xuantian. It has been a while."

Dao Xuantian walked over, unable to hide his surprise.

"I didn’t expect to find you here as well! You disappeared after the Ten Thousand Realms Auction. Where have you been all this time?"

"In seclusion," Old Man Qingyuan replied. "The sword inheritance I bought at the auction helped me improve my understanding of the Sword Dao. I needed time to comprehend what I had gained."

Dao Xuantian nodded.

He remembered the inheritance Qingyuan had bought for 170 billion Top Grade Spirit Stones.

It had belonged to a sword cultivator who had reached Peak Mahayana Realm.

Curiosity soon got the better of him.

Dao Xuantian’s spiritual sense brushed against the old man and found nothing.

No boundary, no ceiling.

For a Tribulation Transcendence Realm Level Nine cultivator, it was like pushing at an open door and meeting empty air.

"If you’re curious about my cultivation," Qingyuan said, stroking his beard, "you could simply ask instead of peeking."

Dao Xuantian coughed.

"...Fine. What realm are you?"

"Mahayana Realm. Level Two."

Dao Xuantian stared at him.

"Mahayana Realm Level Two?"

Qingyuan nodded.

"That’s right."

Dao Xuantian was at Tribulation Transcendence Realm Level Nine himself.

He knew how hard it was to cross the barrier into Mahayana Realm.

Countless cultivators spent centuries chasing that breakthrough, only to run out of lifespan without success.

Yet Qingyuan had crossed it, and reached the second level.

Could the sword inheritance he bought at the Lin Clan’s auction truly be that powerful?

Dao Xuantian couldn’t tell how much the inheritance had contributed.

But the timing was hard to ignore.

He cupped his fists.

"Senior Qingyuan."

Qingyuan smiled.

"Sect Master Dao, there’s no need to be so formal."

"You’re stronger than me now. I should show you the respect you deserve."

Their exchange drew the attention of the other Holy Sect Masters nearby.

Qin Jiuxiao, Dan Taichu, Xu Tianming, Xing Beichen, Lei Potian, Mo Tianyin and Wan Fachuan turned toward them.

They knew Old Man Qingyuan’s reputation as a renowned independent sword cultivator.

But Dao Xuantian’s sudden show of respect caught their attention.

Qin Jiuxiao came over with the others.

"Dao Xuantian, what’s going on? Why are you addressing Senior Qingyuan so respectfully?"

Dao Xuantian glanced at Qingyuan before answering.

"Senior Qingyuan has reached Mahayana Realm Level Two."

The Holy Sect Masters exchanged startled looks.

"He’s already broken through?" Dan Taichu exclaimed.

Xu Tianming studied Qingyuan for a moment.

"To reach Mahayana Realm Level Two from Peak Tribulation Transcendence Realm is no small achievement."

Xing Beichen shook his head in amazement.

"Many cultivators spend their whole lives trying to cross that barrier. Senior Qingyuan went into seclusion and came back at Mahayana Realm Level Two."

Qin Jiuxiao turned to Qingyuan.

"Congratulations on your breakthrough, Senior Qingyuan."

The others joined in.

Qingyuan acknowledged them with a nod.

"Thank you. I was fortunate to gain some insight in seclusion."

He paused, his fingers brushing the hilt of his sword.

"An inheritance can show you a path, but walking it is another matter. I spent a long time understanding what its creator intended. There were moments when I thought I had grasped it, only to find I had misunderstood something fundamental."

Dao Xuantian listened closely.

"And now?"

"Now I understand a little more than before." Qingyuan chuckled. "The Sword Dao is vast. I suspect even the peak of Mahayana Realm would leave me with plenty to learn."

His words left the Holy Sect Masters thoughtful.

The inheritance had given Qingyuan his opportunity.

But it was his own comprehension that had let him benefit from it.

Dao Xuantian nodded.

"Regardless, your advancement is remarkable."

Qingyuan smiled.

"Let us focus on the alliance. That is why we have gathered here."

The conversation returned to the alliance’s arrangements, and Qingyuan’s name was officially added to the list of participating cultivators.

As a renowned independent cultivator at Mahayana Realm Level Two, his presence would strengthen the alliance.

From a distance, three Forbidden Sect Masters had watched the exchange through their divine sense.

Mo Xuehan of the Blood Moon Sect, Qin Taixuan of the Myriad Heaven Sect and Yan Beiming of the Netherworld Sect had heard Dao Xuantian reveal Qingyuan’s cultivation.

They were Mahayana Realm cultivators themselves.

So Qingyuan’s advancement didn’t make them see him as someone above them.

What interested them was the inheritance behind his breakthrough.

Qin Taixuan looked toward the gathering.

"Old Man Qingyuan was at Peak Tribulation Transcendence Realm before his seclusion. Now he’s at Mahayana Realm Level Two, after comprehending the sword inheritance he bought at the Lin Clan’s auction."

Yan Beiming nodded thoughtfully.

"An inheritance from a Peak Mahayana Realm sword cultivator may have given him the insight he needed to break through."

Mo Xuehan looked toward the distant crowd.

"That inheritance came from the Lin Clan."

Nobody needed her to finish the thought.

Yan Beiming’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"If that was what they were willing to auction, imagine what they chose to keep."

Qin Taixuan gave a slow nod.

"We should learn more about that clan. Its auction may have revealed far less than we thought."

"Then Shi Wuheng shouldn’t visit alone," Yan Beiming said.

Shi Wuheng, the Shi Family Patriarch, had already said he meant to visit the Lin Clan.

Now the Forbidden Forces had another reason to bring that visit forward, and to arrange for several major leaders to go with him.

Soon, the Lin Clan would have guests.

End of Chapter 124