Lin Shou's story was not difficult to understand.
In many ways, it was similar to Lin Sheng's own situation.
The difference was that Lin Sheng had an elder sister who genuinely cared for him.
Lin Shou had no one.
When he was younger, his parents had arranged an engagement between him and Su Yun. Back then, both families appeared close, and the adults often joked about their future marriage.
At that time, Lin Shou had truly believed it.
His parents were Qi Refining Stage cultivators who frequently accepted dangerous missions outside Dragon Yuan Mountain. Although they were not especially powerful, they had managed to accumulate decent wealth over the years.
Spirit stones.
Medicinal resources.
A small residence.
Enough to ensure Lin Shou would not struggle even after their deaths.
And eventually... they did die.
Their mission ended in an ambush.
The details remained unclear even now.
But ever since then, Lin Shou had been alone.
At first, Su Yun and her parents treated him warmly.
They visited often.
They comforted him.
They encouraged him to keep cultivating.
Back then, Lin Shou had been grateful.
Too grateful.
As they grew older together, Su Yun awakened spiritual roots during one of the family ceremonies.
The moment that happened, everything slowly began changing.
Her status rose instantly.
Even her family's attitude became more prideful.
Still, Lin Shou believed things would remain the same between them.
After all, they had grown up together.
And they were engaged.
At least... that was what he believed.
Over the years, he spent large amounts of his parents' remaining resources supporting Su Yun's cultivation.
Spirit stones.
Medicines.
Cultivation supplies.
Whenever Su Yun hinted that she lacked resources, Lin Shou would quietly provide them.
Even when he himself lacked enough to train properly.
Now that he thought back on it, the signs had always been there.
The fake concern.
The subtle manipulation.
The way Su Yun's parents constantly praised his devotion while never contributing anything themselves.
It was obvious now.
They had been bleeding him dry from the very beginning.
Lin Shou slowly clenched his fists inside his room.
His expression darkened.
"Fool..."
He laughed bitterly.
"No... worse than a fool."
A simp.
Someone who willingly handed over everything while believing it was love.
The more he thought about it, the colder his expression became.
And then there was that young master.
The moment Lin Shou remembered him, his teeth unconsciously clenched.
That person was also from a branch family.
But unlike Lin Shou, his background was powerful.
His father was a steward within the Lin Family and, more importantly, a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
That status alone was enough to suppress ordinary branch family members easily.
If Lin Shou had remained at Dragon Yuan Mountain instead of leaving for martial training...
He probably would have died already.
And the death would likely be disguised as an accident.
A missing person during a mission.
A body discovered in a forest.
Or perhaps no body at all.
The cultivation world was cruel like that.
Lin Shou understood it clearly now.
Which was why he had not relaxed even after arriving at Cloud Mist Market.
Most trainees occasionally went sightseeing around the market during their free time.
Lin Shou never did.
He stayed cautious constantly.
He would not be surprised if the young master had already bribed certain trainees to target him during the upcoming ranking competition.
A so called sparring accident could easily leave someone crippled.
Or dead.
Thankfully, his Fierce Wind Saber Technique had already reached Peak Proficiency during these two weeks.
Every day, he practiced until sweat drenched his clothes.
Every night, he cultivated until exhaustion nearly overwhelmed him.
He no longer cultivated for talent or status.
He cultivated for survival.
And revenge.
Lin Shou slowly reached toward the jade necklace hanging around his neck.
It was old and simple.
A plain green jade pendant tied with dark cord.
His parents had gifted it to him before one of their final missions.
His mother had smiled while placing it around his neck.
"Keep it with you," she had said.
"It'll bring you good luck."
Back then, he had laughed at the idea.
Now...
It was one of the few remaining things connecting him to them.
The moment his fingers touched the necklace, the hatred and tension in his chest eased slightly.
Lin Shou slowly exhaled.
Then his gaze sharpened again.
The ranked competition had already begun.
Outside, the training grounds were far noisier than usual.
By midday, nearly the entire training center had gathered around the competition arena.
The stage itself was built from black stone reinforced with formations. Even attacks from 2nd rate martial artists would struggle to damage it heavily.
Around the arena sat countless people.
Assistants.
Guards.
Mentors.
Even several elders watched quietly from elevated seats above.
The inner courtyard trainees sat together in a separate viewing section.
Lin Sheng calmly observed the arena while listening to the surrounding discussions.
Everyone looked excited.
Nervous.
Competitive.
This ranking battle would determine status moving forward.
No one wanted to rank poorly.
At the center stage stood a middle aged mentor acting as referee.
His sharp gaze swept across the audience before he spoke loudly.
"Number 1 Group C versus Number 7 Group B."
Immediately, two figures walked toward the stage.
One was a skinny boy wearing rough gray clothes. His face looked tense, and his footsteps lacked confidence.
The other was taller and sturdier, wearing blue robes with a calm expression.
The moment both stepped onto the arena, the atmosphere grew quieter.
The referee raised his hand.
"No killing."
"No crippling."
"The match ends once one side surrenders or loses the ability to continue."
Then—
Ring!
The bell echoed across the arena.
The Group C trainee immediately rushed forward first, clearly hoping to gain initiative through aggression.
His fists moved rapidly toward the Group B trainee's chest.
Unfortunately, the difference between them was obvious.
The Group B trainee calmly stepped sideways and avoided the attack easily.
Then his palm struck outward.
Bang!
The Group C trainee staggered backward immediately.
The audience could already tell who held the advantage.
The Group C boy gritted his teeth and attacked again, this time trying to target the legs.
But his movements were too straightforward.
The Group B trainee raised his knee sharply.
Thud!
The impact landed directly against the attacker's chest.
Air burst from the Group C trainee's lungs as he stumbled backward heavily.
Before he could recover—
A fist stopped inches away from his face.
The Group B trainee looked at him calmly.
"You lost."
The Group C trainee's face turned pale.
After several seconds of silence, he lowered his head bitterly.
"I surrender."
The referee nodded.
"Winner, Number 7 Group B."
Polite applause echoed around the arena.
The difference between realms was already beginning to show.
Most Group C trainees were still unstable in 3rd rate.
Meanwhile, many Group B trainees had reached Peak 3rd rate or even stepped into 2nd rate already.
The referee quickly announced the next match.
Then another.
And another.
The competition continued nonstop.
Some matches ended quickly.
Others became intense battles.
One particularly fierce fight between two Group B trainees lasted nearly fifteen minutes and ended only after one side exhausted their internal energy completely.
Martial techniques flashed constantly across the stage.
Palm arts.
Movement techniques.
Sword strikes.
Fist techniques.
The audience occasionally erupted into cheers whenever someone displayed impressive skill.
Lin Sheng quietly observed everything.
His mental perception continuously analyzed the participants.
Combat habits.
Internal energy control.
Weaknesses.
The chip silently recorded information.
•[Recording Combat Patterns...]•
•[Analyzing Movement Efficiency...]•
•[Comparing Internal Energy Output...]•
Most trainees still lacked real combat experience.
Even when using techniques properly, their reactions remained rigid.
Some panicked under pressure.
Others wasted internal energy recklessly.
Only a few stood out.
Lin Sheng noticed Lin Xiaolu watching the battles silently as well.
Her expression remained calm from beginning to end.
Meanwhile, Zhao Feng continuously whispered observations while smiling.
"That one wastes too much internal energy."
"This one focuses too heavily on offense."
"Oh... that movement technique is decent."
Despite his merchant like personality, Zhao Feng's combat awareness was surprisingly sharp.
Hours slowly passed.
The bright midday sun gradually shifted lower into the sky.
Eventually, after countless matches—
The Round of 32 officially became the Round of 16.
Now the atmosphere truly changed.
The weaker participants had already been eliminated.
Those remaining were all among the strongest trainees outside the inner courtyard.
And more importantly—
Several of them had already begun glancing toward the inner courtyard seating area.
Toward Grade A.
The challenge rights were approaching soon.