What happened at the City Lord’s manor was unknown to nearly everyone.
After all, today, nearly all the elite elders of the Four Great Clans had gathered together.
As a grand event, the Clan Tournament was one that even the clan heads of the Four Great Clans never missed.
The tournament was held in a special arena inside the city, a designated area that had been used ever since this tradition first began.
By early morning, at the time of 辰时 (around 7–9 a.m.), the arena was already full of elite youths from the Four Great Clans.
Unlike the Wan Yin Conference, the Clan Tournament only allowed members of the Four Clans to participate—outsiders were strictly barred from entering.
The tournament would begin precisely at the third quarter of 辰时 (around 7–9 a.m.), and the competing clan disciples had all arrived early, well-rested and ready, stretching and preparing for the matches.
The outcome of this tournament was, of course, crucial to them.
Forget the prizes—even just placing well would change how many resources the family would invest in them moving forward.
No family wanted to waste cultivation resources on a useless member.
And since this event also doubled as a show of strength among the Four Great Clans, those who performed well helped earn their clan face and favor with the elders.
This was especially true for disciples from branch families, who didn’t enjoy the same privileges as the main bloodline.
They longed for better techniques, more spirit stones—this was their best chance to prove themselves and “overtake from the curve.”
Because of that, no one in the Clan Tournament would be willing to give up easily.
It wasn’t uncommon for people to get seriously injured—or even die.
Of course, families still cherished their geniuses.
Those with great talent were often warned beforehand to surrender if things got out of hand—better to yield than to be crippled or killed.
The tournament starting early also meant Lin Wuming suffered a bit.
He hadn’t even gotten enough sleep when a servant came banging on his door, eagerly urging him to get up, wash, and eat.
Back in the day, when he lived in the clan, he was ignored to the point where even if he went days without leaving his room, no one would care if he starved to death.
Finishing the breakfast the servant brought, Lin Wuming rubbed his eyes and slowly shook off his drowsiness.
“Heh. Poisoning me last night wasn’t enough, huh? Gotta double-check with breakfast today too?”
As he followed the servant toward the arena, Lin Wuming smirked coldly to himself, his disgust for the Lin family growing by the minute.
But no matter how many times they poisoned him—it was pointless.
He had long expected something like this, and had prepared accordingly, refining detoxifying pills in advance.
These common toxins were laughably ineffective against him.
He swallowed another antidote pill, then deliberately frowned, feigning discomfort and sluggishly followed behind the servant, only arriving at the arena just moments before the tournament began.
“That brat’s here!”
On the viewing platform, Lin Tiancheng’s eyes lit up.
He turned and spoke to the Grand Elder beside him.
The Grand Elder nodded, stroking his beard and squinting as he studied Lin Wuming.
“It seems… I overestimated him. I thought poisoning alone might not work, so I made additional plans. But look at him—young and careless. He’s probably just thinking he didn’t sleep well.”
“Hmph… There’s a bigger surprise waiting for him on the platform.”
Naturally, the poison they used couldn’t knock him out immediately—it would be too obvious.
The dose last night was just a primer.
The breakfast this morning?
That was the real killer.
And by the Grand Elder’s calculations, the poison should take effect in about half an hour—right when Lin Wuming would be standing on the platform.
“Hmph.”
Lin Tiancheng also snorted coldly.
“It’s good that you’re being cautious, Grand Elder, but I think you’re overthinking this… It’s just a bunch of brats. That kid got lucky, sure, and as for that Taixu Hall disciple—she may be strong and talented, but do you really think she’s clever enough to see through all this? At her age? Even if the Taixu Hall has people in Luoshui City, she probably wouldn’t know how to use them.”
“Maybe that assassin just got unlucky and failed, nothing more.”
The Grand Elder didn’t disagree, and his expression gradually relaxed.
Maybe he was just being overly cautious?
They were just sixteen- or seventeen-year-olds, after all.
How much strategy or insight could they really possess?
He chuckled, imagining Lin Wuming collapsing from the poison mid-fight and being beaten to death.
His opponent had already been chosen in advance by the Lin family—and thoroughly bribed.
The moment Lin Wuming showed signs of being poisoned and unable to circulate his qi, his opponent would seize the moment… and take his life.
“Speaking of which… looks like the City Lord didn’t show up again this year.”
Now that he was more at ease, Lin Tiancheng even made small talk.
“The City Lord seems uninterested in the Clan Tournament,” the Grand Elder replied offhandedly.
“He hasn’t come for years. Who knows why?”
“Him not being here is perfect for us,” Lin Tiancheng said with a chuckle.
“If he were here, we might have to worry about him seeing through something…”
“Indeed.”
The Grand Elder nodded.
Everything seemed to be going so smoothly.
The City Lord didn’t show up this year either.
It was as if even the heavens favored the Lin family’s plan—a golden opportunity for them to rise to power.
As Lin Wuming entered the arena, the time had almost come.
Participants from all four clans stepped into place, ready for the tournament to officially begin and to draw lots for their matchups.
The rules of the tournament were very straightforward: head-to-head elimination. No revival rounds. No breaks.
Once a round finished, the next round would start immediately.
The faster you beat your opponent, the more time you had to catch your breath.
These brutal and simple rules might mean some skilled fighters lost due to bad luck, but whoever made it to the end—would be the best of the best.
Because of the rules and the relatively small number of participants (limited to just the Four Clans), the entire tournament could be completed in a single day.
“All participants, please come forward to draw lots and determine your opponent…”
With the referee’s announcement, the Clan Tournament—officially began.