Chapter 52: “Stunned, Aren’t You?”

“What’s going on? What the hell just happened?!”

Lin Tiancheng stared blankly as Lin Wuming knocked out his opponent with a single punch.

He was completely dumbfounded.

“Judging by how that kid looked when he entered the arena, he should’ve been poisoned. By all logic, the poison should’ve taken full effect by now! So why is he…”

Beside him, the Grand Elder’s face looked equally grim.

When he had seen Lin Wuming enter earlier, appearing sluggish and pale, he thought the plan was nearly foolproof.

Who would’ve imagined such a shocking reversal?

Taking a deep breath, the Grand Elder muttered…

“If that boy had been poisoned… then by now, he should’ve been nearly paralyzed.”

“But…”

Lin Tiancheng frowned deeply as he looked at Lin Wuming, now energized and moving around freely on stage.

Not only was he moving—he’d flattened a peak Body Tempering realm opponent in one blow.

‘What kind of twisted logic was this?!’

“Perhaps… he was never poisoned in the first place.”

The Grand Elder cut straight to the heart of the matter.

“But—how’s that possible?!”

Lin Tiancheng’s face contorted.

“I made sure the clan’s servants saw him eat everything… every last bite!”

The Grand Elder said nothing, his brows tightly furrowed.

It seemed they had underestimated this branch-line disciple—disappeared for a year, then came back shining bright.

Could it be that he’d known they were targeting him all along?

That he’d been prepared for this?

But why would he be on guard against his own clan?

Was it just caution—or had he already learned that the assassin from the other night was from the Lin family?

If it was the latter…

A cold chill ran down the Grand Elder’s spine.

Something about this was setting off alarm bells.

“Grand Elder, what do we do now?”

Lin Tiancheng asked nervously.

“Don’t panic. I still have another card to play.”

The Grand Elder waved his hand, a glint of cold determination flashing in his eyes.

No matter whether Lin Wuming had guessed, suspected, or even had proof they were behind the plot—things had reached the point of no return.

He had to die.

The sooner, the better.

That was the only thought now dominating the Grand Elder’s mind.

Roughly 30 to 45 minutes passed, and the first elimination round finally came to an end.

As expected, the second round was set to begin immediately.

Once again, matchups would be determined by “drawing lots.”

As the draw was underway, Lin Wuming casually glanced toward the platform where Lin Tiancheng stood.

As he expected—Lin Tiancheng’s face looked like he had swallowed a bitter melon.

Hah. He’d probably felt so smug earlier, thinking Lin Wuming’s groggy entry meant the plan was working like a charm.

Now?

Lin Wuming could barely suppress his grin.

Trying to scheme against him?

Now that things had backfired, how tasty must that bitterness be?

Time-wise… that person should be arriving soon, right?

Lin Wuming scanned the area briefly, but didn’t spot the two familiar figures he was looking for.

Still, he believed his little junior sister wouldn’t mess up the errand.

He felt a bit bad about it—but he didn’t have the power or backing to protect himself yet.

So, for now, he had no choice but to ask his fiancée to show up and suppress the Lin family by her presence alone—to keep them from doing anything desperate.

When the Lin patriarch ran out of tricks and still couldn’t harm him… that reaction would be delicious.

And once this whole competition ended, and the clues they were chasing became clearer… this mission would likely be done.

Still… why did he have to come here and participate in some stupid clan tournament, anyway?

It was so pointle—

‘Wait a minute. The mission.’

Lin Wuming’s expression froze.

He finally remembered the thing he had been trying to recall this whole time…

‘The mission’s condition was to stay low-key!’

If he won first place in this tournament, and even worse, if the Lin family made a move against him and his fiancée showed up to crush them, causing a massive scene…

Wouldn’t that be the exact opposite of low-key?!

‘Crap. Big trouble!‘

Panicking, Lin Wuming realized that in his rush to survive and complete the task, he had completely forgotten to follow the actual rules of the mission.

But before he could think any further, the second round had already begun.

This time, his opponent was significantly stronger—already at the Qi Condensation stage.

“Look! It’s Young Master Ji!”

Ji Zikang, heir of the Ji family patriarch, was widely known in Luoshui City.

Handsome since childhood and highly talented in cultivation, he was a household name.

Dozens of noble daughters were infatuated with him, constantly vying for his attention.

His looks, lineage, and potential made him the ideal husband in many eyes.

Naturally, his arena drew even more spectators.

“What’s going on? Why is the arena order all messed up?”

Back on the platform, the Lin family’s Grand Elder stared in disbelief.

He had carefully arranged the matchups—Lin Wuming was supposed to face a certain “adopted son” of the Ji family, a sleeper agent he had planted there years ago.

That man was powerful but kept a low profile.

With the addition of the Exploding Qi Pill the Grand Elder provided—which temporarily boosted spiritual power beyond one’s realm—it was almost guaranteed that he’d kill Lin Wuming.

Strong, hidden, and disposable.

The perfect assassin.

But now… what was going on?

The second-round pairing was completely different!

As he scanned the arena, his gaze met the Ji patriarch’s—who was looking back at him with a sly, mocking grin.

“You bastard…”

Ji Xiaolv was currently feeling very pleased with himself.

In past tournaments, the four major families would secretly scheme and gather intelligence on each other’s participants.

But this year, the Lin family seemed unusually quiet.

Ji Xiaolv had found that very odd.

So from the moment the tournament started, he’d kept a close eye on the Lin clan’s fighters—and spotted the very same boy who had stolen the spotlight at the Wan Yin Conference!

He was from the Lin family?!

And yet, the Lin family never boasted about it—in fact, rumors had spread that he’d been assassinated and poached by the Lihuo City’s Li family.

As a fellow clan head, Ji Xiaolv knew full well what the relationship was between the Lin and Li families.

He instantly understood: Lin family had groomed a top-tier genius and kept him hidden until now—preparing for a dramatic debut!

The “assassination” attempt was clearly staged, the rumors a smokescreen—this was all a carefully crafted play!

The Wan Yin Conference had a limited audience, mostly those into music and instruments.

But this?

The clan tournament was watched by the entire city!

They wanted this genius to win again and explode in fame, so the Lin family could rise alongside him—becoming the most prestigious house in Luoshui, maybe even gaining favor from the City Lord.

The ambition was massive. But Ji Xiaolv—wise, cunning, and not easily fooled—had seen right through it.

And there was no way he was going to let the Lin family get away with it.