“I guess that means the thirty-two-year-old me has no fate with this clan competition.”

The old man sent by the Lin family of the Upper Realm quickly fixed his gaze on Lin Mo.

This young man was the only one in the Lin family whose cultivation he couldn’t see through.

“You’re Lin Mo?”

Lin Mo chuckled. “Seems my name’s gotten around quite a bit.”

The old man’s tone toward Lin Mo was clearly much better than before. “Your name is indeed very well-known. The clan head said you must participate as well.”

Lin Mo said, “From the way you’re talking, it sounds like you came this time specifically for me?”

Ever since the younger generation of the Lin family had revealed their cultivation, the old man had already withdrawn his earlier arrogance.

To be honest, that had been the original plan. But seeing things now, there are actually quite a few decent talents among the juniors of the Lin family. Still, I have to do things by the rules. There are only thirty slots; you’ll decide among yourselves. As for you, Lin Mo, the clan head has given you a special exception—you can also take part in the clan competition.”

Lin Mo smiled faintly. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll just slap your juniors to death with one hand?”

The old man also laughed. “With your cultivation realm, you naturally won’t be placed in the juniors’ bracket.”

Lin Mo was surprised. “Oh? The clan competition is held in separate groups?”

Just then, Lin Nantian walked out from the inner courtyard. He had clearly heard the entire exchange between Lin Mo and the old man, and his expression was slightly different from usual.

Within the Lin family, the old man’s status was not low. With a single glance he recognized Lin Nantian.

“So it’s Ah Tian!”

That intimate form of address left the Lin clan members momentarily stunned.

The other elders also came out of the inner courtyard one after another, and the old man greeted each of them by name, using the tone of a senior.

“I really didn’t expect that the branch family would now be under the control of you few.”

Within the main house, very few people paid attention to the situation of the branch families.

The old man himself seemed a bit surprised.

“We pay our respects to Elder Ninth!”

Lin Nantian and the other three elders spoke with a slightly respectful tone. Then he turned to Lin Mo and said, “After the current clan head took office, the Lin family’s clan competition in the Upper Realm was divided into two parts.”

“Those under thirty are just in the juniors’ play arena.”

“The rest is the real combat arena for those above sixty.”

“In the Lin family, aside from the clan head and the elders, everyone has to participate.”

“And those who rank at the very bottom will be expelled from the main house.”

Lin Mo was slightly taken aback. “Don’t tell me, Grandpa, that you…?”

Lin Nantian gave a bitter smile. “Yes, we were among the first group to be expelled from the main house.”

The old man named Lin Jiu spoke up. “I truly didn’t expect that in these few hundred years in the Middle Realm, Ah Tian, you actually broke through to the Nascent Soul stage.”

“And you even raised so many juniors who reached the Golden Core realm before the age of thirty.”

Those expelled from the main house were usually the ones with poorer talent, most of whom would stop at Golden Core or Nascent Soul and then die in meditation.

Back then, Lin Nantian had still not broken through to Nascent Soul even at nearly a hundred years old; he had been counted among that batch.

Lin Nantian smiled faintly. “That’s all thanks to my grandson’s good fortune.”

“I just don’t know if we old fellows will ever have the chance to return to the main house.”

Lin Jiu said frankly, “Originally, I thought that among the branch bloodlines, aside from your grandson, there weren’t many juniors with outstanding talent.”

“But seeing things today, your chances of returning to the main house are actually quite good.”

“Although in this competition, quite a few prodigies have appeared among the main house’s juniors, it doesn’t matter much.”

Hearing this, Lin Nantian was visibly much happier.

While they chatted, the Lin juniors preparing to participate in the clan competition had already started playing rock–paper–scissors to decide the slots.

In the end, the thirty people who would go to the main house to compete were chosen.

Lin Zhan patted Lin Mo on the shoulder. “Mo’er, even though you’re going back to the main house to compete, you still need to keep your guard up.”

Lin Mo replied softly, “Got it, Dad.”

Gu Ningxin gently hugged Lin Mo, who was about to depart, and whispered in his ear, “If you run into danger, use the Yan clan’s secret treasure to escape. Your own life is more important than anything.”

Ever since Lin Mo had cleared his name and returned to the Lin family, mother and son had had many private conversations.

Although Gu Ningxin had never admitted she was currently a member of the demon race, she had said that she used to be one.

Lin Mo had already learned all of this from the system long ago, so he wasn’t surprised by the confirmation.

He told Gu Ningxin about his experiences in the Demon Realm.

From that, Gu Ningxin naturally inferred who the demon he had met at the bottom of the Abyssal Sea was.

That also explained why the Yan clan would entrust their secret treasure to Lin Mo.

But what surprised Gu Ningxin most were two other points.

First, Lin Mo could freely control the demonic energy in his body and even evade detection by the demon-testing stone.

Second, her own child turned out to be a transmigrator as well.

From the time he made egg tarts, and from the modern-style candy packaging Lin Mo had given Qu Ruyan—something that didn’t belong to this era—she had already confirmed that her child was a transmigrator.

Of course, she kept this secret to herself.

If Lin Mo were to find out that she was also a transmigrator, it would just feel a bit too strange to her. Keeping things as they were felt best.

It took Lin Mo and the others three days to follow Lin Jiu to the main house in the Upper Realm. When they all arrived outside the main house’s territory, they were stunned on the spot.

Compared to the Lin family in the Middle Realm, this place was far more prosperous and magnificent.

Lin Tian pointed at the colossal figure not far ahead and cried out in shock, “Holy crap, what’s that, a dragon?”

The other youths also noticed the gigantic creature in the sky at this moment, and their expressions were equally terrified.

Lin Jiu said, “That is the main house’s guardian beast.”

“You all carry at least a bit of the Lin family’s bloodline. As long as you don’t provoke it, it won’t attack you.”

Lin Jiu had just finished speaking when Lin Tian shouted again, “Holy crap!”

With Lin Tian’s exclamation, the other juniors also seemed to see something terrifying and started echoing him with their own cries of “Holy crap!”

Standing to the side, Lin Jiu was clearly displeased.

These branch juniors really had never seen the world. It was just a flood dragon—was there any need to make such a racket?

“I already said, that’s our guardian—”

Before he could finish, Lin Jiu’s expression also froze.

In the midst of the group, one little girl stood out as particularly different.

Not only was she unafraid, she actually looked excited, drool at the corner of her mouth as she ran straight toward the guardian beast.

The flood dragon had been lying there resting peacefully and hadn’t even noticed the little thing climbing onto its body.

Right now Qu Ruyan’s mind was filled only with the imagined taste of flood dragon meat.

Without the slightest hesitation, she opened her mouth wide and took a raw bite out of the flood dragon’s rear.

The move left Lin Jiu—who was usually calm and unflappable—completely dumbfounded.

He couldn’t hold it back and blurted out:

“Holy crap!”

…