Chapter 12: Shocking Everyone, A Change
“A sixteen-year-old at the Second Stage of the Postnatal Realm!”
Feeling the aura emanating from Lin Zichen, Lin Zitao and the other young talents of the Lin family couldn’t help but fall silent.
Initially, upon hearing his words, they thought Lin Zichen was being overly arrogant.
But it turned out he wasn’t arrogant at all—he truly had the strength to back it up.
“I never expected Cousin Zichen’s cultivation to reach such heights. Truly, it is a blessing for the Lin family.”
“However, I still want to see the gap between myself and someone at the Second Stage of the Postnatal Realm.”
With that, Lin Zitao took the lead and stepped onto the arena.
Seeing this, the other young talents of the Lin family exchanged glances before they all moved toward the arena as well.
Their thoughts varied, but one thing was clear and unanimous:
It was the unyielding passion of youth.
It was their pride as the top ten of the Lin family’s younger generation.
To retreat without a fight was the behavior of cowards.
They disdained such actions and would never choose them.
Before long, all the top ten talents of the Lin family under eighteen—except for Lin Ziqing—had stepped onto the arena.
“You all are no match for the young master.”
Looking at the group surrounding Lin Zichen on the Realm, Lin Ziqing couldn’t help but recall the moment he was utterly dominated by Lin Zichen earlier. He shivered involuntarily.
Despite being at the same cultivation Stage, he had been utterly defeated.
The gap was too vast, too obvious.
“Attack!”
Facing Lin Zichen, who was at the Second Stage of the Postnatal Realm, these Lin family talents dared not underestimate him. They all unleashed their best Martial Skills, attacking in unison.
In response, Lin Zichen’s expression remained unchanged.
His gaze was calm and emotionless.
The gap between the Postnatal Realm and the Body Refinement Realm was significant.
Typically, a martial artist at the First Stage of the Postnatal Realm could easily overpower ten at the Ninth Stage of the Body Refinement Realm, let alone Lin Zichen, who had already reached the Second Stage.
Without even needing to use Martial Skills, Lin Zichen utilized his spiritual energy and moved like a phantom, weaving effortlessly among Lin Zitao and the others.
His movements were elegant and graceful, mesmerizing the many younger girls and older sisters in the crowd. Their eyes sparkled with admiration.
Before long, Lin Zichen was the only one still standing in the arena.
The remaining Lin family talents lay on the ground, clutching their chests and staring at the white-robed youth with shock on their faces. A trace of reverence flashed in their eyes.
For a moment, the large martial arena fell silent.
“Train well. If you have any questions, feel free to come to me.”
At some point, Lin Zichen had stepped down from the arena. He approached the group of talents, patted Lin Zitao on the shoulder, and left a few words of encouragement before turning and walking toward his own courtyard.
He still needed to test the effect of the Immortal Clan Simulator to see if it matched his expectations. He had no time to waste here.
It wasn’t until Lin Zichen’s figure nearly disappeared from their sight that the young talents of the Lin family snapped out of their daze.
“We thank the young master for his guidance!”
Though they had not yet received Lin Zichen’s advice, their faces were already filled with joy.
Even the young members of the Lin family watching from the sidelines couldn’t hide the hint of envy in their gazes.
Although Lin Zichen’s cultivation of the Second Stage of the Postnatal Realm might seem unimpressive within the Lin family, where many of the older generation were stronger, it was important to recognize why geniuses were called geniuses. Their exceptional comprehension of cultivation and sharp insight allowed them to identify issues that even seasoned experts might overlook.
Sometimes, receiving guidance from a genius could be more effective than advice from a strong cultivator—provided the “strong cultivator” wasn’t overwhelmingly powerful and the “genius” was truly extraordinary. Otherwise, the general advantage of higher cultivation Stages remained significant.
“Second Stage of the Postnatal Realm?”
“Zichen is even more composed than we imagined. This Stage of cultivation is enough to gain the attention of the three major forces but not enough to threaten them. At the same time, it enhances the reputation of our Lin family. It’s truly a perfect balance!”
In the Lin family’s main hall, the elders, upon receiving the news, nodded in satisfaction.
With the Lin family’s foundation and strength, they could easily protect a genius at the Second Stage of the Postnatal Realm. However, if Lin Zichen had displayed cultivation beyond the Third Stage, the situation would have been entirely different.
After all, the three young masters of Qingfeng City’s three major factions were only at the Second Stage of the Postnatal Realm.
“After this battle, there should be no objections within the Lin family about Zichen becoming our young master. Next, we should focus on acquiring mid-grade spiritual herb seeds and advancing our herb cultivation efforts.”
Hearing this, the Lin family’s First Elder, Lin Shouchang, nodded in agreement and added his suggestion.
“Indeed, the acquisition of mid-grade spiritual herb seeds cannot be delayed. However, to avoid unnecessary risks, I recommend not purchasing such seeds within Qingfeng City. Instead, we should discreetly send experts to other cities to acquire them.”
“Meanwhile, during this period, we shouldn’t leave our mid-grade spiritual fields idle. We should plant urgently needed low-grade spiritual herbs to maximize profits quickly.”
“Agreed.”
“Well said.”
“Excellent. Everyone, proceed according to this plan and take charge of your respective tasks.”
Finally, Lin Shoucheng, the head of the Lin family, made the final decision, setting the course for the family’s development.
The Lin family, with its 200-year history, began operating like a well-oiled machine, executing the plans with remarkable efficiency.
Lin Zichen, however, remained unaware of these decisions.
Of course, if he wanted to know, his position as the young master of the Lin family would grant him access to such information effortlessly.
After defeating the younger generation of the Lin family, Lin Zichen returned to his small courtyard.
Soon, he activated the Immortal Clan Simulator in his mind and began another simulation.
[Lin Family Year 212, August 19: Through a unanimous decision by the Lin family’s leadership, you became the young master of the Lin family. Demonstrating overwhelming strength, you solidified your position by defeating the younger generation.]
[Lin Family Year 212, August 21: Your achievements spread throughout Qingfeng City, earning you widespread fame. Your reputation even overshadowed that of the Wang family’s young master, Wang Jinglun, causing him significant displeasure. However, as you stayed within the family grounds and gave him no opportunity to provoke you, he could only sulk and spread rumors in the city, claiming you were unworthy of the title of young master.]
[Lin Family Year 212, November 10: Thanks to the Breaking Sect Pill you contributed, your great-grandfather and second great-grandfather both reached the Master Realm. They summoned you shortly afterward, gifting you the 169 remaining low-grade spirit stones from their cultivation.]
[Lin Family Year 213, February 1: After nearly half a year of diligent cultivation, bolstered by the ample supply of spirit stones, you broke through to the Ninth Stage of the Postnatal Realm and advanced to the Prenatal Realm, consuming only a small portion of the stones.]
[Lin Family Year 214, February 26: Exhausting all your resources, you advanced to the peak of the Second Stage of the Prenatal Realm.]
[Lin Family Year 214, July 19: Your cultivation reached the Third Stage of the Prenatal Realm. Half a month later, the family hosted a coming-of-age ceremony for you and other clan members who had turned eighteen.]
Hmm?
Aside from showcasing his strength early on to secure his position as the Lin family’s young master, the simulation’s storyline largely mirrored previous results. The only difference was that his cultivation realm was significantly higher.
“Small changes in events don’t seem to alter the overall trajectory. Or perhaps the changes I’ve made are insufficient?”
As Lin Zichen read the simulated results displayed on the simulator’s interface, he couldn’t help but fall into thought.
However, he didn’t dwell on it for long.
Instead, he grew more curious about what changes might occur next. Surely, things couldn’t remain entirely static, could they?
With that thought, Lin Zichen focused on the simulator’s interface.
Soon, lines of text began appearing before his eyes.