Chapter 145: Dominant Presence

A green glow rushed downward, its terrifying light causing everyone’s hearts to tighten instantly. Breathing became extremely difficult, as if drawn by that green light.

Six or seven meters away, in Jin Furong’s eyes, the green glow seemed to be charging straight at her. Fear spread throughout her body in an instant. She opened her mouth to shout for help, but it was as if something blocked her throat—she couldn’t utter a single word.

Crack!

At the moment the green glow collided with the Wulong Spear, a clear ringing sound was heard, followed by a faint cold light flashing by. Seeing the spear, once full of immense power, split in two, everyone felt as though a sharp blade had been plunged into their hearts.

It’s broken!

No one could believe their eyes, but as the two guards stepped back in terror, holding each piece of the spear, it became increasingly clear that it was true.

The fierce green glow resembled the scythe of death before their eyes. Jin Furong’s pupils widened abruptly. Her nerves, already strained, shattered the moment the Wulong Spear broke in two.

Bang!

The light in her eyes vanished as she could no longer bear the murderous intent looming over her. She collapsed to the ground, her limbs convulsing violently. Her gaze toward Lin Dong was vacant, hiding an undetectable fear.

As the tense atmosphere eased slightly and people regained some clarity, a foul smell drifted into their noses.

Looking around, they realized Jin Furong was sitting on the ground, foaming at the mouth, staring blankly at Lin Dong.

“Cousin…” Jin Taifu cried out in shock, rushing toward Jin Furong. After shaking her a few times, he suddenly pointed at Lin Dong and shouted at Li Jiancheng, “M-My lord, he wants to kill my cousin!”

Li Jiancheng ignored him, his eyes fixed intently on the Green Rainbow Sword in Lin Dong’s hand. It seemed as though the cold light on the sword had an inexplicable pull, controlling his mind completely.

“Is that so?” Lin Dong swung his right arm downward, the sword tip pointing at the ground, yet its menace remained intense.

Jin Taifu raised his eyes to look at Lin Dong. Under the pressure of those eyes, which seemed to smile yet conceal endless killing intent, he fearfully lowered his head. Then he started shouting, “Help! Someone come quick! The second young lady’s old illness has flared up—hurry!”

His gaze swept over the faces of the three official young ladies, and none dared meet his eyes.

Lin Dong asked, “What’s wrong with the second young lady?”

“Her old illness has flared up…”

Not only the three young ladies but everyone else began to mutter to themselves. Their bodies trembled violently, as if they were in ice.

Lin Dong retracted his sword in vain, glanced at Jin Furong, who was still convulsing, and smirked coldly. That sword strike had almost exhausted all the spiritual energy in his dantian. Coupled with the power of a ninth-level spiritual technique and the atmosphere he had created earlier, he believed that even though Jin Furong wasn’t as frenzied as expected from such a distance, she must have been terrified. She would probably never dare to face Li Yunfeng again in her life. As for the other three, Lin Dong believed that another shock would make them lose the courage to oppose Li Yunfeng. Looking at Li Jiancheng, Lin Dong said with a smile, “Sir, what’s wrong with the young mistress?” As the Qinghong Sword was sheathed, Li Jiancheng had already recovered from his complex emotions of surprise, shame, and shock. Hearing this, he immediately burned with anger. Scaring the Li family’s young mistress right in front of him and still asking what was wrong? Was he dismissing the Li family as insignificant, or trying to intimidate him, along with the others in Qiufeng Mansion, into obedience? So what if it was a fascinating spiritual weapon? No matter how precious, could it compare to the dignity of the Li family or his own authority? Li Jiancheng took a deep breath and retorted coldly, “You say what’s wrong?” “I’m not sure,” Lin Dong shook his head and replied, “The young mistresses all said it was an old illness flaring up. I guess it was the loud noise just now that scared the second young mistress.” “So it was you who caused this?” Li Jiancheng suppressed his anger, waiting for Lin Dong to admit fault so he could order someone to kill him. If Lin Dong admitted it, no matter how much Xiao Feng disliked his second sister-in-law, she would have to consider the feelings of the Li family. “It’s indeed my fault,” Lin Dong stared at Li Jiancheng without blinking. Just as Li Jiancheng’s right arm trembled and was about to rise, Lin Dong suddenly smiled and said, “I thought the Qinghong Sword was only one level higher than the Wulong Spear, and since the Wulong Spear is a heavy weapon, it would be impossible to cut through it without exhausting all spiritual energy. Who knew I was overthinking it? I estimate that half of my spiritual energy was enough. In the end, it’s all because Lin Dong overestimated the hardness of the Wulong Spear. Please punish me, sir.” His expression showed no remorse at all. But Li Jiancheng suddenly retracted his raised right arm and, staring at the blue sword sheath in Lin Dong’s hand, exclaimed in astonishment, “Are you saying this sword is a fourth-level spiritual weapon?” Lin Dong nodded with a smile. “Are you a warrior?” Li Jiancheng asked in shock. Lin Dong shook his head. “Lin Dong has low talent. I’m only at the sixth level of the Spiritual Mobility stage. The fact that I was able to cut through the Wulong Spear with a single strike using all my spiritual energy was thanks to a set of spiritual techniques taught to me by my blacksmith friend.” Li Jiancheng’s head buzzed.

Fourth-tier spiritual artifacts and third-tier spiritual artifacts, though quite different, are not enough to enable someone at the sixth level of the Spirit Mobility stage to cut through a third-tier spiritual artifact. The difference between them is like that between steel and iron, and someone at the sixth level of Spirit Mobility can only be considered a child.

Therefore, there are only three reasons why Lin Dong was able to cut through the Wulong Spear.

First, the Qinghong Sword is not just a fourth-tier spiritual artifact; Lin Dong has already entered the ranks of warriors, and that set of spiritual techniques is of a higher tier. If it were an ordinary person, they might hide the fact that the Qinghong Sword was a gift for themselves, ruling out the first reason. The other two reasons are quite plausible. Li Jiancheng comes from a military background, so he understands more about martial artists than ordinary people. As for the other two reasons, he still cannot fathom them.

But the fact is clear—the Wulong Spear was indeed broken, and the reason must be one of these three. Whatever it is, this person before us certainly is not an ordinary person. Taking a deep breath, Li Jiancheng’s expression softened slightly as he asked, “Sir Lin, may I ask what your friend’s name is?”

Lin Dong looked helpless. “Please forgive me, sir. My friend has a rather special identity, and he doesn’t want it known to ordinary people.”

Li Jiancheng’s lips twitched slightly. Ordinary people? If what he said was true, this blacksmith friend was likely at least a powerful individual without any sect or affiliation and not under the jurisdiction of the Great Han Kingdom. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to create a fourth-tier spiritual artifact so easily. Even if he were one’s own brother, no matter how unruly and powerful he might be, he would never teach spiritual techniques without following the rules of his sect.

Having such a powerful person as a friend, even if he were a beggar, probably no one in the Great Han Kingdom would dare to provoke him. Officials may be protected by the Tianwei Pavilion, but their families are not, and unless killed, the Tianwei Pavilion won’t intervene. As for wealthy families, though they may have the strength to compete with powerful individuals, their family assets and weaker disciples are also concerns. Without a deep-seated grudge, there’s no reason to provoke such a powerful person.

Li Jiancheng’s voice became much softer. “Actually, Manager Lin, you needn’t blame yourself. Furong just had an old illness flare up.”

Lin Dong smiled, scanning the hall with a somewhat arrogant look in his eyes. “Lord Li thinks the second young lady had an old illness flare up. What about you? Only four people thought it was an old illness flare up just now.”

Li Jiancheng’s face turned red. To him, this might have been just a provocation to the rest of the Li family, but it was also like a severe slap in his face.

His daughter-in-law was terrified, yet he defended the culprit in front of all the family members, claiming it was an old illness flare up. In his entire life, Li Jiancheng had never felt such shame and anger.

“Manager Lin!” Li Yunfeng called out irritably from the side. She simply couldn’t believe that the Manager Lin she knew could be so domineering.
“Madam, what’s the matter?” Lin Dong pretended to be confused.
“Isn’t this too much?” Li Yunfeng frowned.
Lin Dong’s voice rose sharply: “Too much? Just now, they humiliated you mercilessly—wasn’t that enough?”
“Manager Lin, it’s because of what they did just now…” Li Yunfeng struggled to continue.
Lin Dong nodded and said coldly, “Madam is the person Lin Dong respects the most. If they weren’t all her relatives, it wouldn’t have been as simple as just humiliating her back.”
Everyone broke into cold sweats, finally understanding why this Manager Lin, who had been kind and quiet before, suddenly became so domineering—turns out, he was restoring Li Yunfeng’s dignity.
Hearing this, Li Jiancheng wasn’t sure whether to be angry or pleased. Being slapped left him seething with anger, but the fact that his daughter now had a powerful ally was undoubtedly a huge blessing.
Li Yunfeng said helplessly, “But you shouldn’t have mocked my father…”
“Well…” Lin Dong hesitated. Under the tense gazes of dozens of people, he resolutely turned to Li Jiancheng: “Sir, could you talk to Lin Dong alone for a moment?”
Li Jiancheng looked stunned.
Lin Dong smiled in response. As long as he gave Li Jiancheng the Precious Scale Armor, he believed Li Jiancheng’s anger would vanish, and the psychological pressure exerted by his fabricated blacksmith friend would increase even further.
Li Jiancheng’s attitude changed drastically. With his respect for Li Yunfeng, the Li family’s influence would undoubtedly grow. The Lin’s Inn would also benefit indirectly. With both his daughter’s familial ties and the potential pressure from her “blacksmith friend” as safeguards, Li Jiancheng would never be able to give an immediate reply, no matter how great the stakes.
After some time, Li Jiancheng finally made up his mind. Leaving the anxious crowd in the hall behind, he took Lin Dong to the main hall alone.
When they came back more than half an hour later, Li Jiancheng, once angry and upset, now wore a beaming smile. He referred to Lin Dong as “Brother Lin” instead of “Manager Lin.” This change made everyone in the Li family look at Lin Dong and Li Yunfeng with inexplicable awe.
And that night, they were all destined to spend it in speculation. Especially the legitimate young wives, who, in addition to speculating, felt even more uneasy.