Chapter 975: The Duel Begins

“Son, come quickly and see the bride I’ve found for you!” Lin Haoming shouted from a distance.

These potential brides were all quite impressive, and he was very satisfied.

As long as his son agreed, everything else would fall into place.

Lin Fan rarely appeared in Shenglong City, so naturally, these young ladies from noble families had never seen him before.

Now that they knew they might soon become his wives or concubines, they naturally wanted to catch a glimpse of what their future husband looked like.

At first sight, their eyes lingered, unable to look away.

On the lake’s surface stood a graceful figure, long hair flowing, exuding a calm yet slightly domineering aura that captivated them.

They had all made plans for their futures.

Without sufficient martial cultivation talent, their marriages would inevitably be decided by others.

Even if they couldn’t choose their own fates, they hoped at least to find someone acceptable.

Now that they had seen him, they were deeply enchanted by the young master of the Lin family.

If there had been any hesitation before, it was now completely gone—they were willing to become the young master’s wives.

The heads of the other major families, seeing the figure on the lake, also had shining lights in their eyes.

This was the young master of the Lin family.

For eleven years he had been unknown, even regarded as a waste.

Now, he had startled everyone and shocked the entire Shenglong City.

“Ai…”

Lin Fan sighed helplessly; this situation had caught him off guard.

One step, then another.

On the lake’s surface, he walked as if on solid ground, without even a ripple disturbing the water.

Although his aura was restrained, his bearing was extraordinary, far surpassing the sons of other noble families.

“What are you all doing?” Lin Fan landed on the ground and asked calmly.

“My son, come quickly and see how these young ladies look!” Lin Haoming felt that being a father truly wasn’t easy—he had to busy himself with his son’s marriage arrangements.

Lin Fan felt helpless inside and waved his hand, saying, “Right now, I’m focusing entirely on cultivation; I don’t have time for these matters.”

He was determined to become a top expert, and besides, these girls were all so young.

Others might have no qualms, but he certainly did.

Such a strong sense of guilt overwhelmed him.

At this moment, the young girls began whispering among themselves.

“Master Lin is so handsome.”

“So young, yet already so powerful. If I could become Master Lin’s wife, I would definitely feel safe in the future.”

…

“My son, cultivation doesn’t have to be rushed. First, you must settle down and marry. Once you have children, you can cultivate more freely,” Lin Haoming, upon hearing Lin Fan’s refusal, grew anxious.

Originally, when Lin Fan was born, Lin Haoming had hoped to raise him and then let him take over the family.

But now, his son was definitely going to be selected into a sect, meaning the position of head of the Lin family would have to be passed to the next generation.

Once he handed over the position, he could finally relax and enjoy peace.

“That’s right, that’s right, Master Lin. Cultivation doesn’t have to be rushed. Getting married can be done quickly—it won’t take much time at all.”

The heads of the major families chimed in, talking all at once.

Meanwhile, the young ladies from the noble families shyly yet eagerly cast flirtatious glances toward Lin Fan.

Lin Fan was genuinely afraid of these people.

What nonsense.

So many young girls, whose minds might not even be fully matured.

In the future, if he focused solely on cultivation, one day he might suddenly find himself wearing a green hat.

His cultivation might improve then,

But the green hat would never come off.

“There’s no need to say more. This matter is not to be discussed. I understand your intentions.”

“Today, I will make myself clear: as long as you don’t cause trouble for the Lin family in the future, I, Lin Fan, won’t bother you either. If you are oppressed in Shenglong City, I can even stand up for you. But as for marriage alliances, let’s not talk about them anymore,” Lin Fan said.

Seeing Lin Fan’s firm refusal, everyone was momentarily at a loss.

Then one by one, they turned their gazes toward Lin Haoming, hoping he could intercede.

“This… this…” Lin Haoming was also helpless.

This son usually spoke little and kept to himself, and he had no way of dealing with him.

“What if we delay things a bit?” Lin Haoming looked at everyone.

“Enough. Everyone leave now. Tomorrow is the day I will fight Qingyangzi. Don’t disturb me,” Lin Fan turned around, his hands behind his back, and walked away.

The heads of the major families had disappointment flickering in their eyes.

In their opinion, marriage alliances would have been the best guarantee.

Now, although the young master had said he would protect them, they still felt uneasy inside, as if it wasn’t quite reliable enough.

Lin Haoming knew there was basically no room for compromise in this matter. He then said, “Everyone, please return first. Let’s just forget about this matter.”

“My son has already said that he will protect Shenglong City, and our Lin family has never been fond of conflict, so you can rest assured.”

He felt some regret. He naturally understood the purpose of the seven major family heads wanting marriage alliances, and primarily providing some wives for his son had been his main intention.

Now that his son didn’t want them, what else could he do?

If the Lin family had been fond of scheming and power struggles, Lin Haoming wouldn’t have been idle all these years without making any plans, living a life of leisure and ease.

Looking at Lin Haoming, the various family heads finally bowed and took their leave, but they left behind the gifts they had brought.

Regardless, it was still a gift for meeting him.

Inside the house!

After knowing these people had left, Lin Fan couldn’t help but sigh in relief.

That was truly terrifying.

Tomorrow was the day he would fight Qingyangzi.

Lin Fan had already discerned that Qingyangzi’s cultivation level was at the early stage of True Immortal Realm.

Beyond the Ancient Realm’s peak, there was another realm.

That realm was the True Immortal Realm.

The power of this True Immortal Realm intrigued Lin Fan, and he also wanted to test just how strong an expert at this level could be.

In the Ancient Saint World, even the greatest experts who had survived countless eons could not break through the Ancient Realm, probably due to the incomplete heavenly laws there.

Because in that place, the peak was the Ancient Realm.

After escaping from that cage, the heavenly laws were now complete. Naturally, advancing to higher realms was no longer an issue.

Now, Lin Fan had just broken free from his seal and needed to recuperate, cultivating his essence, energy, and spirit to their peak.

He had to prepare well for tomorrow’s battle.

The next day!

The entire Shenglong City was bustling with excitement.

Even ordinary citizens knew that the young master of the Lin family would be challenging a senior master from the sect.

The location was the largest martial arts arena in Shenglong City.

Qingyangzi had arrived early, immediately setting up a barrier. Otherwise, even a slight leakage of their power could shock and kill the ordinary citizens of Shenglong City.