"What's wrong, won't you? A real man can yield and compromise, what's the harm in showing weakness! Can it be that you want me to become sworn enemies with Lin Ming because of you?"

  Zhu Yan took a few deep breaths, his clenched fists slowly relaxing, his eyes gleaming with a cold light as he said slowly: "Your Highness, a deceased genius is no longer a genius."

  "Hum! You want me to assassinate Lin Ming? Zhu Yan, don't you know what kind of existence the Seven Profound Martial House is in Tianyun Country? Lin Ming is a once-in-a-century genius of the Seven Profound Martial House! You actually want me to assassinate him, even if he leaves the martial house, even if he hasn't grown up yet. But have you forgotten my brother - Crown Prince Yang Lin?! Yang Lin may be foolish, but he's not foolish enough to neglect protecting Lin Ming! He has experts by his side, and there's even a Mu Yi! If I make one misstep, if I reveal even the slightest hint of evidence and get caught by Yang Lin, then even if I kill Lin Ming, I'll still end up paying with my life! The authority of the Seven Profound Martial House is not to be trifled with. Even if it's the Emperor himself, they can still be discarded at will!"

  "One Mu Yi has already given me a headache! The eighteen dead warriors I've trained, as well as the guest qings under my command, can barely handle one Mu Yi. If another grown-up Lin Ming were to be added, my chances of winning would greatly decrease!"

  Zhu Yan's mouth twitched, his fists clenched slightly, and he said word by word: "Your Highness, please give me some time, I will give you an explanation!"

  "Alright, I'll trust you this time, but what if you disappoint me again?"

  Zhu Yan took a deep breath, gritted his teeth and said: "If I lose, if Lin Ming can continue to grow at this monstrous speed, then I will let go of Lan Yunyue and apologize to Lin Ming!"

  "Hmph, I hope it's not too late by then! You can withdraw now!"

  ....................

  In the private room of Daming Xuan, the lights were bright and the dishes were exquisite, but Zhu Yan didn't have the slightest intention of eating at this time.

  Seeing Zhu Yan not eating, Lan Yunyue also didn't dare to move her chopsticks. She guessed that Zhu Yan's troubles today were related to Lin Ming's challenge. She was stuck in the middle, feeling extremely awkward, and didn't dare say a word.

  "Today, the tenth prince summoned me." After a long silence, Zhu Yan suddenly spoke slowly.

  "Hmm, say... what?" Lan Yun's heart was slightly uneasy, she never knew what Zhu Yan was thinking in his heart, only feeling that this person was terrifyingly gloomy, he would keep calm one moment and suddenly erupt in fury the next, revealing his cruel nature. He was like a deep pool hiding a ferocious beast, seemingly calm on the surface but containing endless killing intent.

  Being with Zhu Yan, Lan Yun Yue always felt an intangible pressure that made her feel suffocated, unlike when she was with Lin Ming in the past, where she could act coquettishly and throw tantrums at will, and that boy would always satisfy her unreasonable demands with a sunny smile...

  Unfortunately, those days are gone and will never return. Lan Yun's heart sighed, but she didn't dare to show any distraction because she always felt that Zhu Yan's gaze was like an eagle, as if it could see through her inner heart.

  "He let me... " Zhu Yan paused slightly here, his eyes locking onto Lan Yunmo's as he slowly continued: "...fire you..."

  At that moment, Lan Yunmo was stunned. She felt as if time had slowed down in an instant, and Zhu Yan's face in front of her seemed to suddenly become distant. All auditory and tactile sensations became blurred and unclear.

  Although she has always maintained her chastity, she is already engaged to Zhu Yan. In Tianyun Country, a girl who gets divorced after engagement would be extremely humiliated and would be affected even if she remarries. If Zhu Yan really divorces her, where can she go?

  She looked at Zhu Yan's somewhat unfamiliar face, biting her lip tightly to prevent herself from crying out loud, but tears still swirled in her eyes. She naturally understood the significance of the tenth prince to the Zhu family and Zhu Yan, and his words must have weighed heavily on Zhu Yan.

  "You...you agreed?" Lan Yunyue's voice was tinged with a hint of haziness and choking.

  "There isn't one for now." Zhu Yan replied truthfully.

  "For... why?" Lan Yun's subconscious tightened her grip on the chopsticks in her hand, her fingers turning slightly white from the force.

  "Because of Lin Ming, the tenth prince wants to win him over, and you... have become an obstacle in his way."

  "...obstacle..." Lan Yunyue's tears finally rolled down, I'm just an ordinary girl, how did I get entangled in the struggle for the throne one day and become an obstacle to the prince...

  Why is it like this?

  Zhu Yan said: "I probably have a month or two, but I'm not sure what to do yet... Don't lose hope, things may not be set in stone."

  After Zhu Yan finished speaking, he stood up and left, pushing the door away.

  Lan Yun Yue sat alone on the chair, as if she had lost her soul. She was very clear that although Zhu Yan said there were still opportunities, if one day she really became an obstacle to his ambition, no matter how small, he would unhesitatingly abandon her!

  As she thought of this, a wave of inexplicable sorrow welled up in Lan Yunyue's heart.

  She left the room in a daze and pushed open the door of the private room.

  In the grand hall of Da Ming Xuan, groups of young masters from wealthy families were drinking and having fun. The exquisite bronze wine cups had intricate carvings of auspicious patterns, their open mouths seeming to devour her like a monster...

  Luxuriously decorated grand hall, velvet carpet, elegant silk and bamboo music, exquisite jade plates and golden bowls of fine food. These things she had once dreamed of pursuing now only made her feel emptier than usual.

  She walked down the stairs and out of the Da Ming Xuan.

  The autumn night has a strong coolness, the wind blowing in front of it carries the breath of cold dew, making people feel desolate for no reason.

  Actually, Zhu Yan was right... Lan Yunyue understood that he had said such a thing tonight, and she had no reason to blame him.

  She chose Zhu Yan because Zhu Yan could bring her wealth and glory and a longer youth.

  If one day Zhu Yan loses his status for a woman, then that woman may leave him...

  How could Zhu Yan not understand this principle?

  Choosing glory means enduring the bitterness behind it, only... she understood this principle too late.

  She suddenly realized how precious the thing she had lost was, and she regretted it, not because Lin Ming had become a golden dragon now, but because she didn't know that was her blessing when she was in bliss.

  ……

  While many people were amazed at Lin Ming's achievements, and various major powers made moves for Lin Ming, Lin Ming himself did not have the slightest bit of complacency due to his own accomplishments.

  He chose to challenge Zhu Yan for a month this time, but actually had no absolute guarantee.

  Zhu Yan is the first decent enemy in Lin Ming's life.

  Lin Ming had once thought that he would spend his entire life trying to surpass him, but now, in just a short half year's time, Lin Ming was about to stand on the same stage as Zhu Yan and engage in a decisive battle!

  Lin Ming could feel Zhu Yan's tenacity and extraordinariness.

  Zhu Yan, like Wang Yanfeng, has his own pride and unyielding will, only he doesn't show it off like Wang Yanfeng, but rather keeps it hidden in his heart. If Wang Yanfeng is a sword out of its scabbard, radiating cold air, then Zhu Yan is a narrow knife hidden in its scabbard, with its sharpness retracted. You don't know when he will come out of the scabbard, and the first strike after coming out of the scabbard often catches you off guard!

  Zhu Yan, isn't someone who can be easily crushed! He's not the eldest son of the Zhu family, but relying on his own strength and efforts, he has climbed to his current position step by step. It's highly likely that he'll inherit the position of head of the Zhu family. A person like this will definitely have a strong resilience, just like a stubborn weed!

  Even if Lin Ming still had a Red Gold Dragon's Marrow Pill that had been amplified by the Inscription of Medicine, he didn't have complete confidence.

  This month, Zhu Yan will also have to pay double the effort!

  But despite knowing this, Lin Ming still issued a challenge! He not only wanted to challenge Zhu Yan, but also himself, forcing himself into desperation and stimulating his potential.

  This month, Lin Ming's obtainable resources have increased greatly. He can cultivate for five whole days in the Seven Killing Arrays and obtain five Aggregating Pills of Heaven and five True Essence Stones.

  Juyuandan is nothing, but this Zhenyuan stone, especially the five-day cultivation time, is crucial for Lin Ming.

  Five whole days, sixty time divisions, an average of two time divisions per day!

  Although it can't be said to be freely cultivated, the effect of two hours is already very good.

  This morning, Lin Ming set out early with his gun, heading for the Waterfall Ice Pool.

  Just as he was about to step into the cold pool, a voice came from afar, "Younger brother of the same clan, wait."

  "Huh?" Lin Ming's footsteps paused, it was Lin Wu.

  "Brother, congratulations! This time you've really brought honor to our Lin family!" Lin Wu Le ran over with a big smile.

  The Lin family was once one of the largest families in Qing Sang City, but now they have been completely surpassed by the Zhu family. This is also an unavoidable fact, no matter how strong the Lin family is, they can't compare to the Zhu family who has a princess and whose son born to the princess has been conferred as a prince.

  It's not that they can't compare, but it's just their bad luck. However, what really gets the Lin family elders' blood boiling is that even the younger generation of the Lin family is being suppressed by the Zhu family. Just one person, Zhu Yan, seems like a mountain standing in front of the Lin family disciples. The strongest among the young generation of the Lin family is Lin Wu, who spent two years at the Seven Absolute Martial Arts Academy and barely managed to squeeze into the Earth Hall, ranking mid-to-lower tier. The other two couldn't even get into the Earth Hall, and together they can't even match half of Zhu Yan's strength. How could this not infuriate the Lin family elders?

  Yesterday, twelve long-distance transmission talismans were linked together to transmit the message from Tianyun City thousands of miles away, and it was transmitted back to Qingsang City that night.

  Ordinary sound-transmitting talismans can only transmit sounds dozens of miles away, while long-distance sound-transmitting talismans can transmit sounds hundreds of miles away. However, they are extremely expensive, with a single one costing tens of taels of gold. To send a message from Tianyun City to Qingsang City, twelve sound-transmitting talismans would be needed for relay transmission, and the cost of transmitting just this one message would be hundreds of taels of gold. Unless it's an important message, even a large clan like the Lin family wouldn't waste so much money.

  Twelve linked sound transmissions, urgent message from the Scarlet Gold: "Lin Ming, after entering the Seventh Imperial Sword Sect for 34 days, ranked 62nd in the second Million Kill Array assessment, obtained the right to challenge the Heavenly Palace, gunpoint directly at Zhu Yan, issued a battle book in public, and will challenge Zhu Yan in one month."

  It is said that after Lin's family head received this message, he jumped up from his chair on the spot and even cursed a dirty word - "Damn it!"

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