Chapter Twenty-Two: No, You Actually Don't Understand at All

By the time everyone snapped out of their shock, they realized Lin Yi had already departed. Looking back again, the windstone, once as tall as a man, had somehow been reduced to a pile of rubble.

Lin Yi and Wang Yang left the hotel, Lin Yi casting a deep, meaningful glance at a certain room. Though he had spent these years cultivating himself, it did not mean just anyone could lord over him. He had used his true energy to release all the power from the windstone, rendering it completely useless. As for what expression Cui Cheng might wear, Lin Yi had no interest in finding out.

...

In a lavish guest room, Tong Yu sat by the window, sipping red wine while listening to her subordinate’s report.

“Miss, we’ve completed the investigation. The man who bid is named Lin Yi. He used to work as a bartender, hardly a big figure, but recently he’s gotten close to the Wang family in Lancheng. His money likely comes from them.”

“Lin Yi!” A cold light flashed in Tong Yu’s eyes. No one had ever dared defy her like this. All her life, things had come easily, whatever she desired at her fingertips. The Wang family might seem a giant to others, but in her eyes, they were no more than country bumpkins, hardly worth fearing.

“Miss, shall I take action now and seize the item?” Master Ye asked.

“No hurry for now. Wait until they leave the provincial capital; then, no one will pursue it,” Tong Yu replied.

Her ascent to business queen owed as much to her ruthless heart as her skill.

“Miss, you always think ahead.” Master Ye praised.

Tong Yu ignored the compliment, continuing, “The only thing I don’t understand is why Lin Yi was willing to spend over ten million to buy that inner pellet. Master Ye, do you think he knows something?”

“It’s possible. The Wang family is a martial clan; perhaps they have records about such things,” Master Ye speculated.

...

Lin Yi sat in Wang Yang’s car. It was hard to believe that the Wang family patriarch drove a modest Volkswagen worth barely more than a hundred thousand. Wang Yang kept sneaking glances at Lin Yi, seeming as though he had something to say but couldn’t.

Lin Yi asked, “What’s wrong?”

Wang Yang sighed, “Teacher, my granddaughter’s illness flared up again last night.”

“Oh.” Lin Yi understood. “I’ve already given Wang Ke the revised strengthening technique. Remind her to practice it.”

“Thank you, Teacher!” Wang Yang’s face brightened with joy.

Soon, the two left the city, their car weaving down a narrow road. Wang Yang glanced at the rearview mirror. “Teacher, someone’s following us.”

“I know,” Lin Yi replied calmly.

“Could it be that old bastard Cui Cheng?” Wang Yang’s eyes widened. With Teacher disrupting the windstone deal, Cui Cheng’s vindictive nature would likely seek revenge.

“I don’t think so.” Lin Yi shook his head. His spiritual sense had already locked onto the car behind them, the passenger being Master Ye, who had been at Tong Yu’s side earlier. Lin Yi knew the man had come for the golden pellet; clearly, he was someone who recognized its value. But now that it was in Lin Yi’s hands, he would not let it go. If they tried to take it by force, he would show no mercy.

“If not, Teacher, should I stop their car and ask?” Wang Yang asked cautiously, fearful of displeasing Lin Yi.

“No need. I suspect they're about to make their move,” Lin Yi replied.

Wang Yang hurriedly rolled down the window and saw, atop the Toyota behind them, a middle-aged man standing, his gaze cold as he looked their way.

“It’s Master Ye from the Tong family!”

Wang Yang’s heart trembled. He knew well the powers of the provincial capital. The Tong family had risen swiftly, becoming a major clan in Jiang Province since the eighties. In just a few decades, they had developed rapidly, boasting five innate warriors within the clan. The man before them, Master Ye, was among their strongest, rumored to have reached the threshold of grandmaster.

“What does he intend? Don’t tell me he plans to jump over here?” Wang Yang wondered.

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than Master Ye flashed a meaningful smile and made a throat-slitting gesture toward him.

Wang Yang was immediately enraged. He was an innate expert himself, yet to be taunted so was intolerable. But then Master Ye leaped through the air, spanning dozens of meters, landing directly before their car.

The driver instinctively slammed the brakes, but inertia carried the car forward. Master Ye seemed unfazed; with a casual motion, he punched at the air. A loud bang sounded as the Volkswagen was forced to a halt, a clear fist mark imprinted on the hood.

Wang Yang’s anger vanished, replaced by fear. Such terrifying control of force was beyond even the ninth level of innate; only a grandmaster could manage it. Even if Master Ye hadn’t fully reached grandmaster, he was close.

“Quick, get us out of here!” Wang Yang urged the driver.

But the driver, nearly in tears, replied, “Sir, the car won’t start.” He had never witnessed such a scene. Despite little external damage, the car’s internals were likely wrecked.

“Why so eager to leave?” Master Ye’s voice sounded by their ears.

Wang Yang replied carefully, “Master Ye, we have no enmity, do we?”

“Not before, but you’re connected to this kid,” Master Ye said, pointing at Lin Yi with a sneer. Did they think the Tong family’s things were easy to take? There would be consequences.

Wang Yang was startled, turning to Lin Yi in confusion, unable to understand how his teacher was involved with the Tong family.

Lin Yi glanced at Master Ye, his tone indifferent. “You came for the golden pellet?”

Master Ye’s eyes sparkled. “So you do know something. But kid, it’s not a golden pellet, it’s an ancient cultivator’s inner pellet.”

“Inner pellet, is it?” Lin Yi mused.

“Of course. This is not something you can possess. If you know what’s good for you, hand it over,” Master Ye demanded coldly.

“And if I refuse?” Lin Yi’s face remained unchanged, as if Master Ye was not an innate or grandmaster, but an ordinary passerby.

“If you refuse, you’ll pay with your life.”

With that, Master Ye suddenly roared, his right hand forming a claw as he lunged for Lin Yi’s throat.

Before Lin Yi could act, Wang Yang beside him summoned his energy, temples bulging, and threw a punch. Yet his force dissipated instantly, his fist sinking as if into a swamp, unable to withdraw.

“Overestimating yourself,” Master Ye scoffed, about to snap Wang Yang’s arm, when Lin Yi, who had not moved, suddenly extended a finger.

That single finger sent a chill of foreboding through Master Ye.

Retreat!

He