Chapter Eighty: The Challenge Letter

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After leaving Feng Gaozhuo’s room, Lin Yi turned to Feng Yuling and asked, “Do you know where the Martial Arts Association of Shan Province is located?”

“I do, Mr. Lin. Would you like me to take you there?” Feng Yuling replied, though inwardly curious about what her grandfather had discussed with Mr. Lin.

Lin Yi nodded. He had already bought out all the spirit stones at the Martial Arts Association in Jiang Province. Since he was now in Shan Province, he intended to see what their stock of spirit stones was like.

Feng Yuling drove, and in just over ten minutes, the two of them arrived at a traditional courtyard. At the entrance stood two security guards, each at the seventh level of innate martial arts.

To put things in perspective, a single martial artist at the innate level could establish a powerful clan in a small city. Yet here, at the Martial Arts Association of Shan Province, such figures were relegated to guarding the door, which spoke volumes about the organization’s formidable strength.

“Please, Mr. Lin,” Feng Yuling said as she got out and opened the car door for him.

Lin Yi stepped out, and as they were about to enter, the two guards blocked their way.

“Stop. Membership card.”

“Look carefully, I’m from the Feng family,” Feng Yuling retorted, glaring at them. Although the Fengs were no longer the most powerful family in Shan Province, their declining fortunes still dwarfed most, and they had a grandmaster in residence. Being stopped at the door by two guards was a blow to her pride.

“Sorry, Miss Feng, you may enter, but he—” The guard began, but Feng Yuling cut him off. “Nonsense! Mr. Lin is my friend. Anyone who says another word is making an enemy of the Feng family.”

That silenced the guards, who quickly stepped aside.

Inside, Lin Yi found the Martial Arts Association of Shan Province was much larger and livelier than its counterpart in Jiang Province. The main hall alone was the size of a sports arena, not to mention the other areas beyond.

Feng Yuling explained, “Mr. Lin, the association has a lot of advanced technology.”

“Advanced technology?” Lin Yi echoed, puzzled. He hadn’t seen anything special in Jiang Province’s association, though perhaps that was because he only toured the main hall.

Feng Yuling grinned. “Yes, the most famous are the gravity chamber and the cultivation room. The gravity chamber helps martial artists temper their bodies and solidify their foundations, even assisting them in mastering every ounce of their strength. The cultivation room uses spirit stones to aid in training. Besides these, there are special rooms for alchemists and artifact refiners, equipped with unique earth fire.”

Lin Yi hadn’t realized how rapidly the association had developed in recent years.

Suddenly, the path ahead darkened as someone blocked their way. Turning, Lin Yi saw it was someone he recognized—the Snake King, whom he’d encountered previously.

“Is there something you want?” Lin Yi asked.

True to his reputation as a half-step grandmaster, the Snake King’s powers of recovery were astonishing. In just two days, he was back on his feet and full of energy.

“I’m here to challenge you,” the Snake King said expressionlessly.

“A challenge?” Lin Yi paused.

Arms folded, the Snake King taunted, “What, are you afraid?”

Seeing someone challenge Lin Yi, Feng Yuling immediately pointed at the Snake King. “Hey, big guy, what makes you think you’re qualified to challenge Mr. Lin?”

The Snake King’s eyes narrowed, and a powerful aura pressed down on Feng Yuling. She felt as if a venomous serpent had fixed its gaze on her, her heart pounding uncomfortably.

“I’m not interested in your challenge,” Lin Yi replied. As he spoke, the pressure weighing on Feng Yuling vanished completely.

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“Phew, where did this monster come from? His presence is even more overwhelming than my grandfather’s,” Feng Yuling thought, still shaken.

“Afraid, are you?” the Snake King sneered.

Lin Yi ignored him. For someone like the Snake King, he wasn’t even worth noticing—like an ant trying to challenge an elephant.

Seeing his provocations fall flat, the Snake King’s face twisted in frustration. His fists clenched and unclenched repeatedly before he finally said in a low voice, “If you accept and win, all my spirit stones will be yours.”

Lin Yi stopped and asked, “How many do you have?”

He wasn’t picky about spirit stones—whether low or middle grade, he’d take them all.

“I have ten low-grade stones and three grams of middle-grade,” the Snake King replied, his bloodshot eyes glaring. These were the resources he’d gathered to break through to grandmaster.

“Very well, I accept your challenge,” Lin Yi agreed after a moment’s thought. The number of stones was small, but for Lin Yi, it was an effortless gain—why refuse?

“Heh heh,” the Snake King grinned menacingly. “The challenge is in a week at Dragon Tiger Cliff. Don’t say I didn’t warn you—by then, I may already be a grandmaster.”

The onlookers were all secretly amazed. A grandmaster—there were only a handful in all of Shan Province. Many quietly decided to remember the date; even witnessing such a battle would be a rare opportunity.

The Snake King had hoped to see fear on Lin Yi’s face, but was disappointed to find only calm indifference.

“Damn brat, just you wait—I’ll break every bone in your body,” the Snake King fumed inwardly.

“Anything else? If not, please step aside,” Lin Yi said.

Veins bulging on his forehead, the Snake King wanted nothing more than to smash Lin Yi then and there, but Lin Yi’s strength gave him pause. In the end, he sullenly moved aside.

Lin Yi approached the front desk and asked the staff, “How many low-grade spirit stones do you have here?”

The Snake King was about to leave, but upon hearing Lin Yi’s question, he stopped in his tracks.

“Wait, could this brat be planning…” An alarming thought occurred to the Snake King, and envy gnawed at him—damn rich kid.

The clerk smiled sweetly. “We have fifteen hundred low-grade spirit stones.”

Lin Yi was delighted—he hadn’t expected Shan Province to have such a supply, five times that of Jiang Province’s three hundred.

Of course, Shan Province, rich in mountain resources, was bound to have more.

“And middle-grade?” he asked.

The clerk checked again and replied, “We have thirteen hundred grams of middle-grade stones.”

Lin Yi was even more pleased. Over a thousand grams—enough to boost his strength yet again. With ten golden cores in his body, the amount of spiritual energy he needed was vast.

“I’ll take them all,” Lin Yi said, producing a black card.

Everyone nearby was stunned. This was a transaction worth tens of millions—perhaps even the world’s richest man would hesitate.

The Snake King ground his teeth in fury. Just as he suspected.

“Damn brat, how can you be so rich?” the Snake King raged, wishing he could simply rob Lin Yi on the spot.

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And it wasn’t just the Snake King—at least a third of those present entertained the same idea.

Feng Yuling tugged at Lin Yi’s sleeve and whispered, “Mr. Lin, do you know the price of these spirit stones?”

“I do,” Lin Yi nodded. The price list was hard to miss.

“Are you sure you have enough money?” she pressed.

Her family had been the top clan in Shan Province for over a decade, accumulating countless resources, with a net worth in the hundreds of billions, mostly in real estate. Yet Lin Yi’s single purchase almost equaled three times the Feng family’s total assets.

“Don’t worry.” Lin Yi handed his black card to the clerk. “Please be quick—I’m in a hurry.”

The clerk accepted the card, still dazed. Lin Yi didn’t look like a wealthy man, yet he was making a transaction worth billions without batting an eye.

Still, a man who spends freely is always attractive.

“Sir, this is a very large transaction. I’ll need to consult with our manager,” the clerk said, quickly picking up the phone.

Soon, two people approached—none other than Mu Hanyu and Kang Wenbin.

Both were surprised to see Lin Yi. Mu Hanyu greeted him with a smile. “Mr. Lin, what brings you here?”

“Just buying a few things,” Lin Yi replied calmly.

But the others around them were anything but calm. “A few things?” they thought. “That’s a whole mountain of gold.”

Some who had considered robbing Lin Yi now hesitated, realizing he was acquainted with both heads of the association.

“If there’s anything you fancy, Mr. Lin, I’d be happy to cover part of the cost for you,” Mu Hanyu said with a wink, eager to win Lin Yi over.

A murmur of sympathy rippled through the crowd at her words.

The clerk quickly pulled Mu Hanyu aside and whispered, “Madam Mu, he’s the one buying the spirit stones.”

Mu Hanyu faltered. “Are you sure?” She was embarrassed. A transaction worth billions—how could she possibly cover any of it? Her personal fortune amounted to only two or three hundred million.

The clerk nodded firmly.

Mu Hanyu shot her a reproachful look, as if blaming her for not speaking up sooner and making her lose face.

The clerk felt aggrieved—she’d tried to say, but hadn’t had the chance.

Mu Hanyu returned to Lin Yi with a charming smile. “Mr. Lin, please come with us to the VIP lounge.”

Lin Yi said nothing more and picked up his card, following Mu Hanyu.

Feng Yuling moved to follow but was stopped by Kang Wenbin. “Miss Feng, you can’t go in there.”

“Alright,” she replied helplessly.

Lin Yi followed Mu Hanyu to the VIP room, where she graciously served him a cup of tea. Wisps of white mist curled from the cup—not steam, but spiritual energy.

“Mr. Lin, this is our association’s exclusive spirit tea. Please have a taste,” Mu Hanyu said with a smile.

Lin Yi nodded and took a small sip. The flavor was pleasant, but the spiritual energy within was far inferior to the spirit tea he’d previously given to Angel.