Chapter 57: Invitation
Three days later, Heaven Dou City.
"An invitation?"
Lin Rong had just returned to the Duke's mansion when a servant approached with a red invitation, bearing two large characters—Tang Sect—in gold powder.
"Tang Sect? What kind of act is Tang San putting on?"
The gilded invitation flew from the servant's hand and hovered before Lin Rong, unfolding.
It read:
Presented to: Duke Lin Rong.
On the seventh day from now, in celebration of our Sect Master Tang San's ninth birthday.
A birthday banquet will be held at our sect headquarters, along with a display of our sect's unique Hidden Weapons.
We cordially invite you. Sincerely, Tang Sect Elder Bai He.
"Bai He!"
Lin Rong showed no outward reaction after reading the invitation. The invitation floating before him flew to the hands of the old butler behind him.
Then, as Lin Rong walked into the mansion, he asked the servant:
"When was this delivered?"
The servant followed, his position behind Lin Rong and the old butler, and replied respectfully:
"My Lord, this was delivered four days ago."
Upon hearing this, Lin Rong mused:
"Four days ago? The banquet is in three days."
"The Tang Sect has four elders: Titan, Lou Gao, Niu Gao, and Bai He. This is Heaven Dou City, so the invitation should have been signed by Titan."
"Could it be that old fellow Bai He, having learned the value of the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng from Tang San, is unhappy with our previous transaction?"
"So, Bai He deliberately signed this invitation, intending to use the Tang Sect's influence to pressure me? To make me return the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng?"
"Hmph! Wishful thinking!"
Lin Rong admitted that Bai He's plan was clever, but he had picked the wrong time.
If Bai He had come a few months earlier to demand the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng, with Titan and Niu Gao, both Soul Douluos, backing him, and the old butler still in seclusion, Lin Rong might have had no choice but to return it.
But unfortunately, Bai He had missed the optimal window.
After coming out of seclusion, the old butler's Soul Power had broken through the 90th level. Although he hadn't acquired his ninth Spirit Ring yet, the sheer Soul Power suppression alone made him unafraid of Titan and Niu Gao.
Not to mention, after the Frozen Forest expedition, the old butler not only possessed a Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Ring and Spirit Bone but also advanced his Soul Power from level 90 to level 96.
Of the Tang Sect's four elders, Bai He had no combat power; Lou Gao had combat power, but it was negligible.
With two gone, only Titan and Niu Gao remained, both Soul Douluos whose Soul Power hadn't even reached level 85. They were no match for the current old butler.
"Who has the Tang Sect invited to this banquet?"
In the courtyard, Lin Rong entered a pavilion and asked the servant behind him.
This was not something Lin Rong needed to order. After the Tang Sect's invitation was delivered to the Duke's mansion, the dark guards naturally investigated these matters.
Since the servant brought the invitation to Lin Rong, he had already been informed of the investigation results by the dark guards.
Therefore, after Lin Rong finished asking, the servant, standing outside the pavilion, bowed and reported the dark guards' findings:
"My Lord, for the Tang Sect Master's birthday celebration, all influential powers in Heaven Dou City have been invited."
"Among these invited powers, only the Royal Family and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect require attention."
"Upon receiving the invitation, Emperor Xue Ye sent Crown Prince Xue Qinghe and Fourth Prince Xue Beng to attend on behalf of the Royal Family."
"As for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the news indicates that Sect Master Ning will attend personally."
Inside the pavilion, Lin Rong sat on a stone bench. After listening to the servant's report, he murmured:
"Ning Fengzhi attending personally? He's really giving Tang San a lot of face."
"It seems the Tang Sect's Hidden Weapons still hold as much appeal for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect as ever!"
"And the Royal Family is sending Xue Qinghe and Xue Beng. Xue Ye is playing his Emperor's art of war again."
"In three days, going to the Tang Sect is fine. I can see how far Tang San has grown and how much longer it will be until he can contend with Qian Renxue."
"If that old fellow Bai He really doesn't know his place and tries to use the Tang Sect's influence to pressure me into returning the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng, then don't blame me for being impolite."
"If Tang San is willing to protect Bai He, I'll extort some good stuff from him; if Tang San is unwilling to protect Bai He, then Bai He can only blame his own misfortune."
Because the Agility Clan was rooted in Heaven Dou City and had established a scout force within the city.
To prevent the Agility Clan members from discovering the trained Sharp-tailed Swifts.
Every time the Sharp-tailed Swifts delivered intelligence, they had to land on the outskirts of Heaven Dou City, where dark guards who took turns guarding the area would retrieve the intelligence they carried.
This not only wasted a lot of time but also reduced the efficiency of the intelligence network.
Lin Rong had been looking for an excuse to make a move against the Agility Clan, and Bai He had just handed him the perfect reason. What a good person!
Whether the Tang Sect would suffer a blow that shook its foundations wasn't his concern; he wasn't the sect master.
Besides, Lin Rong only needed Tang San to possess sufficient strength to deal with Qian Renxue.
Lin Rong viewed clans like the Agility Clan, which offered no improvement in raw power but significant enhancements in soft skills, as superfluous.
Tang San only needed raw power to deal with Qian Renxue; soft skills like scouting would be entirely useless when top experts on both sides clashed.
Since the existence of the Agility Clan didn't affect Tang San's ability to deal with Qian Renxue, and it interfered with his intelligence network, Lin Rong naturally wouldn't allow Tang San to control this force.
Even if Bai He hadn't conveniently delivered an excuse to his doorstep, he would have found other suitable pretexts to deal with the Agility Clan.
...
The next day.
Deep within the manor, at the center of the banyan forest.
Xu Pan stood beneath a banyan tree, reporting something.
"Sir, Ma Hongjun has cultivated diligently and assiduously for the past eight months. A few days ago, his Soul Power broke through to rank twenty-nine."
"Over these eight months, I've become thoroughly familiar with the army's various disciplines, though my understanding of military strategy still lacks a certain depth."
After reporting, Lin Rong, multitasking, replied while cultivating the Marrow Cleansing Scripture:
"That's normal. Military strategy ultimately requires practical experience to grasp its essence."
"Without truly participating in battlefield combat, even the most profound knowledge of military strategy is just theoretical."
"This isn't your fault. Just gain more experience on the battlefield in the future."
"Your subordinate understands." Xu Pan replied, about to bow and leave.
"Wait, take this." Lin Rong called out to Xu Pan, and a stream of green light streaked through the air, appearing before Xu Pan.
Xu Pan focused his gaze and realized the object within the green light was actually a Spirit Bone.
"Sir, this is... too precious, I..."
Recognizing the object before him as a Spirit Bone, Xu Pan's speech became somewhat incoherent.
Seeing this, Lin Rong spoke:
"There's no need to refuse. You are the most suitable person in the manor to absorb this Spirit Bone."
"This Spirit Bone is called the Bloodthirsty Berserk Gale Right Leg, its age is just over twenty thousand years, and it is not one of our family's three inherited Spirit Bones."
"Its Spirit Bone skill, Berserk, enhances Attack, Defense, and Speed by one hundred percent."
"Therefore, this Spirit Bone is compatible with battle Soul Masters who possess Beast Martial Souls."
"Both Yu Bo and I have Tool Martial Souls, and we don't rely on our physique in combat, so our compatibility with this Spirit Bone is extremely low."
"Furthermore, among the guards and hidden guards, you have the highest seniority, the greatest merit, and the most compatible Martial Soul."
"The mission on your shoulders is very important, and being too weak won't do. This Spirit Bone can lend you a helping hand."
After hearing these words, Xu Pan received the Spirit Bone floating in the air with both hands and replied:
"Yes, thank you, sir. Your subordinate shall take his leave."
With that, Xu Pan retreated backward facing Lin Rong. Only after Lin Rong was no longer in his line of sight did he turn and walk out of the banyan forest.
At the center of the banyan forest.
Lin Rong continued cultivating the Marrow Cleansing Scripture, his mind occupied with thoughts.
Ma Hongjun, who would turn nine in two months, had already broken through to rank twenty-nine in Soul Power.
In a few more months, after Ma Hongjun broke through to rank thirty and obtained his third Spirit Ring, it would be time to take him to meet Grand Marshal Ge Long.
Years ago, Ge Long owed his Lin family a great favor when he was young, and now it was time for that debt to be repaid.
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