Chapter 15: War of Words, the Fire Python Tiger Appears!
Upon hearing that grating voice, Lin Ken, Lin Xiao, and the others all furrowed their brows.
The smile on Lin Zhentian's face gradually faded.
Lin Fan turned toward the source of the sound and saw a large group approaching with imposing momentum.
Wherever they passed, the crowd at the Beast Horn Arena quickly parted, clearly wary of them.
Leading the group were two figures. One was an older man, similar in age to Lin Zhentian, with sunken eyes and a cold expression—Lei Bao, patriarch of the Lei family.
The other was a middle-aged man with a constant smile on his face, exuding an air of kindness. But in reality, he was the infamous "smiling tiger" of Qingyang Town—Xie Qian, patriarch of the Xie family.
Behind them, Lin Fan spotted two familiar faces: Lei Li and Xie Yingying, whom he had encountered previously at the trading fair.
As Lin Fan glanced at Lei Li, the latter looked back at him, eyes flashing with cold hostility.
Lin Zhentian met the approaching group with a grin. "After this Hunting Tournament, Lei old man, the one who won't be smiling might be you."
Xie Qian replied with his usual fake smile, "The Lin family's persistence despite repeated failures is quite admirable. After all, it's thanks to you that we always collect so many betting rewards."
The sarcasm in his words stirred anger among the Lin family members, though Lin Zhentian remained calm. "You've won enough from us. This time, it's your turn to cough it up."
Lei Bao's face twisted into a cold smile as he looked toward Lin Fan.
"I hear the Lin family has produced a so-called genius named Lin Fan. Is that your big hope for this tournament?"
Lin Zhentian stepped forward to block Lin Fan, his smile unbothered. "What's wrong, Lei old man? Afraid my grandson will outdo your Lei Li?"
"We'll see who wins and who loses after the hunt. Just make sure the Lin family prepares that prize," Lei Bao sneered, then passed by with Xie Qian and the rest of their entourage.
As Lei Li walked past Lin Fan, he smirked. "Plenty of beasts in the forest, Lin Fan. You'd best stick with Wu Yun—unless you want to end up as tiger food."
With that, he gave a chilling grin and turned to leave.
His words, thinly veiled in concern, were pure mockery—implying Lin Fan could only survive by relying on Wu Yun from the Mad Blade Martial Hall.
"What an arrogant bastard!"
Lin Xia and the other Lin juniors were fuming.
Even Qingtan's delicate face showed a rare flash of anger.
But Lin Fan remained calm. He reached out to pat Qingtan's head and smiled. "Just an old bone in a dying grave. Not worth getting mad over."
"Mhm!" Qingtan nodded, her mood quickly improving.
[Ding! You touched Lin Qingtan and obtained 10 Yin Pearls!]
The familiar system notification rang in Lin Fan's mind. He couldn't help but feel slightly helpless—he had been drawing Yin Pearls from Qingtan nonstop lately.
He had already shared some with Lin Dong for his training. Even so, Lin Fan still had quite a stockpile—but he was quickly approaching the point where they'd no longer be useful.
Around the Beast Horn Arena, tens of thousands of stone seats had been set up. As Lin Fan contemplated, he followed Lin Zhentian and the others into the central area and took his seat.
The Lin family, being ranked fourth among Qingyang Town's factions, was entitled to sit in this prime viewing zone.
Once the Lei and Xie families were seated, another powerful presence arrived—Luo Cheng, the head of the Mad Blade Martial Hall, leading his disciples to sit near the Lin family.
Though not particularly friendly, the Lin family had relatively amicable relations with the Mad Blade Hall, likely because both had been pressured by the Lei and Xie clans in the past.
After they arrived, Luo Cheng began chatting cordially with Lin Zhentian. Among the disciples, Wu Yun made his way over to Lin Fan.
"Brother Lin, long time no see. That partnership we talked about—is it still on?"
Lin Fan nodded with a smile. "Of course."
Though with his current strength he could take on the Lei and Xie juniors alone, keeping the Mad Blade Hall on his side was still a smart move before he fully matured.
After a bit of chatting, Luo Cheng turned to Lin Fan. "So this is the Lin family's rising star who repelled Lei Li?"
Lin Fan cupped his fists politely. "Greetings, Master Luo. I am Lin Fan."
Luo Cheng studied him for a moment, then nodded. "Looks like the Lin family has produced a true genius."
Lin Zhentian stroked his beard, beaming at the praise.
With the arrival of the Mad Blade Martial Hall, all of Qingyang Town's major forces were now present.
When the sun reached its peak, Lei Bao rose from his seat. His gaze swept over the arena as he raised his voice to announce the rules of the hunt, quieting the restless crowd.
Each clan then began distributing identity tokens to their participants.
"Fan'er, your strength may be great, but don't let your guard down," Lin Zhentian said solemnly as he handed Lin Fan a black-and-yellow wooden token.
"Don't worry, Grandpa."
Lin Fan accepted the token, tucked it away, and stepped to the edge of the platform. With a light leap, he landed below.
"Be careful, Lin Fan-ge!"
Qingtan shouted from above.
Lin Fan didn't look back—he simply waved in her direction and strode into the forest.
He oriented himself and began moving toward the mountain peak at the center of the forest.
After all, the tournament's final stage was held there. If he kept heading that way, he'd naturally encounter others—and get plenty of tokens.
As more and more contestants entered the forest, the once peaceful woods grew restless.
Beast roars echoed through the trees.
Some unlucky participants quickly became food for the wild beasts.
But none of it slowed Lin Fan down.
He moved swiftly and soon encountered other contestants—who tried to block him.
After a brief "exchange," Lin Fan acquired another identity token.
He continued through the woods as casually as if strolling through his backyard, steadily collecting tokens along the way.
Suddenly, while making his way deeper into the forest, Lin Fan caught the sharp scent of blood in the air. He also heard the distinct sounds of heavy beastly footsteps—mixed with lighter human ones.
Alert, he quickly climbed a nearby tree and concealed himself among the dense branches, eyes fixed on the source of the noise.
What he saw first was a towering beast, over three meters tall, its entire body covered in fiery red fur.
Its head resembled a ferocious tiger, full of violence and bloodlust. Coiled on its back was a thick, serpent-like tail that flicked and hissed like a fire-breathing snake.
That's… the Fire Python Tiger?!
Lin Fan immediately recognized the beast.
Scanning the area, he saw more than a dozen figures wielding spears, encircling the beast from all sides.
Leading the group were two familiar faces…
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