Chapter Eighty-Fifth: The Grand Feast of the Clan

  In the rumbling carriage, it was said that Ran Li lost to Lin Zhuo in the final battle of the Grand Competition, and Yue Yu couldn't help but feel a little incredulous.

  He had done enough homework on Lin Zhuo before the big comparison. Including analyzing Lin Zhuo's internal energy characteristics, hidden injuries in his body, and the characteristics of his swordsmanship, all were thoroughly prepared. Even last night, he specially designed several targeted tactics for Ruan Li based on the book "Chong Xiao Bi Xie Sword Decision" he saw on the fourth floor of the library. Even if his cultivation was one level lower than Lin Zhuo's, it should be enough to suppress him completely.

  It's a bit biased to say, but Yue Yu didn't think there was anything wrong with what he did. Ruan Li was nominally his servant, but in reality, he had already treated him as a sworn brother since half a year ago. As for Lin Zhuo, strictly speaking, he was still just a slightly familiar stranger. And for the time being, he only planned to treat this person as a tool.

  Leaving aside those close to oneself and instead drawing near to take care of outsiders - there's no such logic in this world.

  Despite his thorough and detailed preparation, Ran still ended up losing, which left him somewhat perplexed.

  "You idiot! How did I teach you before? I told you to go all out from the start, consume his true energy and suppress him so he doesn't have a chance to catch his breath. Did you do that?"

  With a cold face, Yue Yu tapped Ran's head with his fingers. In his heart, he was both resentful of the fact that iron was not made of steel and indignant at being humiliated by Lin Zhuo. He had originally thought of letting Ran personally take back the defeat in front of Lin Zhuo last time, but now it seemed that his careful plan had completely failed.

  "---To be honest, that guy is nothing but a half-dead waste! With a martial artist-level internal energy, I think he can only use it for three minutes before running into trouble! And previously, they were struggling for ten consecutive days. If you can't even win against someone like that, you might as well just die!"

  Ran Li hung his head in silence, his face full of shame. Compared to not winning the championship this time and losing to Lin Zhuo again, what he actually cared more about was losing face in front of Yue Yu and those few teachers of his.

  Several of his clan's elders, who had high hopes for him, personally arranged a black curtain match for him. Moreover, he was also instructed by Yue Yu, a pure martial arts master who was already at the absolute master level. Despite this, he still lost to Lin Zhuo, which in Rong Li's opinion, was utterly humiliating.

  "What qualifications do you have to talk about Xiao Li Ge?"

  The two faced each other, and Yue Bingqian stood up with a look of discontent on her face, her entire face flushed with indignation. "Li Ge at least came in second in the clan's grand competition this time! And you? You don't even have the qualifications to participate in the competition! Moreover, everyone who saw their match knows that Li Ge wasn't really inferior to Lin Zhuo. From start to finish, that guy didn't even have a chance to counterattack. If it weren't for him desperately fighting back at the last moment and Li Ge showing mercy and holding back, the outcome wouldn't be like this now..."

  Yue Yu's eyes widened in surprise and turned to Ran Li again. Although he had expected the outcome, he hadn't thought it would be like this. But Ran Li didn't feel any better because of this; on the contrary, he felt even more ashamed, his entire head almost buried in his knees.

  As for Lin Zhuo's possible desperate move in the final match, Yue Yu had also anticipated it and made sufficient preparations. All he needed to do was follow Yue Yu's response plan and ruthlessly chop down with his axe, crushing the opponent's last glimmer of hope.

  In fact, if he had done so at the time, not only would he have been unscathed, but Lin Zhuo would also have ended up with severe injuries. However, in the end, for some unknown reason, after seeing that gaze filled with despair, determination and sorrow, he ultimately chose to withdraw his hand.

  At this moment, Yue Bingqian on the other side was still unaware of the strange atmosphere between the two, and continued to sneer. "And that Lin Zhuo, he is also much stronger than you. How dare you say he's a waste? He's one of the few who can compare with mid-level martial artists in terms of strength, how can you suppress him just by saying so? It's simply speaking without considering the consequences, and his body——”

  At this point, Yue Bingqian's expression suddenly froze, recalling the scene on the stage today, and what her incompetent brother had said was almost identical.

  Yue Yu smiled faintly, automatically filtering out his sister's words. His regret and anger at Ran Li's defeat also disappeared without a trace. Ran Li had always been very mature in front of him, but for a moment, he didn't expect that this silly big guy actually had a soft side too.

  He now only cares about the attitude of his mother-in-law, Yue Zhangshi. However, the latter has always been deaf to their words, staring at the crowd outside the window.

  After the family competition, it was a family banquet, which was not as important as the ancestral worship ten days ago. This is also why Yue Yu hurried back to reunite with his family and changed into new clothes.

  But this time when the four of them arrived at the ancestral temple, although there were thousands of large round tables set up in front of the hall, the hustle and bustle of the past few days was gone. Since it's called a family banquet, only members of the Yue family are qualified to sit here. Except for some important guests, other slaves and servants have no qualifications to participate, no matter how high their status is.

  As soon as they entered, several people were greeted by the temple staff and arranged in relatively front positions. However, Rong Li was different this time, and he was led to the front row alone, sharing a table with the clan leader, an honor usually reserved for the top three contestants of the family competition.

  However, looking at the situation of the first few tables, Yue Yu couldn't help but feel a little amused. This was supposed to be a grand family competition, yet among the top three, there wasn't a single person with the surname Yue. In fact, within the top 50, not even one person from the main house had made it through. His cousin, Yue Lin, had actually had a chance to make it into the top ten this time around, but unfortunately, he had been beaten up by him on the very first day. Fortunately, that guy was still young and would have at least two more chances to participate in the family competition in the future. As long as he managed to stand out just once, it would be enough to guarantee his boundless future prospects.

  Then, after Yue Yu saw that Ruan Li had sat down next to the champion, countless people found all sorts of excuses and reasons to strike up a conversation with him. This time, although Ruan Li didn't win, he was still able to show many people his strength and worth.

  In contrast, Lin Zhuo's surroundings were cold and deserted. Even though he had won this big competition, his future in the clan was still not looked upon favorably by anyone. However, Lin Zhuo's back remained straight and upright, just like a snow pine standing alone in the cold wind, appearing exceptionally desolate and sorrowful.

  Yue Yu picked up the tea and took a sip, then slightly raised the corner of his lips. He had originally thought that this guy was so looking forward to the clan's grand comparison, most likely, in order to obtain the strong marrow dan to enhance his strength. But now it seems, the situation is far from being as simple as he imagined.

  Even after getting the promise of his medical treatment, he still rushed into the final with a life-draining method, and then adopted that desperate approach. This person's temperament is far more aloof than he thinks!

  Just as Yue Yu was deep in thought, his train of thought was suddenly interrupted by a loud shout. He raised his eyes again, only to see the people in front of him standing up one after another, and at the entrance of the ancestral hall, Yue Yongjie was accompanying a middle-aged man with a cloud and mist pattern embroidered on his chest, walking out from inside.