Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

’An explanation for a vain cat?’

The corner of Lin Hao’s mouth twitched. He was sorely tempted to start cursing.

However, he quickly calmed himself, leisurely picking up a pastry and popping it into his mouth with an air of utter composure.

Then, he mumbled through a mouthful of food, "Let me finish eating first, Sect Leader. Then you can just kill me and have me buried with it."

The Sect Leader froze, staring at Lin Hao, completely dumbfounded.

’Shouldn’t he be begging for his life, according to the script?’

After a moment of shock, the Sect Leader’s mouth twitched. ’Would it kill you to play along?!’

The three Grand Elders, meanwhile, nearly burst out laughing. They barely managed to restrain themselves, their old faces flushing bright red with the effort.

’Looks like this kid isn’t so easy to fool. Let’s see how you’re going to clean up this mess.’

The Sect Leader cleared his throat twice, forced a smile, and said, "You passed the sect’s assessment. As Sect Leader, how could I possibly let a Sect Disciple be buried alongside a pet? I paid a great price to get them to change their minds."

The Sect Leader was smiling on the outside, but crying on the inside.

’I had the upper hand,’ he lamented internally. ’But after that one sentence from Lin Hao, why does it feel like I’m the one begging him?’

"Oh," Lin Hao said, completely unconcerned as he focused his attention on the pastry in his hand.

The Sect Leader felt a wave of faintness wash over him. His head throbbed as he stared at Lin Hao with a look of pure exasperation.

’My lord, just give me some kind of reaction! Play along, will you? It won’t kill you!’

For a moment, the Sect Leader was on the verge of tears. ’Have I shot myself in the foot?’

Fortunately, Lin Hao’s next words helped the Sect Leader feel a little less irrelevant.

"Out with it. What do you really want from me?" Lin Hao didn’t beat around the bush, asking him point-blank.

’I want you to be my disciple!’ The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he held back. If he said it now, he’d seem far too desperate for a Sect Leader.

His goal was within reach. The Sect Leader’s heart pounded so hard it felt like it would burst from his chest, but he forced himself to hold it in, his face turning purple with the effort.

After several deep breaths, he managed to speak in as calm a voice as he could muster. "Lin Hao, your aptitude is merely average, and you possess a mortal physique. Your only saving grace is your remarkable comprehension. From now on, you will stay by my side and serve me tea. That way, when Lord Lingdi awakens, it will have to show me some face and won’t trouble you any further."

’Shameless! Absolutely shameless!’

The three Grand Elders standing behind him were cursing their Sect Leader internally. ’This brat is just like the Sect Leader from two generations ago! The thickness of his skin is legendary! Why didn’t we ever notice this before?’

Lin Hao felt that something wasn’t quite right. For some reason, this Sect Leader reminded him of Cang Yan.

The thought of Cang Yan brought to mind the task he had given him back in the Heaven’s Break Mountains.

"You’re the Sect Leader of the Heaven-Stepping Sect, and your name is Taichu?" Lin Hao’s hand slipped inside his robe, fumbling for two letters.

The Heaven-Stepping Sect Leader’s face darkened. His name was indeed Wu Taichu, but this kid, who hadn’t even officially joined the sect, was already addressing him by his given name. ’He desperately needs to be taught some manners!’

Still, success was just around the corner. Wu Taichu didn’t want to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory at this critical moment, so he simply nodded in acknowledgment.

Then, he watched as Lin Hao pulled two letters from his robe and handed them over.

Wu Taichu took them and looked. The large characters on the first letter read: "For Taichu’s Eyes Only."

His heart skipped a beat, and a terrible premonition bloomed in his mind.

A few moments after opening the letter, he was utterly stunned.

He stared blankly at Lin Hao, not even noticing that the letter had slipped from his grasp.

The three Grand Elders, confused, snatched the letter as it drifted through the air. After a quick scan, their expressions mirrored Wu Taichu’s perfectly.

"A... A personal letter from Ancestor Cang Yan... Where... where is the token...?" The Sect Leader’s legs were trembling, and he could barely speak coherently.

’A token?’

Lin Hao remembered, and pulled out the wooden tablet Cang Yan had given him.

THUD!

The moment Lin Hao produced the wooden tablet, the Sect Leader and the three Grand Elders dropped to their knees in unison.

’Huh? What’s going on?’

Lin Hao had just taken out the wooden tablet when he found the space before him suddenly empty. A voice drifted up from below: "This unworthy disciple pays his respects to the Martial Grand-Uncle."

Lin Hao looked down and jumped in shock. ’Why are the Sect Leader and the three Grand Elders kneeling to me?’

He immediately bent down to help them up, muttering, "What is all this?"

Wu Taichu wanted to die right then and there.

That wooden tablet was his Martial Grand-Master’s token! And the letter had spelled it out with painful clarity: his Martial Grand-Master had accepted Lin Hao as a disciple on behalf of his own Master. Lin Hao was his Martial Grand-Master’s junior martial brother!

’And what was I just doing? Trying to trick my Martial Grand-Uncle into becoming my disciple? Telling my Martial Grand-Uncle to serve me tea!’

In an instant, the memory of his actions caused cold sweat to pour down Wu Taichu’s back, drenching his robes. He wished he could just bang his head against a wall and die.

"Martial Grand-Uncle, this disciple was ignorant! I didn’t know you were the Martial Grand-Master’s junior martial brother! I... I..."

The mighty Sect Leader of the Heaven-Stepping Sect was so frightened by the situation that he was on the verge of tears, his words becoming a jumbled mess.

Now, Lin Hao finally understood.

’So that’s the Martial Grand-Master of the Heaven-Stepping Sect... That old fellow Cang Yan has quite the background. No wonder he had that look on his face when I told him I was coming to the Heaven-Stepping Sect.’

"Uh... Sect Leader, you three Grand Elders, please get up. I really didn’t do this on purpose. I was set up by that damn old geezer Cang Yan, too!"

One of them was the esteemed leader of a sect, and the other three were likely older than his own grandfather. Having them kneel to him made Lin Hao feel deeply uncomfortable.

But when Lin Hao said this, the four kneeling men became even more terrified to move.

Wu Taichu, in particular, looked absolutely petrified.

’Listen to that! The Martial Grand-Uncle calls the Martial Grand-Master an ’old geezer’ so casually! If I’m not perfectly obedient, and the Martial Grand-Master finds out what happened today, he’ll tear me limb from limb and feed me to the dogs!’

"Get up!" Lin Hao suddenly bellowed, his voice like thunder.

The four men flinched and scrambled to their feet, a clumsy tangle of limbs.

But none of them dared to meet Lin Hao’s gaze. They stood with their heads bowed and backs bent in an attitude of utmost reverence.

If anyone else had witnessed this scene—the leader of a sect and three Grand Elders prostrating themselves before a teenager—they would have died of shock.

Lin Hao was vexed. ’Why did that old geezer Cang Yan have to pull a stunt like this? Giving me this kind of status...’

’This is just great. These old men are all terrified of me. How am I supposed to get by in the sect from now on?’

Suddenly, Lin Hao’s eyes lit up. "Sect Leader, how about this: in public, you can just announce that I’m your disciple."

"Taichu wouldn’t dare!" Wu Taichu yelped, his knees buckling. He almost fell to his knees again.

’Are you kidding me? The Martial Grand-Master has a volcanic temper. If he heard that, I’d be a dead man.’

The title of Fiery Fire Demon Monarch was not just for show.

Wu Taichu glanced around nervously, as if afraid Cang Yan might suddenly materialize.

Lin Hao’s own stubborn streak flared up. His face darkened. "I said it’s fine, so it’s fine!"

"Yes, yes, of course," Wu Taichu stammered, wiping away a bead of cold sweat.

The poor Sect Leader had been reduced to a sniveling underling in front of Lin Hao.

"So... Master," Lin Hao began, "that old geezer just gave me this piece of junk wood, but he wrote you a letter. What did it say? And is that other letter for me?"

Lin Hao casually tossed the wooden tablet onto the table as he asked Wu Taichu.

Hearing the crisp CLACK of the wooden tablet hitting the desk, Wu Taichu flinched.

’Old geezer... junk wood...’

The Sect Leader and the three Grand Elders were breaking out in a cold sweat. Forty years ago, Cang Yan, then the Sect Leader of the Heaven-Stepping Sect, had single-handedly stormed the imperial city and struck terror into the hearts of the Cangnan Empire’s royal family. And yet, this Martial Grand-Uncle called him an "old geezer."

And that wooden tablet! It was the supreme token of the Heaven-Stepping Sect’s leadership, yet he tossed it aside without a second thought, calling it "junk wood"...

’He’s too powerful! A complete monster!’

"Uh... Martial Grand-Uncle, there’s no one else here, please don’t torment me so. As for the other letter, I’m afraid it’s not for you. You will understand its purpose when the time is right." The sweat that had been beading on Wu Taichu’s face now threatened to become a flood.

"I’ll call you what I want, and you’ll just have to listen!" Lin Hao said, his expression domineering.

"That damn old geezer really pissed me off. Making a simple letter so mysterious... When I see him again, I’ll pluck him bald!" Lin Hao cursed Cang Yan vehemently.

"Martial Grand-Uncle, it’s getting late. Allow me to escort you to your quarters. Tomorrow, I will announce your new status as Head Disciple to the sect." Wu Taichu was afraid he’d hear something even more world-shatteringly disrespectful if he stayed a moment longer, so he quickly tried to take his leave.

"Head Disciple?" Lin Hao repeated, taken aback.

"The Head Disciple is, in essence, the next Sect Leader," one of the elders explained.

Lin Hao had only intended to be an ordinary disciple. This sudden leap to Head Disciple gave him pause.

He was somewhat reluctant to accept a position others would kill for.

"Martial Grand-Uncle, this was a direct order from the Martial Grand-Master." In truth, Wu Taichu was tempted to hand over the Sect Leader position right then and there; he certainly wasn’t going to let Lin Hao refuse. Seeing his hesitation, he immediately played the Cang Yan card.

"Fine, Head Disciple it is." Lin Hao thought of the current crisis facing the Lin family. The status of Head Disciple would be an enormous help. With that thought, he agreed.

The four men breathed a collective sigh of relief and respectfully departed.

Once they were gone, peace returned to the room. Lin Hao leaned back in his chair and rubbed his head, still feeling a bit dazed.

In a single day, he had not only joined the sect but had also become the Sect Leader’s Martial Grand-Uncle. Everything had changed far too quickly.

And though he would be named the sect’s Head Disciple on the morrow, Lin Hao couldn’t bring himself to feel happy about it. He felt as if it was something he hadn’t earned with his own strength.

The thought of strength made Lin Hao’s eyes flash.

He was only at the Third Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm. Once he became Head Disciple, he would surely face doubt and challenges from all corners. If he didn’t improve his strength, he would become the sect’s laughingstock.

With this thought, Lin Hao stood up and pushed the door open...

「In the Heaven-Stepping Sect Leader’s personal chambers.」

The Sect Leader and the three Grand Elders sat in the seats of lowest honor, while Lin Hao occupied the seat that should have belonged to the Sect Leader.

"Martial Grand-Uncle, you wish to use the Regeneration Pool to attempt to awaken your bloodline?" the Sect Leader asked, confirming Lin Hao’s stated purpose.

Lin Hao nodded.

The martial tournament in War Dragon City was only a little over twenty days away. He had to increase his strength as quickly as possible.

Here in the sect, his status was now supreme. It was the perfect time to take advantage of it.

"I will fetch a sect Cultivation Technique for you and prepare a Regeneration Pill." Wu Taichu was incredibly eager to see what kind of bloodline Lin Hao possessed, and he moved to act at once.

"I don’t need the Cultivation Technique. I need five Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone Pills," Lin Hao said. He had used up all his Body Forging Blood Coagulation Pills and Rejuvenation Blood Pills helping Yi Mingcheng awaken his bloodline. While he now had the sect’s Regeneration Pool and might not need those pills, Lin Hao couldn’t afford failure. He had to be prepared for any eventuality.

A troubled look crossed Wu Taichu’s face, but unfortunately, Lin Hao didn’t see it.

Finally, he gritted his teeth, nodded, and departed.