Chapter 153: The Exchange Meeting Begins

After concluding their conversation, Lin Xiao and Old Master Chen exited the living room, where Lin Xiao immediately noticed Chen Lingxin waiting at the doorway.

She seemed to be anticipating Lin Xiao’s exit. Upon seeing him walk out, her eyes lit up as she quickly approached him.

“Lin Xiao, my grandfather has told you everything, right?”

“Yes, he did. But you don’t seem very worried?” Lin Xiao’s gaze casually swept over Chen Lingxin’s face as he spoke calmly.

“What good would worrying do?” Chen Lingxin raised her eyebrows confidently, “Besides, I say bring it on. They want to crush our Chen’s Martial Arts Hall? They’ll have to get past me first.”

Chen Lingxin, only partially informed and unaware of the assailant’s level of cultivation, spoke with a tone brimming with self-assuredness.

Certainly, she had the credentials to be confident. Although not on Lin Xiao’s extraordinary level, before meeting him, she was considered an invincible presence amongst her peers in Jinghai City.

“Confidence is good, but avoid blind arrogance.” Lin Xiao, aware of the challenger’s actual cultivation level, subtly doused her enthusiasm.

While the Dark Force stage meant little to him, for Chen Lingxin, it was an insurmountable barrier.

“And you? What do you think?” Unaware of Lin Xiao’s underlying message, Chen Lingxin stood beside him, nudging him with her shoulder.

“Think about what?”

“About facing a powerful opponent. You must be quite excited, right?” Chen Lingxin scrutinized Lin Xiao, then nodded affirmatively, “I can tell. You’re a martial arts maniac too, your eyes give you away.”

“There is some truth to that,” Lin Xiao admitted without denial.

In some ways, he and Chen Lingxin were cut from the same cloth. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have devotedly practiced the Thunderbolt Decree for ten years.

Success doesn’t come by fluke.

Without his relentless dedication to the Thunderbolt Decree, regardless of its miraculous nature, he wouldn’t have become a master of the Flowing Force at such a young age.

He yearned for battles with formidable opponents and aspired to become stronger. Of course, there was a distinction between him and Chen Lingxin. Lin Xiao kept his ambitions beneath a serene facade, whereas Chen Lingxin wore hers openly, never concealing them.

“Tch, not very frank, are you?” Chen Lingxin’s lips curled slightly, then, as if struck by a sudden thought, she took Lin Xiao’s hand and started walking. “I’ll take you to change. Now that you’re part of our academy, you should at least wear our uniform, right?”

Lin Xiao found himself being led away by Chen Lingxin, a scene that did not escape the eyes of the surrounding students, instantly sparking a buzz of excitement. Many looked on, their eyes wide with surprise.

“Hey, did you see that? Senior Sister… Elder Sister is actually holding Master Lin’s hand!”

“Oh my goodness, I must be hallucinating! If I’m not mistaken, Senior Sister has never been so close to any man.”

“Yeah, I always thought Senior Sister preferred the company of flowers… ‘Lilies bloom beautifully, but alas, they bear no fruit.'”

“Shut up, will you? Do you have a death wish? If Senior Sister hears that, I’ll be attending your funeral.”

“No need for that, I’ll make sure to take you with me when I go.”

“You…”

While the students were abuzz with their speculations, Lin Xiao and Chen Lingxin, the subjects of their gossip, appeared unfazed by the commotion.

Chen Lingxin led Lin Xiao into a room, rummaged through a cupboard, and found a set of standard training clothes, tossing them to Lin Xiao.

“There are no other clothes, so you’ll have to wear this for now.”

This uniform was identical to those worn by the other students outside. Although Lin Xiao felt it slightly inappropriate, he didn’t overthink it and quickly changed into the uniform.

While Lin Xiao was changing, Chen Lingxin stood casually to the side, showing no intention of leaving. She watched Lin Xiao with shining eyes, constantly admiring his well-proportioned muscles.

“Who would have thought? You have such an impressive physique, far better than those exaggerated muscles,” Chen Lingxin commented as she couldn’t resist pinching Lin Xiao’s arm. “This uniform suits you quite well.”

She circled around Lin Xiao a few times, imitating a man’s gesture by stroking her chin and nodding approvingly. The standard training uniform of Chen’s Martial Arts Hall, complementing Lin Xiao’s calm and poised demeanor, indeed looked exceptionally fitting on him.

Lin Xiao checked his reflection in the mirror and felt quite satisfied, but a question lingered in his mind.

“This is a student uniform, isn’t it?”

“It is, but there are no other options available,” Chen Lingxin replied with a mischievous look, blinking playfully. “And there’s no rule against you wearing it, right? Any problem?”

Upon hearing Chen Lingxin’s words, Lin Xiao pondered for a moment and agreed. Yet, observing Chen Lingxin’s mischievous look, he knew she was up to something. Despite his slight suspicion, he didn’t dwell on it too much. After all, it was just a set of clothes, and it had no real impact on him, and he was also curious to see what she was planning, so Lin Xiao decided to let the matter go.

At that moment, the sound of a bell rang out.

Chen Lingxin’s expression shifted, and she hurriedly said, “The exchange meeting has officially begun. Let’s go!”

She then dashed out, with Lin Xiao following at a more relaxed pace.

As they arrived at the living room, they unexpectedly encountered Chen Tianli. Chen Tianli, catching sight of Lin Xiao’s attire, revealed a flash of surprise in his eyes and seemed about to comment.

However, Chen Lingxin suddenly bumped into Chen Tianli, causing him to stumble.

“Chen Tianli, don’t dilly-dally. Let’s go!” she exclaimed.

Chen Tianli, typically quite fearful of his sister, promptly swallowed his unspoken words and quickly followed them out.

Outside the gates of Chen’s Martial Arts Hall, the street was already lined with various luxury cars. People were continuously disembarking and heading towards the school.

These individuals, both men and women, young and old, all appeared vigorous and keen-eyed.

Master Chen and Chen Tianxing stood side by side at the entrance. Behind them were the school’s two teachers, Wang Jinxin and Fan Xucai. Lining both sides of the gate were rows of students, standing tall and alert.

Chen Tianli, upon arriving, quickly moved to stand beside Wang Jinxin and Fan Xucai. Chen Lingxin, with a seemingly mischievous plan, unexpectedly pulled Lin Xiao into the crowd at the back, avoiding joining the others.

“Brother Chen, congratulations! With such a capable successor, you can now retire from the martial world with peace,” greeted a lively elderly man with white hair, bowing to Master Chen.

“Brother Zhou, thank you for coming all this way. Please, come inside,” Master Chen, his face somewhat pale, returned the gesture with a smile.

Chen Lingxin leaned close to Lin Xiao’s ear and whispered, “That man is Zhou Chenguang, the current headmaster of the Wuxu Martial Arts Hall in Xiya City. He’s from the same generation as my grandfather, a few years his junior, and a good friend of his.”

Lin Xiao nodded thoughtfully. This Zhou Chenguang was likely one of the friends Master Chen had invited.

Following Zhou Chenguang, numerous individuals approached to pay their respects to Master Chen and Chen Tianxing before entering the martial arts school.