"I can't believe she's here." Yan Zaizen softly muttered to himself, feeling slightly bewildered while simultaneously being excited. Earlier, Yan Zaizen kept his spiritual sense spread outwards for practicing his new Infinite Chaotic Immersion Art and inadvertently recognized a lifeforce signature he was quite familiar with.
This signature belonged to the one and only: Lin Feilin!
Earlier, when Han Genji initially took him to his mountain, Lin Feilin was responsible for him. He still remembered when he overdid his cultivation and lost consciousness. When he regained consciousness, Lin Feilin helped him to bed and even gave him words of encouragement. She kept giving him resources and explained little details about cultivation to him. It may have been brief, but it was a time where he was naive and weak.
She took care of him then, and he owed her for that.
After, they met in Xuanwu City. She patiently explained several of his questions with pristine detail and even informed him how to get back home. At the time, she was in the Vanishing Fiend Sect, or at least, she was within a group of Vanishing Fiend Sect disciples. If there were anyone he truly felt good-will towards, it would be his aunt, uncle, Tao and Lin Feilin.
As the skyship approached, the middle-aged woman was obviously on guard. As if readying herself, a slight trace of her qi cultivation base seeped outwards in warning.
"Oh? A peak-Qi Unification cultivator?" Bai Lufeng amusedly inspected, his eyes revealed a little playfulness. As for Tao, he looked at the two women and back at Yan Zaizen. "Is that her?" He asked, obviously having some clues as to who the young woman was. Yan Zaizen softly nodded in reply.
The skyship landed softly nearby. Surprisingly, the middle-aged woman stood her ground, not taking off in a hurry. This was only because if these three were intent on chasing after her, the skyship would be able to do so easily. What was the point? She also didn't know their intentions or reasoning for landing.
Yan Zaizen was the first to jump off the edge of the ship and land. Bai Lufeng and Tao followed, staying a step behind Yan Zaizen as they approached the two.
Lin Feilin looked at the three and couldn't help but feel slightly odd in her heart. As if she should recognize one of them but couldn't. It was like an itch in one's head that just constantly irritated you because it's at the tip of your tongue.
It made sense; Yan Zaizen had changed too drastically during these three years. Not only did he become more muscular, taller, and better looking, but his amber eyes contained vibrancy that it lacked before. Furthermore, his dao gave him a unique aura of an immeasurable confidence. All of the traits that weren't synonymous with Yan Zaizen before.
As for the middle-aged woman, she was more vigilant in her response, directly asking, "May I ask what I, Lin Qinlin, can help you three with?"
Yan Zaizen looked at this woman and couldn't help but be slightly surprised. This Lin Qinlin looked about 50-60% similar to Lin Feilin and she possesses the same Clan Name and Family Line as Lin Feilin. This obviously indicated their relations. At that point, his expression was slightly more respectful than his neutral smile. For all he knew, this was Lin Feilin's mother or aunt. He didn't want to make a bad first impression.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lin Qinlin. My name is Yan Zaizen. This is Tao, and this is Bai Lufeng. They're my companions." His tone was respectful as he introduced himself and the others, trying to not elicit any violent reaction from Lin Qinlin.
"What?!" Lin Feilin was so shocked that she couldn't help but exclaim aloud in disbelief. Her expression turned ferocious and her qi cultivation base at the mid-Essence Formation Realm exploded outwards.
"You lie!" Lin Feilin couldn't believe it. The Yan Zaizen she remembered was a malnourished youth filled with a weak intensity, and that was three years ago. He was trash beyond trash, not someone who could even be on a skyship let alone be the obvious leader of one. No matter what, she couldn't, no, wouldn't believe it. Her icy-cold expression contained a hint of intense ferocity that Yan Zaizen had never felt before from her.
The middle-aged woman's cultivation base exploded as well, readying for a fight to ensue. Seeing her niece's reaction, how could she not be ready?
Bai Lufeng had a nearly imperceptible sneer on his face seeing their reactions. It was truly like seeing small white bunnies trying to bark at a dragon. However, Yan Zaizen chuckled softly at this.
He responded with words he'll never forget, "You may be trash now, but that doesn't mean it'll remain that way. For those without talent, they must struggle to thrive. For those without fate on their side, they must grasp fate for themselves. Work hard." Every word contained a trace of emotion that was impossible to miss. These words had a profound effect on Yan Zaizen more than anyone could imagine. At the time, he contemplated quitting cultivating the Immortal Herculean Method due to his fear of death, but because of those well-timed words, he kept going.
Because of these very words, his dao manifested the unyielding confidence aspect. That's how profoundly important it was to him.
Lin Feilin was stunned for a long moment, her aura deflating almost instantly upon hearing those words. Despite those words being said three years ago, she had an impeccable memory, and those words were important to herself as well.
"You...you…" She couldn't believe what was happening in front of her.
Yan Zaizen had a big smile on his face, "I wonder, am I still trash?" His qi cultivation base amplified by his dao slowly revealed itself, but its aura was so intensely dominating that even Tao couldn't match. The surroundings were filled with a myriad of lights as traces of laws scattered about like vapor within the wind.
This made the already tall and handsome Yan Zaizen be even more prominently so. Even the middle-aged woman could feel her heart skip a beat looking at him during this moment. The effect on Lin Feilin was far greater. She was completely silenced, unsure of what to say.
However, it wasn't over. As if not wanting to be left behind, Bai Lufeng slowly had his qi cultivation base erupted causing a sharpness to permeate the air.
"ORIGIN CORE REALM!!" Lin Qinlin's eyes widened in shock.
Tao, obviously disliking that Bai Lufeng was trying to show off, revealed his cultivation base as well.
"TWO?!" Lin Qinlin couldn't help but feel profoundly shocked. Why would two Origin Core Realm experts be here, and who was this kid that they obviously followed? She couldn't wrap her mind around all this. To her, Origin Core Realm experts were top-tier kings and queens of their respective areas. Anyone of them could take a city as their own, or create a first-tier force that could fight for resources and territory.
Yan Zaizen looked at Lin Feilin with a soft gaze, "It's been three years. It's good to see you again."