Lin Zhan and Zhang Lingxiu chatted slowly in the room, with no elders disturbing them.
With the burden lifted from his heart, Lin Zhan finally opened up to Zhang Lingxiu. As the sweet talk of the young couple continued, they realized it was already evening.
Hand in hand, they walked out of the room. The elders were gathered around the table, waiting for them to eat.
Unlike Zhang Lingxiu's shy demeanor with lowered eyes, Lin Zhan unceremoniously pulled Zhang Lingxiu to sit down.
"Come, come, everyone stop looking and the dishes will get cold if we don't eat," he said, serving Zhang Lingxiu.
"Brother, am I going to be an aunt? Grandma said you should marry Lingxiu sister quickly. A woman three years older is like a golden brick, then you'll have someone to look after you," Lin Ya'er asked with her fluffy big eyes, in a daze.
"Little dumpling, I promise you'll be an aunt soon. Then your little nephew will have to rely on Ya'er to play with him."
"Lin Zhan, your shamelessness really has your father's style," Zhang Zhen teased his brother.
"Alright, let's talk about something important," Ouyang Chengshan said. "We should head back tomorrow. Zhang Zhen and I can't be away for too long, or there might be accidents on the battlefield."
"Shanhe, you need to build your domain as quickly as possible during this period and don't take up a post in the military department for now."
"Uncle Chengshan is right. The war isn't that tense right now. The military council suspects that the ten thousand races might be targeting the human race's spatial rifts," Zhang Zhen continued Ouyang Chengshan's words, explaining the current situation to Lin Shanhe.
"We have reported the situation to the Human King's Hall. Patrol envoys from all over have been dispatched, and guardians have gone to reinforce the spatial rifts. The four major spatial rifts for the entire human race are in the capital, Shanghai, Qin Du, and Changbai Mountain outside the pass."
Ouyang Chengshan shared his plan with his son-in-law. "If anything happens in the capital, you'll have a backup. Once there's news, I'll have Zhongyong and Zhongyi come back to help you."
"Alright, Dad, Big Brother, Zhongyong and Zhongyi, you must be extra careful. Zhan'er, you and Lingxiu should go to school tomorrow and stay at school. In another month, you should be entering the Advanced Martial Arts Academy," Lin Shanhe said to everyone.
After dinner, Ouyang Chengshan and Zhang Zhen took their families back to their respective manors. Each lord's manor had an area of nearly 5,000 square meters. Ouyang Chengshan transferred five nannies to his daughter and son-in-law, and selected five capable guards from his own security battalion for Lin Shanhe.
The night passed uneventfully. The next morning, Lin Zhan woke up early and practiced the Lin Family Saber Technique with his father before having the driver take him to pick up Zhang Lingxiu to go to school.
The two of them entered the classroom of Year 3, Class 9 and found that only He Dazhuang and 7 other students who had signed up for the high academy exam were present.
He Dazhuang looked at them and said, "Old Jiang, something's going on here. Lingxiu elder sister and Old Lin are living together now."
Jiang Zheng rolled his eyes. "Are you an idiot? Old Lin is only 14. Do you think even with their engagement, their families would let them live together now? Are you afraid of harming his body and affecting his martial arts?"
Lin Zhan sat down beside the three of them. "Dahu, do you want to get beaten? Do you think you can withstand Lingxiu elder sister's beating just because you've advanced?"
"Old Xiao has advanced to Silver," Lin Zhan noticed that Xiao Hanyi's aura had become even stronger.
"Old Lin, don't you think Old Xiao is a freak? He can advance by killing more people, it's almost like playing a game and leveling up."
"Dahu, you're really getting carried away. Can you beat Old Xiao? If you can't, why would you call him a freak to his face?"
Xiao Hanyi gave He Dazhuang a cold look. "Old He, let's spar later."
"Old Lin, you come too."
"Soon. Once Little Gold successfully advances, I will too. After all, a Beast Master's advancement mainly depends on their spirit pets."
The old dean, Li Zhenshan, and the class advisor, He Feng, walked into the classroom. "Do you all have some questions as to why there are only 10 of you?"
"After a joint decision by the military and the federal government, a promotion league for intermediate martial arts academies will be held. Nearly a hundred intermediate martial arts academies from the entire federation will participate, with each team consisting of 10 people," the old dean said.
"As far as I know, there are 10 seeded training plan teams in the entire federation. Each team has a Silver-ranked martial artist, and fighting beyond one's level is something everyone must be able to do. You must all, including Lin Zhan, not underestimate your opponents."
He Feng took over and explained, "Your main opponents will be these 10 seeded teams. I will introduce them to you first.
First is Adam Sol from the American Special Zone, rumored to be a hybrid of the Asgardian Thunder Clan and an American. He is mid-Silver rank and has the strength to fight Gold rank. This is likely true, as this country has always been composed of mixed blood.
The second team is from the Siberian Special Zone, brothers Andrei Ivanov and Viktor Ivanov. They are said to have awakened the bloodline of the ancient polar ice bear, mid-Silver rank, capable of fighting Gold rank.
The third team is from the Indian Special Zone, a Buddha son from the highest caste, the Brahmin clan. A young Tongling White Elephant sought him out at birth, and the two have grown together. Both are now high-Silver rank, and the Buddha son's mental strength is extremely powerful, estimated to be able to fight mid-Gold rank. However, this race tends to brag, so the actual situation is uncertain.
The fourth team is from the Papal Special Zone. Their Holy Son has the ability to summon angels and is mid-Silver rank.
The fifth team is from the Fusang Special Zone. Their Divine Son, Kotaro Honjo, is said to have the bloodline of the nation's guardian deity, Yamata no Orochi, and can borrow its power. He is high-Silver rank. Su Dong Novel Network.
The sixth team is from the Great British Special Zone. Their knight successor, William George, is a legitimate knight, high-Silver rank.
The seventh team is from the African Special Zone, Bablu, the successor of a lion warrior from an ancient tribe there, who has a high-Silver rank grassland giant lion.
The above are the captains of the seeded teams from the various special zones of the federation.
"Due to the appearance of a secret realm on the border between us and the Indian Special Zone, only 20 people can enter after personal inspection by Human King Ying Zheng. Moreover, only bloodline awakeners under the age of 18 can enter. Therefore, our three seeded teams in Huaxia must secure the top 5 spots."
"The seeded team from Qin Du will be led by Qin Emperor bloodline inheritor Ying Xuan, and the seeded team from Shanghai will be led by Zhang Haoran from the Daoist Celestial Master Mansion. I have appointed Lin Zhan as the captain for our Beijing Central Martial Academy."
Dean Li Zhenshan gave special instructions to the students: "Try not to injure our own brother teams. Just have some friendly matches. Also, be lenient with the Siberian and African special zones. As for the other special zones, just do as you please, as long as you don't kill anyone.
These useless brats can't do anything but be the best at infighting."