Silent Stone District, inside the stone cottage.
Lin Mu casually tossed the mottled tiger hide—still bearing dried bloodstains—onto the table along with the meticulously cleaned tiger bones and air-dried tiger heart, like throwing away garbage. It landed with a dull thud.
"Process these. Tan the hide properly, grind the bones into powder, as for the heart... do what you think best. It's highly nourishing."
Lin Mu gave the instructions offhandedly while carefully wiping the bloodstains from his hands with a damp cloth.
Standing beside the table, Lin Ping had frozen completely.
His eyes went wide, fixed on that intact tiger hide with only a small hole at the brow and another at the back of the skull. His Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty.
As a menial servant who had spent years scraping by at the bottom, he knew all too well the weight of what he was looking at.
"Brother... this... is this the notorious 'Hanging-Eye White-Forehead Tiger' from Broken Fang Valley?"
Lin Ping's voice trembled.
"I heard that beast was a Rank 1 Upper Stage mutant variant, with hide so thick and tough it's already injured several of the clan's best fighters... You... you killed it?!"
Though he knew Lin Mu had become formidable, he hadn't imagined it had reached this extent. Single-handedly hunting down a Rank 1 Upper Stage ferocious beast without injury—this was work that even elite squads would think twice about.
"Don't make such a fuss."
Lin Mu tossed the cloth into the fire basin, watching it turn to ash, his expression calm as still water.
"It was just a beast. There'll be plenty more materials like this in the future."
"I'll probably head out a few more times these next few days. Keep the procurement channel open on your end—especially those minerals for feeding the Red Mud Gu. Buy as much as you can get."
"Yes! Yes! Don't worry, Brother!"
Lin Ping snapped out of his daze, the awe in his eyes deepening. He swiftly packaged the materials radiating killing intent, looking at Lin Mu as if gazing upon a walking deity.
After handling the trivial matters, Lin Mu didn't linger in the cottage. He changed into the green robe that marked his status as a Steward and prepared to check in at the External Affairs Hall—perhaps pick up another suitable "practice" mission while he was at it.
However, when he passed through the clan plaza, he noticed something was off about the atmosphere today.
The plaza, usually bustling but orderly, now seethed like a pot of boiling water.
Countless clansmen—whether from the direct line or branch families—had all crowded around the massive notice board at the plaza's center. Arguments, exclamations, and chatter rose and fell in waves that seemed ready to lift the roof.
Lin Mu's footsteps paused slightly as he followed everyone's gaze.
A huge red proclamation bordered with flowing golden light hung suspended in midair.
This was no ordinary paper—it was a special announcement enhanced by a Shadow-Capture Gu, emanating a faint pressure that made it difficult to look at directly.
At the very top of the proclamation, several characters written with iron strokes and silver hooks gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight—
[Black Blood Stronghold Tenth Elder's True Inheritance Grand Competition Announcement]
"True Inheritance Grand Competition?"
Lin Mu's heart stirred. It seemed that after emerging from seclusion, Lin Cang was finally making his move on the clan's internal power structure.
He didn't rush to squeeze through the crowd. Instead, he stood at the outer edge and quietly activated the Eagle Eye Gu in his left eye.
His vision instantly zoomed in, and the densely packed regulations on the proclamation came into sharp focus.
More than a martial contest, this competition's rules amounted to a comprehensive "successor selection." Lin Cang clearly wasn't satisfied with choosing some brute who could only fight—he wanted a commander capable of leading a region.
The assessment was divided into three categories, each with different weightings.
First Category: [Character Evaluation] — twenty percent weighting.
This examined applicants' contributions to the clan over the past three months, mission completion rates, and "clan reputation." Obviously, this left "operational space" for the Punishment Hall and External Affairs Hall, and was the segment most susceptible to backroom manipulation.
Second Category: [Martial Combat] — forty percent weighting.
A traditional arena tournament with random pairings—winners advance. This was a collision of hard strength, and the most active stage for outside gambling and intelligence trading.
Third Category: [Survival Trial] — forty percent weighting.
All participants would be sent into the "Trial Zone" near Black Blood Stronghold, where several dangerous Rank 2 ferocious beasts had been released, along with numerous Rank 1 demonic beasts. Time limit: three days and three nights.
The objective was to bring back the most valuable resources—whether by hunting wild beasts, gathering spirit herbs, or... plundering from others.
Though the rules stated "killing is forbidden," this kind of trial that permitted fighting had always been a disaster zone for bloodshed.
After reading the rules, Lin Mu's gaze fell to the registration requirements at the bottom.
"Must be at least eighteen years of age, or possess Rank 1 Upper Stage cultivation or higher and have rendered great merit (special approval required)."
Lin Mu stroked his chin.
He was only sixteen this year. Although his cultivation had already reached Rank 1 Upper Stage (disguised as Middle Stage) and he had rendered merit, he had no intention of joining this spectacle.
"This stage is prepared for those direct-line disciples eager to advance."
"For someone like me—a branch family member harboring precious treasures who just wants to quietly amass wealth—jumping into the spotlight would be courting death."
Still, not participating didn't stop him from profiting from this competition.
"With so many people competing, prices for healing medicines, burst-type Gu, and defensive Gu will definitely rise. And besides..."
Lin Mu's gaze swept over those clansmen flushed with excitement, and a playful smile curved his lips.
"Where there's competition, there's a betting market. Where there's a betting market, there's information asymmetry."
To verify his speculation and gather more intelligence, Lin Mu left the plaza and turned into the clan's largest teahouse.
Before he even entered, a wave of clamorous heat hit him in the face.
The teahouse was already packed to bursting. Every table was covered with tea and sunflower seeds, and the animated discussions seemed ready to blow the roof off.
"For this competition, I'm backing Young Master Lin Feng! He's the Patriarch's own nephew and just achieved great merit at Blood Forest. The True Inheritance position has to be his!"
"Pfft, Lin Feng may be strong, but don't forget Lin Yan from the Punishment Hall! That one's a madman. I heard that to master the 'Wood-Fire Flow' killing technique, he locked himself in the Fire Copper Mine and burned for three months. Now he radiates such killing intent that whoever touches him dies!"
"If you ask me, Senior Sister Lin Xue from the Medicine Hall has a good chance too. Her 'Poison Healer' style tortures people to death without breaking the rules. Meet her in the arena and you'll probably be on your knees before the fight even starts."
"What about Young Master Lin Ze from the Storage Hall? He's got money! A complete set of premium Gu worms—that's real strength!"
Lin Mu found a corner seat, ordered a pot of clear tea, and listened quietly.
As the debates continued, the representative figures of the four major factions within the clan gradually became clear in his mind.
"The Orthodox Heir" — Lin Feng. Nineteen years old, Rank 1 Peak, dual cultivation of Metal and Wind. Core Gu worms were the armor-piercing Metal Rend Gu and Iron Leaf Gu. As part of the Patriarch's lineage, he was the favorite to win and Lin Mu's current "ally."
"The Ice-Heart Poison Doctor" — Lin Xue. Twenty years old, Rank 1 Upper Stage, Wood Path. Though she publicly claimed to follow the healing style, she actually practiced control and poison-based torment techniques. She was the Medicine Hall Master's daughter, deep and calculating—rumored to hold considerable dirt on Lin Feng.
"The Violent Madman" — Lin Yan. Twenty years old, Rank 1 Peak, dual cultivation of Wood and Fire. Grandson of the Punishment Hall's Grand Elder. Hot-tempered and straightforward in nature, he worshipped the aesthetics of violence and despised those who played scheming games.
"The Treasure-Laden Young Master" — Lin Ze. Nineteen years old, Rank 1 Upper Stage, Earth Path/Pseudo-Enslavement Path. The Storage Hall's young master—the same rich second-generation heir who had appeared at the stone gambling venue before. Though his fighting spirit was weak, his wealth compensated for it, and his full suite of defensive Gu made him as hard as a turtle shell.
These four represented four directions of clan power, and foretold that over the next three months, Black Blood Stronghold would know no peace.
"If Lin Feng wants to rise, he'll inevitably have to climb over the other three. And as his 'loyal dog,' I probably won't be able to stay out of it."
Lin Mu sipped his tea, a glint flashing in his eyes.
"Since I can't avoid it, I might as well go with the flow."
"These three months of evaluation are the perfect time to fish in troubled waters. You all fight for your True Inheritance position—I'll make my fortune."
Outside the teahouse, winds gathered and clouds churned.
And beneath that red proclamation, countless people's fates were about to undergo earth-shattering changes over the next three months.