Lin Qinghen didn’t have much spirit power himself, but he had a few tricks up his sleeve. The Heaven-tier protective spirit tool Yu Yinyin had hung around his neck hadn’t been used even once, so at least it offered some security. No matter what, letting Yin Jiuxiao go alone was absolutely out of the question.

Yin Jiuxiao: “…”

With Qinghen here, it wasn’t exactly convenient to take action.

But then he looked at the hand clasped around his wrist and heard these words of obvious concern. Somehow, his mood lifted, and he didn’t refuse further.

Fine, as long as he was around, nothing would go wrong.

These people knew the training ground could be chaotic and planned to take advantage of the mess. At that time, if Yin Hengxie couldn’t find anyone, he wouldn’t have anyone to blame. This sort of thing had happened more than once before. Although Lin Qinghen got involved this time, it wasn’t what Yin Jiuxiao wanted, but he would protect his own.

The two of them being so nonchalant like this made the approaching troublemakers grit their teeth in frustration.

Yet, it was easy to tell that Lin Qinghen’s spirit power was weak. Once they got to the training ground, a single touch would have him on the ground.

“Marriage sure does make a difference,” one of them sneered. “Let’s go then, Young Master and… Young Master’s Wife.”

Lin Qinghen draped a robe over Yin Jiuxiao and helped him out of bed, listening as Yin Jiuxiao quietly introduced the people in their entourage.

“I hear three footsteps,” he said. “The one speaking is Yin Ye, now at Earth Level One Star. Although he shares the surname Yin, he’s from a distant branch and barely related to me. His talent’s decent, and he’s always been after the Young Master position.” He paused. “The other two are his lackeys. Not that they matter.”

After all, they might only run into them this one time.

If he couldn’t handle them at the training ground, he’d find another opportunity later and would happily break an arm or rip out a tongue. After that, they’d lack the ability to cause any more trouble.

Lin Qinghen nodded, indicating he understood.

The Yin family’s training ground was quite large, but a lot of it was closed off, as the family could no longer afford to maintain it. Only a small part was open now.

As Lin Qinghen helped Yin Jiuxiao inside, he felt the crowd’s eyes zeroing in on them. This was his first time seeing so many people from the Yin family, mostly young faces with expressions that varied from one schemer to the next.

Yin Jiuxiao had never wanted Lin Qinghen to come to this kind of place. Instinctively, he shielded him a little, but Lin Qinghen tilted his head up with an unbothered look.

Well, it suited him. He was never one to shy away from a crowd, and the bigger the stage, the calmer he became.

In the Lin family, training matches weren’t one-on-one; that would be too dangerous and a waste of time. Although the Yin family had fallen on hard times, there were still around three or four hundred young people worth mentioning.

The monthly training exam was a random draw, with fifty people per group in a flag-capture contest.

A flag stood at the center of the circular training ground, with everyone positioned at the edges. At the signal, everyone moved forward, with random obstacles appearing on the field. Everyone else in the field was a competitor, and whoever got to the flag first would win.

The training field was large, and operating it cost quite a bit. At this point, the Yin family could only afford to use this one section.

Lin Qinghen and Yin Jiuxiao arrived just as the first group was beginning their trial.

The participants were clearly young, barely over ten years old—a bunch of little kids.

Lin Qinghen heard Yin Ye speak up.

“Isn’t Young Master going to participate?” he said. “I know it’s unfair to be in our group, but surely you could play along with these kids?”

Lin Qinghen said, “No.”

Yin Ye glared at him. “Who asked for your opinion?”

“I did,” Lin Qinghen replied, standing there, fully aware that no one would dare make a move here in front of everyone. “I’m new here and haven’t seen much. I just wanted Jiuxiao to accompany me for a look so I can see what’s going on.”

“What’s Yin Jiuxiao going to see? He’s blind, isn’t he?”

“I’m not blind; I just want him with me. What, is that a problem? Newlyweds and all, it’s only natural to stick together. What’s wrong with that?”

Yin Ye froze for a second, taken aback by Lin Qinghen’s shamelessness. Just as he was about to say something, another voice chimed in.

“It’s fine. Why wouldn’t it be?” The new speaker’s tone was much more friendly than Yin Ye’s, like a breeze brushing through.

Lin Qinghen turned toward the voice and saw a man in white, smiling with a good-natured face. He looked quite pleasant, with natural smiling eyes that instantly put people at ease.

Though not Lin Qinghen.

Lin Qinghen’s gut instinct, honed from his years with the Lin family, told him that this man was no good.

Yin Jiuxiao had been about to tell him that this man was even harder to handle than Yin Ye and definitely no friend. He was stepping forward to block his gaze when Lin Qinghen muttered, “Such a slimy attitude.”

Yin Jiuxiao, who had been in a bit of a bad mood, actually chuckled at that.

He was right—this guy was no friend.

Lin Qinghen’s sharp instincts were probably only blind when it came to himself.

The man in question was Yin Rongyu, Yin Jiuxiao’s actual cousin. He had inherited the Yin family’s Nine Heavens Exquisite Cloud Sword talent and was the most gifted of the Yin family’s young generation. At nineteen, he was on par with Lin Qingshuang, both at Earth Level One Star.

Given time, he would likely have a place among the continent’s elite. But with Yin Jiuxiao in his way, he hadn’t even been able to claim the Young Master title and was bitterly resentful.

Lin Qinghen held Yin Jiuxiao’s hand without moving, but Yin Rongyu wasn’t about to let things go. He came closer with a gesture of invitation.

It was indeed a good spot, close to the training ground and at the very front row, but perhaps… a little too close.

Lin Qinghen glanced at Yin Jiuxiao, squeezed his hand a bit tighter, and resigned himself to the situation. He replied to Yin Rongyu, “Thanks, I’ll watch carefully.”

The entire field had their eyes fixed on them, burning with curiosity. Even though the contest inside the training ground had already started, Lin Qinghen could tell something was off.

Especially with Yin Rongyu next to them, clearly probing for something.

“Your name is Lin Qinghen, right?” he asked.

“It’s been a busy time around the family, and I should have come to see you sooner.”

“Qinghen, are you adjusting to life here?”

Lin Qinghen ignored him.

Yin Jiuxiao already disliked Yin Rongyu, but now he found him even more obnoxious. He couldn’t keep up the feigned weakness any longer and, with a cold expression, pulled Lin Qinghen closer, practically into his arms.

Who was he to call him Qinghen?

They had nearly completed their mainline power fusion, and even if they hadn’t, going up against Yin Rongyu and Yin Ye would be no problem. But if he revealed himself now, he wasn’t yet at his peak and would invite unnecessary trouble, and besides, he was doing it for Lin Qinghen’s sake.

He found Lin Qinghen’s protective instinct toward him quite refreshing and, if he were honest, rather enjoyable. Compared to revealing his hand, lying low seemed the smarter choice.

Of course, as long as this disguise didn’t threaten their safety.

Lin Qinghen, though, was focused on something else entirely. He kept holding Yin Jiuxiao’s hand and remained still in his arms, quietly observing the situation around them.

He didn’t believe that just sitting here and not participating meant they were safe, so he focused intently on every unusual fluctuation in spirit energy nearby.

He felt it.

But there were too many people to pinpoint the exact direction.

Inside the arena, the flag capture was lively. Such competitive settings usually had protective barriers, ensuring that the spirit energy and attacks stayed within and wouldn’t affect the outside. Lin Qinghen squinted, discerning an odd fluctuation in spirit energy, not from any person, but seemingly from the training ground itself.

A few gifted kids were closing in on the flag, and Lin Qinghen sensed that abnormal spirit energy growing stronger.

His mind worked quickly, and he had a rough idea of their plan. But even if he’d figured it out, there was no escaping it.

So he fixed his gaze on the barrier around the field.

What he’d said to Yin Ye about not having seen this kind of thing was nonsense; of course, the Lin family had training grounds.

When he was younger, he’d been dragged into one and had learned that the arena had safeguards. You’d be transported out automatically if you collapsed from exhaustion, so it wasn’t life-threatening, but it sure made you suffer.

Another thing Lin Qinghen remembered was that the moment someone seized the flag, the spirit energy would surge to its peak.

When it came to sensing spirit energy, Lin Qinghen was sharper than Yin Jiuxiao. After years of intense study, his natural affinity only added to his advantage.

Yin Jiuxiao had also guessed what was happening. The Yin family wasn’t going to confront him directly, opting instead for these petty tricks—something he’d dealt with before.

He was ready for the chaos, prepared to shield Lin Qinghen and counterattack amid the confusion. Though he couldn’t do much in this setting, a single thread of demonic qi could at least cause some pain.

There’d be plenty of time for him to return the favor later.

Lin Qinghen was equally prepared. He had his Heaven-tier spirit tool, so knowing the trickery they were up to, he was hardly afraid.

They held each other’s hands, each lost in their own thoughts but without any hint of fear.

Just as expected, when someone in the arena seized the flag, a crack suddenly appeared in the protective barrier closest to Lin Qinghen and Yin Jiuxiao.

A wave of offensive spirit energy surged out, kicking up a cloud of yellowish-gray dust that swallowed up the front row seats. Yin Rongyu and the others seemed to have anticipated this, immediately vanishing in a flash of spirit energy.

The seats left behind were instantly overturned. As Yellow Level low-stars, Lin Qinghen and Yin Jiuxiao should have had no chance of dodging.

But to everyone’s surprise, even Yin Jiuxiao was caught off guard by Lin Qinghen’s swift reaction.

Lin Qinghen moved even faster than he’d imagined, springing up just as the flag was seized, holding Yin Jiuxiao and shielding him from the blast.

Yin Jiuxiao felt the impact of the spirit energy, with Lin Qinghen taking the brunt of it and staggering forward slightly.

“It’s alright,” Lin Qinghen coughed and whispered into his ear. “Don’t be afraid.”

Yin Jiuxiao was stunned for a moment.

And he wasn’t the only one surprised in the arena—no one had expected Lin Qinghen to pull this off.

A powerful fluctuation of spirit energy emanated from him.

Protective spirit tools were rare, with strict conditions for use, most often requiring a high spirit level. The kind Lin Qinghen wore, which could be used by anyone and activated instantly, was exceedingly rare.

It was a testament to Yu Yinyin’s influence that she’d left this as her hidden treasure. The Yin family certainly didn’t have one of these; otherwise, Yin Hengxie would have provided one for Yin Jiuxiao.

With the spirit tool’s protection, the two of them were naturally unharmed.

Though the spirit energy surge had passed, Lin Qinghen was still standing protectively in front of him, a comforting hand on the back of his head, softly patting him—a gesture full of reassurance.

Yin Jiuxiao stared at him, even momentarily forgetting to pretend he was blind, his gaze direct. Luckily, Lin Qinghen was so focused on something else he didn’t notice; otherwise, even a strong filter wouldn’t have missed the discrepancy.

His eyes narrowed as he turned, his gaze sharpening as he looked in another direction.