C18 Flowers with Four Petals!

Chapter Eighteen: Four Petals of Flying Flowers

Lin Xi harbored both hatred and fear in his heart. Now, as someone who had once humiliated Lin Xi, he was forced to serve him food and pull out his chair in front of the most prominent figures of Rosehaven. The humiliation was so intense that he struggled to contain his boiling emotions. Yet, he dared not act on them.

In the great hall, surrounded by hundreds of formidable individuals, any one of them could easily snuff out his life with little effort. He felt as insignificant as an ant, and it was an uncomfortable sensation.

Lin Xi observed that every notable person from Rosehaven was there, even the head of the Lu family, who offered him a smile. Meanwhile, Xiaoyun's eyes were red with seething hatred, her glare sharp as a blade.

He found the situation absurdly amusing. This sort of family, which could either exalt or discard him based on his worth, might disown the marriage at any sign of his failure or cling to him at the hint of his rise—all for the sake of their own interests.

Chef Lin's departure had caused the Lu family to show their true colors, forcing him to grow up much sooner than he should have. As for Xiaoyun, he never held any unrealistic expectations. Wanting to be with someone from the Feng family was no issue—as long as there was love. The verbal agreement of their childhood betrothal meant nothing to him; he had never taken it seriously.

He hoped Xiaoyun wouldn't do anything rash, warning himself that even if he were to become a eunuch, he wouldn't grant her a divorce. He'd drag her down with him if it came to that!

Under the scrutinizing gaze of the crowd, Lin Xi sauntered over to the table and plopped down onto the chair Lin Xi had pulled out for him. He dramatically rolled up his sleeves, muttering to himself, "Oh boy, being hungry is the worst. Just in time for a meal, my stomach's growling. Hmm... Green Ape Bone and Meat Soup, that smells delicious..."

As he grabbed his chopsticks and picked up a generous chunk of Green Ape meat, something crossed his mind, and he looked around. "Hey, where's my brother? Forgetting to share a meal with your brother, that's not brotherly. Reed, roll on over here and join Xi for some meat and soup!"

His audacity and disregard for others were boundless.

The patriarchs and elders of the three great families managed to maintain their composure in the face of Lin Xi's presence, but the young prodigies of these families could no longer contain their disdain.

One after another, they rose to their feet, hurling insults:

"Lin Xi, you're nothing but trash. Don't fool yourself into thinking that just because you've cleared your meridians, Rosehaven will tolerate you. You're merely a third-level warrior, at best reaching the peak of the early Warrior stage. How dare you disrespect our seniors? Are you asking for a beating?"

"Where's the manager? Who let this broken trash out? Is this still the premier tavern in Rosehaven? Don't sully its esteemed name!"

"Trash will always be trash. What does it matter if your meridians are clear? What difference does a stroke of luck make? Aren't you still the offspring of a lowly maid?"

With a thunderous crash, a chair shattered. Lin Xi transformed into a blossoming flower, his movement tracing an extraordinary path, appearing above the head of the youth who had insulted his mother, like a flower unfurling in the wind.

The flower opened with four petals, descending like a single leaf.

This was the "Flower Fall Step" at its first level, a technique any Lin family disciple would have at least mastered.

Yet, what took everyone's breath away was the fact that this so-called 'trash' had achieved the four-petal bloom with a single step.

The appearance of four petals indicated that his trajectory in the air had shifted at least four times.

The instantaneous bloom of the four petals was clear to the family heads; they could still discern Lin Xi's movements.

However, the young geniuses from the other families were left somewhat dazzled.

They had sparred with Lin family disciples before, but none had managed to produce a four-petal bloom with the "Flower Fall Step" at the first level.

Forget four petals; even a three-petal bloom was something only Lin Dong, the top young prodigy of Rosehaven and a late-stage Warrior, could achieve.

For a Lin family disciple to manifest even two petals was already considered quite remarkable.

It was said that even the Lin family's most senior elder, a second-tier Martial Master in the Realm of Essence, who was well-versed in all nine levels of the "Flower Fall Steps," could only manage to perform the first level with a single flower and five petals. Any more than that was beyond his capability.

Yet, even with just one flower and five petals, the "Flower Fall Steps" were an unbeatable force in Rosehaven. There might be others with skills and foundations comparable to the Lin family's supreme elder, but once this light-footed technique was deployed, they couldn't lay a finger on his shadow. What could they do but take a beating?

So, when Lin Xi demonstrated the "Flower Fall Steps" with four petals, Lu Xincheng shot to his feet, his disbelief palpable. The first level of the "Flower Fall Steps" was usually so mundane. But what stood out was the four-petal technique.

From this single move, it was clear that Lin Xi had outshone all the young prodigies of his family, including the peak warriors of the older generation, and had even caught up with his father, Lin Batian, the patriarch of the Lin family. How could such a feat not astound onlookers?

Lu Xincheng, Feng Buyi, the patriarch Hua Rong, along with the heads of mercenary groups and business leaders from Rosehaven, were all struck with amazement. They wondered if they were seeing things.

This was the same boy who had been considered useless just yesterday, who hadn't known a single technique on the Lin family's martial arts stage that morning. Yet, in just one morning, he had not only mastered the first level of the "Flower Fall Steps," creating one petal and one leaf reaching to the heavens, but he had also displayed a flower with four petals.

Was this the same boy they had called a loser?

A genius among geniuses, he was now a challenge to any contender. In the tavern's great hall, everyone was rendered speechless, their mouths agape as they watched Lin Xi engage in combat without uttering a word.

Upon witnessing Lin Xi's Four-Petal Flower Movement Technique, Feng Jiaju was immediately filled with a sense of despair and murderous intent. His gaze involuntarily shifted to Lu Xiaoyun, who was covering her mouth, her eyes wide as she watched Lin Xi.

At that moment, Xiaoyun's eyes held nothing but shock, the previous disdain and contempt gone. This only intensified Feng Jiaju's urge to kill.

The youth who had insulted Lin Xi's mother was a prodigy from Rosehaven's fifth-ranking family, only fifteen years old and the same age as Lin Xi, but already a fifth-level Warrior with the strength of five pythons.

Lin Xi couldn't recall his mother's face because she had passed away during his birth. In his heart, he held an idealized image of her, akin to Chef Lin and Ke'er—untouchable and sacred, like a dragon's reverse scale.

At that moment, Qiao Musheng was playing with fire, poking at Lin Xi's deepest wound. How could Lin Xi stand for it? He was currently wielding the strength of five pythons and could even summon the power of six. Qiao Musheng was no threat to him.

Moreover, Lin Xi's "Fallen Leaves Flying Flower Steps" had reached the Four-Petal Flower Movement Technique. Whether in terms of speed or agility, it was a rare skill within the Lin family.

Under such circumstances, if he were to still tolerate such insults, would he not be seen as weak?

One flower, one leaf, one realm of the sky.

One flower, four petals, now hovering above Qiao Musheng's head.

In that instant, Lin Xi raised his right hand high and brought it down in a powerful slash.

The first technique of the Flying Flower Blade, the Chop!

Lin Xi, like a leaf spiraling to the ground, his palm as sharp as a blade, descended upon Qiao Musheng, stirring up a fierce windfall.

With one palm strike, four petals blossomed!

This transformation once again astounded everyone present.

Many in the Lin family practiced the Flying Flower Blade Technique, particularly those who excelled in physical strength, who favored this blade form.

Yet, among the Lin family's disciples, not even the elders who had trained for decades could perform a single slash that would result in four petals, except for the Patriarch, Lin Batian.

None of the younger generation could manage even a three-petal slash. This included the top prodigy, Lin Dong, who had yet to learn this blade technique.

In essence, regarding the Flying Flower Blade Technique, only the former patriarch had ever surpassed Lin Xi, able to execute a slash that blossomed into five petals.

With such a devastating palm strike, Qiao Musheng felt a chill in his heart and spirit. Overwhelmed with fear, he roared, forgetting to counter with his own techniques. Instinctively, he raised his arms, crossing them in a futile attempt to block Lin Xi's descending slash.

With a thunderous crash, a figure was sent flying backward, tumbling and screaming in pain.

Lin Xi landed and cast a glance at Qiao Musheng, whose arms were broken, teeth shattered, and mouth gushing blood.

"You can curse me, you can hit me, but... you insulted my mother, and I didn't kill you. Consider yourself lucky. With the strength of three pythons, if I were as weak as you, you'd be nothing but dust. Hmph..."

With that, Lin Xi sauntered back to his table with a swagger.

At that moment, the Qiao family patriarch, Qiao Hui Min, bellowed furiously:

"You beast, don't you dare leave! A mere quarrel and you resort to lethal force? You owe the Qiao family an explanation!"

Lin Xi whipped around, his gaze icy. He mouthed three words without a sound.

Yet everyone, including Qiao Hui Min, knew exactly what Lin Xi had said just by reading his lips.

Motherfucker!

Qiao Hui Min lost it, his aura as a Half Step Martial Master bursting forth, rattling the furniture around him.

"Beast, you dare insult me? Prepare to die!"

He lunged towards Lin Xi, but a figure swiftly stepped in front of Qiao Hui Min.

"Patriarch Qiao, please, take a moment to cool off... Hahaha..."

Qiao Hui Min halted, surprised to see that Lu Xin Cheng, the patriarch of the Lu family, was the one blocking his way.

"Patriarch Lu, do you intend to shield this brute who has both harmed and insulted others?"

Lu Xin Cheng chuckled:

"The assault was witnessed by all, but as for insults, Patriarch Qiao, did he actually curse at you?"

Qiao Hui Min was livid:

"That animal insulted my mother. He didn't utter a sound, but that mouth shape... Who wouldn't recognize what he was cursing?"

Lu Xin Cheng feigned a sudden realization:

"Oh! If that's your claim, it can't be denied. Motherfucker, is it? This young man dared to insult your mother, which is utterly inexcusable. So... Patriarch Qiao, how would you like to discipline him?"

Qiao Hui Min was so enraged he could barely think straight.

"Insulting my mother warrants a light punishment of tongue removal, and a severe one of severing all the body's tendons as a deterrent to others!" The moment these words were spoken, murmurs and whispers erupted in the hall.

"Isn't that a bit extreme? Someone insults your mother, and you're so enraged you want to dismember him. Yet when your own kin insults Lin Xi's mother and gets a beating, breaking only two arms and losing some teeth, you don't consider it a grave injury. Can't handle it? Does the world really operate on such double standards?"

Qiao Huimin was dumbstruck, his face flushing to the color of liver, as he struggled to suppress a surge of blood rising in his throat. Persisting in his bullying would likely incite public fury.

Luckily, Lu Xincheng had the tact to offer him an out. "It's merely a minor dispute among the young ones. Should adults really intervene? Please, Patriarch Qiao, have a seat. The Green Ape Feast will soon be served, haha..."

At that moment, Reed had already positioned himself excitedly in front of Lin Xi, his small frame quivering with excitement. He had made his presence known, his turnaround was complete, and the thrill of being in Xi's company was unparalleled. Opening his mouth, he actually caught a spoonful of meat soup from Lin Xi. I, Reed, have finally had my day of feasting on Level Three Demonic Beast meat. Ah!

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