Chapter 67: Chapter 67: Side Effect Backlash "Lin Yi..."
"Is that the high school student you came to see me about several times, the one who enrolled as a disciple?"
A sharp glint flashed in the old man’s eyes.
Yang Yong nodded. "That’s him. He’s extremely talented—even more so than Zhou Qi, Zhuang Tao, or Han Song!"
"He came to my place to spar over the weekend, and the feedback was excellent..."
The old man said nothing.
He was lost in thought.
"Lin Yi..."
He murmured the name again.
A glimmer of light flickered in his eyes.
After a long moment, he finally nodded. "Mm, I see."
"Since he’s talented, you should train him well."
As soon as the words were spoken, Yang Yong’s expression darkened slightly.
Evidently, he was a little disappointed by what the old man had said.
The whole reason he had come here to talk about Lin Yi...
...was to get the old man to take notice and, hopefully, invest more effort in him.
Clearly, that hadn’t happened.
The old man didn’t seem to have much interest in Lin Yi.
He had been dismissed with just a casual remark.
’Maybe the old Hall Master just wants to observe him for a while longer?’
Yang Yong comforted himself with this thought after leaving the office.
After all, Lin Yi had only just joined the hall. Although his talent was good and he was a cut above the other students,
he hadn’t been at the Martial Arts Hall for long.
It wasn’t enough to attract the old Hall Master’s attention yet.
Flashes in the pan were common.
Some people displayed astonishing talent right from the start.
But as time went on,
their talent would stagnate, almost as if they were cursed.
Slowly, they would be surpassed, one by one, by people they had once left in the dust.
Eventually, they would fade into the crowd, their dazzling light extinguished forever.
In truth, this sort of thing happened all the time.
That was why lasting brilliance was the only thing that mattered.
Otherwise, how were they any different from all the other geniuses who had been forgotten?
After Yang Yong had left,
the old Hall Master’s expression gradually grew solemn.
With his hands behind his back, he pulled open a desk drawer and took out a photograph.
In the photo was a beautiful young girl.
She looked to be in her early twenties, her face beaming with a happy, joyful smile.
The old man let out a soft sigh, his hand gently wiping the surface of the picture.
The next second, a terrifying light flashed in his eyes.
It was a look filled with rage, resentment, and murderous intent.
In the next instant, the old man left behind an afterimage.
He teleported to the other side of the office with incredible speed.
Reaching out, he grabbed at the empty air and clamped his hand directly around someone’s neck.
Only then did the person’s form slowly materialize.
He was wearing a black cloak, and with the old man’s hand around his neck, he could barely breathe.
Not until he made a series of muffled whimpers...
...did the old man glance at him and release his grip.
"How many times have I told you? Knock when you come to my office.
If there’s a next time, don’t expect to speak to me alive..."