"Lin Hao, hand over the Crown Prince and Princess of the Mo Yun Kingdom to me." The old man spoke arrogantly, seeing the expression on Lin Hao’s face.

’He’s certain Lin Hao won’t refuse this time,’ he thought.

But even if Lin Hao agreed, he wouldn’t let him off easily.

Here in the Saint Institute, he had the power to do so. There was no reason for him to fear even Duan Wushuang.

"Lin Hao, just hand them over to Elder Yan." At this moment, even Duan Wushuang spoke up.

This old man’s name was Yan Duanwen, and he was the Dean’s younger brother.

The deans of the Saint Institute had originally come from the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion. However, since the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion had been quiet for hundreds of years, the current dean was naturally not from there.

But his ancestors had intricate ties to the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion. Because of this, the Dean of the Saint Institute held a supreme position in the empire; even the Sovereign had to treat him with courtesy.

As the Dean’s younger brother, Yan Duanwen’s status was naturally extraordinary. Even Duan Wushuang, a member of the royal family, had to show him some deference.

She was speaking up now because she didn’t want the relationship between Lin Hao and the elder to worsen.

"Are you willing to go with him?" Lin Hao asked Yunxi and Marquis Mo.

When Yan Duanwen heard Lin Hao’s words, he smiled.

’This means Lin Hao is compromising.’

"I’m your handmaiden now; I can’t make decisions for myself," Yunxi said, a look of resentment on her face.

Lin Hao smiled and spread his hands toward Yan Duanwen. "Elder, they’re not willing. You can’t blame me for that."

"She’s clearly just afraid of you!" Yan Duanwen said, flicking his sleeve as he spoke, intending to remove the restrictions on Marquis Mo and Yunxi.

However, Yan Duanwen immediately froze. He was shocked to find that he couldn’t undo them.

He was a top-tier expert of the Soul Gathering Realm, yet he couldn’t even remove a simple restriction. The realization made his old face flush red.

"Lin Hao, what did you do to them?!" Yan Duanwen berated.

"Just some ordinary restrictions. Besides, with so many experts in the Saint Institute, they couldn’t escape even if they had heaven-defying abilities. I’ll have to trouble you to remove their restrictions, Elder."

"You!" Yan Duanwen was so angry his beard bristled.

’That little bastard Lin Hao is definitely doing this on purpose! He’s intentionally making things difficult for me!’

However, Yan Duanwen didn’t dare to agree. He knew the moment he’d flicked his sleeve that he couldn’t break the restrictions on the two of them. If he rashly agreed, he would definitely make a fool of himself.

’Such a profound restriction could never have been placed by an ordinary person.’

Yan Duanwen immediately thought of Cang Yan.

’It seems that old fellow Cang Yan has been with Lin Hao this whole time!’

This thought startled Yan Duanwen, and he decided against using the methods he had originally prepared.

"Their cultivation levels are not low, so it’s better to be cautious. Lin Hao, I already gave you a chance. You didn’t cherish it, so you can’t blame me. Please leave the Saint Institute immediately, or you will face the consequences." Yan Duanwen spoke, intending to expel Lin Hao from the Saint Institute.

With reason on his side, Yan Duanwen wasn’t afraid of Cang Yan showing up to cause trouble.

"Elder Yan..." Duan Wushuang started to speak but was cut off by Yan Duanwen.

"Vice Dean, you know the rules of the Saint Institute. Surely you wouldn’t knowingly break them."

"Elder Yan, you’re mistaken. The rules of the Saint Institute must be followed," Duan Wushuang said.

Hearing this, a smile appeared on Yan Duanwen’s face.

But then, Duan Wushuang’s tone changed abruptly. "However, when Lin Hao entered the Saint Institute, an agreement was made. As long as he can leave his name on the Holy Stele, he can become an official disciple of the Saint Institute. The Institute’s agreements must also be honored, wouldn’t you say, Elder Yan?"

"Hahaha, the Vice Dean is absolutely right. I have no objections." Yan Duanwen laughed heartily.

Not only would he not refuse this proposal, but he would also support it with both hands.

Lin Hao was merely at the Soul Gathering Realm First Layer. For him to leave his name on the Holy Stele was simply a fool’s dream.

"Lin Hao, don’t say I’m being unreasonable. I’ll give you five—no, ten days to prepare. As long as you can leave your name on the Holy Stele, you can become an official disciple of the Saint Institute," Yan Duanwen said magnanimously.

Ten days seemed like a long time, but Yan Duanwen absolutely refused to believe that anyone could advance from the Soul Gathering Realm First Layer to the Second Layer in that time.

And as long as he didn’t advance to the Second Layer of Soul Gathering Realm, Lin Hao would have absolutely no chance of leaving his name on the Holy Stele.

After all, everyone who had managed to leave their name on the Holy Stele was a peerless genius.

Even Liu Tian, who was currently ranked last on the Holy Stele, possessed the cultivation of the Second Layer of Soul Gathering Realm.

Furthermore, his Second Layer was not comparable to an ordinary one. There were many disciples at the Second Layer of Soul Gathering Realm in the Saint Institute, yet Liu Tian had emerged victorious even after enduring a series of continuous battles. He had truly achieved invincibility among his peers in the Saint Institute!

Yan Duanwen was aware of Lin Hao’s combat strength, but he also believed that if Liu Tian had faced the same opponents, the result would have been equally without suspense.

Now, with Liu Tian being a whole layer higher in realm than Lin Hao, he would be the absolute victor in a fight against him.

The chance to let Liu Tian humiliate Lin Hao and vent some of his own frustration was something Yan Duanwen couldn’t ask for more.

The thought of Lin Hao’s humiliation ten days from now put Yan Duanwen in a great mood, and a smile crept onto his face.

But immediately, Yan Duanwen’s smile froze, because Lin Hao had spoken.

"There’s no need for ten days. I’m a busy man," Lin Hao said calmly.

Yan Duanwen was stunned. "You’re not agreeing?" he asked.

The more decisive Lin Hao was, the more annoyed Yan Duanwen became. He couldn’t bear the thought of not being able to see the scene he had envisioned.

"Elder Yan, how old might you be this year?" Lin Hao asked instead of answering.

The question came so suddenly that Yan Duanwen didn’t even have time to react. He answered subconsciously, "I am two hundred and fifty years old this year."

For a Martial Artist who had reached the Soul Gathering Realm, a lifespan of several hundred years was normal, so Yan Duanwen’s age was actually still quite young.

Lin Hao nodded, a look of feigned understanding on his face. "Two hundred and fifty years old... and still so slow on the uptake. No wonder your intelligence is so questionable. What I meant was, I’m busy, so we can start right now."

"You!" Yan Duanwen was driven mad with rage, but the thought of Cang Yan possibly lurking in the shadows forced him to suppress his anger.

"Right now? Lin Hao actually wants to challenge Liu Tian right now?"

"I thought I misheard! He’s being too arrogant!"

"Maybe he knows he can’t beat Senior Brother Liu Tian even with ten days to prepare, so he’s resorting to this desperate move."

"That makes sense. Liu Tian’s combat strength is just too immense. I even get the feeling he wasn’t using his full power last time, that he still has tricks up his sleeve."

"..."

When the countless disciples of the Saint Institute heard Lin Hao’s words, the crowd instantly erupted.

In the end, however, almost no one was optimistic about Lin Hao’s chances. After all, Liu Tian’s performance a few days ago had been too perfect.

In the battle to leave his name on the Holy Stele, Liu Tian had endured a three-day gauntlet of challengers. When he finally emerged victorious, people realized that he had defeated every single disciple at the Second Layer of Soul Gathering Realm in the Saint Institute! He had truly become invincible among his peers!

Although Lin Hao’s combat strength was also extraordinary, he was an entire layer lower in realm. In their eyes, the two couldn’t even be compared.