Ten Thousand Dragons Technique-Chapter 348: Widespread Doubt! Is Lin Xuan No Match?

News from the Imperial City spread, shaking the entire world.

"Heavens, am I hearing things? Lin Xuan is actually still alive!"

"Lin Xuan? Which Lin Xuan?"

"Champion Marquis Lin Xuan!"

"That's impossible. Wasn't he captured by a King inside the Ancient Relic? How could he possibly have gotten out alive?"

"It's true! Lin Xuan appeared in the Imperial City. All the geniuses there saw him, so it can't be fake."

"Good heavens, this is completely heaven-defying."

"He actually managed to escape from the clutches of a King!"

"It's unbelievable."

In an instant, people all across the Great Xia Country were frantically discussing Lin Xuan.

「Pill Tower」

The Tower Master was exhilarated when he heard the news. Lin Xuan was not only a martial arts genius but also a prodigy in alchemy. The fact that he was still alive was truly wonderful news.

「Heavenly Dao Academy」

Many of the elders also received the news and began to discuss it excitedly.

"Have you heard? Lin Xuan is still alive!"

"I just got the message. It's too incredible."

"Hahahaha!" The Wangyue Pavilion Master threw his head back and laughed. "Lin Xuan is alive! This is truly marvelous!" He was overcome with excitement.

「On the other side, Star Pavilion」

When the Star Pavilion Master heard this news, his face instantly turned pale. What? Lin Xuan is still alive? How can this be? Damn it, not even a King could kill him? The Star Pavilion Master gritted his teeth in frustration.

...

Wonderful! I knew that kid wouldn't die so easily! Feng Qingxue was equally thrilled.

Bai Qianqian of the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower and Yu Shiqie of the Yu Family were also moved to tears of joy upon receiving the news.

「Cloud Sea City, Lin Family」

When they learned Lin Xuan was alive, the entire family was instantly stunned. Everyone stood frozen like puppets for a moment before they burst out in joyous cries.

"The Young Master is alive! Hahaha, this is truly wonderful!"

"I knew it! The Young Master is blessed by the heavens. How could he possibly have fallen?"

The Grand Elder even knelt to the ground. "The heavens be praised!"

「Sword Casting Manor」

The Manor Master also laughed heartily upon hearing the news. "Young Friend Lin is still alive! This is fantastic news. I must have a drink to celebrate."

While Lin Xuan's friends and family were overjoyed, his enemies gritted their teeth so hard they nearly spat blood.

Soon after, another piece of news spread from the Imperial City across the entire land: in three days, Lin Xuan would face Gu Linfeng in a decisive battle!

In an instant, the world was shocked again.

Everyone was dumbfounded. They never expected Lin Xuan to challenge Gu Linfeng so soon after returning. Was he going to challenge him? Could he possibly succeed? Was he trying to turn the tide all by himself? While some were thrilled, others were deeply worried.

"Gu Linfeng is incredibly strong. Even experts at the late two-star stage are no match for him. Can Lin Xuan really win?"

"Indeed. Even though Lin Xuan survived, it doesn't mean he can defeat Gu Linfeng."

"That's not necessarily true. If Lin Xuan dares to accept the challenge, he must have some confidence. Maybe he had a fortuitous encounter in the Ancient Relic and his misfortune turned into a great blessing." 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"It's possible his strength has increased dramatically, or maybe he obtained a powerful King's Divine Weapon."

There was much speculation as to what trump cards Lin Xuan might have. But soon, another report circulated, claiming that Lin Xuan's current cultivation was only that of a seven-star Martial General and that he possessed no King's Divine Weapon.

When this information came out, the world was in an uproar. Countless people were stunned.

What? No powerful trump cards? Then how could he fight Gu Linfeng? Wasn't that just suicide? The crowd's initial excitement was instantly extinguished, as if doused by a bucket of cold water.

Soon enough, someone stepped forward to question Lin Xuan publicly. It was a Grandmaster from the Star Pavilion of the Heavenly Dao Academy.

This Grandmaster said, "The fact that Lin Xuan is alive is certainly something to be happy about. However, he is far too arrogant and ignorant of his own limitations. Even though Lin Xuan is also a disciple of the Heavenly Dao Academy, I must say that he is no match for Gu Linfeng. The strength Gu Linfeng is currently demonstrating is at the peak of the two-star stage. Such power is absolutely at the apex of the younger generation; he is unmatched. Other than our Star Pavilion's peerless prodigy, Chu Zhongtian, no one should be able to contend with Gu Linfeng.

"Lin Xuan's previous greatest achievement was only killing an early two-star expert. He is far, far from the peak two-star level—the gap is as wide as the heavens and the earth. He has no powerful weapon in his hands, so what will he use to fight Gu Linfeng? I can even say without reservation that Lin Xuan challenging Gu Linfeng is an act of self-humiliation."

With these words, the disciples of the Star Pavilion all chimed in.

"Yes, he's completely overestimating himself."

"Lin Xuan challenging Gu Linfeng? If he can pull that off, then I can become a Grandmaster."

"Lin Xuan is playing with fire! He's the Champion Marquis. If he can't even withstand a single move from Gu Linfeng in three days, won't he bring complete shame upon the Great Xia Country?"

"Indeed, what gives Lin Xuan the right?"

"He is not worthy of challenging Gu Linfeng."

"That's right. I admit that Great Xia has hidden, powerful geniuses, but Lin Xuan is definitely not one of them."

"I think Lin Xuan should apologize immediately and cancel the challenge."

All sorts of mockery and sarcasm came flooding in from every direction. When the public saw that even the Heavenly Dao Academy's Star Pavilion had no faith in Lin Xuan, they too began to voice their doubts.

The Prince's Mansion was ecstatic when they saw this. This was a perfect opportunity to suppress Lin Xuan. If they could force Lin Xuan to cancel the duel, they would have a chance to make their own move. Thinking of this, the Prince's Mansion quickly mobilized its forces to publicly denounce Lin Xuan.

Soon, allies and affiliates of the Prince's Mansion began to speak out. They accused Lin Xuan of being arrogant and ignorant, claiming he would cause the Great Xia Country to suffer a humiliating defeat from which it could never recover. Some even said that Lin Xuan might become a sinner for all time.

The Celestial King of the Prince's Mansion also spoke, his voice cold. "I have cultivated for many years and have seen countless geniuses, but I have never seen one so arrogant and ignorant of his own limits. I don't know how he managed to come out of the Ancient Relic alive, but I know for certain that he is absolutely no match for Gu Linfeng. In the battle three days from now, his defeat is guaranteed. He won't even be able to block a single move."

Many people quickly echoed his sentiment. "The Celestial King himself has spoken! Lin Xuan definitely doesn't stand a chance."

"The Celestial King holds the rank of King, and an exceptionally formidable one at that. His judgment is incredibly sharp."

"If even he doesn't think Lin Xuan can win, it seems his defeat is inevitable!"

"Hmph, I don't think he can win either."

"What gives Lin Xuan the right to represent Great Xia?"

"He's not worthy!"

The opposition wasn't limited to the Martial Arts Realm; Alchemy Masters from the Alchemy Realm also came forward to voice their dissent.

A 30-year-old fourth-grade Alchemy Master—a true prodigy in his field with a limitless future—spoke up. He was a disciple of the Pill King. Previously, the Pill King's youngest disciple, Song Tiange, had been defeated by Lin Xuan at the Alchemy Master conference. Because of this, their entire lineage under the Pill King resented Lin Xuan. Now that they had an opportunity, they naturally wouldn't miss the chance to kick him while he was down.

This fourth-grade Alchemy Master sneered, "This Lin Xuan has only reached his current status through sheer luck. Otherwise, with his own strength, he could never have achieved such a standing. But his good luck won't last forever. Just you watch. In three days, he will be utterly defeated. No amount of luck will be able to save him then."

One after another, powerful experts and major figures stepped forward to accuse and question Lin Xuan. In an instant, Lin Xuan was thrust into the center of a raging storm of controversy.