Bruno's old rival

"Link, it seems that person is calling for you?" Erin reminded him from the side.

"Master, the old man has arrived!" Ron tugged at Link's sleeve and whispered.

But Link turned a blind eye, gritting his teeth as he said, "I... I don't know him!"

Before he could finish his sentence, however, Count Bruno had already approached him directly, flanked by a group of servants.

"Son, ha ha! Surprised to see me? I traveled all the way from Sunset City just to cheer you on. Make sure you put in a good effort and get into the Imperial Academy of Cultivation!" Count Bruno exclaimed loudly, clearly pleased with himself.

Finally, Link mustered the courage to turn around and awkwardly smiled at Bruno, saying, "Dad, what brings you to the capital?"

"Isn't it to give you a surprise? Ha ha!" Bruno chuckled proudly, just about to continue speaking when he suddenly noticed the beautiful Erin standing beside Link, his eyes widening in surprise.

"May I ask who this young lady is...?"

"Link, is he your father?" Erin instinctively asked.

"Well..."

With nowhere to hide and no way to avoid it, Link could only let out a resigned sigh, pointing at Bruno as he introduced him to Erin, "Miss Erin, this is my father, Count Bruno."

After that, he pointed at Erin and introduced her to Bruno, "This is Miss Erin, from the Selhi family."

"What? The 'Selhi' family?"

Bruno was taken aback. As an old noble of the Empire, he had certainly heard of the Selhi family, a well-known family of real power and a hereditary count, far surpassing their own House of Launs in rank!

"Hello, Mr. Bruno," Erin said gracefully, performing a noble's courtesy.

"Miss Erin, no need for such formality," Bruno quickly returned the gesture. He then noticed how close Erin and Link were standing together, and they looked like a perfect match, a talented young man with a beautiful young woman!

Bruno's heart swelled with joy, and he couldn't help but give Link a thumbs up!

"Son, you've finally grown up!"

"Cough!"

Link felt utterly embarrassed, wishing he could kick his eccentric father back to Sunset City!

Fortunately, Erin didn't grasp the implications of Bruno's words and merely looked at him with curiosity.

Seeing this, Link finally breathed a sigh of relief!

Just as Bruno was about to exchange a few pleasantries with Erin, a discordant voice suddenly rang out from not far away.

"Oh, isn't that Count Bruno?"

Accompanied by a cold voice, a middle-aged man with blonde hair and blue eyes approached, accompanied by a young man who bore a striking resemblance to him, along with a group of servants.

"It's you? Count Holt! I didn't expect you to be here too!"

Bruno clearly recognized the newcomer at a glance!

"Ha ha, if you can come, why can't I?" Count Holt replied leisurely, finally reaching Bruno and the others. He pointed at Link with a disdainful smile, saying, "Is this your son? The so-called 'top genius' who took ten minutes to light up his summoner?"

He deliberately emphasized the words "top genius," the sarcasm evident enough for even a fool to understand!

As his words fell, laughter erupted from the Holt family members!

"Holt, you're not welcome here. Please leave!"

Bruno narrowed his eyes and coldly reprimanded.

Holt, like him, held the title of count in the Empire, and their territories were quite close, leading to a long-standing rivalry!

Over the years, Holt's family, the "Quake" family, had constantly sought to annex the Launs estate to elevate their own status!

Fortunately, while Bruno was moderate, he was also cautious and never gave Holt any opportunities.

This infuriated Holt, and seeing Bruno here, he couldn't resist coming over to mock him.

"Tch, this is the Imperial Academy of Cultivation, not your Launs estate. What right do you have to chase me away?"

Ignoring Bruno's request, Holt remained where he was, arms crossed, lazily looking at Bruno.

"Dad, do you know who this dog is?"

At that moment, Link suddenly interjected.

"Did you just call me a dog?"

Holt's expression first froze, then he exploded in anger!

"No, no, no! I didn't call you a dog; that's just my respectful title for you!" Link quickly waved his hands in explanation, his expression as serious as could be, which made Erin beside him unable to suppress a smile!