The crowd congratulated one another as they entered the Cheng Residence main hall, and everyone who saw He Yitian offered effusive praise.

Although they knew that the majority of these compliments were insincere, every face present nonetheless shone with pride, fixed in warm smiles.

The marriage alliance between the Cheng and He families today was, for whatever reason, one of the grandest events in the county town in a decade.

Far more people had arrived to offer congratulations at the Cheng Residence than had come for the elder Mr.

Cheng’s birthday the previous year.

Outside the Cheng Residence, the traffic was a continuous stream, with people shoulder-to-shoulder; inside, the hall was similarly packed to capacity.

Yet, the main hall itself did not feel overly crowded.

Seated in the place of honor, unsurprisingly, was the Elder Mr.

Cheng.

His age and seniority dictated his position; only if Elder He or Elder Xu had arrived in person would he possibly yield his seat.

Beside Elder Mr.

Cheng sat a man and a woman.

Though they maintained a reserved demeanor, their conversation and expressions suggested considerable intimacy; anyone could tell they were a married couple.

Everyone else in the hall had gone out to welcome the He contingent, leaving only these three seated, unmoving as mountains.

He Quanming’s gaze swept over them, and he instantly guessed their identity, yet he bowed slightly and offered, “Elder Mr.

Cheng, I trust you are well.” Cheng Ningsheng stood up with a hearty laugh, ushering them toward the seats like a benevolent elder.

By custom, only the brothers He Quanming and He Quanyi were permitted to occupy the seats of honor.

He Yihai and the other leaders who entered the main hall with them had no choice but to take their places in the lower ranks.

However, as He Quanyi was about to take his seat, he suddenly called out, “Yiming, you come up here as well.” He Yiming paused slightly, his steps faltering.

He Quanyi explained with a genial smile, “Elder Mr.

Cheng, my father instructed me before leaving that Yiming should dine alongside my brother and me.” All eyes immediately shifted to He Yiming.

Among the great families, reputation and seating rank were immensely important.

He Quanyi’s words instantly signaled that He Yiming now held an influence, perhaps even power, comparable to that of the second generation.

This special treatment was something even He Yitian, renowned as the foremost among the third generation of the Three Great Families and a martial artist at the seventh level of Inner Strength, had never experienced.

Feeling the heavy gazes of suspicion, disbelief, and jealousy from the crowd, He Yiming suddenly realized that after enduring several such experiences, he genuinely cared little for their scrutiny.

He Quanming nodded subtly.

Although he resided primarily in the estate, he was well aware of Yiming’s strength and current standing within the family.

Seating He Yiming as an equal to them was in no way an overstep.

He Yiming managed a wry smile.

He had secretly hoped his father would intervene, but instead, the old man had chosen to tacitly agree.

A flash of surprise crossed Cheng Ningsheng’s eyes.

Although he held He Yiming in high regard, the extent of this elevation surpassed his expectations.

Yet, he immediately let out a booming laugh and declared loudly, “Excellent! Heroes emerge young in this world.

Let Yiming take his seat then.” Maintaining a steady smile, He Yiming moved forward with a sense of resignation and entered the seats of honor.

Before everyone was seated, a voice boomed out the announcement: “The Xu Family Fortress—Elder Mr.

Xu Yinjie has arrived…” The announcer did not continue listing names, because the mere mention of Elder Mr.

Xu Yinjie possessed a magic that moved everyone present.

Cheng Ningsheng and his son exchanged glances with He Quanming and the others.

Except for He Yiming, who had already intercepted information about the old man’s personal attendance, everyone else was genuinely shocked and astonished.

In an instant, Cheng Ningsheng slowly rose.

His face settled into an inscrutable expression that betrayed none of his inner joy, anger, sorrow, or pleasure.

He said gravely, “Gentlemen, Xu Yinjie is, after all, the master of the Xu Family.

I shall go out to greet him personally.

Please excuse me for a moment.” The brothers He Quanxin looked at each other and rose simultaneously.

Since the arrival was someone of their father’s generation, and one of the two paramount masters, it was only right that they remain seated no longer.

The group, whose seats were barely warmed, rose again.

However, He Yiming and the others noticed that even upon hearing of the Elder Xu’s personal arrival, the young couple remained seated, completely unmoved.

At once, everyone in the room concluded their identity: who else but guests from the Lin Family of Linlang could possess such audacity and prestige? He Yiming followed the crowd out and immediately heard Xu Yinjie’s hearty laughter.

Though he had heard the man’s voice before, he had never officially met him.

Looking from a distance, he saw an elderly man with a head full of white hair and a face like dried wood, but whose eyes shone brightly, flickering with a stable light.

While lacking ferocity, his reputation demanded that one could not stare directly at him.

And as He Yiming looked, he immediately understood the cultivation technique the elder practiced: it was undoubtedly the Deadwood Art, and it had reached the extremely high level described in the secret manual.

Though not yet at the peak of the tenth level, it was certainly approaching that realm.

The two Cheng Ningsheng father and son smiled and ushered them in.

After a flurry of pleasantries, everyone settled back into their places.

This time, accompanying Elder Xu were Xu Xiangci and Xu Xiangqian, as well as several third-generation disciples, including Xu Yude and Xu Yucai.

However, only the two second-generation masters of the Xu Family were permitted to sit in the foremost seats.

When the Xu contingent saw He Yiming swaggering into the seats of honor, they all displayed looks of profound astonishment.

But in such a formal setting, no one would be rude enough to inquire.

Cheng Ningsheng cleared his throat, stood up, and announced loudly, “Distinguished guests, allow me to introduce the foremost young expert of the Lin Family of Linlang, His Excellency Lin Taoli.

And beside him is my granddaughter, Yan Juan, the elder sister of Yanli.

It is truly an honor for the Cheng family that Yanli’s brother-in-law and sister have come to offer congratulations on her wedding.” Although everyone knew that Cheng Yanjuan marrying Lin Taoli made her a concubine, they were all envious at this moment.

The status of being the foremost young expert of the Lin Family was incredibly prestigious.

To take a Cheng family daughter as a secondary wife did not dishonor the Cheng family at all.

Moreover, Lin Taoli’s personal journey to such a remote place as Taicang County to offer congratulations gave the Cheng family immense face.

Even the most critical observers could only envy the Cheng family’s good fortune.

He Yiming had been discreetly observing Lin Taoli.

The young man appeared to be twenty-seven or twenty-eight, seated calmly, like a towering mountain range, exuding an air of seasoned composure and hidden depth.

Furthermore, his tall physique and refined mannerisms carried a hint of feminine serenity.

When he leaned toward Cheng Yanjuan to speak softly, his gaze was always gentle and smiling, suggesting a sensitive heart that would seemingly never flare in anger.

These gestures were not contrived in the least but arose entirely from within, indicating that he deeply cherished this secondary wife, otherwise, he would hardly have accompanied her on such a long journey.

Cheng Ningsheng continued introducing the guests.

When he mentioned that Elder Xu was a martial artist at the peak of the tenth level, Lin Taoli’s eyes clearly revealed a look of intense interest.

This was the first time he had shown such focus on an individual; clearly, the pinnacle of Inner Strength at the tenth level had captured his attention.

When introducing He Yiming, upon hearing that he was only fifteen years old yet already at the peak of the seventh level of Inner Strength, Lin Taoli was also greatly surprised and spared him a few extra glances.

The two brothers He Quanming exchanged a smile.

In their hearts, Yiming’s Inner Strength cultivation had already reached the eighth level, but reaching the peak of the seventh level already made him peerless among the younger generation, so keeping the eighth level hidden for a few more days was fine.

After the introductions were complete, the banquet began immediately, and the dishes served in the main hall were exquisite.

Three rounds of wine later, the servants pulled down a large red cloth covering a section of the main hall, instantly revealing a stone pedestal stage beneath.

The stage was nearly the same size as the one at the county road intersection—one of the smallest arenas in the Tianluo Kingdom.

A robust man jumped onto the stage, first bowing to the guests seated in the place of honor, and then loudly called out, “Brother Yitian, if you want to marry my sister, you must show some real skill.

Which brother from the He family wants to step up and trade a couple of moves?” A circle began to form distantly, but thanks to the organization of the estate guards, it did not descend into the chaos seen at the street intersection.

The esteemed guests in the main hall, conscious of their status, naturally did not crowd to watch, yet from their seats, they could observe everything.

Those admitted to the main hall were all influential figures in the county.

However, given the martial focus of the Tianluo Kingdom, everyone felt a surge of anticipation at the sight.

He Quanyi whispered, “Yiming, this is Cheng Lanruo, a standout among the Cheng family’s third generation.

Like your second and third elder brothers, he is a master at the sixth level of Inner Strength.” He Yiming nodded slightly.

Despite his own great power, he had little practical experience fighting true external masters, which was why He Quanyi gave the deliberate reminder.

He Yihai set down his wine cup and called out loudly, “Brother Lanruo, I challenge you.” He strode forward, leaped onto the stage from below, and instantly stood on the platform.

He Yihai, who cultivated a fire-elemental technique, ascended the stage with such an unrestrained, heroic air that he immediately won widespread applause; even those in the seats of honor nodded secretly.

This He Yihai had poor luck to be born in the He Family Estate.

Besides always being firmly overshadowed by his elder brother He Yitian, he now had He Yiming, who ranked equally with the second generation in seating status.

Consequently, his reputation among the younger disciples of the Three Great Families was unremarkable.

Yet, his actual strength was formidable; had he been born into one of the other two families, he would already have risen to prominence and been acclaimed as a future star.

Ps: Strongly recommended! Tomorrow three updates totaling nine thousand characters.

White Crane asks for votes, thank you...

[bookid=1429437,bookname=《》]