The bustling long street was dominated by the imposing mansion, before which lay two tracks etched into the ground, each easily ten meters long. The hard-wearing soldier’s fatigues were completely shredded at the knees from the long, arduous crawl.

On the relatively open plaza before the colossal estate, passersby watched with astonishment as Gan Jin knelt, repeatedly striking his head against the stone. One sound, and then another, and then another… The impact of his forehead against the pavement echoed with the resounding boom of a massive drum being struck by a heavy mallet.

Qian Cheng’s smile, fixed upon the ground, abruptly froze; his neck felt as if it had been fitted with a steel rod as he slowly, painstakingly lifted his head to gaze upon the young man kowtowing before him. His eyes, having suffered significant decline in vision, were forced to narrow, craning his neck forward just to see the one performing the obeisance.

“Gan… Gan Jin…” The rigid structure of Qian Cheng’s smile melted in an instant, like ice giving way to spring thaw; the deep furrows on his face rapidly spread outwards as the arms resting on his legs trembled, slowly rising to touch the face of the now-looking-up Gan Jin. Gan Jin!

Yes, it was Gan Jin! Qian Cheng’s arms shook with even greater violence.

Was he dreaming again? For three years, he had dreamt countless times of his son returning—his disillusioned son now radiating vibrant heroism, having finally stepped out of the shadow of his failed Bloodline Awakening, becoming a true warrior, and coming home to the Gan family.

His hands, rough as ancient tree bark, gently cupped Gan Jin’s face; the genuine contact transmitted a faint warmth through his skin. “Dad.” Gan Jin looked up at his father, seated upon the stone hitching post by the door.

In only three short years, his father looked as if he had aged a full decade, the relentless march of time having carved deep ravines onto his face as if wielded by a knife and chisel. Qian Cheng desperately wanted to ask the young man whose face he held between his palms, “Is it truly you?” But between a father and son bound by such deep understanding, there was no need for useless pleasantries.

When his son was truly near, even with his eyes closed, he would know it was his boy. In this True Command Dynasty, no other soul would ever kneel before him, the mere horse groomer, except his own son!

If it were merely physical strain, three years would never have wrought such premature aging; this was the exhaustion of the spirit. “You’re back so soon?” A slight dampness gathered in Qian Cheng’s dry eyes as his aged, bark-like hand gently patted Gan Jin’s shoulder.

“Stand up, let your father see you. How have you fared these past few years?” Gan Jin pushed off the ground with his hands and slowly rose.

Qian Cheng nodded gently, a relieved smile gracing his face. Years apart, his son had grown taller, his body even more powerfully built than before, exuding an ineffable, burgeoning vitality.

“Good. Very good.” Qian Cheng nodded, squinting slightly.

As long as his son prospered, as long as his son was happy, then for a father, everything was worth it! Gan Jin had so many things he wanted to say, but looking at his father’s relieved and joyful gaze, he found himself momentarily speechless, unsure where to even begin.

“Is this Elder Gan Jin? I am a friend of his, Duan Feng Bu’er.” “Fen Tu Kuang Ge.” “Chak (Chek).” Simple introductions, upright bearing, radiating an intimidating, burgeoning energy.

More joy bloomed in Qian Cheng’s eyes. Having spent so long within the Gan family, even those not born as warriors developed a keen eye; these three youths were clearly not ordinary young fighters.

“Dad, I’m here to take you away this time.” Gan Jin crouched down, gripping Qian Cheng’s arms tightly. “I am now a warrior of the Torrent Fortress in Yongliu City, and concurrently, a student warrior at the War College for Conquest.

I have become an accomplished warrior…” “Where is Qian Cheng? Hurry and bring my horse!

If I miss my reporting time, I’ll flay you alive! Do you have time for chatting?

Don’t forget your station!” A voice brimming with arrogance rang out sharply from the entrance of the Gan family mansion, brutally cutting off Gan Jin’s words. Gan Jin looked up at the young man standing at the threshold of the grand residence.

His purple warrior attire clung tightly to his body, outlining the contours of his muscles, and a greatsword, half a foot wide and four feet long, hung at his waist. A condescending look!

Purely from the periphery of his vision, a gaze that treated those below as mere ants crawling on the earth. This was the unique manner of observation belonging to the Gan family.

Gan Jin was intimately familiar with this way of viewing others. With the powerful Elven King Bloodline, across the long river of time, glory had been irrevocably etched into the soul of every Gan, and pride and arrogance were deeply carved into their very bones.

Gan Ji! Gan Jin recognized the young warrior from the Gan family before him; he was of the same generation as Gan Li.

Oh, right! He shouldn't be called Gan Ji anymore, but rather Gan Wuji!

The warriors of the Gan family who awakened their Bloodline Power in this generation would insert the character 'Wu' in the middle of their names! With slender black eyebrows, a sharply jutting nose bridge, and a broad forehead, Gan Wuji exuded an aura of sharpness, as keen as a razor’s edge.

“Oh?” Gan Wuji’s eyebrows, thin as whips, arched slightly. “Isn’t this Gan Jin?

What, couldn’t make it outside, and now you’re back to the Gan family to beg for your supper?” Couldn't make it? Beg for supper?

Gan Jin smiled. People from a family boasting an Elven King Bloodline—a line nearly invincible—were educated from birth that the Gan family was always the best, the strongest!

To be a member of the Gan clan, to serve its Bloodline warriors, was the highest honor. “What are you smiling at?” Gan Wuji felt a sharp, whip-like sting in his heart watching Gan Jin’s composed, almost mocking smile.

This expression was not unfamiliar! Gan Wuji scrutinized Gan Jin closely.

When they were children, all branch descendants living in the outer courtyards, he and a few peers had been beating Gan Li, and Gan Jin, passing by, had worn that exact same smile. “If you’re a man, then it’s one-on-one.” Back then, Gan Jin had beaten all the peers to the ground, and the smile he left behind was precisely this one, perhaps even more scornful.

Yes! It was this smile!

Gan Wuji slowly clenched his fists; he hated that expression more than anything in his life! In the half-year since becoming a Bloodline warrior, even within the Gan family, he hadn’t been spared this look from other Elven King Bloodline warriors.

Disdain. Scorn.

Contempt! “If it’s a Bloodline warrior awakened during the ceremony who looks down on me, fine…” Gan Wuji took a deep breath, his chest heaving, staring down at Gan Jin.

“But someone like him, who couldn't even awaken his Bloodline Power—what right does he have to look at me that way?” “Qian Cheng! Why are you still squatting there?

Do you want a whipping?” Gan Wuji suddenly roared, amplifying his voice. “Get over here now and be my footstool!” Qian Cheng hurriedly braced himself on his knees with both hands to rise, but he felt the powerful grip of Gan Jin’s hands pressed onto his shoulders.

Get over here? Whipping?

Gan Jin lifted his head slightly, looking coldly at Gan Wuji and the mansion gate behind him, which resembled the maw of some giant beast. Was this the treatment his father received in the Gan family?

The Gan family! He must endure!

It wouldn't be difficult to strike out—a burst of Dou Qi, a flash of combat power, and he could fight—but this time, he was here to take his father away… True filial piety meant safely escorting his father out of the Gan family, not starting a fight over a single insult. Most things in this world aren’t worth a man bending his straight back for, but matters concerning his mother and father—even kneeling on knees worth ten thousand taels of gold—were worth it!

“Dad, stop staying at the Gan family anymore,” Gan Jin said softly, shaking his head. “Come with me.

Let’s live somewhere else.” When Gan Wuji’s icy gaze met Gan Jin’s, his heart felt as if struck by a heavy hammer, and his body instinctively staggered. Driven by the pride and glory of the Elven King Bloodline, he did not retreat, but slowly brought his raised foot back to its original position.

Leave? Gan Wuji felt a surge of irritation.

His knees bent slightly, his ankle pivoting, and he swiftly moved to stand squarely in the path of Gan Jin’s intended departure. “Leave?

What do you take the Gan family for? You can come and go as you please?

Qian Cheng is the Gan family’s old house slave; you think you can just say you’re taking him?” Gan Jin watched Gan Wuji calmly. In any other circumstance, even standing at the Gan family gate, he would have unhesitatingly landed a punch on that face, making him understand the price of arrogance.

But not today. Getting his father out was the priority!

Gan Jin took a deep breath. “Gan Wuji, if I recall the Gan family rules correctly, there is no clause forbidding a Gan family member from leaving, is there?” “Don’t talk to me about Gan family rules.” Gan Wuji spread his right hand wide and waved it forcefully through the air.

“You are no longer part of the Gan family; you have no right to discuss our rules with me. Qian Cheng, are you still not getting over here!” The hand Gan Wuji waved suddenly transformed in the air; his five fingers became the claws of a giant raptor.

As his Dou Qi and strength surged instantly, his knuckles cracked with sharp snaps, and the claw descended toward Qian Cheng’s left shoulder! This grab was immensely heavy; forget a normal person’s shoulder, even a piece of timber would be snapped clean by the force of Gan Wuji’s fingers.

Shatter bone! Gan Wuji was enraged that under Gan Jin’s intimidating stare, he had nearly retreated.

He had to strike! Only by taking action—by crushing his father’s shoulder bone right in front of Gan Jin—could he wash away the moment of perceived humiliation.

Seeking death! The suppressed rage in Gan Jin’s heart exploded instantly.

No one could stand by and watch their father be struck! Gan Jin’s shoulder subtly twitched, as if a current of electricity had shot through his body.

His arm shot up, the wrist simultaneously flipping his palm from outward to inward, pressing down, and then hooking! Like a striking viper attacking a mouse passing before it, he bit down onto Gan Wuji’s wrist, following through with a sharp downward sweep!

In that instant, Gan Wuji’s heart leaped wildly. In his eyes, Gan Jin’s arm resembled a venomous snake on the hunt, resembling either a Beast Fighting Technique or the most primitive state of a true wild beast.

ps: Zha Feng Yun has gained three more Alliance Leaders, which truly makes Gao Lou feel humbled. This isn't about showing off; I'll be honest, my updates were unstable recently, and the volume wasn't large, yet friends continue to support Gao Lou so generously—truly humbling.

Thanks to Invincible Handsome Guy, Prajñā Cāndra, and Dawn’s Awakening Echo. Many friends have asked in the group when the explosive release will be.

Well, I’ll tell you: March 20, 2011, from 11 AM until 8 PM, a new chapter will drop every hour. That day, ten chapters will be unleashed.

Report finished; I’m going to rest now. I have a cold, a fever, a runny nose, and my entire body aches terribly.