Crystals, known as "Xuan Dan," naturally form within the bodies of Xuan Beasts above the third rank. Xuan Beasts above the seventh rank possess the remarkable ability to absorb the energy from the Xuan Dans condensed within other animals, thereby facilitating their own rapid growth!

However, this very fact made the young of seventh-rank and higher Xuan Beasts exceedingly rare, fetching astronomical prices the moment one appeared! As for the young of eighth-rank and higher Xuan Beasts? They were simply things of legend, impossible to acquire on the open market! For at least the last few decades, no one had even been rumored to possess a young Xuan Beast above the eighth rank.

High-level Xuan Beasts were mainly concentrated deep within the Heavenly Punishment Forest, a perilous region where even Supreme Divine Xuan masters dared not venture! The Heavenly Punishment Forest spanned vast, seemingly endless territory, occupying nearly a quarter of the continent's landmass! The outer regions hosted mostly weaker Xuan Beasts and common wild beasts, but the deeper one traveled, the more treacherous it became. Moreover, if one encountered a high-level Xuan Beast and couldn't defeat it, a mere flick of its tail would send it fleeing—in the Heavenly Punishment Forest, it was a paradise for high-level Xuan Beasts, impossible to track! If one's strength was insufficient, there wouldn't even be a hope of escaping alive!

To obtain the young of an eighth-rank Xuan Beast, one would need at least three masters above the Heavenly Xuan rank, who would have to defeat at least two adult eighth-rank Xuan Beasts—how could that be easy? Furthermore, the defense of Xuan Beasts was far more formidable than that of the average human Heavenly Xuan master! Not to mention, what if they encountered not just two, but a pack... even a Supreme Divine Xuan master would perish among them!

Any master in the world who reached the Heavenly Xuan level was already a dominant figure or a person of immense standing. They possessed all the glory and wealth they could desire; why would they undertake a business that put their very heads on the chopping block?

Thus, Old Master Jun felt utterly speechless and close to tears at the proposal.

"Go to the library pavilion; let's see what this fellow has been up to!" Old Master Jun had a persistent feeling that his grandson had been acting strangely these past few days. The two walked side by side, as if on a leisurely stroll, towards the library pavilion.

Upon reaching the library pavilion, they found it empty once more.

"The young master left the library pavilion an hour ago; I don't know where he went," the guard watching the pavilion reported with an expression of helplessness.

The two exchanged glances.

"Let's return to the study," Old Master Jun said, feeling tired and somewhat dispirited. He added casually, "Bring all the books he was reading just now over to me."

Just as Old Master Tang, with a large retinue, was making his way to the Li and Meng families to demand justice for his grandson, and just as Old Master Jun Zhantian was consumed with worry for his own grandson—

Within the Li family compound, Li Youran's tall, slender figure stood elegantly beneath a peony tree, his white robes immaculate. A faint, gentle smile played upon his handsome, nearly perfect face, his gaze fixed with deep affection and persistence toward the distant, cloud-swollen sky, remaining silent for a long time.

A soft, warm breeze swept past, making Li Youran’s robes billow, rendering his entire presence akin to a jade pillar rising from a magnificent tower, a celestial bloom—inspiring instant admiration in any who beheld him. Such grace could truly be called a rarity among rare gems, seldom seen in the world!

Before him stood the three brothers, Li Feng and Li Zhen, standing ramrod straight. Although the autumn wind should have been at its most pleasant, the faces of these three were slick with sweat, yet they dared not wipe even a drop away. They let the beads run down their noses, settle on their brows, and sting their eyes. It was intensely uncomfortable, but they dared not even blink.

"What's done is done; saying anything further is useless. Let this matter rest; consider it a stroke of luck for Jun Moxie this time. As for you three..." Li Youran paused here, and the three simultaneously trembled. Though they were all of the next generation in the Li family, these three seemed to fear the gentle young man before them to their very bones. No one had ever seen this young man lose his temper, yet every time they encountered him, they felt icy chills shooting up from their marrow...

"... Each of you will receive forty strokes of the rod, and half a year's allowance will be docked;" Li Youran said with a gentle smile, his movements still graceful and fluid, his eyes gazing into the distance, his expression as soft as rippling spring water: "Starting tomorrow, you will resume your duties as before. Do you understand?"

Receiving forty strokes of the rod would, at the very least, leave their skin torn open, if not break their bones, and tomorrow they were expected to return to their duties as usual... This punishment could be called extremely severe, utterly devoid of any human compassion, especially since the three before him were Li Youran's closely related paternal cousins! Yet, Li Youran stated it so calmly, his tone light and his gaze placid, as if he were not punishing his own cousins, or even three people, but three dispensable dogs...

But Li Feng and the other two acted as if a great pardon had been granted, repeatedly expressing their thanks, as if this punishment were an act of extraordinary mercy, utterly insignificant.

"En, Jun Moxie... Hehe..." Li Youran let out a soft chuckle and said indifferently, "You may go." Only upon hearing those two words did the three dare to move their bodies. They departed with unnatural docility and obedience, each face etched with an expression of profound relief!

"Guards." Li Youran clapped his hands lightly, and instantly, two figures in black appeared silently beside him, bowing to receive orders.

"En, investigate thoroughly how exactly Jun Moxie managed to win the money this time? And what was the reason the Euphoria Powder failed? Also, confirm whether the appearance of Dugu Xiaoyi was truly accidental... Even if Dugu Xiaoyi was present, Jun Moxie still shouldn't have had a chance to win..., once these matters are fully investigated, return and report to me immediately." His voice remained soft and distant, as if he were reluctant to exert even the slightest effort when speaking.

"Yes!" The two black-clad men saluted respectfully. Before they could turn, a man in green clothing rushed over, breathless. He slowed his pace about ten paces from Li Youran, desperately trying to regulate his breathing, his face flushed scarlet; only then did he control his heavy gasps and approach Li Youran: "Reporting to the Young Master, Old Marquis Tang Wanli, along with the Eldest Young Master Tang, and over a hundred men, are currently charging aggressively towards our Li family estate."

"Oh? Turning the tables, are they?" Li Youran raised an eyebrow slightly and murmured, "I didn't expect even Tang Yuan to have such calculating ambition? It seems some previous plans will need adjustment... Hehe... En, go tell Li Zhen and the others that when Old Master Tang asks later, tell him... this and that... Reply accordingly. Also: Execute the family law immediately! Wait until the flogging is halfway done before bringing Old Master Tang to question them." One black-clad man received the order and departed swiftly.

A slight smile curled the corner of Li Youran's lips. He suddenly turned and inquired, "Among the entourage Old Master Tang brought this time, is the person we have been watching present?"

"Yes!" The man in green did not hesitate in the slightest. "There are three."

"Three... That's sufficient;" Li Youran's face broke into a mysterious smile. He looked up at the churning black clouds overhead, a hint of coolness subtly mixing with the already pleasant autumn wind. He sighed softly, murmuring almost inaudibly to himself, "It's about to rain, and now that the Tang family has committed all its elites... perhaps this is a rather opportune moment." Looking up, a rare trace of solemnity appeared in his eyes, and his voice became slightly more urgent: "Notify Qin Hu immediately. Taking advantage of the Tang family's current vulnerability, retrieve that item I mentioned before; success is mandatory, failure is not an option. This is the only chance!" He glanced at the sky again: "Tell him he has this entire afternoon to make arrangements!"

"Tell him to deploy those few people who have never shown themselves. Whether he succeeds or fails, he must not leave the slightest trace!"

"Yes!" The other black-clad man shot away like an arrow.