Pan Hongji’s fierce eyes widened, his thick lips fully agape, surprise and astonishment bouncing visibly within his pupils.

"A Battle Heart?" Pan Hongxuan observed Gan Jing with curiosity for a moment, then turned back to ask, "Has he already entered the Demon Slaying Realm?"

"No..." Pan Hongji suppressed the shock on his face, his eyes still fixed on Gan Jing. "That’s what surprises me. He clearly only has the strength of the Fifth Stage of Demon Subjugation, so how can he possess a Battle Heart?"

"Fifth Stage of Demon Subjugation? Possessing a Battle Heart?" Pan Hongxuan exclaimed, his voice rising. "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Without Demon Slaying strength, possessing a Battle Heart is impossible—that is the iron law of the Warrior world!"

Pan Hongji rested his hand under his chin, scrutinizing Gan Jing again before nodding slightly. "That's right, it's an iron law that has never been broken. But today, I have seen it. I have seen someone break that iron law: Fifth Stage of Demon Subjugation, yet possessing a Battle Heart."

Gan Jing stared at Pan Hongji, stunned, the fine hairs on his back erupting with cold sweat, a chill incessantly rising and moving through his spine.

A warrior's true strength is only revealed when they actively unleash it. At least, after reaching the Demon Taming Warrior Realm, the warrior's Battle Meridian generates a unique ability that conceals their level of power.

Even Fabredis, who had reached the Saint Realm, could not clearly discern the true strength of others.

But today, someone had seen it! And seen it completely, even seeing something as profoundly hidden as a Battle Heart with crystal clarity.

A single term flashed rapidly through Gan Jing's mind—a term he had only ever encountered in the notes of his distant ancestors: The All-Unraveling Eye!

Legend claimed it was a special ability awakened in Nine-Headed Serpent lineage warriors under certain specific circumstances! It was heralded as capable of piercing through anyone's true strength! One of the Ten Great Supreme Eyes!

As for what other abilities the All-Unraveling Eye possessed, the Gan family's ancestral notes offered no record, yet they vaguely hinted that to be counted among the Ten Great Supreme Eyes, it had to be far more than simply seeing through others’ strength—it possessed hidden, special capabilities.

"The... the All-Unraveling Eye..." Gan Jing hadn't expected to run into this legendary eye, which was rumored to appear far less frequently than the Demonic Eye of Destruction.

Pan Hongji’s eyes flickered with an unusual curiosity. "You actually know about the All-Unraveling Eye? It seems you haven't skimped on your reading material lately, have you?"

The All-Unraveling Eye? Duan Fengbuer’s eyes shone with a brilliant luster as he stared intently at Pan Hongji’s eyes, then secretly glanced at Chekerfilit beside him. If the Demonic Eye of Destruction could be installed onto Gan Jing, then what about the All-Unraveling Eye? One of the legendary Ten Great Supreme Eyes!

"Oh? None of you are weak, are you?" Pan Hongji’s gaze swept across the group before settling back on Gan Jing, asking curiously, "Why are you so nervous? You weren't nervous when you first saw me, nor when I saw through your strength. Why the sudden tension?"

Nervous? Gan Jing tried to steady his anxious heart. How could he not be nervous? The All-Unraveling Eye! And beside him were a Human-Demon hybrid and a royal from the Demon race! Who knew if the All-Unraveling Eye, besides seeing through strength, could also distinguish Human-Demons? If the trump cards of these two demons were exposed... Thankfully, Gan Jing’s tension gradually subsided—it seemed the legendary All-Unraveling Eye had, at least, failed to see through the identity of these two demons.

"Hmm? Your mood has stabilized again." The doubt in Pan Hongji’s pupils vanished with a faint smile. Everyone had secrets they didn't want revealed; investigating those secrets required discretion. Only a fool would persist in showing suspicion toward the subject.

"Very well," Pan Hongji clapped his hands. "Now you can tell me why you went to such lengths to see me."

Simple, direct, decisive!

Gan Jing began to understand why this contemporary head of the Nine-Headed Serpent lineage was hailed by so many as the leader who could elevate the Pan family's strength and influence once more.

This simplicity, directness, and decisiveness exuded confidence and magnanimity! Only those who lacked self-assurance would speak haltingly or waste time with irrelevant chatter, beating around the bush.

"My friend, Duan Fengbuer," Gan Jing raised his hand in introduction. "He is about to undergo the Second Stage Awakening and wishes to use the Pan family's altar."

Second Stage Awakening? Pan Hongji looked at Duan Fengbuer with surprise. "Another natural awakening?"

"No," Duan Fengbuer shook his head lightly. "With Gan Jing's help."

"Oh?" Pan Hongji’s gaze returned to Gan Jing. "A truly surprising young man."

Pan Hongxuan’s attention also locked onto Gan Jing—a Battle Heart! This young man actually possessed a Battle Heart, and now he could help Duan Fengbuer and Pan Mengyun awaken their bloodline powers. Was he truly a mysterious Alchemist? Or did he have a mysterious Alchemist assisting him from behind the scenes? It must be the latter—a mysterious Alchemist helper!

Pan Hongji shifted his attention back to Duan Fengbuer. "Have you truly considered returning to the family? I can apologize to you on behalf of the previous Patriarch. As long as you prove yourself capable, you can still vie for the position of Pan family head. All of your friends can become esteemed Guests of the family."

Lin Ahm finally grasped the formidable nature of Pan Hongji. Agreeing to apologize in his capacity as Patriarch and offering a chance to contend for the headship—these incentives were substantial enough, yet he topped them off with the offer of Guest status.

Guest (Keqing) was a peculiar position within large families, rarely bestowed. This title meant one didn't have to perform regular duties but would receive the privileges of an Elder, along with abundant resources like Battle Stones and Battle Crystals, which greatly aided power advancement.

Of course, Guests were typically reserved for sworn brothers of key family figures.

Although it was said they required no work, when their sworn brothers needed aid, how could these Guests refuse to step forward? Their status was far higher than that of a retainer (Huchong), and to be a Guest within a prestigious family like the Nine-Headed Serpent lineage brought glory to the entire Guest's family.

"That is indeed a fine offer," Duan Fengbuer shrugged. "Not just for me, but for all my friends. The terms are very tempting."

Pan Hongji sighed. "It seems you are still unmoved. In that case, Gan Jing, you must know the Pan family rules?"

"Rules are made by men." (Support the tall building, click to subscribe and vote.)

"Offer me terms that satisfy me, and I can make an exception this one time."

"A thousand sets of Awakening Potion."

"A good offer, but..." Pan Hongji shook his head slightly. "Not enough."

A thousand sets aren't enough? Lin Ahm stared blankly at Pan Hongji. This was truly a great family!

Gan Jing raised his hand. "Patriarch, name your counteroffer."

"I want to meet one person—the one who created this mysterious potion," Pan Hongji wiggled his index finger. "Add that, and your condition will be sufficient."

Lin Ahm watched Gan Jing and Pan Hongji negotiate, shaking his head slightly and sighing. Their perspectives were different! Even their methods of negotiation were different! Merchants constantly probed each other's bottom lines, calculating the price, but these two were direct and frank; their words weren't just decisive, but more importantly, they exuded a grand spirit!

Pan Hongxuan gazed dazedly at Gan Jing. Where did this kid pop up from? Not only was he entirely unfazed while negotiating with the Patriarch, but he also projected an aura that was in no way inferior to the Patriarch’s own commanding presence! The Patriarch acquired his aura after experiencing countless grand scenes and meeting countless powerhouses. Was this young man purely gifted by nature?

Gan Jing smiled faintly at Pan Hongji. Luckily, having faced strange beings like Uncle Black every day in the Endless World, he was long accustomed to confronting powerhouses from various domains—otherwise, he might have easily submitted to the aura of the Pan family head.

A faint, confident smile played on Pan Hongji’s lips. The young man was quite shrewd. Starting with a massive figure like a thousand sets was intended to shock his opponent mentally, while still leaving himself room for maneuver.

A thousand sets, once used, would be completely gone! Then, when Duan Fengbuer needed the Third Stage Awakening, he would have to negotiate again—where was the sense in that?

The reason he had already decided to lend the altar to Duan Fengbuer was to let him experience the benefits of this second marvelous altar, creating a dependence on it so that he could be lured back into the family.

The creator! Pan Hongji gripped the armrest of the rattan chair, his hand tightening slightly. As long as he could meet the potion's creator, he was certain he could persuade them to join the Pan family’s ranks. Then they would have an endless supply of potions, and the Pan family would truly surpass the three ultimate bloodline families of the True Strategy Imperial Dynasty.

"Patriarch, congratulations," Gan Jing pointed to his own nose. "You have met him. Now you can take us to the altar."

"What?" Pan Hongxuan practically bounced off his seat, his eyes wide with shock as he looked at Gan Jing. Wasn't this kid a warrior? A freak warrior with a Battle Heart who hadn't reached the Demon Slaying Realm? A monster with the terrifying strength of the Fifth Stage of Demon Subjugation without even unlocking his bloodline power?

Pan Hongji’s body, which had been as steady as a mountain, instantly shuddered. His All-Unraveling Eye, seemingly capable of seeing through everything in the world, filled with utter astonishment.

A mysterious potion? Pan Hongji made no move to mask the shock in his eyes, scanning Gan Jing up and down. This kid was even more staggering than the intelligence gathered by the family suggested: Fifth Stage of Demon Subjugation, and a Battle Heart! Now... now this kid was also the mysterious potion maker?

Where did he find the time? There were many geniuses in this world, but geniuses were only geniuses within their self-proclaimed domains; outside those fields, they might be pure idiots, perhaps even worse than idiots.

How could one person achieve genius-level mastery in two separate domains completely incongruous with their age? Pan Hongji’s chest rose and fell rapidly. As the head of the Nine-Headed Serpent lineage family, he had witnessed far too many strange events, met too many geniuses, and survived too many major scenes!

ps: I was supposed to advertise two new books for friends a few days ago, but due to some family matters, I was extremely busy every time I tried to upload and kept forgetting.

Niucangtian’s new book, God of Slaughter, by an author whose three books have broken ten thousand subscriptions.

Zhang Junbao’s Master of Romance, currently the strongest author in the Urban genre on Qidian.

Additionally, yesterday I saw a friend write an excellent side story for Riding the Wind and Waves. I took the liberty of transplanting it into the supplementary materials section. If anyone wants to read it, you can check it out there. I welcome anyone who wants to write parodies or fanfiction; I will feature any good ones I find in the supplementary materials section. (To be continued, support the author, support genuine reading!)