The Grand Preceptor Li Shang sat withered in his chair, his face a map of deep wrinkles. In recent times, the Grand Preceptor’s health had deteriorated day by day, far from what it once was.

“You Ran, in your estimation, how should our Li family approach the selection of the Earth Clasp this time?” Grand Preceptor Li looked at his grandson.

Li You Ran, cloaked in white robes over his black hair, possessed a face like polished jade; the scar on his cheek had vanished as if by magic. He let out a carefree laugh. “Grandfather, you jest with me again. This is an excellent time to confront the Jun family. It would be best for the Li family to remain entirely uninvolved.”

“Oh? Are you wary of Jun Zhantian?” A complex expression flickered in the Grand Preceptor’s eyes.

“No! I am wary not of Jun Zhantian, nor of the Blood-Clad General Jun Wuyi, but of the Jun Family’s Third Young Master, Jun Mo Xie!” Li You Ran sighed, a touch of melancholy settling on him. “Jun Zhantian, though aged, is fiercely astute and undeniably difficult to deal with; yet, he is a gentleman. Jun Wuyi possesses unparalleled strategy and is invincible in battle, but he too is a man of deep passions. For such individuals, even with their immense power and unrivaled Profound Arts, we understand their weaknesses. A subtle trap can diminish them invisibly. The balance between power and intellect will always favor intellect.”

“But this Jun Mo Xie, he completely bewilders me,” Li You Ran’s lips held a faint, placid smile, though a sliver of doubt pierced his gaze. “For so many years, I have utterly failed to discern what sort of person Jun Mo Xie truly is… or rather, where his vulnerabilities lie!”

“That is a crucial point! Looking back at Jun Mo Xie from his youth until now, he seems riddled with weaknesses! Each one potent enough to be fatal, capable of collapsing the entire Jun family. Yet, now that we genuinely wish to move against him, we discover these flaws were merely illusions! Should we truly strike at those supposed weaknesses, the result would only be counterproductive.”

“Your analysis is sound. This Jun Mo Ye must be observed very carefully,” Grand Preceptor Li Shang coughed twice. He had listened silently while Li You Ran analyzed. Only now did he speak. “But you must remember one thing: though Jun Mo Ye shows no apparent weakness, he is, after all, a young man!”

“A young man? Grandfather, what do you mean by that?” Li You Ran looked puzzled.

“A young man, no matter how talented or gifted, remains driven by raw spirit and is prone to impulse,” Li Shang chuckled. “Even someone as discerning as you were driven to blood-vengeance by just two slaps from Jun Zhantian! You still haven't forgotten! Do not deny it in front of me. For you, that is your weakness.”

“Yes!” Li You Ran lowered his head to receive the admonishment.

“The second point: no matter how much strategy or restraint a young man possesses, the obstacle of sentimentality remains the greatest weapon against any youth, at any time!” Li Shang narrowed his eyes. “Although Jun Mo Xie has never displayed it openly, I can confidently assert that his greatest weakness lies with women! The women he cares for, the women he acknowledges! Take, for example, Guan Qing Han right now; or Dugu Xiao Yi!”

“Grandfather speaks truly.” Li You Ran was utterly convinced. Experience truly lent wisdom to age.

“Of course, I am right! You! You are considered ruthless enough, but weren't you profoundly shaken and downcast for a time after scheming against Princess Ling Meng recently?” A sharp glint shot from Li Shang’s narrowed eyes. “Do not dare to tell me you weren't.”

“I was. During that period… I was very volatile…” Li You Ran admitted frankly.

Li Shang nodded with satisfaction. “And the third avenue for attacking a young man lies with his kin! In Jun Mo Xie’s current situation, Jun Zhantian and Jun Wuyi are his family. When his father and elder brother died previously, whether Jun Mo Xie deliberately suppressed his grief or was merely hiding his true feelings, the truth is he was very young then—he may not have truly grasped the agony of separation by death. But now, he is older; he must understand, and thus he cherishes them doubly. If one of these two were to suddenly perish now, it would be an immeasurable blow to Jun Mo Xie!”

“These are the three methods to deal with Jun Mo Xie, the man you believe is insurmountable!” Li Shang instructed earnestly. “You must remember this: there are no enemies that cannot be dealt with, and no person without a weakness. This point is vital!”

“Yes, Grandfather’s teachings, You Ran will keep them firmly in mind at all times.” Li You Ran straightened up, receiving the instruction with solemnity.

Undeniably, the older one is, the wiser they are. Grand Preceptor Li Shang, a mere scholar with no extraordinary military merits nor supreme Profound Art strength, nevertheless stood as an equal to figures like Jun Zhantian and Dugu Zongheng; this implied a profound depth to his character. While individuals like Jun Mo Ye and Li You Ran possessed transcendent talent and peerless acumen, they were inevitably inferior in grasping the dark recesses and failings of humanity—even Jun the Young Master, having lived two lifetimes, still fell short in these aspects.

“You Ran, apart from the three weaknesses just mentioned, there is one more aspect of Jun Mo Xie that demands serious attention!” the Grand Preceptor stated calmly.

“There is another weakness?” Li You Ran was naturally quite intrigued.

“You could call it that. In any case, if you treat it seriously in the future, you will not be mistaken. That aspect is Jun Mo Xie’s temperament.”

Grand Preceptor Li Shang gently shuffled the thick stack of documents before him on the desk. A stack nearly a foot high, totaling three bundles. They were labeled ‘Jun Mo Xie One,’ ‘Jun Mo Xie Two,’ and ‘Jun Mo Xie Three.’

Clearly, these documents chronicled Jun Mo Xie. They recorded his every action, including trivialities like eating and visiting the latrine, interspersed with analyses by specialized personnel. Accumulating over time, they had swelled to the massive scale now present.

“Jun Mo Xie’s temperament?” Li You Ran knitted his brows in thought. “Initially, given Jun Mo Xie’s character and capabilities, he shouldn't have entered our focus. At best, we’d only remember him when there was a need to utilize him. We only started gathering intelligence on him systematically three months ago. All the data was compiled, and over thirty strategists discussed it, noting everything down meticulously. Unexpectedly, the volume surpassed the files collected on any other opponent! Yet, even with such exhaustive data, we cannot pin down a single concrete weakness. Ha, I, Li You Ran, am truly humbled to the point of prostrating myself! Had it not been for your guidance, Grandfather, I would have been completely lost.”

Li You Ran’s smile was undoubtedly bitter, yet within that bitterness resided a measure of genuine admiration.

“Precisely. Jun Mo Xie’s weaknesses, even the ones I cited, are at best common vulnerabilities of youth. Whether they truly apply to him, or how they should be utilized, requires careful deliberation. If a single strike fails and merely startles the snake, given Jun Mo Xie’s mind and methods, he might not grant us a second chance,” Li Shang coughed twice.

“But Grandfather mentioned that Jun Mo Xie’s temperament is what we truly need to focus on, yet you did not elaborate. Your grandson awaits your instruction.” Li You Ran nodded slightly, his gaze deep.

“How to put it? After careful consideration, Jun Mo Xie’s temperament might not precisely be a weakness. If we must label it as such, then this weakness is also the source of his strength.”

The wrinkles on Li Shang’s face deepened. “It is truly difficult to grasp. At least, not yet. That is why I urged you to treat it seriously. You Ran, tell me your impression of Jun Mo Xie, based on your understanding—what is this man’s character like?”

“Jun Mo Xie… he is undoubtedly arrogant, extremely proud, often appearing ostentatiously, capable of drawing everyone’s attention in an instant, yet simultaneously causing everyone to dislike or even shun him. But only long after the event passes do the astute realize that he was the one who profited the most from whatever transpired.”

Li You Ran pondered for a moment, then slowly continued: “However, this man was utterly base and disgraceful several years ago. To suggest that demeanor was mere pretense is hard to believe. His true change seems to have occurred only within the last six months. This point puzzles me most. Why such a massive transformation in such a short span? It is almost unbelievable!”

“Is it truly so incomprehensible? Actually, if we simplify everything, it becomes easier to understand! Let’s propose a hypothesis: what if Jun Mo Xie was originally immensely gifted and talented, but inherently lacked grand ambition? He never intended to strive or compete, only wishing to live freely and happily according to his own desires. If we look at it this way, doesn't everything fall into place?!” Li Shang’s voice was extraordinarily placid, yet the implication of his words held volumes!

Li You Ran’s eyes brightened upon hearing this, then quickly returned to calm; he remained silent, knowing his grandfather surely had more to say!

“If my premise holds true, many issues can be resolved quite simply. The Jun family we have long sought to eliminate—if we simply ignore them, once Jun the Elder breathes his last, all the Jun family’s influence in the military will gradually dissipate, because Jun Mo Xie has no intention of inheriting it! He never planned on it from the start!”

“Alas, fate plays its tricks. The changes of the last six months—others may not know the details, but I know them quite clearly.”

Li Shang let out a soft, cold laugh. “Because just six months ago, Jun Zhantian, feeling utterly exhausted, began arranging his final affairs. This meant the Jun family was at a precipice. Thus, Jun Mo Xie was compelled to change!”

“It was also six months ago that Old Man Jun proposed to the Emperor that Jun Mo Xie should marry Princess Ling Meng. This was tantamount to telling Jun Mo Xie clearly: I can no longer sustain this house; I can only try to settle things, hoping to secure a path for the third generation, to prevent the grandson from dying the day after the grandfather. But the Emperor directly crushed even this sliver of consideration.”

Li Shang sighed softly. “It was immediately after this that Jun Mo Xie underwent his complete transformation! What spurred his change was the helplessness of Old Man Jun and the Emperor’s stance! Why crush Old Man Jun’s request? It signifies that the Emperor does not wish for the Jun family to exist in the future of the Empire! These events provoked Jun Mo Xie, causing him to unleash his hidden, astonishing talents. If the Emperor were to grasp this logic, perhaps the Emperor would choke on his own frustrations!”