Qian Wuqing could not bear the contemptuous gazes of the Qian family members, nor the cold mockery thrown directly in his face.

“The Ancient Desolate Sand Sea!” Qian Wuqing took a deep breath, his eyes burning with a resolve bordering on death: “Fen Tu Kuangge transcended himself and grew so formidable there. I can too! I must return to the Ancient Desolate Sand Sea, I must venture into its deeper layers!”

“Kuangge, you’re finally back!” Two warriors from the Torrential Fortress rushed forward. “Someone from your family is here.”

“My family? Someone here?” Fen Tu Kuangge shivered, snapping back from his deep contemplation. “Someone from my family?”

“Yes, they are in the inner hall chatting with Qian Jin right now.” Fen Tu Kuangge quickened his pace, intensely curious why anyone would visit at this hour.

“Sixth Uncle?” Fen Tu Kuangge stepped through the doorway, staring in surprise at the middle-aged man engaged in conversation with Qian Jin. He had expected a family warrior to be sent, but it turned out to be Sixth Uncle, Fen Tu Xingyu, himself.

Sixth Uncle? Qian Jin re-examined the middle-aged warrior before him—a man whose easy demeanor was laced with unwavering calm, notably lacking the tension most warriors displayed in his presence. He finally understood the source of the man’s constant composure: it was the inherent bearing cultivated over years by the Fen Tu lineage.

Ordinary warriors always deferred to the Fen Tu family as the head. A person emerging from such a clan, even upon meeting a Bloodline Warrior, would never bow subserviently to a lesser warrior, nor would they exhibit excessive deference to other ordinary peers.

“I came looking for you,” Fen Tu Xingyu stood up and walked toward Fen Tu Kuangge. His perfectly straight back exuded an indescribable, iron-blooded military aura. “It’s been a while; you’ve gotten sturdier.” Bang! Fen Tu Xingyu clapped Fen Tu Kuangge’s shoulder, but the smile on his face vanished instantly. The hand that landed on Kuangge’s shoulder did not lift; instead, it gripped tightly, and his face showed growing bewilderment.

“How are you so solid?” Fen Tu Xingyu frowned in deep thought. “Boy, what level have you reached?”

“Dou Xin, peak,” Fen Tu Kuangge answered honestly.

“What?” The arm resting on his shoulder vibrated, and his eyes sharpened. “Impossible! Dou Xin already? And at the peak of Dou Xin?”

Fen Tu Kuangge nodded again, truthfully. Only he truly knew the extent of the suffering endured to achieve this current strength.

If he had possessed the Great True Gold Dou Qi earlier, or if he hadn't faced those grueling battles, reaching Golden Dou Xin now wouldn't have been surprising.

Wasted effort! Fen Tu Kuangge had, after all, once destroyed his own cultivation. While he wasn't entirely satisfied with his current realm, he couldn't complain much.

Fen Tu Xingyu fell silent for a long moment, his expression darkening. “Kuangge, you certainly have warrior talent, but reaching this level of strength in such a short time is absolutely impossible. Tell Sixth Uncle the truth, what happened?”

Fen Tu Kuangge turned his head to look at Qian Jin, who had risen with a slight smile.

Seeing Kuangge defer to Qian Jin, Fen Tu Xingyu’s face immediately sank further. In the circles of ordinary warriors, it was always other ordinary warriors who sought instruction from the Fen Tu family. Fen Tu Kuangge’s current strength made him the foremost genius of his age within the Fen Tu clan! That he would still need to seek Qian Jin’s guidance? Fen Tu Xingyu frowned deeply. How was it that as Kuangge’s strength increased, he became so lacking in initiative? Where was the decisive Fen Tu Kuangge of before?

“It’s fine, if I gave it to him, it’s his,” Qian Jin noticed Fen Tu Xingyu’s shifting expression and smiled faintly, easily understanding the elder’s protective affection for the younger generation. “You two talk; I have a few things to attend to.”

Once Qian Jin left, Fen Tu Xingyu immediately put on a stern face. “Kuangge, what is going on with you? I remember when you left home, you were fiercely independent. Now why are you taking orders from someone else?” Fen Tu Kuangge paused. He felt he had always maintained his true self; when had he ever followed someone else’s command? Within their small group, there had always been an unspoken agreement not to interfere with each other's decisions or thoughts.

“Still making that face?” Fen Tu Xingyu pointed in the direction Qian Jin had departed. “When I asked you how you improved so quickly, the old you would have answered me directly! Just now, you looked toward Qian Jin first, seeking his opinion.”

For this? Fen Tu Kuangge managed a faint smile. His Sixth Uncle was excellent in every way, loving him even more than his own children, but he possessed one flaw—a trait that Grandpa Fen Tu Lang had mentioned many times, yet it seemed he hadn't changed at all.

He perpetually believed he was the undisputed leader of the ordinary warriors! This was the persistent mindset of Fen Tu Xingyu. He could be profoundly warm to other ordinary warriors, yet deep down, he held a strong sense of superiority.

Grandpa Fen Tu Lang had stated repeatedly that this thought was incorrect; the Fen Tu family was elevated to this height by ordinary warriors, not because they genuinely stood above them.

“What? Can’t speak? Don’t forget! When you first left home, the title you earned was ‘Tiger Kuangge’!” Fen Tu Xingyu snorted heavily, staring at Fen Tu Kuangge with the frustrated air of someone whose expectations had been dashed. Lately, he’d heard rumors suggesting Fen Tu Kuangge had taken Qian Jin on as a retainer, leading him around, but he hadn't expected...

Tiger Kuangge? Fen Tu Kuangge felt that name sounded like something from hundreds of years ago, impossibly distant. Hearing it now felt utterly ironic. Tiger Kuangge? Back then, he was more like a kitten than a tiger—an empty frame possessing form but lacking substance, constantly proclaiming himself the Beast King.

“Sixth Uncle, I know you mean well, and I respect the pride and honor of the Fen Tu lineage. But…” Fen Tu Kuangge’s expression suddenly turned cold, his voice becoming profoundly heavy. “Please do not look down on my friends, and certainly do not insult them.” Fen Tu Xingyu looked at Fen Tu Kuangge in surprise, his eyes filling with deeper sorrow. The arrogant nephew he once knew was gone; the young man before him was merely a lapdog trailing behind Qian Jin.

“I consult Qian Jin because without his help, I would not have my current strength. I consult him because the cultivation technique for the One Hundred and Eight Dou Qiaos that I later switched to was also gifted by him! He took no compensation, merely because I am his friend!”

Fen Tu Kuangge suddenly took a step forward, meeting Fen Tu Xingyu’s gaze directly. “Sixth Uncle! You must know that even our Fen Tu clan doesn't possess the technique for the One Hundred and Eight Dou Qiaos. Sixth Uncle! You must know what kind of trouble Qian Jin would face if the outside world discovered he could gift me such a secret art, right?”

A cultivation technique for One Hundred and Eight Dou Qiaos! Such a method was unavailable even to many Bloodline Families! If the outside knew about this...

Fen Tu Xingyu froze where he stood, as if turned to stone, his mind racing through scenarios. Countless factions would surely desire that secret art. If they couldn’t obtain it, they would attack. Qian Jin was admittedly one of the strongest leaders currently, but confronting legions of maddened warriors and Bloodline Warriors... Bloodline Warriors, even if he couldn't master it himself, could be taught it to their retainers. A single piece of news was enough to bring unimaginable trouble upon Qian Jin!

The One Hundred and Eight Dou Qiao technique! Fen Tu Xingyu felt his limbs growing numb. Someone in the Fen Tu family had learned a cultivation method for the One Hundred and Eight Dou Qiaos? This... this was...

Fen Tu Xingyu’s eyes flared with fervent excitement. If this technique were disseminated throughout the Fen Tu family, what ordinary warrior could ever shake their clan’s dominance in the future? At that point, the War Hall? Qian Jin? They would all be insignificant footnotes to the Fen Tu clan! Yes! Qian Jin’s rumored strength must be due to this One Hundred and Eight Dou Qiao technique.

“Kuangge, quickly! Tell me how to cultivate the technique...”

Fen Tu Kuangge calmly watched the delirious, feverish Fen Tu Xingyu and gently shook his head. “Sixth Uncle, this isn't something to rush. Let’s discuss it when you have calmed down...”

“Nonsense! I am perfectly clear-headed!” Fen Tu Xingyu roared, cutting Kuangge off. “I am doing this for the future of the Fen Tu family! You are still young; you don’t grasp the importance of lineage continuity! What is Qian Jin? His surname is Qian; yours is Fen Tu! You are not brothers; there is no blood relation to bind you. Once differences arise, your friendship will shatter! Only the family... only the family...”

“Sixth Uncle, you should go take a cold shower and sober up,” Fen Tu Kuangge said darkly. If the person before him wasn't the uncle who had cared for him since childhood, if he didn't know Sixth Uncle wasn't fundamentally malicious but simply operating under the misguided protection of a nephew and a clan, he would have already unleashed a punch to that face and beaten away the man whose fervor was becoming grotesque, trying to sow discord between friends.

“Calm down? I don’t need calm, I...”

“Sixth Uncle, while I still remember your kindness, while I can still restrain myself, please go and clear your head. I know you mean no harm, but you have hurt my friend. Please don’t force me into a difficult position...”

“Sigh...”

“Sixth Uncle, Qian Jin is not my relative, but he is my friend! A friend better than a brother, even! In repeated life-and-death battles, we entrusted our backs to each other—that kind of trust cannot be broken by mere differences, as you suggest.” Fen Tu Kuangge took a deep breath, meeting Fen Tu Xingyu’s eyes. “Even if we had a falling out someday, it would not affect our bond! If a conflict arose where Qian Jin’s life was in danger, even if we were separated by ten thousand miles, even if the threat was the Great Demon King striking him down personally, I would cross worlds to fight for him! Even if I couldn't win, I would die alongside him!”

Fen Tu Xingyu’s eyes twitched repeatedly. “You... you idiot! You actually... who are you?”