In full view of the watching crowd, Young Master Jun finally finished his display. He figured these onlookers had been sufficiently stunned by now, so he slowly retracted his power. Internally, he felt a bit unsatisfied: these people had such poor mental fortitude! Every time this Young Master breaks through, it’s usually a jump of more than ten levels. This time, he only skipped three, which is less progress than even some of the subordinates under me. Yet, this small advancement was enough to shock these old fossils until their eyeballs nearly popped out. "Originally, I planned that if you weren't surprised, I'd continue breaking through—within the span of one hour, I’d reach Jade Profound... Earth Profound... Heaven Profound... But seeing the situation now, it seems like Shushuwang won't be necessary for a while. I'll save those breakthroughs for when I actually need them..."

With hands circling, he concluded his exertion and opened his eyes. Young Master Jun looked at the scorching gazes surrounding him with an air of complete "bewilderment": "What's wrong? Why are all you esteemed seniors staring at me like this? Did I forget to wash my face today? Hmm, I did take a bath yesterday, and I don't smell bad, do I?"

Saying this, he dramatically lifted an arm to sniff himself...

The gathered crowd looked at this muddle-headed genius of the Ethereal Constitution. If they hadn't all cultivated hundreds of years of power and maintained their composure and steadiness, they would have surely stumbled and tumbled in shock!

So, this fellow was still confused? "You... you just broke through your personal bottleneck, and you don't even realize it?"

Zhan Wuyun looked at Jun Mo Xie with a gaze so peculiar it bordered on the extreme.

"Breakthrough? Did I?"

Jun Mo Xie scratched his head: "I don't feel anything, it’s no different from my usual practice..."

Even with centuries of deep foundation, the crowd could no longer endure it and collectively staggered. "Better not to ask. The legendary Ethereal Constitution is naturally like this... There are fundamentally no bottlenecks or obstructions within his body, so how could he feel anything?" Miao Jingyun shook his head wordlessly, offering a reasonable explanation: "If you ask him, he won't know. If he did feel something, that would actually be a bad sign..."

"Oh... so that's how it is. The Prefect Lord speaks wisely."

Everyone suddenly understood, but their gazes toward the genius youth possessing the Ethereal Constitution became even more fervent. "We only heard rumors before and didn't think much of it, but now that this ironclad fact has occurred right before our eyes, how can we remain indifferent?"

"Old Cao, has your disciple found a wife yet?"

The Head of the Zhang Family grinned widely, clapping Cao Guofeng on the shoulder, winking conspiratorially: "I have a granddaughter... just sixteen years old, as beautiful as a flower... She is perfectly matched in age with your esteemed disciple—a match made in heaven!"

We weren't lucky enough to secure such a fine disciple ourselves, but that doesn't stop us from establishing a connection in another way!

Saint Emperor Cao Guofeng very reservedly removed the Zhang Family Head's hand from his shoulder, drawing out his voice: "Please, don't be so familiar. I am not that close to you, I couldn't possibly presume to associate at that level, couldn't possibly associate..." All the veterans present understood the implication behind Cao Saint Emperor's words. "Couldn't possibly associate" held a double meaning: one was a polite demurral, but the other was a high-profile rejection—who is my disciple, and how could your granddaughter possibly aspire to him?

Although the Zhang Family Head returned empty-handed, this immediately sparked inspiration in the other Family Heads: However, we can form an alliance through marriage! This is the most effective leverage. If successful, half of this Ethereal Constitution genius would become family—perhaps no less advantageous than a master-disciple relationship...

Thus, the old men swarmed Cao Guofeng and his seven brothers, each securing one to attend to, instantly turning the area into a clamorous marketplace... Only Old Brother Bai Qifeng remained idle on the sidelines. The Family Heads all knew this fellow was a firecracker; his words were the most abrasive, and his actions the least reliable, so no one bothered consulting him.

It wasn't that they feared he wouldn't agree—that was unlikely—but rather they feared that if this guy opened his mouth, he'd utter something utterly unbearable, causing unbearable humiliation in front of everyone, especially since they couldn't afford to react rashly... Even Gu Yunyang cozied up to Cao Guofeng, shamelessly trying to reminisce about their supposed long friendship, acting as if they were decades-old confidantes.

Cao Guofeng, Saint Emperor Cao, having endured hundreds of cold winters, seemed never to have encountered such an awkward situation. Under the relentless siege of the crowd, he was sweating profusely and looked utterly disheveled. If that were all, it might have been tolerable, but he also felt two other sharp, warning gazes pinning him like swords to his back, causing the sweat to pour down his face...

Those two gazes belonged to Miao Jingyun, the Master of the Phantom Prefecture.

Old Cao clearly understood the meaning embedded in Miao Jingyun's stare: Old Cao, there's still a heap of unfinished business between your disciple and my granddaughter. My granddaughter has already done so much for your disciple; if you dare try to separate the pair, I'll have you boiled and served immediately...

Just as everyone was happily arguing and the excitement was reaching a fever pitch, an abrupt voice silenced them all, leaving them speechless and unsure whether to laugh or cry.

"What? Don't joke with me! With those few withered trees in your household, you actually have the audacity to set your sights on my precious disciple? Zhan Wuyun, you old fool, have you taken the wrong medicine, forgotten your medicine, or eaten fake medicine? Why are you spouting nonsense?"

This statement, which carried a double meaning, was delivered quite loudly, and the speaker was none other than the Great Saint Emperor Bai Qifeng!

Everyone turned toward the sound and saw Zhan Wuyun, the Head of the Qian Family, his old face flushed red like a monkey's backside, glaring angrily and anxiously at Bai Qifeng.

It turned out that Zhan Wuyun had pondered for a long time and thought securing an alliance through marriage with this fast-advancing genius of the Ethereal Constitution would be a good idea. It could also resolve past grudges and even draw the Seven Great Saint Emperors to support the Zhan Family—a truly profitable venture!

Once he made up his mind, he intended to speak, but at that moment, the other six Saint Emperors were tied up with others... Approaching them now would only bring self-inflicted trouble, as the positions of all parties remained quite delicate.

Coincidentally, Bai Qifeng, seeing Zhan Wuyun standing alone, strode over with great purpose to settle old scores. Zhan Wuyun saw Bai Qifeng approaching him alone and took it as a perfect opportunity. He grabbed him and whispered his idea, proposing that they select one of their most virtuous daughters for a lower-status marriage into the family of the great genius, thus allowing both families to bury the hatchet... turning enemies into in-laws...

One must admit, Zhan Wuyun's idea wasn't bad. Considering the Zhan Family's power, such a move wouldn't be purely benefiting Mo Jun Ye and the Seven Great Saint Emperors; it would be mutually beneficial, a strong partnership!

However, the target Zhan Family Head chose for his inquiry was utterly problematic. If Zhan Wuyun had approached Cao Guofeng or any of the other five Saint Emperors, it was believed those six would have at least considered the proposal; at worst, they would have politely demurred. But the Great Zhan Family Head chose the only free man available: the Great Saint Emperor Bai Qifeng!

Bai Qifeng, who had been simmering with rage, felt as if it was about to explode out of his chest. Forget the matter of marriage alliance—even if Zhan Wuyun offered to make Mo Jun Ye the head of the Zhan Family, Bai Qifeng would have immediately sent a scorching blast of hot air right back at him!

After enduring the barrage of insults, Zhan Wuyun’s old face was crimson, having absolutely no graceful way out. Before he could even think of what to say next, Bai Qifeng lightly added: "What, now that you see my disciple's future is limitless, you finally realize you're scared? You think giving away one woman will settle things? Is there any deal that cheap in this world? Furthermore, which daughter of your Zhan Family would dare marry in? Aren't they all tigresses or shrewish harridans? And every other day, they're sneaking out or engaging in illicit affairs... Like that young man who married into your Zhan Family last year—a perfectly fine lad—wasn't he driven to suicide by being publicly humiliated as a cuckold? With trash like that, you still have the nerve to bring it up?"

Zhan Wuyun could barely draw breath, his eyes wide as bells. He pointed a finger at Bai Qifeng, roaring as if he were about to spit blood: "Bai Qifeng! You—you... What nonsense are you spouting!"

"Nonsense? How am I speaking nonsense? Ask anyone here—is there a single person who doesn't know about it? And you have the nerve to call me a liar? Let me tell you plainly, if my disciple weren't involved today, I wouldn't even dirty my mouth talking about your Zhan Family women..."

Bai Qifeng stood there shamelessly, hands on hips, speaking with an air of grand confidence.

The assembled old men couldn't help but suppress their laughter.

Speaking of this matter, it was truly a huge scandal for the Zhan Family. The protagonist of the scandal was a daughter born to one of the Zhan Family's concubines. After her arranged marriage, she had an affair with a servant. As a result, the newlywed husband hanged himself outside the woodshed where the adulterous pair were secretly meeting... The illicit lovers, still engaged inside, suddenly heard a commotion. Surprised, they peeked through the crack in the door and unexpectedly saw the new groom dangling outside with his tongue lolling out. With a scream, the naked pair bolted out of the woodshed...

And at that exact moment, they were caught red-handed by the Zhan Family's patrolling guard unit...

Then... the outcome was largely predictable!

Although the Zhan Family tried desperately to conceal the incident, as the saying goes, good news travels slowly, but bad news travels a thousand miles. Somehow, the story leaked out and became a popular tale of mockery within the Phantom Prefecture. Zhan Wuyun had been ridiculed many times because of this. Moreover, some busybodies gave Zhan Wuyun a nickname: 'Head of the Cuckold Clan'... As the head of a generation, how could Zhan Wuyun tolerate this? Later, there were several major altercations until no one mentioned the matter again, after all, the Zhan Family's power dictated that jokes were acceptable, but when the dignity of a Family Head was truly implicated, it became a serious affair...

Zhan Wuyun had subsequently executed that pair of illicit lovers on the spot, finally laying the matter to rest.

Who knew that at this critical juncture, Bai Qifeng would so brutally tear open this old wound. Zhan Wuyun was boiling with rage and about to erupt, but before he could, Bai Qifeng casually added: "If a true marriage alliance were to happen, what if your Zhan Family daughter, after entering our gates, also slips out... looking for some woodshed or cattle pen to do their unspeakable deeds... We don't have those kinds of places here... Besides, your Zhan Family might be able to afford to lose face, but we, your old brothers, cannot afford that shame..."