Slowly, he lowered his head to gaze upon his strong, powerful legs, flexing them tentatively, then kicking out once more. Suddenly, he burst into loud laughter, but as the laughter continued, tears streamed down his face, crisscrossing his cheeks. This iron-willed man, who had once dominated the battlefield and commanded respect as a great general, hadn't shed a single tear when he was viciously ambushed in his prime, yet now, upon his recovery, he wept torrentially!

Through his tear-filled eyes, he saw his elderly father and his nephew standing before him, smiling, their faces radiating warmth as they looked at him. Jun Wuyi was overcome with emotion, quickly stepping forward two paces before suddenly collapsing onto his knees with a thud. "Your unworthy son, Wuyi, pays his respects to Father!" Ten years. Ten years since he had performed this grand salute to his own father!

Jun Zhantian trembled all over, his voice nearly breaking into incoherence. "My son... rise, quickly, quickly rise..."

"Moxie!" Jun Wuyi stood up, looking deeply at Jun Moxie. "This life of Third Uncle, it was you who saved it..."

Before he could finish speaking, Jun Moxie laughed, interrupting him. "Third Uncle, the way you put that. You were perfectly fine before, weren't you? Besides, I am your nephew. Can one character, Junzi (gentleman), be written twice? We are one family, why speak of thanks? You’ll flatter me right out of my place as a junior."

Jun Wuyi laughed heartily, glancing deeply at his nephew. At that moment, a decision solidified completely in his heart: Now that I have risen again, the heavy burden of the Jun family shall be borne solely by me!

My sword, long gathering dust for ten years, is drawn again—not for the state, nor for the common folk! Only for the Jun family, only for—Moxie!

"Third Uncle," Jun Moxie suddenly chuckled, a strange, almost malicious sound that left the other two utterly bewildered as they stared at him.

"Third Uncle, while your foundation is sound, still..." Jun Moxie laughed until his body convulsed. "Grandfather would surely love to see you standing so tall and majestic, but your nephew here gets shy. Perhaps you should cover yourself up, ha ha ha..."

Jun Moxie winked pointedly at Jun Wuyi’s **. It turned out that since recovering from his injuries, Jun Wuyi had been completely naked, and in his excitement at realizing he was healed, he had completely forgotten this crucial detail. He was still standing ramrod straight, exposed, nodding and swaying with a rather proud posture.

Ten years waiting for dawn, when will one test the gun?!

Jun Zhantian was reminded by the words and, looking at the impressive state of his son's that, couldn't help but blow on his beard and roar with laughter.

Jun Wuyi’s face instantly turned the color of a deep eggplant, gritting his teeth in furious resentment. "You little brat, you just wait! I'll deal with you later!" With a swish, he vanished, leaving the grandfather and grandson clutching their stomachs, laughing uncontrollably without any regard for image...

A short while later, Jun Wuyi, clad in a blue robe, zipped back, rubbing his fists together. "Boy, don't run if you have any guts."

Jun Moxie shrieked in alarm. "Help! I don't know how to fight!" He turned and fled. But how could his current speed compare to Jun Wuyi, a master who had just broken through to the Tianxuan realm? All the way, his rear end (Sister Yan—such a fair rear end) was struck thwack, thwack, with perfect accuracy.

Jun Moxie laughed even as he ran and pleaded for mercy, but Jun Wuyi ignored him entirely, continuing the beating. Unable to escape, Jun Moxie darted behind Old Master Jun, grabbing the edge of his robe and dodging frantically. Jun Wuyi snorted angrily, chasing and striking alternately.

Even Old Master Jun, with the composure of a mid-stage Tianxuan expert, felt his head spinning from watching the pair fight, yet he laughed heartily with supreme joy. Such familial bliss had been absent from this household for far too long...

Seeing the six burly men preparing to lift the massive iron cauldron to dump its contents, Jun Moxie, ignoring the beating he was receiving, urgently shouted, "Stop! That's a good thing, you can't pour it out!"

Hearing this, Jun Wuyi and Jun Zhantian both looked surprised. Jun Wuyi had just given his nephew a sound beating, which had left all three of them smiling broadly, the previous awkwardness entirely gone, and they stood smiling on the side.

"How useful is this thing that you would casually toss it away? It has great purpose," Jun Moxie shooed the strong men away from the iron cauldron. He turned, picked up a wineskin from nearby, and glug-glug-glug poured quite a bit of liquid into the cauldron of inky black water. Instantly, it erupted with loud crackling sounds, like pouring cool water into boiling oil.

Jun Moxie quickly retreated after pouring. Where the black water splashed onto the ground, it immediately turned pitch black!

Jun Wuyi and Old Master Jun were both stunned speechless: Such potent poison was truly... utterly vicious!

"What did you put in there? How is it so domineering?" Old Master Jun asked humbly, realizing that his grandson possessed countless strange attributes that could never be judged by ordinary standards.

"It’s just snake venom, though with a slightly wider variety," Jun Moxie said with a smirk. "There are thirteen types of venomous snakes here." Then, Jun Wuyi pointed to the large iron cauldron. "Grandfather, Third Uncle, look; Third Uncle’s bathwater was already synthesized from six kinds of potent poisons, but due to their mutual restraint, they canceled each other out, remaining harmless. But once these snake venoms are added to activate them, this huge cauldron of water becomes the most toxic substance under heaven! We just need to mix it evenly, dilute it slightly with water, pour it into wooden tubs, and then dip the weapons of the family warriors’ blades into it. After soaking for a period, they instantly become weapons that kill upon contact with blood! When we take them out for battle, hehehehe..."

Too toxic! Too vicious! Too despicable! Too shameless! (Too watery!)

If such a weapon pierced an enemy... it wouldn't even need to hit a vital spot; merely scraping the skin on a hand or foot would be fatal!

Such an utterly lethal substance—even with Old Master Jun’s mid-stage Tianxuan cultivation, he felt he might not last even three quarters of an hour!

Truly terrifying! Excessively chilling!

Jun Zhantian and Jun Wuyi craned their necks further and widened their eyes further. At this moment, the way they looked at Jun Moxie was as if they were staring at a demon escaped from hell, and they both shivered involuntarily...

...

Compared to the harmony, joy, and festive mood of the Jun family, the Grand Tutor’s Residence was currently shrouded in gloom!

Although Li Zhen and Meng Haizhou had been kicked out of Sheng Baotang on the spot, and the Li family was stripped of their future entry qualifications to Sheng Baotang, as long as the Meng family's private box remained, it was not an issue. Furthermore, the most crucial thing was that the Jade Coral successfully traded earlier had been brought back completely intact by these two, which counted as a major achievement, at least outweighing their faults!

When Li Youran saw the Jade Coral and listened with a slight smile as Li Zhen nervously recounted the terrifying ordeal, Li Zhen expected Li Youran to erupt in anger and punish him. Instead, Li Youran lightly remarked, "Oh? It cost five million liang? Not expensive, not expensive. Given that the Tang family was involved in the competition, managing to buy back this Jade Coral is quite good already. Brother Zhen, you may go to Steward Li in the accounting office later to collect the three million liang you advanced." Regarding the disgrace of the Li family being banned from Sheng Baotang, Li Youran didn't even mention it, which was truly baffling.

This statement made Li Zhen and Meng Haizhou almost doubt their ears, almost believing that the person standing before them was not Li Youran, but someone else—when did Young Master Youran become so easy to talk to?

They were stunned for a long time before snapping back to reality. Despite their confusion, they were safe for now and couldn't help but breathe a huge sigh of relief, thanking him profusely as they left.

Li Youran sat quietly, smiling faintly, gazing at the crystal clear Jade Coral before him. After a long moment, he let out a breath and murmured, "I was truly careless. I hadn't accounted for Old Master Tang needing this item as well. If by chance we had missed out, it would truly have been my failing; however, at that price, if it hadn't been those two dandies interfering, someone else might have yielded out of weakness immediately, right? Perhaps that is the only benefit of dandies—every man has his merits and shortcomings; utilize everyone and everything to its fullest potential, that’s probably what it means..."

Saying this, he chuckled twice. He covertly circulated his Profound Qi in his palm, and his entire body flashed with golden light. He then withdrew his hand, his face alight with joy. "The rumors were indeed true. This object certainly contains an extremely vast amount of Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy! If Grandfather absorbs this energy, even if he cannot cultivate Profound Arts again, extending his life will certainly not be a problem, more than enough so."

He rose gracefully, holding the Jade Coral, and walked toward Grand Tutor Li Shang's study.

In the study, Grand Tutor Li squinted at the Jade Coral before him, a contented smile on his face. First, for his own health, and second, for his grandson’s filial piety, Grand Tutor Li suddenly felt that at this stage of life, having such a grandson, what more could one ask for?

"Grandfather, there should be no delay. If others notice, unforeseen troubles might arise. Why don't I use the method my Master once taught me to catalyze the Primordial Energy, and then you absorb this good thing as quickly as possible?" Li Youran smiled gently, his demeanor refined and elegant.

Li Shang chuckled, pondering for a moment. "Very well. Go call those few out. Have them stand guard for your grandfather and grandson." Li Youran hummed in agreement, clapping his hands twice. Instantly, rustling sounds echoed from outside. A respectful voice stated, "Master, Young Master, we have strictly secured the area thirty zhang around the study. Do you require more?"

Li Youran replied mildly, "That will suffice."

The voice outside agreed and fell silent.

Li Shang looked at his grandson with gratification and asked, "Have your Senior Brothers returned?"

Li Youran replied, "Yes, they have returned to the mountain, safe and sound, with no major incidents. I will certainly relay your concern, Grandfather."

Li Shang coughed twice and smiled. "Why speak of such things between us? It’s a pity your Master cannot come in person; if he could, our Li family would have the greatest security. Alas." Saying this, he sighed deeply.

"Master is currently preparing for the Grand Summit at Qitian Peak three years from now and likely cannot be distracted. However, with the help of several Senior Brothers, I believe handling matters within the Tianxiang Kingdom will be more than sufficient. As long as it is not a full-scale military campaign, we need not worry about anything."

Li Shang nodded noncommittally, let out a deep breath, and became somewhat invigorated. "Since there is no time to lose, let us begin now."