And all of the above was merely the sensation caused by a bewildering piece of news that had suddenly appeared from thin air.

That bewildering piece of news… , … ,

It turned out that a few days prior, a riot had swept through Tianxiang City, resulting in the North City Gang being annihilated overnight by a mysterious organization. The Tianxiang Tang Family, through the Ministry of Justice, had initiated a massive wave of arrests—the very reason the Tang Family stooped to such a low profile and humbled themselves was because something critically important had genuinely been lost!

The Mystic Core of a peak ninth-rank Profound Beast!

This unconfirmed rumor spread like wildfire, evolving from hushed whispers to widespread gossip, flying like wings, a veritable hurricane sweeping across the entire continent in the shortest amount of time.

“This is an opportunity! A chance for us to reclaim the Mystic Core!”

In the Grand Tutor’s manor, at Li Shang’s sickbed, Li Youran stated with absolute certainty, his face veiled with a light azure silk.

“Oh? Last time, despite our extensive efforts, we were the mantis stalking the cicada, only for the oriole to swoop in, leaving us with nothing. Why do you now believe this is an opportunity?” Grand Tutor Li Shang’s complexion had significantly improved. Though still frail, he was far from the precarious state he publicly claimed to be in, and could even hold a normal conversation. At this moment, a look of clarity shone in his eyes as he gazed at his grandson, subtly urging his descendant to speak his mind.

Since the failure to restore his Dantian that day, despite various medical treatments, his life was saved, but his physical condition had been declining steadily. Grand Tutor Li Shang had grown somewhat disheartened. Aware of his own precarious state, fearing he wouldn't last much longer, he had dedicated this period to cultivating his most valued eldest grandson, Li Youran. He sought Li Youran’s opinion on every matter first, before offering guidance or pointing out flaws.

Li Youran had certainly not disappointed him. During this time, both his temperament and his cunning had shown significant growth. His perception and keenness in analyzing matters were, at times, even superior to Grand Tutor Li Shang’s own, which brought the old man a measure of comfort amidst his despair—at least there was a successor worthy of the name.

“The current situation is obvious. Only three parties in this world know that the Tang Family’s Mystic Core was stolen. Elder Lord Tang would not be foolish enough to leak it himself and invite trouble upon his own household; nor could we possibly leak it. The Mystic Core is too crucial; every additional person who knows means another competitor. Our goal is to seize the Mystic Core before anyone else finds out! Since the leak didn't originate from either of us, the only possible source for this secret getting out is the person who actually obtained the Mystic Core that day.”

“Meaning, if we find this person, we can retrieve the complete Mystic Core!”

“That person was the oriole that day, and we were the labor that paved the way, allowing him to secure the Mystic Core and reap immense profit. It is only natural that this person should have remained silent; his complete absence of movement for such a long time is not unexpected, it aligns with reason. However, the sudden spread of this news now, exposing the existence of a treasure like a ninth-rank Mystic Core—it is perplexing. With methods that left absolutely no trace that day, such an unwise move today must have a specific intention behind it!”

“As for his intention, your grandson, being slow-witted, can only deduce a few possibilities. Firstly, even though he acquired the Mystic Core, he doesn't know how to use it, perhaps completely unaware of its true efficacy. He has the object but cannot utilize it. Therefore, he needs to attract powerful figures to stir the waters, allowing him to discreetly inquire about the Core’s function and the methods to activate it. That is the first point. Consider this: Tang Wanli studied for decades to find a way to absorb a ninth-rank Mystic Core and still hasn't fully grasped it. Could such knowledge be easily obtained? Even we, if not for my master’s guidance, would likely remain ignorant.”

“Continue,” Li Shang said, showing his admiration.

“Secondly, this person likely resides within Tianxiang City; moreover, he must be a top-tier expert of no small standing—perhaps even a supreme master on the cusp of breaking through a certain bottleneck in Profound Qi. Otherwise, he wouldn't be releasing this information now, essentially trapping himself. Wouldn't it have been better to patiently wait for the uproar to pass? Thus, I judge this person is at a crucial, delicate juncture of impending breakthrough!”

“Indeed! Is there a third?” Li Shang’s admiration deepened.

“Thirdly? This person must be absolutely certain that after all the powerful figures arrive, he will be able to secure what he needs. If that is the case, this person must possess an incredibly potent intelligence network! Inferring from this, there is an eighty percent certainty that this person belongs to one of the major noble families in the Imperial Capital! Furthermore, he must possess the authority to command the entire family’s resources; that is why he dares to be so bold, so confident!” Li Youran’s voice carried a note of gravity.

“En, an excellent analysis. This narrows the targets down to a small, easily observable scope,” Li Shang clapped his hands, deeply gratified. “Who are your current suspects?”

“We first exclude the Li family ourselves, and the Tang family can also be ruled out. Remaining are the Jun family, Murong family, Dugu family, Meng family, and Song family—all five houses are potential candidates!”

Li Youran forcefully counted them off on his fingers: “However, regarding the Jun family, although they are our sworn enemies, given Jun Zhantian’s upright character, he is unlikely to commit such an act. Jun Wuyi, though physically handicapped, remains sharp mentally, but ultimately, he is disabled and lacks mobility. As for Jun Moye, being a young rake, he likely lacks the authority to command the family’s strength. Therefore, the Jun family’s suspicion is currently the lowest, though we cannot entirely dismiss them; anything is possible!”

“The Dugu family’s possibility is also not very high. While their influence is vast and they have the capability to be the ‘oriole’ from before, fundamentally, the Dugu family lacks ambition. Otherwise, with their power, they would have already supplanted the Jun family. The only reason His Majesty tolerates the Dugu family’s growth is that their lineage is full of capable generals and brave warriors, but they lack the comprehensive command talent that the Jun family possesses! The Dugu clan can lead a charge on the battlefield, but they absolutely do not have talents capable of commanding the entire situation and securing victory from a thousand miles away, like Jun Wuhui, Jun Wumeng, Jun Wuyi, or Jun Zhantian!”

“In other words, if a figure capable of such comprehensive command were to emerge from the Dugu clan, His Majesty would likely suppress the entire family immediately! After all, the Dugu family doesn't possess the history of life-saving debts owed to His Majesty that the Jun family does. But even with the Jun family’s immense contributions, haven't their descendants eventually fallen to this state? Surely the Dugu family would be no exception?”

“Therefore, although the Dugu family is large and their descendants numerous, they lack the cohesion of the Jun clan. Even though the Jun family appears fallen, the foundation laid by the four victorious marshals in their lineage is enough to shake the entire kingdom!”

“So, although the Dugu family’s suspicion is slightly heavier than the Jun family’s, they remain on the periphery. To speak plainly, I see no one in the Dugu family capable of harboring the cunning required to become the ‘oriole’ in this scheme.”

“The Meng family: firstly, they are our allies; secondly, the Meng family lacks any particularly outstanding figures, so the probability is low. They can provisionally be placed third.”

“Among the great families, the Song family has always been the most discreet, but a barking dog that bites rarely makes a sound, so their suspicion this time is quite high, second only to the Murong family. The Murong family has always possessed deep resources, immense ambition, and great cunning. Furthermore, relying on their status as direct imperial relatives, they look down on the other noble houses. Therefore, in this incident, we must pay... special attention to the Murong family!” Li Youran analyzed solemnly, speaking these words with deliberate slowness, clearly weighing his thoughts under tension.

“En, quite right,” Li Shang nodded. “However, apart from these few families, there are a couple of other avenues you haven't mentioned.”

“I seek guidance from my esteemed Grandfather.” Li Youran inclined his head.

“You seem to have completely overlooked the single largest noble house within this city?! The Imperial Family! The Royal Household is truly the most powerful lineage! Although His Majesty remains inscrutable to this day, without a few top-tier experts protecting him, His Majesty would surely have been assassinated countless times! You must pay extra heed to this point; furthermore, the top three major sects within Tianxiang City also possess considerable strength and warrant our scrutiny.”

“Moreover, we cannot entirely rule out the possibility of other mysterious, hidden masters lurking in Tianxiang City. And those renowned assassin guilds have also been active in Tianxiang City lately. These are all potential targets.” Li Shang coughed a few times, struggling to prop himself up, his eyes widening. “This Mystic Core affair will inevitably ignite an unprecedented, massive storm! Youran, you must be cautious! Also, with our current strength, we are insufficient. If your master could come in person, this endeavor would have a much higher chance of success; if he cannot… then you must also have all your martial brothers rush over as quickly as possible! Otherwise, I advise you to withdraw from this competition!”

“This could easily lead to utter ruin!” Li Shang sighed, leaning back onto the pillows.

“I understand. I dispatched the Thousand-Mile Nightingale at dawn; they should have received the message by now,” Li Youran nodded heavily.

“Good. What is your current Profound Qi progress?” Li Shang asked with his eyes lightly closed.

“It has reached the peak of the Golden Grade,” Li Youran admitted, a hint of guilt in his voice. “Although the realm is still somewhat unstable, once it solidifies, I can attempt to reach Jade Profound. It’s just that this matter…”

Li Shang raised a hand, cutting him off. “Never mind that this was an unintentional consequence; even if I knew the outcome, I would gladly help you break through. After all, you are the greatest hope for our Li family’s future. You need not dwell on this matter so heavily.”

Li Youran sighed deeply.

When treating Li Shang with the Deep Sea Jade Coral previously, due to an inexplicable explosion, while Li Shang was severely injured, Li Youran only sustained several gashes on his face… his delicate looks were utterly ruined. Yet, where fortune conceals disaster, and disaster harbors fortune, Li Youran gained a considerable, unexpected benefit from this incident.

The spiritual energy within the Jade Coral needed to be activated first by Li Youran before Li Shang could absorb it further. When the explosion occurred, the sudden interruption caused a significant portion of that spiritual energy to inadvertently linger within Li Youran’s meridians—a blessing disguised as a misfortune. During this period, since his face was injured, Li Youran remained secluded, focusing intently on his cultivation. Aided by that residual power, he managed to soar from the initial stage of the Golden Grade to its absolute peak! Just one step away from becoming a Jade Grade Profound Practitioner. For someone of Li Youran’s age, such a rate of advancement, if not unprecedented, was certainly sufficient to make any contemporary envious!