Divine Family Mansion, Patriarch's Office
As morning dawned, everyone in Glory City was busy preparing to start their day.
One such person sat in a luxurious chair, working through the mountain of documents neatly stacked on his desk while he waited.
This person was the Divine Family's Patriarch and the second-strongest Demon Spiritualist in Glory City.
Chen Zhenlong.
It had been seven years since the events surrounding his daughter's recovery.
Since then, many things have changed.
Currently, besides being one of the three major families, the Divine Family has become the leading alchemy family in Glory City.
Their position in the alchemy business was second only to the Alchemy Association itself.
This achievement was largely thanks to the efforts of his wife, Chen Wenrou. Through years of hard work, Chen Wenrou's expertise in alchemy had reached the Senior Master level, the highest level an alchemist could currently achieve in Glory City.
Furthermore, Chen Wenrou's insight into alchemy theory and refining had even surpassed that of many Senior Masters in the Alchemy Association.
Under her leadership, the family's alchemy business, the Divine Medicine Pavilion, had flourished over the years.
From a small family business, the Divine Medicine Pavilion had grown into a powerful establishment, large enough that even the City Lord's Mansion had begun doing business with them on a much larger scale.
The Divine Medicine Pavilion had also begun nurturing many commoner students who wished to learn the ways of alchemy, attracting numerous young individuals and greatly expanding their workforce and elixir production.
As a result, the Divine Medicine Pavilion's influence had reached a height comparable to that of the Alchemy Association.
Another huge change that had occurred in Glory City, albeit one that was kept secret, was Chen Zhenlong's status as a Legend Rank Demon Spiritualist.
After returning from their journey, Chen Zhenlong had achieved another major breakthrough. Thanks to Xue Hui providing him with a suitable cultivation technique, he had now reached the strength of a four-Star Legend Rank Demon Spiritualist, making him the second-strongest Demon Spiritualist in Glory City.
And he had accomplished this in only a few short years.
Naturally, such cultivation speed was almost unheard of. However, for Chen Zhenlong, who had taken the Realm Breaker Soul Ascendant Pill and received a new cultivation technique along with an enormous amount of cultivation resources, failing to make this much progress would have been stranger.
Another great development over the years was Chen Linlin's condition.
After five years of painstakingly waiting for her physique to stabilize, she was finally allowed to cultivate.
Xue Hui had given her a supreme cultivation technique, which greatly excited Chen Linlin. She immediately began cultivating.
To say that Chen Zhenlong and his wives had greatly underestimated the heaven-defying potential of Chen Linlin's Moon Glaze Eternal Lotus Physique would be an understatement.
In only two years since she had started practicing, Chen Linlin's cultivation had already reached an astonishing height.
This greatly astonished everyone, as they couldn't believe that Chen Linlin's talent could even surpass that of Glory City's legendary goddess of the past, Lady Yueliang Nushen.
To avoid attracting unnecessary trouble for Chen Linlin, Chen Zhenlong had asked Xue Hui to give her the extra Mask Realm Bracelet so that she could conceal her cultivation strength from everyone.
Now, unlike Chen Zhenlong and Chen Linlin, Xue Hui, the person who was the root cause of all these major changes, had made no significant progress in his cultivation over the past several years.
Scratch that.
Xue Hui had made breakthroughs, stepping into Silver Rank a couple of times.
With the key words being: a couple of times.
The thing that greatly confused Chen Zhenlong and his family was that, for reasons known only to Xue Hui, every time he broke through to the Silver Rank Demon Spiritualist, his cultivation would immediately regress to the base level of Bronze Rank.
Which greatly worried everyone.
As thoughts of Xue Hui's cultivation entered his mind once more, Chen Zhenlong placed the documents back on his desk and pinched the bridge of his nose before leaning back in his chair.
Xue Hui's cultivation technique had always been a huge mystery to everyone, especially Chen Zhenlong.
Ever since Xue Hui had returned from his solo training, Xue Hui had spent almost all his available time cultivating, to the point that he would often seclude himself for extended periods.
Because of this, Xue Hui's cultivation had progressed very quickly, breaking through to Silver Rank in a short amount of time, only for it to regress again in the following days.
What worried everyone the most was that every time Xue Hui's cultivation regressed, he would end up severely injured, mostly due to internal bleeding and damage to his soul realm.
And every time they asked him about it, Xue Hui would simply brush it off as minor cultivation backlash and tell them not to worry.
As a result, Xue Hui's cultivation had remained at Three-Star Bronze Rank, even after he had used up almost all the cultivation resources he had collected during their journey.
Chen Zhenlong could only hope that whatever was happening to Xue Hui had finally stopped, since it had been quite some time since Xue Hui had suffered any cultivation backlash.
Sighing, Chen Zhenlong looked at the clock and saw that it was already seven in the morning.
Outside his office, the activity had become increasingly bustling. Chen Zhenlong gazed out the window as the sun fully revealed itself over Glory City.
In a couple of hours, Holy Orchid Institute would officially begin its new semester, welcoming a new batch of young people who hoped to become the next protectors of Glory City.
Holy Orchid Institute was divided into several specialized classes that students could attend: Fighters, Inscriptionists, Alchemists, and Demon Spiritualists.
As the new semester kicked off, however, all new students were required to enter the Apprentice Classes first before they could join the specialized classes.
One class was widely available to everyone: the Fighter Apprentice Class.
All students who had not yet reached One-Star Bronze Rank were placed in this class while they trained to increase their soul force.
Funny enough, for some unknown reason, Chen Linlin had chosen to attend this exact class, dragging Xue Hui along with her.
Truth be told, with Chen Linlin's current strength, attending Holy Orchid Institute was a complete waste of her time.
Chen Zhenlong could attest that, with her talents, there wasn't a single lesson or class at Holy Orchid Institute that could benefit her.
The same could be said for Xue Hui, whose knowledge even surpassed that of Chen Zhenlong and Ye Mo.
But despite that, Chen Zhenlong didn't have the heart to stop his daughter from attending.
He knew very well how much Chen Linlin had longed for this day to arrive, and after everything she had been through, there was absolutely nothing wrong with letting her have a little fun.
While he was deep in thought, the door to Chen Zhenlong's office creaked open as two individuals walked in.
Leading the two was a fourteen-year-old girl with vibrant teal-colored hair and porcelain-like skin, complemented by a natural blush on her cheeks. Average in height, she moved with undeniable grace and charm, a truly exquisite beauty who fit the title of one of the three goddesses of the younger generation.
This person was none other than Chen Linlin, the princess of the Divine Family.
With a spring in her step, Chen Linlin unceremoniously entered her father's office, the glee etched across her face an indication of the excitement she was feeling at the moment.
Behind her stood a tall, well-mannered, handsome young man. His silky lilac-colored hair was tied in a topknot, while the rest cascaded neatly down his back.
His soft, delicate features could easily cause someone to mistake him for a maiden at first glance. Unlike many young men his age, who carried the aura of warriors, he instead possessed the air of a scholar, poised, elegant, and sharp.
If Chen Zhenlong had not seen him go toe-to-toe with hordes of Demon Beasts, he might have assumed that he was someone who didn't fight.
This young man was the enigma of the Divine Family, the hidden Alchemy Grandmaster of the Divine Medicine Pavilion, and had recently become Chen Zhenlong's future son-in-law.
Xue Hui.
The two approached his desk with completely different demeanors. Chen Linlin had an expression that could hardly contain her excitement, while Xue Hui wore a look of complete listlessness.
Chen Zhenlong's lips curved upward as he eyed the two.
He couldn't believe how quickly time had passed. The two children he used to carry in his arms were now grown into outstanding young people.
"Father, you called us!?" Chen Linlin asked curiously.
Before answering, Chen Zhenlong looked at Xue Hui, seemingly asking him if this was okay.
In response, Xue Hui nodded at him, his eyes conveying that it was time.
Chen Zhenlong then returned his gaze to Chen Linlin.
They both knew how important it was for Chen Linlin to learn about this matter before she spread her wings outside the walls of the Divine Family.
"Yes, I wanted to speak to you about one important matter."
Hearing the seriousness in Chen Zhenlong's voice, Chen Linlin's heart skipped a beat. She looked to her side and saw Xue Hui giving her a reassuring look.
At first, she was confused.
The conversation was about her past condition and how it had come to be. The more Chen Zhenlong continued, the more Chen Linlin's expression shifted from confusion to dread.
Perturbed, she shifted her gaze to Xue Hui. Tears threatened to roll down her delicate cheeks.
"You knew this?" she asked in a shaky voice.
In response, Xue Hui gave her a firm nod.
Chen Linlin almost instinctively slapped her own forehead.
'Of course, Hui-hui. I knew all about my poisoning. He was the only person capable of getting rid of my curse in the first place,' she exclaimed inwardly.
'But to think that someone tried to assassinate me when I was still so young is unnerving.'
'No wonder Father and Hui-hui waited this long, waiting for me to mature before revealing the truth behind my withered soul realm.'
'With my current strength, I'm more capable of defending myself,' she thought.
"Still, couldn't the two of you have revealed such matters a little earlier? Why tell me now, when I've already finished applying my makeup?" she complained with a deadpan expression.
"It kind of got lost in my mind. Sorry."
Irritated, Chen Linlin lightly hit Xue Hui's shoulder, making the latter wince in pain.
Chen Linlin's face was a mess of tears, but even in her current state, she couldn't help but snort with laughter.
She was saddened that it had happened, but at the same time, she was glad that she had people like her father and Xue Hui who would do anything for her.
Time passed, and once Chen Linlin had composed herself, the trio headed outside to meet Chen Yinying and Chen Wenrou, who had insisted on sending them off.
The moment both mothers saw Chen Linlin and Xue Hui, they immediately fawned over them.
They were a bit emotional seeing that the two children they had watched grow up had turned into a pair of outstanding geniuses.
Fixing a loose strand of her daughter's hair, Chen Yinying smiled at her daughter and gave her a piece of advice.
"Remember, if someone tries to steal your man, give her a mean right hook."
Chen Linlin chortled as she hugged her mother.
Chen Zhenlong and Chen Wenrou laughed as they fondly watched the two.
Over the years, it had become widely known that Chen Zhenlong had already accepted a son-in-law for his daughter.
Although Xue Hui remained hidden from the public, everyone in Glory City knew that he was the disciple of that mysterious expert residing in the Divine Family.
The same expert who had helped Chen Zhenlong find a cure for his daughter.
Because of this, despite Xue Hui's unknown background, many people in Glory City had easily accepted the engagement, seeing it as a proper arrangement between Chen Zhenlong and that mysterious expert.
After all, who would dare oppose that mysterious expert?
The sound of clacking hooves caught everyone's attention as they watched a carriage make a beeline toward them, stopping right in front of them.
Seeing this, the two teenagers bid their goodbyes and hopped inside before the coachman signaled the horses to move.
Watching them leave, Chen Zhenlong, Chen Yinying, and Chen Wenrou stood quietly as they watched the carriage disappear from sight.
Snow Wind Family
A purple-haired girl stood patiently as she waited for her own carriage to pick her up. Beside her was a little boy who had the same color hair as her. A curious look rested on his small face as his gaze wandered everywhere.
Seeing this, Ye Ziyun smiled and gently patted her little brother's head.
Once again, she remembered that incident from back then, especially the boy who had healed her mother. She couldn't imagine what would have happened if Xue Hui hadn't been there.
Glancing at the sky, Ye Ziyun wondered if she would be able to see Xue Hui again. Over the years, Xue Hui had proven to be quite elusive.
All of her attempts to meet him had ended in failure. Either he was in the middle of training or nowhere to be found.
In the end, Ye Ziyun simply gave up and focused on her own training.
"Maybe someday," she murmured, wondering what he looked like now.
Her thoughts were cut short when her brother's excited cry echoed in her ears.
As the boy happily pointed toward the incoming carriage, Ye Ziyun almost felt bad, as she knew she wasn't going to bring him along.
Wind Dragon Family
Xiao Ning'er stood in front of the mirror, frowning at her own reflection.
She glanced to the side, where a purple bruise could be seen just below her left chest.
She had been unable to sleep for days ever since the bruise had appeared, as it caused a searing pain that was difficult to ignore.
Deep in thought, Xiao Ning'er didn't notice when a servant entered her room.
"Young Miss, your father wishes to speak with you."
Startled, she quickly put on her clothes and gave herself a once-over in the mirror before leaving.
"Okay, I'm coming," she responded, leaving her room.
Holy Orchid Institute
A group of new students flooded the entrance of Holy Orchid Institute. Children from various families, nobles and commoners alike, excitedly conversed as they marched through the gates.
One of these children was Nie Li, a member of the Heavenly Marks Family, ranked the lowest among the aristocratic families.
Although Nie Li was a noble's child, his demeanor was no different from that of a commoner.
His eyes beamed with anticipation as he walked alongside a new acquaintance he had just met.
Completely unaware of the fate-changing event that was about to unfold.
End of Chapter 36