Inside an Advanced Immortal Cave of the Hun Family.
Ling Feng stood in the hall, his expression indignant, his surrounding aura carrying a hint of agitation. Seated in the main seat opposite him was a middle-aged man with a sinister countenance; it was Hun Cangfeng.
At this moment, Hun Cangfeng's expression was indifferent, revealing no emotion whatsoever.
"Elder Feng, that Han Xuanji is truly arrogant and lacks the virtue to match his position!"
Ling Feng couldn't help but speak up, his tone filled with disdain:
"He's just an outside Cultivator who rose to power by relying on Young Miss Qianling. He didn't even have the courage to face me directly, yet he can sit in the position of an S-rank talent and enjoy such resources and treatment. I truly cannot stomach this!"
He bowed slightly, his tone carrying a bit of sincerity and urgency:
"Please, Elder Feng, uphold justice and let everyone see his true face. Prove that he is fundamentally unworthy of the title of Hun Family S-Rank Prodigy!"
Ever since being publicly rebuffed by Hun Qianling at the banquet, the jealousy and resentment in Ling Feng's heart had been churning day and night. After much thought, he eventually sought out Hun Cangfeng.
He knew that Hun Cangfeng possessed significant influence and was a well-known figure in the Hun Family. If he spoke up, even the Family Head would have to take it seriously.
Hearing this, Hun Cangfeng slowly raised his eyes, his gaze falling upon Ling Feng. A look of difficulty appeared on his face as he gently shook his head:
"Little Friend Ling, I'm afraid this matter will be very difficult to handle.
Han Xuanji was personally conferred the status of S-rank talent by the Family Head, and he is the person brought back by Young Miss Qianling. On the surface, he has the Family Head's backing. If you take the initiative to teach him a lesson, wouldn't that be openly defying the Family Head's wishes?"
His tone was flat, seemingly advising Ling Feng, but an imperceptible smile flashed in the depths of his eyes as he thought to himself:
"What a simple-minded boy. A few words and he loses his composure. I can use his hand to test Han Xuanji's background and also cause some trouble for Hun Qianxue."
Hun Cangfeng was already somewhat wary of Han Xuanji's sudden appearance and couldn't grasp the reality of the situation. He had investigated Han Xuanji but found no clues.
Ling Feng's initiative to volunteer happened to align perfectly with his intentions.
Upon hearing this, Ling Feng's face turned even uglier. He clenched his fists, and his tone became agitated:
"Elder Feng, you can't put it that way!
Though he is the Family Head, the Hun Family cannot be his personal dictatorship!"
His chest heaved slightly, full of indignation.
"Based solely on personal preference, he appointed an unworthy outside Cultivator as an S-rank, ignoring the hard work of many Geniuses in the clan. If evaluations are done so haphazardly, won't the Hun Family's talent assessment be in shambles in the future?
When that time comes, who will still be willing to Cultivate with focus and serve the Hun Family?"
Ling Feng grew more excited as he spoke, completely failing to notice the calculation in Hun Cangfeng's eyes. He only felt that every word he said was reasonable. As long as he could get Hun Cangfeng's support, he would surely expose Han Xuanji's true face before everyone, and he would become famous within the Hun Family because of it.
Seeing his excited state, the corner of Hun Cangfeng's mouth curled into an obscure arc. He spoke slowly, his tone carrying a hint of inducement:
"Little Friend Ling has a point, but this matter needs careful consideration. Perhaps you can raise this issue at the next Family meeting... This old man will certainly not stand idly by."
"This..."
Ling Feng was originally somewhat hesitant, but seeing Hun Cangfeng's slightly displeased expression, he immediately gritted his teeth and said:
"Fine, I will speak up when the time comes."
Seeing Ling Feng show his sincerity, Hun Cangfeng nodded in satisfaction.
However, he did not remain idle either. Instead, he sent people to try and win over Han Xuanji, making preparations for both outcomes.
...
Time passed day by day.
Condensing the Samsara Dao Law was not a simple task. Fortunately, Han Xuanji's Divine Soul was powerful and his will was firm. After spending a year, he finally succeeded in condensing it.
"It's finally done."
Han Xuanji breathed a sigh of relief.
"Fortunately, no problems occurred. It seems the efforts of these years were not in vain."
Han Xuanji felt a bit sentimental. Without the System, he was somewhat less confident than before.
"Wanting to condense a fifth type of Dao Principle won't be so easy..."
Han Xuanji now also realized the difficulties of practicing the Way of Laws. Even with his status as an S-rank talent, exchanging for those precious resources for the Way of Laws was not easy; it wasn't as if he could have as much as he wanted.
After all, he wasn't the only one in the Hun Family practicing the Way of Laws. These resources were limited—not only were they capped, but the exchange cost was also extremely high.
"To condense a new Dao Principle, I can't just do it randomly. I have to balance the previously comprehended Dao Principles, and my cultivation cannot stop..."
Han Xuanji felt some pressure.
"I'm poor!"
He calculated his consumption; the S-rank talent treatment also seemed somewhat insufficient.
"The small samsara stones used to condense the Samsara Dao Law have already exhausted almost my entire quota. The next Eternal Dao Principle should ideally be of the Stars or the Five Elements; at worst, the path of Taiyin or Taiyang. Seeking more assistance from the Hun Family seems a bit inappropriate."
Han Xuanji was troubled for a moment.
If he relied only on those delicacies and Eternal Spirit Liquid, at most he could only guarantee the speed of increasing his cultivation base, not the speed at which he could comprehend the Dao Principles.
His talent could naturally be called decent on the Eternal Continent, but it was only decent; it was impossible to say he could complete a Breakthrough effortlessly.
"System, when will you be ready..."
Han Xuanji missed the benefits of the System, but he also knew that without it, he could only take things slowly; he couldn't rush.
On the Eternal Continent, the lifespan of those who reached the Eternal Dao Master Realm was nearly infinite. Under such a worldview, most beings focused on cultivation and might never marry or have children in their entire lives.
Of course, there were also those who might marry and have children for true love, placing their hopes on the next generation, or some powerful experts who sired descendants and built up a faction to manage their fiefdoms.
While pondering, Han Xuanji also began to check the Communication Token given to him by the Hun Family to see how many messages he had received during his closed-door cultivation.
He was surprised to see that quite a few messages had already accumulated.
"Quite a few people have sent invitations, saying they want to get acquainted, but the names aren't familiar, and I don't know their backgrounds."
Han Xuanji wasn't surprised.
S-rank talents held a high status in the Hun Family, so it wasn't strange to receive overtures, but he couldn't just accept anyone's recruitment. He could be said to already belong to Hun Qianxue's lineage, which was the Family Head's lineage. If he accepted benefits from other factions, it might cause outsiders to speculate and could even implicate Hun Qianling.
"Even if I'm poor, I can't be reckless."
Han Xuanji carefully scanned these messages and didn't bother to respond.
Small favors were better left alone.
Of course, for large favors, he didn't want to owe such a huge debt of gratitude either.
...
Meanwhile, the Hun Family's internal meeting was convened.
Inside the Hun Family's Discussion Hall, the atmosphere was solemn. Seated in order were the various Eternal True Gods, core Elders of the Hun Family, and core personnel from each lineage of the clan, all with heavy auras and solemn expressions.
In the main seat, Hun Qianxue wore a Family Head's robe embroidered with golden Soul Patterns. A faint pressure swirled around him, his face calm and his gaze slowly sweeping across the hall, commanding respect without needing to be angry.