The situation was something Wei Yuanlang had not anticipated.

"Greetings to the family head." Wei Yuanlang knelt on both knees, bowing deeply to the elder sitting at the head of the table, Wei Chengshan. Cao Tai, who stood slightly behind, also bowed but did not kneel, as a guest of the Innate Realm, he was not required to kneel before the head of the Wei family.

"Rise."

"Thank you, family head."

"Do you know why you were called back?" Wei Chengshan asked sternly.

"...Yes," Wei Yuanlang replied immediately, "It is to inquire about the life-and-death battle between the Jiang Clan and the Shentu Clan."

"Mm." Wei Chengshan nodded, "We received news two days ago, and in the following days, we’ve heard that Jiang Xuan, at just fifteen years old, not only killed the number one warrior of Black Lake Mountain, Shentu Lie, with a single sword strike, but after that, he managed to kill a mid-stage Innate with a battle of endurance, without even using his special move. He is only at the early Innate stage... Since you were there that day, what do you think of Jiang Xuan's strength?"

"He..."

Wei Yuanlang was nervous. Although he was one of the three most valued talents in his family, he couldn’t relax in front of the Jie Realm family head. The other two major talents in the family called Wei Chengshan “great-grandfather,” while he had to call him "family head." As a talent from a collateral branch, he was always lower in status, unless he one day reached the Jie Realm himself.

Thus, Wei Yuanlang always wanted to gain favor with the family head.

"His strength... Family head, that day, I went with Cao Tai. After I saw Jiang Xuan kill Shentu Lie, we left early and did not witness the rest of the life-and-death battles," Wei Yuanlang said, subtly raising his eyes to observe the expressions of everyone in the room.

Wei Chengshan's face was serious.

The two elders seated beside him, one in purple robes and the other in blue, were both from the Jie Realm of the family. One of them kept his eyes closed while the other gazed at Wei Yuanlang with an expressionless face. The others in the room also looked solemn. The fourth master, Wei Hongkuo, was seated very close to Wei Chengshan, and his expression was obviously uneasy—he looked under a lot of pressure.

"Never offend Fourth Uncle," Wei Yuanlang thought to himself.

"Not having seen the rest of the battles is fine, but you saw the first one, which is the most important."

Wei Chengshan looked at Wei Yuanlang and said, "Jiang Xuan’s deeds have caused quite a stir in Feixue City in the past few days. Leading his tribe in a desperate counterattack—everyone loves a hero’s story, and the news has become more and more complicated, with many exaggerated details. Hongkuo originally sent someone to monitor the life-and-death battles, but the order was passed down in layers. In the end, the informant who watched the battles was only at the post-Innate stage and couldn’t discern much."

"You, as the most highly trained genius in our Wei family, already at the peak of the Innate realm, should have sharper insights than those from small clans. Since you were there in person, tell us—how do you assess Jiang Xuan?"

Wei Yuanlang suddenly realized that his evaluation of Jiang Xuan would directly impact how much the family valued him and might even influence the final decision.

"He..."

Wei Yuanlang glanced at Wei Hongkuo seemingly unconsciously and then spoke faster, "First, his strength. That move of Jiang Xuan’s was indeed remarkable. The Ninth Style of the Wind-Chasing Sword lives up to its name, but I think it was quite forced when Jiang Xuan used it. It wasn’t fluid, and he only had that one move that could threaten Shentu Lie. If they weren’t on the arena, he would never have been able to match Shentu Lie."

"The constraints of the arena limited Shentu Lie’s movement. He was also too careless and died unjustly."

"Actually, Shentu Lie’s strength..."

"The so-called number one Innate of Black Lake Mountain, he only mastered the ‘Heaven and Man’s Will.’ That’s just the second level of technique mastery; he didn’t even comprehend the third level. There are at least hundreds of Innate experts in Feixue City stronger than Shentu Lie. He’s not even considered one of the top-tier Innates. Jiang Xuan only managed to kill him by taking advantage of the rules of the life-and-death battle. His real strength is far from impressive."

Cao Tai listened as Wei Yuanlang spoke.

When Wei Yuanlang said "there are hundreds of Innates stronger than Shentu Lie," Cao Tai raised his brows slightly.

"I don’t deny that Jiang Xuan is strong and can kill mid-stage Innates without using his special move."

Wei Yuanlang continued, growing more confident as he spoke, "But mid-stage Innates in Black Lake Mountain are probably much weaker than those in Feixue City. Jiang Xuan must have had a half-step Innate realm before. He probably didn’t practice Black Lake Mountain's techniques. Maybe he had some special encounter... His techniques must be stronger. Killing weaker mid-stage Innates is something any genius could do!"

"To be honest, I could do that too!"

"When I entered the Innate realm at fourteen, even the mid-stage Innates from the tribe’s territory were no match for me! Not to mention those in Feixue City, there were some mid-stage Innates who weren’t my opponents at the time!" Wei Yuanlang said this with a great deal of pride.

However, no one, including Cao Tai, found anything wrong with this statement.

Feixue City governed over more than a hundred counties and cities, not to mention small towns, villages, tribal lands, and noble estates... As the core of the region, Feixue City gathered many geniuses and powerful figures. Wei family was one of the top families in Feixue City. Being considered one of the top three talents in such a family, Wei Yuanlang naturally had astonishing talent!

"So I believe that, at fifteen, Jiang Xuan is not as strong as I was at fourteen. As for his special move... his speed, movement, and physical strength don’t match that technique. Outside the arena, it would be very easy to counter."

"Also, his talent—at fifteen, at the early Innate stage, he’s not as good as I was."

"However, his swordsmanship talent is indeed monstrous. The Wind-Chasing Sword would rank among the top ten in Feixue City, and he managed to directly master the final move."

Wei Yuanlang could not deny Jiang Xuan's talent in swordsmanship, but he tried to downplay it as much as possible. "However... I don’t think he learned that move through normal practice. He might have used some barbaric, bloody tribal forbidden techniques. If he spent years to master the Ninth Style, given the difficulty of the Ninth Style, he could have mastered the first eight moves in the same time..."

"My guess might not be correct."

"But I feel like he rushed to learn the Ninth Style. Normally, it’s impossible to master it quickly! He must have used forbidden methods! Perhaps he even drained his own talent or life force! Tribes have strange techniques; who knows..."

"All in all, his swordsmanship talent is higher than mine, but his fundamental talent for cultivation is lower than mine. In terms of overall talent, he’s not as good as me. I have a much higher chance of entering the Jie Realm in the future. Over the thousands of years of history in Feixue City, there have been very few who entered the Innate realm at fifteen and eventually reached the Jie Realm. Most of them entered at fourteen, like me."

"...Of course, he is still a genius! He’s an extremely rare figure in the tribe’s territory. Even in our Wei family, he could rank in the top ten among the younger generation."

Cao Tai glanced at Wei Yuanlang from behind.

These past few days, they had both been discussing Jiang Xuan, and they both agreed that Jiang Xuan’s talent could be compared to the Wei family’s number one genius. Even if he fell short, he wouldn’t be far behind, and he was definitely stronger than Wei Yuanlang.

Wei Yuanlang himself agreed.

But now, reporting to the family head, he was saying Jiang Xuan was inferior to him, even ranking him only in the top ten of the Wei family... Saying "top ten" essentially meant "number ten," much like calling Wei Yuanlang one of the top three talents, but in reality, he was third.

Cao Tai understood Wei Yuanlang’s intentions and had no intention of speaking up.

He was just a guest.

Moreover, he knew that although he was stronger than Wei Yuanlang and had more experience, the Wei family, a top-tier aristocratic family, did not hold much regard for Innate talents from average backgrounds. It wasn’t that they looked down on their strength, but on their lack of experience... Innate talents from poor backgrounds, who had spent their lives accumulating cultivation knowledge through travels, were not as knowledgeable or meticulous as the Wei family's family books!

Wei Yuanlang, as one of the three great talents of the family, had been personally guided by a Jie Realm master and received instruction from renowned masters in every aspect. He had access to family texts at will.

His cultivation knowledge was indeed extremely rich!

That was why they had called him back to report in person.

The Wei family did not trust the Innate experts from Black Lake Mountain, as their informants lacked the necessary strength and insight. Wei Yuanlang had personally observed the life-and-death battle. For the Wei family, this was even a surprise. No one could be more reliable than him!

"A half-step Innate is a special stage. No common technique reaches this stage, and I haven’t heard of any technique from Black Lake Mountain reaching this level. It must have been some special encounter Jiang Xuan had, or maybe his father, Jiang Hanfeng, found a technique during his travels..."

"Indeed, talent in cultivation is the most important. It’s the foundation of everything."

"If his talent is only comparable to the top ten, then his value isn’t that high."

"Indeed, it’s not that high."

As Wei Yuanlang continued his report, there were some murmurs and exchanges between the others in the room. Their voices weren’t loud enough to interrupt Wei Yuanlang, and they mostly agreed with his analysis. He was speaking logically and convincingly!

Wei Hongkuo finally calmed down and gave Wei Yuanlang a look of appreciation.

Although he still placed Jiang Xuan among the top ten talents of the Wei family, this was enough for Wei Hongkuo! Before Wei Yuanlang and Cao Tai entered, Wei Hongkuo had been in a state of turmoil. The rumors in recent days had been so numerous that the room had split into two factions. One believed Jiang Xuan’s talent was ordinary, while the other thought his talent might surpass all the talents of the Wei family.

Every time the latter voice appeared, Wei Hongkuo’s heart sank.

The label of "foolish" was being repeatedly placed on him, suffocating him!

Now, it was fine.

With Wei Yuanlang’s words, the Wei family could no longer have any illusions about Jiang Xuan.

"I was originally considering whether to give up the cooperation with the Jinhe Dong family for Jiang Xuan. A genius who could lead the family to revival is far more important than an ally... Clearly, I overestimated him, and gathered everyone to discuss it," Wei Chengshan said.

"The Jinhe Dong family is our strongest ally right now. Hongkuo has done nothing wrong," said the elder seated third to Wei Chengshan’s right, a seventy-year-old.

"That wild child has some talent, but it’s only a bit."

"I say, even if his talent is higher, our Wei family cannot afford to break our trust with the Jinhe Dong family. It would not only ruin the alliance but could turn into enmity."

Wei Hongkuo finally dared to speak out, in a tone that suggested he had already figured it out, "Those who entered the Innate realm at fourteen and eventually surpassed it to enter the Jie realm are rare. At fifteen, it’s even rarer. Based on just this, no matter how strong he seems in battle, we can’t keep him!"

"At the end of the day, it’s still about value. We have enough talents like him in our Wei family. We don’t need another one."

He was a Jie Realm expert and clearly supporting Wei Hongkuo’s stance.

"Perhaps... he won’t oppose his sister marrying the Dong family?" the elderly woman with the golden hairpin said, "If he doesn’t make a fuss, bringing him into the Wei family would be perfect."

"How could he not oppose it?"

Wei Hongkuo said immediately, "He definitely listens to his mother, and my niece is still on a hunger strike, refusing to agree even if she dies!"

"Then in the future... won’t he seek revenge?" the golden-hairpin elderly woman hesitated, "He does have some talent."

The room fell into a brief silence.

A group of elderly men exchanged glances before bursting into laughter. This was like an emperor fearing a beggar might overthrow him! The saying goes, "A skinny camel is still bigger than a horse," and the Wei family was far from a skinny camel!

"I think it’s better to just eliminate him, end it once and for all, and stop wasting energy on him," Wei Yuanlang actively joined the conversation.

"This..."

"Impossible!"

The reactions of the others took Wei Yuanlang by surprise. They seemed very reluctant.

"Why..." Wei Yuanlang hesitated.

"Yuanlang, you don’t know this," Wei Hongkuo, in a much better mood, explained kindly. "On the seventh of the month, during the tenth match, the Shentu Clan played dirty and sent a man with explosives hidden in his clothes, intending to kill Jiang Xuan with a suicide attack to end the life-and-death battle..." Wei Hongkuo shook his head as he spoke, "These barbarians don’t know when to stop, daring to play tricks in front of the Inspecting Master."

"The Inspecting Master destroyed the explosives and then casually killed over thirty of Shentu Clan’s experts with a single strike, warning them that if they tried it again, he would annihilate their clan! He also warned the other tribes present—if anyone dares to assassinate Jiang Xuan and frame the Shentu Clan, their entire clan would be destroyed!"

Wei Hongkuo kept going, "Although this warning was for the tribes, now that the Inspecting Master has spoken, no one can move against Jiang Xuan secretly! If they’re caught by the Inspecting Master, even our Wei family won’t escape unscathed."

"Lei Hong is one of the most powerful Inspecting Masters in Feixue City, deeply favored by the city lord," the purple-robed elder opened his eyes and said.

"Even the Chen family doesn’t dare to offend Lei Hong easily," another short-haired elder added.

"Jiang Xuan may not be much, but we must show respect to Lei Hong."

"Would we risk offending Lei Hong for the life of a ***? He’s not that important."

"Let him go, he won’t stir up any trouble."

The conversation continued, with no one seeming to find much left to discuss.

"Is the Third Branch still on a hunger strike?" Wei Chengshan suddenly asked, looking at Wei Hongkuo.

"Yes, father. She’s been on a hunger strike from that day until now, not eating a single bite," Wei Hongkuo replied.

"Mm." Wei Chengshan said coldly, "Let her starve. Don’t let her know about that wild child. If she dies from hunger... then let her die. Also! From today on, don’t let her meet with Wei Yao. Teach the little girl more. She should learn who gave her all the fine clothes and food, and practice the etiquette of our noble family so she doesn’t embarrass herself when she marries."

"Yes! Don’t worry, father, I understand," Wei Hongkuo nodded repeatedly.

"Dismissed." Wei Chengshan stood and said.