The bedroom door exploded inward.
Its hinges groaned as if the entire palace had been struck by lightning.
Patriarch Zhen stormed in like a crimson comet.
His usually stern and imperious face was split by the widest, most uncharacteristic grin anyone had ever seen on the King Realm expert.
"I FINALLY HAVE A GRANDSON!!"
The joyous roar shook the crystal chandeliers overhead.
Dust sifted from the ceiling beams.
Still pale and exhausted on the bed, Rou'er turned red with embarrassment.
"…Father… please…"
But Patriarch Zhen was already at her bedside in a single step as his massive hands reached out to carefully lift the swaddled newborn from her arms.
"Oh, my dear son… my dear son!"
He cradled the tiny boy against his broad chest.
In his long life, he'd never been blessed with a son.
Two cherished daughters had been his only children.
He adored them fiercely, but the absence of a male heir had always been a quiet ache in his heart. And now the heavens had given him a grandson he could spoil, train, and love as the son he never had.
Before anyone could react, two flashes of brilliant azure light burst into existence beside him.
Two elderly figures materialized.
They were white-haired and bearded in pristine white robes that flowed with ancient brilliance.
Their auras pressed down like twin mountains.
They were both Grandmaster Realm!
The first was Ancestor Zhen Haoran.
The second was Ancestor Zhen Wuxiang.
They both round in build with a perpetual half-smile and eyes that made them look sleepy.
Zhen Haoran leaned forward to see the child.
"Carried for over a full year… and finally gave birth, eh? The little tyrant kept his mother waiting!"
Zhen Wuxiang elbowed him lightly, already reaching out.
"Enough talking, Guang—let this old man hold my great-grandnephew!"
Zhen Rou's delicate brows knitted together.
She pushed herself up slightly on trembling arms.
"Ancestors… Father… my husband hasn't even held our child yet!"
Her voice was weak but firm.
Zhen Haoran snorted without turning as he puffed out his stuffed chest.
"We are more important than that Li boy!"
Zhen Wuxiang nodded sagely beside him.
Suddenly, Zhen Wuxiang's eyes widened.
He tapped Haoran's shoulder urgently and leaned in to whisper.
Though his "whisper" echoed like a stage murmur.
"Haoran… that Li boy is standing right behind us."
Zhen Haoran stiffened.
Both ancestors immediately shuffled sideways like it was perfectly timed as they put Patriarch Zhen between themselves and their terrifying in-law. They straightened their robes, lifted their chins, and adopted expressions of supreme dignity as if they had intended to move all along.
From behind, Haoran hissed loudly.
"You could've told me earlier!"
"I didn't know either!"
Wuxiang hissed back, equally loud.
Li Qingmu shook his head at them.
Then it happened.
A radiant sword-shaped rune blossomed on the newborn's tiny forehead as he became engulfed with a storm of sword qi that made the air itself tremble.
Everyone froze.
Zhen Haoran gasped first.
"This… this is the Sword Bone Constitution! One of the most powerful sword spirit physiques among the thousands recorded!"
Zhen Wuxiang's eyes gleamed as he laughed softly.
"With a physique like this, the boy is surely the reborn vessel of a mighty sword cultivator! He will awaken a Natal Sword Embryo in the near future, walk the path of the purest, most ruthless sword, and be blessed by the heavens! A worthy heir indeed!"
Patriarch Zhen nodded slowly.
But his joyous expression dimmed.
"True… but like any supreme innate physique, it comes bound in tribulation chains. Without endurance, the child will face heavenly tribulations that could claim his life before the age of ten."
Rou'er face drained of what little color she had left.
Her voice cracked.
"Father… that must be a joke, right? I won't let anything harm my first child!"
Li Qingmu stepped forward calmly.
"That shouldn't be a problem. I can break the tribulation chains on his physique myself. Once freed, his potential will explode exponentially."
He reached out toward the baby.
Patriarch Zhen instinctively shifted the child away.
"Hm?"
Li Qingmu paused.
Patriarch Zhen's voice turned cold.
"You do not get to decide the next step. Or don't you know that decision belongs to me?"
The two ancestors nodded vigorously in approval.
Zhen Rou's eyes flashed.
"Father!"
He ignored her completely, staring Li Qingmu down.
"You wouldn't dare go against your father-in-law's commands… would you?"
It was a standoff.
[Host is in a dire situation that threatens life and status!]
[Remain the oppressed son-in-law → Safe, but future authority severely limited.]
[Defy Patriarch Zhen → High risk of deadly enmity with Zhen family head and ancestors. Reward: Clan-Protecting Treasure (Imperial-grade)]
Li Qingmu's face remained tired, almost bored.
Zhen Haoran stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"I once met a renowned madam in the Lower Heaven Realms who is an expert at safely breaking tribulation chains even in newborns. We should summon her."
Zhen Wuxiang nodded.
"Indeed. Far better than depending on… well, Li Qingmu of all people. Talent he has now, yes—but let us not pretend he was born with it."
Patriarch Zhen inclined his head in agreement.
Zhen Rou pushed herself upright fully.
"Enough! You will not casually insult Husband in front of his wife and newborn child!"
Patriarch Zhen's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Rou'er. Never raise your voice to me or your ancestors again. That is not the upbringing I gave you."
Tears welled in her eyes, but she didn't back down.
"It's my child!"
"And it's my duty."
Zhen family patriarch replied calmly.
"I am to ensure the next heir of our clan is prepared from the day he is born."
He turned and signaled the ancestors and began walking toward the door with the baby.
"I will personally oversee this matter."
But then a firm hand closed around Patriarch Zhen's arm to stop him dead.
Li Qingmu's voice came out lazily.
"I thought it was already clear that you won't be going anywhere with my child."
The ancestors inhaled sharply.
Touching Zhen family patriarch without permission was simply unthinkable.
Unless one stood on equal or greater footing.
The temperature in the room plummeted.
The patriarch slowly turned his head, eyebrow arched.
"You dare lay hands on me without permission?"
Li Qingmu chuckled, utterly relaxed.
"Don't act like a virgin, old man."
He gave his arm a gentle pat.
"I'm not going to rape you."
The ancestors' eyes bulged.
Patriarch Zhen's expression darkened like storm clouds.
The ancestors immediately stepped forward.
"Insolent!"
"Utterly disrespectful to the patriarch!"
Li Qingmu shook his head slowly.
"No. Every single one of you here is the disrespectful one. Do you truly believe you can just walk out of my palace with my son without offending me?"
Patriarch Zhen's face twisted in fury.
"What is this arrogant tongue!? Have you forgotten the rules I laid down when you married into this family? You are never to challenge the decis—"
Li Qingmu waved a lazy hand to dismiss him.
"Yeah, yeah. But that was then. This is now."
The patriarch's spiritual pressure erupted.
RUUUUUMBLEEE!
The entire Li family palace trembled.
Yet before he could strike, Li Qingmu smoothly plucked the newborn from his arms and cradled the boy gently against his chest.
"Don't worry, little one. Daddy will make sure nothing happens to you."
"YOU INSOLENT BRAT!"
The patriarch had already curled his fingers like dragon claws wreathed in lightless flames.
He wants to reward this arrogance with death!
Then Zhen Rou threw herself between them with her arms spread wide despite her frailty.
"Father—let my husband do this!"
Patriarch Zhen's voice was ice.
"If anything happens to my grandson, Li Qingmu will pay with his life."
Li Qingmu gave him a sidelong glance.
"Could you just be quiet for once?"
The ancestors instinctively took another step away from the patriarch, who had just been dismissed like a noisy servant.
Li Qingmu settled the baby on the silk bed then formed a series of profound hand seals.
Chaos energy gathered between his palms.
『If anyone else tried this, the backlash would cripple or kill the child. But with my chaos core, I can annihilate both the chains and any rebound.』
He finished the final seal and gently pressed two fingers to his son's glowing forehead.
Chaos energy surged.
The sword rune flared once, then shattered into countless motes of light. Invisible chains that only high-level cultivators could perceive snapped one by one, soundlessly, until none remained.
The baby cooed softly.
His tiny fists waved, completely unharmed.
The ancestors stared in stunned silence.
"He… destroyed the tribulation chains completely…"
"With no backlash!"
"I've never seen such perfect control!"
"Only a heaven-defying genius could—"
Patriarch Zhen cleared his throat loudly.
"It was… adequate."
The ancestors immediately turned to him.
"Adequate!?"
Zhen Haoran blurted.
"Guang, the boy just performed a miracle only true immortals dare attempt on newborns!"
Zhen Wuxiang nodded.
"Give credit where it's due!"
Zhen Rou watched this and covered her mouth as she giggled weakly.
Li Qingmu swished his sleeves dramatically as he turned to face the patriarch.
"This child is mine. Not yours. He, and every child I sire from now on, will bear the Li family name."
His eyes narrowed.
"Is that clear?"
Patriarch Zhen's face squeezed in outrage.
"A nobody like you knows nothing about raising children or clan succession!"
Li Qingmu elegantly tucked a loose strand of long hair behind his ear and smiling peacefully.
"I have twenty-six concubines back home, every one of them already bearing my children. So yes… I believe I know a thing or two."
The bedroom fell deathly silent.
"WHAT!?"