Liu Chen looked down and saw that his robes were completely torn apart. Most of the fabric had been ripped off by himself during the immense pain he had suffered. Without thinking twice, he used some cleaning talismans to restore the cultivation chamber to an acceptable condition and then stripped completely naked to change his clothes.
It was then that he noticed the changes in his body.
Every one of his muscles was perfectly defined, filled with an explosive power that seemed to throb beneath the skin. His physique was now firmer and more proportionate, as if a sculptor had meticulously worked every fiber.
But there was an even more striking change. The part destined for women's pleasure had grown significantly. It was like the transformation of a snake into a dragon. Even at rest, not erect, it appeared imposing and almost threatening, as if it could conquer any cave without effort.
Without a doubt, this was an unexpected benefit he had not anticipated.
Moreover, the immense strength coursing through his entire body filled him with ecstasy. A warm and wonderful power flowed through every meridian, every bone, every cell. It made him feel so full of life that it seemed he could spend the rest of his existence without needing to sleep.
Once he regained his composure and put on clean clothes, Liu Chen sat down to cultivate.
The first thing he did was take out the cultivation manual he had obtained as a system reward. It was the perfect moment to start from scratch. However, he soon encountered a cruel reality.
He had great difficulty understanding what he read. He had memorized the entire manual, but he could not fully comprehend it. It was as if an invisible force blocked his understanding every time he tried to delve deeper into the text. He calculated that reaching an entry-level comprehension would take him at least half a year.
"System, is this cultivation manual fake?" he asked with some annoyance.
[There is no problem with the cultivation manual, Host. Your current talent is insufficient to assimilate it.]
"…" Liu Chen remained silent for a moment. "Are you mocking me? Why give me a reward I cannot use?"
[Host, your talent is improving at great speed as the primordial blood essence fuses with your body. Once it fully integrates with the blood drop, comprehending that scroll will be child's play.]
[As an immediate measure, you may use your Happiness Points to instantly comprehend any kind of cultivation technique or manual.]
"That's right, I almost forgot about that," Liu Chen murmured, regaining his spirits.
"Can you show me my information? My stats or whatever it's called here?"
[Name: Liu Chen] [Age: 30] [Cultivation: Ninth Stage, Body Refinement] [Spiritual Root: Common Level 1] [Primordial God Blood Essence Fusion: 7%] [Wives: 1] [Concubines: 0] [Children: 0] [Conceptions: 1] [Family Luck: 1,226] [Happiness Points: 64]
Liu Chen carefully examined the information displayed by the system. Everything was extremely precise and useful. What pleased him the most was learning that his spiritual roots had evolved, and according to what the system explained, this was not the final result. Over time, he expected even greater improvements.
He then remembered that, according to what he had learned about the system, he could view information about his wives and children, so he reminded himself to check Zhou Xinyi's information next time.
"How many Happiness Points do I need to comprehend the manual at entry level?" he asked.
[50 Happiness Points. Do you wish to use them?]
"Use them, use them," he replied enthusiastically. "Only 50 points is a bargain."
At that moment, a strange sensation overcame him. It was as if a key had opened a heavy door; understanding of the cultivation manual began to filter into his mind gradually but steadily. Within minutes, he understood everything that would normally have taken him months to decipher on his own.
Without wasting time, he took out the pills the system had given him as a reward and began cultivating. Following the new cultivation method and taking advantage of his constantly improving talent, his progress was surprisingly rapid and smooth.
The best part was not only the speed. The essence accumulating in his dantian was extremely pure, far purer than anything he had cultivated before. Those were the advantages of having an Earth-grade cultivation manual.
Half a month later, Liu Chen had fully recovered his cultivation and had even advanced to the fourth stage of Qi Gathering.
However, cultivation was exhausting. Liu Chen felt it was time to end his seclusion. He could not neglect his responsibilities as patriarch for much longer. Besides, his beloved wife had surely already discovered that she was pregnant.
As soon as he left the cultivation area, a servant greeted him politely, but her expression showed clear concern.
"Patriarch, the elders are gathered. They asked me to inform you that, as soon as you emerged from seclusion, you should go to the grand hall," she reported in a tense voice.
The servant did not know exactly what was happening, but from what she had observed, the atmosphere in the grand hall foreshadowed something bad.
Seeing the seriousness of the matter, Liu Chen ran as fast as he could.
The moment he entered the grand hall, all the elders' eyes turned to him. Their faces were pale and filled with worry.
"What's happening?" Liu Chen asked without beating around the bush.
The great elder stepped forward to respond:
"Patriarch, the Wu family has gone mad. They want to overthrow the Zheng family."
The Zheng family was one of the principal families of the city. They had ruled that territory for more than a thousand years. The Wu family, on the other hand, had barely existed for two centuries. Not only was the difference in seniority enormous, but the warriors of the Zheng family were powerful and mysterious, specialists in artifact refinement. They were not an easy target for anyone.
The problem was that the Liu family and the Wu family had many marital alliances. At least eight of the eighteen elders had wives from the Wu family. Now that the Wu had assumed a dominant position, it was almost certain they would try to recruit everyone with close ties to them. If the recruitment were voluntary, there would be no problem, but that was merely a fantasy.
Most likely, the Wu family had already sent envoys to demand the Liu family's assistance.
"I more or less understand the situation," Liu Chen said, frowning. "But I still don't understand what gives the Wu family so much confidence to confront the Zheng."
"What exactly did the Wu family say?" Liu Chen asked again, seeking concrete answers.
The great elder took a deep breath before replying:
"The Wu family has produced an unprecedented genius, a young man named Wu Zhiyuan. He has been accepted as a direct disciple of a supreme elder of the Celestial Sword Sect."
Another elder intervened to add even more gravity to the news:
"Moreover, thanks to that connection, one of the ancestors of the Wu family has managed to reach the peak of the Human Origin Realm."
"But the Zheng family also has powerful backing within the same sect," Liu Chen pointed out, frowning in confusion.
The great elder shook his head, understanding his bewilderment.
"That is precisely why the sect's higher-ups agreed not to interfere in this struggle," he explained. "Only the clans of the city can get directly involved. This way, they hope to maintain internal harmony within the sect without favoring anyone."
Liu Chen clenched his jaw, feeling the situation grow more complicated.
"What are the Wu family's demands?" he asked, although he already suspected the answer would not be good.
"They want twenty cultivators who have reached at least the initial stage of the Qi Gathering Realm," the great elder replied in a grave voice.
"Twenty cultivators?" Liu Chen could not hide his indignation. "That is more than we can give. Has the Wu family become so authoritarian?"
The Liu family's strength was quite modest. To give an idea, reaching only the mid-stage of Qi Gathering—that is, the fourth level—was enough to become an elder within the clan. In total, the Liu family had more than five hundred cultivators, but fewer than forty had managed to reach the Qi Gathering Realm; more than 90% were still stuck in Body Refinement.
And the problem was even more serious: the clan warriors at the initial stage of Qi Gathering barely numbered sixteen. To complete the quota demanded by the Wu, it would be necessary to include several elders in the contingent.
The elders were the fundamental pillar of the clan's strength. If they died in this dispute, the family would face enormous difficulties that could take decades to overcome—if they could overcome them at all.
Liu Chen repeatedly struck his forehead with the palm of his hand, visibly frustrated.
"Shit," he cursed under his breath. "From the beginning I told you the Wu family had no good intentions. How is it possible that they married so many of their members into our family in less than three years without anyone suspecting?"
The elders who had taken wives from the Wu family lowered their heads in shame. Some even completely avoided raising their gaze. If they had listened to Liu Chen's warnings at the time, the situation would not be so grave now. But it was already too late for regrets.