If he had a powerful enough Cultivation, the old Jiang Jichen might have swallowed his anger. But as he was now, he would have attacked without a moment's hesitation, beating these people to within an inch of their lives.
Unfortunately, he had just woken up, and his body was incredibly weak. Even an ordinary, able-bodied man could probably knock him down with ease.
Trying to act tough without strength was foolish. But it wouldn't be long before he had the power to take them all down.
As Jiang Jichen's mind raced, he came up with a way to buy some time. Just as he was about to speak, an angry voice rang out.
"What do you think you're doing? This is the Fifth Mansion! You can't just act recklessly here. Besides, my young master has brought great glory to the Jiang Family. Are his contributions something you can simply erase?"
The speaker was the old butler of the Fifth Mansion, a man from Jiang Jichen's grandfather's generation. He had practically raised Jiang Jichen. Beside the old butler stood a pretty young woman, Xing'Er, who was glaring furiously at Jiang Haijian and his group.
The old butler was over seventy, but his body was hale and hearty, and he was at the Innate First Layer Realm. However, as a servant of the Jiang Mansion, the greatest taboo was to defy a direct descendant of the Jiang Family.
He had always been a quiet man and had only spoken up just now because he couldn't bear to watch any longer. In a family with such a strict hierarchy, this was already a serious transgression.
Sure enough, upon hearing the old butler, Jiang Haiyun sneered, "You insolent old dog, do you think you have any right to speak here? And you say Jiang Jichen brought glory to the Jiang Mansion? Do you know that the Mu, Fang, Luo, and He families have all come to our door to break off their engagements? It's become the biggest joke in Cyan Moon City! Jiang Jichen only brings shame to the Jiang Family. What right does a cripple like him have to a Five-Star Bronze Cultivation Card?"
Jiang Haijun then threatened, "Hand over the Five-Star Bronze Cultivation Card, and we can overlook that old dog's insubordination!"
At this, they finally revealed their true purpose. As for the old butler, if they were to truly pursue the matter, he would likely be sent to the Jiang Family's Punishment Hall to suffer brutal punishment. He might very well lose his life there.
But the old butler remained fearless. Instead, he roared angrily, "You have the nerve to say that? The Mansion Masters may have agreed to the four families breaking the engagements, but they did so without the consent of this mansion's master! And did our Fifth Mansion see a single item from the compensation gifts the four families provided? Young Master, this old servant would rather die than let you hand over that Five-Star Bronze Cultivation Card!"
Listening to their exchange, Jiang Jichen's face remained calm, but a flash of killing intent glinted in his eyes.
'It doesn't matter that they're insulting me. But the old butler is like family. Even though the original Jiang Jichen's soul is gone, his memories remain—a series of heartwarming images.'
'Since I'm living on in his place, it's my duty to protect his loved ones.'
Of the group, only Jiang Haijian had remained silent, merely watching Jiang Jichen with a cold gaze, as if waiting for a decision.
Of course, Jiang Jichen knew that even if he refused now, they would just take it by force. They were clearly determined to get it, no matter what.
"The Five-Star Bronze Cultivation Card isn't on me right now!"
Jiang Jichen said after a moment, neither agreeing nor refusing.
Jiang Haiyun's face turned ice-cold, thinking Jiang Jichen was toying with them.
"Are you messing with us?"
As he spoke, Spiritual Power condensed in his hand, and he was about to strike Jiang Jichen.
However, Jiang Jichen just gave a brilliant smile. "How about this? I just woke up and was about to take a bath. In a little while, how about I deliver it to you in person?"
The sudden change left Jiang Haiyun and the others stunned for a moment.
Finally, Jiang Haijian spoke up, laughing mockingly. "And here I thought you had some backbone. Turns out you're just spineless after all. I'll give you three double-hours to bring the Five-Star Bronze Cultivation Card to me. We'll be waiting for you at the Qingjiang Cultivation Field!"
Jiang Jichen was already a cripple. Even the weakest among them, the First-level Mortal Jiang Haijun, could completely defeat him. Therefore, Jiang Haijian wasn't worried he wouldn't show up.
After speaking, he led Jiang Haiyun and Jiang Haijun away. As they departed, their mocking voices could be faintly heard.
Jiang Jichen stood his ground, then suddenly smiled at the old butler. "Old man, I know what you're going to say. But I, Jiang Jichen, was the number one young genius of Cyan Moon City. Do you really think they can bully me? After I take my bath, I'll personally pay them a visit and teach them a lesson about respecting their elders. As for those families who broke the engagements, we'll see who truly suffered a loss in the end. Besides, none of them are necessarily better than my Xing'Er!"
With that, Jiang Jichen let out a triumphant laugh and headed for the bath.
...
Steam drifted through the air, thick with the intoxicating scent of medicinal herbs. Jiang Jichen soaked in a medicinal vat, toying with a bronze card in his hand.
The top of the bronze card was printed with five stars. Below them was an engraving: vast waters, a lone cloud drifting from a mountain peak, and between the clouds and water, the faint outline of a bronze ancient sword.
This was a Five-Star Bronze Cultivation Card!
In the entire Southern Continent Cultivation World, only the Heavenly Sword Alliance could construct Cultivation Arenas. From Low Level to High Level, all were built by them. Therefore, all Cultivators in the Southern Continent looked to the Heavenly Sword Alliance as their leader.
The Heavenly Sword Alliance had built a Cultivation Arena in every city, and the only way to enter was with a Cultivation Card.
Of course, the great families also had their own Cultivation Arenas, but building them required paying an enormous price to hire an Array Master. Furthermore, they could only construct arenas of Two-Star Bronze or lower, which were used for the foundational cultivation of the family's younger generation.
But once a cultivator's level surpassed the Third-level Mortal Realm, they needed to train in a Cultivation Arena of Two-Star or higher. Otherwise, their cultivation speed would be incredibly slow. At the very least, for a person of the same talent and Realm, the cultivation speed in a Three-star Cultivation Arena was more than double that of a Two-Star one.
Therefore, a Five-Star Bronze Cultivation Card was enough to drive people mad. At least, Jiang Haijian and his group had already decided to obtain it by any means necessary.
'In the past, I was always the one taking things from others; no one ever dared take what was mine. It's time to make them understand that nothing has changed, not then and not now!'
Jiang Jichen muttered softly to himself, then put away the Five-Star Bronze Card and took out a handful of Spirit Pills.
There were twenty in total, all First-Grade Spirit Condensing Pills. This was his entire accumulation from the past, and he now took them all out at once.
Thousands of Cultivation Techniques flashed through Jiang Jichen's mind, but in the end, he narrowed it down to just two.
One was the Body Refining Technique, the *Undying Scripture*. The other was an incomplete technique with no full name, only a single ancient character: Source!
The *Creation Scripture*, *Undying Scripture*, and *Three Lives Scripture* were the three great Ancient Scriptures of the world. In his past life, Jiang Jichen had cultivated the *Undying Scripture* to the Extreme Realm, earning the title Dao Body Indestructible. And yet, he was still shattered in the end. If not for the Mysterious Ancient Jade, he likely wouldn't have even been able to preserve his soul.
However, he still chose to cultivate the *Undying Scripture* in this life, but only as a supplementary technique.
In this life, his main focus would be the Cultivation Technique he obtained from the Mysterious Ancient Jade: Source!
Of course, time was short, and he had an appointment to keep. To gain the strength to defeat Jiang Haijian and the others right now, he had to cultivate the *Undying Scripture* first.
As for repairing his Qi Sea and reconnecting his Spirit Veins, that would have to wait until this matter was settled!
With that thought, Jiang Jichen directly swallowed all twenty First-Grade Spirit Condensing Pills in a single gulp. If anyone had been there to witness it, they would have been dumbfounded by his reckless action. Even a Fifth-level Mortal Warrior could only ingest one First-Grade Spirit Condensing Pill at a time and would need to spend several double-hours refining it. For Jiang Jichen to swallow twenty pills at once with a shattered Qi Sea and severed Spirit Veins was undoubtedly courting death.
And yet, Jiang Jichen did not die!
Having cultivated the *Undying Scripture* in his previous life, he possessed experience that no one in this world could match. Therefore, it was only natural that he would achieve twice the results with half the effort by cultivating it again.
The *Undying Scripture* began to circulate. The twenty Condensing Spirit Pills dissolved at once, and a torrent of Spiritual Power slammed into his physical body. In an instant, blood spattered from Jiang Jichen's skin. It was as if countless firecrackers had been lit inside him, letting out a continuous POPPING sound. He was a wretched, indescribable sight.
Blood dyed the medicinal vat red, but Jiang Jichen's face remained calm, as if this body did not belong to him. He simply focused his entire mind on circulating the *Undying Scripture*.
If an ordinary person were to begin cultivating the *Undying Scripture*, their mind and body would inevitably be unable to withstand such pain. But for Jiang Jichen, this was simply not a problem.
'Body Refining Technique... To find life in death...'
This was one of Jiang Jichen's cultivation insights from his past life. Now, on the verge of Annihilation, he seized a thread of vitality. The Life Dao of the *Undying Scripture* began to circulate. In that instant, the Spirit Medicines in the vat dissolved, and the unrefined Spirit Extension Pill inside his body simultaneously transformed into Life Energy, which flowed throughout his entire body.
Three double-hours later, Jiang Jichen stepped out of the medicinal vat. His naked body revealed corded muscles filled with a sense of power and beauty. When he threw a punch, it seemed to carry the sound of roaring thunder.
'First Turn Initial Realm. A pity there weren't enough Spirit Pills, or I could have tried to break through to the First Turn Middle Realm. Still, this is more than enough to defeat Jiang Haijian and the others!'
The *Undying Scripture* had a total of Nine Turns. Each turn was its own heaven, and at the Ninth Turn, one was said to be indestructible. The First Turn Initial Realm was merely the beginning.
Jiang Jichen threw on some clothes and strode toward the Qingjiang Cultivation Field.
The Qingjiang Cultivation Field was the place where the younger generation of the Jiang Family began their cultivation. It was rated as Bronze One-Star.
Jiang Jichen passed through several courtyards and walked along a small valley path, finally arriving at a flat clearing in the valley. There, Jiang Haijian and his group were already waiting impatiently. Their faces were livid, and they were just about to go looking for Jiang Jichen themselves when they saw him walking unhurriedly toward them.
"Jiang Jichen, you piece of trash! Do you still think you're the number one young expert of Cyan Moon City? If you don't hand over the Five-Star Bronze Cultivation Card today, then you can strip naked and crawl your way back!"
Jiang Haiyun's furious voice rang out. He had been waiting here for more than three double-hours, and he was already feeling as though Jiang Jichen had made a fool of him.
"Is that so? I'm delivering it in person right now. Let's see if you worthless trash actually dare to take it!"
Jiang Jichen held up the Five-Star Bronze Cultivation Card. His voice wasn't loud, but every single word landed clearly in the ears of everyone at the Qingjiang Cultivation Field, causing their expressions to change drastically.