C36 Reward

Han Yongxing furrowed his brow, noting the situation. "I've heard Chang Wenjun can be quite spiteful. A member of the Chang family crossed him and ended up crippled."

"If he's that harsh with his own kin, imagine how he'd treat us. Han Feng, be extra cautious during the trial."

Han Lin's tone was icy. "Chang Wenjun is nothing but trash. He tried to ambush me once, but Han Feng kicked him and injured him on the spot. He's no match for Han Feng."

It seemed Han Feng's act of saving Han Lin's life had significantly warmed Han Lin's feelings toward him.

"Is that true?" Han Yongxing gasped in surprise.

"Absolutely," Han Lin confirmed with a serious nod.

Instructor Lin, having heard the story before, still found it hard to believe.

Chang Wenjun's cultivation foundation was by no means inferior to Han Lin's. While Chang Wenjun had just achieved Small Completion Stage in his Basic Upper-grade Martial Skill, Han Lin was steadily nearing Large Success.

Han Yongxing's mouth twitched, visibly shaken.

Instructor Lin, through gritted teeth, pressed, "Reveal your true level of cultivation. Even with your Claw Condensation Technique perfected, it's implausible you could harm Chang Wenjun so easily with just two Main Bloodlines of Internal Strength."

Embarrassed, Han Feng confessed, "Three Main Bloodlines!"

"What?!" The exclamation burst from Han Yongxing and the others.

Han Yongxing's eyes gleamed. "Heavens, you've only been cultivating Internal Strength for a month and ten days, and you've already opened the third Main Bloodline."

"Your progress is rivaling that of a Medium-class Upper Third Grade cultivator."

"You're even approaching Upper-class aptitude."

Instructor Lin was beside himself with excitement. With a prodigy like Han Feng, the Han family's ascent was inevitable. They would soon overpower the other two major families and claim the title of the foremost family in Renzhong City.

Han Lin's mouth twisted into a resigned smile.

Before, he had acknowledged Han Feng's strength, yet still harbored a competitive spirit. Now, that desire had vanished.

Han Yongxing dismissed the thought with a wave of his hand, "Let's move on. The others might be on their way out too."

They quickly reached the outskirts of the Jade Peak Mountain Range, only to find that the Chang family members were nowhere to be seen—likely, they had already departed.

Han Feng was aware of their means of communication and wasn't surprised by their absence. Han Yongxing, on the other hand, was initially puzzled but eventually concluded that the Chang family must have left earlier than they had.

It was then that Han Lin recalled Chang Wenjun's earlier remarks and promptly shared them with Han Yongxing.

Han Yongxing's expression grew stern. "There's something off about the Chang family. I've heard that Chang Wenjun's Third Brother is the top talent under fifteen in their clan, yet his exact level of cultivation remains a mystery to us. He's concealed it far too well."

"If we take Chang Wenjun's words at face value, it suggests that his Third Brother is targeting Han Feng. Han Feng, you need to stay vigilant. We know next to nothing about this individual."

"Besides that, Chang Wenjun's Second Brother has quite a reputation. At only seventeen, he's already at the Peak of Two-star within the Human Rank and could advance further at any moment."

"As for Chang Wenjun's eldest brother, he was once the foremost prodigy among the Chang family's youth. But since turning fifteen, he's vanished without a trace, and his current whereabouts are unknown."

Hearing this, Han Feng and Han Lin's faces tensed.

Han Feng produced a communication jade pendant and recounted the incident involving Chang Tianyi.

Han Yongxing erupted in fury. "The Chang family's underhanded tactics are as reprehensible as ever. Thankfully, Han Feng's formidable strength spared our family's talents from falling during this assessment."

Instructor Lin's face was etched with concern. "Not every Mystic Level family possesses a communication jade pendant."

"Only the elite among the Mystic Level or those Earth-level powers beyond it are likely to have such an item."

"Could the Chang family be an offshoot of an Earth-level force?"

Han Yonglin shook his head. "I doubt it. If that were the case, Renzhong City would have been under the Chang family's thumb by now."

Han Lin suggested, "It's possible the Chang family was cast out, which is why they've received no assistance."

Han Feng countered, "That's not likely. If the Chang family were truly forsaken, they wouldn't have been given something as valuable as a communication jade pendant. My guess is that the Chang family has secured the backing of a powerful force, using that support to bolster their own strength."

"Moreover, the Chang family is probably insignificant to such a dominant power, which is why the Han family has remained undisturbed until now."

Han Yongxing concurred with Han Feng's reasoning, "You're on the mark, Han Feng. That's probably exactly what's happened."

"But just because they're inconsequential now doesn't mean they always will be. The Chang family has managed to get one step ahead of us in some respects. We, the Han family, need to be ready."

"I'll report today's events to our leadership as soon as I get back."

"For now, let's wait for the others to emerge."

A heavy silence settled over the group, each member fraught with concern.

Han Feng recognized that his family's current predicament was far from ideal.

"I have to grow stronger and reach the Human Rank before the crisis hits. That's the only way I'll be able to defend myself."

"And if I get stronger, perhaps I can even help my family weather this storm," Han Feng silently resolved.

Before long, Han Rong, Han Zheng, and Han Lieh all returned.

Instructor Lin called out, "Release the Devil Beast heads from your Storage Belts, and I'll tally the scores."

Everything unfolded as Instructor Lin had anticipated—Han Feng took the top spot among the ten contenders.

With a collection of over a hundred Level 1 Devil Beasts and several dozen Level 2 Devil Beasts, Han Feng's total score soared past eight hundred.

Han Lin came in second with six hundred points, followed by Han Rong in third with nearly four hundred.

The scores of the others trailed behind, the differences between them marginal. The last few barely crossed the hundred-point mark.

Instructor Lin smiled, "Han Feng, Han Lin, Han Rong, you three will be awarded a Level 2 Pill by the family. Han Zheng, Han Lieh... the seven of you will receive a Level 1 Pill."

"You have five days left. Use them to cultivate diligently."

"In five days, you'll compete against Instructor Mu's ten protégés. The victorious ten will represent our Han family in the Renzhong City Family Trials."

Upon returning to the Han residence, Han Feng wasted no time in secluding himself in his room to cultivate.

Over the next five days, his objective was to unlock his fourth Main Bloodline.

The energy required to achieve this was substantial. Previously, Han Feng would have doubted his ability to accomplish this feat within such a short span, but with the aid of a Level 2 Pill, the situation had changed dramatically.

In Renzhong City, at the Chang family estate.

The door of a stone dwelling creaked open.

A youth, his face ashen, stepped out. Chang Wenjun, waiting outside, quickly approached. "Did you make a breakthrough?"

Chang Wenjun's expression was a mix of envy and delight.

His Third Brother, Chang Wenhua, responded with a calm tone, "Indeed, thanks to the Level 3 Pill our eldest brother provided, I've advanced to the late period of the Mortal Rank."

"Now, all I need to do is to solidify my Internal Strength into Attribute Genuine Qi."