C97 Xuanyuan City

When a family becomes mired in internal conflict and starts ostracizing its own members, it's a clear sign of impending decline.

A strong family, despite internal disagreements, must rally behind its talented individuals to maintain its power and prevent them from feeling estranged.

Take the Han family, for instance. Some of their elders, though selfish and engaged in covert battles for personal gain, unanimously choose to support a promising genius when one emerges. They would never consider stifling such talent in its infancy—it would be akin to severing their own limb.

Before Han Feng's ascent, the elders' offspring had all tried to trip him up.

But as soon as Han Feng's formidable talents came to light, those same elders cast aside their biases and even commanded their children to make amends to him.

"Father, what should we do?" Sun Binn inquired cautiously.

The Sun family head tore up the wanted poster dismissively, "What's there to ponder? We'll treat this issue as if it were nothing."

"Given Miss Lin's strength and demonstrated potential, the Lin family is bound for trouble eventually. Why should we get involved?"

The Zhou and Wu families found themselves in similar situations.

Renwu City, already a force nearly on par with a profound grade city and quite distant from Xuanxing City, didn't show much respect to the Lin family.

But let's set aside the three major clans of Renwu City for now.

Han Feng and Lin Qingshan found themselves taking shelter in a forest for the night.

Under the night sky, Han Feng gazed at the stars and found his thoughts drifting back to a certain girl.

Her formidable strength still kindled a fire within him.

"Brother, you seem lost in thought. What's on your mind?" Lin Qingshan inquired, approaching Han Feng with a curious tilt of her head.

Han Feng chuckled, scratching his head. "I was just thinking about that girl we met a few days ago."

Lin Qingshan's gaze grew distant, "That girl... she mentioned she was from Shengjin City."

Han Feng nodded. "Sister Lin, Shengjin City is the imperial city of our Great Jin Nation, isn't it?"

"Exactly."

Han Feng let out a sigh, "It's no surprise she's so powerful at such a young age. But I have faith that by the time I'm her age, I won't be far behind."

Lin Qingshan couldn't help but laugh. "Little brother, ambition is great, but you've got to play to your strengths. From what I see, that girl's talent is at least top-quality, upper third grade. Catching up to her won't be a walk in the park."

Han Feng bristled at her words. "Sister, you're selling me short."

With a huff, Lin Qingshan tapped Han Feng on the head. "I'm not looking down on you. That girl, at your age, is already at the peak of the human rank. She could even be an eleven-star or twelve-star human rank. What's your rank now?"

"I know I can concoct that unusual spirit liquid to boost my strength, but if I'm not mistaken, that girl is likely the disciple of the Lord Guardian of our Great Jin Nation. She won't be short on pills. No matter how you slice it, you catching up to her seems unlikely."

Han Feng's eyes twinkled with curiosity. "Lord Guardian? Who's that?"

Lin Qingshan sighed deeply. "The Han family's roots are too shallow. You don't even know this? Tell me, what's the state of affairs in our Great Jin Nation?"

Without missing a beat, Han Feng replied, "Mediocre, at best. I've heard that several powerful nations surrounding ours are on equal footing with the Great Jin Nation and are eyeing us hungrily. And beyond them, there are countries whose might overshadows ours."

Lin Qingshan nodded, pleased. "Exactly. Our Great Jin Nation has its share of heaven-ranked experts. Do you think those stronger nations rely solely on heaven-ranked experts?"

"They must have strengths beyond the heaven-rank," Han Feng said quickly, "though I'm not familiar with what that realm entails."

A light bulb went off in Han Feng's head. "Could it be..."

"Yes," Lin Qingshan confirmed, "our Lord Guardian is a force beyond the heaven-rank, the sole individual in our Great Jin Nation to achieve such a feat. His presence is the reason our nation still stands strong. Should anything befall him, our Great Jin Nation would crumble, inevitably consumed by the encroaching powers."

"The leaders of our Great Jin Nation and the major Heaven-level families hold Lord Guardian in the highest regard and wouldn't dare cross him."

"If that girl is a disciple of Lord Guardian, she'll have access to even more resources than you, not fewer. How can you possibly compete?"

Han Feng was struck speechless and managed a wry smile.

Yet, deep down, his resolve to compete only grew stronger.

What did it matter if she had a teacher who was beyond Heaven-rank? He had the Nine Flames Heavenly Fire Tower on his side.

Lin Qingshan, sensing Han Feng's potential loss of spirit, quickly reassured him, "Don't lose heart, brother. Your current strength is impressive. You're destined to be among the Great Jin Nation's mightiest in the future."

Internally, Han Feng scoffed; his ambitions stretched far beyond the confines of the Great Jin Nation.

"By the way, Sister Lin, what exactly does it mean to surpass Heaven-rank?"

Lin Qingshan shook her head gently. "I don't know. That's beyond my understanding."

"What I do know is that among those who've surpassed Heaven-rank, there are varying degrees of power. The gap between them is vast. From what I've gathered on my own extraordinary adventures, those newly ascended beyond Heaven-rank may live only a few hundred years, while the true apex of such beings can boast lifespans of several thousand years."

"Let's not dwell on such distant matters. My aim is to annihilate the Lin family for vengeance, and then I'll be content if I can achieve Earth rank in my lifetime. You, however, are different. Even though I'm not sure about your potential, your unusual Spirit Liquid alone should suffice to propel you to Heaven-rank during your life."

"In our Great Jin Nation, the presence of Heaven Ranked Experts demands the utmost respect and caution."

"I'm off to sleep now. We'll switch shifts at midnight."

With Lin Qingshan gone, Han Feng was left alone, gazing up at the starry sky, lost in thought.

The night flew by, and the next day, they resumed their trek to Xuanyuan City.

Several days later, they finally reached their destination.

Upon their arrival in Xuanyuan City, Lin Qingshan was shrouded in a veil and cloak, effectively concealing her features from prying eyes.

Han Feng understood that Sister Lin preferred to avoid any unnecessary complications.

Indeed, every corner of the world had its fair share of entitled troublemakers.

While Lin Qingshan's formidable cultivation foundation usually meant she wouldn't bother with such concerns in other cities, Xuanyuan City demanded caution. One could never be certain about the extent of power backing any given playboy here.

Xuanyuan City, being a profound grade city, boasted at least one or two Mystic Rank experts of either First or Two-star status in each of its elite families.

The most prominent among these families even had members who had achieved the Three-star Mystic Rank.

Walking alongside Lin Qingshan, Han Feng remarked, "Sister Lin, based on the intelligence we've collected, the Xuanling Auction House won't commence until a month from now. It seems we've arrived ahead of schedule."