Chapter 208 - 207: After the Breakthrough

The moment the children stepped into the courtyard and saw their father standing near the entrance, they rushed forward, surrounding him instantly.

"Father!" Li Juanxin called out, clutching Li Jain’s sleeve with both hands, his eyes wide with relief: "You really came out in three days!"

Li Jain smiled warmly, placing a hand on the boy’s head: "Didn’t I tell you? I always keep my word."

"Dad, that thunder earlier was terrifying!" Li Zhang exclaimed, holding his arms out wide to imitate the lightning bolts: "The entire sky turned purple! I read in a book that when a cultivator steps into the Divine Power realm with a golden phantom, it means they are an immortal emperor reincarnated! Dad, are you secretly an ancient immortal emperor who forgot his memories?"

Li Yuhan burst out laughing, leaning against Li Yujian’s shoulder: "Fourth brother, you’ve been reading those strange storybooks again. If Dad were an ancient immortal emperor, would he still be here taking care of us everyday?"

"What do you know?" Li Zhang crossed his arms, snorting lightly: "Immortal emperors love hiding in the mortal world to taste fine food. It’s called experiencing the red dust!"

Li Yujian shook his head with a gentle smile, looking up at Li Jain with deep respect: "We are just glad Father is safe and sound. The breakthrough was smooth, right?"

"It was very smooth," Li Jain replied softly: "Everything went according to plan."

"Then what about our grand feast?" Li Jingxuan shouted eagerly, puffing out his chest: "Father promised an extra grand feast once he came out!"

Li Jingsheng frowned: "Father just came out, give him a break!"

"Father isn’t complaining, why do you care?"

"You are unbelievable!"

"Come in, I haven’t you guys for days." Li Jain said before their argument could progress any further.

The happy laughter of the children filled the courtyard late into the night, they went on and on about their day and what they heard people saying about their father’s breakthrough.

A few days later, after the estate had been repaired and order restored, Li Jain began attending to affairs within the family. He knew that during the fight, many members of the Li family had stood their ground against other forces to help him breakthrough safely. Even if they did because of his grandfather, it still benefited him. Therefore, he decided to thank them in return.

Calling upon several trusted clan guards, Li Jain sent refined wooden boxes to the residences of all the elders and members who had actively fought during the battle. He didn’t go through too much trouble to find out those that participated, because they write out each other. Inside each box lay precious Grade Six pills, specifically Spirit Refining Pills and Auxiliary Pills, which Li Jain had carefully refined.

When the elders opened the boxes and felt the pure, potent medicinal energy from the pills, they were very moved. In South River City, Grade Six pills were exceptionally rare, often monopolized by top-tier sects or sold for exorbitant fortunes at major auctions. For many elders stuck at bottlenecks, these pills represented a chance to advance their cultivation by an entire stage.

"Grade Six?" A clan elder stared at the jade bottle in his hand in disbelief.

The person delivering the gift nodded: "Young Master Jain asked that it be given to you."

The elder opened the bottle, and a rich medicinal fragrance escaped from the gap. He immediately closed it again. It really was Grade Six, and it wasn’t some useless Grade Six pill that merely possessed a prestigious classification.

He only participated in the battle because he was a member of the Li family. He hadn’t expected payment, certainly not this: "Tell Young Master Jain that I appreciate his consideration."

Similar reactions appeared throughout the family:

"To think... nephew Jain would gift us Grade Six pills so freely!" one senior elder gasped, his eyes red with emotion as he held the pill bottle: "We only did our duty to defend our own bloodline!"

"With these pills, my chances of breaking through to the late Soul Palace realm have increased by at least sixty percent!" another elder said proudly. "In the future, if anyone dares to target nephew Jain’er’s courtyard, they will have to step over my dead body first!"

However, the news of these rewards soon reached the ears of the distant relatives and branch elders who had hidden in the underground protective array during the fight. By evening, several family members who hadn’t participated were regretting their decisions. Nobody had expected Li Jain to reward those who defended him.

When they recalled how they had huddled together, whispering envious criticisms and complaining about Li Jain bringing trouble to the family, intense regret and burning jealousy consumed their hearts.

"Grade Six pills... he actually gave out genuine Grade Six pills!" a branch elder muttered in his courtyard, clutching his chest in agony: "If I had just stepped out and swung my sword once or twice, I would have received a pill that could extend my lifespan!"

"We were too foolish," another relative whispered bitterly: "We thought he was just a chef who brought disaster, but he is a grandmaster alchemist and a Divine Power master now! We missed the greatest opportunity of our lives!"

"It’s not too late yet. We can still go over and show our concern and support. I’m sure he won’t allow us to leave empty handed."

For the first time, some of the clan members who had previously regarded Li Jain’s return with suspicion began reconsidering whether being closer to him might actually be beneficial.

While many were consumed by agony and regret, others allowed their envy to curdle into self-righteous resentment. In a secluded corner of the western pavilion, a few disgruntled branch elders and distant relatives were gathered together, their expressions were twisted with bitterness. One look, and one could tell that they were up to no good.

"Hmph! What grandmaster alchemist? What Divine Power master?" A middle-aged branch elder sneered, slamming his teacup onto the stone table: "He is simply biased, stingy, and petty! We are all members of the Li family, bound by the same bloodline. Since he possesses such good things, shouldn’t he share them with the entire family instead of handpicking a small circle of favorites?"

"Elder Gu is completely right!" a woman beside him joined in: "When he broke through, didn’t he use the family’s grand protective array? Didn’t the Old Ancestor himself stand guard for him, risking the entire family’s standing against the rival patriarchs? The resources of the clan were mobilized for his sake! Yet now that he has Grade Six pills, he treats them as his personal property, giving them only to those who swung a blade once or twice! Besides, how can he tell who was present and who wasn’t?"

"Precisely!" Another relative nodded righteously: "Blood is thicker than water! A true filial descendant would put the strength of the entire clan first. To withhold precious Grade Six pills from his own elders and brothers simply because we stayed back is nothing short of narrow-minded and selfish. He owes the entire Li family an explanation!"

They spoke with such conviction and moral outrage that one might think Li Jain had committed a grave injustice against them, completely ignoring the fact that they had cowered in the underground arrays while others were injured trying to protect the estate.

Clouded by their greed, they couldn’t hear how ridiculous they sounded.

Meanwhile, in the western wing of the Li estate, Li Yiwei sat in his courtyard, staring at a small wooden box that had just been delivered to his table. Inside was a small bottle of Grade Six Spirit Refining Pill.

During the battle, Li Yiwei only fought on the outer perimeter. Truth be told, his primary motivation was not pure brotherly affection; he only joined the defense solely to protect his reputation as the leading genius of the Li family’s younger generation, refusing to let anyone call him a coward who hid behind formations.

He’d expected Li Jain to see through his pride or ignore him entirely, because they had never been on good terms. Yet, here was a small bottle of Grade Six pill, delivered directly to his quarters without a single word of reproach or condition.

But then again, maybe Li Jain did it so people won’t say he sent gifts to all the clan elders and left his own brother out. After all, it’s all about reputation and looking good in the eyes of outsiders.

Li Yiwei slowly picked up the jade bottle, feeling its cool surface against his palm. His expression was complex. He couldn’t say for sure that Li Jain held no grudge against him, nor did he not view him as a competitor for power within the clan. He could no longer understand Li Jain’s character. What Li Yiwei hates the most are things that he has no control over.

"Divine Power realm... Immortal Foundation... and grandmaster alchemy..." Li Yiwei whispered softly to himself, letting out a long sigh. Some people are just too fortunate.

He carefully closed the box and stood up, looking toward the central courtyard. He realized that this younger brother was no longer the lousy, and easy to prejudice man he knew.

Resolving his thoughts, Li Yiwei decided that once everything settled down completely, he would find an appropriate time to personally visit Li Jain. He needs to see for himself what else Li Jain has under his sleeve.