Chapter 47 - 45: Dispelling Doubts and Sparking Public Outrage

Chapter 47: Chapter 45: Dispelling Doubts and Sparking Public Outrage

Even Jiang Hao did not know he possessed a body cultivator’s Overlord Body. As for exactly what kind of Overlord Body it was, even Qin Shiming couldn’t say. But that wasn’t important; what mattered was the immense surprise Jiang Hao had given the two men.

He had reached the Physical Realm Seventh Layer in just two months. Had Qin Shiming not seen it with his own eyes, even he, the Patriarch of the Qin family and City Lord of Qin City, would have mistakenly believed that the youth in white truly had seven years of secret technique cultivation under his belt.

Early this morning marked the fifth month since Jiang Hao’s arrival at the Qin family. With the boy at the Physical Realm Seventh Layer, Qin Shiming felt it was the perfect time to put up a smokescreen. By coincidence, today was the Qin family’s annual physical strength test, so Jiang Hao was naturally brought to the Martial Arts Arena.

At this moment, countless eyes of the Qin family’s direct line were fixed on the figure slowly ascending the testing platform, instantly causing quite a stir.

"Is he Qin Fan? The Patriarch’s illegitimate son from the outside?"

"I heard he only has a cultivation base at the Creation Realm Third Layer. To think it’s actually true."

"Is this the guy the Patriarch gave a Level One Cultivation Chamber to? He looks handsome enough, but who knows how his body cultivator talent holds up?"

Many of the Qin family’s younger generation whispered among themselves.

Although Jiang Hao had been in the Qin family for over five months, he had been in secluded cultivation the entire time. Besides Qin Shiming and Zhang Tiesheng, the only ones in the family who had seen his true face were Qin Xiangyuan and Qin Xiangying. Right now, the two sisters stood silently among the Qin family ranks, their beautiful eyes quietly watching the figure stepping onto the platform.

Meanwhile, in a sparsely populated corner.

"So this is the little bastard Qin Shiming fathered with some woman on the outside?" an imposing woman with a terrifying aura asked, watching the youth in white from afar. A trace of anger lingered in her eyes.

Upon hearing the noblewoman’s words, the maidservants beside her didn’t even dare to breathe heavily, let alone respond. The woman was none other than the Lady of the House of the Qin family, the City Lord’s wife, Qin Shiming’s lawful wife, and the biological mother of Qin Xiangying and Qin Xiangyuan. On top of that, she was the beloved daughter of the Celestial City’s Hidden Pill Tower Master, Nalan Feiyan.

Watching Jiang Hao slowly step onto the stage, a flash of disgust crossed Nalan Feiyan’s cold eyes. "I want to see exactly what is so special about this vile spawn Qin Shiming made outside."

If the wild bastard had some outstanding qualities, she could let it slide. As long as he could contribute to the Qin family’s rise, she could turn a blind eye. But if he turned out to be a useless waste, she would never allow such a lowly mongrel to strut around in front of her.

On the testing platform.

A silver-haired elder of the Qin family spoke in a gentle voice, instructing Jiang Hao while explaining the test. "Child, our Qin family relies on body cultivation to establish ourselves. Since you are of the direct line, you must naturally temper your physical body.

"This is the testing stone. Strike it with your strongest attack to gauge your current Physical Realm.

"Remember, you cannot channel Spiritual Power from within. You must use only your physical strength to shake it. I will be watching you."

Obviously, compared to Nalan Feiyan, the elder’s attitude was much more amiable. In Nalan Feiyan’s eyes, Jiang Hao was the wild fruit of her husband’s infidelity, but to the elder, he was of the Qin family’s bloodline.

Jiang Hao nodded slightly at the elder. He stood before the testing stone, his breathing growing slightly rapid. Staring quietly at the stone in front of him, Jiang Hao began to gather his energy, channeling his physical strength and concentrating it into his fist.

The next moment, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he threw a fierce punch. The wind from his fist howled, seemingly tearing through space. An invisible force erupted instantly just before his knuckles connected with the testing stone.

BOOM!!!

Suddenly, a massive explosion echoed throughout the Qin family’s Martial Arts Arena. The colossal testing stone trembled violently before emitting a soaring pillar of light.

Holding a ledger, the silver-haired elder glanced at the color of the light, then lowered his head and announced calmly, "Qin family’s Qin Fan, sixteen years old, Physical Realm Seventh Layer."

After recording the result, the elder offered Qin Fan an affectionate smile. "Not bad, well done. Truly worthy of our Qin family’s bloodline. To temper your physical body to the Seventh Layer at this age is quite good. Child, how many years have you practiced the Body Refining Secret Technique?"

Jiang Hao replied, "As of today, exactly seven years."

"Seven years?" The elder pondered briefly before nodding repeatedly; it wasn’t far off from his estimation. "Good. Seven layers in seven years is well within the normal range. Work hard. Once your physical body grows powerful in the future, you too will be a formidable body cultivator capable of dominating a region."

With that, the elder had Jiang Hao step down from the testing platform and proceeded to call out the name of the next participant.

The path of the Body Cultivator was incredibly unique. It had little to do with innate talent; as long as one met the basic requirements and put in the grueling effort afterward, even the worst among them could become a local overlord. This was precisely the terrifying aspect of the Qin family.

"It’s not too bad. He can barely squeeze into the middle ranks of the Qin family."

"Seven layers in seven years. He definitely didn’t disgrace the Qin family."

"It seems the Patriarch met him seven years ago and passed down the Body Refining Secret Technique to him."

Many of the younger Qin family members discussed animatedly. There were few ripples of surprise in their eyes; they were all exceptionally calm. However, two beautiful figures had eyes filled with bewilderment and confusion.

Watching the youth in white slowly descend the testing platform, Qin Xiangying couldn’t help but blink. "Seventh Layer? He’s practiced the Qin family’s Body Refining Secret Technique? And for seven years?" She subconsciously looked at the peerless beauty beside her. "Sister Xiangyuan, how can this be?"

Hearing this, Qin Xiangyuan’s beautiful eyes were equally lost in confusion, clearly caught in a tangled web of thoughts. "Could I really have been wrong? Is he truly Father’s illegitimate son from the outside, Qin Fan?"

"Sister, I told you that you were overthinking it. What peerless genius? He’s just a wild child stuck at the Creation Realm Third Layer. Even his body cultivation physique is half-baked." Qin Xiangying immediately rolled her eyes. The look she shot Jiang Hao returned to one of disdain and disgust. Had it not been for this youth’s arrival, their mother would never have fallen out with their father.

Not far away, Nalan Feiyan watched Jiang Hao’s test results come out and let out a cold snort. "And here I thought he was some kind of treasure." A sneer formed on her lips just as someone approached from behind.

"Lady of the House, someone from the Pill Storage Tower has arrived and requested an audience with you."

"The Pill Storage Tower?" Nalan Feiyan frowned slightly at the news. Hearing that someone from her maiden family had come, her complexion grew somewhat weary. "Is it my second brother, Nalan Lin?"

"It is indeed the Second Master."

Sure enough, Nalan Feiyan had guessed the visitor’s identity right away.

Hearing that it was Nalan Lin from the Lady of the House’s maiden family, the maidservant beside her subconsciously asked, "Lady of the House, why would the Second Master be looking for you at a time like this?"

Nalan Feiyan sighed helplessly. "Why else would my second brother come knocking? I’m afraid the Pill Storage Tower is facing a shortage of pills again."

After their brief exchange, the group turned and left. As for the youth in white, he was seemingly entirely beneath their notice.

Jiang Hao’s Physical Realm did not cause much of a stir in the Qin family. Little did the crowd know, Zhang Tiesheng and Qin Shiming, who stood below the testing platform, still had traces of faint shock lingering in their eyes. Only the two of them knew just how terrifying the youth truly was. Reaching the Physical Realm Seventh Layer in a mere two months was an earth-shattering constitution that had never appeared in the Qin family’s entire history.

However, while the Qin family wasn’t thrown into an uproar over Jiang Hao’s Physical Realm, they absolutely boiled over at Qin Shiming’s next words.

"Well done, Fan’Er. You’ve been in the Qin family for five long months; you can’t stay cooped up in the Cultivation Chamber forever.

"Fusheng, take Fan’Er to the Upper Spirit Garden. Tidy up Upper Spirit No. 7 Courtyard. From now on, Fan’Er will live there."

The moment he spoke, even Fusheng, who stood to the side, froze instantly. Countless direct disciples of the Qin family froze right alongside him.

"What? Upper Spirit Garden?"

"Heavens, the Patriarch is actually letting him live in the Upper Spirit Garden? And the No. 7 Courtyard at that?"

"Isn’t No. 7 Courtyard right next door to Sister Xiangyuan’s?"

"What right does he have to live in the Upper Spirit Garden? It’s overflowing with Spiritual Qi, and every courtyard is equipped with its own Cultivation Chamber. Even though they’re only level three chambers, that’s still a treasured residential ground only allocated to the Qin family’s geniuses!"

"Qin Fan is just a junior with a cultivation base at the Creation Realm Third Layer. What right does he have to live in the Upper Spirit Garden?"

In an instant, the entire Martial Arts Arena erupted in a cacophony of voices, though they only dared to voice their objections in hushed tones, lacking the courage to confront Qin Shiming to his face. Even Qin Xiangying and Qin Xiangyuan stared at their father blankly, their eyes filled with disbelief.

"Sister, what right does he have?" Qin Xiangying immediately stamped her foot, extremely displeased.

Even she, the Second Miss of the Qin family, wasn’t qualified to move into the Upper Spirit Garden. Only her sister and a small handful of Qin family geniuses had managed to secure a courtyard there. This made Qin Xiangying feel entirely unbalanced inside.

Qin Xiangyuan, on the other hand, didn’t say a word. Her beautiful eyes remained fixed on the youth in white, her thoughts completely unreadable.

Beside Qin Shiming, Fusheng looked at the restless Martial Arts Arena. After much hesitation, he asked cautiously, "Patriarch, did you say the Upper Spirit Garden? Is... is this entirely appropriate?"

Qin Shiming looked at Jiang Hao, his eyes brimming with doting affection, truly acting the part of an old, loving father. "I’ve owed Fan’Er far too much over the years. No. 7 Courtyard is sitting empty anyway, so let this serve as my compensation to him. Hurry and go tidy it up. Fan’Er will move in tonight."

Fusheng hesitated as if wanting to say more. In the end, he could only take a deep look at Jiang Hao before extremely reluctantly accepting his orders and departing.

Qin Shiming gently patted Jiang Hao’s shoulder. This was a decision he had made after careful consideration. Only by doing this could he better fit the image of a father who had wronged his son for years and was desperate to make amends, all while simultaneously facilitating Jiang Hao’s growth. With the white-robed youth’s martial soul talent, it wouldn’t be long before even the Qin family’s Upper Spirit Garden and the Level One Cultivation Chamber would struggle to satisfy his cultivation speed.

Not long after the Qin family’s test concluded, Fusheng returned and led Jiang Hao toward the Upper Spirit Garden. However, when the two arrived at the garden’s main gates, a dense crowd of young men and women from the Qin family was blocking the entrance. Every single one of them stared coldly at Jiang Hao.

This was especially true for the one leading the group—Qin Xiangyuan. Her beautiful eyes clearly conveyed a completely unwelcome expression.