Chapter 193: Chapter 191: Enlightenment, Celestial Shattering Realm
Although he was already middle-aged, Qin Wenxuan had always held his unfathomably powerful great-grandfather in awe. He had never felt this way, not even when facing his own father and grandfather. So, he hesitantly raised his head, glanced at Qinlingshan, who didn’t seem angry, and asked meekly, "I thought... it wasn’t important, because my son’s strength is quite..."
"How is it not important! You little brat, why didn’t you say so sooner? Have you ever thought about what it would mean if this were true?" Qinlingshan slammed his hand on the table in excitement. The sharp CRACK made Qin Wenxuan jump.
"What would it mean?" It wasn’t that Qin Wenxuan was dense; he was simply startled by his great-grandfather’s agitated state. In his memory, his great-grandfather, who hadn’t meddled much in family affairs for the past few decades, had never shown such an expression. At least, Qin Wenxuan had never seen it.
"It means our Qin Family will produce a super-genius the likes of which Profound Island has never seen! Now tell me, is that important or not?" The wrinkles on Qinlingshan’s old face bunched up as he beamed.
"Uh... important!" Qin Wenxuan answered meekly, then asked cautiously, "Great-Grandfather, but what if... what if it isn’t true...?"
Qinlingshan gave his great-grandson a helpless look. ’Is the Qin Family rule that disciples must train for three years and then are forbidden from re-entering the Mortal Realm for another twenty... a bit too rigid?’ he thought. ’Why does my great-grandson seem so dense?’ He shook his head, his tone tinged with disappointment. "Whether it’s true or not, we’ll know once we find the boy, won’t we?"
Just as he spoke, someone rushed in like a gust of wind. The man burst through the door with an astonished look on his face and stammered, "Pa-Patriarch, there’s a young man and a young woman outside. They say..."
"They say what?" Qin Wenxuan spun around, no longer caring if his great-grandfather would get angry. ’What Qinlingshan had just said was something I never dared to dream of,’ he thought, ’but what if... what if it’s true?’
"They say... he’s your son, Master Qi..." the man replied in a low voice. But before he could finish, Qin Wenxuan’s figure vanished before his eyes like a wisp of green smoke. He turned to speak to the Patriarch, only to find that even his shadow was gone. This Qin family servant, who possessed Earth Level strength, blinked and muttered to himself, "Could it be? Is that young man really the one from the rumors, the one who offended the Thousand Kills Sect? Then why is everyone so excited? Is he really that strong?"
The Qin Family’s ancestral home in Fengsha City looked ancient but not dilapidated. It lacked any hint of luxury or solemnity, but every bluestone on its exterior seemed to have witnessed the passing of eons, exuding a desolate, primeval aura. It resonated with the Innate Purple Qi within Qin Li’s body.
Qin Li stood at the entrance, staring at the bluestone courtyard wall of the Qin Family ancestral home, seemingly in a daze. To an ordinary person, it looked like he was simply spacing out. But in the eyes of someone at Qinlingshan’s level, the sight stirred a tempest in his heart. In that instant, Qinlingshan was almost certain that the young man before him had to be the Qin Family disciple mentioned by the Thousand Kills Sect!
’The heavens have eyes!’
His heart churned with emotion. Qinlingshan grabbed Qin Wenxuan, who was about to rush out, and gently shushed him. "Don’t move. He’s comprehending!"
"Comprehending?" Qin Wenxuan was no fool; he was just a bit constrained in front of his formidable great-grandfather. He immediately saw it too—the young man stood there as if he had merged with his surroundings, looking astonishingly natural and harmonious.
Especially when Qin Wenxuan saw the boy’s face—a near-perfect copy of his own in his youth—the rims of his eyes instantly reddened. He spun around and shot off like lightning in Qin Hanyue’s direction.
Although Qin Li had entered a profound state, he could still clearly sense his surroundings. He had felt two powerful auras suddenly appear, and one had left just as quickly.
Qin Li paid it no mind. He could sense that the remaining aura, which was still focused on him, held no malice. Having nearly merged with the heavens and the earth, Qin Li could even perceive the excitement radiating from that person.
Therefore, Qin Li allowed himself to sink deeper into this profound state of comprehension, completely at ease. After all, opportunities like this were exceedingly rare, even for him.
The White Fox, Linghu Feiyue, dismissed the carriage driver and looked around boredly. She could naturally tell that Qin Li had entered some kind of special state. She wanted to enter it too, but after staring at the green bricks for a long time, all she saw was a layer of dark green moss.
When Qin Hanyue heard that her son had really arrived, she froze on the spot. After snapping out of her daze, she frantically dragged Qin Wenxuan as they rushed over.
On the way, Qin Wenxuan told his wife about their son’s current state. There’s an old saying: "The closer one gets to home, the more timid one feels." For Qin Wenxuan, it was a case of "the closer he got to his son, the more timid he felt." In his heart, he felt he owed this son an immeasurable debt, that nothing could make up for the decade of suffering his son had endured. He didn’t know how his son would see him or if he would be hated... At this moment, this Master Qi of the Qin Family, a man who had reached the Celestial Shattering Realm before the age of forty, was an absolute mess inside, tormented by a mix of joy, anxiety, nervousness, and guilt.
By now, Qin Hanyue had calmed down. She looked tenderly at the man she loved and said softly, "Don’t worry. Our precious son is a dutiful child. As long as you’re good to me, he’ll forgive you!"
"Really?" Qin Wenxuan looked at his wife, his face tense as he said, "Of course I’ll be good to you—to both you and our son. I’ll spend the rest of my life making up for the mistakes of my youth!"
"It wasn’t really your fault. Stop blaming yourself," Qin Hanyue said gently. She knew her husband had been deeply blaming himself for this matter, and it had become an unresolved weight on his heart. The fact that their son had sought them out on his own only made this man, who at times seemed like a child himself, feel flustered and at a loss.
But one could see from Qin Wenxuan’s expression that his love for his own flesh and blood came from the bottom of his heart.
Gradually, more and more people gathered at the entrance to the Qin residence. The entire street where the ancestral home in Fengsha City stood belonged to the Qin Family. Qinlingshan had long since ordered the area to be cordoned off, permitting only core Qin Family disciples to approach. He had to protect the future hope of the Qin Family, no matter what!
The rise and fall of a family certainly required the efforts of many people, but if a peerless genius were to emerge, the entire family would benefit and ascend to true glory. This was no empty boast.
Many of the Qin Family’s direct descendants whispered amongst themselves, not daring to get too close. They watched from a distance, trying to figure out what was going on.
News about the Thousand Kills Sect had naturally spread long ago, so these members of the Qin family had already guessed that this young man was the assailant the sect was demanding. They all wondered the same thing: ’Could this boy, who looks almost identical to Master Qi, really be a peerless genius who has reached the Celestial Shattering Realm?’
Many people gazed at Qin Wenxuan and Qin Hanyue, who stood there like a perfectly matched couple. Their eyes were filled with a mix of emotions, but envy and joy were the most prominent.
There were certainly some who felt jealous, but it wasn’t a deep-seated feeling. A genius of this caliber could not be replicated, and the emergence of a peerless expert within the Qin Family would bring immeasurable benefits to everyone.
Meanwhile, even more of the younger direct descendants of the Qin Family fixed their astonished gazes on the girl standing calmly beside Qin Li.
There was no other reason for it; a girl of such stunning beauty was simply too rare a sight.
Furthermore, absolutely no one could discern what realm of power she had reached.
Qin Wenxuan whispered to his wife, "Who is that girl? Didn’t you say our son has a fiancée who became a core disciple of the Four Seasons Sect?"
But Qin Hanyue just shook her head slightly, saying with a hint of exasperation, "I don’t know her either. It seems our son is quite popular with the ladies, though!"
"That he is!" Qin Wenxuan’s voice was filled with admiration.
"Hm?" The sound seemed to come from Qin Hanyue’s nose.
Qin Wenxuan hurriedly explained, "Heh, I’m just happy for our son, really!"
To the side, Qin Xue watched the quietly standing, now even more handsome young man with pure delight, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face. It had been four years. She was now more like a daughter to Qin Hanyue and had completely integrated into the Qin Family. Through diligent cultivation, Qin Xue’s strength had already reached Tier Eight of the Earth Level. Breaking through to the Celestial Level was only a matter of time.
Seeing her brother by choice achieve so much, Qin Xue was sincerely happy for him.
Two hours passed, then four... all the way until sunset. The bluestone wall was shrouded in shadow, but Qin Li still stood there quietly, his brow occasionally furrowing and then relaxing.
A large circle of core Qin Family disciples had gathered. Many with insufficient cultivation were growing impatient, feeling that this family member from the Mortal Realm was just putting on a mystifying act.
"Big Brother, look at this kid. There’s not a single ripple of Primordial Power coming from him. He’s just standing there, motionless. Is he just trying to fool us?"
"Exactly, Big Brother. No matter how strong this child of Seventh Uncle’s who was lost in the mortal world is, he can’t possibly be stronger than you, right?"
"I think so too. He’s definitely trying to get our attention this way. Ugh, people from the Mortal Realm are always so conniving. This is boring. I’m hungry, I’m going to get something to eat. You guys coming?"
"All of you, shut up!" The handsome young man they called Big Brother frowned, his gaze locked on the youth at the gate. "None of us are his match," he said softly. "We’re not even close. Don’t be unconvinced. Just watch him carefully. If any of you can grasp even a sliver of what he’s comprehending, you’ll have struck gold!"
This was Qin Suo, the eldest son of Qin Wenxuan’s older brother, Qin Wenlie. He was also the primary heir to the position of Qin Family Patriarch. At twenty-nine years old, he was at Tier Nine of the Celestial Level, hailed as the star of the Qin Family’s younger generation.
At that moment, a faint ripple suddenly emanated from Qin Li, who had been standing there silently all this time.
