The hall was silent.

  Second Uncle, Ye Tianhai, was livid at Ye Chen's sarcastic tone, but he couldn't say anything. After all, Ye Chen hadn't said anything outright, and indeed, he hadn't taught Ye Chen well.

  But that wasn't the most important thing; the most crucial matter was the quota for Qingyun Sect. The decision for the quota was in the hands of the family head, Ye Hong.

  Ye Hong hadn't expected Ye Chen's alchemy skills to reach such a level. He was somewhat astonished. There was no need to continue the competition. Ye Chen's top-grade Essence Cultivation Pill had already won the contest.

  After pondering for a moment, Ye Hong slowly spoke, "Xiao Chen, your alchemy skills indeed surpass Feng'er."

  "Now that I've broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage, the family is set to expand."

  "Our Ye family started with alchemy, and we need excellent alchemists."

  "Xiao Chen, with your talent, staying with the family can help us develop faster."

  "And since Ye Feng has a fifth-grade Spiritual Root, it's better for him to cultivate at Qingyun Sect."

  "This way, our Ye family will have Ye Tian and Ye Feng to protect us. With you, Ye Chen, providing resources, the family will grow stronger!"

  "You will support each other in the future, and one day, our Ye family might become a prominent family!"

  "Xiao Chen, you can gradually take over your Second Uncle's position in the family."

  "I've already reached Foundation Establishment, with a lifespan of 150 years. Your Second Uncle's generation won't have the chance to take over the family."

  "But you can. In the future, as the family head, with Ye Tian and Ye Feng, disciples of Qingyun Sect, supporting you, how could our Ye family not prosper?"

  "Xiao Chen, you must consider the bigger picture!"

  Ye Hong spoke slowly, rekindling hope in the eyes of Ye Tianhai and Ye Feng. But Ye Chen's heart grew colder.

  This old man was biased to the extreme. Previously, he said Ye Feng had good alchemy talent, so he was sent to Qingyun Sect for further training. Now that Ye Chen had good alchemy talent, he was expected to contribute to the family, supporting Ye Feng's cultivation at Qingyun Sect?

  He even painted a rosy picture of becoming the family head, which was utterly ridiculous. Not to mention, what was so great about being the head of a small family? The problem was that the old man had at least seventy or eighty years left to live. Never mind outliving Ye Tianhai's generation; if Ye Chen didn't break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, he'd be outlived too.

  And even if he did wait it out, the position would surely go to Ye Feng and Ye Tian, who had cultivated at Qingyun Sect. He wouldn't even get a piece of it. If it were his former self, he might have believed the old man's words. But the Ye Chen who had crossed over had worked in a state-owned enterprise for many years, having seen through many empty promises. How could he believe such nonsense?

  Ye Chen was ready to risk it all. Either he got the quota for Qingyun Sect, or he wouldn't py along with the Ye family anymore. He'd go solo. With the system's help, surpassing the Ye family was only a matter of time.

  So Ye Chen bowed again, "Thank you for your kindness, Grandpa!"

  "But I only wish to fulfill my father's st wish, to enter Qingyun Sect, so he can rest in peace."

  "Besides, if I enter Qingyun Sect, I might reach the second-grade alchemist realm, elevating our Ye family to an alchemy family."

  The family fell silent. No one expected Ye Chen to be so bold, refusing to give up the Qingyun Sect quota even after the family head spoke twice.

  Seeing Ye Chen refuse him again, Ye Hong's expression turned cold. He stared at Ye Chen, and though he didn't target him, the gaze of a Foundation Establishment cultivator was enough to pressure anyone in the Qi Refining stage.

  But Ye Chen just stood there, bowing, without saying a word. Ye Hong snorted, wanting to teach this ungrateful descendant a lesson. But considering Ye Tianhai had just died, and Ye Chen had barely escaped death to return and had made great contributions, being too harsh on Ye Chen in such circumstances might dishearten the family.

  In the end, Ye Hong looked at Ye Chen indifferently and said coldly, "Since you don't wish to contribute to the family and insist on competing for the Qingyun Sect quota, then go..."

  With that, he tossed a token coldly and turned to leave. All the family members knew that Ye Chen had angered the family head.

  Honestly, everyone was a bit puzzled by Ye Chen. The family head was at the Foundation Establishment stage. Even if Ye Chen entered Qingyun Sect, the chances of breaking through to Foundation Establishment were slim. After all, even in Qingyun Sect, Foundation Establishment couldn't be mass-produced. Most disciples left in obscurity after thirty.

  Though Ye Chen got the quota, angering the family head made future support unlikely. It was a loss not worth the gain. Why bother?

  But Ye Chen didn't care in the slightest. So what if he angered the family head? Ye Chen was confident in his future. What if the family head disliked him? Once he grew stronger with the system's help, even if the family head disliked him, he'd have to hold his nose and ftter him, just like Lin Ke'er and the others. Being strong was most important; others' opinions didn't matter.

  So Ye Chen didn't care about these things. And he took the Qingyun Sect quota with a clear conscience. His father had worked tirelessly for the family, even giving his life. He had gone through countless hardships, risking his life to protect the family's assets. Saying they were a family of loyalty and sacrifice was no exaggeration. Getting a Qingyun Sect quota was only fair.

  After picking up the Qingyun Sect entry token, Ye Chen cupped his hands to the family members and then turned to leave.

  ...

  Returning to his small courtyard, perhaps because word had spread about what happened in the family hall, even the servants knew that Ye Chen had fallen out of favor with the Foundation Establishment family head. So they didn't dare to show any closeness.

  Even though Ye Chen had just returned to the family, those companions who had been close to his former self didn't dare to come over, making his courtyard particurly quiet.

  But Ye Chen didn't mind at all; he actually found it peaceful. He looked at the entry token in his hand with interest. It was a peculiar metal token with the words "Qingyun Order" inscribed on it. Inside was a formation, and once activated at the Qingyun Sect's mountain gate, someone would come to greet him.

  The most amazing thing was that this entry token wasn't registered to anyone. As long as the holder wasn't a robber cultivator on Qingyun Sect's wanted list and met the age requirement, they could enter.

  This was perfect for Ye Chen. He was very curious about what kind of reward he would get if he gave this Qingyun Order to a female cultivator. Would it be an entry token to an even higher-level sect? Or dozens of entry tokens?

  Ye Chen thought it probably wasn't the tter. After all, if Qingyun Sect hadn't issued that many, wouldn't it be admitting to forgery? The system shouldn't be that unreliable!

  So, with the Qingyun Order in hand, who should he give it to?

  Sun Ruoxin? Sun Ruoxin should have returned, but during casual conversations, she seemed to have her own way in. She was probably already a disciple of Qingyun Sect, so giving her the Qingyun Order would be useless.

  Then Lu Jing? Was ten times too little? After experiencing Sun Ruoxin, Ye Chen wasn't impressed by ten times anymore.

  As for Lin Ke'er, although it was also ten times, her hesitation upon hearing of his father's death showed she was a white-eyed wolf who could never be truly loyal. She was even worse than Lu Jing.

  After thinking it over, Ye Chen decided to wait a bit and visit Qingyun City tomorrow. Maybe there would be female cultivators with higher multipliers there. He'd try his luck for a couple of days. If he couldn't find anyone, he'd give it to Lu Jing!

  CPDD