Inside the Marquis of Pacifying the Seas' residence, the old marquis stared wide-eyed at the manual in his hands. Shock gave way to wild joy, then slowly hardened into grave solemnity.

  "Chen'er… this is a genuine king-grade cultivation method. It was left behind by a powerhouse known as the Spirit Communion King! It must never leak out. Apart from you and me, no one else can know of its existence. If word reaches the wrong ears, our entire marquis residence will face annihilation!"

  In the present world, king-grade cultivation methods existed in only two places. The first was the main branch of the Feng clan—accessible solely to the current king. The second belonged to the ancient Li family of Taiyuan, a legacy left by Li Shenhua himself. Unfortunately, no one in the Li family had ever comprehended it.

  Now a third had appeared. If the main branch learned that the Marquis of Pacifying the Seas possessed a king-grade technique—especially after the string of recent upheavals—it would be impossible for them not to draw dangerous conclusions.

  Su Chen's displayed talent already made them wary. Add a king-grade method to that, and the old marquis feared those ancient monsters would descend into outright madness.

  Su Chen nodded calmly. He understood the gravity better than anyone.

  The Marquis of Pacifying the Seas gazed at the Spirit Communion manual with eyes that burned with longing yet flickered with hesitation. It was a hot potato—one that could scorch anyone who held it too long. Yet within its pages lay the martial mysteries he had pursued his entire life without ever touching.

  "Grandfather, go into seclusion first. Perhaps you will find within the Spirit Communion method the key to taking another step forward."

  Su Chen smiled gently.

  The old man's heart swelled with emotion. Among all the useless offspring he had produced, a true dragon had finally appeared.

  Once the Marquis of Pacifying the Seas entered seclusion, Su Chen's expression returned to perfect calm. Handing the Spirit Communion manual to his grandfather had been deliberate. After all… the old marquis was currently his strongest combat asset. If he wished to strike at the main branch, everything depended on whether the marquis could comprehend the manual and advance further. Each additional step the old man took would increase their chances of crushing the main branch by that much.

  As for whether the Marquis of Pacifying the Seas would ultimately help him move against the main branch…

  Su Chen gave a faint smile. Of course, he would. Everyone had desires. Once strength was obtained, those desires would swell without limit. And then… they would act. Even in the worst case—if the main branch somehow learned of the Spirit Communion manual—they would never allow the Marquis of Pacifying the Seas to keep it. From the moment Su Chen handed over the manual, the two sides had been locked in a fight to the death.

  "And now… I only need the right opportunity. Good father, good brothers… and good king. I'm afraid I'll have to trouble all of you to provide that opportunity."

  Su Chen murmured with a low laugh. He knew those people would never give up their desire to see him dead. And he… could not afford to wait much longer. If another few decades passed, even this "heaven-defying genius" facade might begin to crack. His lifespan was draining far too quickly; only secret arts allowed him to conceal the truth for now.

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  Ten years later.

  Under Su Chen's steady hand, the Marquis of Pacifying the Seas' residence ran with flawless order and discipline. Ever since obtaining the Spirit Communion manual, the old marquis had entered seclusion. He emerged only once during those years—long enough to hand Su Chen the complete, unredacted version of the technique before returning to his closed-door cultivation.

  Feng Huai'an nestled quietly in Su Chen's arms like a docile cat, letting him stroke her long hair with gentle fingers.

  "Huai'an," Su Chen murmured with a faint smile against her ear, "do you want our child to become the most honored person in this kingdom?"

  Feng Huai'an shook her head softly. "I only want our family to live peacefully and safely like this, just as we are now."

  Su Chen sighed helplessly. "And if your royal father… grows wary of me and decides he wants me dead?"

  Feng Huai'an's eyes widened. She shook her head vigorously. "That's impossible. How could Father ever want to kill you? You're his Champion Marquis."

  Su Chen merely smiled and said nothing more.

  A few days later, Su Chen set out from the marquis residence with Feng Huai'an, their child, and a company of guards. The flowers in Hundred Blossoms Valley were in full bloom. Feng Huai'an had mentioned it wistfully more than once, so Su Chen decided to take her to see them.

  After they left, a dark shadow lingered within the marquis residence, staring after Su Chen's departing figure with naked jealousy.

  "That old man is hiding something earth-shattering, I'm sure of it. A filthy bastard thinks he can steal my marquis title? This time the net is cast wide—let's see how you survive."

  The figure in the shadows sneered coldly as Su Chen's procession disappeared into the distance.

  On the road to Hundred Blossoms Valley, an ambush struck.

  This time, nearly twenty Spirit Sea realm experts moved against them. Every single one radiated an aura far stronger than the assassins who had targeted him over a decade earlier. Even more terrifying, a figure loomed among them whose presence felt like an endless abyss.

  A Spirit Soul realm powerhouse.

  The heavens themselves seemed to shudder.

  One after another, Su Chen's guards fell, cut down without mercy. Su Chen himself suffered grievous wounds, yet he shielded Feng Huai'an and their child with his dying strength.

  "Who are you? Why are you attacking my husband!"

  Feng Huai'an stared at her blood-soaked husband. Su Chen's earlier words echoed in her mind. She lifted her gaze to the Spirit Soul realm figure.

  "You were sent by my father?"

  Her eyes burned like venom. She spread her arms wide, placing herself between Su Chen and the attacker.

  "Princess…"

  The black-robed Spirit Soul expert spoke involuntarily, then realized his mistake. His voice trembled. "Princess Huai'an… you should never have asked that question…"

  A cold smile curved Feng Huai'an's lips. "So I'm supposed to watch my husband die before my eyes, then conveniently faint and ‘miraculously' survive? So my child can inherit the marquis residence in ignorance while it is slowly carved apart piece by piece?"

  In that moment, a faint smile touched Su Chen's bloodied lips. His goal had been achieved. A long spear descended from the sky like a falling mountain. The Spirit Sea realm expert who had no time to react was instantly reduced to ash.

  A gray-robed elder stepped out of the void, striding through the air with unmatched pressure rolling off him.

  "Master of the Startling Swan Spear—it's you?"

  The black-robed Spirit Soul expert cried out in shock.

  "Fortunately, the old marquis was worried for Young Master Chen's safety and ordered this old man to follow in secret. I never expected you people to be so utterly deranged—trying to kill Chen'er again and again, even stooping so low as to murder your own blood!"

  The Master of the Startling Swan Spear cast a cold glance toward a figure standing behind the black-robed elder. The moment that gaze landed on him, the figure turned and fled without looking back. But the elder merely raised his hand.

  A spear shadow flashed.

  It pierced straight through the fleeing black-robed man. The sight left everyone breathless. The Master of the Startling Swan Spear… had broken through again!

  "Kill him! No matter what, Feng Chen must die today!"

  The black-robed attackers threw everything they had into one final desperate assault. But in the end, they were all intercepted. Not a single one survived. The final victor stood amid the carnage.

  Su Chen.