Chapter 35: Tenth Level of Qi Refining—Isn't That Just a Piece of Cake?

Wu Peiyuan was stunned by Wu Yong's words. He was currently deliberating with his advisors on how to acquire a candidate and join this grand feast of power. He never expected that the son he had almost forgotten would bring him such earth-shattering news.

Little did he know, Wu Yong was currently feeling an unparalleled sense of exhilaration. Sensing Wu Peiyuan's shock, he sneered again, "Today, the Zhou family arranged for me to eavesdrop on a conversation between Shen Lang and Nalan Yanran. I heard Nalan Yanran urging Shen Lang to hurry up and complete the assessment, suggesting that if he couldn't, he should mortgage his divine artifact to the Zhou family just to get the assessment finished. But Shen Lang asked with great concern, 'What if, after giving the artifact to the Zhou family, they snatch my candidate status?' Nalan Yanran replied that the Zhou family couldn't possibly know that the divine artifact is actually an admission ticket for the candidate qualification; as long as they raise the money quickly and pay off their debt to the Zhou family, the candidacy will remain Shen Lang's!"

"Father, I believe this is our Wu family's chance to soar. I implore you to send someone to contact Shen Lang immediately and have him mortgage the artifact to our Wu family. We will provide him with the tax silver!"

"Good, good, good!" After hearing Wu Yong's explanation, Wu Peiyuan was thoroughly excited. Suppressing the joy in his heart, he asked in a low voice, "You didn't tell the Zhou family about this news, did you?"

Faced with this question, Wu Yong cast a cold, sinister glance at the bushes where Zhou Qingqing was hiding. He deliberately raised his voice, "After suffering for so many years under the Zhou family, how could I possibly tell them? To be honest, I have been biding my time and bearing humiliation all these years, never forgetting for a moment that I am a member of the Wu family! So, Father, can you let me come back to the Wu family? I am absolutely sick of that stinking b*tch Zhou Qingqing!"

As these words reached Zhou Qingqing's ears, a murderous aura appeared on her face. Today, Wu Yong had suddenly changed his usual behavior and struck her. She had thought it was just the alcohol giving him false courage, but looking at it now, he wasn't drunk at all—he was planning to betray the Zhou family and betray her! Realizing this, Zhou Qingqing immediately retreated from the bushes and ran toward the house. She had to hurry and tell her eldest brother.

Likewise, Wu Peiyuan laughed excitedly, "No problem. If this is truly as you say, I guarantee I will bring you back to the Wu family and arrange a new marriage for you! However, before we make contact with Shen Lang, you must not expose yourself. Do you understand?"

Wu Yong sneered, "I understand, Father!"

At the same time, Zhou Huaian's communication token lit up once again.

Zhou Huaian answered immediately and asked nervously, "Did you find Wu Yong?"

"Big brother, that Wu Yong really has rebellious intentions..." Zhou Qingqing immediately poured out everything she had heard.

In an instant, a terrifying murderous aura erupted from Zhou Huaian: "That dog who bites the hand that feeds him! He actually took such important intelligence straight to the Wu family! If I hadn't been clever, I would have truly been scammed by that bastard!!!"

Seeing Zhou Huaian's anger, Zhou Qingqing asked excitedly, "Does big brother want to kill him?"

"Don't be hasty. After all, he is the nominal City Lord of Guiyun City! If he dies and the Great Emperor Shenxiao sends a new one, it will be even more troublesome! You act as if you know nothing; I have my own plans!"

After saying this, Zhou Huaian hung up the token. He then looked at Zhou Yu with a solemn expression and said, "Go find Shen Lang immediately and tell him I invite him to our home to discuss the tax silver!"

"Father, what happened?" Zhou Yu looked at Zhou Huaian in shock, not understanding why the man who had been so composed moments ago was suddenly panicking.

Zhou Huaian did not hide it, gritting his teeth as he said, "Wu Yong found out that besides the Emperor's nomination, one can automatically become a candidate and participate in the assessment by obtaining a divine artifact. But that bastard actually leaked this news to the Wu family!"

"What?!" Zhou Yu was no fool. He immediately realized that if the Wu family got involved, Shen Lang would have a choice, and he might not choose the Zhou family after all. Thinking of this, Zhou Yu said with a grave expression, "I will go find Shen Lang right now."

...

Meanwhile, in Shen Lang's room, Nalan Yanran was pacing impatiently. Shen Lang, who was preparing to break through to the tenth level of Qi Refining, raised an eyebrow: "Why are you pacing around? I can't even meditate."

Nalan Yanran turned to him, looking anxious: "So much time has passed, and the Zhou family hasn't reacted. Won't your plan fail?"

"What are you panicking about? The Zhou family will surely invite me over tonight. You just need to do as I say!"

Watching Shen Lang's confident demeanor, Nalan Yanran wanted to ask more, but when she saw him pour out another 500,000 spirit stones, her pupils constricted.

"Are you planning to break through to the tenth level of Qi Refining here?"

"Is there a problem?" Shen Lang looked at her, puzzled.

"It's a huge problem!" Nalan Yanran said with extreme gravity: "Breaking through to the tenth level involves shattering the body's restraints. This process takes anywhere from seven days to several months, and you must not be disturbed!"

"Oh." Hearing this, Shen Lang replied nonchalantly, "It's fine, my breakthroughs aren't that troublesome."

With that, Shen Lang said to the system in his heart: "Recycle these spirit stones!"

[Ding! Host has recycled 500,000 spirit stones, gaining 50,000 resentment points.]

Seeing the spirit stones in the room lose their spiritual energy once more, Nalan Yanran grew even more anxious: "You bastard, why won't you listen to advice? I'm telling you..."

Boom!

Before Nalan Yanran could finish, the aura on Shen Lang's body surged several times over. Nalan Yanran was stunned. Tenth level of Qi Refining, just like that? How was this different from her own breakthrough process?

While Nalan Yanran was dumbfounded, Shen Lang slowly raised his head and looked at her with a wry smile: "Sweetheart, what were you saying just now?"

Nalan Yanran: "..."

She had seen freaks in her life, but she had never seen anyone more freakish than Shen Lang. Seeing his arrogant posture, she retorted with some resentment, "It's just the tenth level of Qi Refining, anyone could do it. If you're so capable, why don't you try breaking through to the eleventh level?"

"There's an eleventh level to Qi Refining?!" Shen Lang was also shocked.

Nalan Yanran saw the shock on his face and immediately raised her chin proudly: "Not just the eleventh, there are up to thirteen levels! You've only just broken through to the tenth, what's there to be proud of? Which true genius in the Nine Provinces Continent isn't more powerful than you?"

Nine Provinces Continent? Hearing this unfamiliar term, Shen Lang's pupils constricted.

Nalan Yanran seemed to have found a sense of superiority over Shen Lang. She asked with a haughty air, "You didn't actually think our Great Qin was the center of the world, did you?"