"Qi Cultivation, First Layer! It's the First Layer! Fan, you, you broke through!!"
Xu Youran's somber face transformed like a spring meadow bursting into radiant bloom, an almost surreal brilliance.
She covered her mouth, exclaiming in disbelief and delight.
Xu Yining's pupils widened with shock, muttering incredulously, "He has a Spirit Root?"
The female relatives supporting Lu Zheng were equally dumbfounded.
Lu Zheng took a sharp gasp, his eyes bulging as he struggled to accept what he was seeing.
How could the useless waste, whom he never bothered to respect, break through the First Layer and surpass him?
*"How is this possible?"*
*He couldn't reconcile the reality of losing—him, the proud Nine-grade Spirit Root prodigy—being defeated by mere trash.*
Jiang Fan smirked as he picked up the brush to write, "If the ancestors of the Jiang Family knew I defeated a Nine-grade Spirit Root, they'd be so proud."
The mocking words from Lu Zheng earlier felt like a harsh slap across his face.
*He involuntarily clenched his fists with anger surging through him.*
Wang Yingfeng felt disgraced as well and said icily, "It's just the First Layer of Qi Cultivation. Look at your triumphant expression, it's positively revolting!"
"Breaking through the First Layer of Qi Cultivation and the Sixth Layer don't even compare, do they?"
"The latter is five times harder than the former."
The female clan relatives supporting Lu Zheng promptly chimed in mockingly.
"Exactly. As long as one has a Spirit Root, even a dog could break through the First Layer."
"To break through the Fifth Layer Perfection in three days is infinitely more difficult than the First Layer."
"Seriously, where does he even get his arrogance from?"
Jiang Fan merely smiled.
Raising his hand, he delivered another punch into the air, producing a sharp cracking sound that reverberated lightly.
He calmly picked up the brush and smiled faintly, "And then?"
Xu Youran's jaw dropped in utter disbelief, "Qi Cultivation, Second Layer! Fan, you broke through to the Second Layer in three days?"
This time, not even Xu Yining could maintain her composure.
Her stunning face showed a look of shock, "I couldn't break through to the Second Layer in three days myself!"
"Jiang Fan, did you truly not have a Spirit Root before?"
But she soon realized she had asked a redundant question.
Jiang Fan had gone to the Detection Tower three times under the watchful eyes of the Xu Family.
If he had a Spirit Root before, it would have been impossible to hide.
The female relatives supporting Lu Zheng were rendered speechless, as if they'd been mercilessly slapped in the face.
Lu Zheng's pupils also trembled, his fury palpable.
*Breaking through the First Layer already placed Jiang Fan ahead of him; reaching the Second Layer was complete domination.*
Wang Yingfeng was taken aback as well but made a feeble attempt to justify, "Breaking through to the Second Layer isn't hard; at best, he's barely catching up to Lu Zheng's progress."
However.
Before the words could settle.
Jiang Fan again delivered a punch into the empty air.
The crisp sound of the explosion resonated like a stinging slap across everyone's faces.
"And then?"
Jiang Fan's laugh was cold as he picked up the brush and challenged them harshly.
Swooosh—
Xu Yining leapt up in astonishment, knocking over her chair in her rush without even realizing it.
Her flawless face reflected undiluted shock, "Qi Cultivation, Third Layer! Impossible; breaking through to the Third Layer in three days is unimaginable, even for a Nine-grade Spirit Root!"
"Jiang Fan, just what is going on with you?"
The female relatives who initially wanted to defend Lu Zheng were entirely dumbstruck.
They had spent years of cultivation only to barely reach the Third Layer.
Yet Jiang Fan had achieved it in just three days!
Both Lu Zheng and Wang Yingfeng wore faces filled with dread and disbelief as they stared at Jiang Fan.
Three days, Qi Cultivation, Third Layer.
This wasn't just a victory over Lu Zheng—it was a brutal and undeniable crushing!
The entire scene fell silent, the crowd now looking at the teenage boy regarded as trash for ten years with fresh eyes of awe and fear.
Jiang Fan clasped one hand behind his back as he used the brush to boldly pen his words:
"What of being a true dragon? What of being a Nine-grade Spirit Root?"
"Give me time, and I will trample them all underfoot!"
With that, he publicly wrapped his arm around Xu Youran, commanding audaciously:
"Youran is my wife! No one will take her from me!"
His resolute words echoed powerfully, resonating in the ears of everyone present.
Lu Zheng felt an overwhelming sense of humiliation, shouting, "Jiang, what are you so smug about?"
"I'll tell you right now—people from the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion are already on their way!"
"When they arrive, I will be entering the pavilion directly! And you? You're just a mere Third Layer bug at best!"
"Compete with me? You're not worthy!"
With that, he flung his sleeve and stormed off.
Jiang Fan shrugged.
*He had always doubted Lu Zheng's Nine-grade Spirit Root.*
*After all, he himself had a transparent Spirit Root and could reach the Fourth Layer in just three days.*
*So how could a Nine-grade Spirit Root fail to break through even a single level?*
*When the people from the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion arrived, they would certainly verify Lu Zheng's Spirit Root again.*
*Would he still show as having the Nine-grade Spirit Root then?*
Wang Yingfeng, too, had lost face today.
The nephew she had backed wholeheartedly turned out to be inferior to someone she'd thought of as trash!
She glared hatefully at Jiang Fan, sneering, "Fine, you've got a Spirit Root now, you're no longer trash, is that so impressive?"
"I had thought it pitiful and had planned to skip your dowry when marrying Youran. But since you're so capable, prepare a lavish dowry for me within ten days."
"If you can't deliver, don't blame me for reneging on the marriage and giving Xu Youran to someone else!"
"Humph!"
She slammed the table and stormed off in anger.
The joy on Xu Youran's face dissipated, a shadow of worry crossing her brows as she sighed, "Fan, I fear my broken silver won't be nearly enough."
"If Aunt Wang intends to make things difficult for you, she'll criticize no matter how much you bring."
In the past, Jiang Fan might have been distressed.
But now, he showed no such anxiety.
Because he was a Soul Master—a Soul Master capable of refining expensive pills!
Suddenly, he remembered agreeing yesterday to the shopkeeper of the Treasure Pavilion to attend Lonely Boat City's demonstration event.
He had just refined a batch of Top Grade Qi Cultivation Liquid, which should fetch no small amount of money.
"Youran, I'll head to train now. You mustn't go out recklessly, understand?"
Jiang Fan reminded her seriously with his brush.
Xu Youran obediently nodded, "Mm-hmm, go ahead. I won't cause you any trouble again."
She watched Jiang Fan's hurried departure, her eyes brimming with hope and admiration.
*Having such a diligent and ambitious husband, what reason could their future possibly have to be dim?*
"Sister, you've missed the true destiny,"
Xu Yining walked over to her side, lamenting, "Breaking through to the Third Layer in three days is insignificant compared to a Nine-grade Spirit Root."
"Lu Zheng in the future will be someone Jiang Fan can't even dream of reaching."
Xu Youran, however, gazed after Jiang Fan's figure, her heart content as she thought, *"What does Lu Zheng's strength have to do with me?"*
*"Jiang Fan is the one I can truly depend on."*
Is he?
Xu Yining tilted her head, watching Xu Youran, her face glowing with happiness and anticipation. It stirred a bitter feeling in her chest.
*Jiang Fan—was he really that admirable?*
In front of the City Lord Mansion.
The broad street was lined with rows of stalls on both sides.
Today marked the city's exhibition event for the medicine-refining families of Lonely Boat City. Both large and small Medicine-Refining Practitioners gathered to showcase their finest pills.
Many local martial artists and visiting merchants lingered at the demonstration.
By comparing and evaluating, they could select better medicines—either for personal use or to resell elsewhere.
For the smaller medicine-refining families, this was undoubtedly a prime opportunity to display their skills and establish their reputations.
For top-level families like the Qin Family, it was a significant challenge.
Indeed, the Qin Family Head, Qin Changsheng, stood prominently at the expansive Qin Family booth, showcasing their most popular product: Low Grade Qi Cultivation Liquid.
The crowd was as dense as the sea.
Meanwhile, the Chen Family's equally large booth directly across from them was utterly desolate, eerily quiet.
The stark contrast left Chen Silin restless as she murmured, "Will that senior truly come?"