From that day onward, Su Chen began his studies at the Heavenly Wind Martial Mansion. As the foremost martial institution in the Heavenly Wind Kingdom, its heritage spoke for itself. Its founder, like the Marquis of Pacifying the Seas, ranked among the kingdom's ten greatest powerhouses. Every student here was exceptional without exception: all carried the blood of the kingdom's most exalted noble houses.

  "Young Marquis, Young Master Feng Hongyu has sent an invitation requesting your presence at his banquet."

  A refined and gentle-looking young woman stood at Su Chen's side, speaking with quiet respect as she presented the card.

  Su Chen glanced at the invitation in her hand. Even the distinctive metallic embossing on its surface was worth a fortune. In his mind rose the details of Feng Hongyu's background: a genius of the main branch who had broken through to the first layer of Spirit Vein at only seventeen years old.

  Su Chen accepted the invitation without comment.

  The woman said nothing further. She had been personally assigned by the Marquis of Pacifying the Seas to attend to Su Chen three years earlier and had long since come to understand his temperament. She suspected the young marquis had developed an interest in the gathering.

  Once she withdrew, Su Chen toyed idly with the invitation and let out a soft sigh. His grandfather, the Marquis of Pacifying the Seas, truly doted on him. Several Spirit Sea realm experts shadowed him day and night for protection. It was done out of genuine care.

  Yet it also meant Su Chen could not slip away to revisit the places of his previous life or retrieve the Spirit Communion manual buried in the earth.

  For the time being, those things remained out of reach.

  Fortunately, the translated version of the Spirit Communion technique he had memorized in his former life was sufficient to carry him all the way to the Spirit Sea realm in this one.

  Su Chen set the invitation aside. He had no particular interest in Feng Hongyu himself, nor was he simply going for the spectacle.

  He intended to use the occasion to assess the kingdom's most outstanding younger generation—to see whether any of them posed a real threat to his plans, or whether some might be worth recruiting once his great undertaking began.

  And, incidentally, to determine whether any "old acquaintances" had left behind sons.

  …

  Five days later.

  Inside an opulent residence, throngs of young elites had gathered. Any one of them, if set loose in the outside world, would have caused a sensation.

  The blood of the kingdom's most honored lineages flowed through their veins. A magnificent carriage drawn by nine winged horses drew to a halt before the gates, drawing countless admiring glances.

  Each steed was strikingly beautiful, their silver coats gleaming like masterwork sculptures. More astonishing still, every single one possessed the strength of the Spirit Vein realm—a rare and exotic breed of spirit beast.

  "It's the young marquis of the Marquis of Pacifying the Seas!"

  Murmurs rippled through the crowd. They were all geniuses. Yet the youth inside that carriage surpassed them in both talent and nobility of blood.

  At that moment, within the grand hall of the residence, mist drifted lazily through the air, and rosy clouds seemed to glow from within, creating the illusion of an immortal paradise on earth. Twenty figures sat scattered among the seats, conversing with easy warmth and laughter.

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  "Young Marquis of the Marquis of Pacifying the Seas has arrived!"

  At the servant's announcement, every head in the hall turned in unison toward the entrance.

  A youth with cool, indifferent features and an air of innate nobility stepped slowly into the palace. His gaze swept the room once.

  Su Chen spotted several descendants of his old enemies without betraying any emotion. He moved to the seat of honor and sat down calmly.

  Feng Hongyu's face lit up the moment he saw him. "Cousin, my royal father speaks of you every day, painting you as some celestial being descended to earth. Now that I see you in person, his praise doesn't do you justice. No wonder you occupy his thoughts so constantly."

  Feng Hongyu was the forty-third son of the current Heavenly Wind King and one of his father's favorites. By addressing Su Chen as "cousin," he deliberately sought to close the distance between them.

  Su Chen lifted his eyes briefly. "I am grateful for His Majesty's and Your Highness's regard."

  The words were polite, yet his face remained utterly expressionless—cold as a block of ice.

  Feng Hongyu paid the chill no mind. Geniuses were entitled to a measure of arrogance, especially one whom even the old monsters of the main branch praised without reservation. He was confident he could eventually win the boy over and bring him into his fold.

  The banquet proceeded with flowing wine and lively conversation. Su Chen made the acquaintance of many young heirs from the kingdom's great houses—each descended from ancestors whose martial achievements rang through history.

  Among them was one he thought of day and night, the object of his deepest hatred. The commander of the Black Tortoise Army, renowned throughout the Heavenly Wind Kingdom as the Marquis of Black Tortoise.

  Yu Zhengde's son!

  Su Chen lowered his gaze. Murderous intent filled his eyes.

  "So the old bastard finally managed to sire a son after a lifetime of daughters."

  He wondered whether heaven had delivered this gift on purpose. What would it do to Yu Zhengde to watch his most precious son die right before his eyes?

  Not yet. His position in this life was far too valuable, and he had already spent an enormous number of Reverse Fate Points. Throwing it all away to take one of Yu Zhengde's descendants down with him would be an unacceptable loss.

  By the time the banquet ended, Su Chen appeared as though nothing at all had happened.

  …

  Three years passed in the blink of an eye.

  In that time, Su Chen's cultivation advanced to the seventh layer of Spirit Vein. He was now sixteen. Over those years, he had befriended countless geniuses and powerful figures across the Heavenly Wind Kingdom. Anyone with eyes could see that his future was limitless.

  That reality filled his older brothers—and his utterly useless father—with burning jealousy. As long as Su Chen remained in the Marquis of Pacifying the Seas' branch, they would never see the light of day.

  "Brother Feng Chen."

  A clear, bright voice rang out. A girl of fifteen or sixteen entered with a radiant smile. Even at her young age, her beauty already had the power to topple cities and ruin kingdoms.

  Princess Huai'an—hailed as the foremost beauty of her generation in the Heavenly Wind Kingdom. She was the daughter the current king cherished above all others. And in this life, she was Su Chen's fiancée.

  Beyond Princess Huai'an, his grandfather the Marquis of Pacifying the Seas had arranged betrothals with numerous daughters of high nobility, all in hopes that Su Chen would spread his branches wide.

  "So it's Huai'an."

  Su Chen concealed the hatred in his eyes, lifted his gaze, and spoke indifferently.

  Princess Huai'an fluttered over and produced an armful of treasures—pills, cultivation manuals, spirit artifacts.

  "Brother Feng Chen is competing in the Martial Dao Grand Tournament tomorrow. These will surely be useful to you!"

  She pushed the pile toward him. Her large, watery eyes curved into playful crescents, full of lively charm. If outsiders saw the kingdom's number-one beauty behaving this way toward a man, countless young elites would have their hearts shattered on the spot.

  Su Chen's expression flickered with genuine surprise when he saw the items. Among them were priceless treasures, including several fourth-grade pills. It looked as though she had raided half the royal treasury.

  He gently pushed everything back toward her. "Even without these things, I would still be the foremost genius of the Heavenly Wind Kingdom. If your royal father discovers you've taken so many valuables from the palace at once, the consequences could be severe."

  Princess Huai'an shook her head vigorously. "Father loves me too much. He would never punish me."

  She pushed the items back toward him again, cheeks puffed out like an adorable, stubborn kitten.

  "Brother Feng Chen, these are gifts. You have to accept them."

  Su Chen sighed helplessly and finally took them.

  Princess Huai'an beamed with joy.

  Yet a faint pang of guilt stirred in Su Chen's heart.

  "To scheme against such a young girl like this… If she ever learned the truth, she would surely hate me to the bone."

  Before him, the smile never left Princess Huai'an's face. She shone like moonlight trapped in endless darkness.