Although Chen Juenian had lost his talent for cultivation, he hadn’t forgotten the martial arts and various esoteric techniques he once knew.
Such as the Juenian Palm he used to swat away Huang Hongxue back then.
If he hadn’t deliberately held back his strength, that single palm could have left a hundred-mile radius devoid of all life.
Looking at the wooden training dummy in front of him, Chen Juenian found that old feeling and unleashed another palm strike—
“Ow!”
The wooden dummy rebounded, sending Chen Juenian sprawling to the ground.
Rubbing his slightly stinging forehead, Chen Juenian had nothing more to say.
Having a peerless-level martial art without the corresponding strength to match it was practically the same as not having it at all.
“Pfft—”
Just as Chen Juenian was lamenting this, he suddenly heard a derisive snort from a woman.
Looking up, on a high platform above, a beautiful woman with brown hair, crimson eyes, and clad in a magnificent gold-and-red phoenix-patterned immortal robe was looking down at him from her lofty position.
“Sorry, sorry, I really couldn’t hold it in… but it was just too funny.”
The woman on the high platform stepped onto empty air, walking down step by step until she was beside Chen Juenian.
“You’re Xiao Jiong’s son?”
Chen Juenian had already stood back up by the time the woman reached his side.
Upon hearing the question, he immediately replied:
“That’s correct.”
“Ah~ Let me think. I am your mother’s maternal aunt. You should call me… Great-Aunt.”
“I greet Great-Aunt.”
Chen Juenian respectfully bowed.
Seeing this, Xuanyuan Mingye nodded in satisfaction.
His cultivation might be a bit lacking, but at least the person himself seemed decent.
One could only say he was truly Xiao Jiong’s child, as polite as she was back in the day.
“I came back this time not only to discuss some important matters with your grandfather, but also because your mother begged me specifically to come and teach you. You’ve taken immortal pills, haven’t you?”
“Yes.”
“If Xiao Jiong isn’t mistaken, you should have taken three Qianyuan Bone-Transforming Pills and two Cuixin Tong Shen Dan.”
Xuanyuan Mingye sent a palm strike through the air towards Chen Juenian’s abdomen.
Connecting her spiritual energy, she saw the specific state of his body now.
An ordinary Gold Spiritual Root, no particularly special bones, and clearly, he didn’t possess any special eyes either.
His meridians were abnormally short and narrow, his dantian was half the size of a normal person’s.
The fact that he had managed to cultivate to the Qi Refining Late Stage at his age was already a miracle created by those five divine pills.
Logically speaking, Chen Juenian should never have set foot on the Immortal Path.
“Tsk… Your name is Xuanyuan Nian, right? From now on, I’ll call you Xiao Nian. You can just call me Sister Mingye.”
“Well then, Sister Mingye, what exactly is the current condition of my body?”
Chen Juenian also wanted to know his own situation, but due to insufficient cultivation, he simply couldn’t perform internal observation of his body.
“There are no major problems.”
‘No major problems’ was only relative.
As Xuanyuan Jiong’s son, even if Chen Juenian lacked the strength and status to inherit the great undertaking, he could at least rely on his mother.
If he didn’t have Xuanyuan Jiong to rely on, that would truly be a major problem.
After telling this lie, Xuanyuan Mingye gave Chen Juenian some Spirit Stones as pocket money, handed him a few Eighth-Grade Pills, and then turned and left.
—
“Mother.”
“Nian’er, you’re back.”
Xuanyuan Jiong took hold of Chen Juenian’s hand and then spoke:
“Have you met your great-aunt?”
“I have.”
“Let me tell you, your great-aunt is a very powerful person. She’s even more formidable than your grandfather—she’s a senior elder of the ‘Huangxue Heavenly Palace,’ a top-tier power in the Ninth Heaven. So… Nian’er.”
Xuanyuan Jiong didn’t know how to say it.
Just moments ago, Xuanyuan Mingye had truthfully informed her of Chen Juenian’s specific condition.
Though she, having no husband or children of her own, dearly loved her little niece and grand-nephew, even she was powerless in the face of Chen Juenian’s situation.
If one asked who had the ability, only the Ten Great Emperors of the Ninth Heaven would have a solution.
Only they possessed the power to turn an ordinary mortal into a cultivation genius.
And the Great Emperor of Huangxue Heavenly Palace… in short, she absolutely would not help her Nian’er.
“Mother, I think I’ve guessed it.”
Chen Juenian said softly:
“I was originally… just an ordinary mortal, wasn’t I?”
“…”
From Xuanyuan Mingye asking if he had taken immortal pills, and later her active avoidance of discussing his talent, one could deduce it.
Chen Juenian had no talent for cultivation.
“No, Nian’er, you are a genius.”
Xuanyuan Jiong pulled Chen Juenian into her embrace once more and gently kissed his forehead.
“Don’t worry about those things. I believe Nian’er will surely achieve great things in the future.”
—
“Hmph— Tell me, what necessity is there for that little fellow to continue receiving resources? If we distributed the pills you’ve given him among the other Xuanyuan Disciples, who knows how many more young talents our Xuanyuan Clan could produce.”
Only three people were currently in the Xuanyuan Clan’s main council hall:
Xuanyuan Lan, Xuanyuan Jiong, and Xuanyuan Mingye.
They were now discussing matters related to Chen Juenian.
“Nian’er just has poor innate talent, that’s all. As long as he works hard enough…”
“Shut your mouth. How many more times will you anger me because of him?”
Over these years, Xuanyuan Lan had been in a constant state of irritation because of this ‘Xuanyuan Nian.’
The clan members all knew there was such a good-for-nothing at home who only consumed resources without producing any results.
Complaints had started as early as nine years ago, and instead of decreasing, these complaints had only grown due to Chen Juenian’s stagnation.
“I have already made exceptions for him several times, solely because he is the ‘son’ my daughter has acknowledged—Xuanyuan Jiong, I will make no more exceptions for him in the future.”
“Enough.”
Xuanyuan Mingye calmly released her spiritual energy, firmly suppressing Xuanyuan Lan’s imposing aura.
Then she looked at her beloved niece.
To be fair, that child called Xuanyuan Nian was truly… too ordinary.
“Xiao Jiong, I understand your difficulty. Your father is indeed being a bit excessive. Today we are here to think of a solution to this matter. Speak, Xiao Jiong, what do you think should be done? Say anything, I will listen.”
“Nian’er is a child entrusted to me by an immortal. If that’s the case, then Nian’er must have something extraordinary about him. Give me ten more years. Time will prove that Nian’er is not some ‘ordinary mortal.'”
Hearing this, Xuanyuan Lan almost erupted immediately.
But the next moment, he was completely immobilized from a distance by his elder sister.
“Fine. Then it’s settled.”
“Huff… I’ll give you ten more years then. If his situation remains unchanged, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”
Seeing Xuanyuan Lan compromise didn’t make Xuanyuan Jiong feel any better.
Procrastinating repeatedly was not a good solution.
For some reason, she didn’t want to follow Xuanyuan Lan’s suggestion and send her son as a tool for a political marriage to another family.
If Nian’er still couldn’t set foot on the Immortal Path ten years from now, he would undoubtedly be used by Xuanyuan Lan as a tool to marry into some family that only wanted to forge a connection with the Xuanyuan Clan.
Those so-called young ladies from garbage families were utterly unworthy of her Nian’er!
If… if she had to admit defeat ten years from now, then she would take her Nian’er and leave this Xuanyuan Clan.
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