Invincible Dad

"Spirit Vein Creation. It will change the martial fate of the thirteen cities!"

Gao He's words seemed to hold a magical power that made everyone's breathing quicken.

The Pseudo-Spiritual Vein in Harbour City had made the inland areas of Hua Country green with envy. Although it was slightly less potent than a real Spirit Vein, it still allowed many Martial Artists to advance their Boundaries. If they could successfully create a Spirit Vein in the Jiangnan region, then it might truly be possible to reverse the decline of Jiangnan's Martial Dao in one fell swoop.

"Spirit Veins can't be created just because we wish it so," Zou Qingsheng said, pouring cold water on the idea. "Otherwise, Hua Country wouldn't have only ten Spirit Veins and three Dragon Veins after thousands of years!"

The crowd calmed down. Indeed, even when Li Sanbai gathered all the Feng Shui Taoists of Harbour City and a vast amount of heavenly treasures supplied by the country, he still failed to achieve his goal. He missed it by half a step! But that half step was a chasm between heaven and earth, utterly impossible to cross.

Those big shots at the Martial Dao Association headquarters have a far too simplistic view on the matter.

Gao He sighed. In fact, after the appearance of the Pseudo-Spiritual Vein in Harbour City, the headquarters had considered testing Spirit Vein creation in the Jiangnan region. But Li Sanbai refused to come out of retirement, and no one else in the country dared to take on a task that was doomed to fail. So, the idea was shelved until now. The emergence of Xu Lai, a Ninth Grade Martial Ancestor from East Sea City, had given Gao He renewed hope.

Thinking about it now, it was all in vain.

"In my opinion, instead of creating Spirit Veins, we'd be better off taking the existing ones into the hands of the Association headquarters," Zou Qingsheng said with an icy smile, the palm print on his cheek particularly conspicuous.

Once again, the crowd fell silent. Several Eighth Grade Martial Artists stole glances at Xu Lai. Mount Haitang was a Spirit Vein, and Xu Lai's family lived in Haitang Court. All the Martial Artists present knew this. At first, everyone thought it was a blessed land where the Flower Fairy had entered the Divine Gate Realm, so the Martial Dao Association had expressly forbidden any disturbances. But now... the Flower Fairy hadn't entered the Divine Gate, and Xu Lai wasn't her illegitimate son. This made many of them start to get ideas.

This was Hua Country's eleventh Spirit Vein, and it hadn't been occupied by the nation or the Martial Dao Association. Many factions and powerful Martial Dao practitioners wanted a piece of it, even though the Spirit Vein was very small, consisting of only a single mountain.

Xu Lai looked at Zou Qingsheng with a half-smile, and the latter felt an inexplicable chill. Still, he braced himself and said, "It's a waste for one person to occupy a Spirit Vein. It should be contributed to support Hua Country and the Martial Dao! I'm sure Senior Xu Lai, a man of high esteem and respect, would not refuse!"

Ah, some people... They see themselves as standing on the side of 'righteousness' while committing acts no different from banditry. It's best to keep a respectful distance from such individuals.

So Xu Lai simply shook his head, stood up, and left his seat. Coming here today had been a real disappointment. He might as well have stayed at school listening to Liu Nanwei's dirty jokes.

"Senior Xu Lai..." Gao He stood up, wanting to make him stay, but Xu Lai just waved his hand.

Tan Chang also stood up and departed in disappointment.

Gao He's expression turned ugly. "Zou Qingsheng," he said, calling him by his full name, "regardless of whether Senior Xu Lai was involved in the Lin Family's downfall, you went too far today!"

"Too far?" Zou Qingsheng scoffed. "I defended Chang'an City for three years. I killed thirty-seven members of the Moon Clan, one of whom was an Elder of the Crescent Moon Clan. What has *he* done?"

Zou Qingsheng stood up, continuing to press his case. "His name isn't on the Sky Ranking, and he isn't registered with the Martial Dao Association. I'd really like to ask... what exactly is Xu Lai trying to do? Could he be a spy planted by the Moon Clan?"

BOOM!

At some point, the sky over East Sea City had darkened. Though it was already winter, the sky was now covered with dense, dark clouds, and a bolt of lightning exploded within them.

Gao He fell silent. It was true that every Martial Artist had to be registered, and High-grade Martial Artists had to leave a wisp of their foundational aura and their name on the Sky Ranking. But there were a few who concealed their identities, engaging in shameful deeds in the shadows. Some humans had even colluded with the Moon Clan.

But Xu Lai… he definitely wasn't that kind of person.

Gao He knew his close friend Tan Chang trusted Xu Lai implicitly, and therefore, he trusted Xu Lai as well.

Suddenly, an old woman in the crowd recalled something and exclaimed in surprise, "Next to the Sky Ranking, there's a Sword Ranking with the character 'Xu' on it. Could that have been left by Xu Lai...?"

Zou Qingsheng frowned. "That's just a coincidence."

Gao He didn't rebut him this time. He had asked the old master of his family about it and learned that even if all twelve Watchmen at the peak of the Divine Gate Realm joined forces, they couldn't have left behind such a 'sword'. Given Xu Lai's current age, his Boundary was at most the peak of the Ninth Grade. It was simply impossible for it to have been him. According to the headquarters' speculation, the one who left the Sword Ranking was likely a reclusive powerhouse who had broken through the shackles of the Divine Gate and stepped onto the Immortal Path. But the Immortal Path, according to legend, had been severed hundreds of years ago.

"Anyway, the Spirit Vein on Mount Haitang is bound to be snatched away sooner or later. If the Martial Dao Association doesn't act fast..." Zou Qingsheng sneered. "The other sects and the Nine Pavilions are no pushovers. We'll just see how long Xu Lai can withstand the pressure."

His gaze, fixed on the direction Xu Lai had left, was cold and ruthless. This was no longer just about the grudge with the Lin Family, but also about that slap! Zou Qingsheng had intentionally brought up Mount Haitang today to spread the news. He refused to believe that other powers could resist taking a bite of this juicy piece of meat.

"Xu Lai, I may not be your opponent... but you're still going to die."

A sinister smile curled Zou Qingsheng's lips. He cruelly grasped his thermal flask, gradually squeezing it until the metal distorted and buckled.

...

The gathering of East Sea City's High-grade Martial Ancestors ended on a sour note.

Tan Chang was particularly angry. He apologized, "I'm sorry. I didn't expect Zou Qingsheng to hold such a strong prejudice against you."

"It doesn't matter," Xu Lai said lightly.

He wasn't bothered by it. He had only come today for the spectacle, and had even considered teaching them a Cultivation Technique or two.

But now it seems... they don't need it.

After a brief chat, Xu Lai left the Martial Dao Association.

However, Yun Xi had been waiting at the entrance the whole time. When she saw Xu Lai appear, she quickly approached him and said softly, "Brother-in-law."

Xu Lai rubbed his brow and looked at his new sister-in-law. "What is it?"

"N-nothing..." Yun Xi stammered, her face flushing slightly. She followed behind Xu Lai with small, quick steps, not saying a word, just quietly trailing him.

When they reached the subway station and it was time to part ways, Yun Xi finally said, "Brother-in-law, you're a good person."

With that, she scurried away.

Xu Lai was left speechless.

He gave a self-deprecating smile. A good person? The Human Race might think well of him, but the other races, the Holy Lands, the Tao Lineages? Every one of them likely cursed the name 'Xu the Butcher' behind his back. After all, on his journey from the mundane realm to the Emperor Realm, the path was simple: if he didn't want to die, others had to.

Three stops later, the subway exit opened up to the area near Above the White Clouds. Xu Lai didn't go to the school, deciding instead to drop by his wife's company first.

The company was the same as always. The only difference was that the female employees, who usually wore light and airy summer clothes, were now bundled up in down jackets, wool sweaters, and knitted tops. A flock of chattering girls flocked to him, playfully calling him 'Lady Boss'.

Considering the big boss was still working in her office, the young women didn't go overboard. After a brief, casual chat with Xu Lai, they dispersed.

Xu Lai entered the office without knocking. He saw Ruan Tang with her head bowed, writing something on a piece of paper. Her beautiful brows were slightly furrowed, as if she was puzzling over some difficulty.