Invincible Dad

However, Yun Xi bypassed Li Da, who stood with his arms open for her. She stopped in front of Xu Lai, her head bowed slightly in what looked like infinite shyness.

Watching this scene unfold, Li Da felt his heart shatter into a million pieces. It turned out the woman of his dreams wasn't running toward him but toward the Martial Artist who had spoken so disrespectfully to the Martial Ancestor.

I've won the whole world, but without you, what's the point?

Li Da clutched his heart, thinking bitterly. Ever since seeing Yun Xi in the main hall of the East Sea City Martial Dao Association a few days ago, he had set his heart on this clerk, who seemed as cute and vulnerable as a little rabbit.

But how could this summer end before it had even begun?

"Brother-in-law, you came too." Yun Xi's face flushed as she spoke softly. "A-are you here for me?"

On Changbai Mountain, beautiful monsters like her usually chose to align themselves with a powerful expert. This was especially true of the Human Race, who had a particular fondness for female monsters.

She figured Xu Lai would be no different. But devoting herself to Xu Lai was far better than giving herself to the other monsters on Changbai Mountain or some fat, greasy old man. After all, Xu Lai wasn't just handsome; he had a good temper too.

In that single moment, Yun Xi had already picked out a name for their child.

But unexpectedly, Xu Lai shook his head. "No, I'm just passing by."

"..."

Yun Xi's mouth hung slightly open, her face burning hot.

So my brother-in-law was just passing by... She was so ashamed of her wild thoughts that she wished she could find a hole to crawl into and disappear.

To hide her embarrassment, Yun Xi quickly turned to Tan Chang and bowed. "Thank you for guiding me last time, Senior Tan Chang. You're a peak Eighth Grade expert. Are you also here to lecture?"

Peak Eighth Grade!?

From a distance, Li Da gasped, his scalp tingling. He thought he must have misheard.

Tan Chang coughed. "There are esteemed friends from the Divine Gate Realm present. I'm hardly worthy."

THUD.

Frightened, Li Da dropped to his knees, his lips trembling so violently he couldn't speak.

Tan Chang beckoned. "Come, come, come. I need my godmother for a moment."

"I'm not your godmother, you're my godfather," Li Da said with a mournful expression.

"I have no such unfilial son!" Tan Chang shot back without hesitation, feeling immensely satisfied.

Li Da didn't dare to argue, however. He could only go along with Tan Chang's words, "You're my father, you are my father..."

For some reason, this made Tan Chang even angrier. He was barely in his thirties, and suddenly he had a son who wasn't much younger than him. Who could stand for that?

Seeing Tan Chang fall silent, and having provoked a peak Eighth Grade Martial Ancestor, Li Da panicked and shouted, "I am Martial Ancestor Tan Chang's son! I am his son! I am his son!"

The area in front of the building fell silent. The hundreds of Martial Artists attending the lecture all turned toward the source of the sound, their expressions strange.

The early-stage Seventh Grade Martial Ancestor on the stage said with a smirk, "Senior Tan Chang, when did you have an illegitimate child? Perhaps... you'd like to come up and say a few words?"

"..."

Tan Chang's face turned green. He finally understood how his godmother, the Flower Fairy, must have felt.

This blade... you only know how much it hurts when it's twisting in your own flesh.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Senior Tan Chang is now at the peak of the Eighth Grade, and his life has been nothing short of legendary," the Seventh Grade Martial Ancestor said animatedly from the stage. "Just three months ago, he was at the peak of the Sixth Grade."

A wave of sharp gasps swept through the crowd.

What an astonishing genius! He broke through two major Boundaries in three months, shattering the bottleneck between the Mid-grade and High-grade realms!

"Of course, Senior Tan Chang is unparalleled in his wisdom. Our President, Gao He, has praised Senior Tan in public more than once. He's said that the luckiest thing in his life was meeting such a brilliant strategist and confidant..."

The speaker on the stage continued to sing Tan Chang's praises. Below, the crowd's gazes were filled with admiration and fervor. One teenage girl's eyes even sparkled with stars as she begged Tan Chang to go up and speak.

Tan Chang's face flushed red. He stole a glance at Xu Lai, but seeing the man merely smiling without saying a word made him feel even more ashamed.

Brilliant strategist? More like a brainless idiot! The Flower Fairy nearly killed me when she came out of seclusion.

But since a junior had asked, Tan Chang wasn't one to be coy and decided to go up and say a few words.

The Seventh Grade Martial Ancestor on the stage was delighted. He quickly took the opportunity to ask, "Senior Tan, how did you manage to break through your Boundary so quickly?"

This was the question he had most wanted to ask. He'd always been too embarrassed before, but now he finally had the chance.

Tan Chang didn't answer directly. Instead, he began in a world-weary voice, "For the first half of my life, I was muddle-headed. I was used as a dagger in the dark, pointed toward places steeped in filth. I thought I would remain hidden in the shadows for the rest of my life... the light... was a distant dream for someone like me."

At this, Tan Chang gave a bitter smile. After meeting Xu Lai, the entire trajectory of his life had changed. Xu Lai hadn't killed him. Instead, he had given him a chance to start over as a new person. Before, Tan Chang didn't have a choice. Now, he wanted to be a good person.

Seeing the perplexed looks from the crowd, Tan Chang returned to the Seventh Grade Martial Ancestor's question and said softly, "In truth, my rapid breakthrough is due to just four words."

Not only did the Martial Artists in front of the Martial Dao Association building prick up their ears, but inside the building, high-level experts like Gao He and other Eighth and Ninth Grade Martial Artists also looked over, their eyes shining with curiosity. Tan Chang's rate of progress had shaken the entire East Sea Martial Dao World!

Of course, Gao He had suppressed the news. Otherwise, Tan Chang would have become famous throughout Hua Country, and it would be no exaggeration to call him a cultivation prodigy. They all began guessing what the four words could be. Was it "extraordinary natural talent" or "a lifetime of buildup"? Or perhaps, "heaven-and-earth treasures"!

Under the gaze of over a hundred pairs of eyes, Tan Chang smiled faintly. "A noble patron's help."

With that, Tan Chang gave a deep bow in Xu Lai's direction, though most of the crowd had no idea who he was bowing to. They certainly didn't know who this so-called "noble patron" was.

Only Tan Chang's confidant, Gao He, narrowed his eyes and studied Xu Lai intently, his appreciation for the young man growing even deeper.

***

"Senior, you have quite the sense of humor," the Seventh Grade Martial Ancestor on the stage outside chuckled, trying to smooth things over. He didn't believe Tan Chang's explanation, assuming he'd found some incredible heaven-and-earth treasure but couldn't speak of it openly.

A noble patron? Even a Divine Gate Realm expert couldn't help someone break through two major Boundaries in just three months. The one who could do that wouldn't be a person. They'd have to be a god! No, even a true immortal might not be able to pull that off.

Tan Chang offered no explanation. He said a few words of encouragement to the crowd, then respectfully led Xu Lai into the Martial Dao Association without lingering, heading straight for the seventh floor.

There was a very large conference room there, inside which sat ten people, all of them Martial Artists of the Eighth Grade or higher. But none of them were locals from East Sea; they hailed from cities all across the country. For instance, Association President Gao He himself was from a small border town in Dongshan Province.

East Sea proper, or rather, the entire Jiangnan region, was severely lacking in high-level martial power. Otherwise, there would be no need to dispatch Martial Ancestors from other regions to stand guard. This fact had long been a source of confusion for Martial Artists across Hua Country and a point of regret for those from the thirteen cities of Jiangnan.

"Everyone, my apologies for being late. Please don't mind me," Tan Chang said with a smile, clasping his fists in greeting to those in the conference room. He then pulled out a chair for Xu Lai.

The moment Xu Lai sat down, a lukewarm voice spoke up. "This is a meeting for Martial Artists of the Eighth Grade and above, so how can any riffraff just wander in?"