Invincible Dad

The words were not spoken loudly, but given the Boundaries of the Martial Artists present, everyone heard them clearly.

Their colleagues' strange gazes swept over to the speaker, a white-haired elder sitting in the farthest corner. He simply shook his head and said, "Please don't take offense. My words were not directed at you all."

After speaking, his gaze fixed intently on Xu Lai, making his target obvious.

"Elder Zou, what is the meaning of this!" Tan Chang frowned. The man he was addressing was a Ninth Grade Martial Ancestor, so his question had to be phrased respectfully.

"Nothing much. I just want to know if the kid you brought in has a high enough Boundary," Zou Qingsheng said indifferently.

"Elder Zou, I don't care what grudges exist between Jiangnan and Jiangbei. This is East Sea City. Please be mindful of your status and this location," Gao He, the president of the Martial Dao Association, stated coldly.

Although his own Boundary was not as high as Zou Qingsheng's, he wasn't afraid. After all, his grandfather was one of the Watchmen. But Gao He also understood the underlying reason for the provocation. The Martial Dao of Jiangnan's thirteen cities had always been weak, while that of Jiangbei's fifteen cities was absurdly strong.

Some time ago, during the Sea Temple Festival, Xu Lai had failed to pay a visit to the Lin Family, Jiangbei's leading Martial Dao family. This had greatly displeased the various Jiangbei families and those Martial Artists who considered themselves superior to Jiangnan's. That was why Zou Qingsheng was deliberately stirring up trouble here.

He wanted to anger Xu Lai.

As long as the young man dared to make a move, he would have a reason to cripple him. This was because Zou Qingsheng was very close to Jiangbei's leading Lin Family and served as one of their Venerates, despite not sharing their bloodline.

Recently, however, the Lin Family seemed to have evaporated into thin air. Not only had the people vanished, but even their entire residence was gone, leaving behind nothing but a dilapidated family plaque. Zou Qingsheng, being a Venerate, knew a thing or two about the Lin Family's plans against Xu Lai. He believed their demise might be connected to him.

The Lin Family disappeared on the very night they were supposed to make a move on Xu Lai...

To call that a coincidence? Not even a three-year-old would believe it.

"Oh?" Xu Lai cocked his head. "You want to infuriate me so I'll hit you."

Zou Qingsheng's pupils constricted. Was this young man a monster? How could he see through his intentions?

"Since that's what you want," Xu Lai said indifferently, "I'll grant your wish."

SLAP!

As the words fell, a crisp slap echoed through the room.

Zou Qingsheng didn't even have time to react before a tremendous force sent him flying, embedding him deep into the wall. He didn't even utter a cry, his status—dead or alive—unknown.

...

The conference room fell into an eerie silence.

Everyone stared at Xu Lai as if they were seeing a ghost. A powerhouse at the early stage of the Ninth Grade had been sent flying with a single slap. Not only that, but none of them had even seen Xu Lai move, nor could they sense any use of Spiritual Energy.

What a terrifying Boundary!

The few who had previously doubted Xu Lai's qualifications to be there immediately shed their arrogance. They rose from their chairs and performed a Martial Dao salute, showing this powerhouse the respect he was due. No one dared to underestimate him, even though Xu Lai appeared to be only about twenty-five years old, far younger than this group of elders who were generally over sixty. A Ninth Grade of such a young age was horrifying—a monster among monsters.

On the other side, Gao He was checking Zou Qingsheng's injuries. They weren't severe; he had merely fainted. While relieved, Gao He's breathing grew rapid. He realized Xu Lai's Boundary had to be at least the late stage of the Ninth Grade, perhaps even... the peak! Otherwise, Zou Qingsheng, an early-stage Ninth Grade, wouldn't have been so utterly helpless. No wonder he was able to defend the Spirit Vein on Mount Haitang. It would be impossible without real power.

At this thought, Gao He's face beamed. East Sea City... no, the entire Jiangnan region finally had a native Ninth Grade Martial Ancestor.

That other matter... it could finally be put on the agenda.

An Eighth Grade Martial Ancestor with a healing Talent Seed was among those present. After he treated Zou Qingsheng's injuries, the man slowly regained consciousness. Touching his swollen left cheek, his expression turned hideous as he instantly recalled what had just happened.

But he didn't dare to lash out. He wasn't a fool. An opponent who could incapacitate him, a Ninth Grade Martial Artist, with a single slap possessed a Boundary far higher than his own.

"I'm afraid the Lin Family's destruction was your doing," Zou Qingsheng seethed through gritted teeth, hurling a heavy accusation. "You annihilated one of Jiangbei's Leading Families. Are you trying to betray Hua Country? I demand an explanation!"

Anyone, even a Divine Gate Realm expert, was as fragile as paper before the might of the nation.

Xu Lai calmly responded, "You're not worthy of one."

BOOM!

Zou Qingsheng's eyes turned bloodshot, and rage nearly shattered his reason.

Gao He quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "A misunderstanding. This must all be a misunderstanding. Let's not forget why we're here today."

Finding a way to back down, Zou Qingsheng shot Xu Lai a cold glare. "Consider yourself lucky. I'm doing this out of respect for Old Master Gao."

The situation was finally brought under control. Gao He felt weary. Managing a group of 'killing machines' was no easy task.

He first introduced Xu Lai to everyone present, and Xu Lai nodded to each in turn.

Excluding Xu Lai, there were eleven people in the room. Ten of them, including Gao He and Tan Chang, were Eighth Grade Martial Ancestors. As for Ninth Grade... surprisingly, Zou Qingsheng was the only one.

Tan Chang raised his eyebrows slightly, surprised that so few were left.

As if seeing his old friend's confusion, Gao He explained with a wry smile, "Nearly all Ninth Grade Martial Artists are on standby in Chang'an City. Only major metropolises like East Sea and Hangcheng can afford to keep one Ninth Grade to guard the home front. Some remote prefecture-level cities might not even have a single Eighth Grade Martial Ancestor."

Resource distribution could never be perfectly equal. Take East Sea, for example. With a population of over twenty million, several Demon Race Sea Cities in the nearby waters, and three forbidden zones where even Seventh Grade Martial Artists were barred from entry, a Ninth Grade was kept on standby just in case.

In contrast, a certain city in the northwest, with a population of only three million but no less danger, had a Martial Dao Association that could barely muster five Eighth Grade Martial Artists. During these turbulent times, even fewer could be left to stand guard.

Xu Lai had really just been brought along to make up the numbers. He remained silent, sitting in his chair with his eyes closed to rest.

Gao He cleared his throat and said, "I've gathered you all today for two main reasons."

"Two?"

Everyone was slightly taken aback. Usually, there was only one topic: discussing Cultivation insights and combat strategies against the Moon Clan.

Gao He briefly explained the first matter, then added, "The second... is the Spiritual Vein Project."

Everyone's pupils contracted.

The Spiritual Vein Project was an initiative personally led by the legendary Li Sanbai from Harbour City, which aimed to use Formations for Spirit Vein Creation. Although it hadn't been fully successful, only creating a Pseudo-Spiritual Vein with slightly inferior Spiritual Energy, the sheer, boundless imagination of the endeavor had shaken the entire Martial Dao World of Hua Country at the time.

"Jiangnan Province is affluent, with many martial schools in its thirteen cities, yet we have only one native Martial Ancestor, Niu Taishan." Gao He paused, then added, "Now, with Elder Xu Lai, we have a second."

The room fell silent as they waited for Gao He to continue.

"The Martial Dao Association headquarters believes there is a problem with Jiangnan's feng shui. So... they plan to create a Spirit Vein to change the martial fate of the thirteen cities!"