Feng Zi'an discovered that ever since that last time, his ninth brother seemed to have become a completely different person.

Although he was still all smiles every time they met, being near his ninth brother now gave him the feeling of being in solitary confinement.

A bone-chilling, helpless terror.

It was also from that day on that his ninth brother began to display a talent that shocked the entire Marquis Residence.

In just one month, he cultivated from the fifth level of Spirit Awakening to the ninth, as if he were on a cheat.

The old ancestor of the Marquis Residence, Marquis Jinghai, who hadn't been heard from in many years, was even alerted and took his ninth brother under his wing to teach him personally.

"Sigh... I just wanted my ninth brother to have a happy childhood. I shouldn't have offended him in any way."

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

Feng Zi'an reflected on his actions for a while. Finding no instance where he had wronged Su Chen, he finally set his mind at ease.

.......

Inside a luxurious palace, Su Chen stood beside an old man in purple robes.

The old man's hair was white, and he appeared ancient, yet his vitality was like a raging river, surging endlessly. Just by sitting cross-legged, he seemed to be the center of the world, his divine might world-shaking.

This was Marquis Jinghai, one of the ten great experts of the Tianfeng Kingdom!

An existence at the Spirit Soul 6th Heaven!

"The Spirit Soul Realm... So this is the Spirit Soul Realm, a marquis-level expert! He's no different from an immortal."

"If my past self stood before a Spirit Soul Realm expert, I probably would have been killed with a single glare."

Su Chen was secretly alarmed. This was the first time he had ever been so close to a Spirit Soul Realm expert.

He had heard that upon reaching the Spirit Soul Realm, one cultivated the power of the Spirit Soul, which was fundamentally different from the realms below it.

The few times the Tianfeng Kingdom had been on the verge of collapse, it was these Spirit Soul Realm experts who had stepped in to turn the tide.

"Excellent. To think you've reached the Spirit Gathering Stage so quickly. In just three months... a cultivation aptitude of this level has only been recorded once before in the history of our Tianfeng Kingdom!"

A joyful smile appeared on Marquis Jinghai's face. He had heard that the current, good-for-nothing head of the clan had a ninth son with exceptionally high talent, but he hadn't paid it much mind.

But two months ago, he heard that this ninth son had suddenly been enlightened, cultivating from the fifth level of Spirit Awakening to the ninth in just one month.

Thinking of this, Marquis Jinghai was filled with regret. He regretted not bringing this child to his side to cultivate sooner. Damn it, this was clearly an auspicious sign for his lineage!

To have let this child waste four years of his talent... If those four years hadn't been wasted, he would have likely shattered every cultivation record in the Tianfeng Kingdom!

"Thank you for your praise, Grandpa Jinghai."

Su Chen's small body, with his large, bright eyes, looked utterly adorable, making Marquis Jinghai grow fonder of him the more he looked.

"But, Grandpa Jinghai, who was the number one genius recorded in the history of the Tianfeng Kingdom?"

A thirst for knowledge filled Su Chen's eyes.

He was genuinely curious. In this life, his cultivation talent very likely had the potential to break through the Spirit Soul Realm.

However, though his talent in this life was strong, it was nothing compared to the monstrous prodigies recorded in the kingdom's history. Take Marquis Jinghai before him, at the Spirit Soul 6th Heaven—Su Chen estimated he might not reach that level even by the time he died.

The reason he could cultivate so quickly was partly due to having walked the path of cultivation twice in his past life, and partly due to the Spirit-Burning Secret recorded in the Tongling Technique left by the Spirit Communication King. It burned one's lifespan in exchange for a short-term boost in cultivation speed.

In his past life, after breaking through to the Spirit Sea Realm, he should have had a lifespan of three hundred years. But after using the Spirit-Burning Secret, he could only live to be two hundred.

The drawbacks of this technique were immense, completely wringing out one's potential and draining one's lifespan, but Su Chen could no longer care about such things.

In this life, he had only one thought.

Everyone from the Feng Clan must die!

With such a huge advantage and such a price to pay, Su Chen's cultivation speed was absolutely unprecedented—at least, he believed it was unprecedented in the Tianfeng Kingdom. And yet, he had just heard of someone even more talented than him.

Marquis Jinghai squinted, smiling. "That was a myth. Legend has it that the very founding of our Tianfeng Kingdom is related to him. My Feng Clan's Founding Ancestor was good friends with that mythical man, who helped him overthrow the previous dynasty and establish the Tianfeng Kingdom."

"Even the Founding Ancestor himself once said that his cultivation was far inferior to that man's... that seeing him was like a fish in a pond seeing the vast sky."

Su Chen's eyes flickered. The founding ancestor of a kingdom was undoubtedly a legend, yet he spoke of himself so humbly.

"Is that lord still in seclusion within our Tianfeng Kingdom?"

Su Chen asked curiously.

Marquis Jinghai shook his head. "Ever since that myth helped the Founding Ancestor establish the Tianfeng Kingdom, he traveled alone to a wider world and was never heard from again."

Su Chen blinked, a thrill of joy in his heart.

A big boss like that wasn't even in the Tianfeng Kingdom.

Heaven is on my side!

But his face fell, as if he were very disappointed.

Marquis Jinghai laughed and chided, "You little rascal, are you already thinking of having designs on that myth? Are you implying that my cultivation isn't high enough to teach you?"

Su Chen quickly shook his head. "In Chen'er's heart, Grandpa Jinghai is the number one expert in the Tianfeng Kingdom, the pillar of our kingdom, the greatest man, and the number one warrior of our Feng Clan!"

Marquis Jinghai grinned so wide his mouth nearly reached his ears. "You smooth-talker. I'm not nearly as good as you say."

Su Chen struck while the iron was hot. "Then who exactly was that mythical man who helped the Founding Ancestor establish the kingdom?"

In his good mood, Marquis Jinghai shared this secret with Su Chen. "That mythical man... his name was Shenhua. Li Shenhua! He was... the God-gifted one of the Li Family!"

......

In the blink of an eye, five years passed.

Under Marquis Jinghai's guidance, Su Chen's cultivation soared, and he soon reached the first level of Spirit Mark.

A fourteen-year-old at the first level of Spirit Mark was a feat that would scare people to death if word got out.

That year, after some thought, Marquis Jinghai sent Su Chen directly to the Tianfeng Martial Academy to temper himself.

Within this branch of the Jinghai Marquis Residence, Su Chen was now the undisputed Young Master. In fact, the "Young" could often be dropped.

Su Chen could directly command all the forces of the Jinghai Marquis Residence, both overt and covert.

In this life, his useless father was nothing more than a figurehead.

In Marquis Jinghai's eyes, Su Chen was the true heir.

Arriving once again in the Royal Capital, Su Chen was overwhelmed with emotion.

In this life, his status and talent placed him at the very pinnacle of the Tianfeng Kingdom. If he could slow down and walk the path of this life in peace, it might have been a happy one.

But alas... Su Chen closed his eyes, and images from his past life flooded his mind.

Outside the luxurious carriage, snow fell like goose feathers.

"Young Marquis, we have arrived at the Tianfeng Martial Academy."

The steward stood outside the carriage, reminding him in a low voice, as if afraid of disturbing him.

Su Chen slowly stepped out of the carriage. Outside, a crowd of instructors and students from the Tianfeng Kingdom had gathered, all looking curiously at the magnificent carriage.

There he was... the number one genius of the Tianfeng Kingdom