"I didn't expect that Big Brother's progress in martial arts would be so immense!"
Upon hearing this, Situ Lei Sheng looked up. The young man before him, two or three years his junior, was his greatest competitor among the younger generation: Situ Liu Guang.
Situ Liu Guang was the son of Situ Lei Sheng's uncle. Their fathers had been fierce rivals, and this competition had carried over to their generation.
To secure the opportunity to travel to Hell Paradise Island this time, both had exhausted their every resource. However, Situ Lei Sheng ultimately proved to be a step ahead, seizing the chance and reaping immense rewards.
Situ Liu Guang had been cursing his brother, wishing he would die on that island and never return, so that no one would contend with him for the position of future head of the Situ family.
Unexpectedly, Situ Lei Sheng not only returned but was also living quite comfortably.
Especially Situ Yu Luo's words, stating that Situ Lei Sheng had gained at least 30 years of cultivation, were enough to incite envy!
This put Situ Lei Sheng in a leading position in the competition for the future family head.
Situ Liu Guang harbored deep resentment, believing that this opportunity should have been his, and that Situ Lei Sheng had stolen what rightfully belonged to him.
"It's nothing, just luck!"
To Situ Liu Guang's surprise, Situ Lei Sheng did not, as he usually would, become smug or boastful. Instead, he appeared very humble.
This completely thwarted Situ Liu Guang's attempt to pick a fight, leaving him feeling as if he had punched the air.
However, if someone is determined to cause trouble, they will always find an excuse. Situ Liu Guang's eyes darted, and he immediately found a way.
"Big Brother, although you personally gained a great deal this time, making a fortune, you failed to complete the task assigned to you by the family!"
Situ Lei Sheng was taken aback for a moment. He recalled the so-called mission the family had assigned him: to establish authority within the team, showcasing the Situ family's strength to other families, and to win over talented young individuals from other clans.
However, these tasks had vanished into thin air under a series of setbacks.
Looking at Ling Tian, and then at himself, Situ Lei Sheng felt how laughable the family's assigned mission was.
And looking at his own brother, and the provocative reason he presented, made it even more absurd.
"Brother, it's not that I, as your elder brother, want to lecture you, but you are short-sighted!
On Hell Paradise Island, when our group was ambushed and our lives were hanging by a thread, in such a situation, if we didn't unite to fend off the external enemies, but instead formed factions and schemed against each other, that would be suicidal!
Not to mention that such foolish actions would cause internal disarray and lead to complete annihilation by the enemy. Even if we were lucky enough to escape, you would have offended everyone!
It's fortunate the family didn't send you. Otherwise, with your capabilities, tsk tsk!"
After speaking, Situ Lei Sheng turned and left with a smile, leaving Situ Liu Guang with a face as dark as a pig's liver.
However, at that moment, Situ Liu Guang gritted his teeth and said, "Big Brother, don't get too smug. I have already found a suitable cauldron. Once the cauldron is in place, I can cultivate the Black Flame Art, and surpassing you will be a matter of minutes!"
"Haha, then find one first!"
Situ Lei Sheng was completely unfazed by Situ Liu Guang's words.
The Black Flame Art was a cultivation technique passed down from ancient times within the Situ family. This technique was immensely powerful, and after cultivating it, the speed of progress was astounding, advancing by leaps and bounds.
However, cultivating this technique came with severe side effects. These side effects were similar to the Blazing Sun Art that Ling Tian practiced; fire poison would erode the cultivator's body. The difference was that the side effects of the Black Flame Art were more potent.
Of course, the solution was also similar: find a woman with the Profound Ice physique for dual cultivation.
However, the dual cultivation method of the Black Flame Art was rather domineering. The woman serving as the cauldron would have her foundation damaged, and might even have a shortened lifespan!
Another point was that women with the Profound Ice physique were extremely rare. Moreover, most women with this physique would likely perish before reaching adulthood.
In fact, even before Situ Lei Sheng's return, Situ Liu Guang was well aware that the gap between him and his brother would only widen. To achieve a "cornering overtake," his only option was to cultivate the Black Flame Art.
However, without a suitable cauldron to neutralize the fire poison within his body, cultivating the Black Flame Art would be useless, even a form of drinking poison to quench thirst.
As it happened, Situ Liu Guang also went to the capital to attend a conference of a domestic pharmaceutical enterprise. Initially, he was only there to discuss business with a few partners, but it was then that he encountered Wang Bing Xia.
Wang Bing Xia's beauty greatly enticed Situ Liu Guang. He was also a lecher, having slept with numerous female models and minor actresses. He found it impossible to resist the allure of Wang Bing Xia's appearance.
To his surprise, he also discovered that Wang Bing Xia possessed the Profound Ice physique.
A great beauty, with the Profound Ice physique, and at the prime of her youth without having prematurely died – there couldn't be a more suitable cauldron.
Thus, he began to pursue Wang Bing Xia, employing all sorts of tactics. However, Wang Bing Xia was completely unmoved. In her eyes, while Situ Lei Sheng's qualifications were excellent, they paled in comparison to her fiancé, Ling Tian!
After being repeatedly rejected by Wang Bing Xia and the Wang family, Situ Liu Guang felt his pride wounded. After all, the Situ family had extensive connections and was incredibly resourceful.
It was as simple as making a few phone calls to acquire any female celebrity he desired.
Therefore, Situ Liu Guang directly leveraged the connections of Hua Xun Wei Ye Investment Group to pressure Bing Tian Pharmaceutical, hoping to force the Wang family to comply!
However, he did not expect Bing Tian Pharmaceutical to be such a resilient enterprise. His pressure tactics failed to yield the results he desired.
Situ Lei Sheng got into his car, preparing to leave Hualong Village and return to the capital to report to the headquarters of the Righteous Path Alliance.
Upon his return from abroad, his first priority was to report the situation to his family.
The Situ family had not anticipated that the trip to Hell Paradise Island would be so fraught with variables. Of course, the elders of the Situ family were very satisfied with how Situ Lei Sheng had handled these matters, believing he had truly matured!
Just as the car drove out of Hualong Village, heading towards the airport in a neighboring city where the Situ family's private jet was waiting for a direct flight to the capital, his phone rang.