Upon hearing this, Qi Yuanxiao's face turned from green to white.
"I didn't expect you to be at Huajin as well. Third Uncle truly underestimated you. However, today, you are destined to lose."
With that, Qi Yuanxiao lunged forward, disregarding any semblance of dignity, and began attacking Qi Xiaoliang with a barrage of punches.
Qi Xiaoliang, however, remained composed.
With all his meridians now unblocked and the aid of the spiritual fruit, his strength was now on par with Qi Yuanxiao's.
Qi Xiaoliang's speed was exceptional.
Consequently, despite Qi Yuanxiao's relentless assault of over a dozen moves, he failed to land a single blow on Qi Xiaoliang.
"Qi Xiaoliang, what's the point of constantly dodging! If you have the guts, face my father head-on!" Qi Chen shouted from the side.
Hearing this, Qi Xiaoliang glanced at him.
Noticing Qi Xiaoliang's gaze, Qi Chen felt a prickle of fear and quickly fell silent.
This sensation was something he had only experienced when he had seen his eldest uncle before.
This left Qi Chen perplexed, wondering why he felt this way.
Qi Xiaoliang sneered, "Heh, alright, let's go head-on then."
As he spoke, Qi Xiaoliang advanced instead of retreating, meeting Qi Yuanxiao's punch with his own.
"Bang!"
A muffled thud echoed.
A wave of energy, formed by a surge of power, instantly spread outwards from the point of impact.
The next second, Qi Yuanxiao's expression changed drastically.
He felt a powerful force directly enter his body.
Qi Yuanxiao stumbled back several steps, clutching his chest.
"Pfft!"
He spat out a mouthful of blood, his face turning extremely pale.
In an instant.
The scene fell into a profound silence, so quiet one could hear a pin drop.
Qi Chen, who had urged Qi Xiaoliang to face his father directly, was now stunned into disbelief.
Qi Xiaoliang looked at Qi Yuanxiao, "Third Uncle, are my fists hard enough now?"
Qi Yuanxiao looked up at Qi Xiaoliang with terror.
He could never have imagined that Qi Xiaoliang had become so formidable!
Qi Yuanlang finally snapped out of his shock, his face beaming with excitement. He stepped forward and said, "Third Brother, you have lost. The position of Patriarch now belongs to Xiaoliang."
He then turned to the assembled crowd, "Members of the family, does anyone have any objections?"
The crowd exchanged glances, but not a single person voiced any dissent.
Qi Yuanlang, unable to contain his curiosity, asked, "Xiaoliang, when did you break through to Huajin? Why were we not informed?"
At this question, all eyes in the hall turned to Qi Xiaoliang.
Everyone seemed eager to know how Qi Xiaoliang had changed so dramatically.
Qi Xiaoliang replied, "This time, when I went to Muyang in Jiangbei, I found a master. It was he who unblocked my meridians and allowed me to break through to Huajin."
"A master?" everyone exclaimed in surprise.
Even Qi Yuanxiao looked at Qi Xiaoliang with curiosity.
Qi Yuanlang inquired, "Is your master very powerful?"
Qi Xiaoliang responded, "He is invincible below the Grandmaster level."
Wow!
The hall erupted in a clamor.
Qi Chen couldn't help but curl his lip, "He's bragging."
Indeed, many shared his skepticism.
Qi Xiaoliang countered, "Whether I'm bragging or not, you can find out for yourselves. The Grandmaster of the He family was killed by my master with a single palm strike."
Hoo!
This time, everyone in the hall gaped in astonishment.
They had heard rumors today about the death of the He family's Grandmaster, and now they knew it was true.
"What is your master's name?" Qi Yuanxiao asked.
"Chen Mo," Qi Xiaoliang replied.
"Chen Mo? I don't recall hearing of such a Grandmaster," Qi Yuanxiao responded.
"You can find out for yourself whether he exists or not."
Then, Qi Xiaoliang said, "I am tired. If none of you have anything else, you may retire for the evening."
"Second Uncle, come with me."
With that, Qi Xiaoliang left the meeting hall and headed towards his room.
As he had been the eldest young master of the Qi family before, he still had his own room within the estate.
"Xiaoliang, I never imagined you would become a Huajin expert. You have truly preserved all your father's hard work!" Qi Yuanlang exclaimed excitedly once they reached Qi Xiaoliang's room.
"Second Uncle, thank you!" Qi Xiaoliang knelt before Qi Yuanlang.
He knew that his Second Uncle genuinely cared for him.
"Get up quickly!" Qi Yuanlang hastily helped Qi Xiaoliang to his feet.
"From today onwards, you are the Patriarch of our Qi family. You need not kneel to anyone anymore, do you understand?!"
Qi Xiaoliang replied, "Second Uncle, you will always be my elder."
Qi Yuanlang smiled and ruffled Qi Xiaoliang's hair, "Silly boy, Second Uncle will always be your Second Uncle. However, you are also our Patriarch, do you understand?"
Qi Xiaoliang nodded solemnly.
"You asked me to come over, was there something you needed?" Qi Yuanlang asked.
Qi Xiaoliang took a wooden box from the side and handed it to Qi Yuanlang.
Qi Yuanlang looked at it curiously, "What is this?"
"Second Uncle, you'll know once you open it. It will be beneficial for your old ailment," Qi Xiaoliang replied.
Qi Yuanlang smiled, "Heh, that's very thoughtful of you."
Although Qi Yuanlang was pleased, he also knew that his injuries were beyond cure.
Qi Yuanlang merely regarded it as a gesture of Qi Xiaoliang's filial piety.
Soon, Qi Yuanlang opened the wooden box.
However, upon seeing what was inside, he froze in place!
"This, this is a spiritual fruit!" As a descendant of a prominent family, Qi Yuanlang naturally recognized such an item.
But Qi Yuanlang knew that spiritual fruits had long since disappeared, and even some of the top families might not be able to obtain them.
"My master obtained this from that secret realm. He gave me two. I consumed one when my master was unblocking my meridians, and I specifically brought the other one back for you."
Hearing Qi Xiaoliang's words, Qi Yuanlang's expression faltered, and his eyes welled up with tears.
He then pushed the wooden box back, "Xiaoliang, you are the future of our Qi family. You should keep this for your own use. Your intentions are understood, Second Uncle."
Qi Xiaoliang quickly said, "Second Uncle, I brought this back specifically for you. In the Qi family, only you deserve this spiritual fruit. Perhaps after consuming it, your injuries will heal, and you might even break through to the Martial Master realm!"
"Second Uncle, I can deter the Qi family for now, but without Father, I cannot deter the other prominent families!"
Hearing this, Qi Yuanlang's expression shifted.
Seeing the sincerity in Qi Xiaoliang's eyes, Qi Yuanlang finally nodded, "Alright, then Second Uncle will accept it."
Upon seeing this, Qi Xiaoliang's face lit up with excitement.
Meanwhile, back in the Qi family's council hall.
Everyone was exchanging bewildered glances.
The shock of what had just transpired had left them all speechless.
"Third Brother, do you think what Xiaoliang said is true?" the fourth brother asked.
Instantly, all eyes turned to Qi Yuanxiao.