"Crack!"
Lightning tore across the sky like silver serpents.
It was midnight. The sky, which had cleared in the evening, was now filled with thunder and lightning, and the wind howled.
"Boom!"
A blood-red bolt of lightning struck from the sky. It was as thick as a bucket and lingered for several breaths before dissipating.
Inside the imperial city of the Tianfeng Kingdom, an old man with white hair and beard, his eyes wide open, watched the direction where the lightning had struck. He murmured, "Red lightning appears, the world will be in chaos again!"
In the Demon Emperor's Hall, deep in the northern Black Death Land, a face hidden by a black mask suddenly opened its eyes and muttered to itself, "Master! This scent, is it you?"
In the Chen mansion in Qingyuan City, Chen Xiao sat on the bed, his face pale. He asked weakly, "Did you succeed in breaking through, Xiao Ju?"
"Yes." Xiao Ju's voice was also weak.
"That's good!" With that, Chen Xiao fell into a deep sleep, as if a great burden had been lifted.
...
When Chen Xiao woke up again, the sky was already bright.
"Chen Xiao, Chen Xiao, you're awake! After breaking through, I remembered so many things!" As soon as Chen Xiao opened his blurry eyes, he heard Xiao Ju's voice coming from the jade pendant.
Xiao Ju was the spirit of the stone within this jade pendant, and the jade pendant was the only heirloom left to Chen Xiao by his parents. Chen Xiao was an orphan.
"I just want to know what benefits I got. You almost killed me last night," Chen Xiao replied lazily.
"Hehe, look for yourself, it seems quite powerful," Xiao Ju said with a giggle.
Chen Xiao had already felt a strange tingling sensation within his body. With a slight concentration, he could see his internal organs, blood vessels, and meridians with perfect clarity.
"This... this is inner vision?" Chen Xiao could hardly believe his eyes.
The tingling sensation came from a colorful vortex in his Dantian. Four thin lines of different colors were slowly flowing along Chen Xiao's meridians towards this vortex, which was also slowly rotating.
Seeing this, Chen Xiao was stunned. These four thin lines were clearly four streams of primal force, and they were of four different attributes.
The four attributes of primal force commonly known in the cultivation world were fire, water, lightning, and earth, represented by red, green, blue, and yellow respectively.
Ordinary people only possessed primal force of one attribute. To possess four attributes simultaneously? People had not only never seen it, but had never even heard of it.
"Heh heh, this thing is called the Four-Attribute Swirl, and it's very powerful!" Xiao Ju's proud voice came from the jade pendant.
Chen Xiao looked bewildered. "Four-Attribute Swirl, what is that?"
"Cough cough..." Xiao Ju coughed awkwardly and then said, "Actually, I don't know what it's for, but I just remember it's called that."
Although he didn't know the exact use of this thing, the four-attribute primal force alone was already heaven-defying enough. Chen Xiao's only feeling at the moment was: life was always full of ups and downs, it was too exciting!
Just as Chen Xiao was getting uncontrollably excited, there was a knock on the door outside, and a soft voice called out, "Xiao'er, are you still sleeping? Hurry up and get up for breakfast."
Chen Xiao recognized the voice and noticed that the sky was already bright. He quickly replied, "Aunt Yun, please eat first, I'll be right there!"
This 'Aunt Yun' was named Chen Ruoyun. Although she shared the same surname as Chen Xiao, they were not related by blood. She was an adopted daughter whom the old master of the Chen family had taken in when he was still alive.
For some unknown reason, Aunt Yun had remained unmarried and childless her entire life. Chen Xiao was raised by her, so she treated him as her own child, and Chen Xiao had long regarded her as his mother.
...
When Chen Xiao arrived in the hall, five or six dishes were laid out on a red sandalwood square table, their aroma wafting through the air. A beautiful woman was sitting by the table waiting for him, not having touched her chopsticks.
"Aunt Yun, I told you to eat first. Please don't wait for me next time."
Chen Xiao said as he sat down. This beautiful woman was naturally Aunt Yun. Seeing Chen Xiao take his seat, she smiled and said, "You woke up so late. You must have been too tired from your cultivation yesterday. Cultivation is important, but don't overwork yourself!"
"Yes, I know!" A hint of warmth appeared in Chen Xiao's eyes. No matter how many people misunderstood him, looked down on him, or insulted him, Aunt Yun always stood firmly behind him, supporting and cherishing him.
In a good mood, Chen Xiao had a particularly hearty appetite today. As he was eating with gusto, he suddenly heard someone outside say, "What a delicious smell! Xiao Yun, your cooking is getting better and better!"
As soon as the voice finished, a tall middle-aged man walked into the hall. Although he spoke words of praise, his voice was booming, as if he were arguing with someone.
"Uncle!" Chen Xiao respectfully called out to the newcomer. This person was the head of the Chen family, Chen Feng.
"Hmm!" Chen Feng responded indifferently. This nephew had given him a lot of headaches.
Aunt Yun also greeted him, "Brother, you're here!"
"I smelled the aroma of your cooking from afar and came to freeload. I hope you don't mind?"
"Of course not, Brother. It's too polite of you to say that."
Aunt Yun quickly went to fetch an extra set of bowls and chopsticks.
The three of them ate in silence. Chen Feng's constantly furrowed brow made the atmosphere somewhat awkward. Aunt Yun asked curiously, "Brother, why are you frowning? Has the family encountered any difficulties?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Feng put down his chopsticks, reached into his embrace, and placed a red-skinned, gold-embossed invitation on the table. He said angrily, "This is from the Lan family. They're holding some engagement banquet tomorrow. They're marrying off a daughter and still holding a feast. Do they really think their Lan family is some prestigious clan?"
Chen Xiao paused his chopsticks. He hadn't expected this matter to be settled so quickly. As for why his uncle was so angry, Chen Xiao understood the reason.
It turned out that the ownership of a mine in Nanshan had always been unclear. Both the Chen family and the Lan family claimed it as their own, leading to frequent friction between the two families. The Chen family was slightly stronger than the Lan family, so the Lan family always suffered some losses in disputes. However, now that the Lan family had connections with the Wang family, they would likely seek retribution immediately.
Aunt Yun, with her sharp mind and meticulous thinking, was someone Chen Feng always turned to for advice on matters he couldn't decide.
However, facing this situation, she had no solution. The Wang family was truly not someone the Chen family could afford to offend.
She could only comfort him by saying, "There's no feast without a catch. But speaking of which, Brother, don't worry too much about this matter. It's just a mine, what's the harm in letting them have it?"
"Alas, this is not just about a mine; it concerns the face of my Chen family!" Chen Feng said helplessly. He knew the principle of "taking a step back opens up a wider world," but he couldn't swallow this insult.
Seeing his uncle's resentful gaze, Chen Xiao suddenly understood what he was thinking. He quickly finished the rice in his bowl, wiped his mouth, and said very earnestly, "Uncle, don't worry about this matter. Leave it all to me!"
Chen Xiao's words, however, caused Chen Feng to explode. "You little brat, what nonsense are you talking? Haven't you embarrassed us enough? Get lost, as far as you can, and don't let me see you!"
Before he could finish shouting, Chen Xiao had already run far away. Aunt Yun, however, smiled and said, "See, you're getting anxious again. Perhaps this time, the child can actually do it!"
Chen Feng was completely exasperated. He could understand Chen Xiao talking foolishly, but for Xiao Yun, who was always known for her intelligence, to say such a thing, Chen Feng thought either the world had gone mad, or he had.
Aunt Yun ignored Chen Feng, who was on the verge of a breakdown, and continued, "Didn't you see the look in his eyes when he spoke just now? It was exactly like Third Brother's."
Aunt Yun seemed to be talking to Chen Feng, but her eyes were filled with deep emotion, and she was already looking somewhere far away.