Chapter 10: Esteem

Changyang Ke tightly gripped the axe, looking at Jianchen with a wary expression. Due to the lesson from earlier, he no longer dared to underestimate Jianchen, so he was particularly cautious this time.

Jianchen's face always wore a faint smile, and he saw a kind of mockery in Changyang Ke's eyes that Changyang Ke himself did not understand. He said, "Third Brother, can we start the attack now?"

Changyang Ke tightened his grip on the axe, this time mobilizing all the Holy Power within his body, and then charged at Jianchen again, his speed clearly much faster than before.

Jianchen casually waved the branch in his hand, which was now only about half a meter long. Suddenly, a strange feeling arose in his heart, as if his spirit had a very subtle connection with the branch. At the same time, in Jianchen's mind, the image of his previous life, when he was about to die and finally comprehended the realm of controlling a sword with his spirit, flashed before his eyes. In the end, the precious sword in his hand, controlled by his "spirit," flew a hundred meters to pierce through the throat of Dugu Qiubai.

Thinking of this, Jianchen's mind moved, and he subconsciously controlled the branch to stab at Changyang Ke.

"Whoosh!"

As soon as the thought arose, the branch in Jianchen's hand seemed to come to life, flying out of his hand on its own and stabbing at Changyang Ke at an extremely fast speed. The entire branch was faintly enveloped in a pale white light, emitting a sharp and piercing sword aura. The speed of the branch was incredibly fast, like lightning, and in a flash, it had already reached Changyang Ke's chest.

Feeling the speed of the branch and the sword aura emanating from it, Jianchen was greatly alarmed and immediately stopped the branch. Given the speed of the branch and the sudden appearance of the sword aura, he had no doubt that the branch could easily pierce through Changyang Ke's body. Even if it didn't kill him, it would cause serious injuries. If such a result occurred, Jianchen would have caused a major disaster.

The branch finally stopped just as it reached Changyang Ke's chest. Despite this, the tip of the branch had already pierced into Changyang Ke's chest, though fortunately not very deep, only breaking the skin. If Jianchen had reacted any slower, Changyang Ke's body would have been pierced through, with unimaginable consequences.

Jianchen wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. His spirit had a very subtle connection with the branch, and through the branch's sensation, Jianchen understood that it had only broken Changyang Ke's skin, causing no serious harm. This made Jianchen feel much more relaxed.

The intense pain in his chest made Changyang Ke's chubby little face pale. When he looked down and saw the blood on his chest, his expression suddenly changed, and he burst into tears, tears streaming down his face like a fountain.

"Blood... Blood... I'm bleeding, wah... Fourth Brother... you... you hit me, waa... Mother... Mother... I'm going to tell Mother... Mother... Fourth Brother hit me..."

At that moment, Changyang Ke seemed to turn into a crying, mischievous little child. He threw away the wooden axe in his hand and ran out of the garden, crying. After all, Changyang Ke was still a child under ten years old, growing up in a sheltered environment.

Watching Changyang Ke gradually disappear from sight, Jianchen helplessly shook his head and walked towards his residence. He knew that he would likely face severe criticism next.

...

"What? Elder Chang, are you joking with me?" In a study, the head of the Changyang family, Changyang Ba, suddenly stood up from his chair, his eyes fixed on the old man standing opposite him, speaking in a surprised tone.

The old man was the steward of the Changyang family, Elder Chang.

Elder Chang nodded affirmatively, his expression serious. "Head of the family, I didn't believe it at first either, but dozens of people in the kitchen saw it clearly. Fourth Young Master indeed injured a kitchen worker and even lifted a worker weighing over a hundred pounds, throwing him five meters away. Most importantly, this worker had the strength of the third layer of Holy Power."

Hearing this, the surprise in Changyang Ba's eyes deepened, with a hint of disbelief.

Elder Chang looked at Changyang Ba, hesitated for a moment, and then continued, "Head of the family, I just received another message. Fourth Young Master injured Third Young Master in the garden using only a branch."

"What? Xiang'er and Ke'er were sparring, and Xiang'er actually injured Ke'er?" Changyang Ba's voice was filled with surprise again.

"Yes, Head of the family. Fourth Young Master used only a branch, while Third Young Master used a wooden axe," Elder Chang added.

"How is that possible!" Changyang Ba stood up from his chair again. "Xiang'er can't cultivate Holy Power at all, while Ke'er is three years older, has reached the third layer of Holy Power, and has been practicing martial arts every day. How could he be defeated by Xiang'er, who can't practice martial arts?"

At this moment, a branch about half a meter long suddenly appeared in Elder Chang's hand. "Head of the family, Fourth Young Master used this branch to defeat Third Young Master."

Changyang Ba took the branch from Elder Chang, which was even thinner than a little finger, and at the other end, there were traces of dried blood.

When Changyang Ba's eyes fell on the dried blood at the broken end of the branch, his expression suddenly became serious. "Elder Chang, is Ke'er alright?"

"Third Young Master is fine, just a slight scratch," Elder Chang replied.

Changyang Ba nodded slightly, his expression easing. He then carefully examined the branch several times, his expression becoming increasingly puzzled. Finally, he couldn't help but ask, "Elder Chang, this is just an ordinary branch, and the tip is very smooth. With Xiang'er's strength, it should be impossible for him to injure Ke'er with this branch."

Hearing this, Elder Chang nodded slightly, but his eyes gradually revealed a sharp glint. "Head of the family, I have a bold guess. Fourth Young Master may not be a person who can't cultivate Holy Power at all. From his performance today, it seems that Fourth Young Master has already cultivated Holy Power, and it is at least at the fourth layer. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to defeat Qiu Er, who has the third layer of Holy Power."

Hearing this, Changyang Ba's face brightened slightly, and a hint of excitement appeared in his eyes. For his fourth son, who had shown extraordinary talent from a young age but couldn't cultivate, this had always been Changyang Ba's greatest regret.

"Elder Chang, you mean Xiang'er can not only cultivate Holy Power but is also a cultivation genius?" Changyang Ba's voice trembled slightly, filled with excitement. Reaching the fourth layer of Holy Power at the age of seven is indeed a rare genius in the Tianyuan Continent. Normally, it takes around ten years to reach the fourth layer of Holy Power.

Elder Chang nodded slightly. "I've watched Fourth Young Master grow up, and his extraordinary talent is clear to me. I've always had high hopes for him, and I have a feeling that in the near future, Fourth Young Master's achievements will surpass mine."

Hearing Elder Chang's last words, Changyang Ba's body couldn't help but tremble slightly, his eyes revealing disbelief and joy.

Elder Chang continued, "When I first learned that Fourth Young Master was a person who couldn't cultivate Holy Power, I found it very strange, always feeling that something was off, but I couldn't figure out what. It wasn't until today, after seeing the two things Fourth Young Master did, that I confirmed my previous guess. Fourth Young Master is not a person who can't cultivate Holy Power; he is a cultivation genius."

Changyang Ba took a deep breath, slowly calming his excited heart. Just as he was about to say something, a servant rushed in and respectfully said, "Head of the family, Third Young Master is injured, and Third Lady has requested your presence."

"Understood, you may leave," Changyang Ba waved his hand, his tone calm.

"Yes!" The servant respectfully responded and slowly retreated.

Changyang Ba looked at the steward Elder Chang and smiled faintly. "Elder Chang, why don't we go together? We can also show some concern for Xiang'er, as we have indeed neglected him recently." Pausing for a moment, he added seriously, "Elder Chang, please expel the two kitchen workers who bullied Xiang'er from the Changyang family. Two servants dared to bully my son, Changyang Ba's son."

Elder Chang smiled slightly. "Head of the family, I have already expelled those two from the family. One was introduced by Lady Linglong, and the other was the brother of the head of the guard, Qiu Ling. But since they dared to bully Fourth Young Master, they no longer have a place in the family. Otherwise, what would be the face of the Changyang family?"

...

In a spacious and luxuriously decorated room, Changyang Ke, who had been injured by Jianchen, lay in bed, his face slightly pale. The wound on his chest had been carefully bandaged.

At the head of the bed, Changyang Ke's mother, Yufeng Yan, looked at her son with a pained expression. Nearby, Jianchen and his mother, Bi Yuntian, as well as his aunt Linglong, his second aunt Bai Yushuang, and his second sister Changyang Mingyue, stood in the room.

Yufeng Yan turned around and glared at Bi Yuntian with a furious expression, her tone somewhat dark. "Fourth Sister, your precious son is becoming more and more bold, actually injuring Ke'er with a weapon. Fortunately, Ke'er has a great destiny and was not seriously injured, otherwise, who knows what the consequences would have been."

Hearing this, Jianchen frowned,不服气地说道: "这可怪不得我，是三哥主动叫我去和他比武的，而且双方打斗受些轻伤是在所难免的，还有我用的也并不是凶器，只是一根树枝而已，要怪的话，那就只能怪三哥学艺不精了。"

Yufeng Yan was so angry that her face turned green, but Jianchen's words were indeed reasonable, leaving her speechless.

Thinking about being outwitted by a child, Yufeng Yan felt a surge of anger. Especially the last sentence, "要怪就只能怪三哥学艺不精," made her face turn red and white. This was clearly saying her son was inferior to a person who couldn't cultivate Holy Power.

Seeing Yufeng Yan being outwitted by a child, Bi Yuntian and Jianchen's second aunt found it amusing, while only the eldest aunt, Linglong, remained expressionless.