The Truest Face of Human Nature

The owner of the arm was a broad-faced man with the back of a tiger and waist of a bear, his features somewhat resembling Wang Yigong's.

The broad-faced man glared at Zhao Sheng with exceptional ferocity and said arrogantly, "Boy, you're not from the Wang Family. You can't go in!"

Seeing this, Zhao Sheng knew that the Wang Family's test had begun.

Unhurried, he raised his voice slightly. "This junior came today out of admiration and believes he has not neglected any courtesy. Yet you refuse to let me through the door. Is this the Wang Family's way of receiving guests?"

"Our Wang Family entertains immortal guests with laughter; no commoners pass through our doors. You want to enter my family's gate? Hmph, hmph. You're not qualified!"

The broad-faced man was named Wang Yitao, third among his peers. Though he had No Spiritual Root and could not cultivate, he was still an Innate Grandmaster.

In his eyes, for a pale-faced mortal boy to want to marry the pearl of his family was simply a fool's dream.

Thus, as long as Wang Yitao was here, this pale-faced boy could forget about passing the first trial.

Zhao Sheng was not angry in the least. Instead, he asked earnestly, "Uncle, what qualifications do I need to enter?"

Wang Yitao was immediately stumped. He had assumed that the pale-faced boy was young and hot-blooded, that he would be unable to bear the humiliation and would retreat in the face of difficulty. He had not expected this young man to be so composed.

He had heard that this boy came from a Martial Aristocrat Family. Sure enough, he had some real skills.

At that thought, Wang Yitao gave up his useless little tricks and began the formal test.

He laid down the challenge. "As long as you can get past me, you'll be qualified."

Hearing that, a trace of amusement appeared in Zhao Sheng's eyes. Sure enough, it was still the same old routine. Not even a shred of novelty.

Zhao Sheng cupped his fists calmly. "Excuse me!"

Before his words had faded, his figure suddenly vanished, appearing at the far left side of the gate in the blink of an eye.

"So fast!"

As Wang Yitao inwardly marveled, his outstretched right arm suddenly bent and thrust forward. A thick, invisible wall of qi instantly formed, crushing straight toward the left side of the gate.

As an Innate Grandmaster, Wang Yitao was plainly intending to bully him with sheer strength.

Though Zhao Sheng was fast, he could not escape Wang Yitao's spiritual senses.

As the qi wall swept away the air and surged like waves, about to strike his body, Zhao Sheng tapped the ground with his foot and leaped three zhang into the air, easily evading it.

His body slanted sideways, and his feet landed upon the edge of the wall. As though walking on level ground, he took four consecutive steps along it, evading four Innate Qi Swords that shot toward him at the same time.

"Fine lightness skill!"

Wang Yitao secretly praised him.

His feet remained nailed to the entrance, but his hands showed no mercy. Relying on his incomparably vigorous Innate True Qi, he lavishly released Innate Qi Sword after Innate Qi Sword, turning them into a net of swords that gradually narrowed Zhao Sheng's room to evade.

The Elders had given instructions beforehand: as long as no one died, he could play however he liked.

After dodging sixteen Innate Qi Swords in succession, Zhao Sheng thought, That should be enough.

At that thought, divine light flashed explosively in his eyes, and the incomparably swift qi swords instantly slowed by many times.

Under Dynamic Vision, countless flaws and openings suddenly appeared in the originally airtight sword net. Zhao Sheng twisted and bent like a swimming fish, easily slipping through the sword net. His body hugged the eaves as he shot toward the space beyond the threshold.

"Not good!"

Wang Yitao had now realized that he had fallen for the other party's evil scheme.

As he steadily narrowed the encirclement, he had inevitably left a large opening behind him.

Yet by then, it was already too late for him to strike and stop Zhao Sheng. Zhao Sheng had crossed the line at the entrance, his body landing inside the Main Hall.

Inside the Main Hall, Wang Yuqi nearly cried out in delight at the sight.

In contrast, the expressions of the Wang Family Elders darkened even further.

"Hmph, next time, I won't be so careless!"

Seeing the unwilling look on the other man's face, Zhao Sheng merely smiled without speaking.

He turned around and strode openly and uprightly to the center of the Main Hall.

At the seat of honor in the Main Hall sat an unremarkable little old man.

He was not tall, his hair was grizzled, and a faint smile rested on his face as his eyes appraised Zhao Sheng from head to toe.

At a glance, Zhao Sheng knew that this man was the Wang Family's decision-maker: Wang Zonghai, Wang Yuyan's grandfather, a cultivator at Great Perfection of Qi Refining Level Nine.

On the surface, Wang Zonghai had the best attitude, yet he was also the one Zhao Sheng felt least certain about.

As the saying went, old people were cunning, and old ghosts were shrewd!

No one knew what kind of schemes lurked beneath Wang Zonghai's smiling face.

The atmosphere in the Main Hall was extremely tense. Zhao Sheng remained composed and, neither servile nor overbearing, cupped his fists in salute. "This junior is Zhao Zhiqin. Greetings to the Wang Family's esteemed seniors."

After he finished speaking, no one responded.

Seeing the atmosphere grow awkward, Wang Yuqi became anxious and was about to speak, but Wang Yuyan covered her mouth.

After a moment, Wang Zonghai suddenly spoke with a smile. "Young man, why have you come to my Wang Family today?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhao Sheng stated his purpose directly. "Qi Mei and I fell in love at first sight, and our hearts are in perfect accord. This junior came to Fragrant Swallow Valley today to make a marriage proposal."

"Insolence!" Wang Yigong slammed the table and rose, his beard and hair bristling with fury. He absolutely would not agree to let his daughter marry a mortal.

"Sit down!"

Wang Zonghai's face darkened as he rebuked Wang Yigong. "Cultivation is the cultivation of the heart! You're already several decades old, yet you still cannot keep your composure. Tomorrow, you will go into seclusion at the Back Mountain Quiet Chamber. Do not come out until you have reached Qi Refining Level Six."

"Father, but—"

"Sit down!"

". . . Yes!"

Seeing that his father was about to rage, Wang Yigong could only sit back down indignantly, his eyes fixed viciously on Zhao Sheng.

After lecturing his son, Wang Zonghai turned to Zhao Sheng and said, "Young man, my Wang Family has stood as a Lineage for more than nine hundred years. Matters like yours have occurred many times in our family history. Some succeeded, but most failed. Do you know why?"

"I would like to hear the details," Zhao Sheng replied without revealing anything.

"Because of benefits. A Marriage Alliance with mortals brings far fewer benefits than one with a Cultivation Family. Can you bring greater benefits to my Wang Family?"

For some reason, this decision-maker of the Wang Family was exceptionally candid with Zhao Sheng. Before all his clansmen, he laid bare the truest face of human nature.

Zhao Sheng fell silent for a moment, then answered firmly, "I can!"

"Empty words prove nothing. Where is your evidence?" Wang Zonghai sneered. At that moment, he had turned into the purest creature of profit, without the slightest trace of emotion mixed in.

Perhaps someone like Wang Zonghai was what counted as a qualified head of a Cultivation Family, yet for some reason, Zhao Sheng did not like him at all.

Zhao Sheng took out a Storage Talisman and indicated it. "There are five hundred spirit stones inside. Is that enough?"

"Not enough!" Wang Zonghai shook his head without hesitation.

The other Wang Family members, however, were beaming with joy, for five hundred spirit stones already amounted to nearly half the entire Lineage's annual income.

Zhao Sheng took another stack of paper from his robes and declared loudly, "This contains the complete process for making perfume, as well as twelve perfume formulas. Three of them are new types of perfume that have not yet appeared in the Market."

Wang Zonghai suddenly smiled strangely and took out a stack of paper from his Storage Bag as well.

With a gentle flick, the stack of papers flew toward Zhao Sheng as though it had eyes, and he caught it in one hand.