The Truest Side of Human Nature

The arm's owner was a broad-faced man with the back of a tiger and waist of a bear, bearing some resemblance to Wang Yigong.

The Broad-Faced Man stared at Zhao Sheng with an exceptionally vicious expression and said arrogantly, "Kid, you're not from the Wang Family. You can't go in!"

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

Unhurried, he raised his voice slightly and said, "This junior came today drawn by your reputation and dares say he has observed every courtesy. Yet you refuse to let me through the door. Could this be the Wang Family's way of receiving guests?"

"Our Wang Family laughs and talks with immortal guests; no common man crosses our threshold. You want to enter my family's gates? Heh heh, you're not qualified!"

The Broad-Faced Man was named Wang Yitao. He ranked third among his peers. Though he had No Spiritual Root and could not cultivate immortality, he was still an Innate Grandmaster.

In his eyes, for a mortal Pale-Faced Boy to wish to marry the pearl of his family was simply a fool's dream.

So long as Wang Yitao was here, this Pale-Faced Boy could forget about passing the first trial.

Rather than getting angry, Zhao Sheng seriously asked, "Uncle, what qualifications do I need to enter?"

Wang Yitao was immediately stumped. He had assumed this 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 kid came from a Martial Aristocrat Family. Sure enough, he had some real skill.

With that thought, Wang Yitao abandoned his pointless little tricks and began the formal test.

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

At those words, a trace of amusement flickered in Zhao Sheng's eyes. Sure enough, the same old routine. Not even a shred of novelty.

Cupping his fists, Zhao Sheng calmly said, "Excuse me!"

Before his words had faded, his figure abruptly vanished. In the blink of an eye, he appeared at the far left of the gate.

"So fast!"

While Wang Yitao was inwardly astonished, his outstretched right arm suddenly bent and thrust forward. A row of solid, invisible walls of qi instantly formed, crushing straight toward the left side of the gate.

As an Innate Grandmaster, Wang Yitao was plainly using strength to bully his opponent.

Though Zhao Sheng moved quickly, he could not escape Wang Yitao's spiritual perception.

As the qi walls swept through the air like waves, nearly reaching him, Zhao Sheng tapped the ground and leapt three zhang into the air, easily evading them.

His body slanted sideways as his feet landed on 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.

"Excellent lightness skill!"

Wang Yitao secretly praised him.

His feet remained rooted at the entrance, but his hands showed no mercy. Relying on his incomparably robust Innate True Qi, he lavishly unleashed Innate Qi Sword after Innate Qi Sword, forming them into a net of blades that steadily narrowed Zhao Sheng's room to dodge.

The Elders had already instructed him: as long as no one died, he could play however he liked.

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

At that thought, divine light flared in his eyes, and the incomparably swift qi swords instantly slowed several times over.

Under Dynamic Vision, the previously airtight sword net suddenly revealed countless flaws and gaps. Zhao Sheng twisted and bent like a swimming fish, easily slipping through the sword net. Skimming close beneath the eaves, he shot toward the space beyond the threshold.

"Not good!"

Only then did Wang Yitao realize that he had fallen for the other party's Evil Scheme.

As he gradually narrowed the encirclement, he had inevitably left a wide-open gap behind him.

But by then, it was too late for him to make another move to stop Zhao Sheng. Zhao Sheng had already flown past the line at the gate and landed inside the Main Hall.

Inside the Main Hall, Wang Yuqi, who had witnessed this scene, nearly cried out in delight.

In contrast, the expressions of the Wang Family Elders grew even more somber.

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

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

Turning around, he strode openly and uprightly to the center of the Main Hall.

At the seat of highest honor in the Main Hall sat an unremarkable Little Old Man.

He was not tall, with grizzled hair and a faint smile on his face. His eyes sized Zhao Sheng up and down.

With one look, Zhao Sheng knew that this man was the Wang Family's leading figure: Wang Yuyan's grandfather, Wang Zonghai, a cultivator at the 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 shrewd, and old ghosts were cunning!

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

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

After he finished speaking, no one responded.

Seeing the atmosphere turn awkwardly cold, Wang Yuqi grew anxious and was about to speak, but Wang Yuyan covered her mouth.

After a moment, Wang Zonghai smiled and suddenly asked, "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 feelings are mutual. I have come to Fragrant Swallow Valley today to make a marriage proposal."

"Outrageous!" Wang Yigong slammed the table and rose to his feet, his beard and hair bristling in fury. He would absolutely not allow his daughter to marry a mortal.

"Sit down!"

Wang Zonghai's expression darkened as he rebuked Wang Yigong. "To cultivate immortality is to cultivate the heart! You're already several decades old, yet you're still this unable to keep your composure. Tomorrow, you will go into seclusion in the Back Mountain Quiet Chamber. Unless you reach Qi Refining Level Six, you are not allowed to come out."

"Father, but—"

"Sit down!"

"...Yes!"

Seeing that his father was about to lose his temper, Wang Yigong could only sit back down indignantly, glaring fiercely at Zhao Sheng without letting up.

After reprimanding his son, Wang Zonghai turned to Zhao Sheng and said, "Young man, my Wang Family has stood on its own for over nine hundred years. Things like this have happened many times in our family's history. Some of them succeeded, but most failed. Do you know why?"

"I would like to hear the details," Zhao Sheng said without changing expression.

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

For some reason, this man in charge of the Wang Family was extraordinarily frank with Zhao Sheng. Before his clansmen, he stripped bare the truest side of human nature.

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

"Empty words prove nothing. Where is your proof?" Wang Zonghai sneered. At this moment, he had become a creature of pure profit, without the slightest trace of emotion mixed in.

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

Zhao Sheng took out a Storage Talisman and gestured to it. "There are five hundred Spirit Stones inside. Is that enough?"

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

The other members of the Wang Family, on the other hand, were beaming with joy, because five hundred Spirit Stones already amounted to nearly half of the entire clan's annual income.

Zhao Sheng pulled another stack of papers from his robes and declared, "These contain the complete process for making Perfume, along with twelve perfume formulas. Three of them are new varieties that have not yet appeared in the Market."

Wang Zonghai suddenly smiled strangely and also took out a stack of papers from his Storage Bag.

With a light flick of his hand, the stack of papers flew toward Zhao Sheng as though it had eyes, and Zhao Sheng caught it in one swift grab.