The Barte Lei Family

Jade Rabbit Empire.

Flowing Frost City.

What had originally been a small third-rate city had been forcibly transformed into a massive fortress.

The streets were clean and orderly, with even towering mage towers erected within the city.

Traveling merchants came and went without end.

Carriages rolled along above, and even the most arrogant of them could not help feeling uneasy.

Even those mages who normally looked down their noses at others had to line up for inspection at the city gates.

Without exception.

Flowing Frost City, House Barte Lei.

The towering black castle at the center of the city radiated a heart-palpitating majesty at every moment.

Its masters were two Saint Domain Experts.

One was the youngest Saint Domain genius in imperial history, Lei Wen Barte Lei.

The other was Barte Lei, who had shattered the barrier of the ninth rank two years ago and stepped into the Saint Domain.

One house, two Saints.

At this point, even if the imperial family of Jade Rabbit City arrived, they would have to wait respectfully at the gates for an audience.

The castle's rear garden.

The sunlight was just right, and the flowers were fragrant.

The duke's wife, Zhen Yu, was an eighth-rank water-affinity mage.

The years seemed not to have left many traces on her face.

Instead, thanks to her comfortable life and improved cultivation, she appeared even more graceful and noble than in her youth.

But at this moment.

This distinguished duchess looked somewhat worried.

"Aiweng."

"Have you found anyone suitable?"

"Luo Ye is the eldest son of the Green family. He is twenty-six this year, already a seventh-rank warrior, and is quite handsome..."

Xue kneaded the handkerchief in her hands, too afraid to continue.

Before Zhen Yu.

A young girl played with a ball of water at her fingertips.

Lian Qiu Barte Lei.

Her golden hair shimmered beneath the sunlight, and her delicate features resembled those of a porcelain doll.

"Seventh-rank warrior?"

"Too weak!"

Hearing Mother's words,

Lian Qiu did not even blink.

"Weak?"

"A twenty-six-year-old seventh-rank warrior would be considered a genius anywhere in the Infernal Empire!"

"Your brother was only..."

Xue choked, unable to continue.

Before she could finish, she stopped herself.

Comparing him to that monster was indeed inappropriate.

After all, her son, Lei Wen Barte Lei, had already become a Saint Domain Expert at twenty.

"What about this one?"

"The young heir of the Lian family, a sixth-rank mage!"

"Like you, he has water affinity. You two might have common ground."

Very quickly,

Xue shook her head and pulled out another portrait.

"I know that idiot."

"We met at the last magic exchange meeting."

"He relied on his family to acquire several magic implements. His casting speed is slower than a snail's."

"If we really fought, I could turn him into an ice sculpture before he finished even one incantation."

Lian Qiu held her chin and glanced at the portrait.

Her tone made it clear that she had no interest at all in the so-called heir of the Lian family.

"This one won't do, that one won't do!"

"Aiweng, you're already twenty-four this year!"

"The daughter of the provincial governor next door was engaged at eighteen!"

"Are you trying to anger me to death?"

Xue was so angry that her chest rose and fell.

"Mother."

"What's the point of getting married?"

"Those so-called young talents may look glamorous now, but what about a hundred years from now?"

"Human lives do not last a hundred years."

"Once I become a Saint Domain Expert and possess an endless lifespan, are you saying I should wait until he dies of old age before remarrying?"

Lian Qiu spoke with a smile.

She stood and walked to the flowerbed, casually plucking a blooming rose.

Xue was stunned.

This girl's thinking was indeed quite unconventional.

"Hahaha!"

"Well said!"

"As expected of my Barte Lei's descendant! You've got ambition!"

Before Xue could organize a rebuttal,

A middle-aged man who had been dozing in a reclining chair nearby suddenly burst into hearty laughter.

Barte Lei!

He sat up with a jolt, his face full of smug delight.

As the Barte Lei family's status rose,

They received vast cultivation resources every year.

It was precisely because of this

That Xue had become an eighth-rank water-affinity mage.

And Lian Qiu had become a seventh-rank water-affinity mage in just a few years.

In Barte Lei's view,

Since they had such excellent cultivation conditions,

His greatest hope was for all of them to become Saint Domain Experts.

That way,

Their family could remain together forever.

When that time came,

Who cared whether his daughter got married or not?

"Barte Lei."

"You're making a fuss again."

"How did you become a Saint Domain Expert?"

"How many years were you stuck at Nine Peaks?"

"If not for your son's guidance, would you be where you are today?"

"..."

Xue glared fiercely at Barte Lei.

Of course she understood Lian Qiu's thoughts.

But who could guarantee that Aiweng would definitely become a Saint Domain Expert?

She did not want her daughter to leave behind regrets for the rest of her life.

"That's because my genes are good!"

"Otherwise, could Lei Wen have become so outstanding?"

"Anyway, I support Aiweng."

"My daughter, Lian Qiu Barte Lei, will definitely become a Saint Domain Expert!"

Barte Lei straightened his back, his tone full of pride.

Lian Qiu was only twenty this year, yet she was already a seventh-rank mage.

Naturally, this had much to do with the fact that Lian Qiu never lacked cultivation resources.

But it was also enough to prove that Aiweng's talent was not bad.

As long as Aiweng was willing to work hard at cultivating, she would eventually have the qualifications to enter the Saint Domain.

However,

Lian Qiu had an older brother, Lei Wen.

In Barte Lei's understanding,

Whether it was Lian Qiu or Xue,

Lei Wen hoped to find a way to help them step into the Saint Domain and possess eternal life.

With Luo Ye's situation,

Letting Aiweng marry someone who was not in the Saint Domain

Was the first thing Barte Lei would refuse to accept.

"You..."

Hearing Barte Lei's words,

Xue took a deep breath and prepared to argue with him.

Suddenly,

A faint ripple spread through the garden.

There was no violent gale.

No earth-shaking majesty.

It was like the morning mist, silently drifting in from all directions and enveloping the entire garden in an instant.

Barte Lei's expression changed rapidly.

He was already a Saint Domain Expert, and his senses were exceptionally sharp.

But that power had appeared far too quietly.

Only when the mist reached his body did he sense that something was wrong.

If it was an enemy...

Barte Lei's Spirit Qi suddenly erupted, crimson light shooting toward the sky.

At that instant,

A slender, pale hand gently landed on Barte Lei's shoulder.

In that instant,

Barte Lei only felt his Spirit Qi plunge into a vast, bottomless ocean.

All his power was dissolved into nothing in an instant.

"Father!"

"After so many years apart, is this how you welcome your son?"

The next moment,

A voice tinged with laughter rang in Barte Lei's ear.

Barte Lei's body stiffened.

That voice...

He whipped around.

The handkerchief in Xue's hand fell to the ground with a soft rustle.

Lian Qiu's eyes widened, her mouth forming an O.

Less than eight meters behind them,

A tall, dark-haired young man stood there with a smile.

After all these years, it was naturally Lei Wen, who had been away from home for so long.