Cultivate! Cultivate!

Inside the room.

Qin Jue sat cross-legged on the bed, his heart calm and undisturbed by the appearance of Su Jin and Shen Zhiqiu.

Shen Yutang was killed by him, so what?

In his eyes, the Shen Family was merely a stumbling block on the path of martial arts. If they dared to get in his way, he would simply kick them aside. Currently, his entire being was focused on the cultivation that was about to begin.

He took out the three jade bottles from his embrace and gently pulled out the stoppers.

Instantly, a rich, milky white spiritual energy surged from the bottle mouths, filling the entire room. This spiritual energy was so pure, without a trace of impurity. Taking a breath of it made one feel utterly comfortable, and even the depths of their bones trembled with longing.

Fifty-year-old Stone Bell Milk!

This was a true Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure. Every drop contained immense Earth essence and had an excellent miraculous effect on tempering bones.

Qin Jue took a deep breath, his eyes burning with fervor.

His current realm was Hundred Refinements Fourth Layer, with Jade Bone newly formed. Although he had reshaped his foundation with Earth Vein Stone Marrow, the potential of this body was far from being fully unleashed. The fourth stage of the Nine Revolutions Viscera Refining Secret Record, "Bone Marrow Transformation," emphasized breaking and then establishing, tempering the bones to their extreme to nurture stronger bone marrow and Qi and Blood.

"These three bottles of Stone Bell Milk are enough to elevate my Jade Bone to another level, even allowing me to attempt Hundred Refinements Fifth Layer!"

Qin Jue no longer hesitated, tilting his head back and pouring a bottle of Stone Bell Milk into his mouth.

As the night deepened, in Skywind Martial City, within the Shen Family mansion.

In the council hall, candlelight flickered, and several elders with white hair and beards sat on both sides, their faces grim. On the main seat of honor sat a middle-aged man, dressed in luxurious brocade robes, his face bearing some resemblance to Shen Yutang. At this moment, his face was ashen, and a pair of jade balls he was playing with in his hand had been crushed into powder.

He was the current head of the Shen Family, Shen Wan.

"Crack!"

Shen Wan slammed the table, and the sturdy rosewood table cracked, sending wood chips flying.

"Too much! This is simply too much!"

"A mere discarded son from a collateral branch of the Qin Family dares to kill my Shen Family's prodigy! If this gets out, how will my Shen Family establish itself in Skywind Martial City in the future?!"

Shen Zhiqiu knelt on the floor of the hall, already weeping uncontrollably. "Father! You must avenge my brother! That Qin Jue is too arrogant; he doesn't take our Shen Family seriously at all!"

"Enough!"

A Great Elder sitting on the left side spoke sternly. His aura was steady, clearly a peak expert of Hundred Refinements Eighth Layer.

"What kind of behavior is this, crying and wailing!" The Great Elder glared at Shen Zhiqiu, then turned to Shen Wan and said gravely, "Patriarch, this brat has a heavy killing intent and his growth speed is astonishing. In just a few days, he broke through from Hundred Refinements Third Layer to the Jade Bone realm, and he is exceptionally skilled at fighting above his level. If we let him continue to grow..."

"He must die!" Shen Wan gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with killing intent. "I've already investigated. This brat not only killed Yutang at Silver Moon Bay but also injured Meng Kuang, a retainer of the Ning Family. This brat must have some unspeakable secret!"

"Then what are we waiting for? I'll go to the Academy and kill him right now!" Another elder with a fiery temper suddenly stood up.

"Sit down!" Shen Wan roared.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. As the head of the family, he could not let anger cloud his judgment.

"This is Skywind Martial City. Although Qingcang Academy doesn't interfere with private fights between disciples outside, if we openly storm into the Academy dormitories, it will be an insult to the Academy! At that time, let alone revenge, the entire Shen Family will have to pay for it!"

The elder sat down resentfully. "Then what do we do? Are we just going to watch that brat get away with it?"

"If we can't do it openly, we'll do it secretly."

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Shen Wan said sinisterly, "Academy disciples eventually have to take missions and gain experience. As long as he dares to step half a step out of the Academy... Hmph!"

He turned to a black-clothed confidant beside him and coldly ordered, "Pass down the order. Have someone keep a close eye on Qin Jue! As soon as he leaves the Academy, bring me his head, no matter the cost! Remember, do it cleanly, and don't leave any evidence!"

"Yes!" The black-clothed confidant took the order and left.

After dealing with this matter, Shen Wan wearily rubbed his temples, his gaze falling on Shen Zhiqiu, who was kneeling on the ground, his expression complex.

Shen Yutang was dead, and the Shen Family's most outstanding heir of the younger generation was gone. This was a significant blow to the Shen Family. To maintain the Shen Family's status, they needed to find new support.

"Zhiqiu, you can get up now."

Shen Zhiqiu stood up, sobbing. "Father..."

"Stop crying," Shen Wan looked at her. "Tomorrow, come with me to the Ning Family."

"To the Ning Family?" Shen Zhiqiu was startled. "What for?"

"Although Yutang is dead, the path he paved for you is still there. That young master from the Ning Family's collateral branch, Ning Yuanzhi, has always had some interest in you. Although he's from a collateral branch, his father currently manages several important mineral veins within the Ning Family and holds considerable power."

"I'm planning to... finalize your marriage."

Shen Zhiqiu suddenly looked up, her face pale. "Father?! That good-for-nothing Ning Yuanzhi? He... his reputation is terrible; he frequents brothels all day. I won't marry him!"

"You have no choice."

Shen Wan interrupted her coldly. "Yutang is dead, and the Shen Family urgently needs the Ning Family's support! Only through a marriage alliance can we be completely tied to the Ning Family! At that time, let alone one Qin Jue, even ten of them, the Ning Family will help us crush them!"

"To avenge Yutang, for the future of the family, what is this small sacrifice?"

Shen Wan waved his hand. "Go and prepare. This matter is decided; there's no point in saying more."

Shen Zhiqiu stood frozen in place, looking at her father's cold face, feeling a chill run through her entire body.

She suddenly remembered what Su Jin had said—only by relying on the strong could one go further.

So, this is the price of relying on the strong?

In the face of family interests, so-called kinship, so-called favoritism, are actually so fragile.

She opened her mouth, wanting to retort, but couldn't make a sound. In the end, she could only bow dejectedly and stumble out of the meeting hall.

Watching his daughter's retreating back, Shen Wan's eyes remained unmoved. He turned his head and looked out at the dark night outside the window.

"In this man-eating world, if you want to survive, if you want to climb higher, someone always has to be sacrificed. Yutang is dead, and the Shen Family's future still depends on us, the living, to fight for! To seize!"

At this moment, Qin Jue was completely unaware of this, or rather, he wouldn't have cared even if he had known.

In the quiet room, his entire body was flushed red, and the veins beneath his skin bulged like earthworms.

The medicinal power of the fifty-year-old Stone Bell Milk continued to spread throughout his body, like streaks of fire dragons, madly scouring his internal organs.

And his bones were undergoing some kind of transformation. Faint golden patterns began to appear on the surface of his originally lustrous white bones, a sign of Jade Bone being further tempered.

"Strength..."

Qin Jue continuously circulated the mental cultivation technique of the Nine Revolutions Viscera Refining Secret Record, guiding the violent medicinal power to impact the limits of his internal organs again and again.

In this world, besides the sword in his hand and this strength, everything else is an illusion.