A Bustling Entrance

As soon as he turned the corner and looked towards his own mansion's entrance, Long Chen's eyes widened in surprise.

"What's going on?"

He saw that the usually deserted entrance to the Marquis's mansion was now lined with a long queue, all of them women in their forties and fifties.

Looking left and right, he confirmed it was indeed his home, and Long Chen walked towards the entrance.

At this moment, he saw Bao'er cheerfully greeting them, "Take your time, everyone. Please register first: your name, height, measurements, and a portrait. It's best to clearly mark any special skills you have."

"Miss, can you give us a hint? What kind of daughter-in-law does our Madam actually like?" a woman asked with a fawning smile.

"Hehe, as long as they are virtuous, kind, and good-looking, they'll basically pass. But if you want to know who Madam likes the most, it's best if their hips are a little wider. I heard Madam say that women with big butts are the most fertile. Let me tell you, our Madam has been wanting to hold a grandchild for a long time... Cough cough, Young Master, you're back!" Bao'er was saying excitedly when she suddenly saw Long Chen, whose face was grim, and quickly said.

"Greetings, Young Master," the women hurriedly bowed.

Long Chen nodded, pulled Bao'er into the inner courtyard, pointed at the women, and angrily whispered, "What are you all doing?"

"Young Master, yesterday at the lantern festival, you defeated a powerful enemy from Great Xia and became the number one warrior of Phoenix Cry, becoming the idol of countless young girls. So, these are all women coming to propose marriage!" Bao'er giggled, covering her mouth.

"Always causing trouble. Where's my mother?"

"Madam is inside. Oh, now that you mention it, I forgot. Madam ordered you to come over as soon as you returned," Bao'er said, slapping her forehead.

"Alright, I'll go now. You quickly find a way to get them to leave. What is this? It looks like a marketplace!" Long Chen said irritably.

"Hehe, I can't listen to you on this. Madam arranged for me to receive them. I have to get back to work."

Unexpectedly, the usually obedient Bao'er ignored Long Chen and ran back to joyfully start registering people.

Long Chen rolled his eyes and hurried to see his mother. On the way, his mind was racing, trying to concoct a plausible explanation for yesterday's events that wouldn't worry his mother.

However, as soon as he entered his mother's room, before Long Chen could speak, his mother said angrily, "You brat, get in here now!"

Well, it seemed he was in for it. Long Chen felt bitter, he hadn't even come up with an excuse yet.

But to Long Chen's surprise, Madam Long grabbed him and pointed at the portraits of beautiful women on the table.

"Chen'er, look. These nineteen women were carefully selected by me from hundreds of candidates. Their looks, character, and background are all very suitable for you. Take a look, do you like any of them?"

Seeing Long Chen still stunned, Madam Long urged, "What are you waiting for? Take a look!"

"Sigh... Alright, I'll look."

Long Chen finally came to his senses, a bitter smile on his lips. It seemed his mother had completely forgotten about what happened yesterday.

However, when he saw the portraits of the young women, Long Chen's expression became a little strange. Madam Long said with a hint of pride at this moment, "Chen'er, look how good their figures are, especially their waists. And look at their hips, hehe, they are definitely the type who can bear children easily. If you marry them, I tell you, you'll definitely have roots and sprouts within two months."

By the end, Madam Long was starting to get carried away, as if she could already see herself holding a bunch of babies in her eyes.

Drip!

Long Chen's sweat trickled down his chin onto a woman's portrait, landing right on her hip and smudging the ink, making the already full area appear even larger.

"Mother, actually, I think this matter..." Long Chen quickly said.

"Stop right there. Don't try to stall me. Before, I was worried you wouldn't find a suitable wife. Today, so many are coming to you on their own. You absolutely cannot waste this opportunity. I won't make it too difficult for you. You must choose three today. When the next batch arrives, you can choose again. This time, there will be at least ten. Otherwise, you're not allowed to leave the house anymore!" Madam Long said righteously.

Long Chen's face turned green. Was this like breeding cattle? But looking at his mother's serious expression, she seemed to be very sincere.

Just as Long Chen didn't know how to deal with the situation, a rough voice called out, "Brother Long!"

A tall figure rushed in and grabbed Long Chen. "Brother Long, I heard you got into a fight yesterday. Why didn't you bring me along?"

Seeing A' Man enter, Long Chen secretly thought, Good brother, you came at the perfect time.

"Mother, I have something to discuss with A' Man. You can take your time choosing. I'll come back to see when you're done," he said.

"You brat, you..."

Before Madam Long could finish speaking, Long Chen had already pulled A' Man and run off.

"This brat," she muttered under her breath. However, when she saw the portraits of the young women with their full hips and ample bosoms, Madam Long's face immediately lit up again, filled with a look of satisfaction.

"Brother Long, did you get hurt in the fight yesterday?" A' Man asked with concern as they returned to Long Chen's room.

"No, your Brother Long is getting better and better at fighting. By the way, A' Man, how are you learning the method of exerting force that I taught you?" Long Chen asked.

He had taught A' Man the route for circulating spiritual energy, but A' Man's intelligence was truly not something to be complimented. If Long Chen's Soul Force hadn't been so powerful, allowing him to teach hand-in-hand, anyone else would have been exhausted to death or driven to death by sheer frustration.

As soon as cultivation was mentioned, A' Man became incredibly excited. "Brother Long, I can already use the method you taught me to exert force!"

"Really?" Long Chen was also overjoyed.

After thinking for a moment, he pulled A' Man to an open space behind the mansion and pointed at a stone about a person's height. "Shatter it for me with your fist wind!"

"Got it."

A' Man answered with a sound, then lowered his stance, assumed a horse-riding posture, and threw a punch.

"Whoosh."

A gust of wind blew past, but the rock remained completely still.

"I didn't get it right. Let me try again," A' Man said with some embarrassment.

"Whoosh."

Another punch was thrown, a gust of wind blew past, and the rock still remained completely still.

"That's strange. One more time."

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh."

Three consecutive punches were thrown, but the rock remained unmoved. Long Chen's face couldn't help but darken slightly.

"A' Man, is this what you call learning?"

"Yeah, normally, if I throw ten punches, at least three will be successful. Why isn't it working today?" A' Man said with some distress.

Hearing A' Man's words, Long Chen almost stumbled and fell. When fighting an opponent, did one have to rely on a success rate?

Long Chen felt a headache coming on. This A' Man was a prime example of someone who owned a gold mine yet still begged for food; it was truly exasperating.

He placed a hand on A' Man's back and said, "Try again."

"Okay."

A' Man threw another punch, but there was still no discernible effect.

"A' Man, before you punch, your intention must move first. First, activate your dantian. Once your dantian moves, then punch.

Remember, your dantian should drive your fist, not your fist driving your dantian," Long Chen said.

He finally grasped the root of A' Man's problem. A' Man punched first and then used the power of his meridians to drive his dantian. While this method could also succeed, as A' Man mentioned, it had a success rate. For those who had cultivated for a long time, doing so was not an issue, but for A' Man, it was too difficult.

"Come, try again. Don't rush to punch first. First, circulate your dantian. Good, your dantian is circulating. Now, punch."

"Boom!"

With a loud explosion, the giant rock, which was over a person tall and weighed nearly a thousand pounds, was smashed to pieces by A' Man's punch. Dust and stones flew everywhere, creating an astonishing display of power.

"Brother Long, I succeeded!"

A' Man shouted with immense joy.

Long Chen nodded. Although he appeared calm on the surface, he was inwardly shocked. A' Man's strength had become much more formidable.

With that single punch, A' Man's strength was almost comparable to Huang Shang in the late Blood Condensation Realm.

Although he still couldn't compare to Long Chen when he unleashed his Beast Transformation, A' Man had his advantages. This was because A' Man's punch had too many flaws.

Moreover, he had only utilized a trace of power within his dantian, not his full strength. It could be said that A' Man's potential was terrifying.

"Good, try again," Long Chen encouraged.

"Whoosh."

A' Man threw another punch, but this one was still an empty swing.

For a moment, Long Chen looked at A' Man, and A' Man looked at Long Chen. They stared at each other for a full quarter of an hour, and Long Chen remained silent.

Finally, A' Man hit his head in annoyance and said, "Brother Long, am I too stupid?"

"I really want to say you're not stupid, but I heard that people who lie get struck by lightning, so I don't dare to say it," Long Chen said, looking at the sky with some concern.

"Then what should we do?" A' Man asked, very dejected.

"Starting tomorrow, you won't stay in the manor. Go back to the ranch," Long Chen said.

"Brother Long, you... you're not abandoning me, are you?" A' Man's heart pounded in shock, his face filled with terror.

Long Chen couldn't help but chuckle. He patted A' Man's sturdy shoulder and said, "What are you talking about? We're brothers who'd die for each other."

"Then why send me to the ranch?" A' Man asked.

"Starting tomorrow, you'll go to the ranch, and you have to solve your own meals. If you want to eat beef, you have to kill the cow yourself.

But there's one condition: you must use your own true essence to kill the cow, otherwise, you'll go hungry. Go now," Long Chen said.

A' Man answered with a sound and walked out. Watching A' Man's retreating back, a hint of helplessness flashed through Long Chen's mind.

A' Man's intelligence was truly worrying. Sometimes he wondered if he should keep A' Man by his side, because with his intelligence, it was simply too dangerous.

A' Man was an honest person, so honest that his mind couldn't bend. Therefore, he would never slack off on tasks Long Chen assigned him.

Long Chen's decision was also to help him get used to using spiritual energy. Otherwise, in future battles, relying on a success rate for his punches would be no different from seeking death.

Anyway, A' Man's appetite was growing larger and larger. Eating hundreds of cows a day was enough for him to train.

This was transforming his appetite into strength. Once using spiritual energy became a habit, A' Man's strength would surge to a level that even Long Chen would find terrifying.

After arranging A' Man's matters, Long Chen returned to his room. Along the way, he saw the women lining up and Bao'er still busy as ever, making Long Chen sweat profusely again.

He instructed the servants that he was going into seclusion and should not be disturbed unless it was a matter of utmost importance.

After resolving everything, Long Chen began his seclusion. Already at the eighth level of Qi Gathering, he needed to advance to the ninth level in one go and then directly enter the Blood Condensation Realm.

Only after entering the Blood Condensation Realm would he have true life-saving strength. He disliked having everything beyond his control.

"Just wait, those who have been scheming against me, let me see your true faces."