The banquet wasn't being held at the Qiangu Clan or the Spirit Pagoda.
Instead, it was being held at a large restaurant in Shrek City.
Everyone attending this time was a member of the clan's collateral branches.
All those who had returned for the occasion had been invited.
Most of them were between six and fifteen years old.
Those who had made it here held a certain standing among the collateral branches.
Either their Soul Power was relatively high, or they had awakened the Coiling Dragon Staff Martial Soul.
They were all considered part of the core of the Qiangu Clan's collateral branches.
They had been summoned so they could meet the true Young Tower Master, the future master of the Spirit Pagoda.
As one luxurious car after another arrived, countless young men and women stepped out.
There weren't many people here, only about a hundred or so.
But gathered here were the most outstanding young geniuses of the entire Qiangu Clan.
As they arrived, the attendants began showing them to their seats.
The higher their talent and the greater their strength, the closer to the inside they were seated.
Chen Zhou had come too, but his seat had been arranged at the very edge.
As he watched the attendant respectfully lead him toward the most out-of-the-way seat, Chen Zhou's expression barely changed.
The Eastsea City Spirit Pagoda was a force directly controlled by Leng Yaozhu.
He could be considered one of Leng Yaozhu's people.
Qiangu Zhangting might not care about such things, or even get involved, but he certainly wouldn't have any fondness for Leng Yaozhu.
After all, everyone knew that the person Qiangu Dongfeng truly loved was Leng Yaozhu.
He had spent all these years fawning over her, yet had children with other women.
And how could his descendant, Qiangu Zhangting, not resent Leng Yaozhu?
No matter how much Qiangu Dongfeng loved Qiangu Zhangting, the Qiangu Clan had already made its expectations clear.
If Leng Yaozhu were truly willing to become Qiangu Dongfeng's woman and bear him a child, that child would be the most likely heir to the Spirit Pagoda.
That was unavoidable, even though Qiangu Zhangting had already been explicitly named the Young Tower Master.
Because he understood all this, and saw it more clearly than most, Chen Zhou didn't feel slighted in the least.
He simply sat there calmly, waiting for everyone to arrive.
Naturally, those seated at his table were collateral descendants from the most distant branches.
They were the least talented among the collateral descendants, and there was no way to compare them to an unparalleled prodigy like Chen Zhou, who had reached the second ring at just six years old.
Still, these people seemed to have received word beforehand.
Quite a few glanced at Chen Zhou, sizing him up with curious expressions.
But not one of them took the initiative to speak to him.
Such blatant isolation, even outright disregard, would have been painful for any ordinary six-year-old.
They might even have been goaded by wounded pride into doing something rash.
But Chen Zhou had no interest in these childish arrangements. He simply sat there in silence.
A long while passed. Everyone had arrived, and they waited for more than half an hour before the doors finally swung open. A handsome young man walked in.
His expression was calm, and he wore formal clothes that seemed a little too mature for his age.
His eyes swept across the room, filled with arrogance.
At the sight of him, the Qiangu Clan youths who had been chatting among themselves rose as one.
They didn't bow, but every one of them looked at the young man with respect.
He was the true number-one genius of the Qiangu Clan and its future successor: Qiangu Zhangting.
At just thirteen, he was already a powerful Soul Master on the verge of the fourth ring.
Not only did he possess Innate Full Soul Power, but his Martial Soul was the fearsome Coiling Dragon Staff.
With the clan's deliberate support, he had even inherited the Evil Dragon, a Soul Spirit exclusive to the Coiling Dragon Staff.
His Soul Ring Configuration and every other aspect were top-tier. He was the true number-one genius of the Qiangu Clan.
Yet as Qiangu Zhangting met their reverent, admiring gazes, his expression remained calm.
His eyes swept around the room and paused on Chen Zhou for a moment—but only for a moment.
Then he calmly made his way to the seat at the head table.
He didn't give a speech or offer any words of encouragement to his cousins.
He simply walked to the front, accompanied by a young man and a young woman.
Once Qiangu Zhangting had taken his seat, the two respectfully stood at either side of him.
"Everyone, sit down. I've just come out of seclusion today."
"I only wanted to gather my brothers and sisters for a meal. There's no need to be so formal."
At his words, the Qiangu Clan members who had been standing slowly took their seats.
The young man standing beside Qiangu Zhangting stepped forward and swept his gaze around the room.
"Everyone should know me. My name is Qiangu Chengfeng."
"Brother Qiangu Zhangting invited everyone here today just to share a meal."
"But as a member of the Qiangu Clan, I feel there are a few things that need to be said."
As Qiangu Chengfeng spoke, he glanced around, a hint of pride in his eyes.
He was only a year younger than Qiangu Zhangting, yet his Soul Power had also reached the third ring. He was likewise an accomplished member of the younger generation in the Qiangu Clan.
Although he lacked the Qiangu Clan's inherited Martial Soul and the Evil Dragon Soul Spirit, his own talent was no less impressive.
That was why his standing in the clan was second only to Qiangu Zhangting's. Qiangu Zhangting was even close to him, and he had become his little follower.
Of course, since he was riding on Qiangu Zhangting's coattails, he acted arrogantly toward his cousins despite being a collateral descendant himself.
"Our Qiangu Clan has been able to thrive to this day because we value unity."
"Every member of the Qiangu Clan has devoted themselves wholeheartedly to the clan."
"But from what I've heard, some people have now gone against our clan's teachings."
"Even though they're members of the Qiangu Clan, they keep company with the wrong sort of people and even try to bring negative influence to the clan."
"That's unacceptable, and it absolutely cannot be tolerated."
As Qiangu Chengfeng spoke, his gaze turned cold.
His icy eyes seemed to sweep across everyone, but Chen Zhou could clearly see that they were fixed on him.
As Qiangu Chengfeng spoke, the eyes of countless Qiangu cousins also came to rest on Chen Zhou.
Their gazes held curiosity and complicated feelings, but more than anything, they were full of mockery and scorn.
As soon as Chen Zhou returned, he had slapped many Qiangu Clan descendants in the face, even beating up everyone from their branch.
That was no small matter.
If the incident were blown up, Chen Zhou's reputation would be as good as ruined.
After all, cruelty toward one's family and such ruthless treatment of one's own brothers would not be tolerated anywhere.