Banquet? A Hongmen Banquet

The banquet was not held at the Qiangu Clan, nor was it hosted at the Spirit Pagoda.

Instead, it was set in a large restaurant within Shrek City.

Only collateral descendants were invited to this gathering.

Everyone who had returned for this occasion received an invitation.

The majority of those present were between the ages of six and fifteen.

Those who managed to attend held a certain status among the collateral branches.

They either possessed high soul power or had awakened the Coiling Dragon Staff Martial Soul.

These individuals were considered the core members of the Qiangu Clan's collateral branches.

Summoning them now was intended to introduce them to the true Young Pagoda Master, the future ruler of the Spirit Pagoda.

As a fleet of luxury vehicles arrived, countless young men and women stepped out one after another.

The number of attendees was not large, totaling only about a hundred people.

Yet, those gathered here were the absolute top-tier geniuses of the younger generation from the entire Qiangu Clan.

Following their arrival, attendants began to arrange their seating.

The higher the talent and the stronger the cultivation, the closer to the center they were seated.

Chen Zhou had arrived as well, though his seat was arranged at the very edge of the room.

Watching the attendant respectfully lead him toward the most remote corner, Chen Zhou's expression remained unchanged.

The East Sea City Spirit Pagoda was a force under the direct control of Leng Yaozhu.

He was considered one of Leng Yaozhu's people.

Even if Qiangu Zhangting had no interest in these matters and chose not to participate, he still held no fondness for Leng Yaozhu.

After all, everyone knew that the person Qiangu Dongfeng truly loved was Leng Yaozhu.

He had played the role of a sycophant to Leng Yaozhu for many years, yet he had still fathered children with other women.

As for the descendant of his descendants, Qian-gu Zhangting, how could he not harbor resentment toward Leng Yaozhu?

No matter how much Qian-gu Dongfeng favored Qian-gu Zhangting, the Qian-gu Clan had already made certain presumptions.

If Leng Yaozhu had truly been willing to become Qian-gu Dongfeng's woman and bear his child, that child would most likely have been the future heir to the Spirit Pagoda.

Even though Qian-gu Zhangting had been explicitly named the Young Pagoda Master, this was an unavoidable reality.

Because he understood these things and saw them quite clearly, Chen Zhou felt no sense of being slighted.

He simply sat there with a calm expression, quietly waiting for everyone to arrive.

Those seated at his table were, naturally, the most peripheral of the collateral descendants.

These people possessed the least talent among the collateral branch and were in no way comparable to a peerless monster like Chen Zhou, who had reached the 2nd ring at the age of six.

However, these people seemed to have received information beforehand.

Many of them cast glances at Chen Zhou, sweeping their eyes over him with curiosity.

Yet, not a single one of them took the initiative to speak to him.

If a normal six-year-old were subjected to such blatant isolation and disregard, they would surely feel deeply uncomfortable.

They might even be provoked by their own pride into doing something rash.

But looking at these somewhat childish arrangements, Chen Zhou felt no interest at all; he simply sat there in silence.

A long time passed, and after everyone had arrived and waited for another half hour, the main doors were slowly pushed open, and a handsome youth walked in.

The youth's expression was calm, and he wore formal attire that seemed slightly too mature for his age.

He scanned the room, his eyes filled with arrogance.

Seeing the youth approach, the members of the Qiangu Clan who had been chatting among themselves rose to their feet in unison.

They did not bow, but every one of them looked at the youth before them with a gaze of reverence.

The person standing before them was the true top genius of the Qiangu Clan and its future successor, Qiangu Zhangting.

At only thirteen years old, he was already a powerful soul master nearing the 4th ring.

Not only did he possess innate full soul power, but his Martial Soul was the terrifying Coiling Dragon Staff.

With the clan's intentional support, he had even inherited the exclusive Evil Dragon soul spirit of the Coiling Dragon Staff.

Furthermore, his soul ring configuration and every other aspect were top-tier, marking him as the true number one genius of the Qiangu Clan.

Yet, as he met the respectful and adoring gazes of those around him, Qiangu Zhangting's expression remained entirely calm.

His gaze swept across the room, lingering on Chen Zhou for a brief moment, but only for a moment.

Afterward, he walked calmly toward the main table.

He did not speak, nor did he offer any words of encouragement to his cousins.

He simply walked forward, accompanied by a man and a woman at his sides.

After Qiangu Zhangting sat down, those two people stood respectfully on either side.

"Everyone sit down. I've just come out of seclusion today."

"I simply wanted to gather my brothers and sisters for a meal, so there is no need to be so restrained."

As his voice fell, the members of the Qiangu Clan who had been standing there slowly sat down one by one.

The young man standing beside Qiangu Zhangting stepped forward and swept his gaze around the room.

"None of you should be strangers to me; my name is Qiangu Chengfeng."

"Cousin Qiangu Zhangting has gathered everyone here today simply to treat you all to a meal."

"However, as a member of the Qiangu Clan, I feel there are some things that must be said."

Qiangu Chengfeng looked around as he spoke, a hint of pride in his eyes.

He was only one year younger than Qiangu Zhangting, yet his soul power had also reached the three-ring level, making him quite an accomplished member of the younger generation within the Qiangu Clan.

Although he did not possess the Qiangu Clan's inherited martial soul or the Evil Dragon soul spirit, his own talent was by no means weak.

It was precisely because of this that his status within the Qiangu Clan was second only to Qiangu Zhangting, and he had even become close to Qiangu Zhangting, serving as his right-hand man.

Naturally, because he relied on Qiangu Zhangting's influence, he acted with great arrogance toward his cousins, even though he was also a member of a collateral branch.

"The reason our Qiangu Clan has been able to develop to this day is because we value unity above all else."

"Every single descendant of the Qiangu Clan has devoted themselves entirely to the clan's prosperity."

"However, according to the information I have received, there are some who have already violated the teachings of our Qiangu Clan."

"Despite being members of the Qiangu Clan, they often associate with unsavory characters and even harbor delusions of exerting a negative influence on the clan."

"This is unacceptable and absolutely cannot be tolerated."

As Qiangu Chengfeng spoke, his gaze turned cold.

His icy stare seemed to sweep across everyone, but Chen Zhou clearly saw that the man's eyes were fixed solely on him.

Following Qiangu Chengfeng's words, the gazes of the countless cousins surrounding them also landed on Chen Zhou.

There was curiosity and complexity in their eyes, but more than anything, there was mockery and derision.

Ever since Chen Zhou returned, he had slapped many of the Qiangu Clan's descendants in the face and had even dealt with everyone from their particular branch.

This was no small matter.

Once this affair was blown out of proportion, Chen Zhou's reputation would effectively be ruined.

After all, being so brutal toward one's own family and dealing such ruthless blows to one's own kin was not something that would be tolerated anywhere.