Mu Changde raised his hand and released a surge of spiritual energy, dispersing the spiritual pressure radiating from Mu Xingqi and letting the elders ease their minds.
Mu Xingqi slowly opened his eyes, only to realize his courtyard was already packed with people.
Because this was his first time seeing most of these elders in reality, he failed to recognize a large portion of them, but he spotted his parents at a glance.
Mu Shengtian and Lin Qinghua also rushed to Mu Xingqi's side the very first second. Although both of them saw that their son had already broken through to Foundation Establishment, they still instinctively asked again.
Upon receiving Mu Xingqi's confirmation, both of them were too shocked for words.
Right at that moment, Mu Changde walked up to Mu Xingqi. Although this was his first time seeing his grandfather in reality, the striking scar on the old man's face allowed him to recognize at a glance that this person was none other than his grandfather, Mu Changde!
Instantly, he bowed and said, "Xingqi greets Grandfather!"
"Hahaha, my good grandson actually still recognizes this old man." Grandfather laughed heartily, patting his shoulder with immense joy.
Right after, after sensing Mu Xingqi's cultivation level, Grandfather Mu Changde was even more gratified as he said, "A Foundation Establishment at twelve! Our Mu Family has truly produced a true dragon!"
"My good grandson will surely conquer Spirit Transformation in the future; my grandson possesses Deity Transformation Potential!"
Mu Xingqi offered an awkward smile and gave no reply, for he dared not respond. The karma behind this "Deity Transformation Potential" was far too heavy.
Shortly after, the group of elders also came to his side and showered him with praises.
Grandfather asked him once again how he had managed to break through to Foundation Establishment so quickly.
Mu Xingqi deliberately glanced at his father, and Mu Shengtian caught his meaning, beginning to explain the theory that his son might possess a Special Constitution to the crowd.
The crowd believed this without a shadow of a doubt.
After all, Mu Xingqi was a real-life example sitting right before their eyes, and the elders truly bought into the explanation of him carrying a Special Constitution.
Afterward, Grandfather had everyone present swear a Heavenly Dao Oath, not even sparing the two Punishment Hall disciples at the door.
As for the suspicions held by the Fourth Elder and Second Elder toward Mu Xingqi, they were naturally dismissed the moment they stepped into his courtyard. Given their nephew's talent and strength of having already reached Foundation Establishment, what was there to suspect about slaying a mid-stage Qi Refining wolf demon?
The two of them did not even bring it up.
On the second day, Mu Xingqi was officially appointed as the Young Clan Leader by Grandfather, and the entire lineage was notified!
On the third day, Mu Xingqi's Foundation Establishment Ceremony and Young Clan Leader Inauguration Ceremony were held right on schedule!
The various visiting families simply could not believe that someone could break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm at such a tender age. What, then, did all their years of bitter, grueling cultivation amount to? A joke?
Yet under Grandfather Mu Changde's deliberate concealment, everyone assumed Mu Xingqi was already twenty years old. If they knew he was merely twelve, gods only knew what their reactions would be.
On this day, the whole world learned: the Mu Family had produced a true dragon! A twenty-year-old Foundation Establishment true dragon!
During the banquet, Mu Xingqi specifically sought out familiar faces like Mu Xinger, eighth sister Mu Xingyu, seventh brother Mu Xingluo, fifth sister Mu Xinghuang, fourth brother Mu Xinghan, and second brother Mu Xinglong to drink and chat heartily.
None of them expected that Mu Xingqi, now the Young Clan Leader and a Foundation Establishment cultivator, would still remember them, let alone be willing to set aside his status and continue interacting with them as a peer and friend. Their faith in him deepened all the more.
During this period, Mu Xingqi also made the acquaintance of third brother Mu Xingyao and sixth sister Mu Xingya, both of whom were the Fourth Elder's children.
Word had it that third brother Mu Xingyao was a sword fanatic, and upon meeting him, he indeed kept his sword constantly in hand. He looked very much like the "Yao" familiar from his past life—dashing and romantic, with short hair cut level with his brows.
Mu Xingyao specifically requested to spar with and learn from him, and after Mu Xingqi unleashed the Nan Sword Art at the Perfected realm, third brother instead turned into his little fanboy.
Mu Xingyao bluntly declared that Ninth Brother Xingqi was the strongest swordsman he had ever laid eyes on.
Sixth sister Mu Xingya wore a blue-and-white dress, her pale blue hair tied into two exquisite hair buns. With her pristine face and delicate facial features, she truly resembled a celestial maiden, or perhaps an elf.
This made Mu Xingqi sigh with emotion; she was indeed well-deservedly one of the Four Great Beauties selected by the male disciples of the lineage.
Eyes holding stars, Mu Xinger.
Body like white jade magnolia, Mu Xingyu.
Hair like blazing fire, Mu Xinghuang.
Face like an immortal, Mu Xingya.
Much like blossoms in a garden, each possessed her own unique splendor, yet all were breathtakingly lovely.
Following suit, he mirrored the reforms from his previous simulation, adjusting the lineage's commercial enterprises.
He established three distinct positionings for their shops:
Yipin Pavilion, focusing on selling Healing Powder and targeting the low-end market.
Youpin Xuan, focusing on selling Qi Gathering Pills and targeting the mid-to-high-end market.
Wangyu Tower, operating tea leaves and engaging in intelligence trade.
Since he was now the Young Clan Leader, his proposals swiftly won Grandfather's backing, and the rest of the elders raised no objections whatsoever.
Naturally, he also made full use of the lineage's advantages by posting tasks in the Pill Hall to mass-produce Healing Powder.
These methods had all been verified through simulations, which gave him the boldness to imitate them.
In December, the Mu Family's businesses raked in massive profits!
Mu Xingqi raised the monthly stipends for both disciples and elders.
This caused his prestige within the lineage to rise once more, and now all disciples in the clan willingly addressed him as Young Clan Leader, while even many elders viewed him in a completely new light.
This month, the spirit stones he hauled in were far from insignificant, so he specifically bought a storage bag—a Yellow Grade Mid Rank item that cost him two hundred spirit stones.
With the New Year approaching, Mu Xingqi had no plans to initiate another simulation.
For this year's reunion dinner, he invited his parents, Xinger, and Grandfather over.
They enjoyed a wonderful, hearty reunion dinner.
Looking at the harmonious family gathered before his eyes, he realized for the very first time that the things he wanted most in the depths of his heart to protect were precisely his family members!
At the dining table, he learned that the reason his father had been so endlessly busy actually stemmed from two causes:
Reason one: in order to prove himself. After his father was chosen as clan leader, quite a few people within the lineage refused to submit, because the previous clan leader was none other than his grandfather, yet his father's only standout trait was having the strongest talent among his peers. When it came to handling affairs, he fell short of Grand Elder Mu Shengquan, and when it came to treating people, he lagged behind Second Elder Mu Shengfa. Thus, some people gossiped behind his back that his father had climbed to the position through connections. Naturally, with his father's temper, he refused to take this lying down, so he threw himself into managing every minor chore in the clan, handling everything personally no matter the size.
This was also the fundamental reason why he rarely saw his father year-round.
Reason two: his father actually had an engagement back in the day with a Foundation Establishment family outside Jinzhou County, yet he had hopelessly fallen in love with his mother instead, even vowing to marry only her and take no other wives, unilaterally breaking off the engagement with the other party. This incident also caused a falling out between his father and grandfather, leading to years where his father never once took the initiative to visit Grandfather.
Upon learning of these long-buried past events between his parents, Mu Xingqi could not help but sigh—his old man truly was a pure-love warrior!
Yet the moment his father voiced these matters, a weight was lifted from his heart.
Under the joint persuasion of Mu Xingqi and Lin Qinghua, the relationship between his father and grandfather was also eased.
In truth, he knew that both his father and grandfather possessed somewhat stubborn tempers; neither was willing to offer explanations to the other, causing their relationship to grow increasingly strained.
Deep down, they had long since forgiven each other.
With his belly full of fine wine and food, Mu Xingqi returned to his room and began to ponder...
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