"Chu Lan, this is my daughter, Shayan."
Inside Nadutong, Feng Zhenghao pointed at the female Otherworlder behind him—a woman with short silver hair and wheat-colored skin—and smiled kindly. "You can try pursuing her."
"Pursue her?" Zhang Chulan stared at the healthy, curvaceous beauty before him, his mouth hanging open. He might have a slight lustful streak, but pies had never fallen from the sky. His vigilance was far stronger than his desire.
Zhang Chulan instinctively took a step back, placing Xu San and Xu Si in front of himself as cover. He shook his head. "Sir, we're complete strangers. Isn't it a little inappropriate for you to introduce your daughter to me the moment we meet? It's not ancient feudal times anymore. Arranged marriages aren't exactly in fashion."
"I'm just a nobody. I really don't have something like the Qi-State Origin-Flow on me."
"Arranged marriage? I, Feng Zhenghao, am not the sort of man who sells his daughter." Feng Zhenghao laughed heartily and waved for everyone to sit down. Then he patted Zhang Chulan on the shoulder. "I'm merely asking you to pursue her. Young people should be free to fall in love. I fully support that."
"Surely you wouldn't deny my daughter even that chance?"
"Not deny it, not deny it. It's just a little sudden." Zhang Chulan scratched the back of his head with an awkward grin. He looked toward Feng Shayan, only to receive cold indifference in return.
Feng Shayan did not wish to defy her father, but she had no favorable impression of a stranger she had never met before.
"Sudden? Not at all." Feng Zhenghao said meaningfully, "Chu Lan, though you and I have never met, our ancestors shared a profound connection."
"You two." Feng Zhenghao suddenly turned toward Xu San and Xu Si with a faint smile. "I wish to have a private talk with an old family friend. Could you give us some time?"
"Third Brother, Xu Si, is this guy trustworthy?" Zhang Chulan muttered quietly, but everyone present was an Otherworlder. Who could possibly miss words spoken that loudly?
"My father is extremely trustworthy." Beside Feng Shayan, the white-haired boy with the brilliant smile spoke lively. "Our Wind Family isn't like those outsiders who covet your Eight Extraordinary Skills."
"Oh, right. My name is Feng Xingtong. If you manage to win over my sister, you'll have to call me brother-in-law."
"Not outsiders..." Zhang Chulan murmured, lowering his eyes as though lost in thought.
Xu San was still somewhat hesitant, but Xu Si nodded and gave Feng Zhenghao a deep look. "I trust the World Association's reputation for integrity. More than that, I trust that one of the Ten Elders would not do anything so underhanded."
"Of course, of course." Feng Zhenghao laughed openly and waved his hand. "I'm merely a businessman. How could I dare offend a state-owned enterprise?"
"Ahem, Nadutong isn't a state-owned enterprise," Xu San corrected. "We're a legitimate company."
"A legitimate company..." Feng Zhenghao chuckled without arguing.
A legitimate company—then how could it dare call itself Nadutong? In modern society, Otherworlders could not reach the heavens, but Nadutong could heed Heaven's will. It truly was not a state-owned enterprise. It was a central enterprise, an organization directly under higher authority—the relevant department of the Inhuman World.
While Feng Zhenghao chatted with Xu Si, Zhang Chulan moved his fingers slightly and sent Lin Xian a message. He silently prayed that this senior would know how to use modern electronic devices.
With one of the Ten Elders stepping in, even the company had to show some respect. The group slowly withdrew outside, and Feng Xingtong pasted several Silencing Talismans around the door to prevent the conversation from leaking out.
Inside, Feng Zhenghao spoke with Zhang Chulan for a long time. He even displayed one of the Eight Extraordinary Skills, Spirit Summoning and Dispatching, then said with both kindness and solemnity, "Chu Lan, your grandfather Zhang Xilin and my grandfather Feng Tianyang were sworn brothers. You know the Qi-State Origin-Flow, and I know Spirit Summoning and Dispatching."
"We are the ones truly meant to be family. In today's perilous Inhuman World, descendants of the Eight Extraordinary Skills like us should stand together..."
"Spirit Summoning and Dispatching..." Zhang Chulan's eyes were filled with shock. He believed him, but he could only sigh helplessly. "President Feng, I understand what you mean, but I truly don't know the Qi-State Origin-Flow."
"You don't know the Qi-State Origin-Flow?" Even someone as experienced as Feng Zhenghao froze for a moment. He narrowed his eyes and pondered, "Your grandfather didn't pass the Qi-State Origin-Flow to you. Then who did he pass it to? Could it have been your father?"
Feng Zhenghao remembered that Zhang Chulan still had a father. Perhaps the old man had not passed it to his grandson, but to his son.
That was perfectly normal in the Inhuman World.
As far as he knew, Zhang Xilin had only one son, and only this one grandson.
If he brought Zhang Chulan into the World Association, then with the only son already tied to the wagon, would he still have to worry about the old man running away?
A gleam flashed through Feng Zhenghao's eyes. Not only did he not intend to give up on Zhang Chulan, he intended to step up his efforts to recruit him.
"Chu Lan, whether or not you know an Eight Extraordinary Skill, I will allow you to pursue my daughter." Feng Zhenghao spoke seriously. Ruthless in his methods yet sincere toward others—that was his style.
"President Feng, can I refuse?" Zhang Chulan asked helplessly. What he feared most now was getting caught up in trouble. One Eight Extraordinary Skill was already more than enough for him.
"Why?" Feng Zhenghao asked.
Zhang Chulan gave a bitter laugh. "My grandfather didn't pass the Qi-State Origin-Flow to me. He probably didn't pass it to my father either, so..."
Before he could finish, the door slowly opened with a click.
"He doesn't know the Qi-State Origin-Flow, but I do."
A voice suddenly rang out. A transcendent youth appeared in the doorway, dressed in a black robe, with long loose hair and a tall frame, yet a face no older than eleven or twelve.
To others, Lin Xian looked otherworldly and immortal, like a celestial spirit descending from the Ninth Heaven.
But Feng Zhenghao, who was proficient in Spirit Summoning and Dispatching, saw something entirely different. His blood and vitality soared into the sky like a flood dragon and a divine elephant. Every step the youth took felt like a Prison Suppressor divine elephant planting its foot, and every word he uttered echoed in Feng Zhenghao's ears like the Eight Heavenly Dragon Sounds.
"This level of life cultivation... there is actually such an expert in the Inhuman World?"
Feng Zhenghao subconsciously stepped back. He had only sensed such pure life cultivation from the Old Celestial Master, Zhang Zhiwei, on Mount Longhu.
Yet Zhang Zhiwei's cultivation had reached the state of divine radiance concealed within, giving others an unfathomable impression.
The youth before him stood like a mountain and remained still like an abyss. He was like a towering peak piercing the clouds, like an undying monument standing in the Human World. Every gesture carried three thousand dignified bearings, like an invincible vajra capable of subduing dragon-elephant strength.
"Senior... you must be Senior Lin." Feng Zhenghao quickly came to his senses, clicking his tongue inwardly. He had originally doubted the matter of rejuvenation, but now he had no choice but to believe it.
Such life cultivation could never be accumulated without a century of bitter training.
"There is no second Lin Xian in the Inhuman World." Lin Xian smiled calmly, then beckoned Zhang Chulan over.
"Only I Am Supreme?" Once someone's strength reached a certain level, others would automatically fill in every detail themselves. Feng Zhenghao was shocked once more, and eight words surfaced in his mind: Heavenly Endowment, Buddha-Dragon Elephants!
When the World-Honored One was born, he pointed to Heaven with one hand and the earth with the other. He walked seven steps, looked in all directions, and declared, "Above Heaven and below earth, only I am supreme."
This was not arrogance or blind conceit.
It meant honoring only oneself and worshipping only the True Self. Nothing in the Human World was more important than preserving one's True Self. The sages and patriarchs of old could be respected, but never blindly worshipped until one lost one's original heart.
When wealth and glory, life-and-death tribulations, overwhelming authority, supreme divine powers, every kind of temptation, and countless hardships descended upon you—
Ask yourself: had you ever wavered?
That was the time for cultivation. That was the time to cultivate the heart.
"Ancestor, you finally came!" Zhang Chulan cried out in delight. Seeing his backer arrive, he immediately grew excited and scampered over, only to receive a slap from Lin Xian.
"I heard about President Feng looking for a son-in-law." Lin Xian stretched lazily and feigned surprise. "Chu Lan, I never expected you to have such backbone. You actually had the courage to reject the daughter of the chairman of World Group."
"World Group?" Zhang Chulan clutched his head, suddenly waking as if from a dream. He shuddered and blurted out, "That World Group with a market value of over three hundred billion?"
At the mention of his own achievements, Feng Zhenghao nodded proudly. "That's right. The World Association is World Group. We are not merely an Otherworlder organization, but also a massive commercial enterprise, founded by my own hand."
"Chu Lan, the proudest achievement of my life was not learning an Eight Extraordinary Skill, but founding World Group."
Zhang Chulan suddenly regretted it just a little. He abruptly realized what he had given up.
It was an opportunity that could have saved him eighteen lifetimes of struggle!
At that moment, Zhang Chulan wanted nothing more than to slap himself. Why did you have to act so recklessly?
"Chu Lan, the most important thing in life is knowing your own worth."
Lin Xian beckoned Feng Baobao over and smiled. "Baobao, help me scold this kid who doesn't know his own limits."
"Scold him? How?" Feng Baobao asked blankly. She did not know how to curse people. She only knew how to tell the truth.
"Say what you said on the day we captured Liu Yanyan," Lin Xian said calmly. "Let this kid see reality for what it is."
"Oh." Feng Baobao nodded obediently, then stated something in an utterly flat tone. "Just how stupid do you have to be to believe a girl would actually take the initiative to like trash like you... Look at that unlucky face of yours. Your entire outfit probably cost two hundred yuan..."
"If a girlfriend is willing to be with you, she has to want something from you, right? You're worthless from head to toe... What, do you think you've got diamonds embedded down there?"
"..."
"Stop, stop." Zhang Chulan covered his face and squatted in a corner. He had no face left to show anyone. Social death—this was social death!!!
"Not bad, but there's one thing I need to correct." Lin Xian suddenly said.
In an instant, a faint light appeared in Zhang Chulan's eyes, as if he had glimpsed hope for survival.
Lin Xian said leisurely, "This kid isn't completely worthless..."
"Mhm, mhm." Zhang Chulan nodded eagerly. That's right, keep going. Say something about my strengths.
"This kid is a virgin." Lin Xian pointed casually and laughed. "Zhang Huaiyi once said he would plant a Cinnabar Seal Restriction on his grandson. I thought he was joking. I didn't expect him to really do it."
"A Pure Yang Body. How rare."
In an instant, everyone's eyes turned toward a certain place.
Feng Shayan's expression turned strange, and she suddenly snorted. "A virgin? That really is rare."
Zhang Chulan stared blankly, completely petrified. His entire world shattered in an instant. Only two phrases circled through his mind: Pure Yang Body, virgin, virgin, Pure Yang Body...
"However... virgins have their advantages." Lin Xian smiled faintly. A trace of white light appeared at his fingertip, and he pointed it at Zhang Chulan's Niwan Palace. "For example, a Pure Yang Body is better suited to cultivating the Qi-State Origin-Flow."
"Zhang Chulan, do you want it?"
"The Qi-State Origin-Flow!" The moment those words were spoken, nearly everyone's gaze fell upon the white light and Zhang Chulan. Was this the legendary Qi-State Origin-Flow, one of the Eight Extraordinary Skills?
"Senior, can I not have it?" Zhang Chulan swallowed. Though he did not know the Inhuman World deeply, his understanding of the Eight Extraordinary Skills was extremely profound.
"Why not?" Lin Xian asked.
"Though the Eight Extraordinary Skills are miraculous, they..." Zhang Chulan took a deep breath. His temperament subtly changed, becoming steady and refined as he said softly, "They changed my life. My grandfather had to hide because of them. My family was changed because of them too."
"Between my family and the technique, I choose my family."
"To me, this is no extraordinary skill. It is the source of chaos, the vortex of the storm."
A technique that invited chaos—the source of disorder!
At that moment, almost everyone felt as though they had come to know Zhang Chulan anew. This kid actually possessed such awareness?
"Family..." Feng Zhenghao murmured inwardly, growing even more appreciative of Zhang Chulan.
Zhang Chulan raised his head. His eyes were clear, without the slightest hint of concealment, open and frank.
His lust for wealth was him. His cowardice and fear of trouble were also him. His shamelessness was him too. But those were his desires, not his true heart.
A tree that stands out in the forest will be broken by the wind. A person whose conduct rises above others will be condemned by the crowd.
Knowing oneself, acting with moderation, and enduring patiently were also Zhang Chulan. He understood very clearly what he wanted, and what he should not want.
By the time others were deceived by his outward display, he had already obtained what he wanted.
"Techniques do not create chaos. People are the source of chaos."
"Likewise, no matter how powerful a spell may be, it cannot create an immortal. Only a person can become immortal."
Lin Xian smiled faintly and flicked his finger. "Becoming immortal depends on life cultivation, not tools. Giving up food for fear of choking is no good."
"Besides, you are already in the vortex. Without an Eight Extraordinary Skill, what will you use to stop your enemies?"
"Don't I still have you?" Zhang Chulan immediately put on a sly grin, as if the restrained and ethereal person from moments ago had never been him.
Great wealth and honor were certainly good, but he would rather live a life without want, free of trouble—burning fine incense, drinking bitter tea, and passing his days in peace and leisure.
"Rely on me?"
Lin Xian was instantly speechless. Then the system's ethereal, mocking voice rang in his ears.
Never expected it, did you? You, who fleece others all day long, have finally been fleeced yourself.
There was always a higher mountain, and always someone more shameless.
"Rely on a mountain and the mountain may collapse. Rely on the sea and the sea may dry up. Kid, you should rely on yourself." Lin Xian sneered and flung the Qi-State Origin-Flow in his hand outward.
Rely on him? Not a chance. In this world, only Lin Xian was allowed to slack off and lie flat.
If everyone slacked off, how was he supposed to fish in troubled waters?
Kid, if you want to lie flat, I'll give you as many Eight Extraordinary Skills as you want. But I absolutely will not let you enjoy that kind of easy life. Go work hard.