Apprentice Ceremony

The Wen Family Head received the news and shook his head with a bitter smile. After the Ren Family had produced such a heaven-sent genius as Ren Tianxing, could it truly be that when prosperity reached its peak, decline was sure to follow? But if this continued, it would not merely be decline. It was very likely...

At the Gao Family, in Gao Peng's courtyard, Gao Peng had just returned from the Military Department. Dressed in a brand-new military uniform, he cut a valiant and imposing figure. There was none of the dejection from when Ren Jie had beaten him before the Imperial Palace, nor any of the childish air common among Jade Emperor Academy students.

Behind Gao Peng stood an elderly man and more than a dozen guards. As an Adjutant Vice General, Gao Peng could now come and go with such pomp. The old man behind him was a Gao Family retainer, a fifth-level Divine Power Realm expert. Gao Zhanyuan had specially arranged this, clearly having learned from the lesson of Ren Jie ordering Tong Qiang to beat Gao Peng before the Imperial Palace last time.

"Good. Twenty years ago, the Ren Family produced a Ren Tianxing. Now, our Gao Family has my son as well. I believe that before many years have passed, our Gao Family will once again become the foremost of the Five Great Families." Gao Zhanyuan looked at Gao Peng, who had just returned from the Military Department, with immense satisfaction and spoke happily.

Gao Peng raised a hand and lightly waved, dismissing everyone behind him. Then, following the rules, he paid his respects to Gao Zhanyuan before smiling and taking a seat.

"Ren Tianxing's talent and opportunities in cultivation truly are difficult to match. But bringing a family to its strongest point does not simply require one person to be strong. The Ren Family is the best example right now. The moment Ren Tianxing is absent, the Ren Family is on the verge of falling apart. In my view, that is not true strength." Though Gao Peng had only spent a few days in the Military Department, his entire bearing had changed. He was completely unlike how he had been at the academy, and his words had become steadier and more composed.

"Haha... well said. The Ren Family has probably already exploded into chaos. Who would have thought that Ren Jie really saved Fang Qi? Whether he poisoned her or not, he is firmly wearing this black pot now. For such a small benefit, the dignified Family Head of the Ren Family has taken on the name of a tyrant again—bullying men and oppressing women, even wanting Yin-Yang Harmonization with Fang Qi. This spectacle is going to be enormous. The Ren Family will become truly famous this time." Like most others, Gao Zhanyuan had been delighted ever since receiving this news.

A faint smile also rose on Gao Peng's lips, but he then lifted his teacup and took a light sip. "If Ren Jie truly administered this poison, then someone must be supporting him from behind. It may even be connected to the series of actions he has taken within the Lineage. A person like him could not accomplish such things alone. If it was not him, then he must truly possess some kind of treasure. And I always feel that this matter is not so simple. Still, the Fang Family has shown its intention to step forward and target the Ren Family. Your Majesty is clearly inclined to indulge it, while the Wen Family is weak and has not participated much. This is a good opportunity. Father, you can also make a slight show of position."

"A show of position?"

Gao Peng took another sip of tea and said unhurriedly, "At tomorrow's court session, many people will certainly launch attacks. We do not need to step forward and attack first, because everyone knows the situation between us and the Ren Family. Father only needs to have those of our faction lend their support. Then we can watch how things develop."

Upon hearing this, Gao Zhanyuan nodded and praised the plan.

Within the Ren Family's Primeval Forest, Sixth Master Ren Tianzong was busy mobilizing every hidden means at his disposal, secretly arranging for the collection of the things Ren Jie had written, when he unexpectedly received this news as well.

"That little bastard, that little bastard! What the hell is he doing?" After hearing it, Sixth Master Ren Tianzong could not help but curse.

Wan Hong smiled bitterly in helplessness. "The Family Head's actions truly are impossible to predict now. But directly seizing the Chang Le Gambling House from the Chang Le Gang at a low price has caused an enormous stir. There will probably be people reacting to it in court tomorrow. After all, this disrupts the order. The Bright Jade Dynasty is flourishing day by day now, and such forcible seizure cannot be allowed to occur. This is clearly the Fang Family's scheme, or rather, their counterattack. Perhaps they vaguely guessed one possibility—that the poison really was administered by the Family Head. As for Yin-Yang Harmonization, that does not amount to much for the Family Head."

Wan Hong was simply speaking the truth. Ren Jie's reputation had never been particularly good. He had once been a hedonistic young master, and even after becoming Family Head, he still ate, drank, and played as he pleased. His pursuit of Fang Qi was even known by everyone. Rumors in that regard were actually not important.

The crucial matter was that the Family Head of the Ren Family had poisoned someone and forcibly seized another's property. Ren Jie had already told them in person that he had administered the poison, and they also knew he intended to extort the Fang Family. They just had not expected it to turn out like this. This was clearly...

"Sixth Master, should I invite the Family Head over, then lead people to the Chang Le Gang..."

"No need." Ren Tianzong shook his head. "Let's watch first. But take my token and go see Great General Zhan. Have him, at tomorrow's court session..."

In the past, Ren Tianzong would have been furious beyond measure and might even have been too lazy to care. But after meeting Ren Jie, he knew that his nephew was no longer the hedonistic young master people imagined him to be. He had hidden himself for so long; now that he was acting this way, he certainly had his reasons.

Wait. What Ren Tianzong wanted now was to see how this matter would develop. What of the court? What if things erupted? Those were merely matters on the surface. Even if his nephew had not completely shed that old habit and had tried to extort the Fang Family only to be framed and used by them, how could such a minor matter truly harm the Ren Family, or harm him?

Although Ren Tianzong could suppress himself and wait for the outcome, trusting Ren Jie, he would not simply do nothing. At the very least, outwardly, he could not let people truly think that the Ren Family could be bullied at will, as though no one remained in the house.

Thus, he handed Wan Hong a token and carefully gave her further instructions.

The Fang Family had killed several birds with one stone. After being extorted by Ren Jie, they had launched a counterattack. Outside, the uproar had become deafening, but Ren Jie sat in his room, neither worried about the commotion nor able to suppress his happiness.

On the small reception table in Ren Jie's bedroom sat a special jade box. It was not large, and within lay five crystalline, translucent spirit jades. Though there were only five, they were enough to draw anyone's gaze, because they were five pieces of High-Grade Spirit Jade. By conversion, five High-Grade Spirit Jades amounted only to five hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Jades, five thousand Low-Grade Spirit Jades, or five hundred thousand Jade Coins.

But High-Grade Spirit Jade was priceless and scarce. Buying it was extremely difficult. To speed up cultivation in the True Qi Realm, one needed to rely on Low-Grade Spirit Jade. Yet few ordinary True Qi Realm cultivators could afford it; only descendants of great families could use Low-Grade Spirit Jade for cultivation at the True Qi Realm.

Those in the Divine Power Realm were best served by Mid-Grade Spirit Jade, though that depended on individual circumstances. Many who had reached the Divine Power Realm could still only use Low-Grade Spirit Jade. Thus, Low-Grade and Mid-Grade Spirit Jade were the most widely used, while High-Grade Spirit Jade was exceedingly rare. It scarcely circulated on the market and could not be exchanged for.

Not long after Ren Jie returned, Chang Lao Si had personally disguised himself and secretly contacted Ren Jie using the method Ren Jie had given him, delivering these items. He had clearly hidden them very carefully and had specially taken them out for Ren Jie.

If it had merely been these five High-Grade Spirit Jades, Ren Jie would not have found it so difficult to accept even after giving Chang Lao Si one million Jade Coins. The key was that Chang Lao Si's jade box also contained a small Storage Pocket. Though it was not particularly large, it still held three cubic meters of space. It was nearly piled full of spirit jade: fifteen thousand Low-Grade Spirit Jades, seven hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Jades, plus the five High-Grade Spirit Jades in the jade box.

These clearly were not spirit jades Chang Lao Si had exchanged for, but savings he had accumulated over many years. At market value, they were worth at least 2.7 million Jade Coins, not even counting the fact that High-Grade Spirit Jade was priceless and scarce, generally difficult to buy.

The moment Ren Jie saw them, he told Chang Lao Si to put them away. But once someone like Chang Lao Si set his mind on something, he was stubborn to the death and refused to take them back. He said that becoming an apprentice required an Apprentice Ceremony, and that it was only right and proper for a disciple to honor his master. He also said that if Ren Jie needed more, he would do his best to gather it. This was what he had saved over many years beyond what he needed for his own cultivation. He had already reached the bottleneck of the Divine Power Realm and had no use for them for the time being.

In short, no matter what Ren Jie said, Chang Lao Si refused to take them back. In this regard, even Ren Jie had underestimated Chang Lao Si's fervor. He had not expected that what he had done could make Chang Lao Si so wholeheartedly devoted in such a short time.

In the end, Ren Jie could only accept the items.

"Fine, I'll accept this Apprentice Ceremony gift for now." Ren Jie was in urgent need of spirit jade at the moment, especially High-Grade Spirit Jade. He also hoped it could sustain him for a while longer. As for Chang Lao Si, Ren Jie sincerely accepted him as a disciple. With the improvement of his own realm, he could also teach Chang Lao Si the things he had distilled from the gambling industry of his previous life. Besides, there was still a long road ahead.

But if Ren Jie had known it would turn out this way, he truly would not have asked Chang Lao Si to help exchange anything. He could extort the Fang Family, and he could brazenly demand gambling debts from Gao Zhanyuan before the emperor, but he would not haggle over such things with his own people. Yet things had already come to this, so he simply accepted them as they were.

No matter how the outside world turned heaven and earth upside down, Ren Jie could not be bothered to care. He specially instructed Tong Qiang that he was entering seclusion and that no one was to disturb him. He wanted to give the Fang Family one full day and night to stir things up; only then would his disciple-taking ceremony tomorrow night have meaning. Once everything was arranged, Ren Jie's divine sense entered his Sea of Consciousness once more.

Looking at his familiar old companion, Ren Jie could not help but feel a wave of emotion, because it was the only thing that had accompanied him into this world. It was also because of its changes that he had gradually gained a foothold in this world. But all of that was far from enough. This was not the high-tech, law-abiding society of Earth in his previous life.

This was a world where the weak were meat and the strong ate it. If he did not want to be carved up like fish and meat, toyed with, oppressed, or become a puppet Family Head like a child emperor, then he had to become stronger. As he silently thought this, Ren Jie used his divine sense to open the jade box beside him and the Storage Bag Chang Lao Si had brought. In an instant, he felt five relatively clear currents of heat surge into his body and enter his Sea of Consciousness, while countless tiny strands of power also flowed in. The next moment, Ren Jie saw a familiar sight he could never forget.

At the lower right corner of the notebook that had become entirely composed of light, the wireless signal had returned. Moreover, as power poured into his body, the signal slowly increased.

"It worked!" At that moment, Ren Jie's divine sense shouted in celebration within his Sea of Consciousness.