Chapter 144: Chapter 142: Confrontation at the Celebration (Three More for Subscriptions)

The sky was clear, without a cloud in sight.

On this day, Jade Spring Peak, where the Yuquan Zhou Family resided, witnessed its most bustling day in over two hundred years.

The Foundation Establishment celebration of the current Zhou Family Clan Leader, Zhouyang, along with the celebration of his promotion to Tier Three Artifact Refiner, began officially today.

According to the rules of the celebration, it started with guests from various places presenting their gifts.

The rules for gift-giving were strict; only those who received an invitation had the privilege to present gifts. Those who came uninvited for free food and drink, or due to their lack of close ties with the Zhou Family, were not required to present gifts, and even if they did, no one would acknowledge it.

As the most important guest of the celebration, the Chen Family naturally was the first to present their gift.

The person representing the Chen Family at this celebration was a newly advanced Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Chen Family. He was of the same generation as Chen Fangping and named Chen Fangli, who was about twenty to thirty years older than Zhouyang.

“The Baituo Ridge Chen Family presents a congratulatory gift, a Tier Three Middle Grade Spirit Pill [Three Yang Barrier-Breaking Pill].”

True to the Chen Family’s reputation, when Chen Fangli, representing the Chen Family, handed the gift to Zhou Xuanbin, who was officiating the ceremony, even Zhou Xuanbin was taken aback by this gift, his voice slightly trembling as he announced it.

The protagonist of the day, Zhouyang, squinted his eyes and couldn’t help but exchange a glance with the old clan leader, Zhou Minghan. Both saw a trace of shock in each other’s eyes.

The pill formula for the “Three Yang Barrier-Breaking Pill” had been exchanged by him with the Chen Family Ancestor not many years ago. It was unexpected that in such a short time, the Chen Family Ancestor had gathered all the ingredients needed to refine the pill and even gifted one to him.

“We are deeply grateful for Elder Chen’s generosity. Zhou and the Zhou Family can’t thank you enough. Please, Fellow Daoist of the Chen Family, take a seat at the head table!”

Suppressing the shock in his heart, Zhouyang quickly stood up, cupped his hands in salute to Chen Fangli in thanks, and invited him to the seat beside him.

With such a precious gift from the Chen Family, the subsequent gifts seemed somewhat underwhelming.

“The Liu Family from Chixia Mountain presents a congratulatory gift, an Earth Polyporus aged two hundred years.”

“The Yang Family from Golden Spring Valley presents a congratulatory gift, a Tier Three Spiritual Object [Flame Jade].”

“The Sun Family from Cyan Wolf Mountain presents a congratulatory gift, a Tier Three Spiritual Object [Red Profound Gold Essence].”

…

Zhou Xuanbin kept announcing the gifts, each time using the “Amplification Technique” to loudly broadcast them to the crowd.

By now, the number of cultivators gathered on Jade Spring Peak exceeded five hundred. While most were loose cultivators who came for free food and drink, quite a few small clan patriarchs and important family members also came to broaden their horizons and possibly establish a relationship with the Zhou Family.

After the Liu Family’s decline in Chixia Mountain, based on strength alone, the Zhou Family had become the second most powerful large clan after the Yang Family of Golden Spring Valley. In the eyes of some well-informed high-tier cultivators, the strength and potential of the Zhou Family had already surpassed the Yang Family.

The gifts announced by Zhou Xuanbin might not seem significant to Foundation Establishment stage cultivators, accustomed to treasure, but to those in the Qi Cultivation Stage, each gift was a cause for amazement.

The Zhou Family’s Qi Cultivation Stage cultivators felt an immense sense of pride seeing outsiders’ marvel at these gifts.

The Zhou Family and its cultivators shared their glory and their burdens; though it was Zhouyang receiving congratulations from outsiders, the Zhou Family cultivators felt they shared in this honor.

Indeed, this was the truth.

If not for the contributions of Zhou Family elders, Zhouyang might still be laboring to gather Spirit Stones to purchase Foundation Establishment Pills, instead of standing proudly on stage receiving congratulations from all sides.

Seeing representatives from prestigious families presenting gifts to the Zhou Family and Zhouyang, the younger generation might just be excited by the spectacle.

But for people like Zhou Xuantai and Zhou Xuanbin, it was an affirmation of their hard work and dedication, and the excitement in their hearts at this moment was indescribable.

Female cultivators like Lin Yuting, Zhou Xuanyan, Zhou Yuanchun, and Zhou Yuanzhen, watching this scene, couldn’t help but shed tears of joy and excitement.

The Zhou Family truly became strong; they personally witnessed the family rise from decline, contributing their strength to it. This personal involvement, experience, and enjoyment made them easily moved.

Meanwhile, hidden in Zhou Minghan’s cave mansion atop Jade Spring Peak, through an array concealing her presence, Zhou Xuan Yu was also watching the lively scene below with tears streaming down her face.

She was genuinely happy for the Zhou Family’s prosperity but deeply saddened not to attend this grand event.

If she hadn’t started cultivating a Demon Technique, today she would be standing with her fellow clansmen below, sharing in the honor alongside Zhouyang.

As she watched the lively scene below, tears streaming, a hint of determination emerged in her eyes.

“Although I cannot share this glory, I can protect it!”

“I, Zhou Xuan Yu, am born a person of the Zhou Family and will die a ghost of the Zhou Family!”

The celebration continued.

The families and individuals presenting gifts to Zhouyang this time numbered more than thirty, nearly double compared to Zhou Xuanhao’s Foundation Establishment celebration, and the quality of the gifts was on a different level.

That was only natural.

When Zhou Xuanhao had just established his foundation, the other families that sent representatives to congratulate him did so out of respect for the Zhou Family; they would not have been willing to bestow lavish gifts.

But Zhouyang was different. Not to mention that after several years of various activities, he had gained a certain reputation among Foundation Establishment cultivators in the surrounding cultivation realm.

Simply the fact that he was simultaneously holding a promotion ceremony to Tier Three Artifact Refiner alongside his Foundation Establishment celebration warranted goodwill from many cultivation clans and loose cultivators.

If Zhou Xuanhao were to advance to a Tier Three Alchemist in the future, he might enjoy Zhouyang’s treatment today.

However, he was currently injured and couldn’t support refining a Tier Three Spirit Pill. Only when Zhouyang could find spirit elixirs to heal his injuries would he potentially make further progress in alchemy.

Finally, as Zhou Xuanbin finished speaking and was about to proceed to the next activity, the Chen Family cultivator sitting in the main seat, Chen Fangli, suddenly stood up and said loudly, looking at Zhouyang:

“Fellow Daoist Zhouyang, I’ve long heard of your remarkable divine techniques. Although you established your foundation just over ten years ago, you have already killed several peers, and even a mid-stage Foundation Establishment demon cultivator was slain by your hands. Could you showcase your divine techniques today for the benefit of us all?”

Hmm?

Zhouyang frowned, his face darkening, looking at Chen Fangli with a somewhat cold gaze.

At this moment, to speak such words publicly, was this guy here to congratulate or to cause trouble?

Not only Zhouyang but also other Zhou Family cultivators like Zhou Minghan and Zhou Xuanhao also looked at Chen Fangli with displeasure, extremely annoyed by his words.

However, contrary to the Zhou Family, the unrelated guests revived in spirit upon hearing Chen Fangli’s words, their eyes gleaming as they looked at Zhouyang on the stage, eager to see how he would handle the situation.

It was quite normal and even traditional for a new Foundation Establishment cultivator to demonstrate some techniques during a Foundation Establishment celebration.

Although such techniques might look ordinary and childish to other Foundation Establishment cultivators, they were more than enough to awe and deceive those Qi Cultivation Stage cultivators who had seen little of the world.

But Chen Fangli’s words just now clearly implied more than just a simple demonstration from Zhouyang.

His words carried an undertone of skepticism, doubting the authenticity of Zhouyang’s achievements, full of provocation, just short of pointing at Zhouyang and saying, “I want to challenge you.”

How should Zhouyang respond to such provocation?

Everyone in the know understood that it was a tricky situation.

If Zhouyang accepted Chen Fangli’s provocation and agreed to a public sparring, even if he won, it would offend the Chen Family and make an enemy of Chen Fangli.

If he lost, today’s celebration would become an eternal laughing stock.

But if Zhouyang didn’t accept Chen Fangli’s provocation, wouldn’t that tacitly admit the accusation of being “unworthy of the reputation” hidden in Chen Fangli’s words?

Thus, Chen Fangli’s words made it difficult for Zhouyang to respond appropriately, as any misstep could severely damage his and the Zhou Family’s reputation.

Hence, Zhouyang remained silent for several hundred breaths after Chen Fangli posed his question, then looked at him with a gloomy face and countered, “Fellow Daoist Chen, is this a message your ancestor wanted you to convey, or is it your own thought?”

Hearing this, Chen Fangli’s expression froze, with a trace of panic and anger flashing in his eyes.

Of course, the Chen Family ancestor would not have him convey such words; otherwise, they wouldn’t have given the “Three Yang Barrier-Breaking Pill” as a congratulatory gift.

Thus, it was indeed his own idea, born out of envy and jealousy upon knowing that the Chen Family presented the “Three Yang Barrier-Breaking Pill” as a gift.

As a child of the Chen Family, due to the special environment of the demonic invasion at the time of his successful foundation establishment, his family only celebrated quietly within their circle.

The gift bestowed by the Chen Family ancestor back then was merely a Tier Three Middle-Grade Spirit Talisman, incomparable to today’s gift for Zhouyang, making it inevitable for him, unaware of the inside story, to feel envy?

Now that Zhouyang unexpectedly exposed his inner filth, how could he not panic and feel angry?

Despite his panic and anger, as a successful Foundation Establishment cultivator, he maintained a composed demeanor and replied loudly to Zhouyang, “What do you mean by this, Fellow Daoist Zhouyang? Is there anything wrong with my words, or do you think I lack the right to question?”

Zhouyang had been closely observing Chen Fangli’s changes in expression. Upon hearing this somewhat aggressive yet weak answer, he instantly felt assured, understanding that it was all Chen Fangli’s doing, unrelated to the Chen Family.

Therefore, his expression immediately eased, and with a smiling face, he looked at Chen Fangli and said, “Fellow Daoist Chen, you are correct; your words are indeed problematic!”

Without waiting for Chen Fangli to ask where the problem lay, he loudly continued, “I apologize for letting the fellow Daoists attending Zhou’s celebration witness this farce. I’m unworthy and have been in the Foundation Establishment not much more than a decade. Fellow Daoist Chen’s remark of ‘remarkable divine techniques’ is something I dare not accept!”

“But fortunately, by a fortunate coincidence, I have indeed followed some seniors on demon extermination and Dao protection missions and slain a few Foundation Establishment demon cultivators. Senior members of the Yellow Sand Sect, as well as Elder Chen and Senior Chen, are aware of this!”

After saying this, Zhouyang didn’t glance at the expressions of those cultivators who had just heard of this, instead gazing sharply at Chen Fangli and saying, “Is Zhou’s answer satisfactory to Fellow Daoist Chen?”