304: That's so discouraging!

"Hahaha!!"

"Easy, easy, we're all brothers. If you need anything in the future, just come to me. I'll definitely help if I can!"

Daocheng was full of heroic spirit, and the flattery from his brothers and sisters made him feel a bit carried away.

"Fourth Brother, take it easy. Be careful, or Eldest Brother will beat you black and blue when he comes out of seclusion, and you won't be able to save Face!"

Daocheng's laughter froze. He looked into the crowd, and his rising anger immediately dissipated. Unconvinced, he said, "Eldest Sister, things are different now. Stop looking down on me!"

The person speaking was none other than Eldest Sister Lingxiu, and standing beside her was Second Sister Ling Yun, who was watching the excitement.

The two of them worked under Aunt Liu Miao and were highly regarded by First Madam Lin Xue'er, so they held great prestige among their brothers and sisters. Many people present had been disciplined by them.

Although their cultivation wasn't high and they didn't have Spiritual Roots, few dared to oppose them, and Fourth Brother Dao Cheng was no exception.

"Where is Eldest Brother in seclusion? Call him out! Today, I must wash away my past shame!"

Saying more was meaningless. Daocheng believed in letting his strength do the talking. To secure the position of the eldest, he had to defeat Eldest Brother head-on!

"How would I know?"

"Eldest Brother has been in seclusion lately and rarely shows his Face. Stop bothering him!"

Eldest Sister Lingxiu and Second Sister Ling Yun were loyal fans and staunch supporters of Eldest Brother, but they were also worried that the current Eldest Brother might not be a match for Fourth Brother.

"That's right! Eldest Brother easily defeated a Disciple from the outer Sect Spell Hall and won first place. Can Brother Cheng really beat Eldest Brother?"

"I think it's difficult. Eldest Brother has never been defeated!"

"Right! Eldest Brother is invincible!"

...

Eldest Brother had never lost in any Family Disciple competitions, and even those from the Sect Spell Hall were no match for him. He held even higher prestige among his brothers and sisters and had more supporters.

Amidst the clamor, Liu Xuan appeared. He communicated with the Black Crystal Bee Queen and had it arrange for the swarm to collect nectar.

Now that he controlled the entire Sect Grand Formation, the Black Crystal Bees could go anywhere on the mountain to collect nectar, which was much more convenient than before.

"Dad!"

"Father!"

...

As soon as Liu Xuan arrived, the children immediately stopped their noise, stood up straight obediently, and bowed to greet him.

Even though Liu Xuan treated them very gently and wouldn't punish them for small mistakes, the children were becoming increasingly respectful toward him and were very well-behaved in his presence.

"Dad! Where is Eldest Brother? I want to challenge him." Daocheng said, coming to Liu Xuan's side.

Liu Xuan carefully examined Daocheng. His cultivation was indeed at the Peak of the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining. He had switched to cultivating the Geng Metal Sword Control Technique, and his body carried a faint trace of Sword Intent and a hint of killing Aura.

The training on the border battlefield had helped him grow a lot. Within the Sect, aside from Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivators, he was likely unrivaled, which explained his confidence.

"Fourth Brother! You are not yet a match for Eldest Brother. Are you sure you want to challenge him in public?"

Hearing Liu Xuan's words, Daocheng was shocked. Since his father said so, there was a high probability that he really wasn't a match for Eldest Brother.

But... Eldest Brother was his goal. He couldn't just give up. Regardless of winning or losing, he had to try!

"Dad! I want to try."

Daocheng's gaze was firm, and the Sword Intent on his body became increasingly sharp.

"Fine!" Liu Xuan nodded with satisfaction. To know one is outmatched but remain fearless—that's interesting.

Through the Star Array with his Divine Thought, he called out Eldest Brother, who was practicing with the Big Black Ox in the Star Space.

A mass of earth-yellow Spiritual Qi swirled up from the ground. Under the surprised gazes of the crowd, the Spiritual Qi condensed and formed into a tall, magnificently built man wearing a black robe—it was the eldest, Eldest Son!

"Holy crap!!"

"This..."

"Is this... Earth Escape Technique?"

"When did Eldest Brother learn Spells?"

...

Eldest Son had only cultivated the Martial Dao and had not cultivated any Qi Refining Cultivation Techniques. He had always defeated his opponents using Martial Dao, so this was the first time everyone had seen him use a Spell.

"Father, why did you call for me?"

Eldest Son had a light layer of sweat on his body. He had just reached a Breakthrough to the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining a few days ago. Combined with his Seventh Layer of Body Refining, he could already make the Big Black Ox feel pain.

Fourth Brother Dao Cheng only took one look at Eldest Brother and immediately knew he was no match. However, he had already boasted, so he had to fight even if he couldn't win, otherwise it would be even more embarrassing.

Fleeing without a fight was something he couldn't get past in his heart. "Eldest Brother, haven't seen you in years, shall we spar?"

"Fourth Brother? You're finally back!"

Eldest Son stepped forward happily, gave him a bear hug, then patted his shoulder and whispered: "We can spar, but I have already achieved a Breakthrough to the Late Qi Refining Stage. You won't be able to win!"

Eldest Son knew Fourth Brother had a strong competitive spirit and was worried about discouraging him later.

Late Qi Refining Stage!

Daocheng froze for a second, then said nonchalantly: "It doesn't matter! I also want to know the gap between myself and you, Eldest Brother. Please don't hold back."

"Fine!"

Eldest Son nodded, and the brothers and sisters cleared an open space for the two of them.

"Hum!"

Daocheng made the first move. He formed a sword seal, and the Magical Artifact sword in his hand immediately spat out sharp sword radiance. The sword light surged, incredibly dazzling, with an extraordinary Aura.

The children watching the excitement could feel the terrifying lethality of the sword light even from behind the Formation barrier, and feelings of envy and admiration arose in their hearts.

"Eldest Brother, be careful! This sword is named Liuguang, and it once killed a Late-Stage Qi Refining Yao Beast!"

He wasn't lying; it had indeed killed a Late-Stage Qi Refining Yao Beast, but it had been on the verge of death at the time...

A battle of Spells emphasized Aura. He wanted to suppress Eldest Brother with his Aura to gain that sliver of a chance at victory.

"Xiu~"

The Magical Artifact sword, carrying a sky full of sword light, blasted toward Eldest Son opposite him.

The commotion caused by Fourth Brother made Eldest Son exceptionally excited. This way, he wouldn't have to suppress his own strength too much.

His blood energy surged wildly throughout his body, and at the same time, a thick layer of earth-yellow Spiritual Qi appeared on his body.

He didn't use any Magical Artifacts; he simply threw a punch. An unremarkable earth-yellow fist shadow, mixed with pale red blood energy, met the incoming Magical Artifact sword head-on.

"Boom!!"

"Crack~"

The dazzling sword light had no power to resist against the simple fist shadow. The sword light shattered, and then the Magical Artifact sword shattered along with it.

Eldest Son quickly withdrew his hand, and the fist shadow dissipated. Otherwise, his punch could have directly killed Fourth Brother!

"Puff~"

The Magical Artifact sword was violently shattered. Daocheng suffered a backlash of his own Magic power and immediately spat out a mouthful of blood. Fortunately, this was not his natal flying sword, so the backlash only affected his Magic power. Although it looked like he was vomiting blood, he wasn't actually seriously injured.

Compared to his minor physical injuries, his mental wounds were much deeper. The gap was too large! The gap between him and Eldest Brother hadn't narrowed as he had expected; instead, it had grown even larger! It was so large that he couldn't quite accept it.

"Fourth Brother!"

Eldest Son quickly stepped forward to support Daocheng. "I'm sorry. I just reached a Breakthrough a few days ago, and I haven't fully mastered my own strength yet. I didn't hold back in time."

"I didn't expect your Magical Artifact sword to be so fragile... I am truly sorry!"

"Puff~"

Looking at his anxious Eldest Brother, Daocheng immediately spat out another mouthful of blood. What do you mean you didn't know it was so fragile... It's too discouraging!

...

Not far away, Yun Xian, who had watched the entire spar, asked An Yunxi beside her: "Junior Sister, is this person really Liu Xuan's son?"