98: A young man in fine clothes and a vigorous horse

The Secret Realm was postponed, and this postponement lasted for a full four years.

Four years passed, and Jun Lingxiao was now eighteen. During these four years, he didn't do much checking in; he only spent one year active within the family, and the other three years were spent in seclusion.

The only thing worth mentioning in between was his fifteenth birthday Coming-of-Age Ceremony. This was an internal gathering of the Jun Family, and several of his older sisters came, basically just showering him with gifts.

As soon as the Coming-of-Age Ceremony ended, Jun Lingxiao immediately went into seclusion.

After three years of seclusion, he was stuck at the ninth stage of the Spirit Domain. Just like before, he Cultivated too quickly, and there was no prior experience he could refer to. The path ahead could only be comprehended by him alone.

Domain and Dharma Form were both thresholds that required time to settle, but once these two hurdles were crossed, the path ahead would be much smoother.

During these four years, Jun Lingxiao's name temporarily faded in the Ten Directions Immortal Court, but for Cultivators, a few years were nothing. Many people were still waiting to see how much of a Prodigy this Divine Son of the Jun Family would be when he reappeared.

However, not all of these gazes were benevolent. For example, it seemed some people from the Qin Family were inquiring about Jun Lingxiao, possibly related to Fang Sheng from before.

"Secret Realm! The Secret Realm has opened!"

Early in the morning on this day.

Jun Hongxuan rushed into the Divine Son Hall, intending to call Jun Lingxiao from the inner hall, but he didn't expect that as he turned to enter the hall door, he saw a young man sitting under a tree in the courtyard, his arm waving over a table, clearly practicing calligraphy, while a white bird lazily napped on his shoulder.

"So flustered, not at all like my Young Master... beautiful as a painting."

An Luoxin looked at Jun Hongxuan with a disgusted expression and complained, then immediately turned into a doting fan, gazing at Jun Lingxiao.

"Hey, hey, I heard that!" Although Jun Hongxuan was one of the Ten Paths, due to the previous traitor incident and the fact that they were also good friends, there weren't so many rules between them. They would joke around and occasionally bicker.

However, An Luoxin was absolutely right.

The eighteen-year-old Jun Lingxiao had already shed his youthful appearance.

The young man's demeanor was elegant, and his features were exquisite and refined, making people marvel.

His expression seemed approachable yet deeply held a sense of indifference, everywhere exuding an aristocratic temperament.

His posture was tall and straight, and his bearing was graceful. If he were in white robes, one might truly mistake him for an immortal banished from the heavens.

But unfortunately, he was currently wearing that eye-catching black robe, finely embroidered with flowing clouds and golden edges, its exquisite craftsmanship showcasing the Jun Family's profound heritage.

At first glance, the black robe appeared understated and unremarkable, but upon closer inspection, no one could help but exclaim:

"A young man on a spirited horse, a time of high spirits and vigor."

"When do we depart?"

Jun Lingxiao put down his brush, and An Luoxin, understanding, stepped forward to help him pick up the calligraphy from the table.

'Who in the world does not know Jun?'

The seven characters were written with a Dragon-like flourish and a Phoenix-like dance, surrounded by flowing clouds, as if a Dao rhythm was manifesting.

Jun Lingxiao nodded at this scene and, without turning his head, asked Jun Hongxuan, who was standing nearby.

After this period of settling, Jun Lingxiao felt more and more like a villain. That's right, this was a true villain.

Graceful and refined, occasionally writing and painting, reading books, full of scholarly Qi, and when in a bad mood, he would order others to kneel when speaking to him. He played the role of a villain much more dutifully than those villains who chased and cursed the protagonist on the streets.

Anyway, he had one creed:

Selfishness is a virtue, arrogance is his true nature.

"We depart tomorrow. I just ran into your Old Ancestor on my way here; he might arrive soon."

"But, Brother, what's going on with the Chu Family? It's time you told us, isn't it?"

"You didn't see the scene! Good heavens, those high-grade Heaven And Earth Treasures were being hauled to our Jun Family as if they were free. Every time they came, they'd say they wanted to see you, and upon learning you were in seclusion, they wouldn't say another word and just leave, only to return with another cart after a while."

"All sorts of rumors have been flying around lately. Honestly, did some Young Miss from the Chu Family take a fancy to you?"

Jun Hongxuan tilted his head and started gossiping, directly throwing out the most convincing rumor circulating outside.

After all, it was simply too strange; if it weren't for a crush on Jun Lingxiao, there would be no reason.

Everyone was one of the Ten Chiefs, and the Chu Family's influence was not small. From the power that extended to the Lower Realm, one could see that the Chu Family's strength was also extremely Heaven-Defying.

Although they were in-laws, they were actually still in a competitive relationship. But suddenly, this competitor started sending you things as if they had gone mad, hauling cart after cart as if they were free. It was simply outrageous, and the most outrageous part was that even the Elders of the Jun Family had no clue.

Jun Lingxiao didn't know what Jun Hongxuan was thinking, but hearing his guess, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"You mean, all these are betrothal gifts?"

"No, no, that's not what I mean, that's what everyone means! Honestly, which princess of the Chu Family did you offend? The one who got lost in the Lower Realm last time? That rumor is the most reliable."

"What kind of princess getting lost could make the Chu Family's Old Ancestor come out of seclusion?"

This wasn't Jun Hongxuan's ill-intent, but rather everything had clues.

After all, what Jun Lingxiao did in the Lower Realm had also spread back to the Upper Realm. He encountered Chu Family People, the Chu Family happened to have a princess go missing, the Chu Family in the Ten Directions Immortal Court was in chaos, and even the Old Ancestor appeared.

Jun Hongxuan had already imagined a beautiful encounter.

However, Jun Lingxiao shook his head.

"Nothing of the sort. Don't believe any rumors."

"I've never even heard of any Chu Family princess. I didn't encounter her when I went to the Lower Realm. But what I can tell you is that the Chu Family's Old Ancestor appeared because of me."

Jun Lingxiao said indifferently, revealing part of the mystery.

Their relationship had been good these past few years. Although he was younger, Jun Hongxuan always pestered him, calling him 'Brother,' so revealing a little was harmless.

It was quite a coincidence, actually. The disappearance of the Chu Family's Young Miss and the Old Ancestor's appearance were linked together, so no one realized that the Chu Family's Old Ancestor was actually coming for him.

And the matter of pure blood was the most confidential secret of the Chu Family. Outsiders only knew that the Chu Family revered Bloodline, but they didn't know that they had been searching for a pure blood Holy Infant. Although some information would inevitably leak, no one would have imagined that the person the Chu Family sought was him, Jun Lingxiao of the Jun Family.

Everything was understood without words.

Jun Lingxiao didn't bother with the Chu Family's affairs anyway, leaving everything to his mother to handle. He was happy to have peace and quiet.

He would not meet them, but the gifts would definitely be accepted. As Chu Yi put it: "A cart today, a cart tomorrow. My son is originally a Chu Family person, so what's wrong with accepting some Cultivation resources? Isn't this as it should be?"

It should be, but receiving enough to cover a hundred years of Cultivation resources was simply outrageous.

"The Chu Family's Old Ancestor appeared for you?"

Jun Hongxuan's mouth turned into an O shape again. Just when Jun Lingxiao thought he understood, the next moment, an Heaven-Defying sentence popped out of his mouth.

"Brother, you... can even take down the Chu Family's Old Ancestor???"

Jun Lingxiao: "..."

Jun Hongxuan's hair had remained that pale over the years, but he had become even more lively than before.

He seemed to understand some things, yet also seemed to understand nothing at all. He appeared carefree, but Jun Lingxiao would occasionally see him sitting on the rooftop, gazing into the distance.

Jun Hongxuan hadn't moved on yet, so he could only use this facade to disguise himself.

Too lazy to argue with him, Jun Lingxiao suddenly looked towards the entrance, only to see his grandfather arriving.

"Grandfather."

Jun Lingxiao called out.

"Yes, Lingxiao."

"I'm here about tomorrow's True Dragon Secret Realm. There are some things I need to tell you."

Jun Wenhao said as he walked in.