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Chapter 46: Elder Chen's Trial
Chapter 46: Elder Chen's Trial
The New Year's Eve banquet lasted a full hour, with every table serving eighty-eight dishes. By the end, plates were stacked over a foot high.
Only cultivators with ironclad appetites could finish such a feast—anyone else would’ve left half-eaten.
To Xiao Chen’s surprise, the entire banquet remained eerily silent. Aside from servants bustling back and forth, the garden only echoed with the sounds of chewing and swallowing.
Hundreds of clan members sat in rigid silence, focused solely on their meals. No one dared whisper.
Still, curious glances kept flickering toward Xiao Chen.
At the center, the Chen family patriarch dabbed his mouth with a silk napkin, signaling the end of the feast. Like clockwork, everyone else dropped their chopsticks and grabbed napkins.
The elder cleared his throat for his annual speech.
“In my old age, my presence stifles your fun,” he declared. “I’ll retire to the back garden. Eat, drink, and celebrate freely!”
Elder Chen, Chen Tianyuan, and the Clan Elders rose with him, vacating the three central tables.
Now only Chen Zhi’an, Chen Zhiquan, and Xiao Chen remained at the head of the banquet.
After servants cleared the dishes and brought fruit platters and wine, the two elders excused themselves.
“My wife and children are waiting in the back,” Chen Zhi’an said, raising his cup. “Xiao Chen, enjoy the rest. We’ll take our leave.”
Xiao Chen understood. New Year’s Eve demanded family time.
Setting down his cup, he planned to find a quiet corner for a few grand circulations of cultivation energy. While others indulged, he’d seize the chance to outpace them all.
But before he could move, a middle-aged man approached.
“Senior Xiao!” the man beamed, raising a cup. “Happy New Year! May your cultivation flourish!”
Xiao Chen returned the toast. “Same to you.”
The moment his cup touched the table, someone refilled it.
One by one, clan members came to offer blessings. Wine never left his hand as he tasted every table’s offerings.
He’d barely finished when questions followed.
“Where’s your family estate?”
“Which sect elders mentor you?”
Then came a ruddy-faced drunkard, reeking of alcohol.
“I’ve got a daughter—well-educated and refined!” he slurred, grabbing Xiao Chen’s sleeve. “Come meet her! See if you like her!”
“Ah, no need,” Xiao Chen backed away, raising his cup hastily. “Wishing you smooth sailing next year! Cheers!”
The drunk gulped, staggered, and forgot his mission entirely.
But the matchmaking didn’t stop.
“I have a daughter too!”
“My niece is unmarried—let’s discuss!”
Xiao Chen froze.
Since when did these relatives grow so bold? Had the wine truly loosened their tongues?
As half-blood kin, he couldn’t snub their goodwill. Forced smiles ached on his face as he burned mana to sober himself and returned toast after toast.
He missed the peace of two hours ago, sitting quietly in a corner unnoticed.
Boom!
At midnight, endless firecrackers erupted, welcoming the new year.
Guests staggered to private rooms. Though crowded, Xiao Chen received a spacious chamber alone.
Knock Knock Knock!
Before dawn, soft knocks jolted him awake.
He’d slept lightly in unfamiliar places—and stayed sober.
“Who is it?”
“Shh. It’s me. Come out.”
Elder Chen’s voice.
Xiao Chen leapt up, opened the door, and followed the elder’s silent gestures through winding corridors to a side courtyard study.
Elder Chen’s face was grave.
“I summoned you at this hour for a secret,” he whispered. “The Yan Chi Secret Realm within our sect’s territory was meant to open in two years.”
“But recent tectonic shifts accelerated its return. The entrance reappears in three months.”
“This trial tempers the body, but Yan Chi’s infernal flames corrode flesh. Do you possess fire resistance techniques?”
Xiao Chen frowned. “Not yet.”
Elder Chen retrieved two manuals from a hidden compartment.
“Choose—one is Mystic-Tier, the other Yellow Tier.”
The test lay clear: Mystic-Tier promised power but required years to master. Yellow Tier offered swift preparation.
Most would hesitate.
But Xiao Chen answered instantly.
“I’ll take the Yellow Tier.”
Elder Chen blinked. “Why?”
“I lack talent,” Xiao Chen replied. “Better to grasp basics than chase dreams.”
The words, rehearsed for months, flowed humbly yet naturally.
“Good!” Elder Chen’s eyes gleamed.
Handing over the manual, he urged, “Master it swiftly. This chance won’t wait.”
Pride swelled in him—his disciple saw reason, embraced humility. A rare gem.
Then he asked, “Your pill forging? Last month’s Nourishing Qi Pill?”
“Mastered,” Xiao Chen said. “I’ve refined it daily for a month.”
Elder Chen beamed.
The Chen family desperately needed second-tier pill forgers. With resources, this disciple might soon become their pillar.
He sent Xiao Chen off with praise.
At dawn, Xiao Chen intercepted Chen Zhi’an at the gate.
“Elder Brother Zhi’an, I’ll depart first. I’ve bid Elder Chen farewell.”
“Stay longer!” Chen Zhi’an urged. “More guests come these days.”
Xiao Chen recalled last night’s chaos.
“No. I leave now.”
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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