Senior Brother, when have I ever done something I wasn't sure about

The next day.

The sun was already high in the sky.

Su Ji stretched lazily and yawned as he walked out of Su Jiu's courtyard.

The sunlight was just right, not too harsh. He narrowed his eyes, looking at the nameless tree in the courtyard, its leaves rustling in the gentle breeze.

This past month had been the most comfortable time he had spent since his transmigration.

Every day, he did nothing but eat and sleep, occasionally teasing his junior martial sister whose skin was getting thinner and thinner. Life was incredibly pleasant.

His cultivation had reached the absolute peak of the Foundation Establishment realm; the only step left was to form the Heavenly Palace Golden Core.

Unfortunately, the Heavenly Palace Golden Core required an ocean of resources. Even if the entire Acacia Sect were emptied out, they wouldn't be able to provide enough.

Just as it was hard for a poor family to raise a noble son, a small sect couldn't afford to nurture a supreme genius.

As for the so-called succession ceremony?

Wasn't there Li Fan, that free laborer who had been thoroughly duped?

Su Ji was perfectly content being a hands-off boss.

"Senior Brother."

Su Jiu's cold and clear voice came from behind.

Whether it was because of Su Ji's teasing yesterday or simply because she was dressing up for a special occasion, Su Jiu had changed into an intricate palace dress today. The moon-white hem was embroidered with pale silver cloud patterns, and her long hair was tied up with a simple jade hairpin, making her beautiful, elegant face look even more otherworldly.

However, her lovely dark brows were slightly furrowed, clearly weighed down by heavy thoughts.

"Is everything ready?" Su Ji turned his head and asked lazily.

"Mhm." Su Jiu nodded and walked up beside him.

She paused, her voice carrying a hint of unconcealed worry.

"Senior Brother, do we really... have to do this?"

"What else?" Su Ji spread his hands, looking completely indifferent. "Are we actually going to treat them to a meal? I don't have that many spirit stones."

Su Jiu was so frustrated by his attitude that she was left speechless. She took a deep breath but still couldn't help advising, "But they come with ill intentions, and there is no shortage of peak Golden Core experts among them. What if they attack us all at once? We..."

"Relax, relax." Su Ji interrupted her impatiently. He reached out, habitually trying to pinch her cheek, but Su Jiu swatted his hand away in disgust.

Not feeling awkward at all, he withdrew his hand, tucked it into his Daoist robe, and said frivolously, "When has your Senior Brother ever done something without being certain of the outcome?"

Hearing this, Su Jiu shot him a resentful side-glance.

Have you really done that few things without being certain?

Take yesterday, for example...

He boasted that even with his hands in his pockets, he could knock her off her feet using nothing but his spirit root.

When he failed, he insisted it was because she was too heavy.

Su Ji naturally read the silent complaint in her eyes. He coughed dryly and forcefully changed the subject.

"It's about time. Let's go. The new sect master can't be late for his own inauguration."

He straightened out his black sect master's robe adorned with gold patterns and took the lead in walking out.

Looking at his back, Su Jiu felt her constantly anxious heart inexplicably settle down quite a bit.

She took a step and followed him.

...

At the Acacia Sect, the newly built plaza was boiling with voices.

A grand hall ten times more magnificent than the original sect hall had risen from the ground, and the jade-paved plaza shimmered with a warm luster under the sun.

Using cultivators as slave labor to build houses was truly too domineering.

In the plaza, hundreds of tables filled with exotic delicacies and fine wine had already been set up.

Almost all the prominent sects in the Great Xia Dynasty had sent representatives.

At the end of the day, the Acacia Sect was still considered a prestigious first-rate sect.

The cultivators of the Blood Fiend Sect all exuded an oppressive murderous aura, forming their own isolated group that no one dared to approach.

The enchantresses of the Joyous Union Sect smiled charmingly, toasting and chatting merrily with young talents from various factions.

There were even some ancient families with long lineages, who usually lived in seclusion, that had sent their elders to attend the ceremony.

Five Golden Core elders, wearing brand-new elder robes, weaved through the guests. With standardized smiles on their faces, they entertained everyone with smooth diplomacy.

The atmosphere seemed lively, but in reality, everyone was harboring their own hidden agendas.

Everyone's gaze intentionally or unintentionally drifted toward the highest point of the plaza, that towering main hall.

They were all waiting.

Waiting to see just what kind of sacred figure this new sect master was—the man who had stirred up the winds and clouds of Great Xia, dared to kill the former sect master with a single sword strike, and forced back the envoy of the Holy Land.

"Bong—"

A long, resonant bell toll echoed throughout the entire Acacia Sect.

The originally noisy plaza instantly fell dead silent.

Everyone's eyes turned in unison toward a single direction.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

A young figure dressed in a black robe with gold patterns slowly walked out.

He was tall and handsome, but his lazy demeanor seemed completely out of place in this solemn and dignified setting.

Behind him followed a breathtakingly beautiful woman in a moon-white palace dress. Her cold and aloof temperament formed a sharp contrast with his.

Just how sharp was the contrast?

If this were the mortal realm, a normal person's first reaction upon seeing this pairing would be: Just how much money does this playboy's family have?

The two were none other than Su Ji and Su Jiu.

Su Ji's appearance sparked a wave of irrepressible murmurs across the plaza.

"That's Su Ji?"

"He looks... like nothing more than a Foundation Establishment cultivator, right?"

"Shh! Are you courting death? Haven't you heard that Lin Qingliu was slain by his single sword strike?"

"Hiss... Is he really that young?"

Countless gazes filled with shock, scrutiny, greed, and wariness all fell upon Su Ji, as if trying to see right through him.

Su Ji didn't care about this in the slightest.

He even threw a wink toward a certain direction below, eliciting a burst of coquettish giggles from the female disciples of the Joyous Union Sect.