anwhile, Lan Hao braced himself and pushed open the ironwood door. This was the core area, and from the window, he could see the Bronze Tower.
"You’re back." Lan Hai stood up, his deanor warm. Behind him, rare mineral specins preserved in amber were arranged neatly on display shelves.
"Father," Lan Hao said, lowering his head.
"Good. Travel certainly builds character," Lan Hai said with a smile. "But there’s no need to be so formal between father and son."
Lan Hao’s expression shifted, but he said nothing. Lan Hai, however, was already gazing thoughtfully out the window. "I truly never expected this. For Su Chen to gain the Ancient King Stele’s acknowledgnt the mont he arrived."
He had thought that even if the Ancient King made a move—killing Hu Qi to declare his stance—it would have little to do with Su Chen himself. It would rely intimidate those with ulterior motives, but it wouldn’t stop most people from scrutinizing Su Chen.
"But now, all the montum Venerable Qin Yun has been building was shattered in an instant. With the Ancient King Stele’s acknowledgnt, his status as a Star Seed is all but secured."
"I doubt anyone will dare to bring up the idea of replacing him again."
At this, Lan Hai couldn’t help but marvel, "Still, it’s truly incredible. With his Talent, how could he have triggered the Ancient King Stele right after arriving?"
Lan Hao hesitated, then said, "Father, I might have so idea why."
"Oh?"
Seeing his father’s inquisitive expression, Lan Hao recounted how, on the spaceship, neither Lin Yue nor Wan Chen had been a match for Su Chen.
"He’s that strong...? And he’s only Tier Four..."
After hearing this, Lan Hai’s expression flickered. "It seems that gaining the Great Venerable Red Fla Thunder Resonator’s acknowledgnt wasn’t just about compatibility. He has a secret... a big one."
"No wonder he was acknowledged by the Ancient King Stele."
A spark of greed ignited in his heart, but then he sighed. "A pity. He has already reached the Sect. Ninety percent of any underhanded tricks are useless now."
’It’s a good thing we laid the groundwork for a good relationship with him. The matter of him marrying into the family... we can’t let that get delayed.’ Lan Hai mused. ’There might still be a chance to uncover Su Chen’s secret down the line.’
But when he turned to look, he saw Lan Hao’s expression shifting, tinged with evasiveness.
He knew his son all too well and instantly sensed sothing was amiss. His voice dropped. "What about my instructions from before? How did you handle things?"
"I..." Lan Hao swallowed hard and said hurriedly, "I’ve already improved my relationship with Su Chen."
"Is that so?" Lan Hai asked, his tone questioning. Cold sweat dripped down Lan Hao’s forehead, and he began to stamr.
"Speak!"
Lan Hao gritted his teeth and began, "That day, when Hu Qi died..."
"You... you didn’t speak up to back him up?" Lan Hai exploded in fury. "Foolish! Utterly foolish!"
"Wan Chen had already spoken up first! All you had to do was echo him. Even if Hu Qi hadn’t died, how much of the heat would have fallen on you? What were you so afraid of? Am I, your father, just for show!?"
Lan Hai was baffled. How could Lan Hao have missed such a golden opportunity to make a good impression on the Ancient King and put Su Chen in his debt?
"I..." Lan Hao, his head beaded with sweat, felt a flicker of resentnt. "Things were moving too quickly. I didn’t have ti to speak."
"How could I have a..." Lan Hai took a deep breath but ultimately swallowed his words. He knew that Lan Hao still hadn’t managed to adjust his mindset.
Fundantally, he still harbored resentnt over Su Chen’s rise, which is why he’d hesitated at the critical mont.
"I’ll go apologize..." Lan Hao said hesitantly.
"Don’t bother." Lan Hai glanced at him, rubbing his brow. "It would be aningless now."
If he forced Lan Hao to keep interacting with Su Chen, it would probably warp the boy’s psyche. This was his son, after all.
Hearing this, Lan Hao breathed a sigh of relief. He really didn’t know what attitude he should take toward Su Chen; it felt like he just couldn’t find the right balance.
"You... for now, avoid contact with Su Chen," Lan Hai said after a mont’s thought. "The round trip took six months; you’ve wasted a lot of ti. Focus on improving yourself first."
"Yes." Lan Hao nodded solemnly. "Father, my preparations to beco a Nourisher are nearly complete."
"Nearly complete?" Lan Hai said in surprise. "You..."
Lan Hao nodded. "On the way back, I’ve been working to et the requirent for repairing fatal injuries."
’He was really spurred on by this,’ Lan Hai thought, feeling sowhat gratified. "Good. After you’ve taken up the profession, you can also aim for a third special profession."
Lan Hai thought for a mont, then added reassuringly, "The Morning Star Tier is formidable, but not even Qin Yun and Chu Lingyuan are powerful enough to make bow and scrape."
"Even if Su Chen reaches the Morning Star Tier, if you can achieve the Double Ninth Tier, then with the foundation our Lan Family has passed down through the generations, you’ll still only be half a step behind him."
"Besides, your chances of reaching the Double Ninth Tier are far greater than his of reaching the Morning Star Tier."
A fire lit in Lan Hao’s heart, and he responded with renewed vigor, "I will absolutely do my best."
...
"It’s not small at all."
Su Chen gazed at the Floating Island before him. It was suspended in a tranquil field of Energy. At first glance, there were not many tallic structures; instead, the island was planted with many bizarrely shaped plants.
There were fan palms that seed to be plated in mithril, each of their fan-shaped, silver leaves swaying of its own accord in the windless air, producing a rustling sound.
The trunks were semi-transparent, and liquid Energy could be seen circulating through the xylem within.
There weren’t many buildings on the island. There was a main building, designed like a streamlined tower, its outer walls covered in a gray-blue adaptive coating that shifted in shade depending on the light.
The tower was windowless; in their place were neatly arranged, diamond-shaped tal panels.
Scattered around the main building were six or seven low-lying auxiliary buildings, each with a different design. chanicals were already there, tidying up.
"If you don’t like using these chanicals, you can also hire staff, but you’ll have to pay them out of your own pocket," Wan Chen said.
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