As Luo Chen found the situation increasingly ironic, the hostility radiating from Duan Feng grew more intense. He gripped his cup tightly, veins bulging on the back of his hand. The cup in his hand silently crumbled into fine dust. "Duan Rui failed his Foundation Establishment breakthrough and was severely injured. At the same time, the Debate Platform in Dahe Market opened, attracting three major cultivation families. "The Duan family's position suddenly became precarious. "In such a situation, that old dog attempted to form an alliance with Mi Shuhua of the Poshan Gang, but was outright rejected." Listening to this, Luo Chen’s expression slowly darkened. Something felt off. Why was the Poshan Gang involved in this? Moreover, given Mi Shuhua’s personality, why would he refuse an alliance with the Duan family? Piecing together the timeline, Luo Chen suddenly felt a bit uneasy. That period coincided almost exactly with when he started gaining influence in the Poshan Gang by mass-producing Jade Essence pills. By that time, Mi Shuhua had likely already aligned himself with Miao Wen. Since he was already handing over a share of pill profits to Miao Wen, he had no interest in forming another alliance with the Duan family. If he did, his own cut of the profits would shrink even further. "After Mi Shuhua rejected him, that old dog had no choice but to resort to marriage alliances." Duan Feng let out a bitter laugh. "You’d never guess—the proposed alliance was between Nangong Qin of the Nangong family and my mother, chosen as the Duan family's offering." At that, Luo Chen truly lost his composure. He blurted out, "Duan Qiankun, that old bastard, must have lost his mind!" Who could blame him for thinking so? Duan Feng’s father had died in battle for the family, and Duan Feng himself had exceptional talent in artifact forging. Moreover, there was still the Foundation Establishment pill left as his father's contribution. Even the most cold-hearted people wouldn't go so far as to exploit a widow and orphan to this extent! His father had given everything for the family, and yet, his most valuable legacy had been stolen. Now, they were even forcing his widow into marriage, all for the sake of securing an alliance and strengthening their standing in Dahe Market. And to make matters worse, the groom's father is a vigorous Foundation Establishment cultivator with plenty of years ahead of him. Wasn’t this just inviting a wolf into their home [1]? Duan Feng let out a cold laugh and raised his cup to take a deep drink. But as the cup reached his lips, he realized it had turned to a handful of ceramic dust. Without hesitation, Luo Chen pushed his own cup toward him. After downing the drink in one go, Duan Feng exhaled sharply and said: "Of course, he wasn’t insane. "The Nangong family was new to the region and eager to establish themselves. If they formed an alliance with the Duan family through marriage, they could secure their foothold. "Besides, the Duan family had at least some lingering connections with the Luoyun Sect. For the next hundred years, it wouldn’t necessarily be an immediate threat." Luo Chen couldn’t help but ask, "They agreed?" "Yes, the Nangong family agreed." Luo Chen opened his mouth but hesitated. Didn’t that mean Nangong Qin almost became Duan Feng’s stepfather? What kind of ridiculous twist was this?! Duan Feng continued, his tone unreadable. "At that time, both the Duan and Nangong families had already agreed. The only one who opposed it was my mother. In the end, when that old dog forced her, she took her own life to make her refusal absolute. "It was then that I severed all ties with the Duan family and entered the inner city on my own." Luo Chen took out a fresh cup and poured himself another drink. After taking a deep drink, he sighed, "No wonder you call him an old dog at every turn. Duan Qiankun really was inhuman." He had truly bled Duan Feng’s family dry. "That was when I realized that artifact forging and alchemy were just tools. "Only cultivation, only strength, is absolute!" As he spoke, Duan Feng cast a glance at Luo Chen. There was an unspoken meaning behind his words. Luo Chen shook his head. He was not obsessed with alchemy. He had long understood that alchemy was merely a means to accumulate cultivation resources. If that weren’t the case, he wouldn’t have set aside Jade Essence pills recently in favor of refining Spirit Passage pills. Because Spirit Passage pills truly enhanced his strength. Duan Feng nodded. He knew Luo Chen was smarter and had a clearer vision. "Back then, after my mother died, I fought a battle against the newly arrived Nangong Qin. "In that battle, I won. "After that battle, I met with him, and we talked. He told me that the marriage alliance was merely a tool. If it wasn't him, it would have been any other member of the Nangong family. But from the Duan family's side, there was only ever one candidate—my mother." Luo Chen was stunned. "What do you mean by that?" After his initial shock, Luo Chen quickly pieced together the reasoning before Duan Feng could even explain. "Yes!" Duan Feng took a deep breath. "Duan Rui only failed his first Foundation Establishment attempt. Once he recovered, he could attempt it again. "So, he was still that old dog's treasured hope. At that time, the only person in the Duan family who could threaten him was me, as I was beginning to awaken and my cultivation speed was increasing. "He couldn't touch me, so he applied pressure on my mother. If my mother was married off, I would truly be isolated in the family." Luo Chen gazed at him with a complex expression. The deeper truth behind it all was so vile. So, cultivation families weren't as united and harmonious as they seemed. "The marriage alliance failed, and I left the Duan family. That old dog placed all his hopes on Duan Rui. "He even went as far as purchasing another Foundation Establishment pill for him at an auction." An auction? Another Foundation Establishment pill? Luo Chen immediately realized something. Back at the Jade Cauldron Auction, Mi Shuhua had refrained from bidding, allowing four factions to split the Foundation Establishment pills. Excluding Wang Haichao, the Li family, and the Kang family from Taishan Market, the remaining buyer must have been Duan Qiankun. With a second Foundation Establishment pill, Duan Rui wouldn't have... "He failed again, didn't he?" Luo Chen asked. It wasn't baseless speculation—after all, to this day, the Duan family had not produced another Foundation Establishment cultivator. Hahaha...Duan Feng laughed heartily. "Yes! My foolish brother failed again! Hahaha! "Water and fire do not mix [2]. Cultivating both elements together makes for powerful combat prowess, but breaking through in cultivation is immensely difficult. "It’s good that he failed! "If he had succeeded, how would I ever have avenged my mother!" Dual spirit roots were undeniably a remarkable talent, ranking just below the heavenly spirit root or those with rare special constitutions. However, not all dual spirit roots were created equal. If the two elements opposed each other like water and fire. They wouldn’t accelerate cultivation but instead create internal conflict, making advancement even harder than for those with a single spirit root. The only reason Duan Rui had made it as far as he had was due to two factors: The Duan family’s Ice-Fire Spirit Spring and Duan Qiankun’s relentless search for a dual-element cultivation technique that could balance both elements. Without those, Duan Rui might never have reached Perfected Mastery Qi-Refining in his lifetime. Even at Perfected Mastery, his breakthrough difficulties would far surpass those of single spirit root cultivators at the same level. He had already consumed two Foundation Establishment pills and still failed. Judging by the timeline, he was probably still recovering from the backlash. The backlash from a failed breakthrough wasn’t something to be taken lightly. Luo Chen had seen it firsthand with his former neighbor, Fu Xiuxiu. She had only managed to recover slowly thanks to her Dao companion’s support and her own unique constitution. Even with Duan Qiankun's assistance, Duan Rui was undoubtedly struggling. And if Duan Rui was struggling, then Duan Qiankun himself was also in a precarious situation. Didn’t that mean the entire Duan family was now struggling as well? "No wonder they've been sending people to contact you lately!" Luo Chen mused. Cultivating within a family involved just as much scheming and backstabbing as when he was a rogue cultivator. Duan Feng nodded. "Of course they would come looking for me. After all, I've made quite a name for myself this past year." A win and a loss against Nangong Qin on the Debate Platform, keeping him consistently in the top three rankings. A high-ranking position in Luo Tian Society, fully trusted by Luo Chen. A fearless battle against the Fu family patriarch, where he stood alone against Fuzhang in the early stages. Duan Feng was no longer that helpless orphan, abandoned and struggling to survive. His strength had grown far beyond what the Duan family had once deemed worthless. "They’ve been offering me promises and even handing over benefits in advance." His voice carried a hint of mockery. "Hah! I won’t lie. I took all of it!" He smirked. "Not because I’m some ungrateful traitor..." his voice darkened, "but because these were things that were rightfully mine to begin with!" Luo Chen raised an eyebrow. "So, you're not planning on returning to the Duan family?" Duan Feng looked at him, speechless. "I knew it and you came today because you were worried about that." Hehe... Luo Chen chuckled openly, making no attempt to hide his intentions. A righteous man could be deceived by his own integrity. Something , laid bare, wouldn’t change anything. Duan Feng shook his head. "There’s no way I’m going back. Even if I go back, it will be to claim a life!" Inside the room, the furnace fire blazed, radiating intense warmth. Luo Chen tugged at his collar and advised, "Duan Qiankun doesn’t have many years left. Why concern yourself with such a fleeting grudge?" Wouldn’t it be better to just wait for him to die of old age? When the time comes, dancing on his grave would be more in line with our style. "No, you don’t understand. I can never forget how my mother severed her own heart meridian and died tragically in our home." At this point, Duan Feng clenched his teeth so tightly it seemed he might shatter them. His entire body trembled uncontrollably. "I need him to die, and not peacefully of old age. "My father’s life, my mother’s life, and the years of injustice my family endured. "All of it, he must pay with his life! "I will grind his bones to dust if I must!" Each word dripped with blood and sorrow. Luo Chen sighed, realizing there was no talking him out of it. But with just ninth stage Qi-Refining, how could Duan Feng possibly challenge a Foundation Establishment cultivator? He hadn’t even reached Perfected Mastery yet. Suddenly, an image surfaced in Luo Chen’s memory. He instinctively wanted to speak but, upon seeing the feral glint in Duan Feng’s eyes, forcibly swallowed his words. If he did, he would only be harming Duan Feng! 1. 引狼入室 (yin lang ru shi), Chinese idiom meaning "to lead a wolf into the house," used to describe bringing danger or trouble upon oneself by inviting in an untrustworthy person. ☜ 2. 水火不相容 (shui huo bu xiang rong), Chinese idiom meaning "water and fire do not mix," describing two things or people that are completely incompatible. ☜