Once the food and drinks were all served, the cabin fell silent. Lu Chen and the others took their seats at the round table, waiting for Jun Wudi to announce the results. Nantian Yijian's eyes stayed fixed on the three treasures in Jun Wudi's hands. He took a huge gulp. Nantian Yijian turned slightly and whispered to Lu Chen, "Boss, what if I regret this? How about... I take back half of it?" He placed his hand on the table and slowly reached toward the spatial pouch. "With my cultivation being so low, the senior martial brothers probably won't mind, right?" "Hmph, after stealing the spotlight, you're trying to back out now?" Lu Chen's lips curved into a faint smile as he pulled the pouch into his own arms. "I asked you earlier. You swore you wouldn't go back on your word." "But Boss! My cultivation really is too low. In the last battle, I think I felt a hint of a breakthrough." Nantian Yijian blinked rapidly and put on a pitiful expression. "With these resources, maybe I could reach the Qi Regulation Realm before we even return to the Heavenly Mandate Hall." Lu Chen's eyes lit slightly at his words. "Another breakthrough?" However, he quickly pressed on, "Even so, once you've made a promise, you can't take it back." "So... what should I do then?" Nantian Yijian edged closer, reaching again for the pouch. "Opportunities don't come twice, and I've got a feeling my Heavenly Lightning Tribulation will be especially fierce." Lu Chen leaned back, avoiding his grasp. "We'll have plenty of chances to get more spoils." Nantian Yijian glanced at the Brightlight Armor, dabbed a bit of saliva onto his cheek, and turned wide, pitiful eyes toward Lu Chen. "Just look at me. I don't even have a decent piece of defensive gear, and I'm completely unprepared for the Heavenly Lightning Tribulation." Lu Chen immediately saw through his act and asked, "So you think the Brightlight Armor would suit you?" "Of course, it suits me perfe..." Realizing he'd been too blunt, Nantian Yijian quickly corrected himself. "No, no, I don't want the Brightlight Armor." Nevertheless, his gaze lingered on the armor, and he was forced to swallow his saliva now and then. Lu Chen smiled faintly. "Stop pretending. I don't need armor. If you want it, it's yours." Nantian Yijian's face lit up at once. "Really? Boss, you're too good to me!" His tears vanished instantly. He threw his arms around Lu Chen and kissed him on the cheek. Laughter rippled around the table, and Nantian Yijian quickly retreated to his seat, whispering, "It's not like I absolutely need it. If you want it, I can still give it up." "Are you really giving it up?" Lu Chen asked in a mock-serious tone. "If you don't want it, then I'll take it." At that, Nantian Yijian panicked. "Yes, yes! Of course I want it. Thank you, Boss!" "Sigh... a child who still knows how to act cute gets all the rewards," Jun Laoye muttered, gnawing on his chicken leg. Staring at the bare bone, he grumbled, "Unlike me, I can't act cute at all." Lu Chen leaned back in his chair, laughing at Jun Laoye's sour tone. It was as if the man had just drunk a cup of bitter lemon tea.[1] "Little Jun, when you release the Heavenly Dao Command, don't you need two weapons? How about the Earth-Shattering Spear? Does it suit you?" "Are you giving me that spear?" Jun Laoye threw away his chicken leg and draped himself over Lu Chen, planting a heavy kiss on him. "Perfect, perfect! Of course it suits me. Little Lu, you're my true brother." Laughter erupted around the table. Jun Laoye puffed up his chest and shouted, "What are you staring at? Have you never seen loot-sharing before? My brother's giving me a weapon! What's wrong with that?" The surrounding cultivators laughed even harder. Even passersby turned their heads at the commotion. Lu Chen gently pushed Jun Laoye back. "Alright, alright, nobody's saying anything. As for the Spirit Gathering Pills..." He turned to Nantian Wan'er, brushing his fingers lightly through her hair. "These are for you. You've just stepped into cultivation. They'll help you adapt to your spirit qi." Wan'er's eyes sparkled with joy as she accepted the gift. "Thank you, Lu-gege." Seeing her happy, Lu Chen's lips curved into a soft smile. The treasures themselves meant little to him. What mattered was fairness. He wanted to make sure that those closest to him felt valued. Wind Dragon circled once above Lu Chen, flicked the dust from his body with his tail, and wove a small illusion realm around him. "Little Lu, have you noticed any changes in yourself?" "What kind of changes?" Lu Chen asked, holding Wind Dragon gently in his arms and stroking him. "Since leaving the secret realm, your demeanor has become far steadier. Compared to these two, you're clearly the more composed one." "Is that so?" Lu Chen chuckled as he stroked Wind Dragon's scales. "I don't feel any different." "You might not notice it, but the way you handle things no longer feels like that of a youth. It's more like the seasoned calm of someone who has cultivated for centuries." Wind Dragon adjusted his position slightly in Lu Chen's arms, making himself more comfortable. "It seems the two hundred years in the illusion realm weren't for nothing. They helped you mature significantly." ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novèlfire.net Lu Chen shook his head. "I haven't fully absorbed the insights from that illusion realm yet. I'm stuck at a bottleneck. I can barely digest the combat experience; as for the life experiences, I just can't make sense of them." Wind Dragon's whiskers curled upward, twisting into braids. "Can't make sense of life experiences? That's normal. You've only just begun traveling the world. You haven't lived through much yet. Once you do, you'll naturally start to grasp and integrate those lessons." Lu Chen idly unraveled the whisker-braids while Wind Dragon absentmindedly played with them again. "I think the arena battle also played a part in your change this time. Absorbing insights through actual combat may be the path you're meant to follow." "The path of battle, huh..." Lu Chen's gaze deepened. "I've avenged the villagers, and for now, I have no new goal." He fell into thought, reflecting on Wind Dragon's words. "Then let the path of battle become my new goal during the search for Grandpa. I'll see if this truly is the essence of cultivation I seek." "Take it slow," Wind Dragon murmured, twisting his body until he found the most comfortable position. His voice grew faint as his eyes slowly closed. "You're only eighteen. You still have plenty of time to cultivate... I'm a little tired. I'll rest." Nantian Wan'er gently nudged Lu Chen, drawing him back. "Lu-gege, Uncle Jun is almost finished speaking." Lu Chen watched the sleeping dragon for a moment, smoothing his fur before dispersing the illusion. Then, lifting his gaze, he turned his attention back to the arena. People around the table were drinking and toasting, the dishes stacking higher and higher. Amid the lively atmosphere, Nantian Yijian and Jun Laoye grew even more boisterous, leaving the round table to mingle with the other cultivators. Watching Nantian Yijian so cheerful, Lu Chen couldn't help but think of Little Pup. When he was young, Little Pup would constantly pester him for stories, bouncing about with excitement, just like Nantian Yijian did now. Counting the days, Lu Chen suddenly realized that the following day would've been Little Pup's birthday. With everything that had happened recently, he had forgotten entirely. When the two returned, Lu Chen asked, "Little Jian, you're fifteen this year, right?" He reached out and ruffled Nantian Yijian's hair. "I'll prepare a gift for your birthday." "A gift?" Nantian Yijian brightened, then gave a slight shake of his head. "Thank you, Boss. But I've been an orphan since I was little. I don't even remember my real birthday." Nantian Yijian tried to recall the past, but time had blurred those memories. He paused mid-bite, falling into thought. "I only remember the lady I scavenged with telling me that she first found me in a garbage heap... I think it was around this time of the year." Lu Chen's heart trembled. "You've forgotten the date? And it's around these days? What a coincidence..." Nantian Yijian not only resembled Little Pup, but even their birthdays nearly coincided. Lu Chen glanced at the time and realized it was just past midnight, marking the start of a new day. Could this be my chance to make things right? If so... He smiled gently. "Little Jian, it's just past midnight. From today on, why don't we treat this as your birthday?" Nantian Yijian dropped the chicken leg in his hand and froze. "My birthday? Today?" Seeing this, Lu Chen worried he might refuse. "You don't want it?" Nantian Yijian jumped up excitedly. "Of course I do! Thank you, Boss! I finally have a birthday." Lu Chen took out a spatial ring and handed it to him. Knowing Nantian Yijian's fondness for white, the ring was inscribed with white formation lines. "This is your gift—a white spatial ring. There's a little surprise inside, too." "You don't like it?" Lu Chen asked. Nantian Yijian stared at the ring and hesitated. "Boss, a spatial ring is too precious. In my previous sect, only the supreme elder had one. Even a ring with just one cubic meter of storage capacity was considered a treasure." Lu Chen pressed it into his hand. "It's just an object. If it sits unused, it's wasted." Nantian Yijian shook his head and tried to push it back. "This one is so exquisite. The space inside must be massive. It's too valuable—I can't possibly accept it." "Take it. I got them from the secret realm. Everyone gets one." Lu Chen pulled out three more spatial rings and placed them on the table. "I had them ready to give as birthday gifts. If you think one is too scarce, here are all of them." He laid them out in a row. "Red, blue, black, and white. Pick whichever you like." Jun Laoye stared at the rings in disbelief. "Are you really giving them to us? Even the great sects would rarely see ones of this quality." He didn't choose, but instead sighed and warned Lu Chen of their worth. As the Jun Clan's second son, his status was high, yet when he first started cultivating, even he only had a spatial pouch with ten cubic meters of storage capacity. That alone showed just how precious these spatial rings were. 1. The earliest written record of lemon tea is seemingly from 760-762 CE, when Chinese author Lu Yu criticized in his book “The Classic of Tea” the practice of adding anything to pure tea. ☜