Halfway through the meal, a voice finally announced that the Qin family's representative had arrived.
Qin Xuan looked up towards the sound, only to find that the arrival was not his Aunt Qin Anning.
Instead, it was a man who was equally handsome, almost to the point of being demonic, and possessed an extraordinary aura.
"Who is this?"
"He's not old, yet he's already at the peak of the Grandmaster realm."
Qin Xuan scanned behind the man, not finding his aunt's figure.
Yuan Mengqi, upon hearing Qin Xuan's question, frowned and uttered a name: Qin Wenchang.
The second son of Qin Anbang, and Qin Xuan's half-brother.
In the past, he had always been secluded in his cultivation, never attending these crowded and chaotic year-end gatherings.
But for some reason this year, he had broken his usual pattern and even became the Qin family's representative.
Qin Xuan felt conflicted about this brother.
In terms of relation, they were half-brothers, and by all rights, he should go and greet him.
However, the cause of his parents' death was still unclear.
If Tang Xin was responsible, then he and Qin Wenchang would inevitably become adversaries in the future.
Therefore, after much hesitation, Qin Xuan did not choose to make the first move.
He had also made up his mind.
Unless absolutely necessary, he would not interact much with any Qin family members except his aunt and the elder.
Even Qin Hu, whom he knew from before.
"Wenchang, come over here."
Putting down his chopsticks, Qin Hu waved towards Qin Wenchang.
Facing Qin Wenchang, Qin Hu naturally did not have as many reservations as Qin Xuan.
He was the son of the Qin family's second son, and Qin Wenchang's cousin. They had grown up together, and their private relationship was considered quite close.
Qin Wenchang nodded slightly and followed Qin Hu's beckoning to sit down in the Qin family's designated area.
"Apologies for keeping everyone waiting."
"Originally, my aunt was supposed to be the Qin family's representative today, but she had some matters to attend to and will be arriving a bit late."
"So, Grandpa asked me to come and temporarily take her place."
"I hope everyone doesn't mind, nor look down on me for my low status."
The crowd waved their hands in response.
Tang Junlin even raised the red wine in front of him and smiled slightly at Qin Wenchang, "Wenchang, you are the second young master of the Qin family."
"With the eldest young master absent, it's only fitting for you to be the Qin family's representative."
"Where does the notion of low status come from?"
"Moreover, you are the legendary unparalleled prodigy, reaching the peak of the Grandmaster realm at such a young age."
"I believe it won't be long before you break through the bottleneck and become the youngest Grandmaster in history!"
"By then, let alone a mere gathering representative, even the position of Qin family patriarch will likely be within your grasp!"
"Come, cousin toasts you with this glass, wishing you an early breakthrough and entry into that peak realm!"
"Thank you, cousin!"
Hearing Tang Junlin's words, Qin Wenchang felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
What the other party said was true.
Hadn't he been cultivating for many years for this very goal?
When he controlled the Qin family and became its patriarch, it would be time for him to seek revenge from his grandfather!
He wanted to show Qin Shoujiang who was the most outstanding son of Qin Antai!
He also wanted Qin Shoujiang to taste the bitter consequences of not valuing him and his mother!
"What?"
"Qin Wenchang is actually at the peak of the Grandmaster realm?!"
Tang Junlin's words were not only heard by Qin Wenchang but also by members of other prominent families dining and chatting nearby.
Qin Wenchang's unrefuted reply indirectly confirmed Tang Junlin's statement.
Qin Wenchang was indeed at the peak of the Grandmaster realm, and a peak Grandmaster in his early twenties!
This was simply the most outstanding genius in the current martial arts world!
Within minutes, the news of Qin Wenchang being a peak Grandmaster spread throughout the entire venue.
Everyone who understood cultivation yearned to step forward immediately and inquire about the materials needed for Qin Wenchang's advancement.
After all, as Tang Junlin had said, given Qin Wenchang's current situation, as long as nothing unexpected happened, he would undoubtedly be the designated heir to the Qin family patriarch position.
Therefore, investing in him before he became the heir was better than trying to curry favor with him after he gained power.
However, this was a gathering of the capital's elite families, and they were well aware of the rules here.
It was mealtime, and it was inappropriate for anyone to step forward and disturb the young members of the eight great families.
Otherwise, if handled poorly and offending one of the families, they might be dealt with before they could even latch onto a powerful figure.
Yuan Mengqi and the others were also quite surprised by Qin Wenchang's cultivation.
However, they quickly regained their composure after a slight pause.
After all, beside them, there was already the youngest Grandmaster of martial arts in the Dragon Country.
No matter how strong Qin Wenchang's talent was, he couldn't reach the Grandmaster realm in the short term.
Unless he encountered some rare and fortuitous great opportunity.
Even so, they couldn't help but sigh at the superior cultivation talent of the Qin family members.
As members of the eight great families of the capital, the most outstanding juniors of their Yuan, Xie, Wan, and Fan families were themselves the four Grandmasters.
But no matter how hard they tried, and no matter how much the Divine Venerable guided them, they were still unable to break through the late stage of the Grandmaster realm in terms of cultivation, and their destructive power could only be maintained around 130.
"Don't overthink it. The path of cultivation has no shortcuts. Only by maintaining a steady mindset and advancing steadily can you succeed."
"Your current cultivation is already far superior to many others. Don't be discouraged. Breaking through to Grandmaster is only a matter of time."
Seeing the exchanged glances between the four, Qin Xuan said softly.
With Chen Xuan's guidance, Qin Xuan's mindset had undergone a subtle change.
Thus, unconsciously, he brought out the principles of immortal cultivation and shared them with the four young girls.
After all, in the immortal cultivation world, talent did not represent the final achievement.
Another period of uninteresting small talk passed, and Qin Xuan could no longer eat much.
The information discussed by the eight great families held nothing of interest to him.
Helplessly, he could only resort to using his ability to hear inner voices, to see if there was any unexpected gain.
He had not expected that not listening would lead to a shock.
He had initially thought that Qin Wenchang was the highest-cultivated among all the younger generation present.
But Tang Junlin's clothes told Qin Xuan that this Tang Junlin, who had always been polite to Qin Wenchang on the surface, was the only Grandmaster among everyone present.
Although he had only recently broken through, his age was the same as Qin Xuan's.
In the eyes of outsiders, he was undoubtedly an unparalleled genius.
Only now, combining Tang Junlin's words to Qin Wenchang, did Qin Xuan gradually understand.
What about the high status of the second young master, and the patriarch position being within reach.
The other party's deliberate emphasis on words like "second young master" and "patriarch position" was precisely to subtly intensify the conflict between him and Qin Wenchang.
In this way, once his identity was exposed at the gathering.
Qin Wenchang would inevitably harbor resentment.
At that time, even if Qin Wenchang had no prior feelings towards him, he would begin to feel disgusted, viewing him as a stumbling block on his path to inheriting the family business.