Chapter 132: The Difference Between a Worm and a Dragon

After dinner, Zhang Yurong glanced at Chen Xian and said, "Chen Xian, come to my study. Let us have a talk."

"Dad, I'll go with him," Zhang Xin said, clutching her boyfriend's arm with a smile before Chen Xian could even speak. She said this out of fear that her father might embarrass him.

Zhang Yurong waved his hand dismissively. "Your father and Chen Xian have some things to discuss in private. You stay here."

"Very well, uncle. Let's go," Chen Xian said. He offered Zhang Xin a reassuring smile before following Zhang Yurong toward the study. Zhang Xin watched their retreating figures, her beautiful eyes filled with worry.

Ji Rushuang patted her daughter’s shoulder. "Xin, it’s fine. Come, let’s have some fruit." Zhang Xin nodded and followed her mother to the sofa.

Zhang Ziqiang watched Chen Xian leave with his father, a cold smirk playing on his lips. It was he who had informed his father that Xu Kang, from the illustrious Nine Cauldrons family, the Xu clan, had taken an interest in his sister. Knowing his father, he was certain the man would oppose Zhang Xin’s relationship with Chen Xian and do everything in his power to facilitate a union with Xu Kang. The Nine Cauldrons families stood at the very pinnacle of the Hualong Federation; an alliance would bring immense benefits to the Zhang family.

Soon, his father and Chen Xian vanished from sight.

In the second-floor study, a space decorated with antique luxury, Zhang Yurong closed the door after Chen Xian entered. "Sit wherever you like. Tea or coffee?"

"I'm not thirsty, uncle," Chen Xian replied.

Zhang Yurong nodded, poured himself a cup of coffee, and sipped it leisurely. "Chen Xian, you have achieved quite a lot for your age by starting from nothing. However, there are things in this world that cannot be accomplished by hard work alone." He set his cup down and stared at Chen Xian.

Chen Xian remained silent, waiting for the rest.

Zhang Yurong stirred his coffee with a silver spoon, inhaled the rich aroma, and said slowly, "The taste of Blue Mountain coffee is simply superior. Coffee from other regions is not even in the same league. This is an innate disparity. No matter how hard farmers in other regions work, they cannot replicate the quality of Blue Mountain."

"Please, just say what you have to say, uncle," Chen Xian said, growing weary of the veiled conversation.

Zhang Yurong looked up and stared directly at him. "Fine, I will be blunt. Xu Kang, a direct descendant of the Nine Cauldrons Xu family, has taken a liking to Zhang Xin. I believe he is her best match. Therefore, I want you to stay away from my daughter."

"Have you asked for Zhang Xin's opinion? Does she even like him?" Chen Xian asked.

"Her opinion is irrelevant. She is still young and doesn't understand the gravity of these matters. As her elder, it is my duty to point her in the right direction."

Chen Xian’s lips curled into an unruly, cold smile. "You are overstepping your bounds. Zhang Xin’s happiness should be her own decision. If she tells me she no longer loves me, I will leave. But if anyone else thinks they can tear us apart, it is pure delusion. Even if you are her father, you cannot."

"My daughter will not marry into an ordinary family. The Nine Cauldrons Xu family is her rightful destination!" Zhang Yurong, incensed by the boy's defiance, roared, "Compared to the Xu family, the little success you’ve achieved is nothing but dog dung. You are a bug crawling on the ground, while Xu Kang is a dragon soaring through the clouds. You are not worthy of her."

Chen Xian stood up abruptly. "One day, you will realize that your actions today are a mistake. Whether I am a dragon or a bug, time will tell. Good day."

He opened the door and walked out, leaving Zhang Yurong alone in the study, grinding his teeth in fury. *Crash!* He smashed his coffee cup and cursed, "What an arrogant brat!"

Downstairs, Chen Xian heard the sound of breaking china.

"Xian, are you alright?" Zhang Xin asked with concern.

Chen Xian offered a reassuring smile. "Your father and I just had a chat, that's all. I'm fine, don't worry."

Not wishing to linger, Chen Xian bid farewell to Zhang Xin's mother and grandfather before taking his leave. Once inside his Rolls-Royce Phantom, the driver asked, "Mr. Chen, where to?"

"To the XX residential complex," Chen Xian replied. He intended to go home and give those fifteen bottles of spiritual water to his parents and sister; he had not seen his family in a long time and missed them dearly. Home was always the warmest harbor.

"Very well, Mr. Chen," the driver said, pulling the car out of the villa gardens.

...

That night, in the Hualong Federation’s capital, Longdu, the Xu Group’s high-tech skyscraper—the experimental technology wing—housed a hall on the top floor.

An elderly man with gray hair, yet full of vigor and the imposing aura of a superior, sat before a massive door with his eyes closed. Behind him stood a group of people, each exuding a formidable pressure, save for one young, handsome man: Xu Kang.

Xu Kang’s face was pale, and the arrogance he once wore was gone, having been shattered by the incident with the spiritual water in M City. He looked at his grandfather’s back with a mixture of reverence and gratitude.

The old man was Xu Yirong, the leader of Xu Kang’s branch of the family. He had been in seclusion for over a decade, and before that, he was a martial arts master in the early stages of the Grandmaster realm. During his years of seclusion, other branches of the Xu family had assumed he had failed his breakthrough and perished, leading them to suppress his branch. Had his grandfather not emerged successful in reaching the mid-stage of the Grandmaster realm, Xu Kang would have been stripped of his position as the H-State branch head and his title as a direct descendant, cast into a living hell with no hope of redemption.

As the most promising junior of his branch, Xu Kang had been desperate. Thankfully, his grandfather’s return had not only saved his position but framed him as a contributor for providing vital intelligence on the spiritual water. The massive Xu family understood the significance of the "spiritual water." If they could obtain the formula and mass-produce it, the Xu clan would eventually become the number one family in the Federation, surpassing even the Nine Cauldrons.

Xu Yirong had personally taken charge of the matter to secure it for the family.

*Click.* With the sound of mechanical friction, the high-tech alloy door opened, and a group of technicians in blue dust-proof suits emerged.

Xu Yirong opened his eyes, a sharp light flashing within them. "Dr. Zhou, how is it? Have you analyzed the components of the spiritual water?"

"Third Master Xu, the composition is too complex. With our current technology, it is impossible to analyze," Dr. Zhou said, removing his mask with a sigh.

Xu Yirong stood up and walked toward the elevator.

"Grandfather, what should we do now?" Xu Kang asked hurriedly.

"The spiritual water," Xu Yirong declared with unquestionable authority, "is something I will obtain. Even the gods cannot stop me. We are going to H-State."