The night of Jiang An’an’s birthday was filled with joy for everyone, except for Jiang Wang, who regretted not having the time to showcase his culinary skills.

As the lively gathering dispersed, Zhao Rucheng returned to his home.

He sat quietly in his study for a while before hearing a knock at the door.

“Thank you for your efforts today, Uncle Deng,” Zhao Rucheng said. Though his posture was relaxed and casual, his tone held genuine respect and affection.

Deng Shu, the Zhao family’s butler, stood respectfully and smiled warmly. “That ‘Exhausted Flame Spear’ was excellent. The world is always bringing forth talented individuals; I feel as though I’m growing old.”

“How could that be? Walking down the street, people would think you’re my older brother.”

Deng Shu’s expression remained unchanged. He simply stated, “There is an order to seniority.”

Zhao Rucheng opened his mouth as if to say something, but knowing it would be futile, he remained silent.

Instead, Deng Shu spoke, “I didn’t expect that at my age, I would be taking action again, and all for the sake of buying a sugar figurine for a little girl.”

Zhao Rucheng grinned playfully. “Thank you for your trouble, Uncle Deng! I’m grateful!”

“That little girl is quite adorable.”

Zhao Rucheng was immensely proud. “Of course! She’s my sister!”

Deng Shu looked at him, repeating, “She is quite adorable.”

The smile suddenly vanished from Zhao Rucheng’s face.

A hint of sorrow even crept onto his handsome face, which was almost always nonchalant.

After a long silence, he said, “I understand.”

…

The day after Jiang An’an’s birthday, Aunt Song had someone deliver a jade bracelet to An’an as a belated birthday gift. It was delayed due to the long distance.

Along with it came a jade pendant for Jiang Wang, likely as a gesture of ingratiation, fearing that Jiang Wang would prevent her from contacting her daughter.

Upon seeing the gifts, An’an didn’t say much, but she was visibly pleased, carefully storing them in her small box.

For Jiang Wang, his encounter with Xiong Wen instantly extinguished some of the arrogance he felt after winning the first place in the Three Cities Tournament for first-year students.

However, the battle also yielded significant gains.

Firstly, after killing Xiong Wen with a decisive strike, the Dao Essence within his Heavenly Palace surged, bringing him closer to the day of completing his Foundation Establishment.

Secondly, after fulfilling the task of slaying the Heart-Eating Demon, Zhu Weiwu generously rewarded him with five hundred Dao Merit points. It was said that Zhu Weiwu himself earned over six thousand Dao Merit points in the mission, but his Dao Merit points on the Dao Merit Board decreased instead of increasing, leaving him with only one thousand Dao Merit points. No one knew what treasure he had exchanged for.

Compared to Jiang Wang and the others, who had to scrape and save their meager hundred Dao Merit points, it was clear that obtaining Dao Merit points was not difficult for true powerhouses.

Finally, the last gain was a black candle that somehow appeared in his Heavenly Palace.

This was likely a treasure, but no matter how Jiang Wang studied it, he couldn’t figure it out. Foundation Establishment was his priority for now, so he would have to explore it later.

With the unexpected windfall of five hundred Dao Merit points, Jiang Wang naturally intended to prepare an Origin Opening Pill for both Zhao Rucheng and Jiang An’an. As a Dao Academy disciple, Zhao Rucheng could directly exchange an Origin Opening Pill for one hundred Dao Merit points. Jiang Wang hadn’t used his own exchange quota yet, so he could save it for An’an.

Zhao Rucheng readily accepted Jiang Wang’s Dao Merit points, even asking with a grin, “Third Brother, I’ve been eyeing a Law Sword worth five hundred Dao Merit points. I’ve saved some, but I’m still short. Can you chip in?”

Jiang Wang was feeling generous at the moment, and very magnanimous, “How much are you short?”

“Four hundred and ninety-nine.”

Truly just a little!

“…” Jiang Wang kicked him. “Get lost!”

But after thinking for a moment, he sighed, “I still need to keep one hundred Dao Merit points to exchange an Origin Opening Pill for An’an. I’ll give you the remaining three hundred.”

“No!” Zhao Rucheng stopped him.

“What is it?”

“You can still give me the Dao Merit points. But you should reconsider opening An’an’s Origin Veins.”

Jiang Wang didn’t understand. “Shouldn’t opening the Origin Veins be done as early as possible? If you’re worried about the dangers of the Transcendence realm, there’s no need to be. I don’t plan on letting An’an enter the Dao Academy.”

Cultivating in the Dao Academy relied heavily on government subsidies, which meant that Dao Academy disciples couldn’t refuse mandatory tasks, such as cleaning the official roads or hunting down heretical demons. Dangers were inevitable.

Jiang Wang had the Evolution Stage in hand, so he didn’t need to worry about cultivation techniques, and he could also be An’an’s teacher himself. Ultimately, he didn’t expect An’an to become some kind of powerhouse; he only hoped she could be healthy and have some ability to protect herself.

Zhao Rucheng gave a wry smile. “It’s not that opening the Origin Veins early is bad.”

He hesitated, but still said, “If you want to open An’an’s Origin Veins, then don’t use the Dao Academy’s Origin Opening Pill.”

Jiang Wang frowned even tighter. “Is there something wrong with the Dao Academy’s Origin Opening Pill?”

“Not really.” Zhao Rucheng simply said, “The Origin Opening Pill you can exchange at the City Dao Academy is the lowest grade. Brother is already this old, he can’t delay it any longer. An’an is still young, she can wait. If you want to open An’an’s Origin Veins, you have to give her the best you can, so that she can have a smoother path in her cultivation journey in the future.”

“I’m not saying that you can’t reach the Great Dao if you take the lowest grade Origin Opening Pill. Many strong people have risen from the worst conditions, but it’s harder.

If it had been before, I wouldn’t have said this to you. After all, in an environment like Maple Forest City, Origin Opening Pills are something many people would fight over, and having one is already a rarity. But after you killed Xiong Wen, an elder of mine said that you have a chance. You have this opportunity to grow up. In the future, you will be able to obtain better Origin Opening Pills for An’an.

An’an is also my sister, I hope she has less hardship in the future.”

Jiang Wang digested this in silence for a while. He had always known that his youngest sworn brother had secrets, but he had never asked about them. Just as he had obtained the key to enter the Illusionary Realm, none of his brothers had asked him about it.

But now it seemed that Zhao Rucheng’s hidden secrets were even greater than he imagined.

After all, apart from anything else, this insight into the cultivation world was not something that ordinary families could cultivate.

You must know that Fang Pengju was born into one of the three great surnames of Maple Forest City, but he still betrayed righteousness for an Origin Opening Pill. But in Zhao Rucheng’s mouth, this Origin Opening Pill was so insignificant.

He even knew that if he hadn’t mentioned that he wanted to open An’an’s Origin Veins, Zhao Rucheng probably wouldn’t have said these words.

“Origin Opening Pills are also graded?” Jiang Wang asked.

“Of course. You know, the main material for Origin Opening Pills is Dao Veins extracted from妖 beasts. However,妖 beasts are strong and weak, and Dao Veins are naturally superior and inferior. Tell me, can Origin Opening Pills refined from different grades of Dao Veins be the same?”

“The Origin Opening Pill you got from Zuo Guanglie is definitely not simple. An elder in my family said that your Origin Opening was perfect, perfectly developing your potential.”

Jiang Wang was silent.

He silently observed the small Earthworm True Spirit in his Heavenly Palace for a while, but he really couldn’t see how it could be related to “perfect Origin Opening.”

Isn’t this the lowest grade Earthworm Vein?

…