Jiang Yuan opened her mouth, a look of speechlessness on her face.

Forget whether Jiang Duxu believed it, even she didn’t.

Although she didn’t deeply understand the intricate schemes of these scoundrels, this time she had learned her lesson. No matter how she thought about it, she should have known that Lu Xingzhou’s primary goal was definitely not this.

Jiang Duxu also smiled, “Such words, you can trick her with them, but don’t try to fool this old man.”

Lu Xingzhou said, “But it’s true. Well… I do have a great desire to explore the Ancient Realm and hope to have a good talk with Elder Jiang. But there can be many ways to trade… For example, the information about pursuing illegal immigrants that I just mentioned, I believe, can already get me a lot of information I want from Elder Jiang, and that’s enough for me.”

Jiang Duxu paused, “You… don’t want the cultivation methods of the Ancient Realm?”

“The cultivation methods I want are very specifically targeted, and I never expect to get them from you. It’s just about getting some information exchange, having clues to find them myself.”

Jiang Duxu pondered silently.

People of this realm, whenever they wanted to “cooperate” with the Ancient Realm, their primary goal should be cultivation methods.

The abrupt cutting off of cultivation paths, making advancement difficult, was definitely the biggest pain point for people in this realm.

The second pain point was that even if some geniuses managed to break through the barriers, they would most likely face death, or survive by various means… This was also useless for cooperating with him. Lu Xingzhou should know that at most, it would just be an exchange of information to understand the whole story.

So, if he wasn’t seeking cultivation methods, then there really was no need for deep cooperation with them, only superficial information exchange, which had nothing to do with marriage.

Lu Xingzhou said, “The most fundamental reason why I insist on competing with the Emperor for a cooperation partner might genuinely be that I don’t want Miss Jiang to marry Huo Xingyuan. Of course… the reasons for things are often multifaceted. Another important factor is that the Huo family is my enemy, and I want to disrupt anything they do.”

Jiang Duxu finally revealed a trace of a smile, “That, I believe.”

Jiang Yuan bit her lower lip. This time, Lu Xingzhou sounded sincere, as if it were true.

Was it really primarily for his own reasons?

Lu Xingzhou asked, “So, Elder Jiang, why do you insist on using the marriage alliance model to establish yourselves in this realm?”

“Marriage alliances have always been a conventional choice for deep cooperation; every family does it as a matter of routine, nothing strange,” Jiang Duxu said calmly. “Of course, initially, we also considered Gu Zhanting…”

Lu Xingzhou said, “The Empress has passed away, and the princes are unaccomplished. Logically, Gu Zhanting has no possibility of passing on the throne within decades. If Miss Jiang were to marry in and later have a child or two, and you cultivate them… that would truly be the most efficient and highest quality plan for establishing yourselves in this world.”

Jiang Duxu nodded, “Indeed.”

“But someone like Gu Zhanting, who often schemes against others, wouldn’t fail to foresee this outcome. He might even worry that you, as immortal cultivators from the Upper Realm, have other abilities and might even kill him… So he pawned it off to the Huo family,” Lu Xingzhou said. “I can easily understand the antecedents, but what I can’t understand is this: the Huo family, on the surface, holds immense power, but in reality, they are just the Emperor’s dog. The so-called ‘two first-rank officials in one family’ shouldn’t even be in your eyes. Is it worth it?”

Jiang Duxu took a sip of tea, “The Huo family can produce Transcendent-rank cultivators… Huo Liancheng is almost there.”

“Is that all?”

“How many Transcendent-rank cultivators are there in this realm?”

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

Said like that, it didn’t seem too unreasonable. From his perspective, the Huo family was a mess, but from an outsider’s perspective, they were powerful.

And also because the princes were unaccomplished…

Jiang Duxu said calmly, “Not only that, given time, perhaps even Huo Xingyuan could reach the Transcendent-rank.”

Lu Xingzhou’s heart stirred, “Elder Jiang, why do you make that judgment?”

“They have a very special aura… immortal qi. The Huo family might possess immortal treasures.” Jiang Duxu glanced at Lu Xingzhou, “You also have a little, extremely ancient and faint, practically negligible.”

Lu Xingzhou pursed his lips and did not answer.

The Huo family’s alchemy cauldron was of a higher grade than he imagined… and the ancient and faint trace on him was probably Anuo’s blood.

Furthermore, Jiang Duxu’s cultivation might indeed be stronger than Ye Tinglan’s and Long Qinghuang’s… Ye Tinglan couldn’t discern this.

“So the Huo family is actually a very desirable partner,” Jiang Duxu said calmly. “If Tianyao Holy Land wants to cooperate with us… can it offer better conditions?”

To be the matriarch of a Transcendent-rank family, and even strive for her son to become the heir.

And also to covet the so-called immortal treasures.

Tianyao Holy Land truly couldn’t offer such conditions, so Jiang Duxu’s thinking was understandable.

Seeing Lu Xingzhou deep in thought, Jiang Duxu continued, “Previously at the Huo family, agreeing to change the marriage candidate to you was also because you are a member of the Huo family, and your capabilities could fully make you the head of the Huo family. In that case, Yuan’er marrying you wouldn’t be a loss. But if you insist on separating, then in my opinion, the appeal is insufficient. Even with Tianyao Holy Land behind you, the significance isn’t great.”

Lu Xingzhou said, “Elder Jiang truly doesn’t consider your granddaughter’s own wishes at all? She wouldn’t be willing to marry Huo Xingyuan.”

Jiang Duxu said calmly, “For the sake of the family, personal wishes are not that important.”

Jiang Yuan rose in indignation, “Grandfather!”

Jiang Duxu then said, “Don’t say this old man is heartless. If you two truly have feelings for each other, it’s not entirely out of the question. But you don’t have feelings; you’re just cooperating to stir up trouble, simply to avoid a marriage alliance with Huo Xingyuan… This is simply absurd. Is a century-long family plan to be played with like this?”

The two exchanged glances, both with somewhat strange expressions. Jiang Yuan turned her head away, no longer looking at him.

Lu Xingzhou said, “Who else is in the family? Could it be that this so-called ‘for the family’ is actually just for Elder Jiang himself, and for the son you’re imagining?”

Jiang Duxu, “Naturally, there are some other people.”

“How is their cultivation?”

“None are too high.”

“Too high to clandestinely cross over, is that it?”

“Hmm…” Jiang Duxu no longer concealed it. “So, what does Physician Lu want to say?”

“I want to say that as a Qianyuan-rank cultivator, Elder Jiang’s vision is so narrow, it’s simply disgraceful.”

Jiang Duxu narrowed his eyes, “Physician Lu, that’s enough.”

He was also somewhat shocked in his heart. How did this person know he was Qianyuan-rank?

Even Jiang Yuan’s eyes widened. She hadn’t said anything about this…

And this was the first time she had seen someone openly scold her grandfather like this. It felt so good.

Lu Xingzhou had only been trying to gauge him, and seeing Jiang Duxu’s reaction confirmed it. He couldn’t help but sneer, “So you truly are Qianyuan-rank. The vastness of Qianyuan-rank crushes all in this world. Instead of considering paving your own way and leading your clan to stand at the apex of this world, you instead sell your granddaughter’s future for the sake of some old men’s future path? And for the sake of the family, you have the nerve to say that?”

“What do you know?” Jiang Duxu suppressed his anger, “We dare not expose the power of Qianyuan at all!”

“A peak Huiyang-rank achieved by suppressing a Qianyuan-rank is still capable of crushing other Huiyang-rank cultivators. With such strength, if it were me, I would have long been shitting on Gu Zhanting’s face. Do I still need to sell my granddaughter? Oh, are you trying to say it’s the most efficient and yields the most? Is that achieved by your own ability? I originally thought there was some unavoidable hardship, but it turns out to be just this? No, how did someone with your mindset reach Qianyuan-rank?”

Jiang Duxu took a deep breath, fuming with anger. Jiang Yuan was smiling so hard her eyes disappeared.

Before Jiang Duxu could speak, Lu Xingzhou quickly interrupted again, “Putting aside everything else, just speaking of a so-called Transcendent-rank family, I, Lu Xingzhou, am confident in achieving that myself. Your family, with a Qianyuan-rank cultivator in charge, still needs to steal from others to achieve it? Isn’t that ridiculous? From another perspective, even if you truly want to marry into a Transcendent-rank family, how do you know I won’t be one in a few years? Why does it have to be the ready-made Huo family?”

Jiang Yuan said in a sarcastic tone, “Because you’re greedy for immortal treasures, aren’t you?”

Jiang Duxu’s words were once again cut off by his granddaughter, making him incredibly exasperated. Immortal treasures were certainly one reason, but wasn’t the more important reason that no one would dare bet on him definitely becoming Transcendent-rank? Not considering a ready-made Transcendent-rank family, but gambling on whether he could become Transcendent-rank in the future—who was truly being ridiculous?

Lu Xingzhou said, “Immortal treasures, why not just seize them? I want to seize the Huo family’s. You have a Qianyuan-rank, yet you don’t dare?”

Jiang Duxu swallowed everything he was about to say, narrowing his eyes, “You know?”

“Of course I know. I even took your granddaughter to sneak a peek.” Lu Xingzhou scoffed, “I thought it was some grand strategy, but it’s just this little bit.”

Jiang Duxu frowned, “Do you know what it is?”

Lu Xingzhou said, “An alchemy cauldron. You understand the nature of an alchemy cauldron even if I don’t tell you; it’s not a magical artifact that must be exclusively owned to be effective, but an apparatus for producing elixirs. If we ensure that both you and I will have a share of the elixirs produced in the future, isn’t that a form of cooperation?”

Jiang Duxu’s expression was somewhat peculiar.

Honestly, if the item was an alchemy cauldron, its appeal to him wasn’t that high, as he already possessed numerous elixirs that surpassed the understanding of this world. Limited by the materials of this realm, even with an immortal-grade alchemy cauldron, the things that could be refined might not necessarily be better than his own.

But Lu Xingzhou’s attitude made him feel very strange. When ordinary people knew of such a supreme treasure, who wouldn’t hide it, wishing to plot for it secretly alone? Yet he spoke so openly, even taking Jiang Yuan to see it in advance. Did he truly not care at all?

Lu Xingzhou seemed to see what he was thinking and said calmly, “I never covet treasures, especially this alchemy cauldron which holds very unpleasant memories for me. I don’t particularly want it. If I do want it, it’s only because it was originally mine and should be returned to its rightful owner. Apart from that meaning, it holds no attraction for me. My initial plan was even to let Gu Zhanting know of its existence and directly raid the Huo family…”

“Then why didn’t you carry it out?”

“I also didn’t want Gu Zhanting to get the alchemy cauldron and heal his injuries, so I hesitated. As long as Gu Zhanting doesn’t get it, I don’t care at all about the cauldron’s ownership. Forcing the Huo family to perish because of this cauldron is the only outcome I want.” Lu Xingzhou poured another cup of tea for Jiang Duxu. “How about it, Elder Jiang, are you interested in cooperation from this angle?”

Whether to cooperate or not was another matter, but Jiang Duxu suddenly felt that his own perspective was inferior to that of a young cultivator in the Ascendant Cloud stage.

A junior didn’t covet treasures, treating a supreme treasure as a mere tool. What was he doing?

Lu Xingzhou leisurely sipped his tea and continued, “As for my confidence in reaching the Transcendent-rank… Elder Jiang has investigated me, so you should know that I used to have a broken leg and severed meridians, making cultivation very difficult?”

“Hmm.”

“It might be necessary to remind Elder Jiang… after my leg was healed, I, Lu, went from a mere seventh-rank to my current second-rank in just over ten months.”

Jiang Yuan’s eyes suddenly widened, and Jiang Duxu’s heart stirred violently.

Actually, much of this information could be gleaned from the ranking on the Heroes’ Scroll, confirming he wasn’t exaggerating. But without careful thought, one couldn’t grasp the terrifying implications here; subconsciously, people often felt that reaching the Ascendant Cloud stage in one’s early twenties, while prodigious, wasn’t astonishingly world-shaking.

Yet, upon closer examination, this was a leap from a mere Phoenix Beginning stage to the mid-Ascendant Cloud stage in just over ten months. What kind of concept was that?

This was a feat unprecedented in the history of human cultivation.

If this person didn’t reach Transcendent-rank, who could?

Not investing in him, but investing in a dying Huo family?

No wonder, in Lu Xingzhou’s eyes, what the Jiang family was doing lacked vision… That truly was a confidence only he could possess.

Lu Xingzhou stood up and said calmly, “That’s all I have to say. Elder Jiang, please go back and think carefully. Regardless of the final outcome of your deliberation, whether you decide to cooperate or not, I, Lu, still advise you that trading your own granddaughter for the family’s future should absolutely not be the mindset of a Qianyuan-rank cultivator, whether it’s for the Huo family or for me.”