Indeed, in this regard, Jiang Chen had inherited much from Jiang Feng. As a result, Jiang Feng, as a father, harbored no blame toward his son—quite the opposite, he was genuinely proud.
"Brother, I've heard your cultivation is incredibly impressive now. Just how impressive, exactly? Why don't the two of us spar and find out?" Xu Qingxuan had always loved trying to compete with Jiang Chen.
Sometimes she knew it was just pettiness on her part, and she knew full well she couldn't possibly match her brother. But in front of him, she simply enjoyed being willful.
Jiang Chen smiled and looked at Xu Qingxuan. "You're my little sister. What's the point of us fighting? Even if I could win, I wouldn't have the heart to beat you."
Xu Qingxuan gave a soft hmph. "I don't want you going easy on me."
Jiang Feng, however, laughed. "Qingxuan, stop fussing. Just now, Panlong the Great Emperor paid me a visit. He said your brother has reached the fifth level of the Celestial Position and is on the verge of breaking through to the sixth. Among human cultivators, no one can rival your brother anymore. Forget about you—even the several sect masters of your Moon God Sect are now far behind him."
Xu Qingxuan's face fell. She knew her father spoke the truth.
Jiang Chen chuckled. "How could the sect masters of the Moon God Sect compare to my little sister? Qingxuan's potential far exceeds those sect masters. Who knows—perhaps in a year or two, our Qingxuan will be making a push for the Celestial Position herself?"
Xu Qingxuan's bright eyes lit up, flashing with renewed vigor as she looked at Jiang Chen. "Brother, I heard you have a pill called the Heaven Restriction Mending Pill that gives those at the peak of the Emperor realm a ninety percent chance of breaking through to the Celestial Position?"
"There is indeed such a pill," Jiang Chen said with a warm smile.
"Is there a share for me?" Xu Qingxuan's beautiful eyes shimmered with alluring color.
"What do you think? You're my little sister—if there's nothing left for you, do you think those others would deserve it first?" Jiang Chen grinned. "Don't worry—no matter what happens, I'll save the very best portion for you. Qingxuan, remember: we're family. Your concerns will always be close to my heart."
Xu Qingxuan pouted and turned her face away.
Her eyes had reddened slightly at the rims, but with her personality, the last thing she wanted was for Jiang Chen to see it. Still, at this moment, her heart was enveloped by a warm current.
She had to admit that life in the Penglai Royal City now was incomparably better than her days at the Moon God Sect. At the Moon God Sect, even though she trained with her master every day, being in her master's presence had always placed tremendous pressure on Xu Qingxuan.
Because her master had been excessively strict—almost harshly so.
But here, at the Peacock Sacred Mountain, she trained just as hard, yet no one made unreasonable demands of her. And despite this more relaxed approach, her cultivation progress hadn't suffered in the slightest—if anything, it had accelerated.
The biggest reason, of course, was the personalized training regimen her brother had designed specifically for her. Along with the cultivation resources he had provided.
Over time, Xu Qingxuan had developed a growing sense of belonging to the Peacock Sacred Mountain. She realized that staying by her parents' side allowed her to look after them while also cultivating more effectively.
Because of this, even when she occasionally missed the Moon God Sect and thought of her master, she could no longer bring herself to leave her parents or the Peacock Sacred Mountain.
Because here at the Peacock Sacred Mountain, she felt warmth. This warmth wasn't something anyone had deliberately manufactured—it was the convergence of the people around her, the things that happened, every little detail coming together into a gentle current. It was a warmth that Xu Qingxuan had come to cherish deeply.
Especially this brother, who was only a little older than her. Though she always loved picking small fights with him, his care and indulgence toward her had been nothing short of meticulous.
It made Xu Qingxuan truly unable to reject this feeling of warmth. It was the feeling of a real home.
……
Over the next two days, Jiang Chen spent his time with Huang'er, as well as Consort Dan and her daughter.
Setting aside some time, he also checked in on the cultivation progress of Gouyu, Xue Tong, and the others. Seeing that their advancement was equally rapid, Jiang Chen felt deeply gratified.
These people had all been brought out from the Eastern Kingdom in the earliest days. They were his original core followers, loyal to him through and through. Jiang Chen would never let them go unrewarded.