I began to understand the myriad things by chopping wood

The ancestral home of the Xie clan in Chen County.

Outside the Creek Meeting Hall.

Elders of the Xie family arrived here one after another and greeted each other.

"Old Five, what have you been busy with lately?"

"Besides practicing and doing official business, what else can I do?"

"Oh? I heard that you secretly asked for a magic pill in Luofu Mountain and prepared to go into seclusion? Are you trying to improve yourself without your old brother?"

“Don’t, don’t talk nonsense! There are so many people here, I’ll tell you later…”

Some people also secretly mix things up.

"Elder Bing, the last time I told you about my grandson entering Longwu Academy..."

"The number of places in Longwu Academy is limited, and everything will be based on the assessment results."

Xie Bing said calmly.

The elder looked at the iron-faced and impartial Xie Bing's back, sighed helplessly, and worried about his child's schooling.

Some people were also engaged in verbal battles.

"Elder Zhi, why are the goods that Xinglongtang should deliver to the pharmacy always late? Are you in trouble? Do you want me to send someone to help you?"

Xie Wen asked with a smile.

Xie Zhi snorted coldly:
"Why is it that the quotas your pharmacy gives to my followers are all defective products recently?"

The two men looked at each other, one sneered and the other frowned, then they turned around and walked into the meeting room.

After most of the elders sat down in their seats, they began to whisper to each other.

"What's going on today?"

"It's been a long time since we held a meeting of elders. Perhaps the head of the family wants to check on everyone. After all, he just broke through to the Grandmaster level, and he hasn't officially notified everyone yet..."

"Such a young master. He deserves to be very proud of himself."

"And the battle in Wei County a few days ago, is there any news?"

"I don't know. They only said that Xie Yuan was the one who did it, but there's no explanation as to who he hit or what the result was."

"Maybe we'll know soon."

The battle between Xie Yuan and Ji Xuan was so earth-shaking that it was witnessed by people from Beishan Village and even the entire Wei County. Naturally, it attracted the attention of the clan's master.

However, after Xie Yuan came back, he said that he had done it himself, so the Grand Master who was investigating didn't have to spend any more effort.

As for the details, he did not reveal too much, which made most of the elders curious about who dared to go deep into the heart of Yuzhou to kill the head of the Xie family, and why Xie Yuan ran to Wei County alone.

Not long after.

Xie Yuan, wearing a black robe, walked out from the back of the meeting room.

There was a sudden silence in the meeting room.

Today, Xie Yuan is already the de facto head of the Chenjun Xie family. No matter what the elders think in their hearts, no one shows dissatisfaction on their faces.

Especially facing Xie Yuan today.

He has an upright figure, clear features, and a majestic black robe, which makes him exude an imposing aura.

And the most important thing is the aura of his realm that is not concealed.

A true master.

Even though all the elders seated had already known about this from various channels, and many of them had witnessed it with their own eyes, they still couldn't help but have complex expressions in their eyes.

How young is he?

Thinking back to when I was the same age...

It’s better not to think about it.

In particular, unlike what many people imagined, Xie Yuan did not have the feeling of being frivolous after having just broken through.

The feeling he gave people was actually somewhat profound. He didn't look like a newcomer who had just made a breakthrough at all. Instead, he looked more like a martial arts master who had practiced for many years, a true grandmaster.

Even many elders felt the pressure and were somewhat puzzled. How could Xie Yuan, who had just broken through, bring such pressure to them? It was as if his realm was already on par with theirs.

Xie Yuan has probably only been involved in martial arts for a shorter time than they have been masters, but now he is on the same level as most people here.

After Xie Yuan sat down, the elders all bowed to him, as usual.

But this time, the mentality of many people has subtly changed. They have unconsciously become more serious and less casual.

Xie Yuan returned the salute and glanced around, taking in all the masters present.

He didn't waste any time and got straight to the point:

“I have invited all the Grandmasters and Elders here today because I have a few things to inform you of.

"First, as you can see, I have successfully broken through to the Grandmaster level."

The strength breakthrough of the head of the family is a very important event for the entire family.

Especially in a special case like Xie Yuan's, it must be reported immediately.

It was just that due to Xie Yi's condition and background, Xie Yuan had not made an official announcement before. He notified everyone at the meeting this time.

When the masters and elders heard Xie Yuan say this in person, they all felt inexplicable emotions in their hearts.

Then they all bowed and congratulated Xie Yuan:

"Congratulations to the Patriarch for breaking through to Grandmaster level!"

"You are young and promising, you are worthy of being the number one prodigy of the Xie family!"

"The head of the family has a lot of his father's style, and he may even be better than his father."

"I've said it before, Patriarch Xie Yi's vision is absolutely flawless."

Xie Yuan bowed his hands and accepted the masters' congratulations with a calm face.

Then he pressed his hand and quickly announced several decisions and personnel transfers.

The elders all looked surprised, they all understood that Xie Yuan was demonstrating his influence, just like a young lion marking his territory.

However, he had just broken through to the Grandmaster level and his power was at its peak. The elders had just congratulated him, and even if they had some complaints, they were speechless.

Moreover, Xie Yuan's decisions were all well thought out. He had accumulated a lot of experience and had a good sense of proportion, and they were all within the range acceptable to the elders. If you hit someone with a stick, you must get a sweet date. People could only swallow their anger and watch Xie Yuan smoothly turn his decisions into reality one by one.

Everyone suddenly discovered that Xie Yuan not only had the strength of a master, but his vision, decisiveness, and skills had long reached the minimum level that a family head should have, and now were far higher than that.

Since everyone did not refuse this time, it will obviously be even more difficult to say no next time.

After Xie Yuan successfully demonstrated his authority for the first time after becoming the well-deserved head of the family, he saw that everyone was very cooperative. Most people had already accepted this reality, but a few people were already powerless to change the situation.

He stopped there and moved on to the next item:
"In the previous Grandmaster Battle in Beishan Village, I encountered a master from the Kitchen God Cult. But don't worry, he didn't cause any damage and has been killed."

When the elders heard this, their faces suddenly turned serious and they began to whisper to each other.

Right in Yuzhou, not far from the Xie clan’s territory, in the core of the core of Xie’s ruling area, a master of the evil cult actually appeared and tried to kill the head of the family?

If this gets out, how will Xie save face?

Moreover, the leader of the Demon Cult is so arrogant that he dares to go deep into the heartland of the Xie family. Is this some kind of signal?

However, some people focused on words like "no loss" and "already killed", and looked at Xie Yuan quietly.

As expected, he didn’t look like a master who had just broken through. He actually killed the master of the Demon Cult directly. He looked full of energy and showed no signs of injury.

The elders were cheered up and their assessment of Xie Yuan's strength was raised to a higher level.

Seeing that the elders were talking louder and louder, Xie Yuan continued to explain:

"That man is not a senior elder. He is the leader of the younger generation of the Tianwai Tianji family, which is the family of the leader of the Demon Cult. That man is called the most promising successor by the current leader. There is nothing else to worry about, elders."

He waved his hands, quite nonchalantly, as if telling others that the flies in the house had been killed and there was no need to worry.

The elders were speechless for a moment. As elders of the Xie clan, they had all heard of the name Tianwai Tianji Family. Even those who didn't know much about it could tell something from the four words "Cult Master's Family".

This is definitely a powerful family within the Zao Cult, or even the first family. In terms of the strength of their masters, it may not be inferior to their Xie family.

In such a family, the strongest of its younger generation, the successor designated by the contemporary leader, must be the top prodigy in the Kitchen God Cult, and there is a 90% chance that he is a grandmaster.

Such a brilliant demon was actually killed by Xie Yuan?
And his tone was so calm, as if he was just chasing away a stray dog ​​on the roadside.

Everyone looked at each other, not knowing what expression to express.

Some of the masters present here are not 100% sure that they can defeat such a master.

And their young patriarch had become so powerful without realizing it?

"The good news is that he didn't come here to target my Xie family, and he actually has little to do with the Kitchen God Cult. He was mainly targeting me, so the family doesn't have to worry about facing attacks from both the Kitchen God Cult and the Wang family at the same time."

Xie Yuan's words made the elders curious.

Why would such a genius specifically target Xie Yuan? What kind of love, hate, or vengeance is involved?
The young and powerful man from the Ji family did not reveal his gender. Could he be a female?

The elders thought that Xie Yuan was old enough, and besides the fact that the Princess of Pingxi was unreliable, it seemed normal for him to have affairs with other women, so they all started gossiping. However, Xie Yuan's next words brought the elders, who had been a little proud of his performance and achievements, back to earth:

"The bad news is that I have learned from reliable sources that the Ji family in Tianwaitian holds a grudge against us and is about to take action against the Xie family."

The elders' expressions froze and they cursed inwardly.

What do you mean by dealing with Xie? It's clearly the trouble you brought upon yourself.

The Xie family itself was facing constant oppression and erosion from the Wang family, and was losing ground.

If the Kitchen God sect joins in now, how can the Xie family maintain the situation?
The elders became noisy and discussed future developments.

Xie Yuan heard everyone's discussion and shook his head:

"I can confirm that not all of the Zao Cult is involved, but only the Tianwai Tianji Clan."

The leader of the Kitchen God Cult gave him an ambiguous attitude, and there was no need to mention Situ Wan.

In fact, the entire Kitchen God Cult is not hostile to Xie Yuan. Only the Ji family will seek revenge for Ji Xuan and take back the axe.

Although there is still Elder Hehuan's lineage eyeing the Xie family covetously, this lineage is mainly composed of experts and it is not certain that they will target the entire Xie family.

When the elders heard his firm judgment, they all secretly guessed the source of the news. Perhaps they got the meaning behind it from the Princess of Pingxi.

Everyone's expressions suddenly became complicated. Although no one in the family supported what Xie Yuan and Situ Qin were doing, it seemed that it was not completely without benefits.

However, Xie Yuan did not actually get the news from Situ Qin.

After the news of Ji Xuan's death was reported, Tianwaitian, especially the Ji family, was in chaos. A certain envoy who was watching the fun passed on his movements to Xie Yuan, telling him that the Ji family would definitely take action against the Xie family.

Xie Yuan didn't know whether Yun Xing was considered a traitor in the Kitchen God Cult, but the Kitchen God Cult was an extremely large system. She was loyal to the Kitchen God Cult, but she didn't necessarily tolerate those families.

In short, with Yunxing as the messenger, Xie Yuan was more certain about the predictable movements of the Ji family, so he notified the elders of the family in advance and asked them to be prepared.

But no matter how much preparation was made, it would add another powerful enemy to the Xie family, which was already in a bad situation.

Although no one blamed Xie Yuan for having provoked the Demon Cult, they all felt a little pressured.

Xie Yuan did not explain, and his movements would naturally not be known to all the elders.

If it were usual, the elders would be more or less dissatisfied, feeling that Xie Yuan, a young family head, was incompetent, stirring up trouble and not considering the family's interests.

However, today, basically all the elders did not have such thoughts. They only felt that a big tree attracts the wind, and it was inevitable that Xie Yuan, who was so talented and powerful, would attract the strong men of the Demon Sect.

When talent and strength are duly fulfilled, Xie Yuan no longer needs to do many explanations himself.

Watching Xie Yuan leave, many elders felt that he was becoming more and more like a patriarch.

Although the elders’ eyes could not be described as full of awe due to their seniority and age, there was something similar in their eyes.

Even Xie Bing, who always had a stern expression, had a hint of appreciation in his eyes;
Xie Wen was thinking about the personnel transfers arranged by Xie Yuan today, and felt that he seemed to have earned a little more than Xie Zhi. He nodded repeatedly and was in a good mood.

He looked at Xie Zhi and found that Xie Zhi was not unhappy or depressed at all. He was just looking in the direction of Xie Yuan with a frown.

After the elders' meeting, Xie Yuan returned to his own courtyard, smiled at Yun Zhu who came to help him undress, and Shi Jian who came to take his weapons enthusiastically, and then went into the study.

After thinking about many trivial matters for a while, he felt that there were no major problems today, so he rubbed his eyebrows habitually and took out a small axe.

The strange thing also comes with a curved wooden handle, an axe blade that shows signs of age, and gold wire that simply wraps the two together.

It looks like an old homemade lumberjack axe, and it exudes an ancient feel.

However, Xie Yuan knew that this was a top-notch mysterious weapon that was not inferior to the Jiao Soul, and its power was only second to that of a divine weapon.

This was the spoils of war after he defeated Ji Xuan.

Although Ji Xuan had many treasures on him, they were all damaged and used up in the continuous fighting and the final fatal blow, leaving only this axe.

But Xie Yuan also gained other things.

He verified the full power of his Burning Heaven and Destroying Dao Spear. Facing such a master, his progress in the four basic moves he had just learned increased dramatically.

Only a good opponent can be considered a qualified whetstone, and Ji Xuan is undoubtedly a very useful opponent.

After a great battle, with Xie Yuan coming back to review the situation and summarize his experience, as well as the ever-present influence of Wanbing Zhuying, his four types of spear skills had greatly improved, and he was almost at the proficient level from entry-level.

The improvement of spear skills is a microcosm of the improvement of strength. After such a great battle, Xie Yuan's combat skills have also improved, and even the undigested spiritual fluid in his body has been digested faster, and his realm has risen a lot.

A hearty battle is better than practicing alone. Xie Yuan just felt sorry that Ji Xuan couldn't hold on a little longer.

If only he didn't think about running.

I wonder if there are other such men in the Ji family?
Ji Xuan must have some outstanding brothers and sisters, right?

Xie Yuan thought leisurely for a while, then turned his gaze to the axe in front of him.

I don’t know how long ago this axe is a top-level weapon that has been passed down. The golden light can amplify the power of its attack, and the effect is extremely strong.

If he used this axe to perform his axe skills, Xie Yuan felt that the destructive power would be to a level that he could hardly imagine.

It’s just that this item originated from the Ji family and has been controlled by the Ji family for a thousand years, so the mark on it is too strong.

All the mysterious weapons need to be refined before they can be used as they should. Faced with such a strong mark, Xie Yuan didn't know how much effort it would take to refine it. He was even afraid that he would not be able to use it to the fullest extent and be found by the Ji family as a locator.

Losing such a genius and this top-notch Xuan soldier is something that even the Ji family cannot bear. They must hate me to the core and try every possible way to take revenge on me.

As the Zaojiao's heritage is strong and its methods are unpredictable, Xie Yuan is not planning to go to a place as close to the clan as Lianwei County anymore.

He planned to stay in the clan and practice diligently until his strength improved significantly, and he got closer to the Bridge of Heaven, or even broke through the Bridge of Heaven.

After thinking for a while, Xie Yuan looked at the axe reluctantly, and then asked someone to call Xie Tiexin.

When the forging master came in, he said with some shame:

"Master, I haven't figured out a way to completely restore that Xuanbing. I've figured out the craftsmanship, but the formation..."

Xie Yuan nodded and said gently:
"Don't worry, Elder Tiexin, I believe in your ability."

He knew almost nothing about forging. He was in awe of the unknown field and had no intention of leading the experts.

Xie Tiexin breathed a sigh of relief, then showed a hint of gratitude for Xie Yuan's trust, and asked quickly:

"Master, why are you looking for me today...?"

Although Xie Tiexin is a big man, he is actually quite old. However, he is not from the main branch, and his strength is not very strong. His main contribution is in his skills, and he has achieved what he has today because of the main branch's hard work.

Therefore, although he is the elder in charge of the Divine Weapon Hall and the number one craftsman in the Xie clan, and has a high status, he has always been very humble and low-key, respectful to other elders and clan leaders, and has a good reputation and popularity. This is also due to his personality.

Xie Yuan handed the axe to Xie Tiexin:
"Elder Tiexin, please melt this thing and add it to my Xuanbing."

Xie Tiexin took the axe and was stunned for a moment. Then, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes, and he looked at it over and over again:
"What a great axe! Such a simple forging method can actually produce such a mysterious weapon. Great ingenuity without skill, great ingenuity without skill.

"Well, the material is also an important reason. The axe blade, gold wire and wooden handle are all top-notch. The axe blade is made of Tianxin refined iron, which absorbs the essence of Yangyan. If I am not mistaken, the gold wire should be the tendons of some exotic beasts, which are not inferior to the tendons of dragons. Most of them are extinct now. And this wooden handle is clearly the trunk of the black spirit tree. The black spirit tree is a spirit-gathering tree species, and ancient Qi cultivators regarded it as a sacred object. It is really generous to use it to make a wooden handle."

The more Xie Tiexin looked at it, the more he admired it. Then he said excitedly:
"Master, if you dismantle this axe and use it to smelt your weapon, it will definitely break the material shackles of the weapon and make the weapon more powerful!"

Xie Yuan smiled and said:
"That's good. This axe is worth it."

Xie Tiexin hesitated for a moment:
"But Master, why don't you just use this axe? It would be great if you could use it directly. I can think of a way to help you reduce the marks inside."

"Even so, it takes too much effort to make sacrifices. The Ji family's thousand-year mark is not so easy to remove. I still want my previous weapon more."

Xie Yuan shook his head.

Xie Tiexin pondered for a moment and said:

"Master, I will do my best. But I cannot guarantee that I can solve the core engraving formation. If I cannot find a solution by then, I am afraid I can only make a new axe with this material to avoid waste."

Xie Yuan sighed:

"If that inscription formation is so difficult to deal with, then just let it be."

Xie Tiexin felt a little ashamed:
"I am incompetent. I know very little about the ancient inscription formation..."

"Elder Tiexin, you are too serious. This is not your problem. If you can't solve it, I'm afraid there are few people in the world who can solve it."

Xie Yuan interrupted him and said sincerely:

"Just do your best and leave the rest to fate."

If all else fails, just make a good axe, carry a sword and an axe, and carry a spear on your back.

The days passed like water.

Xie Yi was still unconscious, and Wang was still pressing on. However, there was also a member of the Ji family, Chun Chun, who was also ready to make moves, and she had made several attacks on the important locations of the Xie family.

Although they were repelled by the Xie family who had been on guard, the intervention of the world's number one evil cult cast a cloud of darkness over the Xie family, which was already in a fragile balance.

Xie Yuan took care of clan affairs while practicing quietly. He actually got used to this kind of life.

Before, I had no idea how family heads like Xie Yi and Li Xingtuo could both practice cultivation and govern their disciples.

Now Xie Yuan is gradually able to do it, it’s just a little hard.

However, one day near the Mid-Autumn Festival, ripples suddenly appeared in this peaceful day.

"Master, the concierge said someone is looking for you. It's a girl named Mu."

After Yun Zhu reported, she looked at Xie Yuan who suddenly stopped, with a little curiosity.

Where did this girl come from who could make the young master, who was becoming increasingly unfathomable, lose his mind like this? (End of this chapter)