Chapter 31 The Foundation of Xia Family 

After talking with each other for a while, Xia Feng brought Shuang'er to meet her mother and then left them alone for a mother-daughter talk.

After leaving the room, he instructed a servant to inform all the elders of an urgent meeting.

When Xia Feng arrived at the meeting, almost all the elders had gathered. He swept his gaze over the 50 cultivators present. Except for those on missions outside and the Great Elder, nearly all the elders were there. Not seeing the Great Elder, his expression turned displeased.

"Where is the Great Elder? Didn't you inform him not to be late?" he asked in an unpleasant voice. He knew that the Great Elder, Xia Kun, was trying to assert his power by arriving late, and this action gave no face to Xia Feng.

The elders present were well aware of the ongoing conflicts between the Great Elder and the Patriarch, so they kept silent and lowered their heads.

Suddenly, an old man with sharp eyes spoke up to end the silence, "Patriarch, in my opinion, since the Great Elder is intentionally coming late, we shouldn't wait for him any longer and should start the meeting immediately."

His words were met with agreement from many elders, all of whom were part of Xia Feng's faction.

"Xia Cao, what do you mean? You're not giving any face to the Great Elder. The Great Elder must have his reasons for being late. We must wait for him, no matter what," retorted another elder from Xia Kun's faction.

"Xia Kui! The Patriarch is here, and he holds the highest authority in the family. The Great Elder should set an example by arriving early, but he is intentionally late. He doesn't deserve our waiting!" Xia Cao fired back.

"That's right! Elder Cao is correct. The Great Elder is wasting our time intentionally. We shouldn't wait for him," many elders shouted in agreement with Xia Cao.

"Hmph! The Great Elder's actions are not for you bunch of old men to decide! We will wait for the Great Elder to arrive before starting the meeting!" Xia Kui argued.

"That's right. Elder Kui is correct! We will wait for the Great Elder!" many elders echoed in agreement with Xia Kui.

The conflicts between the Patriarch and the Great Elder had been ongoing since they fought for the position of the Patriarch of the Xia Family. After years of conflict, the Xia Family had split into two factions: the Patriarch's faction, led by the First Elder Xia Cao, and the Great Elder's faction, led by the Second Elder Xia Kui.

The arguments in the meeting hall showed no sign of stopping as Xia Cao and Xia Kui continued to find various reasons to retort each other.

"Everyone, I'm here to discuss something important, not to listen to your nonsense arguments," Xia Feng declared in a cold voice.

The arguments in the meeting hall immediately quieted down. Xia Cao closed his mouth and didn't say anything further, and even Xia Kui didn't dare to speak anymore. He wasn't foolish enough to publicly disrespect the Patriarch, knowing the consequences would be severe.

Seeing that everyone had stopped talking, Xia Feng nodded and was about to speak.

However, at that moment, a forceful voice from the door of the meeting hall interrupted him.

"To think that you would start a meeting without me. What's the meaning of this?"

A middle-aged man with a robust body walked into the meeting hall, followed by a handsome young man whose cultivation was at the peak of the 1st level Foundation Establishment Realm. These two were none other than the Great Elder Xia Kun and his son, Xia Kong.

"The matter is urgent and couldn't wait. I know that Great Elder Kui would understand it—Hm?" Xia Feng explained the situation casually, but his expression suddenly changed when he sensed Xia Kun's aura.

"Level 8!" he exclaimed.

"What?!" Hearing this, the expressions of Xia Cao and many elders changed.

Xia Feng and Great Elder Xia Kun had been competitors since childhood, with numerous battles resulting in both wins and losses. When it came time to fight for the position of Patriarch, Xia Feng emerged victorious at last moment, which only deepened Xia Kun's displeasure. Their talents were closely matched, after that Xia Kun focused even more intensely on cultivation, while Xia Feng had to split his time managing family affairs. As a result, Xia Kun had now broken through before Xia Feng, who was still at the peak of the 7th level of the Foundation Establishment Realm and might need a few more years to break through.

"The Great Elder broke through to the 8th level of the Foundation Establishment Realm?"

"Great! This is good news for our Xia Family. Our status will rise once we release this news. The Guan and Zhang Families won't dare to be the threat to us anymore."

"From now on, the Great Elder will be the strongest person in the Xia Family."

Many elders exchanged conversations, their voices filled with a mix of surprise and excitement.

"It's just a level 8! What's so good about that? Let's continue the meeting," Xia Kun said casually.

Seeing his attitude, Xia Feng didn't feel relieved at all. He knew that the more casual Xia Kun appeared, the more he was plotting.

"But before the meeting, I need to discuss something with the Patriarch about the marriage of Kong'er and Shuang'er. After all, Shuang'er has already returned to the family," Xia Kun announced, his words stunning many.

It was as Xia Feng had expected, making his face darken. Before, he could reject the proposal, but now that Xia Kun was a level 8 Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, this matter would likely be supported by many elders, and rejecting it would be difficult.

"What? Young Lady has returned?" Xia Cao exclaimed.

"Young Lady has returned? Why didn't we hear about it?"

"The Great Elder's information is really fast."

"I see. No wonder the Patriarch wanted to hold an urgent meeting."

"The meeting must be related to the Young Lady."

"Young Lady has been to Xi'An. How could she easily come back? Did they allow her to come back?"

Many started discussing Xia Wushuang, and the meeting hall became noisy immediately.

"Young Lady has returned. And Young Master Feng Kong is also a Foundation Establishment Cultivator now; they are the most suitable couple," Xia Kui commented.

"Young Lady left seven years ago. With her talent, she might be a 2nd level Foundation Establishment Cultivator by now. Although Young Master Feng Kong still lacks a bit, it won't be too long before he catches up to her."

"You are right! This marriage is bound to happen. It is good news for us."

"Yes, not only would it help to fix the relationship between the Patriarch and the Great Elder, but it would also give the Young Lady a worthy husband."

Many elders discussed. Even the elders from the Patriarch's faction were moved by the idea. After all, having an 8th level Foundation Establishment Cultivator guarding the family would make them safer.

Xia Kun didn't say anything and let the discussion continue. In fact, he didn't hate Xia Feng; he just felt displeased as the competition between them had not ended until now. Despite being at level 8 before Xia Feng, he knew that it was due to having much more time than Xia Feng.

However, right now, his son was going to marry the daughter of Xia Feng, marking his victory. After marrying her, his son's position as the next patriarch would be secured.

Xia Kong, who was behind Xia Kun, clenched his fists in excitement. His age was the same as Shuang'er's, and they had grown up together and been very close. They even promised to marry when they grew up. Xia Kong remembered it well. But seven years ago, due to the declaration of the branch of Azure Cloud Pavilion in Red Maple City, Xia Feng let Shuang'er join the test, and she gained the qualification, leading her to travel to Xi'An.

At that time, Shuang'er might have held a good impression of Xia Kong, but when she saw the wider world in Xi'An, the boy named Xia Kong slowly faded from her mind.

As of now, Xia Kong was 24 years old. Despite his age, he had never even touched another woman, as he harbored deep feelings for Shuang'er. When he first became a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, he wanted to travel to Xi'An to bring Shuang'er back, but his decision was immediately disapproved by many elders.

Now that he had received information from a servant that Shuang'er was visiting her mother, he became excited and wanted to see her right away. However, his father stopped him, saying it was not the right time and that he would help him win her hand properly in the meeting hall.

"What do you think, Brother Feng?" Xia Kun directly addressed Xia Feng by his name and called him brother to show his attitude of negotiation.

Xia Feng had remained silent until now. He was indeed shocked by Xia Kun's cultivation at first, but now, he sneered inwardly.

Shuang'er's cultivation is only one level lower than his, putting her on par with the First and Second Elders. How could a brat like Xia Kong deserve her?

Upon thinking about Shuang'er, he couldn't help but think of Shangguan Yi. That man's cultivation was far more profound than his own. Xia Feng concluded that Shangguan Yi might be at the 10th level of Foundation Establishment. Additionally, he was a high-grade pill refiner. Only a person of that caliber deserves his daughter.

"Oh? Your son wants to marry my daughter? What are his qualifications?" Xia Feng said with a calm face.

"Brother Feng, I think you should understand the situation. Only my son is suitable for your daughter, or do you plan to marry her to the Guan Family or the Zhang Family?" Xia Kun mentioned the Guan Family and Zhang Family to put pressure on the elders in the meeting hall.

Hearing about the Guan Family and Zhang Family, the expressions of the elders in the hall changed as they started to suggest.

"Patriarch, you must not let the Young Lady marry into either of those families. The Guan and Zhang Families always see us as a target. The Young Lady would only suffer there."

"That's right, the Young Lady shouldn't suffer outside."

"Young Master Kong is the best choice."

"Patriarch, please consider."

"Please consider."

More than half of the elders spoke in unison.

This put significant pressure on Xia Feng.

"Hmph! Do you really think I would sell my daughter?" he snorted coldly.

"Shuang'er's cultivation is much higher than Xia Kong's now. It's not just one level like you think; she is on the same level as the First Elder. Do you still think Xia Kong deserves her?" His words were like a splash of cold water.

"What? On the same level as the First Elder?"

"Did I hear that right? How old is she? How could she have a cultivation level the same as the First Elder's?"

"Does that mean she is a level 6 Foundation Establishment Cultivator now?"

"Really? If it's true, then the Young Lady's future is boundless. No ordinary person deserves her."

"Brother Feng, if you want to reject, you should find a more believable reason. We all know how hard it is to cultivate. Cultivation requires not just talent but, more importantly, resources," Xia Kun spoke, his gaze fixed on Xia Feng.

Everyone looked at Xia Feng, waiting for his answer.

Xia Kong clenched his fists tightly.

Xia Feng remained as calm as ever and said, "Just let Shuang'er come here, and everyone will know the truth."

Xia Kun was not convinced and glanced at Xia Kui.

Xia Kui nodded and said, "I'll go invite the Young Lady here."

Cao Kui stepped forward, turning his body toward the door. As he took a step, his body froze.

At that moment, everyone in the meeting hall, whether they had the cultivation of a level 1 Foundation Establishment Realm or were at level 8 like Xia Kun, felt dizzy and uncomfortable from the direction of the meditation garden. The level 1 to level 3 Foundation Establishment elders couldn't withstand the feeling and began kneeling down one by one.

Even the Great Elder and the Patriarch felt their hearts skip a beat. It felt as though they were being seen through.

Commotion erupted in the hall as everyone felt panic and unease.

"What happened? Is the enemy attacking?"

"What is this feeling?"

"How terrifying!"

"Why am I kneeling down?"

"Core Formation Cultivator! This is the Divine Sense of a Core Formation Cultivator!" Xia Cao exclaimed.

"When did our family get a Core Formation Cultivator?"

Everyone looked at Xia Feng.

However, Xia Feng was equally shocked. He knew who was in the meditation garden now.

...

Meanwhile, Shangguan Yi retracted his Divine Sense and murmured, "So this is the foundation of a mid-grade family: one level 10 Foundation Establishment Cultivator and one false Core Formation Cultivator."

Shangguan Yi had just used his Divine Sense to scan the Xia Family to check for any hidden Core Formation Cultivators, and the results were quite disappointing. The situation in the meeting hall was merely a coincidence.

——

Cultivation Realm: 

-Body Refining Realm (mortals / practitioners)

-Foundation Establishment Realm ( genuine Cultivators)

-Core Formation Realm 

Technique/Pill/Artifact/Array/Beast/Herb/Talisman Level

-Warrior (level 1)

-Elite (level 2)

-Master (level 3)

Each level divided to 4 grades: low, mid, high and supreme.