After the commotion settled, Liu Mei's parents regained their senses and rushed towards their daughter with wide smiles. They were just an ordinary couple of Spirit Masters with average talents, so it was undoubtedly a shock that their daughter was able to awaken a purple talent that everyone dreamed of.
"Mommy! Daddy! Did you see me?!" Liu Mei cried out excitedly as she hugged her amazed parents.
"Yes, you were incredible! We are so proud of you!" her mother exclaimed, leaving dozens of kisses on Liu Mei's forehead.
Tears of joy fell from Liu Mei's father's eyes, unable to contain his happiness. Thanks to her, they were able to break through to the Spirit Grandmaster stage, which could possibly change their lives forever.
At that moment, Liu Xiaobei walked up, causing the pair to stand at attention.
"Clan Leader," they greeted respectfully, bowing down.
"Good day," Liu Xiaobei replied with a smile. "You must be the parents of Liu Mei, right? I was just informed about your status within the clan."
Liu Mei's parents raised their eyebrows in surprise, not expecting to be investigated right away.
"I just wanted to say I really appreciate your contribution to the clan and decided to promote you now that your daughter needs you the most," Liu Xiaobei explained as he turned towards Liu Mei's father. "You were working as a guard in the Spirit Stone Mine before, but from tomorrow forward, you will work within the Clan so you can stay closer to your family. Is that fine with you?"
"Yes! Thank you, Clan Leader," the father exclaimed, clasping his hands together.
Liu Xiaobei acknowledged with a smile and turned to Liu Mei's mother.
"You work as one of our shopkeepers, right? I plan to appoint you as the manager of the store, allowing you to receive a portion of the shop's monthly revenue. I hope that will help with your family's finances."
Liu Mei's mother was momentarily taken aback and nodded while almost choking from holding back her tears.
"I will take that as a yes," Liu Xiaobei chuckled, glancing at the young lady who jumped happily in front of them. "As for our little star, I was hoping she could become my wife's disciple considering she doesn't have any right now. Liu Mei could learn a lot from her."
"As long as Mei Mei wants it, we don't have any objections," Liu Mei's father replied hurriedly, not even waiting for his wife's opinion.
"Perfect. Liu Mei, do you want to train together with your big brother in the future?" Liu Xiaobei asked sneakily, pointing at Xuefeng nearby. They were close, so Xuefeng overheard everything they said.
"Can I? I want to!" Liu Mei answered without hesitation.
"Then it's settled. We will talk about the details after the ceremony," Liu Xiaobei nodded satisfied before beckoning to his son. "Xuefeng, follow me. Before the ceremony continues, I want to introduce you to some guests."
Xuefeng looked at the guests sitting by the main table and sighed, preparing his mind for the worst. He never enjoyed politics in his previous time and now he was forced to actively participate.
"You finally brought your son for us to see," Lu Clan's Leader commented as he saw them approaching.
"Greetings Elders, I'm Liu Xuefeng, nice to meet you all," Xuefeng greeted politely, causing the many leaders to nod in approval.
"No need to be polite; we are all friends here," the Lu Clan's Leader laughed.
Every beauty sitting at the table tensed visually when Xuefeng came over. He wasn't ten years old to misunderstand their intentions when they pushed their chests forward and kept winking at him.
The purple-haired beauty only gazed at him from under her veil before she turned her head away as if he wasn't worthy. Xuefeng didn't mind that at all, only laughing inwardly.
'I wonder how they would behave if I had the golden talent.'
Liu Xiaobei introduced everyone one by one until only Emperor Zhen was left. In this world's custom, one should generally introduce the most important guest at the end. It was done not only out of respect but also to remember the last person mentioned.
"And this is our Aurora Country's Emperor," Liu Xiaobei presented.
Wuying made sure to teach Xuefeng proper etiquette before he left for the ceremony, so he knew what to do in case the Emperor showed up. Although the Clan Leaders weren't required to bow, he still wasn't anyone of importance to receive such benefits.
"Your Majesty," Xuefeng greeted straightforwardly, bowing ever so slightly.
As much as his actions were rude, he was from the Liu Clan after all. He was smart enough to realize the event aimed to demonstrate their strength, so he couldn't disappoint him.
Emperor Zhen only nodded indifferently in response.
"Feng'er, are you hungry? You can eat something before the ceremony continues," his mother Mu Lan offered.
She was Liu Xiaobei's right hand, so she was busy entertaining the Clan Leaders when her husband left to take care of the situation. Xuefeng couldn't even reject her as she already started putting the food on the plate.
"No, mother, I'm okay. Let's eat and talk when I'm done with awakening," he declined and turned towards his father. "Is everything ready? I'm already tired of waiting. I waited sixteen years for this moment."
His father patted his shoulder in understanding and gestured at the closest Shadow Guard. Seeing a nod, he turned towards the guests to announce the news.
"The ceremony will now resume."
On the way back to the stage, Liu Xiaobei neared Xuefeng's ear and whispered, "If you can create another heavenly phenomenon, you can have any beauty from the main table."
He then handed him a bottle of the Spirit Awakening Liquid and stood by the side.
'Please, I'm not even over Tianshi, and you want me to choose another girl already,' Xuefeng sighed inwardly.
Ascending the stage, he sat down in a random place. Seeing that he already had a bottle of Spirit Awakening Liquid, the servants didn't come to offer him another drop.
"Don't be nervous. Just follow the instructions from earlier, and you will be good. You can't change fate anyway," Elder Ming advised. He had already calmed down from the breakthrough, but the smile didn't leave his face.
'Can't change fate, huh… Let's see how Fate changed with my arrival.'
Xuefeng opened the bottle and looked inside to check the contents. To his surprise, it wasn't just a single drop. He knew his father bought more drops for him, but he didn't expect to receive a whole bottle.
'I guess it's time to prove everyone wrong.'