Lou Ben and QI Shuang made it home and enjoyed the company of each other.
He told her about what happened and his thoughts about why he might be given the chance to retain his memories.
"It might be possible that Steward Wen Guoliang wants all of us to enter the ranks of being a dao master. There was a lot of us who showed we had what it takes."
"Oh, husband…" Qi Shuang's curvy figure hugged the chest of Lou Ben as they had rested in bed together.
"Tell me, you are not of this world are you?"
When Lou Ben heard this, he laughed, but Qi Shuang only had her dreamy amber eyes stare at Lou Ben.
"How did you know?" Lou Ben laughed and knew that she had said this because she loved him so much that it seemed like a dream to her.
Meanwhile, Lou Ben and Qi Shuang rested in bed, Master Xiao and Steward Wen Guoliang were speaking.
Steward Wen Guoliang met Master Xiao inside his study room, where the clouds encircled bookshelves, and the clouds rained enchanting glyphs.
"Master Xiao, it was a sight to behold. I felt as if the fire from my younger years has rekindled!"
"Oh, Steward Wen Guoliang, for you to say something at your old age, it must be true."
"Tell me, are you sure we should do this?"
"Yes, Master Xiao, I believe not only will it allow for Master Xiao to regain his sight of ambition, but it also falls inline with your previous ambition!"
"Haha! To think that there is still room to grow for the palace. I am not surprised Steward Wen Guoliang! You have always given this master your heart and are the most loyal of them all!"
"I will follow your advice and create a sect… hmm…"
"What's the issue Master Xiao?"
"It's just that I feel wronged for giving these people who are not related to me the chance to reign supreme in this village. If they all had my blood it would be no problem…"
Master Xiao sat in his office thinking as he rested his chin on his hand.
"Well, Steward Wen Guoliang, there is always that procedure we can conduct. Do you remember the inheritance of Veteran Zhao Zixin?"
"Yes, Master Xiao! I can complete this procedure almost instantly, although my research abilities are not comparable to Veteran Zhao Zixin, this is nothing!"
"Good, then I will leave the procedure to you! I'll leave the ingredients needed inside this space ring."
Master Xiao opened his hand and showed Steward Wen Guoliang a gold ring that had a dark purple crystal.
It seemed as if it used the dark purple crystal to create a space where materials and items can be stored.
"Master Xiao, thank you very much! I will treat the contestants properly and will not let you down!"
Steward Wen Guoliang put on the ring and head out through the twin pillars.
"This Steward Wen Guoliang is too good to me. By the time he is done, I would have almost two-hundred offspring to carry the name of Xiao!"
"Haha! The life of a dao master is always above that of simple mortals, even their bloodline can be altered. Oh, Veteran Zhao Zixin, without your research I probably would have worried about offspring long ago."
"Ever since I took this fated research inheritance, my heart has been at ease, not having to worry about such small matters as having children. I could easily choose who I want to enter my family and so…"
Master Xiao looked up at the enchanting clouds as his thoughts began to wonder.
"To think the heavens are looking out for me and my bloodline."
A smile stretched from ear to ear appeared on Master Xiao's face.
Steward Wen Guoliang rushed home and internally planned many situations, as of right now he was most worried collecting all the people who passed the second stage.
"Hmm, I might be able to mass teleport them. They have my dao marks from the finals, when I closed the arena."
"But… If I choose to do that then there is no telling I catch them at the most inopportune moment. What if I catch someone as they are dispelling their waste?"
"Ugh… trying to treat mortals in a correct manner is such a waste of mental energy."
"I'll just mass teleport them just before the dao marks disappear and deal with any unsavory situations as they appear."
Steward Wen Guoliang rested his eyes as he made his decision.
Lou Ben went throughout the day just as the day before.
Qi Shuang was managing the desk while he sat besides her and tried to understand a book that was in his hand.
It was not the three-part story he took home the other day; those books were checked out to him so he left them home so he can study other books while he was at the library.
"Oh, Qi Shuang, my beloved. When do you think Steward Wen Guoliang will announce the results of the tests?" Lou Ben lifted his hand to Qi Shuang's head and raised it slowly to her back.
"Lou Ben, you should be patient. Without this exciting situation, would you be so enticed to squeeze as much studying into the day?" Qi Shuang rubbed her hand over the arm of Lou Ben.
"Hmm, you are not wrong, If I did not anticipate for a change in life then I wouldn't feel the pressure against time…"
*FLASH
Qi Shuang's eyes opened in surprise to see a blinding light, and that Lou Ben is no longer next to her.
"It seems Steward Wen Guoliang is ready to announce the results." Qi Shuang smiled as she thought of Lou Ben.
*THUMP
Lou Ben teleported and landed on the floor.
He looked around to see that he was inside a dimly lit room.
"Oh, Lou Ben! It's good to see you again, so soon too!" a young and fiery youth approached Lou Ben.
"So it's brother Wu Gen, how was your night with your beloved?" Lou Ben met eyes with the youth and grew accustomed to each other.
There is often a saying that two enemies are closer than brothers, an enemy knows you best after battle.
The two young adults had no animosity towards each other, they were just pitted against each other due to happenstance, but because of the situation, they felt extremely close to each other.
Lou Ben had fought Wu Gen with all his might and energy, so naturally, Wu Gen saw Lou Ben as a brother in battle.
They were both young and willing to give themselves to the task at hand, it just so happened that they both had wanted to become the one and only disciple of Master Xiao.
"Oh, there you two are!"
"Ah, and here is brother Liang Jianjun. If only I didn't meet you in the arena before fighting Wu Gen!"
"Haha, brother Lou Ben, it happened that way, don't regret it. I am happy to get close to such a wise younger brother!" The tall and burly figure protruded strength.
"What younger brother? It seems we are the same age!"
"Impossible, do you see these muscles?" Liang Jianjun flexed his biceps and pointed at the mountain between his shoulder and elbow.
"These muscles only prove that I am the eldest one here!"
"What sort of twisted logic is this?" Wu Gen tiled his head in curiosity as he sized up the burly figure of Liang Jianjun.
"It is the rule of the strong! Not only do we have to be strong mentally, but we must be strong physically! Otherwise if you are only strong physically then you can only succumb to the collapse of the jade mountain.
"If you are also strong in the brain then the collapse will never happen!"
"If we are at the jade cave then I am not only the strongest, but wisest of the younger generation. So I am the eldest!" Liang Jianjun proclaimed himself as the older brother of the two figures of Lou Ben and Wu Gen.
"Sure, but don't forget who the real winner is because of you besieging me and exhausting me before getting attacked by brother Wu Gen here." Lou Ben pointed.
"Haha, oh brother Lou Ben, remember what Steward Wen Guoliang had told us before. In the world of a dao master there is not only strength and innate talent but also luck!" Wu Gen smiled as he met the eyes of Lou Ben.
"Brother Wu Gen is knowledgeable. When we get to spar again, I hope to only sharpen the blade known as wisdom!" Lou Ben was neither saddened nor upset; he was looking forward to spar again with Wu Gen.
He thought inwardly "this palace of Xiao has not only given me a loving wife, but also strong-willed brothers."
"Ahh, if this was earth then I'm sure we would not have even gotten the chance to get so close." He thought of Earth and the large differences between the two.
"If this was Earth, then I would probably call the cops instead of risk damaging my body to spar these fiery teens."