Hou Clan's Main Hall
As soon as Hou Yuxiao returned from the Joyful Union Pavilion, he immediately shut himself in his room, sitting cross-legged at the main seat. The Good and Evil Divine Lotus on his brow faintly emerged, and a large cluster of white energy of goodwill rose up from around his body, which then all converged into the Divine Lotus.
"Old Fifth, indeed, is the right choice for doing good deeds! His efficiency is unparalleled!"
Hou Yuxiao slightly sighed with admiration. Last night, he had saved a little beggar and it wasn't until this morning when the beggar woke up that the energy of goodwill was credited to his account, although that amount of goodwill wasn't even one-thousandth of what he was receiving now.
Truly dedicated to benevolence, Hou Yuduan's efficiency in doing good deeds was far superior.
As the energy of goodwill kept pouring into the Divine Lotus without end, the second white petal suddenly emitted a faint luminescence, and moments later, the entire petal was fully lit up.
After a short moment, the energy within the petal coalesced together and instantly formed two thumb-sized white elixirs.
Hou Yuxiao took out the two white elixirs from his Sea of Consciousness and held them in his palm, and the information about the pills instantly flooded his mind.
Having lit up the first black petal two years ago, he went through the same process and thus was not overly surprised.
"Minor Rejuvenation Pills, capable of breaking through in martial arts!"
Two Minor Rejuvenation Pills that could be used for a martial arts breakthrough? Hou Yuxiao felt as if he was doused with cold water. The second white petal he had eagerly anticipated had only yielded these two pills.
It wasn't that the pills were bad. Elixirs that allowed one to break through martial arts without restriction were definitely bound to cause a stir in the martial world. But what troubled him was that there were only two. How much could they really help?
Just as this thought crossed his mind, the energy of goodwill on the white petal seemed to be siphoned away, suddenly becoming dim.
Seeing this, a look of ecstasy immediately appeared on Hou Yuxiao's face…
"These Minor Rejuvenation Pills can be continuously produced as long as there is energy of goodwill!"
Unable to wait any longer, Hou Yuxiao walked out of the main hall and headed towards the training field. He took off his shirt, grabbed the black long staff placed at the top of the weapons rack in the training field, and held it in his hand surrounded by a thick aura of vital energy. His entire demeanor underwent a drastic change in an instant.
After weighing the black staff in his hand, a hint of surprise flashed through Hou Yuxiao's eyes as he murmured softly.
"After having comprehended Yuan Gang, this Ape Demon Staff also seems to have become much lighter!"
His father, Hou Tong, passed away hurriedly two years ago, leaving behind many things for Hou Yuxiao and his four siblings. Aside from the Hou Family's properties, the two most important things were the Black Dragon Thirteen Forms and this Ape Demon Staff.
There's no need to mention the Black Dragon Thirteen Forms. As the most powerful martial art among the local four great powers of Zhaoyang County, it was the Hou Clan's strongest foothold and the primary reason why the other three powers so vehemently targeted the Hou Clan.
The Ape Demon Staff was even more extraordinary, as it was the weapon used by Hou Tong during his years wandering the martial world, from which came his nickname "Black Ape Demon."
The world of weapons has its hierarchy, ranging from the lowest mortal-grade to fine-grade, then spirit weapons, and ultimately the legendary supreme divine weapons.
Mortal-grade weapons are commonly used by insignificant forces, and the most expensive of these doesn't even exceed a hundred taels of silver. But when it comes to fine-grade, the price starts to skyrocket.
The most affordable fine-grade weapons are priced at over fifty thousand taels of silver.
So-called fine-grade refers to weapons forged and refined by masters. Ever since the ten Holy Grade forces divided the world's forces into five levels, nearly every force with a Refinement Master ranks no lower than first-class.
This highlights how important the status of a Refinement Master is in the martial world, much higher than many other professions.
But that's not surprising. For those involved in the martial world, a weapon that suits them can sometimes save their life, and nothing is more important than what can save a life.
There's no top rank in literature and no second in martial arts. Every martial artist has a competitive spirit. Aside from those rankings that concern strength and reputation, there are three weapon rankings in the martial world: Famed Instruments, Spirit Weapons, and the Divine Weapon List.
The Famed Instruments List includes the one thousand most renowned fine-grade weapons in the world, and the Ape Demon Staff is ranked 932nd, close to the 819th place that Hou Tong held on the Righteous Path's Demon Extermination List. This shows that the ranking of a weapon is greatly related to the martial artist wielding it.
Distinct from spirit weapons, fine-grade weapons have not yet transcended mortal tools. The Ape Demon Staff's power largely lies in its material. It is about a zhang long and an inch in diameter. Despite being such a small item, it weighs a whopping seven hundred and eighty kilograms.
Martial artists with body-opening refinement reaching the ninth level possess the strength of ten thousand jin. Already at the pinnacle of the Marrow Cleansing Realm and possessing the power of nine tigers, Hou Yuxiao found twirling the seven-thousand-plus-jin Ape Demon Staff to be a breeze.
In just moments, the entire training field echoed with the sound of bones and muscles; Hou Yuxiao's movements with the staff created currents of air around him that swept the fallen leaves aside, leaving a clear area in the center. The terrifying power he wielded and the thunderous sound of it clashing with the air reverberated throughout the entire training ground.
Hou Yuxiao's pupils narrowed as he leaped high into the air. The Minor Rejuvenation Pill hidden in his mouth slid down his throat and into his stomach, and a surge of white energy instantly filled his body.
As this power entered him, profound knowledge of staff techniques flooded into his mind. The key points he couldn't understand before became crystal clear in an instant, and the movements in his hands accelerated sharply. Swinging the black staff, the figure of the Ape Demon manifested in multitude, each stroke more formidable than the last.
The long staff whirled in the air like dense raindrops attacking every direction—initially like a light drizzle, the staff itself only revealing its sharpness.
A moment later, the staff struck the ground, producing rumbling sounds, reminiscent of thunder before a downpour. After several echoes, the speed of the staff grew increasingly rapid and its force more terrifying, smashing pits into the ground all around.
Hou Yuxiao's expression turned stern, and he brandished his staff around in nine swift motions. The nine shadowy figures, furious like black dragons, instantly surged in all directions. And that wasn't all— a mysterious and profound power emanated from Hou Yuxiao's body, and a relentless force emerged in his hands. Following the nine shadowy figures, he cleaved four more times.
The previous nine shadowy figures seemed to set the stage for these last four strikes. The four black staff shadows, half a meter in diameter and resembling four raging black dragons with gaping maws, suddenly lunged towards the ground.
Boom...
The four staff shadows smashed into the ground simultaneously, emitting a single, enormous sound. The initial nine staff shadows were thoroughly overshadowed by this fearsome energy, leaving only four large craters about ten feet wide on the ground.
Clap clap clap clap clap clap...
A round of applause arose from the south side of the training field. Hou Yuxiao hurriedly ceased his actions and turned his head to see four figures approaching from the perimeter, instantly revealing a hint of a smile.
"Ape Demon Staff Style, what a spectacle to witness upon my return. With that single strike, no one in Zhaoyang County could stand against it, except for that old geezer Ren Feng!"
"Big Brother has already comprehended the Yuan Gang. With Ren Feng's declining vitality, his body nearly at the grave, how could he compare with Big Brother!"
"Second Bro, you admire Big Brother so much. Don't tell me you have some kind of feelings for him. I've noticed; every time you look at Big Brother, there's something off in your gaze. I would never have thought... You guys are real brothers, after all. This is way too... exhilarating!"
"Third Sister, you're a lady, don't talk nonsense like this. It's simply indecent... a violation of decency..."
Hou Yuxiao didn't rush to speak. He first placed the Ape Demon Staff back in the weapon rack and then turned to look at the four people who had gathered around, his expression slightly poignant.
Today's Zhaoyang County, the reason why the Hou Clan could provoke the combined opposition of the three lesser powers together with the County Lord Ren Feng, was due to various reasons.
Two years ago, for instance, Hou Yuxiao incited in-fighting among the three families by transforming and caused them to loathe him to the bone. Another reason was the rapid recruitment of sect members by the Hou Clan in the past two years, causing their power to grow too quickly. There was also Hou Yuxiao's own strength to consider; he tied with the Flying Eagle Sect Leader Tie Budong six months ago, among other things...
But ultimately, the most crucial reason was their five siblings.
Hou Yuxiao himself, with his Half-step Gang Qi Realm cultivation, stood above all in Zhaoyang County, with only the aging Ren Feng ranked higher.
Hou Yucheng, Hou Yujie, and Hou Yuling were at the Ten Layers of Body Openings, Marrow Cleansing Scripture level. Even if they operated independently, they could hold their own against Flying Eagle Sect's Tie Budong, Green Wolf Gang's Tan Gang, and Happy Forest's Gao Cheng.
The youngest, Hou Yuduan, because he disliked cultivating, was only at the fifth level of body refinement and was the weakest in terms of strength, but his importance to the Hou Family couldn't be underestimated. Nowadays, the management of the clan's two major industries, the iron mining and medicinal herbs businesses, as well as all the trivial spending within the clan, were all handled by him.
And this brings us to the importance of education.
You see, the Hou Clan now had over a thousand disciples, including 194 martial artists. Managing everything from daily living expenses to cultivation resources required a clear and competent mind.
Since Hou Yuduan took over this task a year ago, the family finances had never experienced the slightest problem, saving Hou Yuxiao much worry. This clearly showed that all his years of study were not in vain.
Who would have thought, in just two short years, the once notorious Five Sons of the Hou Family in Zhaoyang County could achieve such strength.
"Big Brother, calling the four of us back in such a hurry, you must be preparing to make a move, right?"
The most impatient of the three brothers and one sister was Second Elder Hou Yucheng. Naturally, he was the one to speak first. However, his tone clearly conveyed excitement, indicating he had already guessed something.
Upon hearing Hou Yucheng's question, both Hou Yujie and Hou Yuling's expressions immediately lit up with eagerness. For the past two years, they had been managing the Hou Clan's affairs. Normally, each of them was responsible for their tasks and rarely gathered together like this.
The last time they were all together was six months ago.
That gathering occurred because of a direct confrontation with the Flying Eagle Sect over the iron mine in Nanling Mountain. After the ensuing fight, Hou Yuxiao revealed his amazing prowess by tying with Sect Leader Tie Budong, establishing the Hou Family's standing in Zhaoyang County on equal footing with the other three families.
Out of the four, only Hou Yuduan's expression suddenly grew tense. He wasn't foolish; whatever the others could guess, he could too, but after a moment of internal struggle, he opened his mouth and then chose to stay silent.
Though he was scholarly and kind-hearted, he understood that since Hou Yuxiao had called them all back, it meant that he had made up his mind.
Changing Big Brother's decision was impossible. No one could do it!
Seeing that all four were silently waiting for him to speak, Hou Yuxiao no longer kept them in suspense, a slight chill rising on his face as he spoke with an eerie tone.
"The news is confirmed. The new protector will arrive by the end of the month, at the latest. That old man Ren Feng and those three useless ones are all waiting for the new protector to back them up. When the time comes, I'm going to give them a big surprise but before that..."