14: Chapter 14 The Third Life: Becoming the Boss of the Rival Family

In a vintage, warm chamber, rare incense wafted through the air, mingled with a faint medicinal scent.

Chen Shi opened his eyes beneath a soft silk quilt, his gaze falling upon carved wooden beams and hanging tassel curtains.

The maidservant guarding the side saw him wake up and immediately bowed, her voice crisp and soft: "Second Young Master, are you awake? You were having a nightmare just now, talking in your sleep."

Chen Shi looked down and saw a pair of small hands, plump and fair, with faint red marks on the fingertips from years of medicinal baths.

Immediately, a massive flood of memories surged into his mind, making him instantly realize that this was his third life, and he had awakened his memories at the age of eight in this lifetime.

Chen Shi looked at his surroundings with some emotion; the 40 points of family background had not been added in vain, and it seemed this was a pretty good start.

He then sorted through the memories in his mind; his name in this life had returned to Chen Shi, the legitimate second son of the Chen family, one of the three great families of Pantie City.

And the Chen family was the backer of the Liegu Martial Arts Hall, his enemy from his previous life.

He was somewhat speechless, having thought about maneuvering in this life to take revenge, but now this identity seemed even more convenient.

In the following days, Chen Shi used his identity as a child to calmly figure out the general situation of the Chen family.

The three great families of the city—Chen, Sun, and Li—stood in opposition, controlling most of the city's influence, and even the county government had to give them some face.

The Chen family controlled nearly half of the city's martial arts halls, mines, and trade routes, making them a true local powerhouse.

His father, Patriarch Chen Lie, was the current head of the family and the chief master of the Liegu Martial Arts Hall, with cultivation at the late Iron Skin Realm, making him one of the top experts in Pantie City.

The Chen family had stood tall in Pantie City for over a hundred years, and in recent years, they had faintly surpassed the Sun and Li families to become the number one family in the city.

Their true backing was the Chen family ancestor, also his grandfather, Chen Beishan.

His grandfather had been exceptionally talented in his youth and joined the Spirit Sword Sect, one of the three major sects of Yanbei Prefecture, establishing a firm foothold over the years.

In recent years, he had broken through to the early Copper Bone Realm and became an outer sect elder of the Spirit Sword Sect, with a lifespan reaching up to three hundred years.

It was precisely because of this sect elder that the Chen family could remain the number one family, even though they did not currently have a peak Iron Skin Realm expert.

With a mature mind and the experience of multiple lifetimes, Chen Shi was not playful like other children his age and had shown a great interest in martial arts early on.

He was exceptionally sensible, gentle in dealing with others, and steady in his actions; the insight and perspective he occasionally revealed were even secretly praised by the elders in the clan.

As time passed, the young masters of the Sun and Li families, as well as the children of the city's martial arts halls and merchant firms, were all willing to revolve around him.

Through these interactions, Chen Shi had long since figured out the background of all the forces in the city and built up quite a network of connections, laying the foundation for taking control of the family in the future.

After all, he knew his own root bone well; his 20-point root bone was likely only low-to-mid grade, and only by controlling the family could he steadily break through the Iron Skin Realm.

Subsequently, in such days of luxury, surrounded by servants, respected by his peers, and cared for by his elders, he was like a sponge soaking in warm water, steadily absorbing everything around him and slowly growing up.

Two years passed in a flash, and in the blink of an eye, Chen Shi had grown to ten years old, the age to formally begin martial arts training.

In the Bone Testing Hall of the Chen family, a cold machine was pressed against his back. As the machine started, Chen Shi felt a cold energy flow through his body, and then a slightly dim green light emanated from it.

"Mid-to-low grade root bone, what a pity." The voice of the Third Elder, who was in charge of bone testing, came with a hint of regret, and the elders of the clan beside him also shook their heads, their faces showing pity.

Originally, given Chen Shi's performance over the past two years, the whole clan had held great expectations for him, hoping that he would be another prodigy like his older brother.

Yes, he had a biological older brother, Chen Xuan.

This older brother, who was a few years his senior, had strength far beyond ordinary people since childhood, and at the age of ten, he was detected to have a Top-grade Root Bone and was sent to the Spirit Sword Sect in Yanbei Prefecture early on.

Although Patriarch Chen Lie also felt some regret on his face, he still touched his head and comforted him: "It doesn't matter, this root bone is enough. I only have you and Xuan'er as offspring. Your older brother has joined the sect, and the family business will have to be inherited by you in the future."

Chen Shi pretended to be ignorant and nodded, "Thank you, Father."

After the initiation, Chen Shi officially stepped onto the path of martial arts.

Although his root bone was not ideal, he still enjoyed the top-tier resources of the clan.

With one-on-one guidance from the clan's martial arts masters, daily medicinal meals and baths prepared by specialists, and the addition of his many years of experience from his previous life, he progressed rapidly even though he had changed his cultivation technique.

The martial arts master also sighed in admiration at his progress, believing that his comprehension was heaven-defying, worthy of being the younger brother of the First Young Master.

Chen Shi suddenly felt as if he were living in his older brother's shadow—an illusion, absolutely an illusion.

Time flew by, and this time, the threshold of the previous realm did not affect him in the slightest; he quickly broke through to the Ox-Skin Realm in just three years.

At this point, his speed slowed down; after all, in his previous life, he had only reached the mid-stage of the Ox-Skin Realm, and his experience had run out.

[It's time to go to the Scripture Pavilion to take a look, learn some martial arts, and by the way, check on the situation of my previous life.]

Chen Shi thought secretly and quickly rushed to the study in the backyard to find his father, the Patriarch.

After arriving, he didn't hesitate; he knocked gently and pushed the door open, "Father."

Patriarch Chen Lie was sitting on a chair in the study, looking at a letter with a faint smile on his face. His square face had distinct angles, his brow bone was prominent, and his fingertips were unconsciously rubbing a pair of polished iron balls at his waist, looking like a lazy tiger sitting there, appearing exceptionally majestic.

"Oh, it's Shi'er. Sit down. What brings you to see your father?"

Seeing it was Chen Shi, Patriarch Chen Lie's expression softened, the smile in his eyes deepening, and he asked with a chuckle.

"Child has broken through to the Ox-Skin Realm today and would like to go to the Scripture Pavilion to look at the notes of our predecessors, and by the way, find a martial art technique."

Chen Shi found a chair nearby and sat down, his steady voice tinged with a hint of pride.

"Good! As expected of my son!" Patriarch Chen Lie laughed heartily with some surprise, then tossed his Patriarch token to him.

"Take my token and go to the Scripture Pavilion to read as you please, but remember, do not be overly ambitious and try to do too much; the most important thing is to improve your realm."

"Thank you, Father." Chen Shi took the token, stood up from the chair, and bowed to Patriarch Chen Lie.

Then he asked curiously: "Father, whose letter were you reading just now to be so happy?"

Upon hearing this, the smile on Patriarch Chen Lie's face deepened a few more points, "It's from your older brother.

The Ancestor sent a letter from the Spirit Sword Sect; Chen Xuan has successfully broken through to the Iron Skin Realm and shone brilliantly in the competition of Inner Sect Disciples, defeating the strong with the weak.

With the cultivation of the early Iron Skin Realm, he successfully defeated several disciples in the mid and late stages, winning a spot in the top three of the competition.

He was also accepted as a disciple by the Supreme Elder of the Spirit Sword Sect, who is a powerhouse at the half-step Silver Marrow Realm. Our Chen family has truly produced a dragon!"