In the world of cultivation, one grinds for proficiency and longevity.

"So you're the one who killed nearly a thousand of my Duan family's papaya spirit birds?"

Duan An was at the peak of the fifth level of Qi Refining, but when he saw that Chen Changqing was only at the early stage of the fourth level, his eyes revealed an undisguised contempt.

Chen Changqing ignored the man and went straight to the Zhou family's higher-ups, speaking neither humbly nor arrogantly: "Chen Changqing greets the family head, the third elder, and the fifth elder."

"Changqing, you've arrived."

Zhou Dezheng nodded slightly, and then instructed the maid beside him, "Serve tea to Young Master Chen as well, serve the best tea."

"Yes."

The tall, well-proportioned maid replied.

"you……"

Seeing that Chen Changqing drank his tea and did not respond to his words, Duan An, who was used to being arrogant, could not stand it.

His expression instantly turned somewhat unpleasant.

Chen Changqing seemed to ignore him, simply because he found the man to be very rude to him as soon as he arrived.

Furthermore, he observed that the other person had sunken eyes and unsteady steps, indicating that he was someone who had indulged in excessive drinking and womanizing, so he felt even less attracted to him.

He then looked at Zhou Dezheng with a questioning gaze.

"Changqing, it's rumored that during your few days back 'home,' you wiped out nearly nine hundred papaya birds belonging to the Duan family. Is that true?"

Zhou Dezheng understood immediately and replied telepathically.

"That's right. But I alone can't do it. I'll only be responsible for shooting; there are others to assist me," Chen Changqing replied telepathically.

That's enough.

Zhou Dezheng's smile vanished as he looked at the Duan family members: "The main character has arrived. How do you intend to conduct the examination?"

Actually, without being reminded, the three members of the Duan family had been openly and secretly observing Chen Changqing all along.

"What does Second Brother think of this person?"

"He's older than average, his cultivation is low, and he doesn't have much potential... However, I noticed that his middle fingers are slightly thicker than the others, which confirms what Ye Wufeng said. This kid is quite skilled at using his spiritual power to flick his fingers; he shouldn't be underestimated!"

"Even so, hunting nearly a thousand birds in three days is something even a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator would find difficult to accomplish. How could he possibly do it?"

"I'm puzzled by this too. Perhaps this person is just a scapegoat pushed out by the Zhou family!"

"Whether he's a scapegoat or not, we've taken bribes from Ye Wufeng, and we must take him away today! Unless the Zhou family agrees to all our conditions!"

"That's right..."

Duan Ce and Duan Gaoming secretly communicated with each other.

Little did the two know that after Chen Changqing mastered the Finger Flicking Technique to the Master level with his golden finger, he could shoot more than 300 times a day in the early stage of Qi Refining.

As we enter the middle stage, the number will only increase!

Suddenly, a woman dressed in a sky-blue dress walked towards them from afar. She had a graceful figure and an ethereal air. The moment she appeared, the young master of the Duan family was completely attracted.

"Junior Zhou Ruoyun greets the two elders. I wish you both well, and Young Master Duan well as well."

When Zhou Ruoyun arrived, she first greeted the Duan family members, and then greeted her father and Zhou Qingrong.

Her arrival eased the tense atmosphere considerably.

"Ruoyun, what brings you here?"

"Father, I happened to be passing by and saw two of the Duan family's beloved elders, so I came to visit them."

Her reply was both graceful and witty, which made the two old men laugh heartily.

However, his gaze was intentionally or unintentionally glancing towards Chen Changqing.

Ok?

Could it be that the young lady has come for me?

Chen Changqing looked around and indeed noticed a blurry yet familiar figure crouching in the distance. Who else could it be but Zhou Youran?

Zhou Youran also felt Chen Changqing's gaze and gave him an "OK" sign, as if to say that the task had been completed.

Chen Changqing felt a little relieved.

"It's Ruoyun. I never expected that the little girl from back then would not only grow up, but also become such a beautiful woman."

"It's a pity I have no sons, otherwise I would have definitely taken you back to be my daughter-in-law."

"It's alright, our young master is quite good too..."

Duan Ce and Duan Gaoming joked happily, intentionally or unintentionally pairing Zhou Ruoyun with their young master.

"snort!"

Upon hearing this, a heavy breath escaped from Zhou Dezheng's nose.

Zhou Ruoyun cursed inwardly, "Two disrespectful old people."

Originally, with the foundation of the Duan family having three Foundation Establishment cultivators, even if the eldest daughter of the Zhou family married the illegitimate son of the Duan family, it wouldn't be considered a loss. However, Duan An in front of her was not only already married, but also a womanizer, which made him despised.

"Elders, during the inspection later, could you arrange for me to spar with that person?"

Duan An suddenly transmitted his voice, "Once I win and am at the height of my fame, I'll propose to Zhou Ruoyun!"

"Young master, regarding the marriage proposal, with our family's strength, we can simply approach Zhou Dezheng directly... There's no need for that."

Duan Ce had obviously learned about Chen Changqing's past at the Ye family's place and felt that he wasn't entirely confident about the matter, so he offered some tactful advice.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Duan An, but rather that he was afraid of that one in ten thousand possibility!

If that's the case, losing face would be very detrimental to future actions and would also make him appear incompetent as the team leader.

"Does the elder mean he thinks I will lose?"

Duan Anben was already displeased with Chen Changqing, so how could he accept this? He immediately spoke again:

"Regardless of whether my cultivation level is higher than his, even at home with a fully-fledged papaya bird, I can hit the target every time. How can you expect me to lose?"

"Second Brother, agree to his request. We already promised the Patriarch that we would take him out for training," Duan Gaoming said, trying to defend him. "Besides, the young master has a powerful magic weapon... he can't possibly lose."

"Hey, fourth brother, just keep spoiling him."

Duan Ce had no choice but to agree.

Chen Changqing didn't know how the Duan family planned to test his bird-catching skills, and when he heard that Duan An wanted to test his shooting ability, he didn't say anything.

However, when the latter took out the "bullet" he was using to test his skills, he was tempted—

It was a set of 108 triangular darts.

The small dart is no more than half an inch long, with a shimmering surface and beautiful lines, making it quite remarkable.

Chen Changqing recognized it and knew that it was a one-time use ritual implement.

Disposable ritual implements are usually inexpensive to make, even cheaper than ordinary ritual implements, but they are not common.

Even fewer things could move Chen Changqing.

Clearly, the dart in front of us is an exception!

"The Papaya Bird is known for its alertness and agility, so I will mainly test your instantaneous casting ability."

"I will scatter one hundred copper coins into the sky in three separate scatterings, and I will also use my spiritual power to slightly alter the trajectory of the coins. Whoever hits the most coins as they fall will be the winner!"

"If you're ready, shall we begin?"

After speaking, Duan Ce looked at Chen Changqing and his young master.

"Wait a minute! A competition without stakes is so boring!"

Chen Changqing, feeling no pressure after hearing about the competition, immediately set his sights on Duan An's magical artifacts: "Young Master Duan, you must have more than one set of throwing darts, right? How about we make a bet with them?"

"Gambling? That's exactly what I'm good at," Duan An said, glancing at Chen Changqing with disdain once more.

"I still have three sets of disposable magical artifacts, but what stakes do you, a penniless wretch, have to bet with me? Let me tell you the truth, this young master lacks nothing!"

It means I enjoy gambling, but I don't gamble casually. I won't gamble unless something excites me!