A public notice was posted seeking a wife, and a female saint from the Immortal Sect was found.

Li Changqing quietly watched Chen Yi. She could sense that Chen Yi was quite excited at the moment. Perhaps this so-called ring had a different meaning for Chen Yi.

She suddenly couldn't help but wonder if Chen Yi would still dare to put the ring on her hand like he had just done if he knew her true identity and past strength.

Most likely, he would shrink to the side, not daring to even look up at her.

Of course, this is just her own imagination, but most people in the world are like this. How many people dare to remain neither humble nor arrogant and treat others with normalcy in front of those who are stronger or have higher status?

Late at night, the lively crowd dispersed, and the Chen family returned to silence. Chen Yi went back to his room.

Looking at the ring on his finger, a smile appeared on his face, but his heart was filled with mixed feelings.

The ring thing was just his nonsense, and even if he really married Li Changqing next May, it wouldn't really mean anything.

[His master was a true disciple of the Eastern Divine Sect. During a sect exchange, he offended an important figure from the world's number one sect, the Tai Xuan Sect, and was ultimately killed.]

Li Changqing's sole goal in life is to first control the Eastern Divine Sect, and then use its resources to break through to the next two realms. At that time, he will go to the Tai Xuan Sect to avenge the murder of his late master.

The enemy who killed his master has long since become the sect leader of the Tai Xuan Sect. For Li Changqing, revenge is extremely difficult, and his hopes are slim.

Chen Yi remembered these system prompts very clearly. For three hundred years, avenging his master had been Li Changqing's only goal, and it would be difficult for him to change Li Changqing's mind.

What she wanted to do was to shatter the highest mountain in the world, which was easier said than done. Perhaps the ending was already destined to be death and annihilation.

Previously, I had been trying my best to make Li Changqing stay in the Chen family, have children, and make the Chen family his home.

Besides, Chen Yi also thought that if things really came to that point, and Li Changqing still couldn't let go of his desire for revenge, then he would naturally have to accompany Li Changqing to face the highest mountain in the world.

According to the system, the Tai Xuan Sect is the number one sect in the world. Chen Yi couldn't imagine how long it would take him to stand in front of this sect in his lifetime.

He couldn't understand it; the Tai Xuan Sect and this world were both beyond his comprehension.

After thinking it over, Chen Yi shook his head and calmed himself down. He was only at the Qi Refining stage, so he couldn't see too far ahead or change anything.

All he can do is cultivate diligently, hoping that one day he will become powerful enough to truly persuade Li Changqing to stay in the Chen family and have children. If that child's mother wants to oppose the Tai Xuan Sect, he, as her husband, will naturally join the fight.

I'm getting carried away again; I can't think about it anymore.

Chen Yi calmed down completely. Thinking too much was pointless, so he decided to focus on cultivation first.

…………

Before dawn, Chen Yi had finished his cultivation and then glanced at the system panel.

[Realm Level: Qi Refining Stage 4 (183/400)]

Now, by taking pills to cultivate, one can increase their cultivation level by 40 points per night. After cultivating six more times, one can break through to the fifth level of the Qi Refining stage.

He currently has seven bottles of Spirit Condensation Pills, ten pills per bottle, enough for him to cultivate for a period of time.

"If there is nothing else to do, then cultivate once during the day and once at night. In this way, the speed of improvement can be doubled."

He wasn't dissatisfied with his current rate of improvement, but his strength level was too low. Before reaching the ninth level, he would find it difficult to protect his family.

Therefore, breaking through to the fifth level is not his goal; his goal is to break through to the ninth level in the shortest possible time.

There are countless powerful cultivators in this world. The ninth level of Qi Refining may still be the lowest level, but within this 300-mile radius, at least the ninth level is enough to protect oneself, and this is the most important point.

Getting out of bed, Chen Yi planned to go out and practice his swordsmanship. Swordsmanship was his only means of combat now, so he couldn't slack off in his practice.

Before he could even open the door, a knocking sound rang out.

When I opened the door, I saw that it was Liu Shen who had knocked.

Liu Shen's face was pale, and his eyes were filled with confusion and unease. This look made Chen Yi's expression immediately turn serious.

"Patriarch..." Liu Shen took several deep breaths before finally speaking.

He looked at Chen Yi, his voice trembling: "Patriarch, the Ning family and the Zhang family have joined forces. The young master of the Ning family has married the daughter of the Zhang family patriarch. With the two families working together, I'm afraid even if Master Fang is outside, he will have a hard time keeping these two families in check."

Ning Zhenshan of the Ning family is at the ninth level of the Qi Refining stage, and the head of the Zhang family is the same. As for the Chen family, even though Zhou Fang is out and about as a deterrent, can Zhou Fang, who is only at the eighth level of the Qi Refining stage, really keep the Ning and Zhang families in check?

It's going to be tough. With the Ning and Zhang families joining forces, Chen Jiaming is now like meat on a chopping board.

Chen Yi immediately understood the seriousness of the situation. The Chen family was indeed finding it difficult to face both the Ning and Zhang families at the same time. The opponents were too strong, and the Chen family had few options left.

"The sudden alliance between these two families must mean they've decided to eliminate the Chen family as soon as possible," Li Changqing's voice suddenly rang out.

She heard the noise and came out of the room.

Chen Yi glanced at Li Changqing and nodded, but then shook his head and said, "Perhaps it's not that simple."

He pondered for a moment and continued, "The Chen, Ning, and Zhang families are all within a 30-mile radius. Among them, the Ning and Zhang families have actually fought the most in the past because their medicinal herb gardens are not far apart. Year after year, the two families have been openly and secretly fighting each other, and quite a few people have died as a result."

"Furthermore, since the Ning family attacked us recently, the wisest response for the Zhang family now is not to join forces with the Ning family, but to sit back and watch the tigers fight each other, and see us fight the Ning family to the death first. In this way, the Zhang family will benefit the most."

Li Changqing listened attentively, and after a brief moment's thought, he immediately said, "You mean, the Ning and Zhang families joining forces isn't necessarily aimed at the Chen family, but rather they're forced to unite for some reason?"

Chen Yi nodded and analyzed, "That's right. The only ones who could force the Ning and Zhang families to join forces are the other two families that grow medicinal herbs, namely the Wang and Zhao families. I think that either the Wang and Zhao families also joined forces, which forced the Ning and Zhang families to join forces as well."

"Of course, there is another possibility: the Zhao family has produced a cultivator with good talent who has reached the peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining. If this cultivator from the Zhao family is likely to break through to the next level of Qi Refining in the near future, it will also force the Ning and Zhang families to join forces."

After some analysis, Chen Yi became increasingly convinced that, given the past animosity between the Ning and Zhang families, the possibility of them joining forces now solely to target the Chen family was actually quite slim.

Liu Shen then realized that the patriarch's analysis made a lot of sense, and his expression improved considerably. However, he quickly realized that his expression had become even more unpleasant.

If it is truly a joint effort between the Wang and Zhao families, or if the Zhao family is about to produce a Foundation Establishment cultivator, then even the Ning and Zhang families need to unite to deal with it. How could the Chen family remain aloof?

The Chen family's situation will only get worse. In the end, they will either be wiped out or choose to submit to the Zhao family as soon as possible. There is no third option.

Upon reflection, Liu Shen immediately realized that the situation was far more serious than he had initially thought.