Chapter Two: The Filial Piety System

(Page 1 of 3)

The hall of the Xuan Dan Sect erupted in a cacophony of gasps as Chen Xuan finished speaking. Every disciple and elder opened their eyes wide in utter disbelief.

Had they misheard?

The Sect Master was actually going to expel Ye Xueyan from the sect.

Are our better days finally coming?

Ye Xueyan stood frozen on the spot, her face a mask of incredulity. Had she heard him correctly? Didn't he value the sect's legacy above all else? She was his only heir; how could he possibly cast her out?

It must be a bluff.

Bolstered by this thought, Ye Xueyan regained her composure and demanded indignantly, "Chen Xuan, what exactly do you mean by this?"

"If you retract what you just said, apologize to me in public, and give my brother another 500,000 spirit stones, I might choose to forgive you and allow you to keep me in the Xuan Dan Sect." She puffed out her chest, acting as if she were bestowing a great favor upon Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan rose abruptly, staring down at Ye Xueyan. The overwhelming pressure of a Nascent Soul ancestor surged toward her like a torrential flood. The entire hall turned icy cold.

"Ye Xueyan, everything you eat, everything you wear, including the very cultivation base you possess right now, was bestowed upon you by me."

"Without me, you are nothing but a stray dog by the side of the road."

"Who gave you the audacity to bark at me?"

"Kneel!"

Ye Xueyan was only at the Foundation Establishment stage. Usually, she relied on the reputation of the Xuan Dan Sect to bully smaller sects that dared not retaliate, but now, facing a true Nascent Soul ancestor, the mere aura alone made her feel the touch of death. Her knees buckled involuntarily, and she collapsed to the floor.

"Chen Xuan," she stammered. Since being adopted by Chen Xuan, she had been held in higher esteem than anyone else in the sect, with even Chen Xuan himself catering to her whims. To be forced to kneel in public like a dog now filled her with humiliated rage. "What do you mean by saying these things to me?"

"You were the one who chose to adopt me. Since you took me in, you have an obligation to provide for me. Everything you gave me is just what you were supposed to do."

"Besides, the things I asked for were to enhance my strength so that I could help you bring glory to the Xuan Dan Sect in the future. Isn't that a way of repaying you?"

"Manage the Xuan Dan Sect for me, to repay me?" Chen Xuan sneered. He strode toward Ye Xueyan, looking down at her as if she were an ant. "Is your so-called repayment the embezzlement of sect treasures for your Ye family members, who possess not a shred of cultivation?"

"Is your so-called repayment the way you let the Ye family run wild, creating enemies for the Xuan Dan Sect on all sides?"

"Is your so-called repayment the act of installing your family's mutt as the sect's sacred beast?!"

As these words fell, the disciples and elders in the hall wept openly. They had suffered too much over these past years.

(Page 2 of 3)

Meeting Chen Xuan's icy gaze up close, Ye Xueyan's heart skipped a beat. Why did Chen Xuan seem so like a stranger today? In the past, no matter how angry he was, his eyes would only show resignation or frustration at her lack of progress, but now, she saw genuine killing intent.

Ye Xueyan swallowed hard. It was true that she had never intended to manage the Xuan Dan Sect properly. She had already found her biological parents, and naturally, she had to prioritize her own family and nurture them first. Her family were the ones who truly cared for her and would always be by her side. As for the Xuan Dan Sect, it didn't matter if it existed or not; as long as the Ye family thrived, that was enough.

But she wasn't foolish enough to say that out loud. It seemed she had really provoked Chen Xuan's anger today; pushing him further might cause him to act recklessly. Besides, she was his only heir; once he cooled down, he would come crawling back to her like a dog.

Thinking this, Ye Xueyan put on a sorrowful expression. "I never expected you to misunderstand me so deeply."

"Fine, I'll leave!"

With that, she prepared to rise. However, Chen Xuan pressed a hand down on her, pinning her to the spot.

"What are you doing? If you don't acknowledge me, can't I just leave?" Ye Xueyan widened her eyes.

"You can leave," Chen Xuan said coldly, "but you must return everything you have obtained from the Xuan Dan Sect."

"What?"

Before Ye Xueyan could speak further, Chen Xuan placed a palm firmly on her forehead without hesitation. A surge of powerful spiritual energy flooded into her body, wreaking havoc on her sea of qi like a crumbling dam. The spiritual power of a Nascent Soul ancestor was something Ye Xueyan could never resist. In less than three breaths, she collapsed limply to the ground, her cultivation completely destroyed.

"Hmph."

Chen Xuan turned and returned to the Sect Master's throne. With an aura of absolute dominance, he addressed the hall: "From this day forth, Ye Xueyan and all members of the Ye family are expelled from the sect."

"Everything the Ye family has taken from the Xuan Dan Sect must be returned in full within three days."

"If it is not returned, I will kill one person for every day of delay."

Silence. Everyone in the hall stood stunned, shocked to the core. Chen Xuan had actually severed ties with Ye Xueyan—and not only that, he had crippled her cultivation. When the realization finally dawned on them, they were overcome with wild joy.

"You actually crippled me." Feeling the complete absence of spiritual energy in her body, Ye Xueyan wore an expression beyond description. She was his only heir; how could he do this to her?

"Chen Xuan, how could you do this to me!"

"My cultivation is mine! By what right do you destroy it!"

(Page 3 of 3)

"By what right!" Ye Xueyan shrieked like a shrew.

"Throw her out." Chen Xuan glanced at her with cold indifference. Although the task given by the system was merely to expel Ye Xueyan to activate it, he felt such a punishment was far too light. Moreover, only by losing his protection and becoming a crippled commoner would she ever see her so-called biological parents for the faces they truly wore. Thinking of the special reward he would receive once the Ye family turned on each other, a corner of Chen Xuan's mouth curled upward.

"Chen Xuan, you cannot do this to me..."

Watching as Ye Xueyan was dragged out of the hall by the disciples of the Xuan Dan Sect, Chen Xuan felt not a ripple of emotion.

【Ding, choice completed. The Filial Piety System has been activated.】

【Filial Piety System: When others show filial piety toward the host, the host receives filial piety rewards. The higher the target's fortune, the greater the reward.】

【Initial activation of the system: One Activation Gift Pack granted.】

"Open the gift pack."

【Ding, congratulations to the host. You have received: Immortal-Grade All-Element Spiritual Roots, Eyes of Fortune.】

"It's actually Immortal-Grade All-Element Spiritual Roots!" Chen Xuan was overjoyed. Cultivation requires spiritual roots, which are categorized into the five elements and various impure roots. These are further divided into Mortal, Good, Superior, Supreme, Perfect, and Immortal grades. Previously, he had possessed Superior Fire and Metal spiritual roots. While rare, he would have reached his limit at the Nascent Soul stage without a miracle. Now, the system had granted him Immortal-Grade All-Element roots. Not only could he practice techniques of every attribute, but he also had the potential to become an Immortal Emperor.

Above the Xuan Dan Sect, dark clouds suddenly gathered, and purple lightning covered the entire sky. The disciples of the Xuan Dan Sect trembled in fear.

"What is happening?!"

"A lightning tribulation! This is a lightning tribulation!"

"Which fellow Daoist is breaking through?"

"What kind of lightning tribulation is this? It's terrifying! Could someone be breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage?"

"This isn't a Nascent Soul tribulation! Look at the Great Elder—he's drenched in sweat! This is a Spirit Severing tribulation!"