With furrowed brows, Yi Chen went through the status panel of the woman sitting beside Zhou Tian.

================

Name: Zhou Fei

Age: 525 years

Strength: 670

Cultivation: First Level of [Core Building Stage]

Qi Nature: Earth

Extra: Likes being called young

=================

'She's 525 years old?!' Yi Chen couldn't help but feel taken aback.

From her looks, she seemed much younger than Zhou Tian, so he wasn't able to link her to be his wife.

However, her status panel resolved his doubts.

Meanwhile, Zhou Fei was also curiously checking him.

'So he's the one who saved my daughter's life…'

Zhou Fei thought to herself. However, a subtle frown formed on her face the next moment when she noticed Yi Chen's gaze on her for a second longer than what's considered appropriate.

Yi Chen, who immediately realised this blunder, clasped his hands the very next moment and said, "I greet the clan head's wife,"

Hearing his words, a curious smile formed on Zhou Fei's face as she asked, "I heard that this was your first time in the capital city, so how did you know my identity?"

It may sound like a very simple question, but through it, Zhou Fei was trying to learn more about Yi Chen.

"…That's because just like Zhou Mei, Madam's face also shares the same youthful glow," Yi Chen answered the very next moment.

Knowing the 'extra' details about her, Yi Chen tried to leave a better impression on her.

The smirk on Zhou Fei's face widened when she heard those words and said, "You indeed have good eyes. As expected of a heroic man such as you, come take a seat."

With that said, she gestured for him to sit on the seat next to Zhou Mei.

"Hello, Brother Chen,"

Zhou Mei grinned widely when she saw him seated next to her.

Yi Chen also greeted her with a smile.

A curious expression formed on Zhou Fei's face when she saw this brief interaction.

The next moment, turning towards Yi Chen, she said, "Since the moment I heard about the whole situation from Zhou Tian, I've been wanting to meet you, Yi Chen.

Seeing you from my own eyes, I can indeed say that you exude a heroic spirit, and I'm glad that my daughter was fortunate enough to cross paths with you."

Zhou Mei kept nodding her head from the side while her mother was saying those words.

"I only did what I thought was right, Madam," Yi Chen accepted her words with a humble bow.

Seeing this, the already good impression Yi Chen had formed in her mind of Yi Chen became even better.

"Since everyone has greeted each other, let's start the banquet," Zhou Tian said the next moment, and with a clap of his hands, several dishes were served on the table.

"These are all Qi-enriched foods, so eating them will help you replenish your Qi much faster." Zhou Tian told Yi Chen, who couldn't help but feel excited by this revelation.

Seeing the roasted meat and fresh vegetables, which looked more appetising than normal, Yi Chen's curiosity about them was stoked.

Without further ado, he grabbed a piece of meat from his plate and started eating.

At first, he didn't feel anything, but after he emptied half his plate, he saw a slight increase in his innate Qi.

It looked very marginal, but for Yi Chen, it was a great deal.

His Innate Qi, which in the last fifteen days had only increased by five, suddenly rose to 5.1 just after eating half a piece of meat.

Seeing this, Yi Chen began devouring the food with added vigour.

When Zhou Mei saw this scene, she thought that Yi Chen was competing with her on who could eat the most, and she, too, began devouring her plate with the same enthusiasm.

Zhou Tian and Zhou Fei glanced at each other, seeing this. An expression of disbelief and relief was apparent in their eyes.

Burp~

It was Zhou Mei who was the first one to finish her plate, and after a satisfied burp, she grinned victoriously.

"Brother Chen, you lost."

"Huh? We were competing?" Yi Chen asked doubtfully and stopped chewing with his mouth still stuffed with food.

"Of course we were! Don't tell me… were you only eating so fast because you liked the food?" Zhou Mei asked doubtfully.

"Of course, that's the reason. It's good for my Qi replenishment, so why else would I devour food like this?" Yi Chen said as if that was only given.

In reality, he had noticed Zhou Mei's actions, but he deliberately chose to ignore her.

'Why should I compete with her and fill my stomach quickly? I'll deliberately chew the food into fine pieces so as to eat a lot!' Yi Chen thought to himself.

When Zhou Mei heard his words, a wave of irritation rose in her heart, and she couldn't help but turn to Zhou Tian and whine, "Father! Brother Chen is bullying me!"

"Haha, Mei'er, it's your own fault for assuming things on your own," Zhou Tian laughed, seeing his daughter like this.

Turning towards Yi Chen, he said, "Eat as much as you want, Young Friend Chen. I'll get more made from the cook,"

"Then…I'll happily oblige," Yi Chen said with a grateful smile and glanced towards Zhou Mei with his chin slightly raised to showcase his victory.

'That's what you deserve for messing with me,' Yi Chen thought with a snort.

Zhou Mei could only grit her teeth in anger when she saw this scene, but not wanting to be outdone, she raised her hand the next moment and shouted, "Me too, father! I also want more food!"

"Alright, Mei'er," Zhou Tian agreed readily.

Seeing that his daughter, who had always been picky about food, wanted to have a second serving, he was more than happy.

'To think Mei'er would change by this much…' Zhou Fei thought in surprise. She has been observing her daughter closely since the time Yi Chen entered the hall.

Zhou Mei, who always had a haughty attitude towards others, rarely talked normally with anyone other than her family.

As a result, she had no friends at all, and the only person she freely interacted with was her elder sister, Zhou Lan.

So to see her talking in such a friendly manner with Yi Chen was quite shocking.

'Wait…could it be that she likes him?' A sudden thought crossed Zhou Fei's mind.

When she started observing her daughter's changes with that lens on, the answer immediately came to her.

However, she also knew that these feelings were only at the budding stage and Zhou Mei had yet to realise it herself.

The reason is that a girl in love would be too embarrassed to compete with her crush over food the way Zhou Mei was currently doing.

'If it's him, then I really don't mind…,' Zhou Fei thought to herself while observing Yi Chen.

Unlike those young frivolous men from reputable clans, he was someone who had the spine to fight several bandits alone to save his daughter.

She couldn't imagine any of those sheltered young masters doing what Yi Chen had done.

Not to mention the closeness which Zhou Mei had developed towards him during this period.

However, she didn't mull over this topic for any longer and shifted her attention to her plate.

'It's best not to rush such things. Since she's still young, I'll just observe how things progress in the following years.

As a mother, I'll be more than happy if Mei'er finds someone whom she really loves, irrespective of whether it's him or not.'

The Qi-rich food on the table was finally finished, and everyone had a satisfied expression on their faces.

Especially, Yi Chen, who was glancing at his status panel with an elated expression on his face

=== Godly Cultivator System ===

Name: Yi Chen

Age: 18 years

Strength: 130

Spiritual Qi: 10 / 10

Cultivation: Ninth Level of [Elementary Transformation Stage]

Innate Ability: Eye of Truth Lv1 [Progress: 920 / 100,000 EXP]

[Cultivation Arsenal]

=========== End ===========

'I can finally break through to the next stage!' Yi Chen thought in delight.

While he was busy with his thoughts, Zhou Tian gestured to one of his servants to bring the items he had prepared.

Cough Cough

Yi Chen's attention was attracted by the cough, and the next moment, he noticed a tray being carried by a servant.

On it was placed a rectangular plaque made of jade. It was the size of one's palm and had a deep blue colour to it. In its centre, the word 'Zhou' was written strikingly.

Seeing that he had Yi Chen's attention, Zhou Tian said, "This is the Zhou Clan's identity token. From today onwards, I officially recognise you as an honorary member of the clan for saving my daughter's life.

With this token, you'll have the same privileges as any member of the clan. However, unlike them, you won't be bound by the Clan's rules. Moreover…"

As Zhou Tian explained the details, an expression of deep gratitude was apparent on his and Zhou Fei's faces.

Giving this status to Yi Chen was a decision the two of them had made after a thorough discussion.

"As for the rest of the details, you may talk with Servant Lao later. He will explain all the ways you can utilise this token." Zhou Tian gestured towards the servant who was holding the tray at the moment.

"T-Thank you, Master Zhou," Yi Chen clasped his hands in thanks. Shock was clearly written on his face as this was really a huge matter. He had at most expected to be rewarded monetarily and not by being given such a status.

'It really was worth it…' Yi Chen thought back on his decision to help Zhou Mei till the end.

However, Zhou Tian had still not finished.

The next moment, Zhou Tian took out a scroll from inside his robe and handed it to Yi Chen.

"It's a scroll of proof signed by me. Hand this at the Red Velvet Pavilion branch in the city, and they'll help you with registering an account.

Cultivation becomes more and more expensive as one advances, so as a gesture of thanks, I've told them to transfer 500,000 low-grade spirit stones into that account.

It should be enough to fund your needs until you reach the [Meridian Refinement Stage]."

"This…"

He had heard about the Red Velvet Pavilion from Zhou Mei and Guard Bai. It was the most powerful and reputable merchant guild in the kingdom.

Creating an account in their guild, which acted as a bank as well, required either a strong background or a lot of money.

Once successful, they would get the opportunity to participate in their private auctions, where expensive items from other kingdoms are also presented from time to time.

Therefore, when Yi Chen heard Zhou Tian's words, he couldn't help but feel like he had won a huge lottery.

'Freaking 500,000 spirit stones? I'm finally rich!' Yi Chen almost broke his humble act and jumped in excitement.

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