Chapter 14: Reborn as a Marquis from Among Enemies (Part Two)

Feng Zi'an noticed that his ninth brother seemed to have changed since the last time.
Although he was still all smiles every time he visited, being around his brother always gave him a feeling of being confined.
That...icy chill, a bewildered and helpless fear.
From that day on, his ninth brother displayed talent that astonished the entire Marquis's mansion.
In just one month, he progressed from the fifth level of the Spirit Awakening Realm to the ninth level, as if he had been given a cheat code.
Even the Marquis of Jinghai, the patriarch who had been silent for many years, was alarmed and took the ninth brother under his wing to personally teach him.
"Sigh...I just wanted my ninth brother to have a happy childhood. I don't think I've offended him in any way."
Feng Zi'an reflected on his actions and, finding no fault with Su Chen, finally relaxed.
...
Inside the luxurious palace
Su Chen was sitting beside an elderly man dressed in purple robes.
The old man had white hair and appeared aged, but his vital energy flowed like a surging river, unstoppable. Simply sitting cross-legged, he seemed to be the center of heaven and earth, exuding divine might.
This was Marquis Jinghai, one of the ten strongest figures in the Tianfeng Kingdom!
A sixth-level Spirit Soul Realm expert!
"Spirit Soul Realm...this is the Spirit Soul Realm, a Marquis-level expert! He's practically indistinguishable from an immortal!"
"If it were my past life, I'd probably be killed with a single glare from a Spirit Soul Realm expert."
Su Chen was secretly shocked. This was the first time he'd been so close to a Spirit Soul Realm expert.
He'd heard that at the Spirit Soul Realm, cultivation focused on Divine Soul Power, fundamentally different from those below.
Several times the Tianfeng Kingdom was on the verge of collapse, it was these Spirit Soul Realm experts who had saved the day.
"Not bad, to have reached the Spirit Gathering Realm so quickly! Only three months! This kind of cultivation talent has only appeared once before in the records of my Tianfeng Kingdom!"
Marquis Jinghai's face lit up with joy. He'd heard that the current incompetent patriarch had nine sons with extraordinary talent, but he hadn't thought much of it.
However, two months ago, he heard that those nine sons had suddenly awakened, advancing from the fifth to the ninth level of Spirit Awakening in just one month.
Thinking of this, Marquis Jinghai was filled with regret. He regretted not bringing this child to his side to cultivate sooner; this was clearly an auspicious omen for his lineage!
This child has wasted four years of his talent! If he hadn't, he might have broken all the cultivation records in the Tianfeng Kingdom!
"Thank you for the praise, Grandpa Jinghai."
Su Chen's small body was framed by his large, bright eyes, his appearance incredibly adorable, making Marquis Jinghai like him more and more.
"However, Grandpa Jinghai, who is the number one genius recorded in the Tianfeng Kingdom?"
Su Chen's eyes were filled with curiosity.
He was genuinely curious. In this life, his cultivation talent had a high chance of breaking through to the Spirit Soul Realm.
However, although his cultivation talent was strong in this life, it was incomparable to those monstrous geniuses recorded in the kingdom's talent records, such as Marquis Jinghai before him, who was at the sixth level of the Spirit Soul Realm. Su Chen estimated that he might not even be able to reach that level before he died.
His rapid cultivation was due to two factors: firstly, he had traversed the cultivation path twice in his previous life; secondly, the Spirit Burning Secret Technique recorded in the Spirit Communication Technique left behind by the Spirit King, which sacrificed lifespan for a short period of accelerated cultivation.
In his previous life, upon breaking through to the Spirit Sea Realm, he could have had a lifespan of three hundred years, but after using the Spirit Burning Secret Technique, his lifespan was reduced to two hundred years.
This technique had significant drawbacks, completely draining potential and lifespan, but Su Chen couldn't care less.
In this life, he had only one thought:
All members of the Feng Clan must die!
With such a significant advantage and price, Su Chen's cultivation speed was absolutely unparalleled, at least in the Tianfeng Kingdom, in his opinion. However, he had heard of someone even more talented than him.
Marquis Jinghai squinted, chuckling, "That's a legend. It's said that the establishment of my Heavenly Wind Kingdom is related to that person. My Feng Clan's founding ancestor befriended that mythical man, who helped him overthrow the previous dynasty and establish the Heavenly Wind Kingdom."
"Even my ancestor once said that he was far inferior to that person's cultivation... He felt like a fish in a pond seeing the vast sky when he met him."
Su Chen's eyes flickered. A founding ancestor of a nation—undoubtedly a legend—yet he so belittled himself.
"Is that person still cultivating in seclusion in my Heavenly Wind Kingdom?"
Su Chen asked curiously.
Marquis Jinghai shook his head: "Since that mythical figure helped my ancestor establish the Heavenly Wind Kingdom, he went alone to a wider world and has been missing ever since."
Su Chen blinked, his heart filled with joy.
Such a big boss wasn't even in the Heavenly Wind Kingdom.
Heaven is on my side!
But his face fell, seemingly disappointed.
Marquis Jinghai chuckled and scolded, "You little rascal, do you perhaps have designs on that legendary figure? Do you think my cultivation isn't high enough to teach you?"
Su Chen quickly shook his head, "In my heart, Grandpa Marquis Jinghai is the strongest person in the Tianfeng Kingdom, a pillar of our kingdom, the greatest person, and the greatest warrior of our Feng Clan!"
Marquis Jinghai's smile stretched almost to his ears, "You're quite the smooth talker, lad. I'm not as good as you make me out to be."
Su Chen seized the opportunity to press, "Then who exactly is this legendary man who helped our ancestor establish the kingdom?"
Marquis Jinghai, in high spirits, revealed this secret to Su Chen: "That legendary man... his name is Shenhua, Li Shenhua! He's from the Li family... a divinely bestowed person!"
...
Five years passed in the blink of an eye.
Under Marquis Jinghai's tutelage, Su Chen's cultivation rapidly increased, quickly reaching the first level of Spirit Patterns.
A fourteen-year-old at the first level of Spirit Patterns—it was almost terrifying to hear.
That year, after some deliberation, Marquis Jinghai sent Su Chen to the Tianfeng Martial Academy for training.
Now, within the Jinghai Marquis's lineage, Su Chen is undoubtedly the young master, and in many ways, the title "young master" can be omitted.
Su Chen can directly mobilize all the overt and covert forces of the Jinghai Marquis's mansion.
Su Chen's useless father in this life was completely a figurehead.
In Marquis Jinghai's eyes, Su Chen is the true heir.
Returning to the capital, Su Chen was filled with emotion.
In this life, his status and talent placed him at the pinnacle of the Tianfeng Kingdom. If he could slow down and savor the journey of this life, it might have been a fulfilling one.
Unfortunately… Su Chen closed his eyes, but images of his past life flooded his mind.
Outside the luxurious carriage, snow fell like goose feathers.
“Young Marquis, we’ve arrived at the Tianfeng Martial Academy.”
The steward stood outside the carriage, whispering a reminder, seemingly afraid of disturbing Su Chen.
Su Chen slowly stepped out of the carriage. Surrounding him were numerous instructors and students from the Tianfeng Kingdom, all curiously watching the magnificent carriage.
There stood… the number one genius of the Tianfeng Kingdom!