The return home did not immediately unfold in the scene Qin Ruxing had imagined, where the clan members would embrace and cry.

After the initial joy of their reunion, everyone displayed a mixed attitude of surprise and trepidation, uncertain how to behave.

Even her own parents, though their eyes were filled with tears upon seeing her, did not rush forward as they used to.

Qin Ruxing noticed her mother lifted her foot as if to step forward but then hesitated, eventually retracting.

Qin Ruxing understood.

The clan members were not estranged from her.

They simply didn’t know how to face her.

“Our Ruqing has defeated the Trancending Stage Ancestor!” they must have thought.

The Transcending Stage Ancestor was someone, even among the Golden Grade families, who would be greeted with deep reverence and ceremonial bowing.

But should they treat Ruqing with such high ceremony?

She was young, and such an approach might diminish her fortune!

Yet, reverting to their old attitudes was clearly unacceptable!

Her strength spoke volumes.

In the cultivation world, strength was everything—supreme and absolute!

Thus, finding the right approach was tricky, neither too light nor too heavy.

Qin Ruxing smiled inwardly, understanding their dilemma.

She deliberately playfully said, “So, after not coming home for a few years, have the elders become distant from me?”

With her words, her mother Luo Xian could no longer contain herself, and she suddenly rushed forward, hugging Ruqing’s neck and starting to cry (Ruqing was now taller than Luo Xian).

Qin Deming also moved to Ruqing’s side, placing a comforting hand on the back of her head, filled with emotion and pride.

The actions of her parents broke the stiff atmosphere, and the elders finally felt comfortable speaking.

The Second Elder, who had always been closest to Ruqing and cared for her the most, said, “Ah, it’s just that you’ve changed so much; we’re a bit intimidated, afraid that being too close might bother you.”

“Yes, you’ve become so accomplished that we don’t even know what to say!” another elder added.

Finally, the Ancestor Wenxuan smiled and said, “It’s this sort of behavior that makes it hard for Ruqing. Just be yourselves; treat her as you did before. Her success is a glory for the Qin family. You should be proud, not distant. Even I feel this is not quite right.”

With the Ancestor’s words setting the tone, everyone relaxed.

Preparations were then made for a welcoming banquet.

“There are countless people outside who want to visit and send gifts. Previously, we could put them off because the Ancestor and Ruqing weren’t back yet, but now, we need to address this properly. Also, there are rewards for subordinate families and venerated guests. The Qin family’s long-standing grievances have been redressed; we need to show our joy and appreciation,” Qin Deming explained while they continued with tea and casual conversation.

Qin Ruxing’s brother, Qin Ruyi, was seated behind Qin Deming and handed a list to the Ancestor at the right time.

Though the Qin family had been “closed off,” they had kept records of the families that had expressed their intentions.

Qin Ruyi had handled this task.

Ancestor Wenxuan took the list but, instead of looking at it, passed it to Qin Ruxing.

She was seated on the same level as the Ancestor.

Qin Ruxing had initially been reluctant, but all the elders insisted, “It’s only proper; otherwise, it would be inappropriate.”

Although she wasn’t entirely convinced by the idea of “inappropriateness,” Qin Ruxing complied.

She just insisted on sitting to the right, letting the Ancestor sit on the left side of honor, to maintain the order of seniority.

Qin Ruxing glanced at the list, which was detailed and organized, categorizing the gifts and messages from various families.

It made it clear which families were opportunistic and which were genuinely supportive.

The list was well-prepared, showing her brother had indeed improved.

Qin Ruxing gave Qin Ruyi a approving look, then closed the list and said, “Right now, there is something more important than the banquet and rewards.”

“Oh, has the verdict on the Fang family already been decided? Is there something unexpected coming up?” The Second Elder hisses in surprise.

“Are we supposed to clean up and wrap up everything with the Fang family?” Qin Dexin, still injured, expresses her anger towards the Fang family with a sharp gesture, making a chopping motion with her uninjured hand.

Qin Ruqing shakes her head. “What are you all thinking?”

“The Fang family matter is settled. Even if there are any developments, they are within our control,” she reassures everyone before smiling and slowly continuing, “What I want to talk about is a much bigger and more significant matter.”

“A bigger matter?” Everyone is puzzled. What could be more significant than the fall of the Fang family?

Qin Ruqing’s smile widens as she clearly mouths two words with a weighty significance: “Promotion!”

What?! The room falls silent abruptly.

“Our Qin family has been preparing for a long time. Don’t you think it’s time for us to rise a level?” Seeing the elders exchange glances, Qin Ruqing smiles and asks.

To her, the idea of the Qin family being promoted seems as casual as saying, “The weather is nice today; let’s go out for a walk.”

But others are completely stunned!

In fact, they hadn’t even considered this possibility before Qin Ruqing mentioned it.

“Are we promoting now?” Qin Deming opens his mouth in surprise. “Daughter, we’re not questioning your abilities or doubting that your advancement to the Transcending stage is certain. However, isn’t our Qin family still somewhat lacking?”

They’re not lacking confidence in Qin Ruqing, but they believe the Qin family’s conditions are still insufficient!

“Shouldn’t we wait a few more years?” Even the most solemn Second Elder speaks up.

Qin Ruqing shakes her head, smiling. “No, it’s now. Our Qin family needs to apply for promotion now!”

Her confident stance leaves everyone silent.

Though they know the Qin family hasn’t met the conditions for promotion to the Golden rank, Qin Ruqing’s words carry weight—she is now the most respected person in the Qin family and, in some ways, has surpassed even the ancestor.

Since she says it’s possible, perhaps it really is?

According to the rules for advancing to the Golden rank, one core requirement is that the family’s highest combat strength must reach the Transcending stage.

Ancestor Wenxuan looks at Qin Ruqing with a thoughtful expression, with a hint of anticipation.

“Could it be that Qingqing…”

“Ancestor, don’t be disappointed. I haven’t hidden any of my strength,” Qin Ruqing says, seemingly reading the Ancestor’s thoughts. “According to the cultivation world’s classification, I’m indeed at the Nascent Soul stage.”

The mention of the cultivation world’s classification seems to carry some deeper meaning.

“Is there a different classification not according to the cultivation world’s standards?” the Ancestor asks.

Qi Rong, sitting at the back, looks confused, while Lu Wei is deep in thought.

Tang Zifeng, after some consideration, says: “Could it be according to the Dao path classification?”

Everyone turns their attention to him.

Tang Zifeng, with his calm demeanor, remains composed as he explains. “When I received my inheritance in the Void, the great being who passed it to me said: Cultivation is fundamentally about refining oneself. Refining oneself will ultimately reflect in one’s specific Dao path pursuit.”

“The cultivation world’s classification is convenient and detailed but can be rigid and insufficient to define all levels of great beings. In ancient times and even further back, strength wasn’t fully categorized by cultivation levels but was more about understanding of the Dao path. This is the real core.”

After Tang Zifeng finishes, Qi Rong realizes, “So, is that what my sister meant? I remember a similar explanation when I received my inheritance—about focusing on the principles of the Dao path.”

Lu Wei nods, “It seems that ancient great beings valued this more.”

The Ancestor and other elders listen intently, occasionally showing thoughtful expressions.

Qin Dexin leans forward, eager to hear more details.

However, Qin Ruqing shakes her head again.

Qin Ruqing continued with an air of calm confidence, “Xiao Tang is right, but the current status of the Qin family being at the Silver Grade is not entirely related to this matter.”

Everyone looked at her with curiosity.

Qin Ruxing smiled nonchalantly, “The Ancestor mentioned the rules for the Golden Grade, and indeed, there are such rules that our families follow strictly. However, these rules were added over time by the Celestial, meaning they weren’t the original rules.”

This revelation seemed to touch on significant secrets.

The onlookers exchanged glances, and the Fourth Elder stood up, shooing the attendants further away and setting up a barrier to ensure privacy.

Though the attendants could not hear much, such a level of secrecy made them uneasy.

The Ancestor Wenxuan gestured for Qin Ruxing to continue with a serious expression.

Qin Ruxing grinned and said, “During my time in the Void, I had extensive conversations with the two ancient Dao Sovereign, including Dao Sovereign Fusheng. He took me through the annals of history, and from that, I learned many hidden truths.”

“One of these secrets is about the original rules of the family system.”

“At the beginning, the family system was not as complex as it is now. It only had a few core rules, and that doesn’t need further elaboration. What Dao Sovereign Fusheng told me was that the determination of a family’s grade is not solely based on the Celestial’s judgment. After all, Celestial are also human, and human emotions can cloud impartiality…”

“So, Dao Sovereign Fusheng left behind additional methods?” The Second Elder was thrilled, feeling as though they were on the brink of uncovering ancient secrets.

“Not exactly a method, but an additional evaluation procedure,” Qin Ruxing clarified.

She held up two fingers and declared, “Dao Sovereign Fusheng left behind two artifacts to assist in evaluating family grades. One of them, you might want to guess?”

The fact that Qin Ruxing invited them to guess implied that it was something they might have heard of or even seen.

The Ancestor Wenxuan furrowed his brows and tentatively guessed, “Could it be the Book of Heaven and Earth?”

The Book of Heaven and Earth, held by Celestials, was not actually their possession but an ancient inheritance and was a powerful artifact.

Ancestor Wenxuan immediately thought of this when it came to family evaluations.

Qin Ruxing smiled and lowered one finger, signaling that the Book of Heaven and Earth was indeed one of the artifacts.

This revelation was both surprising and enlightening to everyone.

“And the other one?” The Ancestor asked.

Others began guessing, but none of their guesses were correct.

Just as Qin Ruxing was about to reveal the answer, a familiar deep voice spoke up.

“—is it the Golden List from Mount Bu Zhou?”

The voice… Qin Ruxing turned immediately towards Tang Zifeng.

Tang Zifeng met her gaze and smiled.

“Xiao Tang, how did you come up with that?” The second artifact was indeed hard to guess, and it was difficult for most people to make the connection.

Tang Zifeng explained with a slight smile, “You mentioned evaluating family grades. There is a difference between evaluating families and evaluating talents, isn’t there? The Golden List on Mount Buzhou is primarily used for evaluating families.”

The realization dawned on the crowd.

Indeed, the Golden List seemed purpose-built for evaluating family grades, while evaluating talents was more of an additional function.

Qin Ruxing clapped her hands with satisfaction, pleased with how her hints had worked out perfectly. “As expected of you, Great Refiner! So, the answer is clear—”

Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she displayed the familiar look of someone on the brink of gaining something valuable or pulling off a significant move.

“Once we receive acknowledgment from both the Book of Heaven and Earth and the Golden List in Mount Buzhou, the Qin family’s ascension to the Celestial Grade is a done deal. Even the Celestial Bureau and Celestial Family won’t be able to deny it!”