After a month of closed-door training, Qin Ruyu finally returned home.

A year ago, not long after Qin Ruqing left Nanling, Qin Ruyu also departed, but he went north.

After the Qin family took over the entire Nanling market, they needed to expand further to grow.

Since Qin Ruqing went to Xiling, Qin Ruyu, as a key candidate for the family’s young leader, was given an important task: to manage the Northern Ridge branch.

In short, as long as Qin Ruyu could stabilize and set up the Northern Ridge branch smoothly, his position as the young leader would be secured.

He had been away for more than six months, and with the Hundred Races Conference approaching, he finally returned home under his parents’ urging.

When Qin Ruqing saw her brother, she noticed he had changed significantly.

Compared to the previous youthful appearance, her brother now exuded a sense of stability and dominance.

It seemed managing family affairs and being out in the world had built his presence.

However, upon seeing Qin Ruqing, the imposing brother immediately smiled and turned back into the obedient brother from before, opening his arms wide.

As usual, Qin Ruqing rushed into his embrace.

As soon as she hugged him, she realized she had grown quite a bit; she used to only reach his chin, but now she was nearly up to his nose.

“Qingqing has become more beautiful and… grown taller!”

Hearing “taller,” Qin Ruqing pouted, pulled away from his embrace, and sat down on a chair in frustration.

Qin Ruyu wasn’t surprised by her reaction.

He shrugged his sleeves and elegantly sat down with a smile.

Seeing her brother’s expression, Qin Ruqing knew he was teasing her on purpose, knowing she disliked comments about her height.

After all, the once easygoing brother had turned a bit cunning after being out and about.

The sibling exchange was light-hearted, and after some casual chatting, they quickly got to the serious topic.

“Brother, after I got home, I sent you a message, but you never replied. Plus, you returned much later than expected. What happened?”

Qin Ruqing’s initial concern turned serious when Qin Ruyu nodded.

His expression also became solemn as he said:

“This time, when the Qin family opened the branch in Northern Ridge, there were indeed some unexpected issues.”

Qin Ruqing was taken aback.

As her brother explained, she quickly understood the situation.

When Qin Ruyu first arrived in Northern Ridge, everything went smoothly.

The Qin family’s medical model was very innovative, and they opened a Qin Family Medical Clinic there.

This was something that had never been seen in Northern Ridge before and was beneficial to the people, allowing the Qin family to establish a strong presence.

However, about six months after setting up, when the Qin Medical Clinic and Alchemy Workshop gained some fame, troubles began to arise.

Initially, the issue was that the Qin family’s prices for elixirs were too low, which upset other alchemy families in the city.

They even banded together to push the Qin family out.

In response, Qin Ruyu decided to raise prices.

After all, each area has its own environment.

The Qin family could engage in price wars in Southern Ridge because they were powerful and financially capable.

However, the situation in Northern Ridge was different.

Even though the Zhang and Han families were unhappy, they didn’t dare to intervene.

However, Northern Ridge was not the Qin family’s stronghold, and their sudden entry disrupted the existing market, which led to common rivalries.

So, Qin Ruyu didn’t think much of it.

Qin Ruqing agreed that Qin Ruyu’s decision to raise prices was reasonable.

With the quality and operational model of the Qin family’s elixirs, they remained highly competitive even if the price difference was small.

But as Qin Ruyu continued, Qin Ruqing’s brows began to furrow.

While the initial opposition could be seen as legitimate business competition, things started to turn nasty.

The issues Qin Ruyu faced included, but were not limited to: accusations that the Qin family’s elixirs were problematic, leading to cases of poisoning; frequent disturbances at the branch, with one incident nearly resulting in a death; and so many reports against them that the Northern Ridge Celestial Bureau had to send officials for inspections.

After hearing this, Qin Ruqing declared, “You’re clearly being targeted on purpose.”

Qin Ruyu nodded, “That’s what I think too. That’s why I delayed my return home; I was investigating this matter. Eventually, I found out that the main family behind this targeting is the Ren family, one of the two major Silver families in Northern Ridge.”

“Why would a Silver family in Northern Ridge target us for no reason?” Qin Ruqing furrowed her brows. “Aren’t they also an alchemy family with overlapping interests?”

But Qin Ruyu shook his head, “Not at all. This family is clearly diversified and doesn’t primarily focus on one thing. Even if they have alchemy-related ventures, Northern Ridge’s market is so large that our Qin family, having just entered, doesn’t pose a threat!”

This was puzzling.

After thinking for a moment, Qin Ruqing concluded, “There are a few possibilities.”

“First, our Qin family unintentionally offended the Ren family, leading them to seek revenge. But this is unlikely since we’ve never had business dealings or familial ties with them—so how could we have offended them?”

“Second, the Qin family hasn’t offended the Ren family, but perhaps we’ve made enemies who are connected or friendly with them. Friends of enemies are also enemies, so they’re intentionally making things difficult for us.”

“And the third…” Qin Ruqing hesitated but didn’t finish her thought. Qin Ruyu raised an eyebrow and gently prompted, “Is there anything you can’t say in front of your brother?”

Qin Ruqing smiled, but her gaze was serious: “The third possibility is the most serious one: this family is acting on higher orders. Even without grievances, they still have to cause trouble.”

Qin Ruyu fell silent.

The Ren family was already a Silver family; if they were receiving orders from above, what kind of power was behind them?

If what Ruqing said was true, then this third possibility was indeed the most serious.

After a moment, Qin Ruqing stood up and stretched lazily, saying, “But, when soldiers come, we’ll fight; when water comes, we’ll cover it. If someone is secretly targeting the Qin family, they surely won’t stop with just this one incident, so we can wait calmly.”

“As for the Northern Ridge branch, if it’s not going smoothly, that’s fine. After all, the Western Ridge market is nearly under our control, and I’ve secured a ten-year dividend period for the Qin family, which will be enough for us.”

“Let’s put Northern Ridge on hold for now. Once the troubles are resolved, everything will naturally fall into place.”

Qin Ruyu, who had been full of worries, felt his concerns vanish upon hearing Qin Ruqing’s words.

He looked at her with mixed emotions, thinking he had grown sufficiently impressive, only to find his sister always soaring ahead of him.

Calm, composed, confident, and powerful.

Well, with a sister like her, the Qin family had nothing to fear for the future.

All he needed to do was focus on his own responsibilities and protect her.

After Qin Ruyu returned to the family, seven days passed.

By this time, the registration for the Hundred Races Conference was nearing its end, and Fifth Ziyan had discreetly mentioned it a couple of times.

Forming a core was a significant matter; while it could happen in just a few days for some, for others, it could take up to six months.

If the Qin family delayed their registration, they might miss this conference. Participating as a Silver family was excellent, but if they were too late, just entering with the basic qualifications would suffice, and they wouldn’t face discrimination for it.

The hope was that the Qin family would make a careful decision.

Qin Ruqing was well aware of the stakes and had already decided to wait a few more days.

If there were still no updates from the secret chamber, she would register directly.

On the last day of her self-imposed deadline, noticeable changes finally occurred in the chamber.

That day, Qin Ruqing was discussing the Ren family issues in Northern Ridge with Qin Deming and several elders when suddenly everyone looked up.

A powerful aura surged from the highest point of the Qin territory, radiating an intense presence.

This aura sent a shiver through everyone, making them instinctively tremble.

Soon, as they realized what this meant, everyone jumped to their feet, exchanging glances without needing words, and hurriedly rushed toward Ancestor Wenxuan’s retreat.

Above the retreat, dark clouds gathered, thickening ominously, and thunder rumbled within, accompanied by flashes of lightning, building a terrifying atmosphere.

The Grand Elder’s expression was extremely serious: “This is the core formation thunder tribulation. The ancestor has reached the critical moment!”

Seeing the crowd surrounding the retreat, Qin Deming shouted, “Everyone, step back! No one is allowed to enter the area around the Shadow Residence!”

As the family leader, his words carried weight, but some people were still slow to react.

A few bold ones even lingered near the island in the lake.

Qin Ruqing narrowed her eyes and quickly formed a hand seal, causing golden light to shine from her fingertips.

The light shot up into the air and soon expanded, enveloping the entire retreat. Mist condensed, forming a barrier.

This barrier was different from ordinary ones; inside, the temperature was normal, but outside, it radiated intense heat, with flickering golden flames dancing at the very edge.

Qin Ruqing amplified her voice, saying gently, “This fire, once it touches you, is not easy to extinguish. It can refine flesh and blood lightly or scorch the soul severely. We are all family here, so please be careful and don’t lose your lives in your own home. That would be unfortunate, wouldn’t it?”

Unlike the clan leader and the Grand Elder’s harsh commands, her tone was almost soft.

Yet, everyone who heard her changed their expressions dramatically and instinctively backed away from the retreat without needing her to repeat herself.

Shortly after the clan members had retreated, the ancestor emerged from the secret chamber.

She stood atop the highest peak of the Qin territory, her white robe pristine and unblemished.

Holding a sword with no sharp edge, she seemed to be waiting.

However, the lightning tribulation in the clouds did not strike for a long time, as if gathering greater momentum.

Seeing this, the ancestor suddenly looked up and leaped into the air, provoking the thunderstorm to roar down in response.

One bolt after another struck, the white figure contrasting starkly against the thick bolts of lightning, appearing so small.

Yet, not a single bolt could defeat that small figure.

All the Qin family members were shocked by this battle against the heavens.

Soon, the rain-like downpour of lightning suddenly stopped, and the thunderous noise ceased, bringing an unsettling silence.

The Grand Elder murmured, “This is the last one…”

The final strike would be the strongest.

If they could withstand it, the Qin family would gain a powerful core formation cultivator and ascend to Silver rank.

Qin Ruqing’s gaze was fixed on the clouds when suddenly her pupils shrank.

A bolt of lightning ten times thicker than the previous ones shot down at a ninety-degree angle, crashing directly into the ancestor and slamming her into the ground, causing the earth to tremble.

Not only did the hearts of all the Qin family members hang in the balance, but the powerful auras scattered around the Qin territory were even more tense than those of the Qin family.

The Han family elder murmured, “Only after forming a core does the lightning tribulation appear. Qin Wenxuan is about to form her core!”

“I thought the previous conflict with the secret realm was just a temporary setback for the Han family. Who would have thought that this retreat would lead to more retreats? The Qin family is now advancing far ahead. Even with our Han family secretly strengthening ourselves and having two foundation establishment cultivators, I’m in the late stage of foundation establishment, but we still can’t compete with the Qin family.”

“If Qin Wenxuan succeeds in forming her core, the Han family… will probably never catch up to the Qin family.”

To the west, Zhang family leader Hao Gou looked complexly toward the Qin territory.

A golden core lightning tribulation.

The Qin family was about to advance so quickly?

Three years ago, they already had three foundation establishment cultivators, so this promotion was just a matter of time. Yet, no one expected this day to come so soon.

Now, as long as Qin Wenxuan succeeded in forming her core, Southern Ridge would truly be under the Qin family’s name.

But… Hao Gou smoothed his sleeves, thinking, what difference does it make if it’s the Qin family?

The Zhang family had enmity with them, but he himself had no grudge against the Qin family.

Of course, now that the Zhang family was his, it meant the Zhang family had no conflict with the Qin family either.