Chapter 169 Blessings from All Sides

well-organized, with various ingredients neatly arranged in categories. It seemed that Hao Ren had arrived too early because dinner hadn't officially started yet; Zhao Hongyu was merely preparing bef...Chapter 169: Congratulations from All Directions

Thank you to the readers who generously gifted yesterday! Pí-Pí's Little Pig (Out, heh-heh, payday), Fierce comes to collect冊銑濟鏑礎招研糊特猜箔草夏 (Fierce), Peak Dance to the Ends of the Earth (Still). The Cat That Eats Butterflies (Four), Loves Spinach Very Much (Four), Art I Love You in June Art (Four).

A few readers have been gifting almost every day. Xiao Long bows in gratitude.

The word count for this chapter is strong.

Xing Ren turned to look and found that Qin Shaoyang's blue light was dim, seemingly only at the Stage of Separation beyond the Stage of Obstacle.

The two makeup artists and hairdressers thought so too. They stepped forward and said to Qin Shaoyang, "This is the dressing room for the East Sea area; unrelated personnel are asked to leave."

Bam!

A surge of imposing energy burst out from Qin Shaoyang's body.

The two makeup artists and hairdressers took several steps back and directly collided with the wall. Hao Ren, having prepared for it, grabbed onto the edge of the makeup table but still felt uncomfortable in his chest.

"Dare to show disrespect to an Inspector!" Qin Shaoyang coldly snorted and turned around to leave the dressing room.

The makeup artists and hairdressers massaged their chests for a long time before they could catch their breath.

They walked in front of Hao Ren. "Sorry, Mr. Hao, we've caused you trouble."

"It's okay," Hao Ren smiled at them. "Maybe my face is dusty and my hair is messy."

"No problem, we'll redo it for you." They stood in front of Hao Ren and got back to work.

Hao Ren looked back at the door where Qin Shaoyang had left, clenching his fist.

In the world of dragons, everything is about strength. If he reached Zhao Kuo's level, even if Qin Shaoyang were an Inspector, how could he dare to be so presumptuous

Another half hour was spent on touch-ups and hairstyle adjustments. Hao Ren in the mirror looked handsome again.

"Why are you just now getting here!" a sharp voice entered the dressing room.

Zhao Yanzi, wearing a blue-and-white striped shirt with an Athenian-style long skirt, appeared before Hao Ren's mirror.

She had both the noble air of a young princess and the freshness of a little girl! This perfect ensemble was clearly Zhao Hongyu's work.

Herself also made up, but only lightly to enhance her natural beauty. Such an outfit would surely shine at the banquet!

"I've been here for a while, but I've just been getting ready," said Hao Ren.

"Hmph, it's precisely because you're not handsome that you need makeup!" Zhao Yanzi circled around to the side of Hao Ren's chair and called out.

Hao Ren was speechless. Okay, I admit it, I am not handsome enough for a naturally beautiful and spoiled lady like you.

The makeup artist and hair stylist were carefully adjusting the final details. They didn't dare to mention Qin Shaoyang's disruption earlier.

"There, we're done," they stepped back half a step and said.

Hao Ren stood up and swayed in front of the mirror.

In the dressing room, Zhao Yanzi saw Hao Ren with his upright posture, beautiful features, elegant demeanor, and black suit. She almost didn't recognize him.

She stared at him, took a couple of steps back quietly.

Hao Ren wanted to ask how much time was left until the banquet officially started, but Zhao Yanzi blurted out in advance, "Not handsome!"

"Huh" Hao Ren didn't react. He asked again, "How long is it before the banquet starts"

“It’s...” Zhao Yanzi avoided looking at Hao Ren's eyes as she said, “About half an hour, I think.”

"Uncle and Aunt" Hao Ren asked.

“They're... getting ready too,” seeing Hao Ren approaching step by step, Zhao Yanzi suddenly got a little nervous and dashed out of the dressing room.

Hao Ren looked at the door in confusion. He had no idea what was going on with this young lady's mind...

Thinking about it now, he suddenly remembered an important matter. He hadn't prepared a birthday gift for Zhao Yanzi yet!

But at this moment, it was already too late to go out and buy her a gift. He could only promise to make up for it later with double the effort.

"Hehe, Ah Ren looks very handsome today,"

When Hao Ren was thinking about birthday gifts, Zhao Hongyu brought Zhao Guang in.

"Uncle, Aunt," said Hao Ren respectfully.

Today, both Zhao Hongyu and Zhao Guang were dressed in formal evening wear. Zhao Hongyu looked elegant and beautiful, while Zhao Guang appeared handsome and suave, giving off an air of a divine couple indeed.

"Ah Zi just now said she was looking for you, where did you go" asked Zhao Hongyu as she surveyed the surroundings.

"She just ran out, probably to find Su Han," said Hao Ren.

""Mm-hmm, Su Han should have come with you." Zhao Hongyu handed over the car keys to Hao Ren. "I went to pick up some seniors from the outskirts today and happened to run into Su Han. I borrowed your car."

"It's okay," Hao Ren also handed over the key of the Ferrari.

""If you like this car, then keep it. Our garage can only fit two cars. I plan on getting a new one; this Ferrari cannot go to places with bad road conditions." Zhao Hongyu stopped Hao Ren from handing back the keys and said, "This won't do," Hao Ren firmly refused such a gift.

""Well then, consider it lent to you temporarily. If you still don't accept it, I'll sell it for forty thousand gold coins." Zhao Hongyu continued.

The car was worth millions of gold coins and was almost brand new. Selling it for forty thousand seemed a bit wasteful. After some thought, Hao Ren realized that there was plenty of space in the garage of his seaside villa. He could keep it on behalf of Zhao Hongyu.

""Alright then, I'll hold onto it at my place temporarily. When your mother finds a good buyer, she can sell it," said Hao Ren.

"Okay!" Zhao Hongyu smiled happily. She was planning to get a large off-road SUV and the Ferrari couldn't be sold easily as she had some affection for it. Keeping it unused would preserve its quality. Selling it wouldn't be ideal, but giving it to Hao Ren at an opportune time seemed like a good idea.

Zhao Guang didn't object to Zhao Hongyu's decision. To him, a Ferrari wasn't something worth paying attention to; Hao Ren breaking through the Rank of Barrier was what deserved celebration.

Zhao Guang was very satisfied with Hao Ren's diligent cultivation efforts. Learning that Hao Ren had broken through without using either of the pills made Zhao Guang even more hopeful for his future potential.

Before, he valued Hao Ren mainly because of his diligence and good character; he hadn't expected much from his cultivation achievements. With the vast resources in the Eastern Sea, if Hao Ren truly worked hard, he could be forcefully boosted to Rank 5 even with elixirs.

However, now that he saw that Hao Ren wasn't completely without talent and had extraordinary perseverance compared to ordinary people, he felt Hao Ren was moldable material. His desire to keep this "future son-in-law" grew stronger.

The party would start in half an hour. Zhao Hongyu beckoned Hao Ren with her hand and led him to the grand ballroom on the third floor.

This time, Zhao Yanzi's birthday was a huge spectacle. Even those who rarely interacted with the Eastern Sea like the Southern Sea and Northern Sea had dispatched delegations of over ten people each. The leaders of these delegations were also of high standing, equivalent to Grand Commanders in the Eastern Dragon Palace.

Half an hour before the party started, however, the Western Dragon Palace was still nowhere to be seen. When Hao Ren entered the grand ballroom, he noticed most people had blue lights around them while a few others had different colors.

The ones with other colors didn't have as strong light beams but given their aged appearances and how everyone treated them, they were likely some of the strongest here. True experts knew to keep a low profile.

""That's Old Shi from Qingyanshan Mountain, the senior elder of the eastern earth dragon clan with over 500 years of cultivation experience. The one with long eyebrows is Wood Elder from Qingfeng Forest; he stepped down as the king of his wood dragon clan but still commands respect and influence. And that man with red glow all over him who practices fire-based techniques—his name is Shang Chu." Zhao Hongyu introduced some notable figures to Hao Ren while leading them into the venue, so as to prevent any accidental offense.

Hao Ren listened attentively; these old seniors rarely ventured out and it took Zhao Guang's efforts over a month to invite them here.

They were coming to the Eastern Dragon Clan’s gathering mainly for face, proving their support towards the East. If the West Sea wanted war with the East, they would have to think twice about it then.

"Hahaha, Little Jade is still so beautiful!" The old man with red hair and a ruddy complexion walked over, loudly calling out to Zhao Hongyu.

He hadn't used any cultivation techniques but his body was radiating intense heat that made Hao Ren uncomfortable. It felt like fire crackling, making Hao Ren's cheeks flush slightly.

A senior like this walking on the street would indeed cause quite a stir, no wonder Zhao Hongyu specially came to pick them up.

"Haha, Senior Shang, do you still eat well with these things here" Zhao Hongyu asked politely.

"The food is pretty good, but it's too dry. It's not as good as what you serve in the Dragon Palace," said Senior Shang with a smile.

"How can we blame Senior for your fire-based cultivation technique 'Fierce Flame Eight Directions' being at the realm of perfection The things here wouldn't be reduced to ashes if they hadn't been touched by you, Zhao Hongyu covered her mouth and laughed.

"You're still such a witty girl," said Senior Shang as he looked at Hao Ren. "This must be the groom of Little Purple"

"Good evening, Grandpa Shang," said Hao Ren.

"Very good, very good." He nodded and took another look at Hao Ren. "Indeed a handsome young man, but your realm is still lacking. You're only at the Can stage now."

"He's just a kid; his future prospects are far-reaching," Zhao Hongyu smiled at him again. "Please go ahead and take a look around for a while. Once the banquet starts, all kinds of delicious dishes will be served."

He nodded and floated away, immediately relieving Hao Ren of the pressure.

Zhao Hongyu then introduced Hao Ren to each of those senior elders in turn, while Zhao Guang was busy dealing with other guests and couldn't accompany them.

After this round of introductions, Hao Ren felt that these seniors were all immensely powerful. He estimated their strength to be similar to Zhao Yanzi's uncles, but they were old and didn't want to compete for the title of number one in the world, hence letting Zhao Kuo take it after only two hundred years.

However, reaching upper-level Gān stage in just two hundred years already made Zhao Kuo a prodigy! And Su Han reached middle-stage Gān stage after many years, making him a prodigy among prodigies!

After greeting so many seniors, as Zhao Hongyu was about to give Hao Ren some rest, suddenly a clear voice rang out, "Mrs. Zhao."

Zhao Hongyu turned around and saw Qin Shaoyang standing behind her with a half-smile on his face.

"What do you want, Mr. Qin" asked the elegantly dressed Zhao Hongyu neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"Although reaching Can stage means being able to fuse with dragon pills and become a member of the Dragon Clan," said Qin Shaoyang as his eyes flickered with light, "from the perspective of an inspector, I have reason to doubt whether Hao Ren's realm increase is temporary due to consuming divine pills."

"What are you going to do" Hao Ren stepped forward and asked directly.

"I just want to test it," Qin Shaoyang stared at Hao Ren. "True gold fears no fire; one of the duties of an inspector is to evaluate realms."

"Ren, let me handle this," said Zhao Guang calmly as he walked over.

"How about this Mr. Qin, you drop down to Can stage and we have a fight" Hao Ren thought about the competition among those kids in the hall earlier and suddenly suggested. (To be continued)ivating my current level. Hao Ren didn’t want to ask more and sat cross-legged with his eyes closed. The environment here was elegant, and it seemed there were also formations enhancing the effectiven...