After sorting out his ideas, Wang Haoyu headed towards the Ning clan residence. He had already begun to formulate a long-term plan that would enable him to both confront Ye Ling and fully leverage the influence of the Ning family.

Before heading to the city, Wang Haoyu utilized his talent for divine falsification, a very particular skill inherited from his previous life. Like most of his talents inherited from his past existence, this one had been enhanced, as the boundaries of this world differed from those of his past life. This talent acted as a kind of energy that he could manipulate to cover objects or even himself. Once applied to what he wanted to falsify, the deception remained maintained without any effort on his part. Although he couldn't use this energy in large quantities simultaneously, the amount he had was more than sufficient for his current needs.

This talent allowed him to create fake objects, provided he had enough materials, or alter his appearance. His own Qi and even his cultivation level could be falsified to give the impression of being at a higher level than reality. Wang Haoyu decided to falsify his cultivation level to appear at the first level of the Establishment of Foundations. The patriarch of the Ning family, on the other hand, was the only one in the city at the Materialization of Qi level, which would earn him a minimum of respect without revealing all his cards.

Upon arriving at the Ning clan residence, he was greeted by well-armed guards standing firm at the entrance, showing no vulnerability. Sensing their Qi, Haoyu could discern that they were at least at the first level of the Refinement of Yuan Qi. However, this posed no threat to him, as he was at the highest level and had also cultivated his external energy, allowing him to at least compete with a cultivator of the Establishment of Foundations.

As he approached the guards, he could see them starting to sweat as they felt his aura of an Establishment of Foundations cultivator.

The guards, sensing Wang Haoyu's cultivation aura, began to show signs of unease. Sweat beaded on their foreheads as they became aware of the presence of a seemingly powerful individual before them.

Haoyu, not hiding his confident smile, advanced to enter the residence.

The guards, though worried, stood firm in front of Wang Haoyu, blocking his path to the Ning clan residence. Their sweat testified to their nervousness in the face of the perceived power.

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Haoyu, still wearing his confident smile, stopped in front of the guards. "I am here to collect a debt that your clan owes me," Wang Haoyu said, producing two letters he had prepared in advance—one a copy of the debt acknowledgment and the other a falsified letter from the old man who was Wang Tian's master.

The guards exchanged uncertain glances, unsure of how to proceed. One of them, making a quick decision, spoke in a firm voice, "We need to verify your identity and intentions. Wait here while we consult the elders."

Only one of the guards swiftly ran towards the clan's common hall, which was situated in the distance.

Meanwhile, in the Ning clan residence, the patriarch sat peacefully in his garden, shaded by his pavilion, sipping tea. Ning Guo was renowned as a great general who had won numerous battles for the current emperor. However, he was growing old, and he couldn't be the patriarch forever, especially as his old wounds caused him increasing suffering. He wished to pass on his position to his only daughter, Ning Guan-Yin, making her the matriarch of the clan.

However, according to the clan rules, a woman couldn't directly inherit the position of the patriarch. She had to be married, and her husband would officially hold the position of patriarch. Unofficially, she would be the one making decisions and leading the clan. The only other way for him to give her the position was if she possessed the highest cultivation in the clan. Despite just reaching the Establishment of Foundations realm while he was at the highest level of the Materialization of Qi, she was far more talented than him. But it would still take several years for her to surpass him, and he wasn't sure if he could survive that long.

That's why he had arranged with his old friend Ye Gang to betroth his daughter to Ye Ling, Ye Gang's son, who was considered a cultivation failure in the Ye clan. If she married him, he would obtain the position of patriarch, but he would be unable to oppose his daughter. Moreover, he owed a favor to Ye Gang, who had saved his life. Additionally, there was no law preventing him from passing on his position to someone outside the clan as long as they were married to someone from the clan.

Since clan members couldn't fight for the position of patriarch, the elders would have to abide by his decision to pass it on. Furthermore, he had arranged with his old friend Ye Gang for his son to pass on the position to his daughter once she reached his level. At that point, no one would be able to oppose it, not even the elders.

As he pondered his perfect plan, Ning Guo was interrupted by the elder Ning tian, who ran towards him at full speed, looking stressed and urgent. Ning tian was one of the elders most loyal and reliable to him, so seeing him in this state didn't bode well.

Upon reaching the patriarch, Ning tian didn't even bother to greet him with reverence. "Patriarch, this old man's disciple has come to collect the debts owed by the clan."

As those words were spoken, he spewed the entirety of his tea onto the elder's face due to the surprise and shock he had just experienced.