After a series of heartwarming exchanges between mother and son, Ling Yun couldn't bear it anymore and stepped in helplessly.

“Wife dear, we still have matters to attend to.”

“Ahh look at me, already so old and forgetful.” Lily patted her head and quickly grasped Dugu Yun’s shoulders, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.

“Son…in these 4 yours with your talent you must have already reached a level incomprehensible to father and mother. Do you think you can take on an innate demon?”

“I...” Dugu Yun hesitantly glanced at his parents. Their eyes almost gleamed in anticipation and expectation as they waited in excitement for an answer. Dugu Yun seemed to see a brilliant light shooting from their eyes piercing his soul.

Did he want to tell them that their child was a worthless failure?

He had lived for two lifetimes and not much had changed. The same feelings, emotions, and experiences as if two lives had existed in parallel. Just different parents and backgrounds. Sometimes he felt young, sometimes he felt old. In essence the body of this life was still a young 16 year old. But the same desire to prove himself was still there.

Before he fully awakened his past life, he was just Dugu of the Central Plain and even if he was reborn it did not wash away the affection for his family after he was reborn.

Sometimes he thought it was funny that he had four parents. If he was back on Earth and someone cracked a “your mom” joke, he would be able to respond, “which one?”.

Now the words were stuck in his mouth. He couldn't say it…he couldn't bear to disappoint his parents. But it was also because of living for two lifetimes that he understood, authenticity is what holds relationships.

It wasn’t as if the truth would cause some cataclysmic disaster right?

Just when he mustered the courage and was about to confess, he caught a trace of faint uneasiness hidden under his parents 24k golden lights eyes.

“Is something wrong?”

Dugu Yun could keenly sense the worry hidden under his parents' excitement.

“This…” Lily hesitated and glanced at Ling Yun. If they could, they wouldn't rely on their children but now they didn’t have a choice. The two nodded with a determined expression.

It was time to use this humanoid secret weapon of the Yun Family!

“So the situation is like this...” Ling Yun sat the family down on the bed and started to explain in detail the current predicament. From the discovery of the mine, to the business wars, the conflicts of the family, and the recent attacks of a demon.

“We were originally planning on hiring help from outside but it’s not as reliable as you.” Ling Yun nodded with a heavy expression.

“Yes, we hope to use your power or the sect behind you to tide over the crisis,” Lily continued.

The two glanced at Dugu Yun with anticipation. A strange confidence overflowed from their expressions as if from now all major things would become minor. It was natural for parents to believe in their children and from the aura they were exuding, it was almost as if they themselves were the master of martial arts.

Dugu Yun was almost frightened out of his wits. What kind of situation was this? Even when he was escaping from the government in his past life, he wasn’t so shocked.

Could he tell his parents that the real situation was that a group of liars trafficked a child? That they didn’t teach any real martial arts at all? That their performance was just expert level fraud?

“About this..”

“Is something wrong?” his parents asked with nervousness.

Dugu Yun quickly waved his hands and racked his best selling novelist brain for an explanation.

“No no, nothing’s wrong. It’s just that…uhh..my martial arts are in a critical period and I can’t take action too much…”

“Phew.” Ling Yun snickered and patted his son’s shoulder. “I almost thought it was something serious. Like your martial arts failed or something. But that’s impossible. Knowing your talent, the legendary saint realm would be inevitable for you.”

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Saints, standing at the pinnacle of martial arts in the Central Plains. One person’s force could stop an entire army!

At the side, Lily nodded with pride. This was her favorite son! Ahem…This was her child!

Cold sweat broke out on Dugu’s forehead.

“It’s ok then. We’ll continue to go along with the original plan then and hire help from outside. You can take action at the critical moment.” Ling Yun spoke and continued with a sad face. “Besides…due to our recent circumstances, some opportunists are planning to move. If it weren’t for you returning, our Yun family really couldn’t hold it anymore.”

Suddenly Dugu Yun who was listening at the side had a bad foreboding feeling.

“I’m going to publicize the news of your return and borrow your reputation as a prodigy to deter these flies eyeing our property. You’re fine with that?”

Dugu Yun really wanted to shout to god right now.

I have just returned home and a burden not suitable for my age was placed on me.

“Ah…alright. Leave it to me.” Dugu Yun reluctantly squeezed out a smile and nodded stiffly to reassure his parents.

Ling Yun and Lily’s expression was filled with delight and their visibly tense shoulders relaxed.

Their son really had the posture of a dragon and saint! Good birth! Good birth!

Ling Yun even had the mood to hug his wife excitedly and exclaimed, “Look darling, my seed is really powerful. Maybe we should have one more?”

Lily rolled her eyes and slapped away Ling Yun’s greasy hands. What an immoral parent. Their son was still watching. Besides, the twerp came out of her.

It was clearly her seed that was the real powerhouse!

“Ok you greasy man, Yun’er just came back. Let him have a good rest.” Lily quickly dragged her husband out the room.

Before leaving, she didn’t forget to turn to Dugu and reminded, “We’re hosting a banquet for you in a few days. Don’t forget. I know you don’t like banquets but you already missed several birthdays, you have to attend!”

Dugu Yun nodded helplessly as his flirtatious parents left. Nevermind the banquet, he had bigger problems to worry about!

Now even if he wanted to tell the truth, he couldn’t. Would the family enemies relent? It turns out revealing the truth really could lead to family extinction!

( ༎ຶ⌑༎ຶ )

As his parents left the room, their trailing voices in hot discussion fell into his ears.

“Oh silly me dear, I forgot to ask. What state do you think Yun’er has reached? At least, a grandmaster martial artist right?”

“Very likely wife, after all, coupled with Yun’er talents and his entry into a hidden world sect comparable to a holy land, 16 year old grandmaster is not unreasonable.”

“It was said that the third prince reached grandmaster at 18 and is the most talented person throughout the ages. Our Yun’er is better than a prince!”

“Wahahaha, we the Yun family, finally have a foothold for 100 years.”

“Hey, do you think he can make it to martial saint?”

“Very likely, I’ll say in the next 10 years. After all, the saint realm is different. I’m not exactly sure how but rumors say only those with great luck can make it.”

“Yun’er can definitely make it!”

“Yes yes. Hey wife, what do you say. Want to make another account?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know with my awesome seed, maybe another Yun’er can be born. By then our Yun family will really prosper for eternity.”

“You stinky rascal…stop. Not here~. And it's clearly my seed that gave birth to the future saint…”

Dugu Yun’s eyebrows twitched. Forget their parents teasing.

Martial saint? Martial saint my ass!

The martial arts of this world were not like the earth, showy and weak.

They really had the power to piece steel and incarnate as a god of war.

Nominally dividend into four realms.

Official. Innate. Grandmaster. And finally Saint.

Official martial artists tempered their body to achieve the peak of human physique. Some schools of arts even called this stage physical training and subdivided the realm into further stages representing the progress of tempering.

The innate realm gave birth to qi and could easily pierce steel.

A grandmaster already had the strength to lift several thousand pounds.

As for the saint…it was too far away from him but it was said they could overturn a large boat with their bare hands. One person alone could decide the outcome of a small-scale war. And powerful saints could even tank a cannon shot!

He himself was still just a weak chicken at the peak of physical training though…

Dugu Yun wanted to cry.

He was shouldering a burden he shouldn't have at his age.

But soon his expression became fierce. Why do you have to force me?

He wasn't called a cult leader for nothing in his previous life. There was ruthlessness hidden within his bones! It was just that the upbringing of this life suppressed it. Since others did not want him to live in peace…he will make their lives a living hell!

If martial arts couldnt stop the enemies..then let modern technology come!

Although Dugu didn’t dare boast that he could hand rub a nuclear bomb from scratch, at least an armor piercing heavy assault super duper sniper rifle was fine. As a material scientist and ex cult leader, it was a normal operation to rub out weapons from bare hands ok? He did not believe whatever demon or Rand family could stop a bullet from a sniper.

All living beings are equal under the barrel of a gun!

Just give them a shot!

If one shot isn't enough then two shots!

If two shots are still not enough then he will empty the magazine and directly open a machine gun.

In the face of firepower suppression. Even the grandmaster of the Rand family would have to retreat!

Times have changed!

In the 145th year since the creation of the Human Federation gunpowder had already been invented in the central plains.

Dugu Yun estimated the technological development here would be comparable to Earth in the early 18th century.

The flintlock had long been invented but due to their weak power, loud noise, and distance, it had very limited effectiveness against grandmaster martial artists.

With the quick reflexes of a grandmaster, they could easily dodge bullets by watching the person holding the gun closely and predicting the moment the person pulled the trigger.

Nowadays, dealing with firearms was a basic essential course for all martial artists. Times really had changed but the raw elite combat power of martial arts hadn’t.

But can they dodge a sniper rifle from several hundred meters away? Dugu Yun was very very interested to find out. He didn’t dare think about a saint with unpredictable means but a sniper rifle should be able to at least inflict a serious injury on a grandmaster.

Dugu Yun’s handsome face was ferocious right now. (｀∀´)

He understood from now on it would be a race against time.

Reputation could be a deterrent, just enough to buy time.

His enemies would be cautious and not easily test his bottom line.

But he knew it wouldn’t last forever.

Dugu Yun didn't want to test if he could be reincarnated again.

‘No. Not enough. I don’t have enough self protection power!’

His phobia of insufficient firepower came up again.