"Hmm?" Just as the party had entered the vast Dining Hall, Eldest Madam's eyes landed on the foreigner amongst the family.

Feeling her gaze land upon him, Wuzhi immediately stepped forward and introduced himself. "Replying to Eldest Madam. This humble one is named Wuzhi and is a lowly scholar from the Isilda Continent."

"You are the one who helped around today." While her words were framed like a question, she spoke with absolute surety. "Raise your head."

Wuzhi promptly obeyed and raised his head. His full features came into sight of the Eldest Madam, who upon seeing him, immediately grew dazed and strange.

The others, except for the sharp Second Sister, did not notice her strangeness as they were busy occupying their seats. Wuzhi was also led by a servant and was seated at the tail-end of the 100-metre-long table.

Seating himself, Wuzhi immediately found himself enveloped by the softest cushions that this mortal world had to offer. Truth be told, today had been a lot of 'first experiences' for Wuzhi who had hailed from a poor, backward village.

Well, not everything about this village was poor and backward. Wuzhi recalled his teacher being dressed in the finest of samite, drinking the finest of teas, and appreciating the finest of flowers.

Of course, he never shared any of this with his sole student, Wuzhi, and did not even allow him to step into his gardens. The only room that he was allowed to visit in his teacher's manor was the tremendously huge library and the corridors that he took to reach there.

A little fact that Wuzhi had realised in these recent few hours that he had spent within the Mu Household was that his teacher's wealth and quality of belongings were no less shabby than the main estate of the Mu Household.

It had to be repeated. The Mu Household was the force of a World Sovereign, automatically making it one of the most powerful and wealthiest forces in existence. For a teacher in some random backwater town of the newly-founded Isilda Continent to possess a similar amount of wealth shone a light on the strangeness of Wuzhi's mentor.

'I knew that Teacher was hiding a lot of stuff from me. But to even hide the fact that he, as a single person, was equally, if not more, wealthy than the strongest family in the world! What a hateful guy!' Wuzhi quietly vowed to remember this fact. 'I must remember to take a few of those vases and paintings the next time I am at Teacher's house. Who knows how much wealth I will be able to gain from selling those?'

Returning his attention to the situation at hand, Wuzhi patiently waited as the numerous servants served the first course of the dinner. To say that he was excited and looking forward to this meal was an understatement.

Because Wuzhi hailed from a poor, single-parent household, the meals that he had tasted before had been bland and uninspiring. His late mother hadn't been much of a cook herself and Wuzhi, for the lack of opportunity, had never tried his hand at cooking.

However! Ever since he had left that backwater town and had started on his journey into the new world, Wuzhi's every meal had been the best thing that he had ever tasted! To call them heavenly would not be an understatement according to Wuzhi's thoughts.

And if the common, airship food was tasty enough to be considered 'heavenly' in Wuzhi's mind, what would the food eaten by the main members of the strongest family in the world taste like? The cup of tea from before had given Wuzhi a glimpse into the answer. And with this one dinner, he would find the complete answer to his question.

Just as he was about to sink his lips into the succulent soup placed in front of him, Wuzhi heard his name be called by one of the children of Sovereign Mu.

"Wuzhi, why do you introduce yourself as just 'Wuzhi'? Do you not have a family name as your surname?" A six-year-old son of the Mu Household innocently asked.

Hearing that question, Wuzhi paused. Yuelong, who had long since noted this strangeness but hadn't brought it up due to the sensitive nature of the matter, frowned slightly and gently chided his young, half-sibling. "Che'er. It is impolite to ask such personal questions to people. Quickly apologize to Brother Wuzhi."

As the Eldest Brother and Heir, Yuelong's words held considerable weight within the family. The adults too did not find anything wrong with his words and quietly assented to his admonishment.

Wuzhi, however, quickly intervened. "This Wuzhi greatly appreciates Young Master Yuelong for speaking up on this one's behalf. However, Wuzhi does not deserve an apology from Little Master."

Turning to face the cute little boy, Wuzhi smilingly replied, "Little Master Che's words are direct and unabashed. The shadow of a great personage can be seen in your words." He first complimented the boy.

Taking a deep breath, Wuzhi calmly answered. "To answer Little Master Che's query. Wuzhi does not have a surname because Wuzhi did not have a father to impart a surname."

His revelation was like a bomb exploding within the Dining Hall. Everyone, starting from the children to the adults, was startled by his answer.

"Brother Wuzhi… then… you…" Yuelong looked at the young scholar with a pitying look in his eyes. The role of a father is indispensable in a child's life. To have been deprived of such a figure in his youth spoke volumes of Wuzhi's difficult childhood.

Wuzhi, however, did not seem to mind or care about the various glances that were sent in his direction. His face held his ever-present calm smile. Gazing at Yuelong, he answered. "Young Master Yuelong need not feel pity for this lowly scholar. While this one may not have had a father, he did have a very kind and caring mother to accompany him. Never once in my life have I felt the absence of my father."

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His words caused Yuelong and the other sensible children to feel even more respect towards Wuzhi. To have lived such a difficult childhood and yet feel no resentment or regret towards it, Wuzhi's character further shone within the hearts of the people present on the scene.

"Poor child…" Fourth Sister's heart ached with feeling as she heard Wuzhi's answer. Her eyes then imperceptibly turned towards her husband, only to find him with a pallid, bloodless face.

'What's wrong?' She emptily thought to herself upon noting his strange appearance.

Another person who had noticed Patriarch Mu's strange appearance, and for quite a while in that, was the azure-haired fairy. She, who had been intently watching her husband and Eldest Sister, immediately noticed the strange expressions on their faces.

'Something is definitely wrong. Ever since Wuzhi entered this room, Eldest Sister has been emptily staring at him with a lost expression. Husband too has been acting strange ever since Wuzhi showed his face.' Being a cultivator of the [Wisdom Path], the azure-haired fairy's mind was much quicker and sharper than that of regular people. 'What is the root of this strangeness and how does Wuzhi fit into it?'

Meanwhile, Wuzhi finally managed to come around to taste the food laid in front of him. The result?

"Mhmm!" The young scholar visibly melted into his seat. The moan of satisfaction that left his throat was akin to a climax.

If this was heaven, Wuzhi did not want to leave it. Having tasted bliss once, his actions grew more concentrated as he gorged himself on the soup before him.

Wuzhi's embarrassing behaviour was very quickly discovered by the people at the table. The younger children laughed at his actions and started to imitate him while the older ones desperately stopped themselves from laughing and embarrassing Wuzhi.

Not that he cared, for Wuzhi was too busy engorging himself on the food to care about his surroundings. The divine taste on his tongue had made him forget about space and time.

Xinyi, who had been watching his almost savage-like actions, could not help but grow worried. "Eat slowly. You are going to hurt yourself if you keep rushing like that."

Her words of concern seemed to elicit a response from Wuzhi. Awakening from his crazed state, he put down his spoon and clicked his tongue with regret upon seeing the empty soup bowl.

Turning to face the crowd of spectators, Wuzhi honestly commented. "That was the best meal that I've ever eaten in my life."

His words elicited another wave of pity from the crowd. Yuelong flashed him a warm, kind smile and cheerfully spoke, "If you were satisfied by that, I will have to inform you, Brother Wuzhi. There is a lot more food to come!"

"There's more!" Wuzhi uncharacteristically exclaimed. He then froze, seemingly realising his faux pas, and hurriedly apologized. "Everyone must forgive this Wuzhi. In my excitement, I seem to have forgotten my station."

"Aiyaya! Who cares about things like that? If you enjoy something, then you must simply enjoy it to the fullest!" A handsome, pudgy youth seated at the table stated.

"Third Brother's words are correct," Yuelong agreed with his younger brother. Turning to gaze at Wuzhi, he said. "Brother Wuzhi only need to focus on enjoying your meal. Feel free to ask for refills as many times as you want. If there is one thing that my Mu Household does not lack, it is hospitality."

"Wuzhi thanks Young Master Yuelong for his generosity. I will be sure to ask for seconds should I want it," Wuzhi accepted his hosts' kindness.

With this small incident out of the way, the dinner resumed as per usual. Having tasted heaven once, Wuzhi was a lot calmer in the following courses. Though, he did break character during a few brief moments.

The children continued to converse on various topics with Wuzhi with the adults adding a few words every now and then. Patriarch Mu and his first wife, however, were strangely silent throughout the entire ordeal.

While some began noticing this strangeness during the dinner, they did not place much thought into it.

When the main family and the young scholar were done with their main dishes and were waiting for the dessert, the green-robed fairy, Fourth Sister, asked Wuzhi a question that she had been curious about.

"How old are you, Wuzhi?" She then followed by explaining the reason behind her question. "To be so well-learned in a wide variety of topics requires a deep accumulation of knowledge. The scope of your experience also suggests that you are an avid traveller. How long and for what reason have you been studying?"

She then blinked her viridescent eyes while awaiting his response.

"Replying to Fourth Madam," Wuzhi showed a calm smile and answered. "Wuzhi is exactly 20 years, 4 months, and 3 days old."

His long-winded answer immediately got everyone calculating the dates. Xinyi, who followed her mother's footsteps and cultivated the [Wisdom Path], arrived at the answer first. "Ah! That means you were born on the 1st Day of the First Month in the Year 715!"

She then turned to stare at Yuelong and said, "Eldest Brother, you were also born on that day!"

Yuelong seemed stunned for an instant before a warm, happy smile filled his face. He looked at Wuzhi and said, "For Brother Wuzhi to have walked this earth for the same amount of time as me and yet be this accomplished. Brother Wuzhi's talents have left this Yuelong in awe."

"No, no, no!" Wuzhi hurriedly denied his praise. "Young Master Yuelong's talents have won the acknowledgement and admiration of the people of the world and have even earned you the moniker 'Son of the Heavens.' For Young Master to say that this lowly Wuzhi's talents equal your own… this Wuzhi wouldn't know where to keep his face in order to stave off embarrassment."

He then shook his head and continued with a calm smile. "Wuzhi has always been curious about the world and has always had a penchant for reading. Unlike Young Master Yuelong who has had to divert his mind between studying and cultivating, Wuzhi has always solely kept to his studies."

"Why?" Yuelong asked, curiously. "Haven't you ever tried cultivating? I am certain that with your robust accumulation of knowledge and understanding towards the various Paths, your success in cultivation will be equal, or even greater, than my own!"

Yuelong had not been exaggerating when he spoke these words. In fact, having talked and interacted with Wuzhi for the past hour, he had sincerely come to acknowledge Wuzhi's scholarly wisdom. It stood at a level that, and Yuelong wagered this, none amongst the younger generation of the current Era would be able to match!

And this acknowledgement came from none other than the 'Son of the Heavens,' the current generation's number one 'Genius'!

"Ah, about this…" Wuzhi paused as he waited for the servant to finish setting down the plate containing the dessert before him. After thanking the servant and seeing everyone's curious gazes directed at him, Wuzhi embarrassedly scratched his head and answered.

"Wuzhi has never cultivated because he cannot cultivate. Wuzhi was born with a congenital condition which forbids me from cultivating."

Clang! The sound of spoons falling out of their hands echoed resoundingly. Everyone was utterly shocked.

"WHAT!?!" An extremely overbearing voice suddenly flooded the entire hall, causing air to churn and space to lock.

For the first time since the start of the dinner, words had left Patriarch Mu's lips.