Originally, the Qin, Li, Zhou, and Wang families had vaguely planned to unite against the Chu Family, but after witnessing Ian Song kill Drake Chu, a late Divine Sea expert, in a single move, they abandoned that idea.
If someone can kill a late Divine Sea expert in a single move, that means their cultivation has definitely reached the peak of Divine Sea.
What people call 'peak Divine Sea' is actually just the late Divine Sea stage, but it's a title reserved for those whose strength is at least twice that of an ordinary late Divine Sea cultivator.
Back then, Thomas Chu was also at peak Divine Sea; he once fought two late Divine Sea experts alone and won within a hundred moves.
After the succession ceremony ended, it was time for the banquet.
To celebrate Ian Song becoming the new head of the Chu Family, every notable person in Gracefield Town showed up and brought lavish gifts. Among them, the four martial families gave the most valuable presents.
Because they all knew that 'Evan Chu's' rise was already unstoppable.
But the real reason they were eager to curry favor was his age!
'Evan Chu' is only eighteen years old.
An eighteen-year-old at peak Divine Sea—what does that mean? It means the future, it means limitless possibilities. Among Divine Power experts in years to come, 'Evan Chu' will surely have a place.
No matter what realm 'Evan Chu' reaches, he's always a martial artist who came from Gracefield Town. Whenever people mention Evan Chu in the future, the folks from Gracefield Town will feel proud too.
There were more than a hundred banquet tables, all served by the best hotel chefs in town.
But very few people were actually interested in the delicious food; what they cared about most was Evan Chu's toasts.
That's right—contrary to expectations, Evan Chu, newly in charge of the Chu Family, didn't act arrogant at all. Instead, he carried a wine cup and toasted each table one by one.
This made the martial artists who came to congratulate him feel respected.
In this world, it's all about survival of the fittest. After Thomas Chu died, Drake Chu seized power in the Chu Family and kicked Evan Chu out—simply because he was at late Divine Sea, while Evan was only at Tempering Body seventh level.
This round of toasting lasted a full two hours.
When Ian Song toasted, he didn't just say a few polite words and move on—he actually chatted with each person at the table. By contrast, Thomas Chu never knew how to deal with people; he focused only on bitter cultivation, and in the end, died from a deviation. His son was expelled, and not a single person stood up for him.
It just shows how much he failed as a person.
That's why Ian Song refuses to repeat his mistakes—instead, he proactively befriends all the notable people in Gracefield Town.
Besides, with his status, befriending them doesn't require him to flatter anyone—just chatting a bit costs only time, so why not do it?
And precisely because of this, everyone at the banquet felt even more goodwill toward Ian Song.
In the end, only four tables were left without a toast—they belonged to the other four families.
When Ian Song approached the Qin Family's table, led by Roger Qin, everyone stood up to greet him.
"Patriarch Qin, everyone, please don't be so formal—sit down, please!"
Ian Song deliberately acted flattered as he said this.
The Qin Family members all felt honored by this.
After the toast, Roger Qin suddenly turned to the young woman beside him and said, "Evan Chu, my dear nephew, let me introduce you—this is Yara Qin, my niece!"
"Hello, Miss Qin!"
Ian Song smiled politely and nodded to her. The girl was about 1.7 meters tall, slim and beautiful, with a gentle, slightly fragile aura that made people want to protect her.
"Greetings, Young Master Chu."
Yara Qin's pretty face turned slightly red; after just one glance at Ian Song, she shyly lowered her head.
Her family was only a side branch of the Qin Family.
A few days ago, Roger Qin suddenly visited her parents, had a long talk, and then brought her to the Qin Family.
Before coming to the Chu Family, Roger Qin spoke with her privately: as long as she could catch Evan Chu's eye—whether as wife or concubine—her whole family would be promoted to core Qin lineage.
Although she felt uncomfortable about it, for the sake of her parents and younger brother, she agreed. But when she actually met Evan Chu, all her resentment vanished—he was her age, his cultivation was peerless, and most importantly, he had a face any girl would fall for.
Men love beauty; girls love charm.
Don't think only men like pretty girls—women like handsome guys too.
"Yara, go toast him," Roger Qin reminded softly.
So Yara Qin shyly raised her wine cup: "Young Master Chu, let me offer you a toast!"
"Alright, I’ll toast Miss Qin as well," Ian Song replied with a smile.
Seeing this, the Zhou, Li, and Wang Families grew anxious. Like Roger Qin, they had also brought young women of similar age and talent to Ian Song.
After chatting with the Qin Family for a while, Ian Song moved on to the Li Family.
This time, the Li Family’s patriarch had a pair of beautiful twin girls toast Ian Song.
Next, the Wang and Zhou Families also used their beauty strategy, sending their chosen girls to toast Ian Song.
The banquet lasted from noon until midnight.
As the servants cleaned up, Ian Song returned to his room with Chloe Snow.
There were still few leads on the attack against Thomas Chu.
Since the Chu Family couldn’t find any clues, the only option was to investigate Thomas Chu’s life.
The next day.
Ian Song summoned the four elders to learn everything related to Thomas Chu.
Based on their accounts, Ian Song compiled a biography of Thomas Chu.
Before age sixteen, Thomas Chu showed no remarkable talent; his martial skills lagged behind Drake Chu, only reaching eighth-level Tempering Body, while the older Drake was already at first-level Divine Power.
After a conflict with the family patriarch, Thomas Chu left a letter and stormed out.
He was gone for six years.
When he returned, his cultivation had reached early Divine Sea, and he brought back three-month-old Evan Chu.
After returning to Gracefield Town, Thomas Chu never left again, focusing entirely on martial arts.
By the time the patriarch was dying, Thomas Chu’s cultivation had reached peak mid-Divine Sea, just a step from late stage.
Drake Chu had just broken through to early Divine Sea.
So the patriarch passed the family head position to Thomas Chu, which left Drake Chu deeply resentful and led to the later coup.
Based on these facts, before age sixteen Thomas Chu’s talent was inferior to Drake Chu’s, meaning he must have had a fortuitous encounter during his six years away.
Also, why is there no news about Evan Chu’s mother?
That’s another mystery.
So, to find the culprit behind Thomas Chu’s death, one must investigate what happened during his six years away.
What a headache!
Ian Song sighed helplessly and dove into the Scripture Hall.
To investigate Thomas Chu’s past, Ian Song couldn’t stay in Gracefield Town for long, but lacking knowledge of this world, he could only start with books.