The main hall instantly became noisy.
The members of the Qin Family stood up one after another, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.
Their gazes were all fixed on Ye Wushuang, wishing they could snatch him over to the Qin Family on the spot.
Meanwhile, the elders of the Ye Family wore faint smiles, their expressions clearly saying, "Such a minor occasion, everyone sit down."
Yet their chins lifted almost to the sky and their grins stretched to their ears clearly betrayed the immense pride swelling in their hearts.
Being stared at by so many people as if he were an unparalleled beauty made Ye Wushuang feel extremely uncomfortable.
He let out a slight, helpless sigh in his heart.
Here we go again.
He had already gone through this exact scene back at the Ye Family estate...
Qin Qingxiong was no better; the shock on his face was in no way inferior to the rest of the Qin Family, and he didn't even notice when he dropped and shattered his teacup.
He instinctively looked at Ye Wushuang first, then turned his gaze to Ye Nantian, wearing the expression of someone who had never seen the world:
"Brother Ye, is this true?"
Qin Qingxiong stared fixedly at Ye Nantian, attempting to unearth any trace of a flaw that would prove this was just a lie.
Yet he knew very well that the probability of that was vanishingly small.
Only someone out of their mind would go out of their way to make a special trip just to lie to him.
For a joke?
Sure enough, Ye Nantian didn't flinch in the slightest, nodding with a smile:
"Naturally it's true."
Hah...
Qin Qingxiong let out a long breath, then looked toward the guard who had entered to report.
Seeing Qin Qingxiong look his way, the guard nodded with a somewhat helpless expression:
"The news has already spread all over the city."
"When Young Master Ye's spirit vein rank was just measured, the Patriarch of the Ye Family supposedly wanted to seal off the information."
"However, there are no airtight walls in this world."
"With news this astonishing, how could it possibly be contained?"
"Before the Ye Family Patriarch even stepped out the door, all sorts of rumors were already flying everywhere!"
Confirmed once more, the looks the Qin Family members cast toward Ye Wushuang grew even more fervent, and all sorts of ambitions that they had tried to suppress began to sprout.
An Earth-tier lower-grade spirit vein!
Qin Qingxiong let out another deep breath and sat back down in his chair.
Under the disdainful gaze of a nearby Qin Family elder, he picked up his teacup and gulped down a large mouthful of tea to calm the turbulent emotions crashing within his chest.
After a long while, Qin Qingxiong calmed down and looked at Ye Nantian:
"Such a genius, it's just a pity he isn't a child of my Qin Family."
"Brother Ye, you might as well state the true purpose of your visit today!"
Ye Nantian replied with a smile:
"Although Wushuang is a child of the Ye Family, there's no reason he cannot also become a 'member of the Qin Family'."
"Oh?"
Qin Qingxiong's heart stirred, and his eyes lit up:
"What do you mean by that, Brother Ye?"
Ye Nantian got straight to the point:
"I wish to arrange a betrothal between Wushuang and Ruoxue. I wonder what Brother Qin thinks of this?"
As expected!
Qin Qingxiong's heart settled, and at the same time, joy welled up within him.
Qin Ruoxue was Qin Qingxiong's granddaughter, currently eight years old.
Two years ago, she was tested and found to possess a Mysterious-tier mid-grade spirit vein, causing quite a sensation in Dongyang City for a long time.
After all, possessing a Mysterious-tier lower-grade spirit vein meant reaching the Wheel Sea Realm was already an absolute certainty.
The patriarchs of the four great families of Dongyang City possessed precisely this aptitude.
As for a Mysterious-tier mid-grade spirit vein, here in Dongyang City, it could truly be called a once-in-a-century genius!
One could easily imagine how much affection and doting Qin Qingxiong lavished on this granddaughter.
Under normal circumstances, if someone from the other three great families had come to propose marriage,
Qin Qingxiong would undoubtedly have sneered.
Are you even worthy?
What status did he hold, and what standing did his Ruoxue possess?
However, things were different now...
The balance of power had shifted!
"Patriarch, what a heaven-sent... joyous occasion!"
"Indeed!"
"Wushuang and Ruoxue are a match made in heaven!"
"The Ye Family Patriarch's thoughts coincide perfectly with my own!"
"The moment this child walked in, I had the exact same idea!"
Just as Ye Nantian's voice trailed off, several Qin Family elders chimed in all at once.
The main hall grew noisy once again.
In stark contrast, the principal himself, Qin Qingxiong, sat with a calm expression, uttering not a single word as if deep in thought.
Proposing marriage should normally be the most natural thing in the world.
However, when both parties were the descendants of family patriarchs,
and both were rare geniuses destined to be the leading figures of the younger generation,
this was no longer merely a matter between two children!
It rose to the level of family affairs, serving as a symbol of the alliance between the Qin and Ye families!
Ye Nantian's intentions were upright and straightforward, not hard to guess at all, and Qin Qingxiong understood it after just a brief moment of reflection.
This old fox was simply afraid of being besieged by the other three families and unable to protect Ye Wushuang, this rare genius.
That was why he wanted to drag the Qin Family into the same boat!
As for why he chose the Qin Family?
The reasoning was exceedingly simple.
Because the Qin Family was the strongest among the three!
Only by allying with the Qin Family could they have the greatest assurance of protecting Ye Wushuang!
After the Qin Family elders chattered noisily for a long time, they noticed that the patriarch was actually sitting in silence, and a trace of puzzlement arose among them.
With such a heaven-sent good fortune, why hadn't the patriarch agreed immediately?
What was there still to hesitate about?
Everyone present belonged to the higher echelons of the Qin Family, so naturally none of them were fools; they quickly figured out the underlying reason.
Their joy and excitement were soon replaced by reason once again.
The previously chaotic and noisy voices quickly subsided.
Weighing the pros and cons, the members of the Qin Family looked toward Qin Qingxiong, awaiting his decision.
From the standpoint of the Qin Family,
refusing the marriage alliance carried no disadvantages whatsoever.
The Qin Family would remain the number one family in Dongyang City.
They could even lend a helping hand if the other two families decided to make a covert move against Ye Wushuang.
As for remaining entirely aloof, without overwhelming strength, that was simply impossible.
Remaining neutral to both sides meant acting like a reed in the wind.
They would be the very first ones jointly eradicated by everyone else.
On the other hand, accepting the marriage alliance came with too many uncertainties.
The other two families were still watching like tigers eyeing their prey!
After all, a genius who had not yet matured was nothing more than a genius.
How many geniuses perished young in this day and age?
Crises always existed, and that alone was not enough to make Qin Qingxiong cower.
It was the uncertainty of the benefits that formed the fundamental reason for his hesitation.
Qin Qingxiong glanced across from him.
Even knowing that he was weighing the pros and outs, Ye Nantian showed not the slightest sign of rushing him.
His demeanor remained unhurried and composed, occasionally taking a sip of tea.
Old fox!
Acting so poised!
I refuse to believe you're actually this calm!
Qin Qingxiong sneered inwardly, yet his face broke into a brilliant smile:
"With such a joyous occasion, how could I possibly have any reason to refuse?"
"Since Brother Ye has brought this up, I naturally give both hands in agreement!"
Qin Qingxiong chose to agree.
His reasoning was likewise simple.
Opportunities like this were rare!
How many people fought tooth and nail, driven mad over a high-tier cultivation manual or martial art technique!
How many risked their lives for rare heavenly treasures and opportunities for advancement!
For what reason?
Because such opportunities were rare! Such fortunes were hard to come by!
The Qin Family was no exception.
Although the Qin Family was revered as the number one family in Dongyang City, its momentum blazing like the midday sun!
That prestige was confined solely to Dongyang City.
Once they stepped beyond these boundaries—leaving aside the entire continent—within Tianxuan Country alone, the Qin Family was nothing more than a drop in the ocean!
How difficult was it to elevate the entire family's strength and status to the next level?
The Qin Family had failed to achieve this for decades, even centuries!
Just maintaining their existing status and standing still was already a formidable task!
And now, a heaven-sent opportunity lay right before Qin Qingxiong!
An unparalleled prodigy who, as long as he wasn't cut down in his youth, would at the very least reach the Heavenly Sun Realm in the future!
Qin Qingxiong's gaze once again burned with fervor as he looked at Ye Wushuang.
That was the Heavenly Sun Realm!
Even if he only let slip a tiny fraction of resources through his fingers, it would be enough to benefit the Qin Family boundlessly!
Compared to that, what did any potential crisis matter?
Even if it meant going to war with the other two families over this, his Qin Family had nothing to fear!