Lying in the grass, a stalk of foxtail in his mouth, gazing up at the starry sky, Ethan Brooks did not regret today’s bet with Olivia Harris. Although it would be difficult to leap five levels from the third to the eighth stage of Houtian within nine months, for him, it was not a problem.

Because he possessed memories of his previous life—this was his greatest weapon in this life, bar none.

With these memories, even if his dantian was shattered and his cultivation lost in this life, he still had ways to reach the pinnacle of the Dao.

Yet as he gazed at the sky, he suddenly began to miss the close friends of his past life.

Sixteen years had passed in the blink of an eye. He didn’t know how those old friends were doing, nor whether those few soulmates who had sworn eternal vows and shared life and death with him were still shedding silent tears beneath the night sky, thinking of him constantly.

All of this made him miss them even more, longing to return to their side as soon as possible.

After letting out a deep breath, Ethan Brooks suddenly turned his head, looking toward the dark woods not far away, and said, “Father, you’re here.”

Although his cultivation was only at the third stage of Houtian, after awakening and merging with his past life’s soul, his perception far exceeded his current level, allowing him to sense even the slightest fluctuations.

From the darkness of the woods, a middle-aged man walked out slowly. He was slightly surprised that Ethan Brooks could sense his presence, but looking at his son’s face, the man—usually so stern—showed a rare gentleness, and said softly, “Chen’er, it’s so late and you’re still not asleep. Be careful not to catch a chill.”

His gaze fell on Owen Brooks’s stern face. Although he was not his real father, perhaps because of the bloodline of this body, the orphan who had lacked affection in his previous life felt a sudden sting in his eyes.

Turning his head away so his father wouldn’t notice his embarrassment, he said softly, “Father, I’m looking at the stars, thinking of some people—people I may never have the chance to see again in this life.”

Owen Brooks was taken aback. He rarely saw Ethan Brooks in such a sorrowful state, but had no idea whom he was missing. With a gentle sigh, he didn’t know how to respond.

After a moment of silence, Owen Brooks suddenly said, “Chen’er, in nine months it will be the day of the Tiandu Academy’s trial. You don’t need to worry so much. If the Qingling Pill is gone, then it’s gone. After all, it’s just a worldly possession, nothing important. As the head of the family, those old fellows wouldn’t dare do anything to me.”

“So, as long as you are safe and well, nothing else matters. As your father, I don’t care about those things.”

Ethan Brooks trembled, looking at this middle-aged man who was always so stern in front of others, but only showed concern in front of him and his mother.

Clearly, he thought today’s actions were just a momentary impulse from Ethan Brooks. If Ethan Brooks regretted it, he would rather give up being the family head or the city lord.

Although the position of city lord of Luofeng City was prestigious, compared to family… it was nothing.

Ethan Brooks’s eyes reddened, and he felt the urge to cry, but as a man, he held back the tears, forcing a smile: “Father, don’t worry. I will do my best. In nine months, I will definitely pass the Tiandu Academy’s trial!”

But since Owen Brooks didn’t know Ethan Brooks’s true situation, he only thought his son was trying to comfort him. Reaching the qualification line for the Tiandu Academy’s trial in nine months was simply impossible, but he didn’t want to dampen the confidence his son had finally regained after his suicide attempt. He could only sigh inwardly and gently pat his son’s head: “Alright, it’s late. Go back and rest. If you ever need anything, just tell me. I’ll support you with everything I have.”

“Mm…”

That soft reply spoke more than a thousand words—perhaps this was true fatherly love.

Ethan Brooks clenched his fists tightly. No matter what, just this bit of care was enough to make him strive hard—he could not let his father down.

To truly become strong, the first step was to repair his dantian.

The dantian is the most important place for a cultivator in the early stages, as it stores the energy cultivated.

Once it is shattered, it almost means the end of one’s cultivation path.

Of course, that was only true for ordinary people. For someone like him, a master alchemist, a broken dantian was no problem at all—there were plenty of ways to repair it.

But before Ethan Brooks could even think of a way to repair his dantian, he discovered that over the years, his once-shattered dantian had, for some unknown reason, slowly healed and reformed, and by now had completely recovered.

This was also why the last bit of power in his body had never dissipated, always circulating at a barely perceptible pace, maintaining the grand cycle.

This surprised Ethan Brooks greatly. Even after searching his memories and consulting famous doctors upon his return, there had been no solution, yet his dantian had mysteriously healed on its own. This was truly strange.

From that moment, Ethan Brooks began to suspect there was something unusual about his constitution.

Bang—

While deep in thought in the courtyard, he accidentally missed a step while turning a corner and nearly fell to the ground. If he hadn’t grabbed the edge of the rockery in time, he really would have fallen—how embarrassing that would have been. Only his finger got scratched.

“Look, isn’t that the useless young master? What a disgrace—he can’t even walk without almost falling over.”