“Fourth Brother is of the direct bloodline, highly talented, and the pillar of our family, so he naturally deserves more resources.” Olivia Warren’s eyes showed a hint of admiration and hope. “Grandpa said that Fourth Brother’s talent is only a tiny bit less than Ancestor Longyan’s, and there’s a great chance he’ll break through to the Spirit Platform Realm in the future. As long as Fourth Brother becomes a Spirit Platform Ancestor, life for our Wang family will be much better.”

“Yeah, yeah, I also heard that Fourth Brother, you’ve already been admitted to the Purple Mansion Academy.” Julia Warren stared with excitement. “If it weren’t for Fifth Uncle’s incident this time, and you having to step up as clan leader, you’d already be heading to the Purple Mansion Academy, right? I heard there are beautiful big sisters everywhere in the Purple Mansion Academy. If you go, you’ll definitely bring one back as your wife.”

Purple Mansion Academy!

For all the young people in the Changning region, it was a dream sanctuary, an unattainable aspiration.

“Don’t talk nonsense, you silly little girl, what’s in that head of yours?” Charles Warren glared at her with a smile and stuffed a few pieces of candied fruit into her hand. “I haven’t even passed the final assessment yet. I might get eliminated.”

Amidst the laughter and chatter, Charles Warren felt a heavy pressure—the weight of the entire clan’s hopes resting on his shoulders.

“In any case, Fourth Brother is the strongest.” Julia Warren clearly had a blind admiration for him.

“The strength of a family can’t rely on just one person.” Charles Warren smiled at Julia Warren. “You’re part of the family too, so you have to work hard as well. I think your talent is pretty good. At such a young age, you’ve already reached the high stage of the first level of Qi Refining. If you keep working hard, maybe you’ll be admitted to the Purple Mansion Academy in the future and be as outstanding as Ancestor Longyan.”

“Mm, mm, Jing’er will definitely work hard.” Julia Warren’s eyes were full of hope. “At the very least, I can’t let Cousin Luo Qiu surpass me again.”

Luo Qiu?

“You mean Third Uncle’s daughter, Isabella Warren?” Charles Warren asked with some curiosity. “Has she already reached the peak of the first level and is about to break through?”

“She’s already broken through.” Julia Warren pouted unhappily. “She even came to show off to me a while ago.”

“That’s quite impressive talent.” Charles Warren was a bit surprised. “She’s only eleven, right?” That kind of talent wasn’t much inferior to his own.

It seemed that the younger generation of the Wang family was not inferior to the Liu or Zhao families; it was just that everyone’s growth was limited by a lack of resources. He frowned, deep in thought.

Take Liu family’s Peter Bennett for example—at twenty-three or twenty-four, he was at the high stage of the fifth level, which was considered quite outstanding among the younger generation. If Olivia Warren were given ample cultivation resources, her future achievements might not be any less than Peter Bennett’s.

Unfortunately, first, she was a girl. Second, the family was too poor.

After that, Charles Warren intentionally or unintentionally tested them on their academic studies, only to find that they were both mediocre in this area, especially in arithmetic, which was a complete mess.

This made Charles Warren’s face darken, and he scolded them directly: “You’re really embarrassing. Pretty heads, but nothing inside. Even though the Xuanwu noble families are built on martial strength, culture and knowledge are also the foundation of a family’s legacy.”

“Fourth Brother, we won’t dare again, we won’t dare again.”

“When you get back, study hard. I’ll test you again in three months.”

“Okay!”

Olivia Warren and Julia Warren both hung their heads.

……

From the Wang family’s main residence to Fenggu Farm was only twenty li. The road was a solid, packed dirt path wide enough for two carriages to pass side by side, with fields of wheat growing on both sides, making for a smooth journey.

It was early midsummer, and the vegetation on both sides was lush and vibrant. The swaying green wheat stretched out like a sea of emerald waves. This was the season when the wheat was filling out, with gentle winds and bright sunshine—a clear sign of good fortune.

While Charles Warren chatted with his two younger sisters, they arrived at Fenggu Farm in less than an hour.

Farms were usually located on fertile land. This area was about seven or eight li from the main stream of the An River, with a small tributary about ten zhang wide winding down and passing through Fenggu Farm.

The ancestors had diverted the tributary, opening several crosswise ditches about three zhang wide, so that from above, the waterways formed the character “丰” (Feng), which is why the ancestors named it Fenggu Farm.

Following the “Feng”-shaped water source, rows of houses were built in a staggered pattern. Though simple, each house had a small front and back yard, where vegetables and fruit could be grown and chickens raised. The backyards all had simple stone steps leading down to the ditches, convenient for washing clothes and cooking.

In the large and small ditches, flocks of ducks and geese played and foraged, quacking and honking noisily.

In front of the houses were well-tended fields, with vast stretches of wheat swaying in the wind—magnificent and beautiful.

What a picturesque rural scene.

Having lived in the city for so long, Charles Warren was instantly captivated by this pleasant and leisurely view. When he first crossed over, his understanding of the fantasy world was limited to fighting and killing.

He never expected there would be such beautiful pastoral scenery.