Grace Miller, though already over thirty, had always taken excellent care of herself. In addition, she was a martial artist with mid-stage third level martial arts cultivation, so she looked just like a girl in her twenties. Seeing Stephen Clark walk in, she smiled with satisfaction and asked, “Little Stephen, now that you have two Body Tempering Pills, is there any chance you’ll advance to the third level of martial arts in the near future?”

The two Body Tempering Pills Grace Miller mentioned—one was a benefit distributed by the The Clark Family for the younger generation’s cultivation, and the other was taken from William Clark.

Grace Miller knew that doing this was very unfair to William Clark. But after the head of the The Clark Family, Edward Clark, went into seclusion, the family split into several factions, each vying for power. Such family struggles were extremely cruel—the victor would become the master of the family, enjoying all the glory and power, while the losers would, at best, become idle members, scorned and living in misery for life, or at worst, be exiled and die in a foreign land.

In the end, family struggles were really battles for the younger generation to rise to power. Stephen Clark was exceptionally talented and a strong contender for the position of family head. To give Stephen Clark more opportunities to stand out and smoothly enter the power center of the The Clark Family, Grace Miller could only concentrate all resources to fully nurture the talented and promising Stephen Clark.

It was precisely to help Stephen Clark grow stronger quickly that she took the Body Tempering Pill that belonged to William Clark.

Of her two sons, William Clark was destined to be abandoned. Who told him to have such poor talent? The wild world is a place where strength is everything. Here, strength is the foundation of all things. Poor talent means it’s hard to improve strength, and no one would waste precious resources on someone whose strength is hard to improve.

Among the offspring of wild beasts, only the strong survive, while the weak are abandoned or even eaten by their siblings. Humans are the same—those with poor talent are destined to be abandoned, even if they are one’s own sons.

This world is just that cruel!

Hearing her mother’s question, Stephen Clark showed a hint of pride on his face and said, “Ten days ago, I completed my fifth body tempering, and almost all the impurities in my body have been cleared out. Now, with two Body Tempering Pills, the remaining trace of impurities will surely be swept away with their help, allowing me to step into the third level of martial arts.”

Hearing Stephen Clark’s confident tone, Grace Miller nodded in satisfaction and said, “Right now, in the The Clark Family, only Richard Clark among the younger generation can compare with you. If you can successfully reach the third level, even Richard Clark will be beneath you. You must cultivate well and not let your mother down.”

At this point, Grace Miller suddenly remembered something and said, “By the way, you have a match with Richard Clark next month, right? Are you confident about this match?”

“I do have some confidence. But…” Stephen Clark hesitated for a moment and then recounted his negotiation with William Clark.

“What? You’re saying William Clark has also reached the second level of martial arts? And he even refused you?” After hearing Stephen Clark’s words, Grace Miller was greatly surprised and hurriedly asked more.

Stephen Clark nodded in confirmation, his face full of confusion as he said, “I can hardly believe he could reach the second level, but it’s the truth. Not only did he reach the second level, but his foundation is very solid. If he cultivates for another month or two, he might even break through to the mid-stage of the second level. It’s really strange.”

“It is very strange…” Grace Miller mused, “I know Will’s talent. If he used a Body Tempering Pill, he might have a slim chance of reaching the second level. But now, that Body Tempering Pill is clearly in our hands, yet he still managed to advance. This is truly puzzling. Could it be that he accidentally took some kind of spiritual medicine?”

Stephen Clark shook his head and said, “Impossible. Anyone who takes a spiritual medicine will have a special aura about them, brimming with spiritual energy. Little Brother has no trace of medicinal aura on him. I’m sure he didn’t use any rare treasures to advance.”

“How could someone with poor talent, who hasn’t used rare treasures or had the aid of pills, possibly advance?” Grace Miller was full of doubt and questioned Stephen Clark in detail, but Stephen Clark couldn’t provide any answers.

After asking Stephen Clark a few questions and getting nothing useful, Grace Miller changed the subject. Advancement in martial arts certainly depends a lot on talent, but there are also other factors, such as opportunity and luck. Now, Grace Miller regarded William Clark as a lucky person, thinking he had advanced by sheer luck.

After a few more words, Stephen Clark hesitantly asked, “Mother, since Little Brother refused me, what should I do?”

Grace Miller was silent for a while, then said, “Will is now a second-level martial artist and can be of help to you. As the saying goes: brothers fight side by side. Little Will is quite strong; if you cultivate him as your right-hand man, it will be greatly beneficial for your future actions.” At this point, seeing Stephen Clark hesitate to speak, Grace Miller understood what he wanted to say and continued calmly, “In this world, everything is about strength. If he’s unwilling to help you, it means he doesn’t understand your strength. You can show him your strength and make him submit…”