Nathaniel Reed, though he was the head of the family, had very few descendants in his branch. His parents died early, so he had no siblings. If John Reed truly failed to break through the limits of the physical body in the future, and one day Nathaniel Reed passed away, it was easy to imagine how awkward John Reed's position in the Luo clan would become.

At such a time, having a powerful backer was extremely important for John Reed's status.

After a while, Nathaniel Reed said, “It is John’s honor that Brother Wei thinks so highly of him.”

William Watson’s expression brightened, and he said, “So, Brother Luo, you agree?”

Nathaniel Reed nodded slightly.

William Watson said, “Excellent, then it’s settled. However, they are still very young, so for now let’s just make a verbal agreement. When John Reed comes of age, we’ll arrange their engagement.”

Nathaniel Reed frowned slightly and said, “Since we’re going to arrange a marriage, why not do it sooner?”

William Watson replied, “Now is the best time for them to cultivate. If we arrange the engagement too early, it might distract them and make their minds wander.”

Although Nathaniel Reed was not satisfied with delaying the engagement, what William Watson said was not without reason—especially for John Reed. If he knew that the rest of his life was already secure, it might affect his motivation to cultivate.

“Then let it be as you say. We’ll arrange the engagement when they both come of age,” said Nathaniel Reed.

“Good, it’s a deal,” William Watson said happily.

Of course, William Watson had his own calculations. There were still five years until John Reed turned sixteen and came of age—plenty of time to see what potential John Reed would show in the future.

If John Reed made a comeback, the Wei family would be connected to a future big shot. If John Reed never recovered, it was just a verbal agreement anyway, not a written contract. Heh… Whether or not his daughter would marry would still be up to William Watson to decide.

Spring passed and autumn came; in the blink of an eye, another year had gone by.

It was time again for the Luo clan juniors’ annual strength assessment.

After a year of cultivation, the younger generation had all made progress in their strength.

Eugene Reed’s strength reached 2,496 jin. If he kept up this trend, he would likely step into the Qi Realm next year.

Hugh Reed had already reached 2,497 jin last year, and this year he indeed broke through to the Qi Realm. His strength soared to 6,230 jin.

Once one entered the Qi Realm, strength increased rapidly. Right now, Hugh Reed had only just begun to sense qi in his body. Give him another year, and his strength would definitely surpass 10,000 jin. It was even possible for him to increase by 10,000 jin in a single year.

Rachel Jackson’s strength rose to 1,905 jin. This was her fourth assessment, and her results still surpassed Hugh Reed’s at the same stage.

Jane Taylor’s strength made another big leap, increasing by over 1,000 jin in a year to reach 2,218 jin. Her improvement was even greater than last year’s, making her the only junior to have increased her strength by more than 1,000 jin for two consecutive years while still in the Body Tempering Realm.

In the Body Tempering Realm, increasing strength by 1,000 jin in a year was extremely difficult—much harder than increasing by 10,000 jin in a year in the Qi Realm. Now, Jane Taylor’s reputation as a genius even surpassed that of John Reed in the past.

Quincy Reed and Felix Reed reached 2,135 jin and 2,589 jin respectively, maintaining steady growth. At this rate, Felix Reed also had hope of entering the Qi Realm next year.

But as for John Reed, who was the focus of everyone’s attention, his strength had not changed at all—it was still 3,000 jin.

However, after the shock of last time, this time no one was too surprised. What they felt was—disappointment.

If last year more than ninety percent of people still had hope for him, now, those who still believed in John Reed were less than ten percent—almost none.

A whole year—365 days—John Reed had not slacked off for a single day. Every day he had nourishing food, and every month he received a spiritual herb, allowing him to push his body’s strength and potential to the limit without worry.

Unfortunately, the difficulty of breaking through the limits of the physical body was beyond John Reed’s imagination.

A year and nine months—twenty-one months of daily extreme training—yet his body still showed not the slightest sign of breaking through.

“I miscalculated. A whole year, and he hasn’t increased his strength by even a single jin. Looks like this kid really is finished. Was I out of my mind last year to make that verbal agreement with Nathaniel Reed? Wasn’t I just pushing Fang’er into a pit of fire?” Seeing that John Reed hadn’t improved at all, William Watson was filled with regret.

Over the past year, John Reed’s status in the Luo family had plummeted, and the way others looked at him was no longer filled with envy or admiration.

Many of the younger generation now looked at him with a hint of schadenfreude.

At first, John Reed still felt some anger, but over time, he got used to it.

He didn’t live for others, and there was no need to make himself uncomfortable because of what others thought.

Moreover, he always believed that as long as he persisted, breaking through the limits of the physical body was possible.

If one year wasn’t enough, then two years. If two years weren’t enough, then three. If three years weren’t enough… even if it took ten years, he would keep going.

Because if his cultivation stopped at the limit of the Body Tempering Realm, his life would be meaningless.

He still had to seek revenge against Howard Newman, and he still wanted to find out what happened to his mother…