C30 Hound

"Don't push me. Let's just wait a bit longer!"

Qin Chongming's expression was etched with bitterness. For him, at this moment, any choice would bring excruciating pain.

On one hand was the Qin family, and on the other, his son. How to choose? What to choose?

"Wait, Patriarch, time is precisely what the Qin family lacks right now. Please make a decision quickly!"

"Indeed, Patriarch. Your hesitation could very well lead to the downfall of the entire Qin family!"

Qin Chongming's response was clearly not what the other elders were hoping for, prompting them to apply pressure once again.

All eyes in the room turned to him, and in their gazes, Qin Chongming saw resolute determination.

If he failed to handle this situation properly, his tenure as the head of the Qin family could very well be over.

Whether or not he remained the Patriarch was irrelevant; what mattered was Qin Xiao's safety, which wouldn't be assured by his abdication.

In fact, stepping down at this juncture would likely seal Qin Xiao's fate.

"Enough, I've reached a decision!"

"Qin Xiao, having wrought calamity in the Void Realm, is hereby stripped of all his positions within the Qin family and expelled effective immediately. His fate is no longer tied to the Qin family!"

As he issued the command, Qin Chongming's face turned a deep shade of red. Expelling Qin Xiao from the family now was akin to casting him into a fiery abyss.

It was a desperate gamble for survival!

But who could understand his helplessness? A desperate gamble still held a glimmer of hope, whereas remaining in the family meant certain death.

At this point, all he could do was hope that Qin Xiao was clever enough to navigate the storm and save himself.

"Patriarch, by doing this, I fear..."

"Enough. I am the Patriarch. I have my reasons for this decision!"

Despite Qin Chongming's firm resolution, the family elders remained discontented.

After all, Qin Chongming was still the Patriarch, his authority built up over time. When one elder began to object, he was promptly cut off.

"By expelling Qin Xiao, we should be able to placate the Yun and Chu families. A bit of resource compensation and they'll be content to watch from the sidelines."

"The three major consortiums have been flexing borrowed power. They've reaped some rewards recently, but it's time they learned their limits."

"Expelling Qin Xiao is the perfect response to them. Everyone has their own scores to settle, so what business is it of the Qin family anymore?"

"Keep a close eye on the Wang family. The Qin family has suffered greatly because of that treacherous woman from the Wang family. We'll settle this score one day!"

Qin Chongming's authoritative declaration echoed through the top-floor conference room, exuding the utmost patriarchal authority.

For a moment, no one dared to speak against him.

"Alright, if there are no objections, proceed with the plan!"

"Remember, once that scoundrel is ousted from the Qin family, announce to the public that he fled out of guilt and has been expelled!"

"Meeting adjourned!"

With that command, Qin Chongming was the first to exit the conference room.

In Liao City, at Ren Ji Hospital.

Qin Xiao, lying in his hospital bed, suddenly saw a short message flash across his wrist.

"Run!"

He opened the message with a thought, and a familiar voice filled his ears.

Moments later, Qin Xiao received notifications that his federation card had been frozen and that he had been expelled from the Qin family.

Within seconds, all of Qin Xiao's family-registered accounts were frozen!

It was then that Qin Xiao began to grasp the gravity of the situation.

Expelled from the Qin family?

Impossible. He was Qin Chongming's only son; there must be some mistake!

How could his father possibly expel him from the family? Without him, who would inherit the vast Qin family legacy?

Recalling his father, the family patriarch, Qin Xiao had a sudden realization that the 'run' message sounded eerily like his father's voice.

This couldn't be happening. Qin Xiao quickly revisited the message, listening to it over and over again.

Just once, that's all it took for a focused Qin Xiao to instantly recognize the voice's owner.

His father, Qin Chongming, it was indeed him!

He had sent his son a message in such an anonymous manner!

Qin Xiao parted the blinds and, through the well-lit window, spotted several cars belonging to the three major consortiums.

If he couldn't grasp what was happening now, then all his years would have been for naught.

He had heard whispers before and had always trusted his father to withstand the pressure and protect him.

Yet, he never imagined that in a mere five days, he would be cast out of his home.

He understood that his father must have been under immense pressure to act this way, but he couldn't help feeling some resentment.

Of course, his resentment wasn't aimed at his father but at the family elders. His renown in the Void Realm over the past two years had brought considerable benefits to the family.

To his dismay, after a minor incident, the family elders had readily forsaken him.

Regardless of his feelings toward the family, he now had no choice but to flee, dragging his recently operated-on arm behind him, like a dog without a home.

Qin Xiao was no fool. He knew that Zhou Qian's death was largely his own doing.

Clearly, he understood the dire consequences of losing the Qin family's protection and falling into the hands of the three major consortiums.

With his flight, the Purple Poison Forest incident also drew to a close.

The Six Great Families of the Black Iron Base had been thoroughly shaken.

Even the Yun and Chu families were worn out from their repeated military engagements.

Nonetheless, their efforts were not in vain; they reaped substantial rewards in both the Modern Realm and the Void Realm, proving that Zhang Lieh's decision to use them as pawns was well-founded.

The other three great families, aside from the Zhou family, had also profited handsomely from the turmoil.

Only the Qin family seemed to vanish from the Black Iron Base in the aftermath.

The so-called Six Great Families of the Black Iron Base would likely need to be renamed the Five Great Families.

Indeed, in this chain of events, the true victor was none other than Zhang Lieh.

With a single scheme, the Wang and Qin families were left crippled, Qin Xiaotian was dead, Wang Jianxin exiled, and both Wang Xiaohua and Qin Xiao were forced to flee like dogs without a home.

He had ingeniously created a web of animosity amidst various conflicts.

In doing so, he had extricated himself from a perilous situation, effectively hitting multiple targets with a single arrow.

Zhang Lieh was in his room at the Black Gold Hotel.

"Pop!"

With a soft sound, Zhang Lieh gently slapped his right palm, and ripples spread out rapidly, though they appeared to move slowly. In the virtual environment, a steel shield shattered in an instant.

Zhang Lieh's mastery of the Wave Fist, a pinnacle martial skill from his past life, had shown significant progress after five days of dedicated practice.

It was clear that this martial art was exceptionally well-suited to Zhang Lieh. It felt natural to him, and he was delighted with the ease of use.

After pausing his Wave Fist routine, Zhang Lieh took up the Purple Poison Nether Sword and began practicing the Tremendous Sword Technique.

This technique, akin to that of a heavy sword, was relatively straightforward. However, the real challenge lay in mastering the inherent force that emanated from one's genes.

A hundred practitioners of the Tremendous Sword could develop a hundred different expressions of its force, each unique to the individual.

Even if the overall sword force was similar, there would inevitably be subtle differences.

This process of forging one's personal sword force was the most challenging aspect of the technique.

Fortunately, Zhang Lieh was no ordinary individual. Over the past five days, aside from his time spent on the Wave Fist, he had devoted himself to mastering the Tremendous Sword.

With a profound foundation from his past life and exceptional control over his genes and Origin Power, he had made a breakthrough.

Now, in the simulated environment, a massive fish swam nimbly behind Zhang Lieh.

As it moved, the essence of the Tremendous Sword intermittently shone through, lacking the mechanical rigidity of the auction's robot demonstration and exuding the enigmatic allure of the vast ocean.

"Whoosh!"

After a long buildup, Zhang Lieh's short sword came down in a swift cut, and as it did, the great fish in the virtual environment leapt up in response.

A colossal wave erupted from the sword, flattening a small hill in an instant.

"Whoosh!"

With one sword strike, Zhang Lieh expelled a breath of stale air and stepped out of the simulation environment, a hint of fatigue on his face.

The Tremendous Sword lived up to its name in power, though it demanded a significant toll on his body and Origin Power.

Overall, it deserved its reputation as a Supreme Grade technique, but for the time being, it couldn't be used as a regular martial skill. It would have to serve as a last-ditch trump card.

Thus, Zhang Lieh's martial arts training reached a temporary pause.

Both the Wave Fist and the Tremendous Sword, with their area-of-effect damage, admirably compensated for Zhang Lieh's previous weaknesses.

Furthermore, the recent focused training and the surge in Gene Points had advanced Zhang Lieh's Fish Dragon Nine Changes from the mid to the late stage.

His Origin Power surged, and the red fish within his gene core became strikingly detailed, almost like a living creature.

Zhang Lieh's various stats in the Void Realm had seen considerable improvement.

Zhang Lieh: Common Level Life.

Cultivation Techniques: Basic Cultivation Method - Ultimate, Fish Dragon Nine Changes - Late Stage, Wave Fist - Beginner, Tremendous Sword - Beginner.

Gene Points: Basic Genes 140, Mutated Genes 100, Super Genes 19.

Soul Sea Soul Jade: Super Silver Liquid Jade Worm King Soul Jade, Mutated Gale Wolf Soul Jade, Bloodthirsty Ant Soul Jade, Great Belly Devil Frog Soul Jade, Mutated Great Belly Devil Frog Soul Jade, Super Purple Poison Nether Scorpion Soul Jade.

Possessing two immensely powerful Super Soul Jade, Zhang Lieh cultivated various gene martial techniques, the least of which were high-level gene martial techniques.

Zhang Lieh's current stats were nothing short of impressive.

On the Combat Power Board, even with just these stats and no combat achievements, he had already climbed to the 53rd spot.

This was despite the setback of his Main Cultivation Technique being at the Mortal Level. If judged by the standards of a general Advanced Cultivation Technique, his ranking would likely be even higher.

Zhang Lieh wasn't concerned with these rankings, however. Having chosen not to disclose his full capabilities, he had already opted to conceal his position on the Combat Power Board.

Otherwise, the news of his ranking at the bottom of the Combat Power Board would have already set the entire Black Iron Base abuzz.

Having tidied up everything, Zhang Lieh, who had been cooped up in his room for five days, was finally ready to step outside.

Next on his agenda was to concentrate on Super Gene Life and gathering the specific spiritual herbs required to concoct the second batch of Limit Medicine.