By the time we arrived at the Xia Clan Manor, news about us had already started spreading all over the city.
We stood out much more than needed. Hehe, you couldn't blame the city folks anyway. We looked overly attractive and it made a perfect combination when we walked together.
We looked like the perfect couple. One had an untouchable and cold disposition while the other had a serene and scholarly demeanor.
Anyway, the extra attention didn't deter me from enjoying the company of a beautiful woman.
The atmosphere in the Xia Clan Manor reeked of expensiveness.
The mansions were huge and magnificent which further cemented the prosperity of the Xia Clan.
From my past life's knowledge, I inferred that the Xia Clan mainly majored in trading activities and their merchant businesses were booming within the Floating Cloud City. To say they were at the top in terms of wealth in the city was not exaggerating even though they could not be compared with top dogs in the Blue Wind Empire.
Their strength was slightly inferior to the Xiao Clan but they could not be underestimated.
They had enough wealth to hire numerous experts to protect their business harbor.
Xia Qing Yue wanted me to meet her father before I settled down in one of their mansions as a guest.
The situation was quite hilarious as the way the manor servants looked at us spoke volumes.
I bet they were thinking along the lines, 'Who is the person besides the young lady?' , 'What a handsome man!' , 'Are they a couple now?' , 'Today our young lady brought a man home!'
Anyway, I didn't need to use telepathy to know their thoughts just based on their expressions.
Based on Xia Qing Yue's cold temperament, it was a tremendous change for her to suddenly bring anyone into their home in addition to that he was a handsome young man.
After all, Xia Qing Yue did not have any friends apart from her family. Most of the time she was arduously cultivating and did not interact with any of the servants.
When we entered the main hall, which was wide enough to accommodate a group of five hundred men, I saw a man of normal stature seated in an expensive-looking mahogany chair. He had a calm and gentle demeanor.
His eyes exuded the shrewdness of a businessman and when he looked at someone it seemed as if he could guess their character. Truly a shrewd merchant intuition.
I saw Xia Qing Yue's facial expression soften and her cold temperament subsided. She now looked like a daughter meeting her father.
She slightly bowed to her father which earned a surprised expression on Xia Hongyi's face.
"Greetings father."
I was not surprised by her actions I expected her to at least give some semblance of familial interaction with her current family. It seemed my previous interrogation was a wake-up call for her.
Xia Hongyi had a relieved smile on his face after hearing his daughter's voice.
I could imagine the situation he was in since his wife Yue Wugou left. The sudden change in Xia Qing Yue's attitude and the small bonding they had started weakening. His daughter rarely interacted with him so most of the time he would be just doing merchant businesses.
"Yu'er how are you doing?" Xia Hongyi asked, all of his attention on his daughter.
"I am doing great. My cultivation has reached a major juncture and I could breakthrough into the Spirit Profound realm at any moment." Xia Qing Yue coolly replied.
"Good! Our family was blessed to have you." Xia Hongyi bellowed in excitement. How could he not be excited by his daughter's progress in cultivation? A father would always look out for their daughter, right?
Xia Qing Yue fell silent after that and waited for her father to calm down.
After some time, Xia Hongyi looked at me and a questioning look appeared on his face, obviously wanting to know about the stranger that his daughter had suddenly brought home.
"And who is this friend Yu'er?"
I looked at Xia Qing Yue to hear what she would explain about my identity.
I just anticipated she would say something along the lines of benefactor. She could not say I was her friend. How could she say that when the so-called friend is a sexy and handsome stud. Cough!
"Father he's my benefactor. He provided me with cultivation pointers that have greatly loosened my bottleneck," Xia Qing Yue's reply was cool and you couldn't detect any lie from her usual cold voice. Damn, such a cheater.
'What bottleneck! I simply negated your attack and broadened your horizons. That's it!' I chuckled inwardly.
"What!" Xia Hongyi's expression altered slightly as he looked at me as if to confirm his daughter's explanation.
I know he can't believe that someone of his daughter's age can give pointers to the former. Didn't that mean I had a higher cultivation base?
He looked more closely as if analyzing my bearing and was also astounded when he didn't sense my strength. It was as if I was a mortal man.
'Hehe, how can he know or anyone else when I decide to hide my strength?' I smiled while in thought.
Like the businessman he was, he knew when to retreat when faced with a loss. He concluded to himself that I had a higher cultivation realm. His instincts were sharp.
"Benefactor of my daughter, may I know your name?" Xia Hongyi humbly asked.
I mentally appreciated his wit. Some old men would have jumped and started throwing a tantrum about how my strength shouldn't be higher than theirs.
Xia Qing Yue looked at me in anticipation as she also wanted to know. Since we met we hadn't introduced each other's names.
It was as if my name meant everything to her.
What name should I say? I will just use my usual name. I decided against changing it to suit xianxia names.
"There is no use for such formalities father-in-law. Just call me Noah." I deliberately set my voice in a carefree and loud manner. I wanted to see their reactions.
The atmosphere suddenly shifted.
Xia Qing Yue tensed and almost fell due to my declaration while her father had his mouth wide open.
'Oh, Xia Qing Yue. You were already marked by me ever since we met. There would be no reason to deny that you will eventually be mine,' My lips curled in victory.
Hehe, aren't I now showing little signs of a scum?
Xia Qing Yue was the first one to recollect herself and a calm expression adorned her face as if she had come to terms with me calling Xia Hongyi, the father-in-law.
That was the price she had to pay. She had already sold herself to me.
I also wanted Xia Hongyi to know the subtlety of his daughter's situation and when he found that his daughter had no rejection whatsoever, he seemed to be in a dilemma.
"Benefactor..." Xia Hongyi started but I gave him a look that made him change the way he addressed me.
"Sorry, Noah. But my daughter is already betrothed to the Xiao Clan and the news of the wedding will be announced in three months," Xia Hongyi said politely as if his words would make me misunderstand and become angry.
'Hmm, so the plot will start in three months,' I mused. But who am I to follow the plot!
'Oh, Yun Che I want to see your face on the wedding day as I take your allegedly soon-to-be wife,' I evilly thought.
I will mess with him before taking away his heavenly treasures for study. The samsara laws on the mirror of samsara were invaluable to me. I will also deprive him of the sky poison pearl.
Anyway, the marriage between them was based on promises made by the fathers. It was simply invalid to me.
Let's appear on the wedding day and snatch the bride, hahaha. Wouldn't that cause a sensational reaction from the Xiao Clan Members?
"Don't worry about that I will pay the Xiao Clan a visit, soon," I replied as if it was worth nothing which further increased Xia Hongyi's admiration of me.
My reply made him let out a sigh of relief while Xia Qing Yue looked at me with a complicated expression since she was just going into the marriage under the wishes of her father but now...I had intervened.
"Noah, you can rest here. I will accommodate you with the best treatment as our guest," Xia Hongyi suggested.
It seems he had no problem not fulfilling that promise he made to Xiao Ying. Such adaptation. Well, power can solve such issues quite easily. And in this situation, I had the power to change his decision.
"Anyway, I need a bed to lie down a little bit," I replied slowly while looking at the transcendent beauty beside me. Xia Qing Yue realizing the look I was giving her, suddenly blushed after remembering my previous teasing.
I could see her bashful expression startled the poor father. This was the first time seeing her daughter blush since she started being cold.
After a moment, Xia Hongyi cleared his throat and said, "Yu'er please show Noah to the guest residence."
And with that Xia Qing Yue led me away from the main hall.
I had an urge to grasp her beautiful slender hands but I stopped myself. Let's try this later.
I wanted to savor the moment right now as we walked side by side in silence.
"What is your real cultivation realm, Noah?" Xia Qing Yue suddenly broke the silence.
I remained silent for a moment as we finally reached the guest room.
"If you want to know my realm, let's have an in-depth discussion inside the room then little Qingyue," My lips curved evilly as I opened the door in an invitation manner.
"Y-You...!" She was so dumbfounded that she stuttered when she spoke.
She couldn't believe that someone was so brazen enough to talk to her like that.
"I will know all of your secrets just you wait and see," She declared while a pink blush crept down from her ears to her dainty snow-white neck.
"You have to work hard for that dear. Remember, I kind of own you now. I will satisfy your curiosity if you put more effort into pleasing me," I spoke in a domineering tone.
Yeah, I wanted her to take the initiative to make me willing and satisfied.
"I will but not right now." She meekly replied after hearing my tone.
"You're lucky am a patient man. If you are ready to please me just come to me, my door will always be open," I spoke in a low tone and approached her before touching her cheek through her veil.
Without waiting for her response, I gently planted a soft kiss on her forehead and swiftly entered my room without looking back, leaving her rigid figure in the open.
Good! The seed has been planted. She would surely think about the kiss.
'Oh Qingyue, you will succumb to me very soon.'
I observed my surrounding closely and I was satisfied with the elegant and ancient decor of the room.
I then sat in a lotus position on the soft bed.
"Lily, create a perfect control skill for me."
[ Synthesizing...]
[The skill 'Perfect Power Control' has been synthesized]
With <perfect power control> in my arsenal now, manipulating and controlling my power will be so much easier. I wouldn't want to accidentally blast a hole through this planet or destroy it when I fight.
The next issue was my physical body. Something I noticed was that even though I had an infinite amount of energy, my body would not keep up if it is weaker. It was already a miracle that I could hold such an infinite amount of energy. But continuous usage would have made my body to be affected.
Let's ask Lily for a perfect solution.
"Lily, what skill can I use to improve my physical body?"
[ I advise you to use a skill related to genes and alter your gene make-up at a subatomic level]
"Show me then."
[Generating a suitable skill related to genes...]
[ The skill <Genetic Access> has been created]
[ Genetic Access: The user will be able to access the genetic code.
•Through <Genetic Access>, the user can change his genes at the subatomic level.
•The user will be able to access all the encoded information about genes of other living organisms either living or non-living.
•With this ability, the user will also be able to create his race lineage by combining the best genes of other superior organisms in the multiverse.
•The user can also modify his body at a subatomic level thus tremendously increasing his physical capabilities.
Note:Any form of gene alteration will induce the user to immense pain]
I was satisfied with the ability <Genetic Access> , with it I will not have to worry about my physical body.
Next, I will modify my body and genes.
Let's see what overpowered physique I will be able to access via my latent human genes!
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