Chương 16: My Wife Is the Absolute Best!

Su Ming walked toward the imposing black obsidian stone. Every step he took seemed measured, radiating the kind of effortless confidence that only came from thousands of hours of grueling martial practice. He didn't strut or boast. Su Ming stopped before the towering artifact. He nonchalantly placed his right palm flat against the cold, runic surface. For a breathless second, the courtyard was dead silent.

Then, the base of the stone lit up, humming with a deep, vibrating resonance that could be felt in the soles of the spectators' feet. A unique, warm earthy glow surged upward through the carved lines. Instantly, the first crystal node on the side flared to life, emitting a rich, pulsing maroon color. The murmurs began immediately.

"Maroon! To reach Qi Da Shi (Qi Grandmaster) at the age of twenty… that requires at least a talent grade of 6! Heavens!"

"Wait, look— he's not done!" someone shrieked, pointing a trembling finger. The earthy glow continued to surge violently. In rapid succession, the crystals ignited. Two. Four. Six. Eight. Ping! The ninth crystal flared up with a blinding maroon light, solidifying its brilliance.

"N– Nine crystals!" a branch elder gasped, nearly dropping his teacup.

"Qi Da Shi (Qi Grandmaster), 9th Stage! He is only a hair's breadth away from condensing a solid core and breaking into the Qi Ling (Qi Lord) realm!"

"The Su Clan is truly blessed by the heavens! Even outside the main bloodline, they have such heaven-defying talent!"

"Su Ming!" The middle-aged martial instructor standing beside the monument looked at the glowing crystals, his face split into an ear-to-ear smile. His voice boomed with overwhelming pride.

"Qi Da Shi (Qi Grandmaster) Rank, 9th Stage!" The courtyard erupted into a deafening roar of applause. Su Ming withdrew his hand; a faint glimmer of pride flashed in his eyes. He turned and respectfully bowed deeply toward the center platform.

"Excellent! Truly excellent!" Clan Leader Su Zhongtian praised, his majestic voice cutting through the cheers. An immense smile graced the Patriarch's face.

"Your foundation is solid, and your Qi is pure. To achieve this without the boundless resources of the main estate… you are a true pillar of the Su Clan's future, Su Ming!" Su Ming then bowed to the rest of the leadership. The Matriarch, Liang Shufen, nodded in deep appreciation, her usually strict face softening. The Clan Elders stroked their beards, exchanging highly satisfied looks.

Even on the VIP platform, the Divine Alchemist Tan Gengxin offered a slow, approving nod, while Tang Zefei observed the young man with sharp, calculating interest, idly tapping her elegant finger against her porcelain teacup. Across the aisle, the atmosphere was far less celebratory.

"Brother Gu," Bao Kun, the hulking leader of the Bao Clan, leaned over, his booming voice carrying a hint of playful mockery.

"Isn't your son, Gu Tianqi, also at the Qi Da Shi (Qi Grandmaster) 9th Stage? It seems your family has some fierce competition today."

"Hmm," Gu Wentian replied, his voice dangerously tight. A grim, exceptionally sour look painted his viper-like face. His knuckles were white as he gripped the armrest of his wooden chair. Only Gu Wentian knew the amount of rare, excruciatingly expensive elixirs, beast cores, and pills he had fed his son to forcefully push him to that stage, even with a talent of level 7. Su Ming, on the other hand, did not have access to a fraction of those resources.

He definitely has a talent grade of 8, Gu Wentian thought venomously. The Su Clan's luck is far too absurd. Down in the crowd, the praise continued to flow like a river.

"This is amazing. His talent might be second only to the First Miss!" an inner sect disciple commented loudly. Up in the main seating area, Xiao Xuan tilted his head, leaning slightly toward his aide.

"Wei Tu," he asked softly,"Is he the son of the First or Second Elder or something?"

"No, no, Young Master," Wei Tu whispered back respectfully.

"The First Elder's son, Su Yuan, is currently studying away at the Glorious Sun Academy in the Central Continent. And the Second Elder only has daughters. Su Ming is an orphan. His parents, who were elders in the clan, died in an unfortunate event."

"An actual self-made man," Xiao Xuan mused, gaining a sliver of respect for the young commander. The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Su Ming nonchalantly walked back to his place in the ranks. The screening continued for another hour, moving through the ranks of the talented youths. Finally, the Second Elder stepped forward, his voice taking on a noticeably more reverent tone.

"Next, our Second Miss… Su Luoyao!"

"Yeah! Watch this, Brother-in-Law!" Su Luoyao cheered softly, waving excitedly toward Xiao Xuan.

"Show them how it is done, Luoyao!" Xiao Xuan cheered back, earning a sharp glare from Matriarch Liang Shufen. He merely smiled and offered the strict woman a polite wave in return. Instead of walking down the stairs, Su Luoyao leaped directly over the railing of the raised platform. She landed gracefully on the stone courtyard like a nimble cat, her signature red whip secured at her waist. Striding confidently to the monument, she slammed her small hand against the black stone. The runes immediately flared.

The earthy glow shot up, instantly locking onto the first crystal, burning with that familiar maroon light.

"Qi Da Shi (Qi Grandmaster) Rank, 1st Stage!" the elder declared proudly.

"For a girl of her young age, breaking into the Qi Da Shi (Qi Grandmaster) realm is a monstrous achievement that would require a talent of at least level 6." Su Luoyao spun around, flashing a brilliant smile as she bowed to her parents and the VIPs. The crowd cheered enthusiastically. When she returned, Xiao Xuan quietly congratulated her.

"That's my awesome little sister! Good job, Luoyao!" While Su Luoyang gave her sister a proud smile.

"Next!" the Second Elder announced, his voice trembling with a mix of awe and deep respect.

"First Miss… Su Luoyang!" The entire courtyard held its breath. Even the wind seemed to stop blowing. Su Luoyang stood up. She simply stepped off the platform, her body defying gravity as her Qi allowed her to gently float down to the ground like a descending goddess. Her pristine blue and white robes with the iconic silver linings fluttered silently in the air. She approached the stone with an expression of icy calm.

The ambient temperature around the monument plummeted instantly, lightly frosting the edges of the stone tiles beneath her feet. As soon as her delicate white palm touched the obsidian surface, the monument didn't just hum, it roared. A wave of freezing Qi swept over the first few rows of the audience. The base of the stone glowed in blinding light. The crystal light shot past the yellow and maroon colours in a fraction of a second. One. Two. Three. Four. Five.

Five crystals ignited simultaneously, but they were not maroon. They glowed with a magnificent, radiant pink light that illuminated the center of the training grounds.

"Pink crystals! The color of Qi Ling (Qi Lord)!"

"Qi Ling (Qi Lord) Rank, 5th Stage!" the instructor screamed, his voice cracking with disbelief.

"She… she advanced two stages of Qi Ling (Qi Lord) Rank in just five months! Heavens!" The crowd didn't just cheer; they exploded.

"She is a monster! A true, heaven-sent genius!"

"At her age, to be at the 5th stage of Qi Ling (Qi Lord)! She can project her Qi as solid armor!" On the VIP stands, Bao Kun slapped his thigh, impressed.

"Magnificent! Truly magnificent, Brother Su! Your daughter is a dragon among mortals!" Beside him, the gentle Bao Ling'er looked at the beautiful woman on the courtyard floor, her eyes sparkling with admiration.

"She is incredible…" she whispered softly. Even Gu Wentian looked shaken, his face pale. And then, a loud, shameless voice echoed from the right platform.

"WOOOOOO! THAT'S RIGHT! MY WIFE IS THE ABSOLUTE BEST! I LOVE YOU, DARLING!" The cheering died abruptly. Thousands of heads snapped toward the platform so fast it was a miracle no necks were snapped. Xiao Xuan was standing up, his hands cupped around his mouth like a megaphone, grinning from ear to ear like an idiot. Down on the courtyard, Su Luoyang froze. A bright shade of crimson exploded across her cheeks, rushing all the way down to her neck. She quickly retracted her hand from the stone.

She returned to her seat with a quick leap making her invisible to the naked eye. The crowd was stunned for three seconds before an outrage broke out.

"Did that trash just call our Goddess as darling?!"

"He is her husband, it is only natural!"

"How dare he sully her moment! I want to challenge him to a death match!" Up in the VIP section, Tang Zefei subtly raised her silk sleeve to cover her mouth as she suppressed a laugh. Bao Ling'er leaned forward, intrigued by the bizarre dynamic. Amidst the chaos, the First Elder, Su Zhongyong, saw his opening. He stood up, his Qi-amplified voice cutting through the angry mob like a blade.

"Since the son-in-law is so spirited," the First Elder announced loudly, his eyes locking onto Xiao Xuan like a predator.

"It is only right that he demonstrates his own foundation to our esteemed guests! Next to the monument… Xiao Xuan!" The echo of the First Elder's Qi-amplified voice washed over the training grounds. Instantly, the roaring outrage regarding his shameless romantic outburst was snuffed out. Silence fell over the thousands of attendees. Then, the whispers started.

"Did he just say Xiao Xuan? But he's a mortal!"

"The First Elder is merciless! He's going to make the trash humiliate himself in front of the entire district!" Up in the stands, Xiao Xuan let out a long sigh. He quietly got up from his comfortable seat. Unlike Su Luoyao's athletic, gravity-defying leap, or his wife's ethereal descent from the heavens, Xiao Xuan simply walked over to the edge of the platform and took the steps. Clack. Clack. Clack.

"Careful, young master! Don't trip and break your fragile mortal bones!" On the main family's platform, the atmosphere was grim. Clan Leader Su Zhongtian rubbed his temples, his earlier joy over his daughters' achievements disappeared. Matriarch Liang Shufen was shaking with fury, shooting daggers at the First Elder's back. Even Su Luoyang, who had just returned to her seat with a lingering flush on her cheeks, now wore a mask of ice. Next to her, Su Luoyao nervously bit her lower lip.

Leaning in close, she tugged gently on her older sister's sleeve and whispered softly, her voice laced with nervous anticipation.

"Sister… Do you think his secret cultivation will yield any result?" Standing directly behind the two sisters, Xinyue was holding a porcelain teapot. At those whispered words, the maid froze. Her eyes bulged in horror, the teapot trembling slightly in her grasp as she stared at Xiao Xuan's retreating back.