Chapter 54: The Stone Door Opens!

Donghai City, the Zhou Family's old residence.

In the gazebo of the back garden, an elderly man with silvery-white hair and a vigorous spirit sat upright.

He held a cup of clear tea, his movements unhurried.

He was none other than the current head of the Zhou Family, Zhou Ting.

Outside the courtyard, the figure of Zhou Feng walked over slowly, stopped in front of the elderly man, and bowed respectfully.

"Dad, did you look for me?"

Zhou Ting didn't even lift his eyelids, only letting out a soft hum.

He took a sip of tea, and no trace of joy or anger could be seen on his face.

"I heard that Lu Qi got beaten up by someone a while ago."

"As his father, what is going on with you?"

Zhou Feng lowered his head even further.

Zhou Ting gently placed the teacup on the stone table, making a crisp sound.

"I told you long ago to take good care of their mother and son, is this how you take care of them?"

"Fortunately, Lu Qi is fine this time. If anything were to happen to him, have you considered the fate of our Zhou Family?"

Zhou Feng kept his head down, his voice muffled, "It was my oversight."

"I've already sent people to kill the fellow who bullied Lu Qi."

"In the future, whenever Lu Qi goes out, I will arrange more manpower to protect him."

Zhou Ting's face still bore no expression, only letting out a soft hum from his nose.

He changed the subject.

"Besides that, you and Liu Yuru should also hurry up and have another one."

"After all, Lu Qi is not of our Zhou Family's Bloodline."

"You can't possibly wait until you become the Family head and then hand the Zhou Family over to someone of a different surname later, can you?"

"So while you two are still young, have one."

Hearing this, a bitter arc appeared at the corners of Zhou Feng's mouth.

Ever since Liu Yuru married into the Zhou Family all these years, not to mention having children, she hadn't even let him touch her hand once.

How could there be any offspring?

But he did not speak these words aloud.

Saying them out loud would only lead to the old master reprimanding him for being incompetent.

Zhou Feng could only swallow this humiliation into his stomach and silently nodded.

Zhou Ting picked up his teacup again and blew on the floating tea leaves.

"As for Zhou Huai…"

"I heard he was driven out of your home by Liu Yuru, is this true?"

Zhou Feng's body stiffened slightly, but he still nodded.

"Yes. Huaier… he changed class to an E-Rank Profession, so Liu Yuru drove him out."

"Now he lives in that courtyard left behind by his mother before she died."

Zhou Ting calmly gave an "Oh," as if listening to an insignificant trivial matter.

"An E-Rank Professional."

"Indeed unworthy of being a member of our Zhou Family anymore. I don't object to Liu Yuru doing this either."

Zhou Feng clenched the fists hidden at his sides, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force, yet he said nothing.

Zhou Ting continued speaking: "Don't blame me, your grandfather, for being cruel and disregarding Family affection."

"This world is naturally like this, survival of the fittest."

"For our Zhou Family to have today, we also stepped out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood step by step."

"In the past few years, in order to break the curse on him, how many resources the Family consumed on him, you know in your heart."

"I consider that the Zhou Family has already done everything possible for him with utmost benevolence."

"If you want to blame someone, you can only blame him for not living up to expectations and Awakening a trash profession."

"Just let him fend for himself in that courtyard. Normally, remember to give him some living expenses, just don't let him starve to death."

Zhou Feng felt as if a lump of cotton was stuffed in his throat. He opened his mouth, and in the end it still turned into a single word.

"Yes."

Zhou Ting seemed very satisfied with his submissiveness, and his tone softened a bit.

"Right, after the National College Entrance Examination ends, it will be the Ye Family girl's birthday."

"Find some time to discuss it with Ye Zhentian."

"On Ye Xi's birthday, hold Lu Qi and her engagement banquet together as well."

"By then, it will be a double blessing."

…

At the same time, Zhou Huai slowly woke up from his sleep.

The sky outside the window had completely darkened, and only a dim bedside lamp was lit in the room.

He glanced at the electronic clock; another five-plus hours had passed.

This condition of hypersomnia was becoming more and more frequent.

Zhou Huai rubbed his somewhat swollen temples and sank his attention into his mind.

The very first moment, he began to check the condition of his two Clones.

During the time he was asleep, Yasuo and Gandalf, still like two tireless machines, frantically farmed the dungeon in the Shadow Swamp Demon Cave.

As Gandalf's Rank continued to rise, the two's efficiency in clearing the map became higher and higher.

At this moment, a golden light of leveling up had just dissipated from Yasuo's body.

His Rank had already been raised to LV16.

As for Gandalf, who had been following closely behind sharing experience, his Rank had shockingly reached LV10!

[Clone Panel (Gandalf)]

[Profession: Unique Hidden Profession, SS-Class Forbidden Spell Master]

[Rank: LV10 (0 / 100000)]

[Health Points: 2580 / 2580]

[Mana Points: 6100 / 6100]

[Strength: 431]

[Agility: 399]

[Stamina: 456]

[Mental Energy: 1289]

[Magic Damage: 1588]

[Physical Defense: 305]

[Magic Resistance: 685]

Zhou Huai's eyes lit up.

This is the SS-Class profession.

The attributes at level 10 already exceeded Yasuo at level 15.

Especially that magical damage reaching over one thousand five hundred, it was simply appalling.

What surprised him even more was that Gandalf had comprehended a new skill at level ten.

[Arcane Barrier LV1]: Consumes 500 Mana Points to form an indestructible defensive magic shield around oneself, capable of resisting all forms of damage. The total damage the magic shield can absorb is 10 times the caster's maximum Mana Points. The magic shield lasts for 5 minutes, with a cooldown of 1 minute.

Zhou Huai's breathing suddenly hitched.

Ten times the maximum Mana Points limit?

Calculated based on Gandalf's current maximum Mana Points limit of six thousand one hundred, wouldn't this [Arcane Barrier] be able to resist over sixty thousand points of damage?

This was simply too terrifying!

Previously, he had always worried that although Gandalf's output was explosive, his build was too frail, and once someone got close to him, he would easily fall into a passive state.

But now, with this skill, this concern seemed to completely cease to exist.

An invincible shield that lasted for five minutes and had a one-minute cooldown.

This was simply a BUG!

Over these past few hours, the two had farmed the Calamity-difficulty Shadow Swamp Demon Cave at least five or six times.

Various Materials had been farmed in a huge pile.

But the [Star-Moon Set] blueprint that Zhou Huai wanted most had only barely dropped one more.

It was the blueprint for the [Star-Moon Gauntlets].

This drop rate was truly somewhat touching.

At this moment, in the deepest part of the Shadow Swamp Demon Cave.

Along with the last elite monster [Shadow Swamp Web-Weaver] letting out a reluctant wail, it crashed to the ground.

Yasuo and Gandalf were just preparing to exit the dungeon and wait for the next reset.

Just at this moment.

Rumble——!

The entire grand hall suddenly began to shake violently, as if a strong earthquake had occurred.

Crushed stones fell rustlingly from the cave roof.

Yasuo protected Gandalf behind him at the very first moment, looking around vigilantly.

The source of the vibration seemed to come from the deepest part of the grand hall.

That incomparably heavy stone door was slowly opening to both sides!

An aura far more ancient and desolate than all the auras inside the dungeon rushed toward them from behind the door.