Chapter 26: Unknown Change

The elder punishing the younger—this had become utterly familiar to Xu Yuan.

By nature, by instinct, in his previous life he had been beaten relentlessly from childhood to adulthood by his father.

In elementary and junior high, he was prone to provoking fights; in high school, his early romance drew the wrath of the girl’s family, who came to his school demanding justice. In college, he became obsessed with wild outdoor adventures, spending entire months away from campus, vanishing entirely from sight.

Every time his father caught him in such misdeeds, it ended with a brutal beating.

Over time, Xu Yuan simply grew accustomed to it.

What could he do? Could he really hide from it?

The world was vast—how could he not resist? And if he couldn’t resist, could he not simply escape?

After all, no matter what, they were father and son. Once the elder cooled down, he’d say a few kind words, show genuine remorse, and when the allowance arrived, he’d go back to doing whatever he wanted.

But in this world now, Xu yuan realized he couldn’t even run.

This so-called younger brother could simply hang him up and beat him senseless.

In a physical sense,

to beat someone to a standstill.

To beat someone so severely they can't utter a word.

Thinking about these things, Xu Yuan suddenly heard a sharp, clear cry of an eagle echoing in his ears.

Coming back to himself, Xu Yuan glanced at the unfamiliar chamber before him and shook his head slightly.

After being beaten senseless, the first thing he saw upon waking was this room.

A faint fragrance drifted through the room, its ancient furnishings simple and timeless.

Looking out through the wooden window by the bed,

Xu Yuan saw endless blue skies.

And,

That one great eagle wing, spanning fully ten zhang and more.

Now, two days had passed since he’d been beaten—today, he sat aboard the "plane" returning to Jingjiang City.

Unlike the steel monstrosities of his previous life, this "aircraft" was a living being—a colossal pygmy eagle with a wingspan exceeding twenty zhang—its broad back carved into a sumptuous pavilion of intricately carved beams and ornate details.

It was Xue Changge’s aerial palace, though, due to Xue Yuan’s weak power, it had been temporarily lent to his younger brother.

As for Xue Changge himself...

His elder brother was busy with affairs; after suspending him and giving him a good thrashing, he simply took the two massive python heads and flew off, leaving Xue Yuan to recover.

Xue Yuan estimated that his brother had likely returned to the Imperial Capital to report back to his father, a mere "father-in-law" in name.

Given how much time Xue Changge had already spent here in the Wanxing Mountain range to save him, this moment was critical—the one at which his brother must return to the capital to support his father.

As this thought formed, Xue Yuan’s mind flashed to those two enormous python heads, his gaze growing increasingly strange.

He recalled Ji Fenghua, whose head Xue Changge had cut off.

Ji Fenghua, a big sister with green hair and a stunning illustration.

A very large, very fair big sister.

Yet what troubled Xu Yuan most wasn't the death of another paper-cut wife—but the strength of his elder brother.

Ji Fenghua, a mature Qiselun who bloomed seven blood lotuses decades ago, was truly formidable—stronger than Princess Ji Qingyue of the Serpent Clan by several orders of magnitude.

Yet such a powerful figure perished at the hands of Xu Changge.

Xu Yuan didn’t doubt Xu Changge’s strength; rather, in the countless worldlines of *Cangyuan*, Ji Fenghua had once fought against Xu Changge.

In the late stages of that particular worldline, the Western Strange Beast Nation crossed the Ten-Ten Mountain Range, invading the Great Yan Dynasty.

Outside Jingjiang City, Xu Changge and Ji Fenghua clashed fiercely.

And in that battle,

with no outside interference, Xu Changge barely lost—by a mere thread.

Ji Fenghua, body riddled with wounds, was devoured whole by a colossal serpent that soared into the heavens. She perished, her existence erased.

Anyone with even a passing glance could see that at that moment, the strength disparity between Xu Changge and Ji Fenghua was negligible—perhaps merely a single thought could have tipped the balance of victory or defeat.

Yet the current reality stands otherwise:

Xu Changge simply went to Ji Fenghua's ancestral home and severed her head from her body.

Taking into account the surrounding environment, the fact that Xu Changge returned earlier with barely any injuries, and the presence of other demonic clans within the ancient abyss watching closely, it's clear that Xu Changge's strength over Ji Fenghua now stands as overwhelmingly dominant.

This complete departure from the original narrative, this glaring inconsistency in combat power, has left Xu Yuan subtly uneasy.

In less than a decade, without any player-level upgrade perks, Ji Fenghua could not have grown so swiftly.

Moreover, Xu Changge himself is a true prodigy.

If Ji Fenghua can grow stronger, then so can Xu Changge.

Due to rare opportunities or special events, their strength gap might narrow, but it would never reach parity.

In other words....

Xu Yuan's thoughts momentarily stalled, a somewhat unrealistic notion surfacing in his mind.

During the period when the ancient abyss launched its invasion of Da Yan...

Had his elder brother's strength not only failed to grow, but actually diminished?

Why?

Xu Yuan could not comprehend.

In "Cangyuan," many players with a godlike omniscient perspective remain unaware of certain crucial details.

For instance, Ran Qingmo, who just parted ways with Xu Yuan.

Ran Qingmo knew about the chancellor's plan to destroy Tianyuan Sword Sect—yet Xu Yuan knew nothing of it.

After all, at that very plot point, only Xu Yuan's adoptive father and a few trusted aides were privy to such information.

While playing "Cangyuan," Xu Yuan initially suspected a traitor among the prime minister's inner circle. After all, only a few people knew about this matter. But as he systematically unlocked every possible ending in the game, not a single trusted aide of the prime minister had ever been fully redeemed.

Each one of them remained loyal to the boss until the very end.

The development team dug holes and left them unfilled, claiming it gave players room for their own imagination.

Xu Yuan exhaled softly.

Insufficient information—no matter how many speculations he made, they were all futile. He would have to look into it again at a later time.

No longer dwelling on the matter, Xu Yuan slowly turned his gaze toward the bedside table.

That elder had, before departing, casually left him with a dozen vials of medicine.

Saying it was for his use—this useless fool needed it to heal his wounds.

To recover quickly so as not to burden his father with blame for being too harsh in his actions.

Different from the three ultra-rare pills found in the cave, each of these vials contained a dozen pills.

Qinglin Dan accelerates the recovery of one's intent soul and temporarily enhances the ability to perceive source qi.

Guangling Dan strengthens the resilience of meridians, a divine elixir that nourishes the roots and foundation.

Hupu Dan, when consumed, forms a protective film along the inner walls of the meridians, allowing the user to continuously practice their techniques for twelve hours a day without fear of meridian damage.

Dihun Dan, as the name suggests, refines and purifies the intent soul.

Hmm... healing—brother said these were meant for healing him... these elixirs truly do aid in recovery, heh.

These elixirs are indeed beyond compare as the sacred remedies for novices entering cultivation—almost encompassing every conceivable issue one might face on the path.

More importantly,

none of these elixirs carry any side effects.

In the cultivation alchemy system of "Cangyuan," most elixirs that aid in cultivation invariably leave permanent debuffs after consumption.

For instance, weakening of the intent soul (reduced blue bar), damage to meridians (increased experience points upon level-up), and even some elixirs designed to break through barriers may inflict irreversible harm on internal organs (reduced maximum health).

A pill with no side effects can only exist under one condition:

The value of the materials required to craft it far exceeds the worth of the pill itself.

In other words, using rare materials from the mid-to-late stages to produce something needed in the early stages of a character's development.

Staring silently at these dozen jade vials for a long time, Xu Yuan suddenly felt an inexplicable urge to walk forward and take a beating.

Then, he blinked, shaking his head with a light, amused smile.

Though this brother really did hit hard when he was angry, he also genuinely gave away precious things.