Currently, Shen Ming is bathed in water heavily infused with spirit leaves, which are good for relieving body fatigue, prepared by Xiao Ning.

Feeling refreshed, he emerged from the bath and dressed in the clothes Xiao Ning had prepared for him, only to encounter a small problem.

"Hmm, these clothes seem a bit small?"

To his remark, Xiao Ning had a look of disbelief.

"But that’s the same size of outfit you wore three days before your assessment."

"Then why do they seem small now?"

"Ah? Now that I look at it…"

After examining him closely from top to bottom, Xiao Ning responded, "You seem to have grown taller, and your face seems to have become more handsome."

"Is that so?"

"Here, take a look in this mirror," said Xiao Ning as she held up the mirror in front of him.

[[ Name: Shen Ming

Age: 15 years ( 15/80) 

Race: Human

Affiliation: Young master of Shen Family. 

Energy Qi Cultivation: Novice Rank 6th stage( 45% for the next Rank.) 

Body Refining: Iron Body 7th stage( 10% for the next Rank.) ]]

"As you said, my face really has become more refined," said Shen Ming, focusing his eyes on the screen.

"Okay! I will go and meet my grandfather now!"

"Take care, Young Master."

*********

In the serene garden of the Shen family's ancestral home, Shen Ming savored his meal while engaged in conversation with his grandfather.

"Shen Ming, as you prepare to depart for the Academy, there's something important I wish to share with you," Oldman Shen began, fixing his gaze on his cherished grandson, who never failed to impress him.

"Yes, Grandpa," Shen Ming responded, noting the solemn expression rarely worn by his grandfather unless the matter was of utmost importance.

"It concerns your mother's family. She was from the Tang Family, the daughter of one of the Core Elders. When news of her passing reached them, they sought to claim you, but I stood firm against it."

Shen Ming was taken aback in genuine shock; until then, he had only thought that his mother was a commoner. Despite his grandfather's efforts to conceal it, he wondered why no one in the clan had ever mentioned it to him.

Anticipating his grandson's confusion, Shen Xinlong pressed on, "Your father and mother's union was not favored by your maternal grandfather."

"He had other plans for her, hoping she'd marry the Seventh Prince of the Empire, who was the younger brother of the Crown Prince at that time. But your mother, much like her own father, was resolute in her choices and married your father and came to Sun City fifty years ago."

 "No one in Sun City knows that your mother was from the Tang family, except for some powerful individuals and the other two Family heads of the Chen and Wang families at that time."

'Don't tell me I should be wary of the Tang family now!'thought Shen Ming.

'No, since they wanted to raise me after my parents' death. They shouldn't trouble me; instead, they can be of help to me if I get into any trouble in the Imperial City.'

He then directed his gaze towards his grandfather, who appeared hesitant to say something.

"Don't worry, Grandpa! I don't resent you for not letting them take me," said Shen Ming, guessing that his grandfather might be feeling guilty. Since If he had gone to the Tang family, the resources he would have received would have been enormous compared to the Shen family's.

When Shen Xinlong heard his grandson's words, his expression eased, and as if he had made up his mind, he covered the room with his Expert Rank energy.

"Grandpa... what happened?" muttered Shen Ming when he saw his grandfather deploy his energy in their own place.

"I have made my decision regarding the succession of the next Family head."

Shen Ming halted what he was about to say when he heard his grandfather's next words.

"I have decided to pass the next Family head position to your Eldest Uncle, and these thousand gold coins would be the inheritance I would be giving to you from my personal wealth."

When Shen Ming heard about it, he wasn't surprised, since currently, only the Elder Uncle had broken through the Expert Rank among his peers in the Family. But when Shen Ming heard the latter part, he couldn't control his expression.

"What...???"

The Shen family earned a profit of 10,000 gold coins every year. Out of which, 1000 gold coins went to the Family head, 4000 coins to the Elder council comprising Seven Core Elders, 2000 coins were saved in the Astral Merchant Emporium, which had branches all over the Empire, 2700 coins were spent on nurturing the forces of the clan in various fields, and the remaining 300 coins were spent on resources for the younger generation of the clan.

[Author note: Value of Coins: 1. 10 copper coins = 1 Silver coin. 2. 100 Silver coins = 1 Gold coin. 3. 1000 Gold coins = 1 Purple coin. 4. 10,000 Purple coins = 1 White coin.]

Coins were the currency used in the Evergreen Empire. Usually, 100 - 1000 Silver coins would be sufficient for a Novice Rank cultivation family's annual expenses in Sun City and the value of items in Sun City was mostly bought in Silver and Gold coins.

So, his Grandfather giving him almost ten years of personal income was already too much, considering he also needed to buy resources for his cultivation.

"Heh heh," Shen Xinlong gently chuckled at the dumbfounded reaction of his grandson, who rarely lost his composure, and affectionately said, "Shen Ming, you don't need to worry about me. I have already reached the end of my potential, but you are different.”

“I have looked after you since a young age. Many people only saw your achievements, but I saw your sheer struggle to achieve them. Sometimes I was ashamed of myself, as if I had worked as hard as you at my younger age; maybe now I would have been a Master Rank cultivator."

As Shen Ming heard the words of his grandfather, a rush of warmth flooded through him, and his chest swelled with a mixture of humility and pride.

With a steady and grateful smile, he accepted the Purple Card authorized by the Astral Merchant Emporium, which made Shen Xinlong beam with a smile.

Shen Ming didn't say any words of gratitude but instead knelt down on both of his knees and bowed his head, which is the highest form of respect in this world.

"Grandfather, I have been under your care for the past fifteen years and have received the best resources from the Clan. You even postponed the selection of the Family head because you were afraid of me getting mistreated in the Clan. So before my return, you must take care of yourself."

"Good... Good!" Shen Xinlong slowly nodded his head as his voice trembled and tears appeared in both of his eyes, lifting Shen Ming up and hugging him.

"Go and rest for now. Since you still haven't fully recovered," said Shen Xinlong, turning towards the window of the room as if he wanted to hide his emotions.

"En," Shen Ming nodded his head and went out of the room.

After coming back from his grandfather's room, he started walking in the south direction. As Shen Ming passed the Courtyard of his grandfather, he met the Fourth Elder of the Clan.

**********

Seeing Shen Ming walking out of the personal Courtyard of the Patriarch at this time, Shen Xian, clad in the attire of a seasoned scholar, beamed with delight as he moved towards the incoming Shen Ming.

"Nephew Shen is indeed the dragon among the current young generation. I heard about your results and couldn't contain my happiness. At your age, I was still struggling at the 4th Stage of Novice cultivation."

Shen Ming looked at the Fourth Elder, who has reached the Advanced Rank 6th stage and seems to be only one step away from reaching the 7th stage. He is in charge of the cultivation of the spirit rice business of the Shen family.

"Fourth Elder, at this time, shouldn’t you be taking care of the spirit rice, especially since it is only one month away from the harvest day?"

One must know that the planting of spirit rice is among the most profitable businesses in the Empire, and the Shen Family earns almost 3,000 Gold coins from it alone. If nothing major happens, the Fourth Elder basically stays in the spiritual field for the next three months before the day of harvest and won’t take a single step away.

Faced with Shen Ming's inquiry, a hint of gloom appeared on Shen Xian's face, but he concealed it quickly and explained, “The spirit rice has grown quite well in the past two days, and there were no signs of monster attacks. So I came here to discuss some important matters with the Family head,” and bid farewell to Shen Ming in a hurried manner.