I Have Infinite Attributes

C9 - Conquer the Same Generation

Zhou Tong was tempted to talk tough, but he couldn't ignore the creeping chill on one side of his body. Zhou Jibo's calm tone sent a shiver of danger down his spine.

With his younger siblings close by, Zhou Tong grumbled under his breath, refusing to concede. He retrieved the knife, placed it back in its spot, and massaged his icy shoulder. Then, he turned to leave.

"Stop," Zhou Jibo commanded.

"What now?" Zhou Tong snapped back, irritation in his voice.

Zhou Jibo offered a smile. "Come over here. Let's talk, heart to heart."

"I've got nothing to discuss with you," Zhou Tong began, but the icy shift in Zhou Jibo's gaze made him reconsider mid-sentence. Fear still gnawing at him, he amended his approach, "Fine, I'll listen. What's there to talk about?"

"We actually have nothing to discuss," Zhou Jibo said with a slight smile. "I just want to make it clear to you: don't follow in our father's misguided footsteps and lead yourself astray."

What?

Anger flushed Zhou Tong's face, and Zhou Zheyan, Zhou Xunshi, and Zhou Youqing all mirrored his reaction. Zhou Jibo was outright dismissing their fathers' beliefs right in front of them. How could they not seethe with rage?

"Zhou Jibo, don't think you can strut around just because you're more advanced in your cultivation!" Zhou Tong yelled.

Zhou Jibo chuckled. "Sorry, but it's precisely my higher level of cultivation that allows me to be so assertive."

Zhou Tong was taken aback, not expecting such a brazen admission. He found himself at a loss for words. In a world where strength ruled, if the powerful couldn't dominate the weak, what was the point of striving for power?

Zhou Jibo knew they didn't grasp his point, and their dumbfounded silence was satisfying.

"Why do I say your father is mistaken?" Zhou Jibo pressed on. "Firstly, whether they succeed or fail, they remain the Third and Fourth Elders, and you are their offspring. None of you are in line to become the Patriarch. What exactly are you plotting? Are you all just blindly following Zhou Qian's lead?"

"Secondly, if your fathers refrain from causing trouble, the Zhou family remains strong, and you stand as the proud children of the Third and Fourth Elders. But if they stir up chaos, the Zhou family weakens, and they become the Elders of a diminished clan, with you as their less esteemed children. Tell me, is there any honor in that?"

In the end, what have you achieved? A fragmented Zhou family riddled with weakness and internal conflict, and a status that invites nothing but disdain from others."

"Sure, Zhou Qian unleashed his fury when he took over as patriarch, but how does that affect you? Your only gain is a diminished and scorned Zhou family."

Initially seething with anger, Zhou Tong, Zhou Zheyan, Zhou Xunshi, and Zhou Youqing gradually fell silent, exchanging bewildered glances.

Could it be true?

Is that really the situation?

Had they truly erred in backing the Great Elder?

Zhou Jibo refrained from further comment and casually wandered the second floor of the Glorious House. It wasn't much different from the first—just a bit tidier, with many of the same items on offer.

Uninterested in mental cultivation methods and finding no first-grade pills or weapons, Zhou Jibo resolved to select a martial skill suitable for the weapons he envisioned wielding in the future.

Wolf Fangs? A massive cleaver? Those seemed excessively crude. He pondered the inconvenience of such bulky armaments.

Sword techniques, on the other hand, or even spear skills, were more his style—easy to carry and capable of compensating for his limited attack range.