Unrestricted Dao Lord

A heavy rain fell all night, yet Zhang Su’s mind was at peace.

As dawn broke, Zhang Su opened his eyes.

He focused his mind and checked the information on his panel.

Host: Zhang Su

Cultivation: Mid-Stage of Outer Force

Wind and Thunder Sword Technique: Compatibility 95% (Perfection)

Fiery Sun Divine Technique: Compatibility 100% (Great Success)

Blazing Sun Divine Technique: Compatibility 100% (Great Success)

Extreme Yang Divine Technique: Compatibility 100% (Great Success)

Compatibility Value: 10

Zhang Su had an epiphany amidst the rain last night. Ten of his Martial Techniques, including the Wind and Thunder Sword Technique, had all reached the Perfection realm.

His Compatibility Value now stood at a full 10.

’So this is an epiphany. The effects are incredible.’

’The only thing is, my Cultivation is still at the Mid-Stage of Outer Force, and all three of the Yang Divine Techniques are only at the Great Success realm, with none at Perfection.’

’Still, that’s to be expected.’

’My epiphany last night was about Martial Techniques, not the Three Yang Divine Techniques.’

’Besides, you can’t force an epiphany.’

’Some people only experience an epiphany once in their entire lives.’

’Others never experience one at all.’

’To have experienced it once already makes me incredibly lucky. I can’t ask for more.’

The key was that this epiphany seemed to have brought him one step closer to awakening a true Martial Sense.

On the surface, his Cultivation hadn’t improved.

It looked like he had merely brought ten Martial Techniques to the Perfection realm.

But in reality, his power had skyrocketed!

He could faintly hear people talking outside the inn.

Zhang Su left the room.

The men from the Escort Agency were already up.

Zhang Su saw the siblings, Li Wushi and Li Xiaoman.

Both had dark circles under their eyes, a clear sign they hadn’t slept well.

They were probably too excited to sleep after receiving his guidance last night.

"Young Hero Zhang."

Li Wushi and Li Xiaoman hurriedly bowed respectfully.

Zhang Su simply gave a slight nod in acknowledgment.

Previously, their respect had been born solely from his status as an Inner Sect Disciple of the Guiyuan Sect.

But after he had offered them some pointers last night, their respect had deepened into awe.

Zhang Su and the men from the Escort Agency soon departed.

The roads were muddy, but thankfully the sky had cleared. The official road was wide, so it didn’t slow the Escort Agency’s convoy.

Along the way, Zhang Su noticed the Zhenyuan Escort Agency was indeed flying the Zhang Character Banner. They passed through several treacherous mountain passes without any trouble at all; not a single bandit stronghold dared to stand in their way.

’My status as an Inner Sect Disciple of the Guiyuan Sect is surprisingly effective here in Qingquan Prefecture.’

’No wonder the Wei Family expanded so rapidly after Wei Yunzhou became an Inner Sect Disciple, even trying to swallow up all the other powers in Qingquan Prefecture.’

’The influence of a Guiyuan Sect Inner Sect Disciple is even greater than I imagined!’

Traveling with the Escort Agency’s convoy was slow.

The Escort Agency’s convoy pushed onward and finally made it back to Qingquan Prefecture City before sunset.

Zhang Su parted ways with the escort members and headed straight for the Su Family residence.

This time Zhang Su didn’t encounter any trouble.

After all, everyone in the Su Family now recognized him.

Zhang Su was greeted by his older brother, sister-in-law, younger sister, Elder Guan, and the others.

His younger sister and Elder Guan’s reactions were one thing.

They didn’t have as deep an appreciation for the change in his status.

But his older brother and sister-in-law were another matter entirely.

As the ones managing the Su Family, they had a much more direct and visceral understanding of what his rise in status meant.

His older brother, Zhang Chen, couldn’t help but sigh. "Second Brother, I was already overjoyed when you became one of the Ten Great Outer Disciples of the Guiyuan Sect. I never imagined you’d be promoted to the Inner Sect so soon after. It’s happened so fast..."

His sister-in-law, Su Zhenzhen, added wistfully, "Even though you were already showing your prowess the last time you returned, Second Brother, I truly never thought you’d become an Inner Sect Disciple this quickly..."

Both Su Zhenzhen and Zhang Chen knew very well the difference between an Inner Sect Disciple and an Outer Disciple of the Guiyuan Sect.

The difference in their status was like night and day.

Relying on Wei Yunzhou’s status as an Inner Sect Disciple, the Wei Family’s power had swelled to enormous proportions.

They never imagined the Su and Zhang Families would be so fortunate as to produce a Guiyuan Sect Inner Sect Disciple of their own.

Before long, a servant came to make a report.

"Master, Madam, the patriarch of the Wang Family is at the door with a gift. He says it is to congratulate Second Master Zhang on his return."

Zhang Su was a little confused.

’Congratulating me on my return? What kind of excuse is that?’

’Besides, I don’t know any patriarch of the Wang Family.’

"Older Brother, who is this patriarch of the Wang Family...?"

"Bring me the gift list."

"Yes, Master."

The servant presented the gift list.

Zhang Chen glanced at it before handing it to Zhang Su with a smile. "Second Brother, it’s a congratulatory gift from the Wang Family of Qingquan Prefecture. They aren’t a major noble family or anything, just a family that has some business dealings with the Su Family."

Zhang Su understood.

The gifts on the list, while valuable to ordinary people, were quite commonplace to Zhang Su.

The gift from the Wang Family was, it seemed, just the beginning.

Over the next hour, gift lists were delivered to the residence one after another.

All were congratulatory gifts for Zhang Su.

Zhang Su didn’t know a single one of the people who sent them.

Zhang Chen sighed with feeling. "Second Brother, take a look. This is the influence that comes with being an Inner Sect Disciple! These are all prominent figures in the Prefecture City. It doesn’t matter that you don’t know them; what matters is that they want to know *you*..."

Zhang Su fell into thought.

’So many gift lists.’

’So many powerful people, all scrambling to send me gifts.’

’They’ve never even met me.’

It all boiled down to five words.

Guiyuan Sect Inner Sect Disciple!

Some even wanted to visit him in person.

But Zhang Su refused to see any of them.

That evening, a light drizzle began to fall again.

Zhang Su was in his room, making the most of his time to continue his Cultivation.

He wouldn’t slack off, even when away from the Sect.

And as it turned out, his room now contained some rather valuable items.

While most of the gifts he received were ordinary, a few of them were actually beneficial to his Cultivation.

When Su Zhenzhen saw that Zhang Su needed cultivation resources, she decisively opened the Su Family’s treasury. She declared that he could take any treasure from it, as long as it was helpful for his Cultivation.

Zhang Su didn’t stand on ceremony and promptly selected several treasures from the Su Family’s vault that would aid his current Cultivation.

With the aid of these treasures, his cultivation speed was still no match for practicing in the Fire Melting Cave, but it was far faster than relying on Primordial Yang Powder alone.

"Second Brother."

Just then, he heard his older brother Zhang Chen’s voice from outside the door.

Zhang Su got up and opened the door, stepping aside to let his older brother enter the room.

"Older Brother, what is it?"

"Second Brother, here’s another gift for you. You need to see this one for yourself."

Zhang Su was puzzled.

’What kind of gift could make my brother treat it so seriously?’

He took the gift list.

"Hm? The Gu Family?"

Zhang Su hesitated for a moment. "Gu Ying?" he asked.

"That’s right, Miss Gu. Now look at the gift itself."

Zhang Chen took out an exquisite box and handed it to Zhang Su.

Zhang Su opened the box. Inside lay an exquisitely carved Jade Pendant.

He picked it up and held it in his hand, clearly feeling a wave of warmth.

Clearly, this was a treasure!

Zhang Chen said with a sigh of admiration, "Second Brother, Miss Gu is... truly generous! This is a Warm Sun Jade, a treasure that’s incredibly hard to come by. Wearing it for a long time can ward off all illnesses and keep the body strong and healthy."

"Warm Sun Jade?"

A flicker of surprise showed in Zhang Su’s eyes.

This Warm Sun Jade was clearly incredibly valuable.

More importantly, it was exceedingly rare.

"Miss Gu is very thoughtful indeed."

Zhang Su paused, then asked Zhang Chen, "Older Brother, how are the preparations for our younger sister’s dowry coming along?"

Zhang Chen smiled. "Don’t worry. Our sister will have a grand wedding. Her dowry has been ready for a while now."

"Good. I didn’t bring anything back with me this time, so let’s add this Warm Sun Jade to her dowry."

Zhang Chen was taken aback. "Second Brother, this is far too valuable..."

But Zhang Su shook his head. "Older Brother, I’m a Martial Artist. I’m already immune to illness and physically robust, so this Warm Sun Jade isn’t of much use to me. Our younger sister has a weaker constitution; she’s the one who needs this Jade. Just consider it a small gift from her second brother."

Hearing this, Zhang Chen nodded and said no more.

He felt a deep sense of relief and pride.

"You’ve truly grown up, Second Brother. You can be the pillar of our family and continue the Zhang Family’s bloodline. I think Miss Gu is an excellent match. She may be just a young woman, but she manages to support the entire Gu Family business. With your current status, you are more than worthy of her..."

"Older Brother..."

Zhang Su immediately cut his brother off.

"Actually, *you* can continue the Zhang Family’s bloodline, Older Brother!"

"Me? I can’t..."

Zhang Chen’s expression fell. He shook his head and said, "I’m a matrilocal husband of the Su Family. I can’t continue the Zhang Family’s bloodline..."

Zhang Su looked his brother straight in the eye and said, word by word, "Older Brother, times have changed. You might be a matrilocal husband of the Su Family now, but that doesn’t have to be the case forever."

"I know you’re a man of honor and would never burn your bridges or abandon the Su Family. But there’s a simple solution. All you have to do is have several sons, and let one of them inherit the main branch of the Su Family. Wouldn’t that work?"

"From then on, you would no longer be a matrilocal husband of the Su Family, but the Patriarch of the Zhang Family! Our sister-in-law has always been reasonable; she surely wouldn’t object. It’s the perfect solution for everyone."

Hearing this, Zhang Chen’s eyes lit up.

It was indeed the perfect solution.

The main branch of the Su Family’s bloodline wouldn’t be broken.

And he could shed the status of a matrilocal husband.

After all, he was the eldest son of the Zhang Family. If it hadn’t been an absolute last resort, he never would have wanted to become a matrilocal husband and bring shame to his ancestors.

Of course, all of this was predicated on one thing: the Zhang Family had to have absolute power!

Without power, how could he even talk about shedding his status as a matrilocal husband?

And as it happened, the current Zhang Family—or rather, the current Zhang Su—had exactly that power and confidence!

Seeing that his older brother was tempted but still seemed hesitant, Zhang Su stated decisively, "Older Brother, this matter is settled! If the Su Family has any objections, they can come to me!"

"Alright, alright. We’ll do as you say, Second Brother..."

Zhang Chen was immensely relieved.

His second brother had now truly become the pillar that held up the sky for the Zhang Family!