The situation was quickly brought under control. Yan Yaonan began dismantling the bombs, while the attackers were tied up and gathered in one place. There weren’t many of them—only six.

Under the protection of the Hayes family and the treatment of the Haruwa family, no one suffered serious injuries.

“A second attack. What exactly does the None-Ability Group want?” Roland pondered.

The two attacks appeared fierce on the surface, yet in reality they caused no damage to the Three Great Families. There weren’t enough people, nor were they powerful enough. There was no meticulous preparation, no element of surprise. It seemed more like a group of people acting on their own arrogance—or their hatred for the Three Great Families was so strong that they acted without orders from the organization’s higher-ups.

“You all go help dismantle the bombs. Yutong, you and Yining check on the guests. Yuhuai, go watch those attackers, and then...”

The head of the Yan family began assigning tasks.

“Family Head Yan, you only appear now. One could say you’ve arrived rather late.” Anastasia’s tone was not very polite.

“If something like this required me to step in personally, then the Yan family would be rather incompetent.” Yan Tianli said.

He then swept his gaze across the Yan family members.

“Although the situation has been resolved, such a mistake should never have happened in the first place. We’ve completely lost face.”

None of the Yan family members dared to speak.

“Today’s incident was our oversight. We will compensate everyone afterward.” Yan Tianli said, then walked over to Frank.

“A shot directly to the head. Logically, he should be dead.”

However, Yan Tianli noticed that Frank’s chest still rose and fell faintly.

“In the Domain of Life, no one dies.”

A somewhat elderly woman slowly stepped forward.

She was the head of the Haruwa family—Haruwa Ginko.

“As a precaution, I deployed the Domain of Life. I didn’t expect the one it saved to be a wanted criminal.” Ginako gestured with her hand, and a young girl stepped forward to treat Frank’s fatal injuries.

“However, brain damage is unavoidable. His memory will likely have gaps.” The girl—Kagumo—said.

“Leave him to a Mental Affinity User. I believe it won’t be a problem.” Yan Liquan said as she stood beside Yan Tianli.

“Let’s hope so.” Yan Tianli said.

The ball was terminated due to the incident. The guests left, and the police entered to investigate.

“It’s indeed the wanted criminal—Frank Williams.” A police officer pulled out the ID card and the ball invitation found on his body.

“No idea whether he stole it or forged it.” Yan Shengyuan said. He was referring to the invitation.

“The None-Affinity Group. They once participated in the Three Great Families Conference. That experience makes it easier for them to infiltrate.” Yan Yaonan shook his head.

“Just like the attack a few days ago, the Yan family may check the investigation progress at any time. Of course, that includes all adult members of the Yan family.” The police officer said, deliberately glancing at Yan Luowei, who had remained silent the entire time.

Yan Liquan looked at the officer suspiciously.

“What exactly do you mean by saying that?”

“Elder Liquan, there’s no need to examine every word someone says with a magnifying glass.” Yan Luowei said.

Yan Liquan snorted and said nothing more.

“Understood.” Yan Tianli nodded. “As for those responsible for security—I’ll speak to you later.”

His gaze slowly swept across everyone. The Yan family members responsible for security avoided eye contact.

“Junsheng.”

Yan Tianli’s gaze first landed on Yan Junsheng, one of the reformist members.

“When the sudden incident occurred, why was your first reaction to run?”

Startled at being called out, Yan Junsheng froze. He opened his mouth, hesitated slightly, then said,

“Isn’t that a normal reaction?”

“But you are a member of the Yan family. Acting like that makes the Yan family look disgraceful.” Yan Tianli said.

“I hid in a safe place so I wouldn’t become a burden. How is that disgraceful?” Yan Junsheng retorted.

“Being timid and cowardly—how is that not disgraceful?” Yan Shengyuan said bluntly.

“Then, elders, how many of you actually stepped forward?” Yan Luowei patted Yan Junsheng on the shoulder and stepped in front of him.

“Heh. None.” Yan Yaonan mocked from the side.

“The situation wasn’t that serious, was it? The younger generation must be given opportunities to practice.” Another elder, Yan Hong, said. His strength ranked among the top within the Yan family, and his temperament was more steady.

“It would be more appropriate to give so-called practice opportunities only after confirming that no one will be harmed, wouldn’t it?” Yan Yuhuai said, his tone carrying dissatisfaction toward Yan Shengyuan and the others.

Yan Tianli seemed somewhat surprised that Yan Yuhuai would say something like that. But he knew that although Yan Yuhuai appeared obedient, his personality was somewhat unpredictable. He merely let his gaze linger on him for a few seconds before speaking.

“That’s somewhat reasonable. However, criticizing your elders is inappropriate. Yuhuai, they have their own considerations.”

“Yutong and Youan.”

Yan Tianli called out two names. They were the pair of twin siblings who had sniped Frank earlier, and they were not part of the reformist faction.

The siblings’ eyes sparkled as they looked at Yan Tianli with anticipation.

“You did not do well enough. The first shot was too impulsive. The third shot should not have been a direct headshot. If it weren’t for the Haruwa family head, we would have lost the clues we could have obtained.”

“You didn’t do well enough. Ninety-five points—still five points away from one hundred.”

The girl lowered her head.

“Still...”

“Still not good enough?” Yan Yutong and Yan You’an instantly looked dejected.

“The Yan family has worked tirelessly, pouring the entire clan’s resources into cultivating you so that you may become outstanding talents—pillars of the family in the future—and repay the family. Do not become arrogant so easily. Do you understand?”

Repay...

“Sigh. There are still things that haven’t been dealt with.” In the study, Yan Tianli said this as he set down a book for Mo Ying.

“Hm?”

Fifteen-year-old Mo Ying was studying a game console. She looked up, startled by the thick reference book.

“This was given to you by your parents, right?” Yan Tianli looked at the game console.

“Yeah. They couldn’t come spend time with me this weekend, so it’s a compensation gift.” Mo Ying glanced at the reference book, then casually selected a game and began playing.

“Game consoles. Many children fall into ruin because they become addicted to games.” Yan Tianli seemed about to take it away.

“Really?” Mo Ying’s attention was on the game as she replied casually. “Hm. The first stage is really easy.”

“If you want to go from ninety-five points to one hundred, then you shouldn’t be playing games right now.” Yan Tianli said as he tapped the thick book.

“This is a set of notes I carefully selected. You must finish them.”

Mo Ying set down the game console.

“Family head, you must be very busy. Why are you still willing to make time to teach me?” she asked.

Her parents made time because she was their daughter.

But why did Yan Tianli do it?

Over the past few months, Yan Tianli had actually spent more time with her than her parents had.

Yan Tianli’s gaze lingered on Mo Ying for a long moment before he said,

“Because you are an excellent child.”

“You like excellent children?” Mo Ying asked.

“Of course. No one dislikes excellent children.” Yan Tianli said.

“Then are children who aren’t excellent not worthy of being liked?” Mo Ying tilted her head.

“Of course that’s not the case. However, the world is cruel. Excellent people often receive more affection.”

Mo Ying thought for a moment.

“How do you define excellence and non-excellence?”

It was a very good question—one that could even serve as a debate topic, Yan Tianli thought.

But he already had his own answer.

“Exam scores.” Yan Tianli said.

“That makes sense. My teachers say the same thing.” Mo Ying wasn’t surprised by the answer. Then she noticed the dark circles under Yan Tianli’s eyes.

“Family head, didn’t you sleep well last night?”

“In order to make time to come here today, I stayed up late dealing with matters yesterday. I didn’t sleep much.” Yan Tianli said, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

Mo Ying froze for a moment. She pushed the game console slightly farther away.

“Ah... you really didn’t have to do that. I’m happy you came, but if it causes inconvenience, you should prioritize yourself.”

“I prioritize the family. Child, it’s alright. I am willing to do this.” Yan Tianli said gently as he patted Mo Ying’s head.

“Why?” Mo Ying asked.

Yan Tianli looked at her and thought for a moment.

“Because you are my student, and you are a child of our Yan family. Don’t think you are unworthy. In the future, repay me well—repay the family—and my hard work will not be wasted.”

Looking at Yan Tianli’s kind eyes, a strange feeling flashed through Mo Ying’s heart.

But she immediately forced the thought out of her mind.

She picked up the book.

“I will study seriously. I won’t waste your painstaking guidance.”

“The Primordial God created heaven and earth, and all things within them. Among those creations, the most satisfactory work was humanity, because humans resemble the gods the most.

Afterward, the Primordial watched the world it had created operate normally, and left the planet in satisfaction.

When the Primordial created the world, it left behind a portion of its power to protect it. That power was stored at the center of the boundary between the Eastern and Western Continents—also regarded as the center of the world—in the form of a stone that emitted a faint glow.

The Primordial’s power also spread across the world. Because of this, Affinity Users came into existence.

Affinity Users walked paths suited to themselves. Among humanity, several individuals with extraordinary talent and fortune walked extremely far along their paths and eventually became gods.

At present, eighteen gods have been confirmed.

The gods once protected this planet and responded to people’s prayers. But about fifty years ago, prayers ceased to receive any response. The gods seemed to have vanished, no longer protecting the world.

The stone left behind by the Primordial also suddenly lost half of its power. Humanity could no longer receive gifts from the gods and had to solve all problems independently.

As a result, the importance of Affinity Users—and the status of the Three Great Families—rose significantly...”