Song Chi glanced at the few people and began to put away the barbecue grill, while softly explaining.

"I brought out this fine meat so that all of you could successfully awaken the 'Seed of Torch' in the future, and also because we're family. It's enough if you remember my kindness, what outsiders think isn't important, and I don't want to attract too much attention."

Upon hearing these offhand remarks, which they understood to be Song Chi's true feelings, the five people quietly hummed in agreement and all nodded in assent.

However, what the six of them didn't know was that behind them, on the second floor, a few shadowy figures stood by the window in the dark, silently watching the backyard scene.

"If I'm not mistaken, that should be fine meat from a Queen Insect, and it's not just any fine meat, it seems to carry a hint of Third Rank source."

"Third brother, your kid really has something. He actually managed to kill a Queen Insect with Third Rank source energy. Now I fully believe he can advance to First Rank within three months."

"It seems your kid must have had some fortuitous encounter."

Hearing this, Song Chao on the left side glared with wide eyes.

"You better not get any ideas about my kid, or else I'll go straight to the old man to complain and see if he'll discipline you."

...

"But speaking of which, boss, you should be close to advancing, right? Give it to me straight. I'm tired of being stuck in this backwater Star Domain. Once you advance, we can make our move immediately, and after success, we return to Dinghai Star Domain right away."

"Second brother, don't be impatient, we've been planning this for so many years, there's no rush at this moment. We must be thoroughly prepared for this matter, otherwise, if we make a mistake, our lineage won't think about returning to the clan for a century."

"However, speaking of which, since Little Chi was able to obtain fine meat that contains Third Rank source from the Queen Insect, is it possible he also found an Energy Crystal?"

...

The second floor of the Song family mansion, where Song Chao and the others were, was not far from the backyard, the straight-line distance was less than twenty meters. However, during their conversation, the six people below, including Song Chi, didn't have the slightest awareness, as if there were no figures on the second floor at all.

Time passed quickly, and as the dinner was about to start, Song Chi was called by his parents to a side room.

Staring at her son, Chen Lixia smiled beamingly.

"Son, come here, let mom give you a hug."

Song Chi walked over somewhat reluctantly. Everything about his mom was good, except she was too clingy. He was already in his thirties, and in his previous life, he would have been established with his own family by now. But in front of Chen Lixia, he seemed like a child who hadn't grown up yet, always in need of a hug, making him, an adult man, feel embarrassed.

After a brief hug, Song Chi, eager to escape his mother's clutches quickly, pulled out an Intermediate Energy Crystal he had brought.

"Mom, what's the success rate for 'Dragonfly's' upgrades now? This time, when exploring with Shen Qing, we encountered a group of Insect Race. After killing the Queen Insect, I found an Energy Crystal formed inside its body."

As he spoke, he placed the Intermediate Energy Crystal into his mother's hand.

Without checking the Energy Crystal in her hand, Chen Lixia's heart was already filled with emotion.

"Oh, my son really cares about his mom."

With that, she hugged Song Chi once again.

Song Chi: ...

At his side, Song Chao's eyes sparkled, and his heartbeat began to accelerate gradually.

He took the Energy Crystal from Chen Lixia's hand, and once he confirmed it was indeed a genuine Energy Crystal, and an Intermediate one at that, he was thrilled from the bottom of his heart.

Of course, the baptism of a century and having his wife and child by his side helped him to forcibly suppress the urge to laugh out loud.

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Song Chao's eyes moved around in thought.

After Song Chi finally escaped his mother's grasp once more, Song Chao spoke in a grave tone:

"Little Chi, you don't need to worry about 'Dragonfly'. Later on, I'll explore the Alien Star Domain a few more times with your mom, plus the 'Mermaid's Tear' you found earlier, we should be able to raise 'Dragonfly's' upgrade success rate to over 70%. As for this Intermediate Energy Crystal, you should present it as a birthday gift to your grandma during the dinner."

Hearing this, Song Chi was taken aback; he hadn't really thought of using the Intermediate Energy Crystal as a birthday gift. After all, such items were rare and valuable, and his own father, mother, and himself would need it in the future.

It seemed as if Song Chao understood what was going through Song Chi's mind at that moment, so he explained:

"Your mom's advancement this time is practically a sure thing, and as for me, your father, I still have a considerable way to go to reach Third Rank. But right now is a key point, and the family urgently needs this Intermediate Energy Crystal. The reason I'm telling you to present it to your grandma during the birthday feast is to get your grandfather to take out something good."

"I'll tell you, your grandpa has plenty of nice things in his possession. Just one of them would be enough to greatly increase the Combat Power of your 'Cangqiong'."

After hearing the explanation, Song Chi understood, but he still felt conflicted.

"Dad, I don't want to draw too much attention. How about you give it to grandma on my behalf?"

Song Chao glared at Song Chi.

"You, you're really not like someone of your hot-blooded age. To put it nicely, this is called hiding your capabilities, but to put it less kindly, you're being overly cautious."

Song Chao felt rather disappointed. His son was good in every way but was just too mature and steady, lacking the pride a father should feel.

Other people's kids were mischievous and troublesome from a young age, always causing problems that would eventually require their fathers to step in – an opportunity to demonstrate 'a father's boundless love'. But from childhood to adulthood, Song Chao had never experienced this. If it weren't for Song Ting, who was a bit more normal, he would have felt truly ineffective as a father.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read