My Children’s Gifts Give Me 1000x Returns!

Morning in the Inner City brought a vibrant sky untouched by the black smog of the Outer Ring. Sunlight reflected off white marble avenues and floating glass pavilions, casting a warm, luminous glow over The Azure Crest Estate.

Inside the private courtyard, Ethan and Elena were already practicing their stances. Ethan’s spear moved with smooth, lethal precision, while Elena’s azure blade cut through the air, leaving faint blue trails of condensed Qi. Both had fully stabilized their Spirit Vein Opening (Early Stage) cultivation, moving with a fluid grace that far surpassed their age.

Gabriel walked out onto the marble patio carrying three cups of warm spirit-tea.

"Take a break," Gabriel said, setting the cups down on a stone table. "You’ve been at it since dawn."

The twins stopped immediately, wiping thin beads of sweat from their foreheads and jogging over with bright smiles.

"Dad," Ethan said, taking a sip of the warm, soothing tea. "The spiritual Qi in this villa is incredible. Every hour of training here feels like three days in the slums."

"That’s why the noble clans guard these Inner City properties so fiercely," Gabriel replied smoothly. "Environment dictates speed, but resources dictate your ceiling. Which brings me to today's plan."

Elena looked up, her eyes lighting up. "Another shopping trip?"

Gabriel chuckled, ruffling her hair. "Not just any shopping trip. We’re heading to the Grand Central Exchange—the main trade hub of the Inner City. You two need higher-grade armor, specialized martial manuals for your spirit veins, and proper spatial rings instead of basic pouches."

The Grand Central Exchange was a sprawling, three-story circular pavilion built from polished white jade and dark spirit-iron. Managed jointly by the Zephyrus Merchant Syndicate and the Global Adventurer Guild, it was the heart of the Inner City’s economy.

Here, one could buy everything from Grade-4 beast cores and high-tier defensive artifacts to rare medicinal herbs capable of extending life.

As Gabriel, Ethan, and Elena stepped onto the grand floor, they immediately attracted attention. Gabriel’s dark, celestial dragon silk coat radiated a subtle, terrifying weight, while Ethan and Elena wore their high-grade maroon and azure robes, their S-Rank admission tokens swinging visibly at their waists.

"Look... those are the twin S-Ranks from the Outer District!" "I heard their father defeated a Valerius branch leader..." "S-Ranks or not, they’re still commoners who got lucky. Look at them, browsing the high-tier artifact section like they can afford it."

Whispers rippled through the crowd, but Gabriel ignored them completely, leading his children toward the High-Grade Weapon & Armor Pavilion on the second floor.

"Welcome, honored customers!" a senior clerk bowed respectfully, sensing the deep, enigmatic pressure lingering around Gabriel. "How may the Exchange serve you today?"

"Show my children your top-tier soft armor and medium-grade martial manuals," Gabriel ordered, setting a heavy leather pouch containing two hundred High-Grade Spirit Stones onto the glass counter.

THUD.

The heavy thud and the radiant, azure glow spilling from the pouch made the clerk’s breath hitch. His eyes bulged as he bowed even lower, nearly touching his nose to the floor.

"I-Right away, My Lord! Please follow me to the VIP Inner Treasury!"

Before the clerk could lead them, an arrogant, drawling voice echoed from the stairs behind them.

"Two hundred High-Grade Spirit Stones? Commoner rats truly love to flaunt whatever copper they managed to scrape together from the dirt."

A young man clad in golden-embroidered silk robes stepped off the stairs, flanked by four heavily armored bodyguards. A fiery red crest was pinned to his chest—a soaring phoenix wrapped in flame, the symbol of House Zephyrus, one of the three ruling duchies of the empire.

Julian Zephyrus, a direct young master of a branch line of House Zephyrus, currently cultivating at Mortal Physique (Peak - Gold Bones).

Julian walked over, his eyes lingering on Elena with a mixture of greed and condescension.

"S-Rank talents from the slums... what a waste of divine fate," Julian sneered, fanning himself with a jade fan. "Girl, your beauty is acceptable. How about you become my personal concubine? I’ll give your brother a guard position in my estate and supply your father with enough low-grade pills to live out his pathetic life."

Ethan’s eyes turned cold as ice. His hand instinctively dropped to the grip of his spear. "Watch your mouth, trash."

"Trash?" Julian laughed, his bodyguards stepping forward, their Qi flaring into the air. All four bodyguards were elite Mortal Physique (Gold Bones) experts! "A commoner rat dares to call a Zephyrus noble trash? Do you know where you are? This Exchange is owned by my family!"

The clerk turned pale, shrinking back into the corner, too terrified to intervene between a noble young master and a customer.

Gabriel didn't even turn his head to look at Julian. He simply picked up his cup of tea from a nearby tray and took a quiet sip.

"Ethan. Elena," Gabriel said, his voice flat, devoid of any emotion.

"Yes, Dad?"

"He insulted your sister, and he threatened your family. In three seconds, I want him on his knees. If his bodyguards move, break their legs."

Julian’s face twisted in disbelief. "Are you insane?! You dare attack me in my family's—"

BOOM!

Before Julian could finish his sentence, Ethan moved like a bolt of crimson lightning. His linen-wrapped spear didn't even unsheathe—he used the heavy iron butt of the spear shaft, thrusting it straight into Julian’s stomach!

BANG!

"AAAGH!" Julian choked, his eyes bulging as he was lifted off his feet by the sheer physical impact, crashing heavily onto the marble floor three yards back.

"Young Master!" The four bodyguards roared in fury, drawing their broadswords and lunging at Ethan.

SLASH—SLASH!

A flash of azure sword-light swept across the floor. Elena appeared between Ethan and the guards, her movement footwork executing flawlessly. Her blade struck the flat sides of their broadswords with terrifying precision and speed.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

All four broadswords shattered into iron splinters. Before the guards could react, Elena delivered four lightning-fast sidekicks straight to their kneecaps!

CRACK!

"AARGH!" The four bodyguards collapsed onto the floor, clutching their shattered legs and groaning in agony.

The entire second floor of the Exchange went dead silent. The surrounding shoppers stared in absolute horror. Two eighteen-year-olds had just neutralized four elite noble bodyguards and knocked down a Zephyrus young master in under five seconds!

Julian scrambled backward on his hands and knees, spitting blood, his face pale with pure rage and embarrassment.

"Y-You... you filthy slum dogs!" Julian shrieked, reaching into his robes to pull out a golden signal talisman. "I’ll have the Guild guards execute you all! My uncle is a Martial Scholar manager of this Exchange!"

STEP.

Gabriel took a single step forward.

Suddenly, an invisible, crushing weight—the absolute domain pressure of a Martial Master—crashed down on Julian’s shoulders like a falling mountain.

CRACK!

The marble floor beneath Julian shattered into powder. The golden talisman slipped from his trembling, paralyzed fingers, disintegrating into dust before it could even ignite. Julian’s head was slammed violently into the dirt, his breathing completely cut off as he felt a cold, ancient aura suffocating his soul.

Gabriel looked down at the trembling noble heir, his deep black eyes glowing with a faint, dangerous golden light.

"You speak too much, boy," Gabriel said, his voice a low, terrifying growl that resonated directly inside Julian’s mind. "Tell your uncle that if he wants to enforce rules, he can come find me at The Azure Crest Estate. If I see your face near my children again... your family won't have a young master anymore."

Gabriel waved his hand, casually lifting the pressure. Julian lay on the floor, gasping frantically for air, his clothes soaked in cold sweat, completely broken by terror.

Gabriel turned back to the trembling clerk, who was shivering like a leaf in a storm.

"Now," Gabriel said calmly, tossing another hundred High-Grade Spirit Stones onto the counter. "Show us the VIP Treasury."

"Y-YES, MY LORD! RIGHT THIS WAY!" The clerk stammered, bowing frantically and leading Gabriel and the twins into the private vault, leaving the humiliated Julian and his crippled bodyguards groaning on the floor behind them.

An hour later, Gabriel walked out of the Exchange with his twins.

They had acquired two sets of Grade-4 Soft Dragon-Scale Armor (which Gabriel had bought for them, instantly triggering a 300x System Return that rewarded Gabriel with a Grade-6 Immortal Dragon Guardian Vest), along with two high-tier spatial rings filled with premium cultivation resources.

As their luxury carriage rolled back toward their estate, Ethan looked at his father with a mix of excitement and concern.

"Dad... we beat up a young master from House Zephyrus. Won't they try to retaliate?"

Gabriel leaned back in his leather seat, a sharp, cold grin playing on his lips.

"Let them try," Gabriel murmured, looking out the window toward the grand, hovering pavilions of the Inner City. "The bigger the noble tree, the sweeter it is when it falls."