The family of three gathered in a gazebo in the courtyard. Dongfang Xuanxiao was looking at Long Chen while Yin Mengyao was standing beside Dongfang Xuanxiao. They had just left the Mortal Arena, and Xuanxiao had stayed with them instead of going off to deal with his own matters. This was good as Long Chen needed his help with Mo Xiaolang. If Dongfang Xuanxiao helped him, it would make his life very easy.
“You comprehended the Azure Dragon Combat Technique in a single day and then spent five days cultivating Split Yellow River. Long Chen, you are the single most talented individual I’ve ever seen when it comes to cultivating martial techniques. I should’ve known based on how fast you cultivated the Nine Dragon Flashes.” Dongfang Xuanxiao sighed.
Long Chen nodded and did not deny it. Ever since the Dragon Jade Pendant entered his sea of consciousness, he had a feeling that his comprehension skills had increased rapidly, as if both his soul and mind had become much more clear. He could comprehend martial techniques much more quickly than anyone else, as if he knew them since he was born. But his hard work was definitely a factor as well.
Yin Mengyao looked at Long Chen with admiration. She thought back to how she had leaned on his broad back when she was poisoned, causing her to blush. He was her brother, and she didn’t know why she had done that.
“But Dongfang Tianxing only entered the Heavenly Core Realm a few months back. He’s also very arrogant and prideful, just like his mother, and so he’s destined to be useless for the rest of his life. Chen’er, I need to tell you something else. Originally, this matter didn’t concern you, but I need to tell you now.”
“Do tell, Stepfather.”
“When you first entered the inner family, I remember telling you that the Patriarch brought Tianchen and the rest for training. The reason why he did so was because of something else that’s coming up. Do you know the Beast Soul Palace of Yuan Ling City?”
“I know about them. It’s one of the factions that live in Yuandi City. Their strength is equal to the Yuanling family.”
“Yes. And do you remember how the Yang family had to fight another family to obtain the rights to rule Baiyang Town? Just like them, we have to fight against each other every twenty years for the right to rule the city. The twenty year period is almost up. Two months from now, the youths from the Lingwu family and the Beast Soul Palace will fight against each other. The team who wins will be allowed to rule Yuanling County for twenty years. This concerns a massive amount of profits …”
“Wait, we need to fight for it too? Will the one overseeing it be the royal family?” Long Chen was shocked.
“We are indeed forces who’ve sworn loyalty to the royal family, so we naturally must listen to them. The difference between us and them was just like the difference between Baiyang Town and the Lingwu family. Do you understand now?”
“I understand. That means that the Patriarch took them away to train to increase their strength so that they could fight for the right to rule Yuanling County.” Long Chen was secretly surprised by the strength of the royal family. To him, the Lingwu family was already a massive force, so how much stronger did the royal family have to be to be able to control them? How strong were they?
“There’s also a very special rule this time. I’ve heard that the royal family has found an ancient ruin in Yuanling County. It contains the inheritance of a strong cultivator from the middle ages. The youths from the Lingwu family and the Beast Soul family will enter the ruins. Only one person will be able to obtain the inheritance, so whichever faction comes out with it will be declared the winner,” Dongfang Xuanxiao explained.
“Ancient ruins?” Long Chen looked forward to it, but his strength was far from ideal. The strongest youths of the Lingwu family were on the level of Dongfang Tianchen, Mo Xiaolang, and Beitang Mo. All of them were at the mid Heavenly Core Realm, so there was no reason for Long Chen to be able to even participate.
“Stepfather, how do the youths from the Lingwu family and the Beast Soul Palace compare?”
“We have four people at the mid Heavenly Core Realm and ten at the initial Heavenly Core Realm. The Eastern Azure Dragon family can send two people. Tianchen will most definitely be chosen. The elders and the Patriarch were ruminating between sending Tianxing or Tianxuan. But somehow you defeated Tianxing today. Judging by how fast you’re growing, you might even be able to win against Tianxuan if you work hard for the next two months.”
“Tianxuan? Is she that strong?” Dongfang Xuanxiao made it look like Tianxuan was miles ahead of Tianxing.
“Tianxuan is hardworking and has a tenacious spirit. She has already cultivated an Earth-tier martial technique, albeit barely. Still, she’s amazing. Long Chen, if you can cultivate Starsweep Dragon, an Earth-tier martial technique, she will not be your opponent.”
“Stepfather, do we have a large chance of winning this?” Yin Mengyao asked quietly.
“I don’t know. The strength of the youths from the four inner families are roughly the same. None of us have someone with ungodly talent. The Beast Soul Palace has fewer talented youths, but we are competing in terms of which faction has the strongest individual. I’ve heard rumors that one of Emperor Yuan’s grandsons has incredible talent. He should be at the late Heavenly Core Realm, but these are only rumors.”
“Late Heavenly Core Realm?!” Long Chen heaved a sigh. He’s even stronger than Mo Xiaolang! There are geniuses everywhere.
Dongfang Xuanxiao shook his head and smiled bitterly. “The four Patriarchs are having a headache over this. If they lose the right to rule, then the resources and network of the Lingwu family will be pushed to a very dangerous situation. Also, the one who obtains the inheritance will be allowed to become an Immortal Guard. This is quite a lucrative reward.”
“What’s an Immortal Guard?” Long Chen was confused.
“You don’t know? I suppose that’s normal.” Long Chen came from a small town, so it was natural he didn’t know. Dongfang Xuanxiao provided him with a full rundown of the Immortal Realm and the Immortal Guards. “There is a massive Miniverse in the Cangyang Royal Capital. It’s hundreds of times larger than the Heavenly Martial Realm, large enough to fit ten Royal Capitals. It’s called the Counter Essence Realm.”
“The Counter Essence Realm? I’ve been told that the spiritual energy in the Counter Essence Realm is ten times denser than in the outside world. Though I’ve also heard rumors saying that it’s a thousand times denser in some places. That’s why numerous spiritual herbs grow inside it, and there are even rumors of a secret treasure left behind from the middle ages!” Yin Mengyao chattered happily when she heard about the Counter Essence Realm.
“Ten times? A thousand times? Spiritual herbs?” This was the first time Long Chen had heard of it. Yuanling City was the most prosperous place he had ever seen, but the Royal Capital and the Counter Essence Realm were even richer. But he knew that the stronger he grew, the more places he would visit. He was sure he would eventually stumble across places with riches beyond his imagination. The Counter Essence Realm would be trivial by then.
“But it’s not a piece of heaven. Even though there are numerous treasures in the Counter Essence Realm, there are dangerous beings too. Long Chen, you’ve seen one of the variants of the demonic beasts, the Poison Beasts, right?” Dongfang Xuanxiao asked.
“The Poison Beasts of the Nine Devil Mountains. How could I forget?” Long Chen smiled.
“The Poison Beasts are one of the variants. Due to the density and purity of nature’s spiritual energy as well as the spiritual herbs in the Counter Essence Realm, a different variant of demonic beasts can be found there. We call them the Immortal Beasts. They are terrifying and numerous. They have excellent reproduction rates and, more importantly, are smarter than regular demonic beasts. Some of them are so strong and cunning that their intelligence is comparable to us humans.”
“The demonic beasts could be as smart as us?” Long Chen had learned so many new things today that he really felt like he came from some backwater place.
“There are two main forces in the Counter Essence Realm. One of them is the Immortal Beasts, while the other is the royal family of the Cangyang Kingdom. The entrance to the Counter Essence Realm is controlled by the royal family. They have to deal with the Immortal Beasts in order to gather spiritual herbs. The only ones who are allowed to enter the Counter Essence Realm to partake in missions issued by the royal family are called Immortal Guards. Because the mortality rate is high amongst the Immortal Guards, the royal family has a hard time finding replacements, so they are constantly searching for talented youths from various regions. But those who work as Immortal Guards also obtain excellent benefits from the royal family!” Dongfang Xuanxiao explained in detail.
“So the Immortal Guards are all prodigies from the Cangyang Kingdom, and maybe even members of the royal family?” Long Chen asked excitedly.
“You are half right.” Dongfang Xuanxiao was not afraid of knocking Long Chen down a peg. “To the royal family, a prodigy is someone who has reached the Heavenly River Realm before the age of twenty-five. Tianchen is already twenty-three, so it’s very likely he won’t make it. So far, no one in Yuanling County has satisfied the requirements set by the royal family. Long Chen, this was what I needed to tell you. There is no end to cultivation. You are indeed growing very quickly, but you must not restrict yourself based on what you see around yourself! Everyone around you might be mediocre, but there could be geniuses more fearsome than you somewhere else!” Dongfang Xuanxiao said in a serious tone.
His advice came like a lightning strike, and it made Long Chen realize his hubris. “Thank you, Stepfather. I will never be content with my situation here in Yuanling City.”
“Good, as long as you understand. I’ve told you all you need to know, but I have another request for you.” Dongfang Xuanxiao suddenly turned serious and looked at Long Chen. His eyes were filled with hesitation, but he made his decision very quickly as if it was the only chance he would get.
Long Chen was taken aback. He also needed to request help from Dongfang Xuanxiao regarding Mo Xiaolang.
