Chapter 74

Blue Ling'er looked at the puppet in front of her, her heart filled with despair. She didn't know what to do or what she could do. What could she do now...

There had never been a moment when Blue Ling'er hated her constitution so much. This constitution that prevented her from practicing martial arts, from having inner energy, and would even cause her death if she attempted to practice martial arts or acquire inner energy, left her... now powerless...

"Grandpa... why can't I practice martial arts like my brother and sister..."

Blue Ling'er struggled to lift her head and looked at her grandfather, who towered over her and had always been the one who loved her the most. She asked with a childish voice.

Blue Ling'er's grandfather looked like a middle-aged man, with a stern face that softened into a warm smile when he saw Blue Ling'er. He stroked her hair and said, "Because Ling'er is the smartest. Anyone can practice martial arts, but there are few as smart as Ling'er. You can read many books, remember their contents, study the truth of history, research the science of inner energy, guide the people forward, and protect this era. I believe that one day, Ling'er will become the most outstanding guardian, protecting this hard-won world."

"Okay! I will definitely do it, Grandpa!" Blue Ling'er nodded seriously and then looked at the ancient book in her hand.

Childhood, learning, books, researching the truth of history...

"Grandpa Sutuka, can I really not practice martial arts?"

For the fieldwork assignment to the ancient sect ruins, Blue Ling'er privately asked Sutuka, the chief of the Sutuka tribe, who was a close friend of her grandfather and a longtime ally of the Blue family, why she couldn't practice martial arts.

Sutuka looked at Blue Ling'er with a somber expression, his eyes filled with pity and sympathy. He stroked her hair and said, "Not being able to practice martial arts isn't so bad. In this world, too many people die in battles. And having martial arts leads to chaos and greed. I've seen too many examples of this. We are guardians, not martial groups or noble families. So, whether or not you practice martial arts isn't really important. Blue Ling'er, you are so smart, and you have the most talent for history and literature among us. Perhaps you can uncover the truth of history and bring back the past glory."

Blue Ling'er nodded and then carefully examined the data sheet in her hand...

But, not being able to practice martial arts meant having no power, just as her grandfather's diary had written. Without power, she couldn't protect the people and things most important to her, couldn't achieve her dreams, and couldn't...

After her grandfather died, Blue Ling'er saw too much chaos. Every member of the Blue family with inheritance rights wanted to ascend to the throne. Everyone was searching for the inner energy cultivation methods of her grandfather, and each had their own plans. But none of them considered the future of the Blue family as guardians...

"...Yes, as I mentioned earlier, Canglan is aging. With half of its life, a quarter of its inner energy circulation system, and a quarter of its mechanical parts, Canglan can naturally sustain itself for at most another hundred years. What will happen after those hundred years? What will become of the Blue family and the people here? Therefore, I propose activating the Canglan mode and entering the land. The Blue family has been silent for too long. To put it bluntly, the old man rejected the invitation to become one of the Nine Martial Kings, which was a neglect of the guardian's duty. Guardians are not hermits who observe from afar; they must enter the world to save it. The reason I propose activating the Canglan mode is simple: on one hand, to gain enough territory and resources to excavate ancient sect ruins and search for inner energy stones to repair Canglan and extend its natural lifespan. On the other hand, I believe we have been too conservative. We must take on our responsibilities as guardians to restore the glory of our surname and the great era of inner energy technology!"

Blue Ling'er listened in surprise to her uncle's declaration, something that would never have happened while her grandfather was alive. Since her grandfather's generation, he had reformed the Blue family's imperial system into a constitutional monarchy, drawing on historical documents and the political systems of some countries in the outside world. The parliament had constraints, and her grandfather had established a constitutional rule that the Blue family guardians could only secretly protect and must never vie for power. This rule was well-enforced while her grandfather was alive. In Blue Ling'er's memory, everyone, whether in the parliament or the Blue family, supported this rule, and her uncle was the most ardent supporter. But less than a month after her grandfather's death, her uncle's actions had completely changed...

Blue Ling'er didn't understand what had happened to everyone. After her grandfather's death, the entire Blue family, the parliament, and the people all became restless. More and more people proposed activating Canglan, and some even suggested restoring the imperial system of the Blue family. The loudest voices were those of her uncle, who was considered the closest to the inner energy realm and the most likely to achieve it within fifty years...

So... the constitution was useless... the law was useless... the system was useless... the rules of the guardian family were useless...

Was the only thing that mattered now just strength? Just power?

Blue Ling'er didn't want the Blue family to change. Things were good now, quietly protecting this era, solving problems before they erupted or after they had occurred, occasionally examining the progress of civilization, researching the glorious culture left by their ancestors, and finding ways to return to that great era...

Would all of this be gone?

If...

If she could practice martial arts, if she could use martial arts to protect her family, would the outcome be different...

But in this world, there was no "if." She couldn't protect what she wanted to protect. The only solution she could think of was to find someone who could help her, but now even those who could help her were struggling. If only she could press that reset button, if only she could enter the deepest part, if only she could...

Blue Ling'er wiped away her tears and looked stubbornly at the motionless puppets in front of her. She bit her lip and desperately thought of any possible solution. She refused to give up. She had everything she wanted to protect: her family, her life, the peace and stability left by her grandfather. If she couldn't protect these things without high-level martial arts, then... could she exchange her life for it?

Suddenly, some images flashed through Blue Ling'er's mind. To ensure she could remain healthy and live a long life despite not being able to practice martial arts, her grandfather and Grandpa Sutuka, both inner energy realm experts, often infused inner energy into her body, storing it in her dantian. As the youngest girl in the Blue family and the only one who couldn't practice martial arts, she was the most beloved by the two inner energy realm experts. They infused the purest inner energy into her dantian, though she couldn't use it. This inner energy protected her from diseases and extended her life, and it could even keep her alive temporarily if she suffered a fatal injury, allowing her family to rescue her. Although the infusion needed to be repeated every few years and each infusion weakened the inner energy realm experts for a time, the process had never stopped since she was a child. So...

"The ancient texts record that all puppets have basically three detection mechanisms: temperature, life force, and inner energy. Any living being has a temperature difference with the environment, and life force and electromagnetic waves are also characteristics of living beings. Inner energy detection is to prevent inner energy puppets from infiltrating. In other words, if I lose my life force and the inner energy in my dantian maintains my life, I might be able to avoid detection..."

"I can't injure my hands, feet, or brain, as I need to ensure my movement and thinking. I'm also afraid of pain and probably wouldn't dare to dig out my heart, so..."

Blue Ling'er muttered to herself, her eyes gradually becoming determined as she looked at the puppets at the entrance of the passage. She had something to protect: her family, her life, the peace and stability left by her grandfather. If she couldn't protect these things without high-level martial arts, then... could she exchange her life for it?

Blue Ling'er looked around but couldn't find any sharp objects. Time was running out, so she gritted her teeth and placed her wrist in her mouth. Closing her eyes, she bit down hard. The pain was intense, making her tears flow. The pain was like... like when her grandfather died, and the familiar people suddenly became strangers. The pain was so intense, both physically and emotionally...

As the blood on the ground accumulated, Blue Ling'er felt a chill all over her body, but she didn't feel suffocated or dizzy. Instead, a warm energy from her dantian flowed into her body and brain. When she touched her other wrist and felt no pulse, she took a deep breath. She suddenly realized she didn't need to breathe air. Slowly, she walked toward the puppets...

Grandpa, protect me. I want to protect my family, to protect everything you cherished. Yes, I don't have high-level martial arts, but I have my life. I think... if there are really the deities mentioned in the ancient texts, they would allow me to exchange my life for this. I believe...

Tears still flowed from the corner of Blue Ling'er's eyes, though they were gradually turning cold. She trembled as she slowly walked past the puppets, carefully brushing against their bodies, slowly, slowly passing them...

She walked deeper into the passage.

A few minutes later, the alert level reset...

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