Chapter 15

"Such a powerful aura!" Xiao Yun's eyes gleamed as he stared intently at the iron box in his palm. A look of barely contained excitement appeared on his slightly youthful face, as if he had discovered a priceless treasure.

Amidst the cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Xiao Yun opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

That aura made Xiao Yun's heart involuntarily tighten.

Intuitively, Xiao Yun felt that the crimson bead and the black tower were far from ordinary, and he couldn't help but look up at the old man beside him.

"Grandpa, is this really what Father left for me?"

Although Xiao Yun didn't know what kind of treasure the crimson bead and the black tower were, he knew that such treasures were not something ordinary cultivators could possess. How could his father have such treasures? His heart began to race.

Xiao Yun was filled with curiosity about his father, whom he had never met.

"That's right, this is the treasure your father left for you," the old man sighed, his face filled with regret. "Originally, I planned to give it to you after you reached the Xiantian realm, but your cultivation stagnated for eight years, so it was delayed."

"Now that the Fang family is being so aggressive, I can only give this to you, hoping it will help you improve your cultivation," the old man sighed, no longer as domineering as before, with a hint of worry in his eyes.

"Grandpa, are you worried about Fang Hao?" Xiao Yun's eyes narrowed as he asked.

"Fang Hao has now connected with the Tianyuan Sect, which is quite troublesome!" The old man's voice was filled with concern.

Even though he was a powerful figure in Ziyun County, he was nothing compared to the Tianyuan Sect. Any expert they sent could easily destroy the Xiao family. Therefore, even though the old man was furious, he had to hold back after Fang Hao mentioned this connection.

"Grandpa, don't worry. I won't be worse than Fang Hao," Xiao Yun clenched his fists, his eyes filled with determination. "If he can be favored by the Tianyuan Sect, I can too. Then we won't have to fear them."

"Grandpa believes in you," the old man nodded, but there was still a hint of worry in his eyes.

Although Xiao Yun had already begun to break through and showed astonishing talent, the competition was only three months away. Could he advance from the eighth level of the Body Tempering stage to the Xiantian realm in such a short time?

The old man was still somewhat concerned, but he didn't show it.

The old man's worry flashed by, but Xiao Yun noticed it.

He also knew how difficult it would be to reach the Xiantian realm in three months.

Each level of the Body Tempering stage was increasingly difficult to break through. Some people took a year to advance from the sixth level, and even those with extraordinary talent who reached the ninth level of Body Tempering often couldn't advance further for years.

Reaching the Xiantian realm was not something that could be achieved overnight.

"I must reach the Xiantian realm as soon as possible and defeat Fang Hao in the competition. Then Grandpa won't have to worry," the young man thought to himself, but he kept this resolve to himself, knowing that without strength, words were meaningless. It was better to prove himself through action.

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself," the old man patted his shoulder, seeing the determined look in the young man's eyes.

"Okay," Xiao Yun nodded, then blinked and asked hopefully, "Grandpa, is my father still alive?"

Over the years, Xiao Yun had gone from a prodigy to a so-called waste, falling from the pinnacle to the bottom. This made him feel abandoned, and he often thought of his parents.

If my parents were here, perhaps they would comfort me.

This thought had often crossed his mind when he was young.

Although he gradually understood that blaming fate was futile and his mindset changed, his longing for his parents only grew stronger, even to the point of wanting to find them.

"Your father..." The old man's eyes paused, a hint of沧桑 (cāngsāng, meaning "沧桑" or "weathered") appeared in his old eyes as he saw the hopeful look on the young man's face.

Seeing his grandfather's expression, Xiao Yun's heart tightened, sensing that there was more to the story. He asked anxiously, "Grandpa, what happened to my father? Why hasn't he come to see me for over ten years? Does he not want me anymore?"

"Foolish child, how could your father not want you? He would even sacrifice his life for you!" The old man gently stroked the young man's head, tears welling up in his eyes. He sighed and said, "You're grown up now, it's time to tell you these things."

Xiao Yun nodded, his eyes fixed on his grandfather, eagerly waiting to hear the story.

"Your father's name is Xiao Zhantian. Like you, he was a prodigy, awakening his martial soul at the age of six." The old man took a deep breath, his eyes filled with reminiscence. "Our Xiao family's ancestor had the War Soul legacy. Once awakened, it could sweep all before it. After awakening his martial soul, your father showed extraordinary talent and became famous throughout the Fengyue Kingdom."

"Finally, he was recognized by a great master and left for the vast Tian Du Domain," the old man said.

"Tian Du Domain?" Xiao Yun's eyes narrowed, determined to remember this place, as if he planned to go there to find his father.

"It's a vast land of martial artists, with countless tribes and powerful figures. Even the Tianyuan Sect must bow to the forces in the Tian Du Domain. You can imagine how magnificent and colorful that world is. Your father left for ten years, and we heard nothing from him, which was very worrying," the old man's voice was filled with sighs, reflecting his deep concern for his son.

Xiao Yun listened quietly, filled with curiosity about the Tian Du Domain, wondering why his father never returned.

"Who knew that when he returned, he was severely injured, his body covered in blood, as if he had just fought a life-and-death battle. At that time, your sister was still an infant, and you were less than a year old, crying on his back," the old man sighed, a look of pain in his eyes.

Hearing this, Xiao Yun's heart tightened.

From what his grandfather said, his father seemed to be in a dire situation.

"Your father stayed for only one day, gave some instructions, and then left hastily, as if afraid that his enemies would find him," the old man said, his face filled with worry. "He has been gone for over ten years, and we have heard nothing from him. We don't know if he is safe."

"If you want to know about your father, you can go to the Tian Du Domain in the future," the old man said.

"I will go!" Xiao Yun clenched his fists, determined.

"Good," the old man's eyes narrowed, feeling relieved to see the determined look in the young man's eyes.

But he also felt a pang of pain. Once the young man entered the Tian Du Domain, would he return safely?

Thinking of this, the old man regretted telling him about it.

But if he kept it a secret, how could he know about his son Xiao Zhantian's fate?

Moreover, the young man had grown up and had the right to know.

"Let's leave it to fate," the old man sighed.

"Grandpa, I'll take my leave now," Xiao Yun said, holding the iron box.

"Go ahead," the old man waved his hand. "Study the contents of the box carefully."

"Okay," Xiao Yun nodded and left with the iron box.

After this conversation, Xiao Yun learned about his father's past.

His father, Xiao Zhantian, was a prodigious genius with great strength, but for some reason, he returned severely injured.

"I must become stronger," Xiao Yun resolved, returning to his room.

Not only to deal with the pressure from the Fang family, but also to find his father in the Tian Du Domain, he needed great strength.

Without strength, he would be unable to move forward.

"This is what Father left for me, it must be extraordinary," Xiao Yun thought, picking up the ancient book from the iron box. As he lifted the book, a letter fell out, with powerful and vigorous handwriting.

"This is a letter from Father," Xiao Yun's heart leaped, and he quickly read the content.

Reading the content, Xiao Yun's brows furrowed tightly.

Father had explained the contents of the iron box and specifically instructed Xiao Yun not to look for him.

"Is it because Father's enemies are too powerful that he doesn't want me to take the risk?" Xiao Yun's heart warmed, then he thought, "Father doesn't want me to go to the Tian Du Domain for my safety, but as his son, how can I ignore his difficulties?"

"I must go to the Tian Du Domain!" Xiao Yun resolved.

Then Xiao Yun opened the ancient book to the first page.

The Swallow Heaven and Destroy God Technique, when perfected, can devour the essence of all things in the world and destroy a person's spirit...

"The Swallow Heaven and Destroy God Technique is so powerful, it can devour the essence of all things, and it's somewhat similar to my martial soul. But destroying a person's spirit is much more powerful. It's said that only the strongest can condense a spirit, and as long as the spirit is not destroyed, the strong will not die. But the Swallow Heaven and Destroy God Technique can devour even the spirit, it's truly formidable," Xiao Yun was amazed.

"Such a technique probably doesn't exist even in the entire Fengyue Kingdom or the Tianyuan Sect."

"As long as I master this technique, I can definitely become a powerful figure," Xiao Yun's confidence grew. "This technique can also fuse all martial souls, inheriting their abilities... Is this a divine technique?"

When Xiao Yun read the subsequent general principles, he was even more amazed.

Martial souls generally come from inheritance.

For example, in the Xiao family, only his father, Xiao Zhantian, had awakened the War Soul in hundreds of years.

Obtaining an inheritance is extremely difficult.

However, some people try to find ancient cultivators or soul beasts to obtain their residual souls after death and fuse them. But the success rate of fusing souls is extremely low, and it can even lead to fatal backlash.

But the Swallow Heaven and Destroy God Technique was different.

According to the description, once cultivated to a certain level, it could fuse similar-strength souls, turning them into auxiliary martial souls, thereby increasing corresponding abilities. This way, Xiao Yun could have his own combat-type martial soul in the future.

With a combat-type martial soul, why fear Fang Hao?