Chapter 24

The hall was very quiet, with thick-armed candles hissing as they burned.

Jining lowered his head and ate, quickly finishing all the meat and fruit wine on the table in front of him. Today was to celebrate his father's return, so he rarely drank some fruit wine.

"Father," Jining spoke up.

"Hmm," Ji Yichuan frowned and looked at his son.

Jining sensed his father's bad mood, as the mission to kill the winged snake had ended in failure. It was extremely difficult to kill a late-stage innate spirit water demon hiding deep in a lake. To directly exterminate it, the Ji Clan's Western Manor could pay a great price, but this price was clearly one the Western Manor was unwilling to pay. To maintain its authority, the Western Manor had already swept through the Winged Snake Lake and stationed troops on its shores, sending several innate spirits to reside there, forcing the winged snake to never dare leave the lake... This would be a protracted battle, and once the winged snake was slightly careless, it would be surrounded and killed by the innate spirits of the Western Manor.

"I want to go out and explore the world," Jining said.

"Explore?" Ji Yichuan frowned.

Weichi Xue added, "Ning'er, you were attacked by the winged snake this time, and you should know how terrifying a great demon is. Outside the Western Manor City... there are many deep mountains and large marshes where great demons lurk. It's too early for you to go out and explore now. Wait a few more years."

"There are no more opponents to challenge me in the Western Manor City," Jining shook his head.

Ji Yichuan sternly said, "How old are you? Wait until you turn sixteen and become an adult before you go out to explore."

"But Father!" Jining said anxiously, "I've been in the Western Manor City since I was little, and I've always lived in this small place! I want to see countless tribes, I want to go out and explore and adventure like Father, to fight and even slay great demons."

"Great demons? With your current strength..." Ji Yichuan shook his head.

"What's wrong with me?" Jining said, "I survived when the winged snake attacked me with all its might. What's wrong with my strength?"

Ji Yichuan was taken aback, thinking, "Right, I haven't asked you how you survived the winged snake's attack."

Weichi Xue laughed, "Yichuan, you've been dealing with the winged snake and haven't been back, so you haven't been able to tell you. Our son reached the realm of harmony with heaven and earth in his movement technique at the moment of life and death when attacked by the winged snake. It was precisely because of this technique that he managed to escape the winged snake."

"Harmony with heaven and earth?" Ji Yichuan looked at Jining in surprise.

At just ten years old, his movement technique had reached the realm of harmony with heaven and earth?

"Take my three sword strikes," Ji Yichuan suddenly waved his hand, and three hazy sword shadows instantly enveloped Jining, as fast as lightning.

Jining, who had been kneeling before the table, swiftly dodged, moving like a breeze through the three hazy sword shadows.

"How was that?" Jining said proudly.

"Truly reached it," Ji Yichuan looked at his son in shock, "Harmony with heaven and earth, your movement technique has truly reached the realm of harmony with heaven and earth. Then your sword technique reaching the same realm... is not far off."

Ji Yichuan looked at his son, his heart surging with excitement and deep thought. His son Jining's talent was so high that he was a rare genius in the vast land of Yan Mountain. Such a genius could not be treated like an ordinary person! With Jining's current rate of progress, there was indeed not enough challenge for him in the Western Manor City.

"Your desire to go out and explore is not impossible," Ji Yichuan looked at his son, "But you must meet one of my conditions."

"Yichuan!" Weichi Xue was a bit anxious, but Ji Yichuan raised his hand to stop her.

"Father, please tell me," Jining was very eager.

Ji Yichuan nodded, "The Golden Sword Ceremony is held every four years, and all boys under sixteen participate. I want you to win the Golden Sword at this ceremony. If you win the Golden Sword, I will allow you to go out and explore."

"Golden Sword?" Jining's eyes lit up.

He had long known the agreement from years ago: if he won the Golden Sword, he would naturally become the next Manor Lord. And in recent years, while practicing the sword, his parents had mentioned the matter of "winning the Golden Sword to become Manor Lord."

"Winning the Golden Sword is easy," Jining looked at Ji Yichuan in confusion, "Father, I probably only need to use one-tenth of my strength to win the Golden Sword. This shouldn't be much of a test, right? Do you really care so much about the position of Manor Lord?"

His father was fully focused on the path of immortality.

Naturally, Jining also yearned to walk the path of immortality.

"Position of Manor Lord?" Ji Yichuan shook his head, "You are my son, my proudest son. I believe you will go further than I have... The position of Manor Lord of the Ji Clan's Western Manor will only bind you. You are destined to spread your wings and fly high."

Jining was puzzled, "Then why do you want me to win the Golden Sword?"

"First, to make Ji Lie give up," Ji Yichuan said, "As for the second reason, you will know after you win the Golden Sword. If you win it, I will let you go out and explore. If you don't, you will stay in the Western Manor City."

"Alright," Jining smiled.

Weichi Xue, however, remained anxious.

"Alright, go back and rest," Ji Yichuan said.

Jining immediately got up, feeling very pleased, and returned to his residence. In the hall, Ji Yichuan began to explain the reasons to his wife Weichi Xue.

...

The next morning.

While eating with his parents, Weichi Xue instructed, "After you win the Golden Sword, I won't stop you from going out to explore, but you must take servants with you."

"Servants?" Jining said, "I'm going to explore and adventure, why take a bunch of servants?"

"You only need to take two," Weichi Xue smiled, "One is Qiuye, who is familiar with some of your habits and can serve you. The other servant is Mo Wu, who was previously a Nine-Tooth Warrior in the Black Armor Guard and has long followed your father, very loyal. Although his strength is not as great as yours, he has experience in exploring the wilderness and forests."

Jining thought for a moment and nodded, "Alright, I'll take them two. No more."

...

"Master, you're going to leave the Western Manor City to explore? And you're taking me?" Qiuye was extremely excited, as she hadn't been out of the Western Manor since she entered it as a child.

"Don't just stand there, go to the library and bring all the records of great demons, tribes, and maps from the vast land of Yan Mountain," Jining said confidently, "I need to study and understand them to plan a rough route for my adventure."

"Yes, Master," Qiuye ran off.

Qiuye was Jining's personal maid, taught the highest-level cultivation techniques from a young age, and was nearly at the peak of the innate realm. Personal maids of Jining's status would definitely be taught cultivation techniques and some powerful skills, and they were expected to sacrifice themselves for their master in critical moments.

"Here," Qiuye carried a tall stack of books and placed them on the ground with a thud, the pile weighing several hundred pounds.

Jining began to flip through them.

Legends of great demons...

Jining learned that many great demons lurked in the deep mountains and marshes. Because there were so many great demons, and each one was difficult to deal with, there was actually a tacit understanding between the great demons and the dominant forces like the Ji Clan. The great demons generally did not go on wild killing sprees, and the dominant forces like the Ji Clan did not try to exterminate them.

Both sides took a step back, maintaining a superficial peace.

Although there were often tribes being massacred, great demons being slain, and innate spirits dying, these were all within a controllable range! An invisible line kept the dominant forces like the Ji Clan and the great demons from crossing it. Once that line was crossed, it would truly be a bloodbath.

"Black Tooth Tribe," Jining pointed to the map, "This is the latest map of the Ji Clan's Western Manor territory. The Black Tooth Tribe is a newly established small tribe, probably built by Chuncao's father, right here, just over a thousand miles away from us."

"Master, Master, we must go to the Black Tooth Tribe and visit Chuncao," Qiuye said eagerly.

"Of course we will," Jining nodded, "But I need to explore first, starting here, here, here, and... here!" Jining pointed to the dark areas on the map representing threats.

"These are all places where great demons lurk," Qiuye exclaimed.

"Right," Jining's eyes gleamed, "I want to slay great demons! Don't worry, I've chosen early-stage innate spirit great demons, much weaker than the winged snake. I will fight them one by one... until I break through to become an innate spirit. When I become an innate spirit, it will be time to go to Winged Snake Lake."

Qiuye was anxious, "Master, the winged snake is a late-stage innate spirit great demon."

"I have confidence," Jining said.

The first cultivation technique, the "Chi Ming Nine Heavens Chart," was immensely powerful. Even at the third level, it could match an early-stage innate spirit. Once he broke through to the fourth level, it would match a late-stage innate spirit!

In a direct fight, he was almost on par with the winged snake, not to mention that his realm was higher than the winged snake's.

"Great demon winged snake," Jining's eyes flashed with a hint of madness, remembering the scene of the winged snake attacking him, "This time, my goal in going out to explore and adventure is you. I hope you don't die too soon!"

***

The Ji Clan's Western Manor City welcomed the four-yearly Golden Sword Ceremony, where countless young men from various tribes, full of hope and anticipation, registered their names. They wanted to defeat their opponents in this ceremony and become the most dazzling presence, making their names known throughout all the tribes!

"This time after the Golden Sword Ceremony, I will return to my tribe. I must be in the top eight to obtain the cultivation technique to become an innate spirit. Only then will I have a chance to become an innate spirit in my lifetime!" A dark-skinned youth, carrying a single saber and wearing tattered animal skins, with worn-out fur boots, said.

"My name, Hu Xiao, must be known throughout all the tribes on this land!"

"I am the strongest!"

"This is the last chance to obtain the secret techniques of immortals and demons."

Each young man from the tribes had their own desires as they registered for the Golden Sword Ceremony.

This was a grand ceremony.

A grand ceremony for countless young men from the tribes.

Almost all the talented young men in the vast territory ruled by the Ji Clan's Western Manor would participate. They yearned for fame and to obtain some profound cultivation techniques and powerful skills from this Golden Sword Ceremony, which would be their future reliance to dominate a region.

...

"What, Jining is participating in the Golden Sword Ceremony?" Ji Lie's eyes widened when he received the news, the red venomous snake coiled around his ear hissing, "He is only ten this year, he could have waited four more years to participate in the next Golden Sword Ceremony. Why is he participating this time?"