Chapter 8

Jiang Feng left his family home and walked on the blue stone path of Northern Jiang. A cold smile lingered at the corner of his lips, and the hard iron plate in his hand hurt his palm.

When the black-clothed men took the young lady away, no one from the Jiang family appeared.

Did they not know?

Nonsense!

From the very beginning, this was a deal they had made with Lord Fuliu!

Jiang Feng had heard of the name Lord Fuliu.

The imperial teacher of the nation, a Heart Enlightenment Martial Ancestor, just one step away from becoming a Martial Emperor, he was a figure far above Jiang Feng and the Jiang family.

No wonder the young lady, even after fusing with the Seven-Ring Heart Enlightenment Seed, still could not gain freedom. What did a Seven-Ring Heart Enlightenment Seed mean to a Martial Ancestor and a nation?

Why did Lord Fuliu take the young lady as his disciple? Was it because of her talent?

No, it was definitely not. It was because of her bloodline!

The bloodline of the descendants of the Medicine People must have some unknown function. That was why Lord Fuliu had to forcibly take the young lady away!

Treating the young lady as a precious treasure from a young age? No, it was just a matter of waiting for the right price. And Lord Fuliu clearly offered a price that satisfied them!

This was the Jiang family, the family he belonged to!

However, he had never received the family's protection since he was young, and to be honest, he had no expectations of the family. He came here just to prove his thoughts.

Jiang Feng left Northern Jiang and headed towards Mount Taiwu.

At the foot of the mountain, a giant tree towered into the clouds. Its branches extended in all directions, covering a vast area of land. Just by looking at it from a distance, one could feel a calm and powerful force.

That was the Heart Enlightenment Tree, and the Heart Enlightenment Seeds it bore were the starting point for all martial artists!

...

...

Jiang Feng stood in front of the Heart Enlightenment Tree and looked up.

The dense branches and leaves blocked the direct sunlight, casting a shadow over the ground. Between the branches, golden light flickered, those were the Heart Enlightenment Seeds. Countless Heart Enlightenment Seeds gathered together, forming a star river in the tree canopy, breathtakingly beautiful.

Jiang Feng looked at this star river and recalled what he had read in a book.

The entire Heart Enlightenment World was supported by a giant tree.

This tree was called the Sky-Connecting Tree, growing from the bottom of the world and reaching above the clouds. Standing in the right position, one could faintly see the treetop, and at that moment, everyone could feel the wonder and greatness of the world.

The Sky-Connecting Tree was somewhat similar to a banyan tree. Besides the main trunk, countless aerial roots hung from the clouds, growing into small trees that fell in various places in the world.

These small trees were the Heart Enlightenment Trees.

Each Heart Enlightenment Tree bore many seeds, called Heart Enlightenment Seeds.

The young people in this world, on the day they turned sixteen, had to go under the tree to undergo a trial. The Heart Enlightenment Seeds would automatically choose suitable individuals and fuse with them. Obtaining a Heart Enlightenment Seed allowed one to use Heart Power. And Heart Power was the true foundation of all martial techniques.

Those who possessed strong Heart Power and could use it were called Heart Enlightenment Martial Artists!

The first realm of Heart Enlightenment Martial Artists was called Dawn. From Dawn to Morning, from Morning to Bright Morning, from Bright Morning to Body Enlightenment, and from Body Enlightenment to Heart Enlightenment...

Heart Power permeated the body, illuminating the body, mind, and soul, and the martial artist's strength would grow stronger and stronger.

When the body, mind, and soul were completely illuminated, reaching the Divine Enlightenment realm, they would be called Martial Saints.

A Martial Saint's anger could turn the land red for thousands of miles, their divine soul would live as long as the world, and they were truly powerful like deities.

Currently, there was only one Divine Enlightenment Martial Saint in the Heart Enlightenment World, the one in the Imperial City. The more ancient ones had long disappeared, leaving only their names in some texts.

Jiang Feng pondered these things, his thoughts wandering boundlessly. But in the end, a mocking smile lingered, faintly appearing in his heart, making him feel a heavy weight.

That was the smile of the black-clothed man, Shimu, as he left. He promised the young lady a county magistrate position, but when he handed it over, he gave a meaningful look and a mocking smile.

This look stirred a long-standing worry in Jiang Feng's heart.

If every child underwent a bloodline test at birth, and this test was already very mature and rarely made mistakes, and if his bloodline was as strong as his abilities, why was he thrown into Southern Jiang?

And now, Shimu looked at him with this expression at this time, what did it mean?

Could it be...

He took a deep breath and calmed himself.

Jiang Feng had once read in a miscellaneous book that although the Heart Enlightenment Seed test was only conducted when a young person turned sixteen, it was just a ceremony.

In fact, from the age of fourteen, a young person's bloodline power was already fully stable and could react with the Heart Enlightenment Seeds.

He was now fifteen years and ninety-eight days old, with more than two hundred days left until he turned sixteen.

He decided to undergo the trial early!

Jiang Feng pursed his lips and walked forward. Soon, he reached the tree trunk and took out a small knife.

The Heart Enlightenment Seed was rooted in the bloodline, and the trial was specifically for this.

Without hesitation, he cut his palm, cutting deeply, and blood immediately gushed out.

A moment later, a bright red symbol appeared on the tree trunk.

This symbol was something Jiang Feng had seen in a book. To complete it, Jiang Feng had to cut himself nine times. His self-healing ability was not weak, and each time he drew two lines, the blood flow gradually stopped, and he had to cut himself again.

After nine cuts, he did not even flinch, calmly looking at the symbol, and then stabbed his chest!

The final step of the Heart Enlightenment Seed trial was to take a drop of heart blood.

In the formal trial, the person wielding the knife was a well-trained martial artist, with steady and accurate movements. But now, only Jiang Feng was there, so he had to do it himself.

This cut was neither too deep nor too shallow. His chest ached intensely, and the blade was already pulled out. A bright red drop of blood clung to the tip of the blade, drawing a silver light, and stabbed into the center of the symbol!

A light "thud" was quickly drowned out by Jiang Feng's shout: "Enlightenment!"

All was silent.

The star river above his head still stretched across, and there was no movement around.

Not a single Heart Enlightenment Seed responded to his call, just coldly looking down at him.

Jiang Feng's eyes widened instantly.

Could his previous premonition be true? Was he assigned to Southern Jiang not a mistake, but because his bloodline was not pure enough to resonate with the Heart Enlightenment Seed?

No, that was impossible!

In the past, obtaining a Heart Enlightenment Seed and embarking on the path of martial arts was just a vague goal for Jiang Feng, like the aspirations of every young person. But now, it was a goal he had to achieve!

Fusing with the Heart Enlightenment Seed, advancing to the Dawn realm, passing the major exams... going to the capital!

Without hesitation, he cut his palm again.

A new blood symbol appeared on the tree, and another drop of heart blood fell into the center of the symbol.

Just like before, the Heart Enlightenment Tree remained steady, and the Heart Enlightenment Seeds were still quiet.

The third time, the fourth time...

Even with Jiang Feng's recovery ability, excessive blood loss made him feel dizzy.

When he stabbed his heart for the fifth time, he could no longer control his strength, and blood gushed out, soaking his clothes.

He leaned against the tree, breathing heavily, his face pale.

Young lady, am I going to let you down?

He slid down the tree and sat on the ground. Leaning against the tree, he looked up and closed his eyes.

He felt incredibly exhausted, and the despair was even stronger.

The blood from his chest seemed to be unstoppable, flowing more and more. Gradually, a hint of golden light appeared in the blood.

The moment the golden light appeared, the steady Heart Enlightenment Tree suddenly stirred, as if a sudden breeze had blown, and the leaves rustled.

Is the wind blowing...

Jiang Feng opened his eyes, feeling something was wrong. The star river at the treetop was slowly flowing, a sight he had never seen before!

"Ah!" A sudden exclamation sounded in his ear, and a point of golden light flashed between the branches, like a falling star, rushing towards his body!

Not only this point of golden light, but the star river in the tree canopy also followed, rushing towards him, instantly engulfing him!

These were all the Heart Enlightenment Seeds on this Heart Enlightenment Tree. They had shown no reaction to him just now, but now, they were all rushing towards him, forming a light band and enveloping him.

All the Heart Enlightenment Seeds, from the lowest one-ring to the highest nine-ring, were present. With a "bang," the Heart Enlightenment Seeds exploded, turning into countless light points, flowing into his body through the wound in his heart!

Jiang Feng felt a powerful force collide with him, making his head spin. Then, the force turned into countless hot streams, rushing through his body, converging towards his heart.

"Bang," his heart beat violently, and the beats became faster and faster, as if it would burst out of his chest.

Jiang Feng covered his heart with one hand, kneeling on the ground, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, and then pouring down, soaking his clothes.

All the energy converged at one point, rushing into his heart. Jiang Feng clearly felt something sprouting there.

This brought a tremendous change to his body, and he gritted his teeth, enduring it silently. In the end, his vision went black, and he fainted.

At this moment, there was not a single seed left on the Heart Enlightenment Tree, and the leaves fell, covering the young man under the tree.

A rabbit suddenly appeared, hopping over, and squatted next to Jiang Feng, staring at him intently, its long ears twitching.

This rabbit was only the size of a fist, with a cherry blossom-like birthmark behind its long ears, the very one Jiang Feng had saved!

...

...

At the same time, the young lady was sitting in a carriage, heading towards the capital.

A cushion floated in the air, moving parallel to the carriage. Shimu sat cross-legged on it, his hands clasped, his eyes half-closed, calm and composed.

As the carriage passed a large tree, Shimu suddenly turned and said, "Stop."

The order was given, and the entire convoy stopped abruptly. The carriage jolted slightly, but the young lady inside felt no vibration.

Shimu pointed to behind the tree and ordered, "Go and check."

The young lady heard the commotion outside and gently lifted the curtain.

A moment later, her eyes widened slightly as a body was carried to Shimu.

It was the body of a silver-armored female warrior, covered in wounds, still tightly gripping a moon-colored spear. The spearhead was broken, but the spear shaft still glowed faintly, clearly a treasure.

Shimu looked at her face, and the white cloth covering it suddenly flew up, and he exclaimed in surprise, "It's her?!"

In a place the young lady could not see, the silver-haired female warrior had a pink birthmark on her forehead, shaped like a cherry blossom!

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