Bloodline Tree – [Clan Building]

‘She really did it.’

Shu Yang sat crosslegged in a remote part of the Shu Estate. It was an area filled with trees, looking like a small forest, though only about 200 feet across. 

Unfortunately, the plants there weren’t spiritual in nature. Shu Yang had learned that if he were to actually fill his estate with spiritual plants, the spiritual qi wouldn’t be enough for cultivation. 

Of course, Shu Yang’s family didn’t have that many cultivators of spiritual qi, so he could afford to plant a few more spiritual plants than whoever had rented his estate before his family moved in.

But that would change in the future, and his family didn’t have any expertise in spiritual plants, so he had just planted a few low-grade plants that were useful for body cultivation.

Still, he kept the small patch of forest despite it taking up unnecessary space. That was because Xiaorong really liked trees, and she had ‘moved in’ there.

“Thanks for protecting me,” Xiaorong said, opening her eyes. She took a few steps and looked at her body, seemingly pleased.

Shu Yang didn’t understand why, though. She didn’t look any different. She was just as small as ever.

‘If I ever want to actually ride on her back, it seems the only hope is to wait until she reaches the Golden Core stage.’

“What strange things are you thinking?” Xiaorong questioned, giving him a sharp look.

“You can hear my thoughts now?” Shu Yang asked.

“You used your divine sense. Didn’t you notice?” Xiaorong questioned.

‘So that’s it.’ 

Shu Yang pulled back his divine sense straight away. 

‘I’ll have to be careful in the future.’

Apparently, it was by using her divine sense that Xiaorong had been able to start speaking with Shu Yang once she advanced to the Foundation stage.

Shu Yang still hadn’t quite figured out the details of how it worked, though, accidentally leaking his thoughts.

“Did it work? Everything is fine?” Shu Yang asked.

“What could go wrong?” Xiaorong asked, jumping around lightly on the grass.

‘Then why bother asking me to protect you?’

Shu Yang really couldn’t understand it. Xiaorong had come to him and told him she was ready to advance to the middle Foundation stage, and that he wanted her to watch over the process as her protector.

As for what kind of danger there could be inside their estate? She didn’t mention.

Still, Shu Yang wouldn’t refuse. Xiaorong had looked after him back when he advanced to the Foundation stage, even saving his life. Watching over her now was the least he could do.

“Will the concentration of spiritual qi here be enough for you now?” Shu Yang asked.

“It will probably be fine,” Xiaorong said.

“But more will be better, right? I can look for a small courtyard in an area with higher concentration for you,” Shu Yang said. He really didn’t mind spending the money; Xiaorong’s strength was his family’s strength.

‘If she gets access to a top-grade 2nd tier spiritual vein, will she keep advancing at the same pace?’

Shu Yang had been quite shocked when Xiaorong told him she was advancing already, but when he thought about it, it wasn’t very surprising at all. She had managed to reach the Foundation stage in the desolate Black Beast Mountains. Now that she had access to a low-grade 2nd-tier spiritual vein, and an abundance of resources, it was only natural that she was advancing.

‘It probably means she has a Golden Bloodline, too.’

Shu Yang had long suspected it, and this pace of advancement basically confirmed it for him.

“A separate courtyard? Where?” Xiaorong asked.

“I don’t know. I’ll try to look for one fairly close,” Shu Yang said.

Xiaorong looked at him for a moment and then shook her little fox head. “Don’t bother. This is fine for now.”

“It’s fine, really. It shouldn’t be too expensive,” Shu Yang said.

“I don’t care. I’m not going. It sounds boring,” Xiaorong said.

Shu Yang was a bit speechless. 

‘Aren’t you just lazing around all day anyway?’

“Fine,” Shu Yang said, shaking his head. He then got to his feet. “I’ll head back to read my book.”

He had finally gotten his hands on a book about rare spiritual plants, documenting even those at the 3rd stage, and he was quite invested in it. 

“Let’s fight first,” Xiaorong said, jumping up into the air and giving him a small kick on the chest.

“Fight?” Shu Yang asked, looking up from his chest to Xiaorong, only to find her gone.

“Fight,” Xiaorong repeated, suddenly reappearing behind him, giving him another kick with her back paws. 

‘I guess it’s been a while.’

They used to fight often back in the settlement. But these days, Shu Yang had been a bit busy, and his practice often came down to cultivating alone, or comprehending sword intent. 

“Fine,” Shu Yang said, grinning. 

Xiaorong was hiding pretty deeply, so Shu Yang had to activate his Bloodline Ability to spot her.

‘She has gotten better at hiding.’

A brief fox-like shadow flashed to his left, and Shu Yang punched out with his fist. The distance didn’t matter; his punch demanded to hit its target. As soon as he threw out his fist, Xiaorong couldn’t avoid getting hit by it.

“Unfair!” Xiaorong called out as she was sent flying. 

Before Shu Yang could react, Xiaorong was behind him again, kicking him with a lot greater force. He had no chance to dodge. Xiaorong had an incredible speed, and she had a natural mastery of spiritual qi, allowing her to fly and move around in the air with as much ease as on the ground. Not to mention that her bloodline allowed her to move around hidden in shadow.

Shu Yang flew forward from the impact.

‘She’s a lot stronger too.’

Neither of them was using their full strength, but Shu Yang could still tell that Xiaorong’s strength had increased tremendously. 

‘Is this the gap between the low and middle Foundation stage?’

Shu Yang kept using his fist intent, managing to somewhat stand his ground. But he realized just how impossible Xiaorong would be to fight without his advantages. Without an intent at the 4th tier, he wouldn’t be able to hit her; she was too fast. And without his Bloodline Ability, he wouldn’t even be able to see her. 

That fact became much more obvious once his Bloodline Ability ran out of power. His Piercing Gaze couldn’t see through her camouflage in its passive state. 

Luckily, Xiaorong didn’t push things further. As Shu Yang’s abilities began to struggle to keep up, Xiaorong climbed up on his shoulder and said, “Tired.” Then she laid her head down, appearing to fall asleep.

‘What a menace.’ Shu Yang thought with a wry smile. 

‘I’m glad she’s on my side.’

He left the small patch of forest and returned to his courtyard, looking forward to continuing to read. 

As he walked, his mind drifted back to the fight.

He had been using his Piercing Gaze at the same time as he attacked with his fist intent, and he couldn’t help but think that he might be able to do the same even at a greater distance. 

When he inherited Xiaoshi’s Bloodline Ability from Xinying, he had that same thought. Using her Sudden Cut at a distance through his Piercing Gaze, combining the two and being able to defeat his enemies at a vast distance. 

Unfortunately, he hadn’t gotten it to work yet. He had managed to use Sudden Cut, at least some kind of version of it, but not while using his Piercing Gaze.

That made the ability quite useless, as it wasn’t even as strong as his sword intent.

Even if he got it to work, it wouldn’t be that useful at the moment. He could only use Piercing Gaze on his family, or those very close to him, after all. It wasn’t like he wanted to attack them. 

Sure, he could ‘zoom out’ somewhat, and would perhaps be able to spot other people around. But his focus would still be on his family member, he couldn’t look around and lock onto anyone else at the moment.

‘That could be useful to try to practice on, though.’

Either way, Shu Yang realized his fist intent was slightly different. Within the intent, there was a certain concept of ‘closing the distance’ imbued into it. His fist would always hit the target, no matter how far away.

At least that was the idea. It obviously couldn’t always work.

But it might be a better way to approach his issue of attacking through his Piercing Gaze. 

‘I should spend some time experimenting with it in the future. Xiaorong can take my punches, so practicing on her should be fine.’

When Shu Yang got back home, he saw Tianhu, Xiaoshi, and little Xinying seated at the table inside, chatting with Qianyue.

“What brings you here?” Shu Yang asked, walking up to Xinying and pinching her soft cheeks. He just couldn’t resist. 

Xinying pouted slightly, but didn’t object.

“We received a response from Xinmo,” Xiaoshi answered with a smile. “We can probably see Xinjiang and Xinxi again next time we come over.”

“Really?” Shu Yang asked. “That’s great.”

“He also told us that Bian Fenglin has formed his core,” Tianhu said.

“He succeeded?” Shu Yang asked.

“That’s what Xinmo heard, at least,” Tianhu said, nodding.

‘That’s good. I hope my pill was crucial for his success. He might be willing to help if I need him in the future, if that’s the case.’

Shu Yang was originally looking forward to reading, but he decided to postpone it now that his son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter were there. 

After chatting for a while, he noticed Xinying growing a bit bored. So he pulled her over, setting her down on his lap. “Say, Xinying. Have you ever heard about Ping?”

“Ping?” Xinying asked, tilting her head. 

“That’s right. A long time ago. In a very distant place, there was a cultivator named Ping. He had to cross a vast desert on a flying ship. But the desert was too big, stretching for millions of miles in all directions. His spirit stones ran out, and he crashed in the middle of the desert,” Shu Yang explained.

“Did he get hurt?” Xinying asked worriedly.

“Fortunately, he was a body cultivator, so he was very strong. He landed safely in the sand, but he was still stuck there, with no way out,” Shu Yang said. 

Xinying frowned with her cute little face. “Was he all alone?”

“That’s the thing,” Shu Yang said with a laugh. He noticed that Tianhu and Xiaoshi were also listening intently, and Qianyue was watching them all with a peaceful smile. 

“There was actually a young boy there, in the middle of the desert,” Shu Yang continued. “The boy came from a faraway place. A strange foreign land that Ping had never heard about before. In that place, there was only the boy, all alone, with nothing but a rose to keep him company.”