Supreme Emperor of Mist

"My seventh prince... The lightning tribulation that came from the Ninth Prince Manor seems to be related to his advancement. It seems related to the ninth prince's recent breakthrough into the eighth-level of Flesh Refining."

An expert is busy reporting what he had found out so far about the commotion that happened in Sun Wu Jian's manor.

"Looks like my ninth brother found some good fortune again. How can all the luck keep going to the second and ninth, but not me?" the one who was addressed as the seventh prince complained as he enjoyed another sip of wine.

"Did the second brother do anything after that?" he continued to ask.

"No. The Second Prince Manor did not take any action at all." the expert hastily replied.

"Then we'll ignore it as well. How is our preparation to enter the Inner Area of Ancestral Dragoncloud Forest?" the seventh prince asked.

"Reporting to my master, our preparation is almost ready. We'll be able to depart in a week later." the expert said.

"Then... We'll depart as soon as the moment we get ready."

...

...

...

"I heard about what happened today at the Ninth Prince's Manor." Hu Jia initiates a conversation while they're having dinner together. Also seated along the table are Lu Qing Yun, Zhou Mei, the twin Zhuge sisters, and the four good brothers.

"The news managed to travel quite fast. So what you wanted to know?" Qin Lan chuckled at Hu Jia. He soon revealed an expression of getting ready to answer all her questions.

"What really happened? Did you ended up getting entangled in between again?" Hu Jia asked. Based on how much she knows about Qin Lan, the possibility of him not getting involved in this matter is practically impossible.

"It's not a big secret, but secrecy still has to be kept. Xinyu and Yanyu should go back to your room. It will be a serious discussion between us." Qin Lan called the two young lasses to leave first.

"We wanted to listen as well..." Zhuge Xinyu pouted.

"Listen to your teacher's word for now. Knowing this will disturb your concentration in alchemy. Both of you are still too young to understand this." Qin Lan said.

"Fine. We'll go back to the room. But you'll have to promise to tell us when we're mature enough to know." Zhuge Xinyu extends her pinky finger out as she wanted Qin Lan to give his promise.

"Sure. Pinky promise." Qin Lan locked his pinky finger with Zhuge Xinyu to seal the deal. As it seems like something fun in the eyes of Zhuge Yanyu, she ended up wanted to repeat what they did as well.

It was only after striking the deal twice that the two willing to leave Qin Lan's room.

"Alright, I think we can start." Hu Jia said.

"So, what exactly happened?" everyone started to anticipate what kind of words will come out from Qin Lan's mouth. And not wanted to destroy their high expectations, Qin Lan decided to explain it interestingly.

"Zhou Mei, how long is the history of the Country of Wu?" Qin Lan asked.

"If I'm not wrong, around 500 years. The current King of Wu is the eighteenth king of this country." Zhou Mei answered.

"500 years, putting aside those kings with a shorter term, that's about twenty generations. No wonder the bloodline awakening in his body is possible." Qin Lan chuckled after hearing Zhou Mei's answer.

"Bloodline Awakening?" the word Qin Lan used made them feeling bewildered.

"What is that?" Yi Feng and Qiang Shou asked as it was in their personality to clarify questionable things.

"it's almost like trying to Refine your cultivation body. But instead of refining your flesh, bone, or Spiritual Energy, the Bloodline Awakening happened by tempering your blood." Qin Lan started to explain.

"The requirement is quite harsh to start. Not only the bloodline you're using would have to be good, but it also has to be suitable for your body and cultivation before you start."

"In my opinion, the first ancestor of the Sun Royal Family is likely an acquaintance with a nest of young Vermilion Tailed Golden Peacocks. That is where he able to obtain all the blood essence from."

"It won't be surprising if the current royal family has a secret place in this country that still used to accommodate the Yao Beast." Qin Lan poured his knowledge out to educate them about this.

It was supposed to be a hint of knowledge that shouldn't be known by the people of the lower realm, especially those still in the Precelestial Realm. Part of the reason is because of the differences in strength.

But most importantly, it was because of their lifespan.

A regular human can live up to a hundred years without a hint of cultivation or Spiritual Energy. And from there, every level of Flesh-Refining would extend their lifeforce for ten additional years. Altogether, a peak Flesh Refining Layer cultivator would have a lifespan up to two hundred years old.

Their lifespan will gradually increase after a cultivator managed to enter the starting point of the Bone Reconstruction Layer. Twenty years per level, it added up to 400 years old by reaching the peak and another hundred years worth of lifespan as a bonus if the cultivator managed to step into the Spiritual Root Layer.

(This calculation is included the half-step level in between the layers. So nine levels + half-Step = 10 levels. 100 additional years from Flesh Refining, 200 from Bone Reconstruction, 100 from birth, and 100 bonus from entering Spiritual Root Layer. That's 500 years clock for them)

Of course, that does not mean that all of them are capable of living that long.

That's because, in the path of cultivation, getting entangled in the Five Governing Law of the World is an inescapable fact.

It was already considered a miracle for a cultivator to survive through half of the given lifespan achieved by cultivation. And perhaps, this is also why Qin Lan was surprised when Sun Wu Jian managed to awaken his bloodline.

"I still don't understand what's the importance of this Bloodline Awakening..." Qiang Shou proudly stated what's in his mind without a hint of shame on his face.

'This guy...' Qin Lan had the urge to give him a slap on his forehead for being so dull.

"On whose land are we standing?" Qin Lan asked.

"The Country of Wu, of course." Hu Jia and Zhou Mei immediately answered.

"That means we're all a subject of the King of Wu. We're all citizens and children of the country. And by a citizen, that means we're the lifeforce that keeps this country alive."

"And to control this country, a ruler is needed. And the liege is, of course, capable of managing his subject voluntarily. The more support the royal family has, the stronger the bloodline when it awakened."

"By awakening his bloodline, this means Sun Wu Jian is one step closer to be acknowledged as a potential candidate for the next in the throne in the future. It may seem insignificant to us, but to him..." Qin Lan chuckled before finishing his sentence.

"He's bound to have explosive growth in his strength soon. Even if this Country of Wu only has three provinces under its flag, the might from the people alone is still more than enough to turn an earthworm into a dragon." Qin Lan said. As he ended his final sentence, a thought also somehow appearing in his mind.

'Weren't the Kuangshan Lu Sect used to be like this as well?' this thought brought Qin Lan's memory back to when the Kuangshan Lu Sect was hailed as the continent's heritage.

Pulling the cup of wine in his hand closer, Qin Lan gently takes a sip of the wine into his mouth as he savored the mellowness of the alcohol he brewed. The Rock Lotus Fruit's sweetness and the spiciness from the alcohol content soon rumble between his tongue before they harmonize into one down his throat.

In Qin Lan's mind, he was no different from Sun Wu Jian.

And in a blink of an eye, the one-week period is up.

"Ninth Prince Army! Return with Victory!"

"Ninth Prince Army! Unbeatable and mighty!"

Loud cries were sung out as they marched from the manor towards the exit on the southern gate. The punitive force was divided into three teams as they move beside the core group under Sun Wu Jian's command.

Their departure is accompanied by the wishes and prayers from the residents living in the southern part of Fuyun City as Sun Wu Jian proudly takes the lead on their march towards the Flame Demon Mountain.

With his right hand lifted up high above his head, Sun Wu Jian brought all his men out from the Fuyun City. The moment the last soldier left the door, the Main Gate closed and followed with multiple fireworks.

"Ninth Prince Army! Listen to my command!" Sun Wu Jian shouted.

"Yes, your highness!" a highly moralizing and trained reply came from all directions to acknowledge his call.

"Move forward! We will set our camp at the Flame Demon Mountain's Ten Miles Plain!" Sun Wu Jian decided on where the soldiers will group together after entering the mountainous zone.

"Move!"

"Move!"

"Move!!!" and just like this, the punitive force of three thousand soldiers marched forward. Those on horseback were the first to steps inside the land belonged to the Flame Demon Mountain.

The Qin Faction was one of the independent teams with their own flag. Positioned on the back of the punitive force, they were part of the last group of men that entered last.