Chapter 21: Reactions from All Parties

  In the Liu family's mansion, in a secret place behind the Liu family's mountain, a figure appeared. As soon as he landed on the ground, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

  "Ancestors!" The several people waiting in the forbidden area were shocked and cried out when they saw this scene.

  "It's nothing." Liu Ming waved his hand and a complex expression appeared on his face.

  "Ancestor, is it really?" Liu Mao asked cautiously, with a puzzled expression, because he knew where his ancestor had gone last night. Was there a Martial King in Qin Xiao Tian's mansion? How was this possible? If Qin Xiao Tian was indeed in the Qin family, then there should be someone of the same level as his ancestor, but his ancestor had only gone to one place tonight, which was Qin Xiao Tian's mansion. The only possibility was that new rising star, Zhang Hua Ming. But wasn't Zhang Hua Ming's cultivation only at the high-level Martial Ancestor? Even if he had cultivated a Heaven-level technique, it shouldn't be possible for him to surpass someone of the Martial King realm, right?

  Liu Ming heard his junior's inquiry and a complex expression flashed across his face as he waved his hand, saying: "This matter is not simple, we need to deliberate on it for a long time."

  "Oh!" The Liu family was shocked by their ancestor's words, and they all had a look of surprise on their faces, stunned.

  Liu Mao.

  "Grandson is here." Liu Mao stepped forward and said as soon as he heard his old ancestor's summons.

  "Although this child has suffered a severe setback at my hands, from today on, I will try to minimize direct conflicts with him. I estimate that he has a master with profound skills backing him up, and it's not someone our Liu family can afford to provoke." Liu Ming said slowly.

  Liu Mao heard his ancestor say this, and immediately became anxious: "Ancestor, are we going to let this child grow up? You know that this child is a direct descendant of the Zhang family. If he grows up, our Liu family will be in danger!"

  "Hmph! Grow up? He'd have to be lucky enough for that." Liu Ming's eyes gleamed with a cold, sneering light.

  "Ah!" Liu Mao saw his old ancestor's expression, and his heart skipped a beat. The next moment he immediately said: "Ancestor, what should be done with the three-day trial of the grandson?"

  "A match in three days?" Liu Ming fell into deep thought, his facial expression changing several times before a gloomy smile appeared on his face: "Will Liu Ming be back within these two days?"

  "That's right." Liu Mao responded quickly, and the next moment his face showed a look of surprise: "Old ancestor, are you going to let Second Brother come out and try?"

  "Haha! What's impossible?" Liu Ming sneered and asked back.

  "No, no." Liu Mao said with a delighted expression.

  "So, when Liu Ming comes back, have him come see me." After leaving these words behind, Liu Ming entered a stone house in the restricted area, and the people waiting outside the stone house, including Liu Mao, also dispersed.

  In Zhang's forbidden area, Zhang Xiaotian showed a respectful expression to a middle-aged man in front of him: "Ancestor, according to the news brought back by the scouts, it was like this."

  "Oh! That Liu Ming guy actually took action himself? And that little kid couldn't even move, yet he still managed to severely injure him and retreat? Interesting." Zhang Xiaotian's face revealed a playful smile as he muttered to himself.

  "The news brought back by the scouts outside Qin Xiao Tian's mansion is indeed true, and Zhang Jia Ying Zi No. 1 also brought back a major piece of news, that their whereabouts have been exposed." Zhang Xiao Tian reported with an incredulous expression.

  "Has his whereabouts been exposed?" Zhang Xiao Tian heard this and the playful smile on his face suddenly froze, a look of surprise appearing as he asked: "Are you certain?"

  Because the Zhang family's Shadow Troop was personally trained by the old ancestor of the Zhang family, this Shadow Troop has no other skills except for assassination and tracking. The Zhang family's Shadow Troop specializes in cultivating wind attribute techniques, which is extremely high in terms of concealment. This is also one of the reasons why the other three major families fear the Zhang family.

  "Well, since this matter is quite serious, I specially sent Shadow No. 1 to investigate the situation."

  "Shadow Number One?" Zhang Xiaotian stood up and walked back and forth in the stone house several times, his face full of puzzled expressions. To think that the number one member of the Zhang family's Shadow Team was a high-ranking Wu Zong realm cultivator who had also specially cultivated wind attribute techniques, and in terms of hiding himself, he could be said to be flawless. Even if he, as an entry-level Wu Dou Wang realm cultivator, wanted to find this kid, he would still have to use his divine sense to detect his existence.

  "Yes, ancestors." Zhang Xiao Tian quickly responded, his face also full of puzzled expressions.

  "This kid is really something, sixteen years old and already at the high-level Wu Zong cultivation, let alone having a divine consciousness in the Wu Zong realm, how is this possible?" Zhang Xiaotian muttered to himself.

  Standing beside him, Zhang Xiaotian heard the murmurs from his ancestor's mouth and was instantly stunned. As a mid-tier Wu Zong cultivator, he knew what the divine sense represented. Only those who had broken through to the Wu Wang realm would possess a divine sense. His heart was filled with both joy and worry. He was joyful because Zhang Huaming had achieved such greatness before turning 16, which meant his future accomplishments would be boundless. However, he was worried because he saw that Zhang Huaming lacked any sense of family loyalty and was extremely resistant to the idea of being part of the Zhang family. What was to be done?

  "Right, Xiao Tian, isn't this young man a direct descendant of the Zhang family? Why didn't you bring him to see me?" Zhang Xiao Tian thought for a moment and suddenly became serious about his junior. He couldn't wait to meet him immediately. If this young man was as extraordinary as Zhang Xiao Tian said, then he would be extremely cautious. After all, at just 16 years old, he already possessed high-level martial arts skills and had a divine sense. If any of the four major sects on the Martial Continent were to learn about this news, they would likely send out powerful experts to compete for him. Such a person was too heaven-defying. He planned to summon his junior back and then choose which sect he should join. He firmly believed that once his junior joined one of the four major sects, he would become a core member. This way, the Zhang family would have nothing to worry about. It's worth noting that on the Martial Continent, although there were four empires, twelve countries, and thirty-six states, if any of the four major sects were to send out their forces, they could easily destroy these countries. The strength of the four major sects was truly astonishing. The reason why the four empires became empires in the first place was not just because they had powerful martial artists like the Martial Gods, but also because they had the support of the four major sects behind them. However, the threshold for entering the four major sects was not so easily crossed. Therefore, every ten years, the four empires would send some talented geniuses back to their respective sects to be selected. Those who were chosen and entered the sects would see their families or clans suddenly rise to prominence overnight, with their value increasing at a speed even faster than a rocket.

  Zhang Xiatian heard his old ancestor's question and immediately showed a bitter expression: "Old ancestor, this Zhang Huaming is indeed of legitimate status, but he was born to one of my son's maidservants, so..."

  Zhang Xiaotian's originally excited expression gradually turned solemn after hearing his grandson's response, replaced by an angry look. After listening, he directly scolded: "You... you pig-headed kid! Has your son's brain been flooded? Have you forgotten the rules set by our ancestors? You... you... you're making me so angry, I'm going to die!"

  "Ancestor, don't get angry..." Zhang Xiao Tian hurriedly advised upon seeing his ancestor's furious expression.

  "I'm not angry, but if you weren't my grandson, I'd slap you to death! What's wrong with your brain? You're driving away a genius like him, are you afraid our Zhang family isn't declining enough?! You...you...I don't care what method you use, just make sure this young descendant stays in the Zhang family, did you hear me?" Zhang Xiao Tian roared angrily. It's not surprising that he's so angry, think about it, at 16 years old, his cultivation has already reached the high-ranking Wu Zong level, what more can be said about his future? In the entire Wu Shi continent, there hasn't been anyone like him before. Back then, someone who entered the high-ranking Wu Zong level at 21 was hailed as the number one genius of the Wu Shi continent. And now, this 16-year-old has reached that level, what can we call him?! Moreover, which genius is already at the Wu Shen realm? Without a doubt, as long as this young descendant doesn't encounter any accidents, his future achievements will definitely be at the Wu Shen level. And what does it mean to be a Wu Shen? Even a pig would understand that."

  "Yes, ancestors, I'll go prepare right away."

  "Come back."

  "What else did our ancestors instruct?"

  "Have Shadow Number One follow that kid at all times, report back immediately if anything happens. Also, when necessary, mobilize the entire Zhang family's power." Zhang Xiaotian said with a serious expression.

  "Ah!" Zhang Xiaotian heard his ancestor's words and was slightly taken aback, but immediately responded: "Yes, Ancestor."

  Zhang Xiaotian saw Zhang Xiaotian's figure disappear into the stone house, and looked at the top of the stone house with a puzzled expression, muttering to himself: "Can actually endure to such an extent, Zhang Huaming! Zhang Huaming, are you my Zhang family's good fortune or misfortune?"

  In the forbidden area of the Qin family, the King of Qin was also respectfully reporting to a middle-aged man about the scenes that took place in the Qin Xiao Tian's mansion last night.

  "I understand, it's not the time to break up with the Liu family yet, the timing is not ripe. You go down now! Remember, if you have time, let your great-grandson come back to the Qin family, he is after all a descendant of the Qin family."

  "Yes, our ancestors."

  Within a kilometer of the palace, there was actually a magnificent golden palace underground. Zheng Chenggong was now kneeling on the ground with great respect. In front of him stood a young man wearing a golden dragon robe, flanked by an old man and a middle-aged man also wearing golden dragon robes. This scene was very strange, as only emperors had the right to wear golden dragon robes; if others wore such attire, they would likely meet with death.

  "Father, grandfather, ancestors, it's like this."

  "Haha! A 16-year-old High-ranking Martial Ancestor, how monstrous!" The young man sitting at the head of the table smiled in utter astonishment.

  "Ancestors, look!" The two people on either side of him asked in unison.

  "It's impossible." Zheng Hui waved his hand casually and said, "Our pool is too small to hold such a huge dragon. However, Gong Er did a good job this time. Since he has achieved so much at such a young age, there must be an extremely powerful master behind him. So we can only show some kindness for now. In the future, when he grows up, maybe we can get some benefits from it. If we have any killing intentions... Hehe, unless we can hit him with one shot, otherwise the consequences are unthinkable."

  Kneeling below, Zheng Chenggong heard his ancestor's words and his entire back turned cold. He was grateful to the black shadow in his heart, knowing that he had once harbored murderous intentions. It seemed that he was still not mature enough!

  "Alright, Gong Er, just remember one thing: even if this guy can't become a friend, don't let him become an enemy either, got it?"

  "Grandson carefully remembers the teachings of his ancestors."

  "Go ahead!"

  "Yes, ancestors."

  These scenes are being staged in various forces of all sizes throughout Kyoto. Tonight, the leaders of the Kyoto forces are all sleepless.