Bloodline Tree

‘If I’m going to go to the inheritance cave, I need to be prepared.’

Shu Yang sat down in thought as soon as he returned to his rented room.

He already knew basically all there was to know about the inheritance cave, as it was talked about all over the city ever since he arrived. Shu Yang had been collecting all sorts of information, so of course, he would hear about the thing everyone wanted to know about.

Apparently, a few weeks ago, a group of cultivators hunting in the nearby Jin Mountains encountered the inheritance site of an old Foundation cultivator. This wasn’t something unheard of in the cultivation world. Not all cultivators had a family to pass on their legacy to, but they still didn’t want to fade into obscurity after their death, so they would leave behind their treasures and insights for a fated person to find who could then carry on their legacy.

The common way was for the first person to find the site, perhaps after a predetermined time had passed, to inherit everything, no matter who it was. The cultivator leaving behind their legacy simply left it to fate that way.

But other times, like the inheritance cave that had appeared this time, the first person to encounter the site would instead trigger a phenomenon that would alert everyone in the surroundings. Instead of just hoping that the one who found the site was suitable to inherit the legacy, it would trigger a situation in which one had to compete with other people to determine the one fated to inherit it.

The inheritance cave Shu Yang was interested in had appeared a few weeks ago. But so far, no one had managed to get it. That was because a formation had appeared, covering the cave. It was impossible for Qi Refiners to break into, and Foundation experts didn’t dare attack the formation head-on, as it might destroy whatever inheritance was left behind. Destroying an inheritance was seen as a grave offense in the cultivation world, and few would tarnish their reputation by doing so.

So, in the end, everyone just waited for the formation to disappear. Its purpose was solely to give time for enough people to have a chance to compete for the inheritance.

‘It’s just hard to know when it will disappear. It might be any day now, or it might take months.’

‘Either way, I’ll have to try.’

He actually had some confidence. That was because it wasn’t unusual for these inheritances to be restricted to Qi Refiners, sometimes even to low-level Qi Refiners. Shu Yang hoped that his body cultivation wouldn’t be taken into account when the inheritance was set up, and that he might be able to cheat his way through.

Of course, these things were unpredictable, and other Foundation cultivators would surely arrive and try their luck. They might even attack the one who got the inheritance and take it from them.

But Shu Yang wasn’t too scared. With Xiaorong by his side, he should be able to fight his way out even if things took a turn for the worse.

Of course, the plan was still to have Xiaorong hide in the dark and for him to act as a weakling. It would be optimal if he could get the inheritance and then sneak away without anyone ever paying him any mind.

There shouldn’t be anyone too strong arriving either. An inheritance like this wasn’t significant for a Foundation cultivator, and for most, it wasn’t worth traveling all the way there only to wait for the formation to disappear, just to have a small chance of obtaining another Foundation cultivator's legacy.

Shu Yang was pretty certain that no middle-stage Foundation cultivator would appear.

‘If the inheritance doesn’t work, I’ll have Xiaorong steal some storage rings from the cultivators there.’

It wasn’t honorable, but Shu Yang needed money. He really felt like the Yide Pavilion would be able to tell him where Tianyi was if he gave them enough money.

Thinking about his daughter, Shu Yang thought to try his Bloodline Ability again.

It would also let him practice while still in the city.

Shu Yang turned his head to the east, where Shenchu Immortal City was, and activated his Bloodline Ability.

But just like when he tried it a few days ago, it was a struggle.

Shu Yang refused to give up. He only saw a blurry mess, and he tried to urge his eyes to pierce through the veil.

After a few seconds, he gave up. He still had more in him, but he didn’t want to completely dry out his power. It was always best to have some to spare.

‘Maybe I should stay for a few days before heading to the inheritance cave. It would give me a chance to hone my Bloodline Ability. I can also feel that I’m not that far off the 2nd stage of Qi Refining.’

Shu Yang knew why his Piercing Gaze was having issues. It was because he was currently in Chenqi Immortal City, and the city was covered by a formation that hindered him.

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He wasn’t very anxious, though; he had experienced the same thing years earlier when he first got used to his Bloodline Ability. He had been able to see Tianxu long before he could see his daughter.

He had been worried sick, and obsessed over it, looking toward the north with an anxious heart every time his Bloodline Ability recovered.

It had taken a whole year before he finally pierced through all obstacles and managed to catch a glimpse of her.

He later realized it was because Tianyi was much further away than Tianxu.

Since coming to the cultivation world, he had also realized the issue was probably due to Tianyi being behind some kind of formation.

Now, Shu Yang himself was also blocked by a, presumably more advanced, formation, so the issue had reappeared.

But he was actually quite happy about it. It wasn’t easy to improve a Bloodline Ability. If not for his obsession with seeing that his daughter was safe, Shu Yang’s Piercing Gaze would be a lot weaker.

Now he finally had another opportunity to hone his Bloodline Ability again, so he was a little reluctant to leave before he overcame the obstacle.

‘But it’s really difficult. Who knows how long it will take before I succeed?’

If he had to describe it, piercing the formation to see his daughter felt like trying to put a key into a lock, but with a paralyzed arm. There was no precision and no strength. In addition, he didn’t even know where the keyhole was. It was incredibly daunting.

‘Well, we’ll see how far I get with it. It’s not like I can stay here for months. I can always come back and practice another time if I need to. Getting Tianyi out of here is the priority.’

‘But I’ll stay a few days and prepare.’

…

Shu Yang made good use of his time for the next few days. He would cultivate every morning, then head into the city to catch the latest rumors about the inheritance cave. He also made sure to use up most of his spirit stones and sold off most of the things he had gotten from his and Xiaorong's thefts. Of course, he didn’t sell anything that could be traced back to the Huang Emperor. He had learned that the Huang family was a Foundation family in the cultivation world, and he certainly didn’t want to get involved with them.

He used the spirit stones to buy some meat and a few beast pills for Xiaorong, as he had promised. While it wasn’t common to have beasts as companions, the profession of beast tamer existed, and they were quite high in status. Most of the ones he had seen in the city tamed flying beasts and sold them to Qi Refiners as a way of transportation.

At the same time as he purchased the pills for Xiaorong, he also bought a book about beasts, thinking he should learn a bit more about them and how they were viewed in the cultivation world.

He also spent a lot of his spiritstones on two spells. One stealth spell and one attack spell.

They were both low-grade ones, but Shu Yang couldn’t afford better, and even if he could, he was too weak to make use of them.

When he tried to learn them, he was quite surprised at how easily he grasped them. He had thought he wouldn’t have any talent at all, but it seemed his comprehension wasn’t that bad. But getting efficient at using them would still take some practice.

‘Come on.’ Shu Yang clenched his teeth, feeling that he was close to a breakthrough.

A small pop sounded from his dantian, and Shu Yang breathed out in relief.

‘Finally. Qi Refining 2nd-stage.’

It had taken him a total of ten days to advance. It was quite fast, but that was because he wasn’t that far from advancing when he arrived in the city. He had been cultivating for eight straight years back home, after all.

He opened his eyes and smiled. Even if the small increase in strength wouldn’t affect a Foundation expert like himself, it was always nice to see improvement. His body cultivation hadn’t improved for over a year now, after all.

Besides, he didn’t want to advance just to get stronger. He was mostly focused on it because it would make him stand out less and let him practice spells more easily.

He knew he would definitely rely heavily on his spiritual cultivation in the future, so he wanted to become as familiar with it as he could.

‘I wonder if I can make up my own spells. I should be able to, right?’

Shu Yang’s cultivation technique was a bit unique; it was based on the Qing family’s and took inspiration from the ones he had stumbled upon since arriving in Yuanchi Immortal Land. Then it was contemplated in sync with connecting the Bloodline Tree, making Shu Yang make small adjustments to it to better suit him.

What started as a spiritual qi that Shu Yang guessed was suitable for talisman crafting had slowly morphed into something Shu Yang would best describe as Sword Qi.

It wasn’t strange that that’s where his inclination lay, as he had a Sword Bone.

Shu Yang guessed that one of the reasons his advancement had been so slow was that he had to change his qi attunement after he got the Sword Bone. It wasn’t something you could do casually.

But Shu Yang felt it was worth it. He might advance more slowly than if he just followed the Qing family’s cultivation technique, but he would rather be slow than practice an unsuitable technique.

‘With the Sword Bone to help me, I should be able to construct a suitable spell, right?’

‘Well, there will be plenty of time for that in the future.’

Shu Yang got to his feet and started packing his things. There was no point in staying any longer.

‘I’ve been gone for ten days, I hope Xiaorong hasn’t worried.’

‘Well, with the stuff I’ve gotten her, she shouldn’t complain.’

Shu Yang took a quick glance around the room before leaving. He had paid rent for a month, but he didn’t think going and asking for a refund was worth it, or even possible.

He walked out onto the streets, making his way to the same gate he had entered through.

‘I’ll be back when I find myself some more money.’

‘When I return, the Yide Pavilion had better live up to its reputation and have information about my daughter.’

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