"Swish!"
High above, an arrow streaked through the sky like a bolt of light, moving so fast that it was invisible to the naked eye. Only a faint pink arc remained, tracing its path through the air. The sheer force of spiritual energy it carried made the very space around it tremble.
As the pink arrow cut through the sky, a complex spiritual array appeared in mid-air, glowing with a soft pink light. At its center shone a single pink star, suspended just above a blooming lotus. The lotus radiated a dazzling, seven-colored light, yet there was something unnervingly dark and sinister hidden within its beauty.
This celestial vision was overwhelming in its brilliance, as though it could suppress the heavens themselves. The cultivator in the arrow's path found his body frozen, completely unable to move, trapped under the crushing pressure of the array's power.
"Pfft!"
With that soft sound, the targeted cultivator's eyes flew wide in confusion. A fountain of blood sprayed into the air – the arrow had already punched clean through his throat!
The originator of that terrifying strike, however, stowed her pink longbow with evident dissatisfaction. Turning to the young man beside her in the wheelchair, she complained, "Brother, this is supposed to be the greatest genius the Hall of Heavenly Principle has discovered in Eternal Sun Prefecture in the past century? One hundred twenty years old, mid-stage Golden Core, possessing a Heavenly Core... and yet he's only this capable? Pathetic."
"He was a disciple of the Divine Dao Sect," Li Changsheng observed. "That sect excels at alchemy and pill refinement, but their actual combat prowess is quite ordinary. They do, however, like to show off before others. It just goes to show, people often flaunt what they lack most. This supposed 'once-in-ten-thousand-years' genius from the Divine Dao Sect, famed though he was? Looks like his cultivation was artificially inflated by pills. And that Earth-rank technique he employed – wherever he got it – he clearly hadn't mastered it properly. His foundation was utterly unstable."
The young man in the wheelchair extended his hand, and the storage ring from the slain genius's possession flew into his palm. He offered a faint smile. "Changyao," he said gently, "though you were victorious, you absolutely must not grow complacent. You possess an innate Heavenly Earth Spirit Root, which was refined to an even higher level during the Foundation Establishment breakthrough, transforming into something more Pure. Moreover, from a young age, you've cultivated an Earth-grade scripture. You wield the Seven-Colored Nether Lotus and benefit from the Star Fragment gifted by Great-Granduncle Yunlin. Even though you've only recently entered the Golden Core stage, yours is also a Heavenly Core. Despite this, killing such unstable trash still required this much effort... You really must apply yourself more diligently to your cultivation, ah."
And these two were, indeed, none other than Li Changsheng and Li Changyao.
[Your descendants Li Changsheng and Li Changyao followed their team for half a month. Encounters with notable talents in the peripheral zone became rare.]
[Hearing a rumor of three Rank 6 Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures at a location in the outer zone, the pair rushed over. They failed to acquire the treasures, instead running straight into Li Tianyi's trio. For an awkward moment, the five relatives stared blankly at one another, having narrowly avoided stumbling into the trap set by their 'uncles'...]
[Having no choice but to proceed to the central zone of the Abode, your descendant Li Changsheng was frightened into a cold sweat by the encounter with his three 'uncles'. He darkly reproached himself for underestimating the world's experts, thinking, "Fortunately, it was my own elders lying in wait; otherwise, I likely would have met my end right there!" He resolved to take this as a stern warning. Obtained Trait: Prudent and Cautious.]
[Trait Effect: "Once bitten, twice shy." Henceforth, when faced with any major opportunity, he will deliberate extensively before acting. Prudence +100%]
"..."
Reading the new trait description, Li Wei was momentarily at a loss for words. The memory of that chaotic scene came rushing back with perfect clarity: Li Changsheng and Li Changyao had been ecstatic, thinking they were about to claim the treasures, only for Li Tianyi and his brothers to suddenly spring their trap.
Good grief... Li Wei could still picture it clearly.
Li Tianyi alone was already a force to be reckoned with, standing at the peak of the Nascent Soul realm. But when all three brothers appeared together, the situation instantly spiraled out of control.
Li Tianming had unleashed over a hundred artifacts in a single breath, each one rigged to self-destruct at a moment's notice. Li Tianqi followed by deploying a dozen powerful spirit artifacts that sealed off the entire area, leaving no room for escape. And as for Li Tianyi, he was already gathering power for his ultimate move, his aura surging like a rising tide.
Li Wei knew Li Changsheng very well. The man was no longer young, and his entire life, he had faced every situation with a calm and detached air. Yet this time, Li Changsheng had truly almost soiled himself from sheer terror. As for Li Changyao... Li Tianyi's overwhelming spiritual pressure alone had been too intense; it simply knocked her unconscious outright.
Now, avoiding all mention of the embarrassing incident in the peripheral zone, Li Changsheng and Li Changyao had proceeded into the middle area. He was leading her in hunting down the Eternal Sun Prefecture geniuses found there.
"Still, the elders really are something else." Li Changyao slung the longbow back across her shoulders. Although she had indeed slain the Divine Dao Sect genius, the fight hadn't been quite as effortless as her earlier comments suggested. She'd actually deployed nearly half of her hidden cards, and her hair was still in disarray from the exertion; she was currently trying to tidy it.
"Brother, rest assured," Li Changyao reassured him. "If I were up against our elders, I definitely wouldn't take them lightly." Likely recalling the incident with her uncles a few days prior, she continued, glancing dismissively at the corpse on the ground, "But as for these types... frankly, I don't even register them."
[Your descendant Li Changyao, after searching the outer zone in vain for worthy opponents under the age of one hundred, proceeded to the middle zone. Over several days, she hunted down and killed a total of ten Eternal Sun Prefecture geniuses who were seeking opportunities within the Tian Xing Abode. Obtained Trait: Unrivaled Under 100 (Eternal Sun Prefecture).]
[Trait Effect: Within Eternal Sun Prefecture, she will find it difficult to encounter a worthy rival under the age of 100. Only facing cultivators significantly older than herself can now truly stimulate her fighting spirit. Combat Power against Older Cultivators +10%]
"Let's move on, Changyao," Li Changsheng said.
Li Changsheng smiled. "Eternal Sun Prefecture bullies our Azure Cloud region cultivators so brazenly," he said, "little suspecting that we Li family members had already infiltrated this place undetected. This time, the Tian Xing Abode has probably drawn ten to twenty percent of Eternal Sun Prefecture's current crop of geniuses. Years ago, their elders nearly exterminated an entire generation of the Azure Cloud region's youth, creating a talent vacuum. Now," Li Changsheng's eyes glinted, "we shall return the favor and cut down this generation of Eternal Sun Prefecture geniuses!"
"Good!"
Li Changyao readily assented. With her elder brother beside her, she felt she feared nothing in heaven and earth. Just then, fresh intelligence arrived via the communication stone from the Hall of Heavenly Principle – another target had appeared. Without delay, she pushed Li Changsheng's wheelchair and headed swiftly towards the new location.
Observing Li Changyao and Li Changsheng expertly recovering the corpse and clearing the battlefield, Li Wei felt another small measure of gratification. "At least," he thought, "this particular family craft has been properly passed on."
"So, wiping out Eternal Sun Prefecture's next generation of talent? That was the real objective all along, ah."
Li Wei raised an eyebrow slightly. "These 'geniuses, '" he thought, "they really have it tough..."
Looking again at the panel, he realized that this operation... had actually been initiated many years prior.
[Your descendant Li Changsheng, acutely aware of Eternal Sun Prefecture's long-standing suppression of the family, enacted a part of the clan's Thousand-Year Grand Strategy: each year, designated members infiltrate Eternal Sun Prefecture, aiming to establish themselves as key figures within the major sects. To support this, he secretly tasked the Hall of Heavenly Principle with gathering comprehensive intelligence. Any identified genius deemed a potential future enemy, or one who could not be turned to the family's use, was designated an elimination target for the Hall of Heavenly Principle · Shadow Division.]
[Obtained Trait: Master of Genius Cleansing]
[Trait Effect: Any rising genius who begins to gain fame will inevitably draw Li Changsheng's attention and be marked as a potential threat. Through this trait, Li Changsheng can peer into their innermost thoughts, gaining insight into their intentions and weaknesses. If such a genius is eliminated, the Li Clan's overall Qi Luck experiences a minor boost, and Li Changsheng gains a slight increase in his own Comprehension.]
Reading these words, Li Wei felt a chill. If he had lived in the same generation as Li Changsheng and ended up in an opposing camp... he suspected he wouldn't have lasted even a year.
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