Yun Ming: "!!!"
Old man, what kind of nonsense are you spouting?!! Yun Ming didn't speak, but his expression conveyed exactly that sentiment.
For a top-tier powerhouse who was usually upright and aloof to suddenly want to entrust his beautiful granddaughter to his disciple's husband—no matter how Yun Ming looked at it, it felt like a massive trap. Was he trying to set him up? Or was he testing his sincerity toward Ya Li?
Yun Ming thought of many possibilities, but the one thing he never considered was that this was a genuine, heartfelt thought from Qian Daoliu.
As Qian Daoliu watched the various emotions of shock, suspicion, and vigilance flicker across Yun Ming's face—without a single hint of joy—he sighed inwardly.
Xue Er, it seems it will be difficult for you and this boy to have a future!
Seeing no sign of being moved on Yun Ming's face, Qian Daoliu said calmly.
"Don't misunderstand; it's not what you think. I just heard that you and Xue Er had a good relationship before, and I hope that you two can maintain that friendship in the future."
Yun Ming looked at Qian Daoliu with suspicion. He really meant that? How could a man as cunning as an old fox say something so ambiguous? Yun Ming found it hard to believe.
However, Qian Daoliu clearly didn't care whether Yun Ming believed him or not, and continued with an unchanging expression.
"Do not doubt it; that is exactly what I mean. There is no other hidden meaning."
Seeing Qian Daoliu's resolute expression, Yun Ming asked with confusion.
"If Senior Sister doesn't mind being friends with me in the future, I can certainly remain friendly with her. But is that really why the Grand Offerings came all this way to speak with me today?"
Qian Daoliu understood the implication behind Yun Ming's words. Ya Li's actions were clearly aimed at seizing power within Martial Soul Hall; the first threat was Bibi Dong, and the second was Qian Renxue. Under normal circumstances, it was rare for the two to be friendly. However, for Qian Renxue, who was destined to become a god, worldly power was undoubtedly a trivial matter. Qian Daoliu didn't take it to heart and replied.
"That is exactly what I mean. The affairs of Martial Soul Hall are inconsequential; that will not be a problem."
"My days are numbered. Once I pass on, Xue Er will have no one left in this world to be close to. If she has a friend who can visit her often, she won't be so lonely in the future."
The primary purpose of Qian Daoliu's trip was to entrust his granddaughter to someone. Her life lacked nothing, save for an emotional connection to fill the void in her heart. As for family, Bibi Dong was certainly out of the question. As for love, Yun Ming had no such intentions. But at the very least, he hoped his granddaughter could have a friendship. The life of a god was long; to live it entirely devoid of emotion would be too tragic.
Yun Ming asked in confusion.
"How can that be? I observe that the Grand Offerings' vitality is flourishing; you should still have a long lifespan ahead of you."
This era was different from later generations. If a Title Douluo had no fatal injuries or illnesses, they could live for a thousand years. Otherwise, how could the Sea God, who relied on faith to ascend, have survived long enough to gather sufficient faith? Qian Daoliu was only a little over one hundred and fifty years old; he still had plenty of life left!
Qian Daoliu did not explain in detail, only saying.
"I won't go into the specific reasons, but that is the result."
Seeing Qian Daoliu's solemn expression, which didn't look like he was joking, Yun Ming pondered for a moment and said.
"If that is truly the case, then in the future, Ya Li and I will certainly maintain contact with Senior Sister."
Little Ya Li!
Hearing the name of his beloved disciple, Qian Daoliu felt a sense of regret. The reason he had tested Yun Ming's attitude toward Qian Renxue and tried to bind them in friendship was not to backstab his disciple, but because, in his view, Ya Li was destined to accompany Yun Ming for only a small portion of his long future.
After that previous battle, Qian Daoliu felt that Yun Ming would inevitably reach the realm of gods and become someone who could stand side-by-side with Qian Renxue. Although Ya Li had also received a Nine Trials that surpassed all previous heads of the Douluo Hall, it was not the Angel Nine Trials. Her future height might be a notch above his own, but she couldn't become a god, and in the end, it was all the same. That was why he had made this arrangement.
However, he didn't say anything more about it, only smiling.
"Good!"
Afterward, while Qian Daoliu purified the lingering resentment on the battlefield, he chatted with Yun Ming about his insights on cultivation. At first, Qian Daoliu intended to offer some guidance on Yun Ming's future cultivation, but as they talked, Yun Ming gave him a massive shock. Even though the boy hadn't even attained his Title yet, how did he know so much about the intricacies of subsequent Title Douluo cultivation? Some things he understood even more deeply than Qian Daoliu himself. Could there really be people in this world who were born with innate knowledge?!
By the end of the conversation, Qian Daoliu stopped speaking—not because he was sulking, but because there was nothing left to say. Yun Ming, of course, didn't walk away empty-handed; after all, these were the cultivation experiences of a god's descendant, and they certainly contained some profound insights.
The old man and the young man stayed there for half an hour. Once the words were exhausted and the resentment was cleared, it was time to part ways.
Qian Daoliu looked at Yun Ming and said.
"Boy, I leave Ya Li and Xue Er to you in the future."
Even knowing the specific reasons, hearing that he was being entrusted with Qian Renxue still felt a bit strange to Yun Ming. A pair of angel sisters... just thinking about it made the mysterious soft spot on his lower back ache. Wait, why did the idea of angel sisters give him a sense of déjà vu regarding two old acquaintances from the past!
Clearing the chaotic thoughts from his mind, Yun Ming replied.
"The Grand Offerings can rest assured."
Qian Daoliu nodded, bid his final farewell, and transformed into golden light, heading toward Martial Soul City.
After seeing Qian Daoliu off, Yun Ming returned to the edge of the Dead Realm to continue his great undertaking of observing and repairing it.
Time flowed by, and in the blink of an eye, three months passed. No major events occurred on the continent during these three months. After the incident where the seven sects pledged their allegiance, Martial Soul Hall had been busy consolidating its internal forces and hadn't started causing trouble yet, so on the surface, the situation remained quite stable—though, of course, only on the surface.
In such a stable environment, our protagonist, Yun, had today assisted the Evil King in completing its final spirit ascension. After the Evil King had completely devoured the Fallen God, it transformed into a large cocoon, primarily dark black with blood-red patterns, appearing to have entered the final stage of ultimate sublimation.
After such a long period of spirit ascension, and having endured several heavenly tribulations along the way, all four of Yun Ming's Evil King spirit rings had transformed into orange-gold Beast spirit rings. Yun Ming was very much looking forward to seeing what his spirit rings would become next.
With the Evil King's matter temporarily settled, Yun Ming opened his eyes and looked at the Dead Realm in front of him, his good mood turning somewhat melancholy.
The matter of the Soul Spirit could be considered a complete success, but the situation with the Dead Realm was far from ideal.
After three months of long and careful observation, Yun Ming had learned a great deal about the state of the Dead Realm and had tried several projected solutions, but all of them had ended in failure.
The Phoenix Cry Ring on Yun Ming's finger flashed, and a thick stack of manuscripts appeared in his hand. Yun Ming flipped to the page summarizing the plans, looked at the crosses marked next to each project, and quickly deduced whether there was any remaining value to be found.
Although the Magic Thunder containing Destruction bombarded the Dead Realm daily, it wouldn't cause a devastating blow in the short term, and it was difficult to accelerate it manually; that path was unfeasible.
The large space of the Dead Realm was fragile. Yun Ming had also tried to use the Stab Technique to completely sever the Dead Realm and banish it into the Void, but the fragile space of the Dead Realm couldn't withstand such extreme spatial energy. As soon as he began to condense the Stab Technique within the Dead Realm, Yun Ming clearly felt the space collapsing. He quickly withdrew his hand; otherwise, if he had created a small black hole, the consequences would be even harder to predict. That path was also unfeasible.
The other plans were the same; none of them worked.
Various failed plans flashed through Yun Ming's mind, but even after reflecting on them again, he still couldn't see any possibility of success. It wasn't until he saw the final plan on the list—the one without a cross, but marked with three stars—that Yun Ming murmured to himself.
"It seems I have no choice but to try this."
As he spoke, Yun Ming tucked away the manuscript and his various belongings, then departed from the Dead Realm where he had spent the last three months, returning to the Breaking Clan.
The moment he arrived back at the clan, Yun Ming saw Fifth Grand Uncle leading Yang Hong and a squad of men toward the mountain gate.
Seeing Yun Ming had returned, Fifth Grand Uncle called out to him.
"Ming Er is back. How was it? Was the problem in the Dead Realm resolved?"
Yun Ming replied.
"Not yet, but I have found a new line of thought."
Looking at the group of over thirty men with Fifth Grand Uncle, all appearing as if they were in a rush to travel far, Yun Ming asked in confusion.
"Fifth Grand Uncle, has something happened within the clan? Why do you need to head out yourself?"
One must know that the current Breaking Clan was no longer what it used to be. Boasting two Title Douluo-level combatants, including Yun Ming, they were now a top-tier powerhouse in the Soul Master World. Daily affairs had long since ceased to require Fifth Grand Uncle's personal attention, yet here he was, leading such a large group out. It didn't look like a trivial matter.
Hearing Yun Ming's question, Fifth Grand Uncle's face turned somewhat grim, and he sneered.
"Some fellows over in Silver River City are getting restless and have laid hands on our clan's property. I'm going over there personally to have a chat with them!"
Yun Ming looked at Yang Wudi and the large group of clan elites behind him, including Yang Hong, and estimated that the restless parties likely possessed significant influence. However, since the north of Star Luo was in the same direction as his own goal, he could tag along and take a look.
"In that case, why don't I accompany you, Fifth Grand Uncle?"
Fifth Grand Uncle was not opposed to Yun Ming wanting to join, but he was somewhat surprised.
"Are you stumped by the problem in the Dead Realm and want to go out to relax?"
Yun Ming: "."
What kind of talk was that? As the Young Master of the Breaking Clan, was there anything wrong with him doing things for the clan? He said earnestly.
"Fifth Grand Uncle, how can you say that? As a member of the family, isn't it normal for me to contribute to the clan?!"
Regarding Yun Ming's solemn explanation, Fifth Grand Uncle just stared at him, not believing a single word.
Yun Ming had been the Young Master for a few years now. During this time, aside from major events concerning the clan's survival and future development, he would dodge daily clan affairs as much as possible. He was someone who wouldn't even take on easy tasks designed to help him build rapport with the clan's backbone; if he believed Yun Ming's nonsense, he would have to be possessed.
Yun Ming felt a bit awkward under Fifth Grand Uncle's gaze. He instinctively wanted to reach up and rub his nose, but realizing that doing so might make him look guilty, he silently lowered his hand.
Watching Yun Ming's attempt to feign composure amidst his embarrassment, Fifth Grand Uncle curled his lips, finding it somewhat amusing. But it didn't matter. He spoke up.
"Fine, it's normal, you've made progress. Then come along!"
Hearing Fifth Grand Uncle's word, Yun Ming breathed a sigh of relief. Seniority really was a wonderful thing! Being two generations higher meant you could suppress anyone; even if you had the strength, you couldn't force them to shut up. He truly missed the days when he was the Sea God Pavilion Master, where juniors would call him grandfather and he could beat up whoever he wanted. As for the somewhat playful gazes from Yang Hong and the others, Yun Ming chose to ignore them.
With Yun Ming joining, there was naturally no need for so many people. Fifth Grand Uncle left ten behind, and the others dispersed on the spot to attend to their own business. With the numbers reduced, Yun Ming used a Teleportation Technique, and in just a few seconds, the group arrived in the wilderness outside Silver River City.
Even though it wasn't the first time he had seen it, Fifth Grand Uncle was still shocked that Yun Ming could bring them thousands of miles away in an instant. What a powerful ability! Thinking of this, Fifth Grand Uncle recalled something even more important and said in a deep voice.
"Ming Er, you must hurry and leave behind a bloodline! It will be even harder to have offspring once your cultivation improves further."
The stronger one was, the harder it was to have descendants; this was true for all soul masters. A closer example was Qian Daoliu, who had a child in his seventies. A more distant example was the later Shrek Seven Devils; excluding Tang San and Xiao Wu, who were gods with Soul Beast bloodlines and had two children, the other two couples didn't have a single one. This showed the impact of a human expert's cultivation level on bloodline inheritance. Yun Ming was becoming stronger and stronger, and Ya Li was also a top-tier genius. If their bloodlines couldn't be passed down because their cultivation was too high, it would be the greatest loss for the Breaking Clan.
Fifth Grand Uncle's sudden shift in topic nearly threw Yun Ming off balance. Why had his tone become so strange ever since he mentioned coming to Silver River City? Was it because he was presiding over the trip, making the goal too easy to achieve? Yun Ming coughed.
"Ahem—"
"I understand, Fifth Grand Uncle. We will plan for it soon."
"Should we first discuss what actually happened? How are those people in Silver River City acting against our clan?"
Seeing Yun Ming's stiff attempt to change the subject, Fifth Grand Uncle glanced at him but didn't press the matter. This was a long-term plan; the two juniors weren't even married yet, so having children now would indeed be improper. They were both important figures, and face was important. They would take it one step at a time; he would discuss it with Yang Wudi later.
Fifth Grand Uncle returned to the main topic.
"Let's talk about this incident first."
"Actually, this is a chain reaction following the seven sects' collective submission to Martial Soul Hall."
Yun Ming looked confused.
"How so?"
Fifth Grand Uncle explained in detail.
"You should be aware of the attitude of the continent's upper-tier soul master factions toward using medicine for cultivation; they have always been quite resistant."
"Our clan's pill business, while profitable, doesn't actually derive most of its revenue from cultivation-enhancing pills."
Yun Ming understood this situation. Let alone them, even ten thousand years later, after the Sun Moon Continent and the original Douluo Continent had been merged for thousands of years, this mindset hadn't been corrected, let alone now. They had only been at it for a few years.
Fifth Grand Uncle continued.
"Normally, if it were just that, it wouldn't be a problem. But Martial Soul Hall's movements are too large, and the continent's upper-tier factions know they are bound to take major action. In this situation, to ensure the prosperity or even survival of their own factions in the future, they have engaged in an arms race. Consequently, cultivation-enhancing pills, which can accelerate training but were previously ignored, have suddenly become one of the most important aspects of the pill trade."
"Other pills are one thing; even if they aren't as effective as our clan's, there are alternative substitutes. But cultivation-enhancing pills are basically a monopoly of our clan."
"Our clan has only been making these pills for a few years, so the quantity is limited. We have to supply our own clan and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and set aside a certain share to consolidate and befriend other factions. Naturally, there isn't much left to sell externally. Since goods are scarce, the price has been driven up."
Combining this with Silver River City's status as a major hub for medicinal herb supply, Yun Ming understood. Although the Breaking Clan now possessed the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well as a treasure trove for medicine, the herbs qualified to be planted there were all high-grade. Some slightly inferior primary or auxiliary ingredients still had to be imported in large quantities from the outside. Yun Ming took over.
"So, wealth moves people's hearts. Some are jealous of the exorbitant profits we're making and want to get a piece of the pie by cutting off our source of medicinal materials?"
"No, that's not right. To have the guts to pull this on our clan, the faction behind them must be significant. They probably want a share of our pill supply as well."
Yang Wutian looked at Yun Ming with an appreciative gaze and said.
"Exactly, both of those are my goals."
Yun Ming asked.
"Then who is the mastermind behind this? Do you know?"
Yang Wutian did not speak, instead pointing in a certain direction. Yun Ming understood upon seeing it, and was not surprised.
Having understood the cause and effect, Yun Ming asked Yang Wutian again.
"Then I wonder how Fifth Grand Uncle intends to resolve this? Through force?"
Given the scene earlier where Yang Wutian had led over thirty experts from the Clan out, it did not look like he intended to settle things amicably.
Yang Wudi shook his head and said.
"It is merely a show of force; when doing business, one must still value harmony to generate wealth."
Yun Ming nodded in understanding.
"Understood, I will cooperate."
Seeing that Yun Ming had no more questions, Yang Wutian addressed the group.
"Let's go, enter the city."
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader