Family Trial

"Clang..."

Amid the dull bell tolls, the clan's Coming of Age Ceremony officially began.

This time, the patriarch still did not attend. Three of the five elders had come, with the Great Elder, Song Xianyun, presiding over the ceremony.

Upon the high platform, Song Xianyun stood with his back to the crowd. Wearing a solemn expression, he faced the thousands of extinguished soul lamps in the Soul Lamp Hall and bowed. "Song Xianyun, a fourth-generation descendant of the Song Clan, hereby reports to the lineage's forebears.

Today, fourteen juniors of the lineage have come of age and will soon descend the mountain to serve the family. May the heroic spirits of our fallen rest in heaven and protect the Sons of the Song Clan, that our immortal fortune may flourish and our pursuit of the Dao endure forever!"

"May the ancestors bless us!" Everyone present bowed in unison, their voices piercing straight through the clouds.

Song Qingxing had originally stood unmoved among the crowd, only for Song Qingxi to forcibly press him down.

After three shouted calls, Song Xianyun solemnly took out a scroll. Recorded upon it were the ancestral precepts established by Patriarch Song Taiyi.

Circulating his spiritual power, Song Xianyun recited in a sonorous, forceful voice, "All Song Clan Disciples must have loving fathers and filial sons, affectionate elder brothers and respectful younger brothers. They must never commit the act of boiling beans with bean stalks. They must respect the elderly and honor the worthy, cherish kinship and live harmoniously with the clan. They must never defy their superiors or offend those above them..."

After several thousand flowing words, the fourteen cultivators, Song Changsheng included, all stepped onto the high platform.

The two elders, Song Luzhou and Lu Huai, presented them with the Coming of Age Ceremony gifts in turn.

They included one standard-issue First-Tier Mid-Grade flying sword, two standard-issue Daoist robes, one communication jade slip, and one portion of cultivation resources.

This would be the last portion of cultivation resources they received from the family for free. From then on, aside from their annual stipends, the family would no longer distribute any cultivation resources to them without charge.

If they needed anything in the future, they would have to exchange contribution points for it themselves.

Once this segment ended came the Foundation Establishment Elders' giving of sermons, the crowning event of every such gathering. The three Foundation Establishment Elders took turns expounding on the Dao; there was only one such opportunity in an entire year, making it exceptionally precious.

After the sermons ended and everyone else had departed, Song Xianyun looked at Song Changsheng and the others. "Children, from this moment onward, you are adults. Before long, you will head in all directions and contribute your strength to the family.

But before that, the family has prepared a trial to test the fruits of your years of cultivation within the lineage."

"Great-Uncle, just tell us what the trial is," Song Changhu said as he stepped forward, unable to hold himself back.

Song Xianyun said slowly, "The content of this trial is to cooperate with the family's Monster Hunting Team to eliminate demon beasts."

"Eliminate demon beasts?" Song Changsheng raised a brow. This task was considered rather dangerous, but it would also better train their practical combat abilities.

"May I ask where the destination is this time?" a tall woman asked.

Song Changsheng had some impression of her. Her name was Song Changxiu. She possessed a Three-Element Spiritual Root. Though she was not a Foundation Establishment Seed, she cultivated quickly and stood level with Song Changhu, also at the Qi Condensation Sixth Layer.

The two of them were also the highest in cultivation apart from Song Changsheng.

"This time, the destination is the Mortal World Outskirts under the family's control. The Fifth Elder reported to the family some time ago that demon beasts had been appearing frequently around the Mortal World Outskirts recently, already threatening the safety of our Clan Members.

Therefore, the family has decided to send you to eliminate those demon beasts. Do not put too much pressure on yourselves. This Time, it will not be only you. Two Monster Hunting Teams from affiliated families and the family Enforcement Team will join this extermination operation as well.

Should you encounter a demon beast you cannot defeat, use your communication jade slips to request Reinforcements.

At the same time, the Fifth Elder and Third Elder will oversee the overall situation. If a Second-Tier Demonic Beast appears, immediately seek aid from the two elders.

In short, preserving yourselves comes first. Do not act rashly, and do not be arrogant. Do you understand?"

Song Xianyun looked at them with great severity. The difficulty of each Family Trial was not actually high, and Foundation Establishment Elders were present to ensure their safety.

Yet every so often, there would still be one or two self-righteous idiots forced to pay for their own arrogance and recklessness. Thus, he had no choice but to give them a preventative warning beforehand.

Song Changhu in particular was the key subject of concern. That fellow acted with the most recklessness.

Hearing that So Many people would be involved, Song Changsheng immediately understood. They were merely there to fill out the Numbers; they were not the main force at all.

But that made sense. Among them, only Song Changsheng had reached the Qi Condensation Stage, Late Phase. If they were sent alone, would that not simply be delivering an extra meal to the demon beasts?

"Rest well tonight. Tomorrow, at Si Hour, you will depart with the Enforcement Team."

"Yes!"

Early the next morning, Song Changsheng rose before dawn. After absorbing the Essence of the Sun as usual, he headed to the departure point to meet the others.

Song Changhu and the others had arrived early. When they saw Song Changsheng arrive, they all came forward to greet him, leaving the formerly most popular Song Changhu and Song Changxiu standing off to the side.

"Hmph!" Song Changhu felt somewhat displeased, but he understood in his heart that the gap between himself and Song Changsheng could not be bridged merely through unwillingness to accept it.

"The Third Elder has arrived," Song Changxiu, who had been rather quiet, suddenly said.

Not far away, a small group of cultivators clad in fitted black garments escorted a female cultivator toward them. Everyone immediately gathered around and bowed.

The female cultivator at the center, surrounded like stars around the moon, was the Song Clan's Third Elder, Song Luyao. A Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivator, she oversaw the family's Law Enforcement Hall and handled the lineage's interrogations, patrols, guards, and more.

The Enforcement Team under the Law Enforcement Hall could be called the family's most elite force. Every member was a cultivator between eighteen and sixty years old, at least at the Qi Condensation Stage, Mid-Phase, and rich in combat experience.

Their figures could be seen at many important occasions, and this demon-beast extermination was no exception. They were the true main force; Song Changsheng and the others were merely there to make up the numbers.

This time, two teams had been mobilized, twenty people in total.

"Since everyone is here, let us descend the mountain." Song Luyao was an exceedingly cold and stern person. Wherever she was, the atmosphere always felt somewhat oppressive.

The group of more than thirty traveled on foot toward the Mortal World. Whenever they encountered any demon beasts along the way, Song Luyao would dispatch Song Changsheng and the others to eliminate them, treating it as pre-battle practice.

This time, they passed through the place where they had previously fought the demonic cultivators. Revisiting old ground, Song Changsheng was filled with countless emotions. If he had possessed his current cultivation back then, the outcome would certainly have been different.

Unfortunately, there were no ifs in this world...

Just as the Great Elder had said, many demon beasts had appeared around the Mortal World Outskirts for no apparent reason. From time to time, Song Changsheng and the others could hear their roars.

This was an extremely abnormal phenomenon. One had to know that the demon beasts in this region had once been completely slaughtered, and the Monster Hunting Team paid special attention to this area every year.

By all reason, So Many demon beasts should not have appeared here.

When something was abnormal, there had to be something sinister afoot. Song Changsheng quietly heightened his vigilance.

After arriving outside the city, they did not enter it. Song Luyao had them set up camp On the Spot, then personally went to meet Xia Yunxue and the Hunter Captains of the two Monster Hunting Teams.