Family

"This is a news update. Recently, the City Patrol Division joined forces with the City Supervision Bureau to carry out a special operation, successfully busting an illegal market. More than ten wanted criminals were arrested, and several were killed..."

"The City Supervision Bureau has issued a notice: buying and selling on the Black Market is illegal. We welcome members of the public to report any such activity."

At the Liang household, Liang Ji's parents had returned from the Spirit Fields they leased for the first time in a while, and were having dinner with him.

A news report played on the projection screen, briefly drawing Liang Ji's attention.

"Xiao Ji." His father called out to him. Liang Ji turned to look.

His father said, "Someone came by this morning and brought us a gift. You weren't home, and we didn't know if it was appropriate to accept it, so we didn't."

"A gift?" Liang Ji asked, mildly surprised. "Who was it? Why would they bring our family a gift?"

"A manager from Yunting Group. Someone from the Yun Family."

Liang's father answered.

"The Yun Family?" Liang Ji immediately thought of Yun Lai, whom he had met on the Trial Star.

"That's right. The Yun Family of Mayor Yun."

His father nodded.

On the Trial Star, Liang Ji had heard Fang Xiaohan talk about the Yun Family. It had several Star Lords and was a true powerhouse in Xiushe City, holding control of the City Council year after year and occupying multiple important posts in City Hall.

A family like that had come to bring his family a gift?

The visitor had only been a manager from one of the Yun Family's subsidiary companies, but there was no doubt he represented the family's intentions.

Liang Ji set down his chopsticks and furrowed his brow. "Did they say anything?"

"Nothing specific. But from the way he acted, it seemed like he wanted to win our family over. He even asked if I'd be interested in joining the City Patrol Division."

"He also brought up next year's election, more or less deliberately. I reckon they've got their eyes on your vote, Xiao Ji. They want you to vote for someone from the Yun Family in next year's Upper House election."

The Star Alliance operated under an Alliance Council System. Every Main Star had considerable autonomy, and the cities on each Main Star enjoyed a fair degree of self-governance as well.

Each city had an Upper House and a Lower House. The Upper House members were chosen from among the city's Star Lords, elected by a vote of all Star Lords in the city. The Lower House members came from the other orthodoxies, elected by those practitioners themselves. Elections were held every ten years.

The City Council then elected the mayor and appointed the leaders of the various departments.

The Star Alliance's own institutions on each Main Star worked much the same way, with Upper and Lower Houses at every level.

Next year, Xiushe City was due to hold its once-a-decade election.

Liang Ji and the other newly minted Star Lord students graduating from their final year of high school had all turned eighteen. As Star Lords, they were entitled under Star Alliance law both to vote and to stand for election, which meant they could participate in Xiushe City's Upper House election.

Of course, as a newcomer with neither money nor influence, Liang Ji could only vote. He wasn't even qualified to be nominated, let alone elected.

And the Yun Family, an established Star Lord lineage in Xiushe City, could hardly be short of one vote.

Liang Ji guessed it was more likely that some people had taken notice of how his Half-Dragonfolk Vassals had performed in the recent trial.

Turning the matter over in his mind, he looked at his father. "Dad, what do you think? Do you want to join the Patrol Division?"

"Why are you asking me?" His father shook his head. "You're the Star Lord. Our family will be relying on you from now on, so what matters most is what you need."

Liang Ji nodded and considered it. "The Patrol Division does sound like a reasonable place to join."

"Not just Dad. Mom could look for a position in a municipal department too."

"There's no need to keep working those Spirit Fields you lease. Once I advance to Second-Tier Star Lord, the Spirit Plants and Spirit Medicines I cultivate on my Natal Star will bring in more than all those fields you work so hard to farm."

"Instead, you could join the government. You'd have an easier life, access to internal government resources and benefits, and it'd help with your cultivation too."

His father's expression clearly showed interest. He cultivated the Human Immortal Path and had been grinding away at the Eighth-Rank Acupoint Refining stage for years. Without a lucky break, he would probably reach the Seventh-Rank Soul Refining stage at best in his lifetime. Becoming a Human Immortal was out of the question.

The Human Immortal Path was divided into nine ranks: Nine-Rank Body Refining, Eighth-Rank Acupoint Refining, Seventh-Rank Soul Refining, Sixth-Rank Intent Refining, Fifth-Rank Martial Saint, Fourth-Rank Shattering Vacuum, and Third-Rank Human Immortal.

Each step was harder than the one before, and every rank demanded a vast amount of resources.

His mother, meanwhile, followed the Qi Refiner Orthodox.

The Qi Refiner path was also divided into nine ranks: Ninth-Rank Qi Refining, Eighth-Rank Fiend Refining, Seventh-Rank Gang Refining, and Sixth-Rank Golden Core. After forming a Golden Core, one focused entirely on refining it: three turns of the core made a Fifth-Rank practitioner, six turns a Fourth-Rank practitioner, and nine turns a Third-Rank practitioner.

Liang Ji's mother was still at the Ninth-Rank Qi Refining stage. She hadn't even managed to gather enough Killing Intent to advance to Fiend Refining.

Under ordinary circumstances, they might toil all their lives and still only get his mother as far as Gang Refining. She would never form a Golden Core.

But once you set foot on the path of cultivation, who didn't dream of climbing to higher peaks and seeing more breathtaking sights?

Most people simply lacked the fortune to find an opportunity and couldn't see the road ahead.

Now, Liang Ji was unquestionably his parents' greatest opportunity.

"But there's no need to rush," Liang Ji said. "Once I've taken the college entrance exams, you can get involved in government. You'll have a better starting point and better prospects."

His mother's eyes lit up. She looked at him and asked, "Xiao Ji, are you confident about the exams?"

Only if Liang Ji did well in the exams and got into a better academy would their family receive more attention, giving his parents a higher, better starting point in government.

Liang Ji smiled and nodded. "I'm fairly confident."

His father and mother both smiled even more broadly.

"Good! Good!" his father praised. "Put all that aside for now. Your cultivation and the exams come first."

"Xiao Ji, is there anything we can do to help with your cultivation?"

Liang Ji shook his head. "My cultivation is going fine, and my Vassals are starting to get on track. Just wait for my good news."

After talking with his parents, Liang Ji returned to his bedroom and checked his Star Compass. A lot of the information on it had already updated.

Star Lord: Liang Ji.

Cultivation: Nine-Rank Body Refining (tendon and bone training: 10%).

Natal Star: Dragon Soul Star.

Star diameter: 1,366 kilometers.

Star composition: earth (42%), metal (12%), water (23%), wood (13%), fire (6%), air (4%).

Spirit Vein: First Tier (1%).

Vassals: Half-Dragonfolk.

Dao Fruit: 0.07%.

Because he had obtained some Spirit Seeds, Spirit Roots, and Spirit Spring sources during the trial, Liang Ji had chosen a few to incorporate into his Natal Star. As a result, the star had grown considerably over the past few days, and the proportions of its elements had shifted as well.

The crucial Dao Fruit had also grown along with his Natal Star and the Half-Dragonfolk Vassals, rising from 0.05% to 0.07%.

When the Dao Fruit had fully matured and the Star Lord had reached Third-Rank Void Refining Perfection, he could swallow the fruit and attempt to cultivate the Second-Rank Dao Integration Realm.

This was the biggest difference between a Star Lord's cultivation and that of the other orthodoxies. Practitioners of the other orthodoxies could generally only reach the Third Rank; after that, there was no path forward. Unable to integrate with the Dao, they naturally could not transcend, ascend, or become saints.

Vassals: Half-Dragonfolk.

Tier: First Tier.

Number: 10,000 (First Tier: 2,389, Zero Rank: 7,611)

Religion: Heavenly Emperor Faith (Priest: Xi).

Politics: Small Tribe (Chief: King).

Economy: farming, animal husbandry (Leader: Farmer).

Military: hunting party (Commander: Chi).

Skills: Snake Barbarian Scripture (Hegemonic Body), Mountain Splitting Axe, Flying Snake Spear, Bedrock Shield.

The Half-Dragonfolk Vassals had changed quite a bit. Their population had reached ten thousand, the limit his Natal Star could currently sustain. To increase it further, he would need to incorporate more Demon Cores and improve both the Star Spirit Vein and his Natal Star.

But thanks to the earlier Starlight Rain reward, and the Spirit Roots and Spirit Seeds planted on Dragon Soul Star, conditions had improved with each passing day. More and more Half-Dragonfolk Vassals were awakening their bloodlines and intelligence and advancing to the First Tier. Their number had already surpassed two thousand, with an awakening rate above one-fifth.

Liang Ji believed that if things kept developing this way, by the first mock exam, he would have even more First-Tier Vassals.

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