The clamor in the plaza gradually died down.
Tens of thousands of Li Family disciples drifted away in twos and threes.
Yet in every pair of eyes lurked a restlessness that could not be contained.
"Finally!"
Li Zaiyuan thumped his chest with a fist.
"After all these years of training, we finally have a chance to go to war."
Beside him, one of his closest friends spoke with some hesitation.
"Zaiyuan, are you really going? People actually die on battlefields."
"And with your background and talent, not to mention Elder Xingyue looking after you... sooner or later, you'll reach the Innate Realm and make a name for yourself."
Li Zaiyuan's background was no ordinary one.
Mention his father or grandfather, and perhaps no one would know them.
But the ancestor of his branch was another matter entirely.
That ancestor was named Li Xuanqi.
Li Zaiyuan looked at his friend and frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
"Background? What background do I have? I'm just an ordinary Li Family disciple."
"And people dying—so what?"
"When the family head was my age, he was already licking blood from a blade's edge."
"I'm Li Zaiyuan, a son of the Li Family. The same blood runs through my veins as the family head's. I'm not afraid!"
Ever since his ancestor had fallen,
few of that ancestor's descendants had amounted to much.
By now, his branch did not even have an elder who could uphold its standing in the clan.
Its voice within the clan had grown weaker and weaker, and it had gradually declined.
But when Li Zaiyuan was born, his talent was found to be fifth-grade superior. His branch saw hope once more of reclaiming its ancestor's glory.
And so,
from childhood onward,
great hopes had rested on him.
He knew
that if