There were quite a few reclusive lineages in China, though many martial artists knew nothing about them.
Some of these lineages liked to build villas and estates in the mountains and forests.
To outsiders, they looked like nothing more than discreetly wealthy families.
The Gao Family was one such reclusive lineage!
Among the five great lineages of China's martial arts world, even the strongest martial artists were only Martial Kings.
Reclusive lineages were generally powerful. Even the weakest could rival the five great lineages, though that was only a comparison of the strength they showed openly.
The truth was another matter.
Take the Hundred Families, for example. As a vassal force of the Wang Family, they had three Martial Kings holding down the fort.
But no one knew that many more members of the Hundred Families had already broken through to become Martial Kings.
Those who did had all gone to the Wang Family.
That was because the places where reclusive lineages lived had abundant spiritual energy, making them well suited for Martial Kings to cultivate.
The Gao Family was no different. Their estate stood in a place rich with spiritual energy.
A Spirit Eye lay beneath the Gao Family's estate, though by now it was nearly exhausted.
Even so, it gave the estate spiritual energy more than ten times denser than that of the outside world.
The Gao Family was therefore quite strong.
Officially, the Gao Family had seven Martial Kings. Rumor even held that a Martial Emperor ancestor watched over them.
In reality, the Gao Family had passed the ten-Martial-King mark long ago. They now had thirteen.
As for that Martial Emperor ancestor, he had been in seclusion for decades and had not appeared in a long time.
Even without counting that ancestor, however, the Gao Family still