Leaving the Clan for Training

Inside the Ling Clan Great Hall, the atmosphere was solemn.

A middle-aged man sat in the hall, his expression steady and his aura restrained, yet he exuded an authority that brooked no offense.

He deliberately or inadvertently gave off the aura of a late-stage Six-Star Dou Sheng.

His features bore a sixty-percent resemblance to the young man outside the hall. He was none other than the Ling Clan Patriarch, Ling Mie.

He was lowering his head as he handled clan affairs, fully focused.

Suddenly, a familiar voice came from the doorway.

"Dad, busy?"

Ling Mie paused what he was doing and looked toward the entrance of the hall.

A young man in a green robe stood there, tall and handsome, with bright, clear eyes.

Seeing that it was his son, the stern look on Ling Mie's face instantly faded, replaced by a warm smile.

"Ling Yuan, what brings you here?"

Ling Mie looked young, but he was actually of the same generation as Gu Yuan and the others, having already lived for several thousand years.

He had become a father late in life and doted excessively on his son Ling Yuan, granting nearly every request he made.

On top of that, Ling Yuan's talent was outstanding, and his Dou Di Bloodline was the richest seen in nearly a thousand years. Ling Mie was delighted from the bottom of his heart.

For a Dou God Clan, bloodline was its foundation.

When Ling Yuan first tested his bloodline at the age of ten, it had already reached the peak of the Seventh-Grade Bloodline.

This grade might not seem especially high, but a Dou Di Bloodline continuously improved as one's strength increased.

A Seventh-Grade Bloodline in childhood would steadily reach the Ninth-Grade Bloodline by the coming-of-age ceremony.

A Ninth-Grade Bloodline was already at the very top among all Dou God Clans.

Even within the Gu Clan, there were very few descendants who could reach the Ninth-Grade Bloodline. Lei Dong of the Lei Clan and Huo Xuan of the Yan Clan, both peerless talents, were only at this level.

The Ling Clan's circumstances had not been good these past years.

The Dou Di Bloodline had grown thinner with each generation, and the clan members' strength had declined accordingly. Now, the strongest member of the clan was only Ling Mie, a Six-Star Dou Sheng. Compared to the Yao, Lei, Yan, Gu, and Soul Clans, the gap was immense.

The clan elders had calculated it long ago. If this continued, within ten thousand years, the Ling Clan's Dou Di Bloodline would completely dry up, leaving them no different from ordinary races.

Everyone in the clan knew about this, yet they were powerless to change it.

Until Ling Yuan appeared.

The potential of a Ninth-Grade Bloodline was like a ray of light in the darkness, giving the entire Ling Clan hope.

The elders did not dare hope that he could become a Dou God. They only wished for him to grow up quickly, have many descendants, and continue the Ling Clan's Dou Di Bloodline.

The entire clan was waiting for Ling Yuan to grow up, waiting for him to lead the Ling Clan back to prominence, catch up to the Shi Clan, and perhaps even surpass the Yao Clan.

For that very reason, Ling Yuan's status in the Ling Clan was irreplaceable.

The moment the bloodline test results were released, he was directly designated as the heir to the next clan patriarch.

He was the patriarch's son, and his bloodline and talent were both once-in-a-thousand-years. He deserved the position of young clan patriarch, and no one in the clan objected.

Ling Mie's affection for his son was entirely undisguised.

Ling Yuan went straight to the point and stated why he had come:

"Dad, I want to go out and gain some experience. I can't receive real training within the clan."

Ling Mie was stunned for a moment, but he quickly replied:

"My son wishes to go out and train. That is a good thing. I agree!"

Ling Yuan was somewhat surprised. He had thought he would be stopped and had even prepared arguments to persuade him, yet Ling Mie agreed so readily.

Ling Mie burst into laughter. "Hahaha! Did you think I would be like those elders and want nothing more than to lock you inside the Ling Realm?"

Ling Yuan nodded. That was indeed what he had thought.

In his memories, this father of his had protected him more fiercely than anyone else.

Going out to train involved danger. By all logic, he should not have agreed so easily.

Ling Mie had his son sit beside him.

"Don't listen to those old fossils. As the young clan patriarch of the Ling Clan, you cannot simply stay within the clan all the time..."

It had to be said that Ling Mie was very open-minded.

Not only did he agree to let Ling Yuan go out, but he also explained what Ling Yuan needed to watch out for during his travels.

"However, this is your first time training outside. There are a few things I must tell you."

Ling Yuan indicated that he was listening carefully.

"When traveling outside, keep your eyes in every direction and your ears alert to all sides. When you come across places like cliffs or caves, you may as well go inside and take a look. Do you understand what I mean?"

Ling Yuan answered, "I know, Dad. There might be treasures or inheritances inside."

"When I traveled in my younger days, I obtained the inheritance of a mysterious expert in a cave by a cliff. That was how I secured my position as clan patriarch."

"Back then, my talent was not the strongest in the clan. But because of that inheritance, my strength surpassed even the most talented, allowing me to become the Ling Clan Patriarch!"

Ling Yuan was slightly shocked. So Dad actually had a story like that?

At the same time, he understood why his father supported him going out to train.

So his father was someone who had struck it lucky while traveling.

Ling Mie also wanted his son to go out and see whether he might stumble into some absurdly good fortune.

Naturally, it would be best if he encountered a fortuitous opportunity. Even if he did not, broadening his horizons would still be a form of growth.

But support was support. Ling Mie did not leave out a single rule or precaution that needed explaining, carefully going through them with Ling Yuan.

Although Ling Mie was several thousand years old, he did not speak in the lecturing tone of those old antiques.

The father and son got along more like brothers.

Ling Yuan listened seriously. These were lessons his father had paid for with personal experience, far more useful than the clan's written records.

Only after Ling Mie finished did he ask where Ling Yuan intended to go. "Where are you planning to go? If you have no destination in mind, I can choose a few places for you."

"Dad, I want to go to the Northwest Continent," Ling Yuan immediately answered.

He merely wanted an excuse to leave the Ling Clan. He did not truly intend to go out for training.

Ling Mie nodded. Since Ling Yuan already had an idea, he did not force the matter.

Having once accidentally obtained a fortuitous opportunity in a cave, he believed deeply in fate.

What if the Northwest Continent truly held some great opportunity? If he stopped Ling Yuan, he would only delay his son.

"The Northwest Continent will do as well. Although resources there are scarce, there are still some old monsters at the Dou Zun level. I'll arrange for an elder to accompany and protect you."

Ling Mie added, "Your mother is still in seclusion. If she finds out, she definitely will not let you leave so easily. If you're going, then leave as soon as possible."

Ling Yuan's mother was named Ling Ruo. One could tell from her name alone that she was a gentle and refined woman.

And for her to give birth to a son as talented as Ling Yuan, Ling Ruo herself was naturally no ordinary person.

She was a late-stage One-Star Dou Sheng and was currently attempting to break through to the Two-Star Dou Sheng realm.

Moreover, according to her, she had a high chance of succeeding this time.

Perhaps by the time Ling Yuan returned from training, the Ling Clan would have another Two-Star Dou Sheng.

"Dad, then I'll leave tomorrow!"

From his memories, Ling Yuan learned that his mother loved him dearly as well.

She was afraid he would melt if she held him in her mouth and afraid he would fall if she held him in her palm.

If she learned that Ling Yuan was leaving, she might not stop him, but she would most likely follow him and personally protect him.

Ling Yuan had quite a few secrets related to being a transmigrator, and he did not want anyone to know about them.

Not even his parents in this life.

"Fine. I'll make the arrangements for you later."

This showed the benefits of having a powerful background. He did not need to do anything himself; someone would arrange everything for him.

That night, Ling Yuan cultivated in his private chamber.

Although the Ling Clan had declined somewhat, its inheritance had been preserved.

The Ling Clan might not have been as strong as the Gu Clan or Soul Clan, but in terms of cultivation methods and Dou Skills, they were not inferior to those clans.

As the young clan patriarch, the cultivation method Ling Yuan practiced was naturally among the best: a high-grade Heaven-tier technique.

The Ling Clan specialized in the soul, and Ling Yuan was no exception.

The defining trait of his cultivation method was that it could fuse soul power into Dou Qi.

In battle, enemies not only had to guard against physical attacks, but also protect their souls from harm.

This was absolutely troublesome for enemies whose soul realm was relatively weak.

The cultivation method was good, but Ling Yuan was not particularly satisfied with it.

He always felt that it lacked a certain trait.

The ability to accelerate cultivation.

Like Xiao Yan's Burning Mantra in the original story, which could rapidly increase one's strength by refining Heavenly Flames.

Yet the cultivation method Ling Yuan currently practiced did not have that ability.

"Cultivating this technique, advancing in realm later on may be a little slow."

Although Ling Yuan had a fire attribute, he did not really want to cultivate the Burning Mantra.

The reason was simple: switching from a high-grade Heaven-tier cultivation method to a low-grade Yellow-tier one meant he had no idea how much of his Dou Zong strength would dissipate.

He might not even be able to retain the Dou Wang realm. He truly could not bear to give that up.

The Burning Mantra was only suitable for cultivation from the Dou Zhe stage onward. Switching to it later would be somewhat of a loss.

"If I go out to train and obtain the inheritance of a mysterious expert like Dad did, letting me acquire the finest cultivation method, that would be great..."

Thinking this, Ling Yuan laughed at his own unrealistic idea.

How could such a good thing possibly be so easy to encounter...?