A green lotus bloomed in dazzling azure light, adorned with countless profound Dao Rhythms that made it impossible to look away.
"You awakened this talent too?!"
Fang Zhongwu's face was full of astonishment, his eyes wide with shock and a hint of disbelief.
"No wonder you broke through without any auspicious signs descending. It turns out you awakened the Nine Tribulation Azure Lotus too."
Fang Zhongwu muttered to himself, wearing a look of sudden realization. He clearly still hadn't recovered from the shock of what had just happened.
"Is the Nine Tribulation Azure Lotus also a talent passed down through our family?" Fang Yuan asked, bewildered.
Fang Zhongwu took a deep breath and calmed himself. As though remembering the past, his expression grew rather complicated.
"Our Fang Family's legacy is mainly connected to the Thunder Dao."
"Just like the Martial Dao Imprint you awakened—it's a Thunder Dao Imprint. You'll have to explore its specific abilities gradually in the future."
With that, Fang Zhongwu extended his hand. Three-colored lightning suddenly appeared in his palm, intertwining as it radiated an aura of annihilation.
"This is my Thunder Dao Imprint!"
As the three-colored lightning intertwined, an imprint gradually appeared, astonishingly similar to the one in Fang Yuan's Dantian. The two even resonated with each other.
"Did any of the Ten Elders awaken a Martial Dao Imprint?"
Fang Yuan recalled the stirring in his Dantian when the Long-Bearded Elder had made his move.
Fang Zhongwu shook his head. "Even the strongest of the elders only has a relatively powerful Thunderblood."
The Fang Family's talented prodigies throughout the generations awakened different talents when they reached Foundation Establishment.
These included, but weren't limited to, bloodlines, spirit roots, constitutions, and manifestations.
The strength of these talents varied, and it was difficult to rank them. But the most powerful talent of all was the Martial Dao Imprint.
That was because the Martial Dao Imprint was the culmination of these talents, encompassing everything. To a certain extent, it could even give rise to other talents.
"Among Fang Family members, stronger talents resonate with one another. It's a bond of blood."
Fang Yuan nodded slightly. He glanced at Fang Zhongwu's Martial Dao Imprint and said with a smile, "Dad, you've really been hiding your strength."
"Of course. When I was young, I swept through my peers, undefeated and unchallenged!"
Fang Zhongwu clasped his hands behind his back. As though recalling the past, he spoke with pride.
"So the lotus I awakened came from my mother's side of the family?" Fang Yuan returned to the main topic.
Fang Zhongwu nodded slightly, his gaze fixed on the dreamlike lotus. For a moment, he seemed lost in thought.
"I never imagined your talents would be so astonishing. You actually awakened two supreme talents at once."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
Seeing that his cheap old man wasn't as delighted as he'd expected, Fang Yuan couldn't help asking.
"Either one of these talents could point you straight toward the Great Dao, with no obstacles along the way."
"But awakening both at once might instead affect the direction of your future cultivation."
Fang Yuan asked, "Do the two talents conflict?"
Fang Zhongwu shook his head. "Not only do they not conflict, they complement each other."
That only deepened Fang Yuan's confusion.
"You've officially embarked on the path of cultivation. You should know that cultivators can choose different paths."
"The same goes for talents. Will you focus on developing your Martial Dao Imprint, or temper your Divine Sense and undergo the Nine Tribulations of the Azure Lotus?"
Seeing Fang Yuan about to speak, Fang Zhongwu continued, "Don't tell me you'll do both. You don't have that much time."
"You still need to improve your cultivation. That's the foundation of your strength. Studying either of these two talents is already enough to crush your peers."
"If you insist on having it all, you'll only end up accomplishing nothing, trying to grasp one thing while losing another."
Fang Yuan didn't argue.
Ordinary people really couldn't do both. After all, improving one's cultivation was the top priority.
But he was different.
He had the heaven-defying advantage of the Heavenly Origin Earth Realm. He didn't need to waste time painstakingly cultivating.
One day was a year!
"You can decide which path to focus on after you officially reach the Foundation Building Realm," Fang Zhongwu said.
Fang Yuan was utterly confused. He asked in surprise, "I haven't broken through to the Foundation Building Realm yet?"
"You broke through, but not completely," Fang Zhongwu said gravely. "Even I didn't expect you to awaken the Nine Tribulation Azure Lotus."
"The Baptism accumulated in the Ancestral Hall over a thousand years was all poured into you. It only fully roused your Martial Dao Imprint. The Nine Tribulation Azure Lotus still needs a little more."
Fang Yuan looked down at the illusory lotus in his hand. It was indeed nowhere near as brilliant as the Martial Dao Imprint in his Dantian.
"While the residual energy from the Baptism remains in your body, we'll return to the family at once and have you undergo Foundation Establishment a second time!"
Fang Yuan asked, puzzled, "Can't I break through here?"
"To ensure nothing goes wrong, I still need to make some preparations. The family has certain materials that aren't available here," Fang Zhongwu replied.
"Besides, the commotion caused by your next breakthrough will far surpass this one."
"If powerful enemies risk everything to kill you, the Ancestral Land will hardly withstand the impact. Too many ordinary people live here. And activating the sealed grand formation in advance would waste an enormous amount of resources, not to mention all the rules and restrictions. It's far more convenient at the family estate."
Of course, there was one most important reason.
Fang Zhongwu feared that trouble might arise within their own walls. The retired experts of the Wangdu Fang Family were here, after all, and even one or two of the Ten Elders might be among them.
Before Fang Yuan entered the Ancestral Hall for the Baptism, most of the family's Council Elders had already returned.
To avoid attracting attention,
Fang Yuan and Fang Zhongwu returned to the family first. The remaining ordinary elders and disciples would make their own arrangements.
"So this is what it feels like to leave the ground and fly through the air. It's truly wonderful."
Fang Yuan sped through the sky, entirely free from gravity's restraints, like a white shooting star streaking across the night.
In less than half a day,
Fang Yuan and Fang Zhongwu had returned to the family.
Just before or after their arrival, a streak of azure light swept across the sky above Clear Sea City.
An old man in a long azure robe descended at the entrance to the Fang Family estate.
A keen-eyed observer might have noticed three embroidered clouds beneath the old man's right shoulder, two finger-widths down from the seam.
That was unmistakably the insignia of the Vice Palace Master of Azure Cloud Academy!
"Azure Cloud Academy's He Someone has come to pay a visit to the Fang Family!"
He Yunsong made no effort to conceal himself. His call from the entrance was not particularly loud.
But the Inner City was full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, with countless powerful figures. And since he was right at the Fang Family's main gate, the news quickly spread among those who were paying attention.
Azure Cloud Academy.
The Great Zhou Dynasty's sacred ground for martial arts, a cultivation academy that young cultivators dreamed of attending.
Those who graduated from Azure Cloud Academy were all renowned experts in their own right.
Among them were no shortage of regional officials and Prefecture Governors wielding immense power. Some had even been appointed marquises and generals, rising to the very pinnacle of the imperial court.
"What business does a powerful figure from Azure Cloud Academy have visiting the Fang Family?"
Azure Cloud Academy's name carried enormous weight. Its arrival stirred countless people, from high-ranking officials and nobles to ordinary citizens, and everyone was talking about it.
"Looks like the rumors were all true."
When Clear Sea City's leaders learned that someone from Azure Cloud Academy had visited the Fang Family, their expressions darkened. Their suspicions had been confirmed.
Although the two Clan Heads had deliberately concealed the fact that Fang Yuan defeated Fang Lian in the Ancestral Land, it was ultimately difficult to keep under wraps.
There had simply been too many people there. At most, they could slow the spread of the news.
"To strike down a Foundation Establishment True Person while still in the Xiantian Realm—Fang Yuan is going to dominate the younger generation of the Great Zhou Dynasty!"
A Clan Head of a prominent family looked toward the Fang Family estate and let out a long sigh...
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