The Old Marquis's Decision

Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion, Deliberation Hall.

The Old Marquis sat in the highest position. Although he was over eighty years old and had a few strands of white hair at his temples, he was still full of vigor, his eyes sharp, and he exuded an aura of authority without being angry.

For someone who had reached the Martial Venerable level of cultivation, eighty years old was not considered old. Some long-lived Martial Venerables could even live to one hundred and eighty years old.

Ning Qianwen, Ning Qianwu, and other important figures of the second and third generations of the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion sat upright below. No one dared to meet the Old Marquis's gaze; it was the inherent power of a Martial Venerable, surpassing all other Martial Practitioners.

Ning Qianwu said, "Father, the Blood Devouring Demon Sect actually dared to openly kill a direct descendant of our Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion in the Imperial City. This is simply a provocation to the dignity of our Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion. This revenge must be taken!"

The Old Marquis calmly said, "This matter cannot be the work of the Blood Devouring Demon Sect!"

Ning Qianwu said, "But those two servants were indeed drained of their Essence Blood and died, turning into two Dried Corpses. Besides the Blood Devouring Demon Sect, is there anyone else who knows such a sinister and overbearing demonic technique?"

"If I say it's not, then it's not. I'm not old yet, do I need you to help me judge things?" The Old Marquis's Blood Qi was thick, and his voice was as loud as a great bell, causing Ning Qianwu's Blood Qi to churn within him, unable to utter a single word.

The old man's cultivation has become stronger again. Ning Qianwu was inwardly horrified. The Old Marquis's voice made his eardrums ache, and all nine of his Blood Vessels were sealed, making it impossible for his Martial Dao Profound Qi to circulate.

The Old Marquis said, "Fourth child, I know your son died and you harbor hatred in your heart, but I can guarantee that this matter was not done by the Blood Devouring Demon Sect. The murderer must be someone else. This matter must be thoroughly investigated. Whoever dares to be an enemy of our Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion will surely pay a heavy price."

"Qianwu understands!" Ning Qianwu retreated. Arguing with the Old Marquis was unwise. The old man had lived for nearly a hundred years, and he couldn't tolerate any sand in his eyes; nothing could be hidden from him.

The Old Marquis then said, "In three months, it will be the day of the Heavenly Emperor Academy's enrollment. There will definitely be competition between the various Marquisates. The more descendants who pass the examination and enter the Heavenly Emperor Academy, the stronger the next generation of the Marquis's Mansion will be. This time, we cannot lose to other Marquisates. Qianwen, how many young descendants in the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion have reached the Profound Qi Seventh Level of cultivation?"

Ning Qianwen was the Old Marquis's eldest son, and more than half of the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion's property was managed by him. Even though he was over fifty years old, he still held the Old Marquis in great awe. He said, "There are a total of one hundred and thirty-four young descendants under the age of eighteen who have reached the Profound Qi Seventh Level of cultivation. Among them, Xin'er recently reached the Divine Body Realm, her talent is simply astonishing."

"Oh!" The Old Marquis's stern face immediately showed joy. He slapped the chair beneath him and laughed heartily, "Good! Good! That girl Xin'er is truly promising. At only fourteen years old, she has entered the Divine Body Realm, even more formidable than this Old Man was back then. She can be called the number one genius of my Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion."

The Old Marquis was very happy. At the same time, Ning Xiaochuan's figure appeared in his mind. If this unfortunate child hadn't suffered from a Congenital Disease, he would definitely be even more outstanding than his sister. Alas! What a pity!

Ning Qianwen remained calm and continued, "Many of these young geniuses from the Marquis's Mansion are training outside, some of them even honing themselves in the Military Camp. A total of seventy-nine people have returned now, and their cultivation has all reached the Profound Qi Seventh Level or above."

The Old Marquis said, "Call them all in! Also... call Ning Xiaochuan in as well! I have something important to announce."

Ning Qianwu's eyes narrowed, and his expression became somewhat unnatural. He thought to himself, Does the Old Marquis want to establish that sickly person as the heir of the Marquis's Mansion?

In the Deliberation Hall, many people showed strange expressions, having the same thought as Ning Qianwu.

Although Ning Xiaochuan suffered from a Congenital Disease and could not cultivate the Martial Dao, he could still marry and have children.

The Old Marquis was still in his prime. With the Old Marquis's favoritism towards Ning Xiaochuan, he could completely wait for a few more decades and cultivate Ning Xiaochuan's son to become the heir of the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion.

This was what truly worried Ning Qianwu, and it was also the reason why he was eager to get rid of Ning Xiaochuan.

The Deliberation Hall of the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion was extremely majestic and vast. Even accommodating hundreds of people would not feel crowded.

Ning Xiaochuan and the seventy-nine young geniuses of the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion walked into the Deliberation Hall together, in perfect order, and respectfully bowed to the Sword Pavilion Marquis.

Ning Xiaochuan walked among the many geniuses, slightly surprised. There were too many young masters in the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion. There were both men and women. The men were heroic and spirited, and the women were beautiful and proud. Every one of them was a Martial Dao expert, and none of them had a lower cultivation than him.

These were not only the direct descendants of the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion, but also many collateral descendants.

This was the thousand-year foundation of a hereditary Marquis's Mansion, with deep roots, far from what non-hereditary Marquisates could compare to.

The Yulan Empire had been founded for over eight hundred years. There were many Kings, Marquises, Generals, and Ministers. It was now a prosperous and flourishing empire, with many Royal Marquises emerging and the Martial Dao greatly flourishing.

Royal Marquises were divided into "Hereditary Royal Marquises" and "Non-Hereditary Royal Marquises".

The so-called Hereditary Royal Marquises referred to the "Eighteen Founding Heroes" of the Yulan Empire at the time of its founding, the fourteen Great Marquises and the four Great Kings. These Royal Marquises could be passed down from generation to generation. If the father died, the son could continue to be a Royal Marquis. If the son died, the grandson could continue to be a Royal Marquis.

The Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion is one of the Fourteen Great Hereditary Marquisates, having been passed down for nearly a thousand years. It possesses a deep foundation, vast power, and numerous lineages. In terms of strength, it is far from comparable to those non-hereditary marquises who rose from humble beginnings. Even when compared to sects and martial academies, it is not much weaker.

Hereditary marquises are also called "Noble Marquises," while non-hereditary marquises are called "Humble Marquises."

Ning Xiaochuan subtly glanced in Ning Qianwu's direction, then immediately withdrew his gaze, quickly retracting all of his Martial Dao Profound Qi into his Heart Palace, continuing to feign the appearance of a sickly person.

"Three months from now is the five-yearly opening of the Heavenly Emperor Academy. You are all the most outstanding descendants of the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion, and now is your best chance to push yourselves. For the next three months, you will be sent to 'Fire Demon Mountain' for training. This training will be extremely arduous, and there is even a possibility of dying there. If anyone is afraid to go, you can step forward now." The Old Marquis sat above, his gaze calmly sweeping over the young descendants of the Marquis's Mansion below.

Upon hearing the words "Fire Demon Mountain," even the expressions of the third and second generation elders of the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion changed slightly.

"Legend has it that Fire Demon Mountain is an ancient primitive mountain range spanning thousands of miles, where Black Fire Wood grows. The soil in the mountain burns year-round and has not been extinguished for a thousand years. It is a truly dangerous demon mountain."

"I heard there are fierce Mystic Beasts inside, their bodies as large as palaces, capable of tearing apart mountains with a single claw."

"I heard that a Martial Venerable perished in Fire Demon Mountain and turned into a Mountain Guardian Corpse Slave of Fire Demon Mountain. They appear at night, specifically killing Martial Practitioners who venture into Fire Demon Mountain."

Although those young descendants were all wary of Fire Demon Mountain, their resolve was quite firm, and no one withdrew.

The Old Marquis nodded in satisfaction and said, "Don't worry! With your cultivation, venturing into Fire Demon Mountain would be suicide. The place you will be training this time is only the 'Five Desolate Mountain Range' in the northwest corner of Fire Demon Mountain, which is the outer area of Fire Demon Mountain. Relatively speaking, the danger level is much lower."

Upon hearing this, those young geniuses immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

The Old Marquis continued, "This time, for the training in the Five Desolate Mountain Range, each of you will be given one hundred drops of First Grade Heart Nourishing Elixir and one hundred drops of First Grade Blood Accumulation Elixir, so that your cultivation can achieve a qualitative breakthrough and you can achieve excellent results in the Heavenly Emperor Academy assessment three months later. Anyone who can pass the assessment and enter the Heavenly Emperor Academy will be rewarded with an Intermediate Pill, and the most outstanding person will even be rewarded with a Profound Weapon."

Boom!

It erupted! The rewards were too generous, making everyone tremble with excitement. An "Intermediate Pill" was something all Martial Practitioners dreamed of, and a Profound Weapon was an invaluable treasure of war.

Ning Xiaochuan also sighed in his heart, 'As expected of a hereditary marquisate that has been passed down for nearly a thousand years, they are truly wealthy and powerful. One hundred drops of Heart Nourishing Elixir and Blood Accumulation Elixir for each person, that is a huge fortune, not to mention the value of Intermediate Pills and Profound Weapons.'

Marquis's Mansions truly do not spare money when cultivating talented descendants, and only geniuses can receive such treatment.

"There is one more thing I need to announce!" The Old Marquis's gaze fixed on Ning Xiaochuan, revealing an extremely complex expression in his eyes: affection, regret, helplessness, struggle. Finally, as if he had made a decision, he said, "My grandson Ning Xiaochuan, due to a congenital disease, cannot cultivate Martial Dao Profound Qi. I plan to bestow upon him the 'Begonia Manor' in Nanshan Village outside the Imperial City. From now on, he will be the Manor Lord of Begonia Manor and will no longer need to live in the Marquis's Mansion. Xiaochuan, are you willing?"

Everyone looked at Ning Xiaochuan with pity.

Although the Old Marquis had bestowed a manor upon him, anyone with a discerning eye could see that the Old Marquis had completely given up on him, exiling him to Nanshan Village to fend for himself.

He didn't even have the right to live in the Marquis's Mansion, completely becoming a marginal figure in the Marquis's Mansion, and it was even more impossible for him to become the heir of the Marquis's Mansion.

Ning Qianwu was overjoyed in his heart. It seemed the Old Marquis had completely given up on Ning Xiaochuan, but this was only human nature. Who would keep raising a sickly person? It would just be a waste of a large amount of the Marquis's Mansion's resources.

Ning Xiner anxiously said, "Grandfather, although Begonia Manor is not far from the Imperial City, my brother's body is weak. If he goes to Begonia Manor and no one takes care of him, he..."

"Xin'er, the Marquis is doing this for Xiaochuan's sake. Begonia Manor has an elegant environment and fresh air, it is a paradise. There are servants to take care of him, it is a good place to recuperate!" Ning Qianwen reprimanded.

"Eldest Uncle."

Ning Xiner bit her lip tightly, then looked at the Old Marquis with pleading eyes again, saying, "Grandfather, if you really want to send my brother to Begonia Manor, then I won't go to the Five Desolate Mountain Range for training, and I won't go to the Heavenly Emperor Academy. I will go to Begonia Manor to take care of my brother. I only have one brother, and no one is more important than him!"

She pursed her lips, her hands tightly holding Ning Xiaochuan's arm, afraid that someone would take her brother away.

Ning Xiaochuan gently patted Ning Xiner's small hand and said with a serious expression, "I am willing to go to Begonia Manor. I accept the Marquis's bestowal."

"Brother!" Ning Xiner said.

"Xin'er, are you still listening to your brother? Go to the Five Desolate Mountain Range and cultivate well. When your cultivation becomes strong, come to Begonia Manor to see your brother. Your brother will definitely be very pleased." Ning Xiaochuan smiled.

Ning Xiaochuan was afraid of exposing the fact that he could cultivate Martial Dao Profound Qi and had long wanted to leave the Marquis's Mansion. Now that he had such a good opportunity, how could he give it up?

The Heavens are helping me! Ning Qianwu saw that he actually agreed to go to Begonia Manor on his own initiative, and a knowing smile appeared on his face. This kid was completely finished!