The Ancestor's Past and a Path of Cultivation Rejected by the Plane

Early the next morning, after finishing his morning training and enjoying a hearty breakfast, Qiangu Yunche walked along a quiet, tree-lined path toward the depths of the valley.

The Qiangu Clan remained in seclusion. This several-thousand-meter-long gorge within the Heaven Star Mountain Range in the southern Star Luo Empire served as the clan's residence.

The outer parts of the gorge housed the clan's collateral branches, while the central area belonged to the direct lineage. Further in lived only Qiangu Yunche's great-grandfather and the six elders.

The dense canopy blocked out the sun, scattering mottled light and shadow.

A gentle breeze drifted by, rustling the leaves. The stone slabs beneath his feet were slightly cool, and all was tranquil.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, Qiangu Yunche arrived before a wooden cottage.

There was a small courtyard in front of the cottage. When Qiangu Yunche arrived, Qiangu Qing was reclining in a lounge chair with his eyes closed, resting.

"Great-Grandfather, I'm here."

Qiangu Yunche bowed, then stood quietly where he was, letting the breeze tousle his short black hair.

Qiangu Qing opened his eyes, a faint smile appearing on his face.

"Yunche, do you know why I called you here?"

Qiangu Yunche hesitated slightly.

"Because of my Martial Soul?"

Qiangu Qing did not answer directly. His gaze passed through the treetops toward the clear blue sky, and then he abruptly asked:

"Yunche, tell me, how high does one have to cultivate before it can be called high enough?"

Hmm...?

Great-Grandfather, are you looking to improve too?

Qiangu Yunche pursed his lips and said:

"The path has no end, but this world's limit is rank ninety-nine. Still, I think there may be even more magnificent sights beyond the heavens."

Qiangu Qing smiled faintly and nodded in strong agreement.

"Yunche, did you know that the Qiangu Clan once nearly produced a true god?"

"Ancestor Wuchen, the clan's strongest figure in a thousand years." Since childhood, Qiangu Yunche had studied the clan's records and was deeply familiar with the life of this brilliant ancestor from a millennium ago.

The first twenty years of this ancestor's life had not been especially extraordinary. Even at the age of twenty, he had only been a high-ranking Soul King.

Yet after he broke through to Soul Emperor, his cultivation suddenly advanced by leaps and bounds. By around the age of thirty, he had become a Limit Douluo.

He was undoubtedly a peerless expert of legendary stature. Yet according to the records, this powerhouse, who had reached the limit of humanity at such a young age and had every chance of becoming a god, ultimately died with shocking suddenness—one could even call it bizarre.

By now, those records had long become vague and unclear. Moreover, the crucial portions seemed to have been deliberately erased by other ancestors of the Qiangu Clan.

Still, saying that a Limit Douluo in his thirties had ultimately died of illness...

Who would believe that?

Emotions Qiangu Yunche could not understand flickered in Qiangu Qing's eyes. After a moment of silence, he suddenly spoke.

"Yunche, I'll tell you the truth. The reason Ancestor Wuchen reached a point only one step away from godhood was because he once killed an Auspicious Beast and used the Evil-Breaking Dragon Soul to devour its destiny and fortune."

An Auspicious Beast!

The term made Yunche's heart skip a beat.

In any world of Soul Beasts, an Auspicious Beast was an exceptionally unique and important existence. It could be said to determine the rise and fall of an entire Soul Beast world.

But Qiangu Qing gave Yunche no time to be shocked. His voice continued.

"Back then, Ancestor Wuchen happened to encounter an auspicious beast that had just been born in the Southern Dense Forest. At first, he was merely amazed that such a legendary creature truly existed. He had no intention of killing it, and even drove away an evil Soul Beast that had arrived first, intending to devour the Auspicious Beast."

"I don't know much about what happened afterward, but in the end, that auspicious beast still died at Ancestor Wuchen's hands."

At this point, Qiangu Qing slowly rose from his lounge chair. Qiangu Yunche hurried forward to support him, and the great-grandfather and grandson walked into the cottage together.

The furnishings inside were simple, almost all made of wood. The most eye-catching item was a huge bookshelf that occupied nearly an entire wall.

The books were ancient and worn, covered in signs of having been read countless times. Clearly, after repeatedly failing to use the Same-Position Resonance Method to condense a second Soul Core and break through to Limit Douluo, Qiangu Qing's temperament had become increasingly calm and detached. He had long since entered a true life of retirement.

After taking a seat in a wooden chair, Qiangu Qing looked at Qiangu Yunche again and continued.

"What comes next may sound a little unbelievable to you, Yunche."

"For some reason, the Evil-Breaking Dragon Soul within Ancestor Wuchen's Martial Soul devoured the fortune and destiny of that auspicious beast itself. Because of this, Ancestor Wuchen's path of cultivation afterward was filled with opportunities and went smoothly and safely, all the way to the level of Limit Douluo."

Qiangu Yunche was somewhat stunned. He had not expected that one of the clan's ancestors had once devoured an Auspicious Beast.

But thinking about it now, the Auspicious Beast Ancestor Wuchen had devoured was at most comparable to a Golden Hawksbill Turtle. It possessed some of an Auspicious Beast's destiny and abilities, but could not influence the entire forest.

Otherwise, if it had truly been an imperial Auspicious Beast like the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, the truly powerful beings in the Southern Dense Forest would likely have pursued Ancestor Wuchen and the others to the death.

At this point, Qiangu Qing sighed.

"The clan records offer many different explanations for Ancestor Wuchen's death. Some say it was a backlash from fate, while others say that Ancestor Wuchen himself developed a problem with his state of mind. But in my view, the fundamental issue was likely that he had been loathed and rejected by the Plane Laws."

Qiangu Yunche thought of something and spoke.

"The Unyielding Staff Technique?"

Qiangu Qing was somewhat surprised that Qiangu Yunche had immediately connected it to the Unyielding Staff Technique. But after recovering, what he felt more was gratification and approval at Qiangu Yunche's intelligence.

"That's right. The Unyielding Staff Technique was first created by Ancestor Wuchen and later passed down to the clan's descendants."

"The essence and profound meaning of the Coiling Dragon Staff lies in being unyielding. The Unyielding Staff Technique was likewise born from that very principle."

"The essence of both is to break through laws, forcibly borrow the power of laws, and look down upon the heavens. That is equivalent to opposing heaven and earth. How could a Limit Douluo whose path of cultivation was almost entirely defying the heavens transcend within a world that had already come to loathe him?"

Those words struck like thunder. Even Qiangu Yunche, a transmigrator, could not help but marvel at the wisdom and insight of his great-grandfather.

Qiangu Qing's gaze settled on Qiangu Yunche once more. This time, it was no longer so calm. It held endless expectation and fervor.

"Yunche, I have a feeling that you are completely different from Ancestor Wuchen and everyone else in the clan. In you, I see the potential to restore our ancestor's glory—and even surpass him."

"You are the person in the clan most likely to reach that realm in a thousand years. And yesterday, I also saw in your eyes the ambition and passion to match."

After saying this, Qiangu Qing spoke no further. He waved his hand.

"Go. Think carefully about what I told you."

"Also, tomorrow I'll personally take you to obtain your first Soul Ring. You... prepare yourself..."

Qiangu Qing's eyes were profound. That gaze shook Qiangu Yunche to his core, and he could no longer spare any thought for his earlier shock as he hurriedly responded respectfully...