The Heir of the Shao Yan Clan

“I’ve never heard of this before. Buyou, tell me—what makes this man so remarkable?” Shao Yan Nong asked curiously.

Xue Hongyi stood nearby, his displeasure plain to see, yet he could only swallow it and keep it buried.

“This man is a genius of the sword-art. When he first entered the Black-White College, he defeated quite a few senior disciples in the Dao Debates. In the end, it was the reincarnated immortal, Fire Rainbow Immortal Yu Wei, who managed to defeat him. As for his current strength… it’s even more terrifying! Just recently, he forced back the Snowfeather Daoist, one of the three Primal Daoists of Snowdragon Mountain!” Buyou Realperson said quickly.

“Snowdragon Mountain?” Shao Yan Nong looked toward Xue Hongyi. “Hongyi, you’re from Snowdragon Mountain, aren’t you? Is this true?”

Xue Hongyi felt deeply frustrated and aggrieved, but he still replied in a low voice, “It’s true.”

“What realm is the Snowfeather Daoist at?” Shao Yan Nong pressed. He lived in the Grand Xia royal capital and had little knowledge of the Primal Daoists of a minor sect like Snowdragon Mountain in the Anchan Commandery.

Xue Hongyi said quietly, “Primal perfection.”

“Hahaha… this Ji Ning is definitely worth meeting.” Shao Yan Nong smiled and nodded. This journey was a critical test set by his clan, and the clan itself would offer him little assistance. The only one he had truly brought from the clan was his old servant, ‘Xiangliu Fang,’ who had protected him since childhood. As for the rest of his retinue, they were all people who had ‘offered’ themselves to him willingly.

This test was going to be quite troublesome.

His old servant needed to stay close to protect him, so he required some formidable subordinates. Hiring Primal Daoists? Immortals? Shao Yan Nong was deeply uneasy, because some heaven-defying Primal Daoists possessed combat power comparable to Immortals, capable of annihilating him, Shao Yan Nong, in an instant! He absolutely could not permit such a threat to exist.

Therefore, he could only hire Wanxiang Adepts. No matter how powerful a Wanxiang Adept might be, their strength remained within a controllable range.

Some heaven-defying Primal Daoists, however, fell outside that control.

One could never truly gauge a cultivator’s power from their surface appearance. Even if a Primal Daoist was not widely known, who knew what hidden secret arts they might possess? It was far safer to hire Wanxiang Adepts—safe, and just within the controllable threshold. The problem was that the more powerful a Wanxiang Adept was, the harder they were to recruit.

“Young master Shao Yan, this Ji Ning has only been cultivating for about thirty years. He will likely be very difficult to hire,” Xue Hongyi said hurriedly. “Moreover, he is extremely arrogant. He refused to show even my Snowdragon Mountain any face. If you go to invite him and he treats you with disrespect, young master…”

“Hahaha, he might not show face to your Snowdragon Mountain, but do you think he would dare to disrespect me?” Shao Yan Nong glanced at him. “Hongyi, I can tell that there is some bad blood between you and Snowdragon Mountain. But since he will be helping me, there is no need to dwell on the past.”

Xue Hongyi could only lower his head and reply, “Yes.”

“Let’s go. Let’s go see this Ji Ning.” Shao Yan Nong smiled, a look of eager anticipation in his eyes.

At Serpentwing Lake, on Heart Island.

Inside the study.

Ji Ning was writing characters, one stroke at a time. Qiuye was grinding ink and serving him on the side, while Nine Lotos stood to one side, watching.

“Whew.”

Ji Ning put down his brush and revealed a faint smile.

Writing was indeed a pleasure, especially when one inscribed their insights into the sword-art onto the page. The feeling was exhilarating.

“Qiuye, take these and burn them,” Ji Ning said.

“Yes, young master.” Qiuye immediately began gathering the paper.

“Qiuye,” Nine Lotos interjected. “Take them to the next room to burn. Ji Ning and I have something to discuss.”

Qiuye nodded docilely and quietly withdrew.

Only Ji Ning and Nine Lotos remained in the room.

“What secret matter requires you to send Qiuye away?” Ji Ning hung up his writing brush and looked at Nine Lotos.

Nine Lotos gazed back at him. “Ji Ning, have you ever noticed… that you are perhaps a bit too familiar with Qiuye?”

Ji Ning was startled.

“It seems to me that there is hardly any difference in how you treat me and how you treat her,” Nine Lotos said, looking at him. “I am your Dao-companion. She is merely your maidservant.”

“Hahaha.” Ji Ning laughed. “You are overthinking this.”

“No, that’s not it,” Nine Lotos insisted. “I am not as petty as you think. But you are destined to grow more powerful, to rise in status, and more followers will flock to you. How can you manage so many subordinates if there are no rules? Without rules, nothing can be accomplished! The hierarchy of status must be clear and distinct. Qiuye is a maidservant, so she is a maidservant! If you disregard the distinction between master and servant, everything will descend into chaos!”

Everything she had been taught since childhood in the Dongyan clan had led her to believe that the hierarchy of status was something that had to be maintained.

Servants were servants!

Even if one spoiled a servant, the servant must still adhere to their proper place!

“What are you trying to say?” Ji Ning frowned.

“I am only telling you that in the future, your strength will only grow, and the Ji clan will gradually become powerful,” Nine Lotos said. “A great tribe must have the appearance of a great tribe. As its pillar of support… the hierarchy around you must be even clearer! And what about you? Not to mention Qiuye, but the other ordinary servants—you actually talk and converse with them? They are mere mortal servants. Why bother with them at all?”

Ji Ning barked, “Enough!”

Nine Lotos was stunned.

“Everyone has their own way of doing things. As for Qiuye… although she is my maidservant, in my heart, she is my elder sister,” Ji Ning said, looking at Nine Lotos.

Nine Lotos gritted her teeth.

The two of them had grown up in very different environments. Ji Ning, in his past life, had come from Earth.

It was only natural that their approaches to handling matters would differ greatly.

“If you carry on like this, people will laugh at you in the future!” Nine Lotos frowned.

“Laugh at me? Who will laugh at me?” Ji Ning looked at her. “And why should I care if others laugh? I am who I am. When I truly become famous throughout the entire Grand Xia Dynasty, my every word and action will likely be worshipped instead. Lotos, haven’t you seen through this yet? Even if a man is of the lowest character, if he is a True Immortal, countless tribes will still lick his toes. But if he is a mere mortal, no matter how perfectly his conduct aligns with your so-called ‘requirements of a great tribe,’ he will still only be a joke.”

“Look at the entire Three Realms!”

“Strength is the foundation! Those with strength are the truly mighty!” Ji Ning looked at Nine Lotos.

Nine Lotos could feel the immense resolve and the fierce ambition blazing in Ji Ning’s eyes.

She lowered her head.

“Fine. I won’t say any more. In time, you will understand on your own.” Nine Lotos turned and began to walk outside.

Just at that moment…

A powerful ripple began to emanate from the distant skies.

“Hmm?” Ji Ning and Nine Lotos both turned to look into the distance. They could both sense this wave of energy.

Despite their earlier argument, the two of them flew up into the air together.

In midair, Ji Ning, Nine Lotos, Mu Northson, Yu Wei, and Cangjiang Realperson had all gathered.

“Who is it?” Ji Ning immediately spotted an ancient-looking ship hovering in the distance. War banners fluttered atop the ship, embroidered with the words, ‘Shao Yan.’

“The Shao Yan clan!” Nine Lotos was shocked.

“The Shao Yan clan?” Cangjiang Realperson was also stunned.

As for Ji Ning, Mu Northson, and Yu Wei, they had never heard of it before and were looking around in confusion.

Cangjiang Realperson quickly transmitted to them, “Junior apprentice-brothers and sisters, be careful. The Shao Yan clan is one of the top ten most powerful clans in the entire Grand Xia Dynasty. Many of its members hold official posts in the Grand Xia court and exert enormous influence over this major world. They have no fewer than three titled marquises in their clan, and their three marquisate fiefdoms are far larger than the Anchan Commandery.”

Nine Lotos also transmitted, “Just in terms of their fiefdoms alone, the Shao Yan clan is nearly a hundred times larger than the Anchan Commandery! Their accumulated heritage runs so deep that it is said this clan began to flourish shortly after this major world was first born. They were an incredibly powerful force even during the long primordial Fiendgod Era.”

Ji Ning, Mu Northson, and Yu Wei were all shaken by this.

“That is insane.” Mu Northson blinked.

“Three marquises in a single clan?” Ji Ning had seen the map of the Grand Xia Dynasty before. Indeed, three separate commandery fiefdoms belonged to the Shao Yan clan, all scattered in different locations, yet each of those commanderies was enormous in size, far larger than ordinary ones.

“With such a powerful clan, why would their warship come to my Serpentwing Lake?” Ji Ning was utterly perplexed.

At that moment, the ancient warship in the distance split open, forming a passageway. A man in azure robes emerged, flanked by a tall, gaunt, dark-skinned middle-aged man with narrow, long eyes. Behind them followed Xue Hongyi, Buyou, and a crowd of Wanxiang Adepts and Zifu Disciples.

“Xue Hongyi?” Ji Ning recognized him at once.

Xue Hongyi glanced back at Ji Ning.

“Everyone, be careful,” Nine Lotos transmitted hurriedly. “That man in azure robes… is Shao Yan Nong, one of the ‘Four Young Masters’ of the Grand Xia royal capital. Shao Yan Nong’s status is extraordinary. If nothing unexpected happens, he will become the next leader of the Shao Yan clan, the new ‘Feather Duke.’”

Ji Ning, Mu Northson, Cangjiang Realperson, and Yu Wei all gasped inwardly.

The next leader of the Shao Yan clan?

Such a heavyweight figure?

“Dong Yan Yun pays respects to young master Shao Yan,” Nine Lotos said with a smile.

“You recognize me?” Shao Yan Nong was surprised. “Dong Yan Yun? Could you be the Nine Lotos of the Dong Yan clan?”

“That is correct,” Nine Lotos nodded.

Shao Yan Nong smiled and nodded in return. Having been groomed from a young age, he was familiar with the important figures of the top-tier powers ruling over this major world. Nine Lotos was the next leader of the Dong Yan clan, so he naturally knew of her as well. It had been a long time, but with a moment’s recollection, he remembered everything.

“Nine Lotos, you are far more beautiful than the portrait I saw of you back then. In that painting, you looked much more juvenile,” Shao Yan Nong said with a laugh.

Nine Lotos smiled. “Allow me to introduce you to everyone, young master Shao Yan. This is my Dao-companion, Ji Ning.”

“Dao-companion?” Shao Yan Nong was startled for a moment, then nodded. “Indeed, a perfect match.”

“This is my senior apprentice-sister, Fire Rainbow Immortal Yu Wei, also a reincarnated immortal.” Nine Lotos pointed to the nearby black-robed maiden, Yu Wei.

Shao Yan Nong’s eyes lit up.

Nine Lotos was already a beautiful woman with an exceptional presence, but Fire Rainbow Immortal Yu Wei was even more captivating, causing the eyes of Shao Yan Nong, who frequented the Grand Xia royal capital, to sparkle.

“This is my senior apprentice-brother, Cangjiang Realperson, also a reincarnated immortal. And this is my junior apprentice-brother, Mu Northson,” Nine Lotos said.

Once she finished her introductions,

“Greetings, young master Shao Yan,” Ji Ning, Mu Northson, Yu Wei, and Cangjiang Realperson all saluted.

Shao Yan Nong nodded. He could tell that every single one of these people was extraordinary.

Buyou Realperson even sent him a secret transmission: “Congratulations, young master Shao Yan. The Fire Rainbow Immortal and Cangjiang Realperson are also the Black-White College’s most elite geniuses, comparable to Ji Ning himself.”

Shao Yan Nong looked at Ji Ning and the others, then said with a smile, “Speaking of which, there is a matter for which I would like to ask for your help.”

Ji Ning and the others exchanged glances.

“Please, speak your mind, young master Shao Yan,” Ji Ning said.