Protect Our Patriarch

...

While speaking, Jiang Zhencang had already entered the Trial Hall, painfully inserting spiritual stones into a certain spot on the wall.

Soon enough.

The pearls embedded in the dome of the Trial Hall began to light up one by one. Brilliant light poured down, illuminating the entire hall in an instant.

Simultaneously, the walls around the hall lit up with flowing lights, colorful and magnificent. The cocoon-like pods standing against the walls also lit up as if powered by electricity.

The entire Trial Hall seemed to come alive at that moment.

Witnessing this scene, Wang Shouzhe felt a tremor in his heart, as if he was experiencing a time-traveling illusion.

He seemed to see the gaming competition venues of his past life, and the officers of the Shenwu Army entering the pods one by one, improving themselves through repeated simulation training, growing rapidly, and then rushing to the battlefield like moths to a flame...

The chaotic thoughts and fragments made him feel a bit disoriented for a moment.

At this time, Jiang Zhencang's voice rang out.

Wang Shouzhe snapped back to reality and saw that Jiang Zhencang had finished inserting the spiritual stones. He turned around, seemingly relieved of a heavy burden, and began to invite everyone to sit down: "Some people are still on their way. Once everyone is here, we'll officially start the trial. I'll first adjust the instruments and fine-tune the details."

To ensure the fairness of the Holy Son Struggle, the entire trial process would be conducted under the supervision (observation) of everyone. Elders from various peaks and veins could come and watch if they wished.

Inside the Trial Hall, to prevent the trial equipment from being damaged, an isolation formation was specially set up, keeping the venue clean and ready for use without needing cleaning.

For this Holy Son Struggle, Lingyun Holy Land had also prepared a batch of on-site reception staff. They were all young and promising core disciples from various veins.

Anyone who could be judged as a core disciple in Lingyun Holy Land was a prodigy under the age of one hundred and fifty. Although their cultivation was only at the Celestial Realm, they were all composed and confident, exuding a unique youthful vigor.

This also showed Lingyun Holy Land's relentless efforts in cultivating the younger generation.

"Senior Wang, this way, please."

A youthful and beautiful female disciple walked up to Wang Shouzhe and bowed to him.

She looked very young, definitely not over a hundred years old, and was wearing the standard female Basalt combat attire of Lingyun Holy Land, looking very spirited.

This combat attire was made from spirit plant fibers produced in Green Emperor Valley. It wasn't as soft and comfortable as silk, but it was more durable and energy-conductive, making it very suitable for Basalt cultivators who needed frequent combat training.

The attire was in light gold tones, looking both elegant and noble, with three small golden swords embroidered on the hem and cuffs.

The golden swords were the symbol of the Taiyi Golden Sun lineage. Three swords indicated that the owner of this attire was at the Celestial Realm.

Clearly, this girl's strength was impressive, comparable to Fang You'an back in the day.

While speaking, the young girl sneaked a glance at Wang Shouzhe, her confident eyes seemingly filled with admiration and curiosity for him.

"Thank you, young lady."

Wang Shouzhe nodded slightly and followed her to the front row of seats.

Nowadays, Wang Shouzhe was no longer an obscure little figure but a significant person who could profoundly influence various aspects of the Great Qian. Even in Lingyun Holy Land, he was treated as a very important guest.

"Senior Wang, here is your plate of spiritual fruits and spiritual tea." The young girl took out some pre-prepared fruit platters and snacks from her storage ring. "If you have any special requests, feel free to let us know."

"Thank you, young lady. By the way, are you a disciple of the Taiyi Golden Sun lineage?" Wang Shouzhe asked politely.

"Replying to Senior, this junior is named Xu Chuchu, seventy-six years old, unmarried, from the Xu Clan of Guilong, and a disciple under Master Xuanjue of the Taiyi Golden Sun lineage, practicing the first half of the Taiyi Gengjin Sword Technique. I just advanced to the Celestial Realm two years ago." Xu Chuchu quickly answered a series of questions, her eyes seemingly a bit shy.

"…"

Wang Shouzhe was speechless for a moment.

I just asked casually, and you're giving me your life story? Sigh~ Being handsome is really troublesome, attracting attention wherever I go.

However, seeing the younger generation already making their mark in the Holy Land, he couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia.

Time truly flies. Wang Shouzhe was almost two hundred years old now, unknowingly becoming a senior in others' eyes.

"Senior, I heard that in the Imperial Heir Struggle over seventy years ago, you single-handedly turned the tides in Guilong City, dominating the scene and ultimately securing victory!" Xu Chuchu's eyes were filled with uncontrollable admiration. "Even our legendary uncle-master Gongyang Ce of the Taiyi Golden Sun lineage was defeated by you and sent to the Immortal Dynasty for reflection."

Well… Gongyang Ce is still your uncle-master, you know. Is it really okay to be this excited about his defeat?

Wang Shouzhe glanced not far away: "I guess you weren't originally assigned to greet me."

"How did Senior know?" Xu Chuchu was shocked. "I grew up in Guilong City, listening to your stories. Moreover, our Xu Clan of Guilong gained a lot of benefits during the development of the Dala Great Desert, and the elders often praised you. When I heard you were coming to observe, I specifically swapped reception duties with Senior Sister Zining from the Glazed King Hall."

"Because the Peak Master of your Golden Sun Peak, Langya Daoist, is glaring at me as if he wants to eat me alive, probably afraid I'll take you away." Wang Shouzhe chuckled, cupping his hands in greeting to Langya Daoist not far away.

Langya Daoist's face darkened, but he had no choice but to return the greeting to Shouzhe.

Though he was the head of the Taiyi Golden Sun lineage in the Holy Land and the Peak Master of Golden Sun Peak, in terms of influence and status in the Great Qian, he might not compare to Wang Shouzhe.

Therefore, Langya Daoist couldn't put on airs in front of Wang Shouzhe, even if he didn't particularly like him. He had to maintain appearances.

Xu Chuchu was so frightened that her face turned pale, and she shrank back two steps, not daring to speak further.

Langya Daoist was her grandmaster...

After this little episode, Wang Shouzhe felt much more relaxed.

Although compared to the perilous and long-lasting Imperial Heir Struggle, the Holy Son Struggle in Lingyun Holy Land seemed a bit hasty, as long as there were reasonable rules, the Peerless Prodigy would always have the highest chance of winning.

Moreover, he didn't believe his daughter Wang Liyao would lose to anyone in terms of overall quality.

After all, she was the daughter he had personally taught. No one knew Liyao's abilities better than him.

Not to mention, under Liyao's management, Longzuo Academy had been thriving over the years, rising from fifth to third among the seven academies.

Given more time, rising to first place wasn't impossible.

Even if Liyao couldn't secure the position of Saintess or obtain the Lingxu Codex's inheritance, there was no need to worry.

Firstly, there was still the Immortal Palace to explore. With her Peerless Prodigy qualifications, she had a good chance of securing an inheritance.

Secondly, there was also the option of making use of the Shenwu Royal Dynasty's mid-to-high-level officer academy.

The worst-case scenario would be to take Wang Anye to the depths of the Southern or Northern Wilderness to try their luck and see if they could unearth any Lingxu inheritance relics.

No matter what, there were always more solutions than difficulties.

Thinking of Anye, Wang Shouzhe felt much more at ease.

Anye was now ninety years old, at an age where he could serve as a pillar of the family.

For the task of searching for the Blood Venerable's lair relics, he planned to send Anye along with Zongchang. Zongchang was the family's reconnaissance expert, and Anye always had good luck. Together, they might have some wonderful reactions.

Setting aside idle chatter for now.

In the meantime, the peak masters, hall masters, and valley masters of the Holy Land's nine veins were all taking their seats in the front row.

They, along with Wang Shouzhe, were seated in the same row, as the main guests of this Holy Son Struggle.

Additionally, behind each of them stood a young person with an extraordinary bearing, each exuding a unique charm, clearly the most outstanding successors of their respective veins.

Since the Holy Son Struggle didn't concern itself with background, any great prodigy from Lingyun Holy Land could participate, with no limit on the number of participants. Moreover, due to the special trial mechanism, unlike the Imperial Heir Struggle of the royal family, where a strong vein could hold an absolute advantage, this was purely based on individual quality, making it very fair and just.

As for the royal family, they generally didn't express opinions directly during this process.

However, if a great prodigy from the Holy Land could gain strong support from the royal family, they would receive more abundant cultivation resources, more training opportunities, and could even enhance their qualifications with treasures from the royal family's treasury, thereby establishing an advantageous position in the Holy Son Struggle.

That's how Jiang Zhencang did it back then.

However, this Holy Son Struggle was quite special, as there were three candidates for the position of Saintess from the Wang Clan, making the situation unpredictable.

Because of this, even before the Holy Son Struggle began, there were already undercurrents surging, with each vein secretly working hard to cultivate their own great prodigy.

For example, Yunyang Daoist had been secretly cultivating Wang Lici early on, and Tianhe Daoist had clearly been doing the same, having started cultivating Liyao as a successor long ago.

If they were taking such actions, how could the other veins not have some secretive moves? In short, within their capabilities, everyone was showcasing their skills.

"Yunyang, I heard your Lici is a prodigy B-grade?" Heavenly Fire Master, with his red hair and beard and voice like a bell, chatted with Yunyang Daoist, "That really makes us from the South Ming Leaving Fire lineage envious."

"Haha~ Your Zhen Shicong isn't bad either." Yunyang Daoist was in high spirits, his face slightly flushed, "That kid has been getting close to Lici and the others recently. He's a clever one, and might just have a chance to turn the tables this time."

"Not at all, that kid is just here to join in the fun." Heavenly Fire Master waved his hand with a smile, then curiously asked, "I heard your Lici is practicing the first part of the True Method of the Glazed King? Why not accept the true method inheritance from the Taiyi Golden Sun lineage?"

"Heh~ With Langya in charge of the Taiyi Golden Sun lineage, and that guy loves to target me the most, if I let Lici be exposed to him early, he would definitely use all sorts of despicable means to snatch her away." Yunyang Daoist sneered, "I have to guard against that."

Not far away, Langya Daoist's face was already dark enough to drip water.

Damn Yunyang, when did I ever target you?

"You and Langya are still at odds?" Heavenly Fire Master asked in surprise, "Didn't you two just recently put aside your differences and even joined forces to pressure Holy Master Jiang to start the Holy Son Struggle early?"

"What do you mean by 'at odds'? The enmity between Langya and me is deep and irreconcilable." Yunyang Daoist waved his sleeve, "Previously, it was for Lici's future that I compromised with that old dog Langya. It was all just a temporary measure."

Langya Daoist almost fainted.

Just a while ago, when they were pressuring the master together, it was all 'senior brother this' and 'senior brother that'. Now that it's over, from 'that Langya guy', to 'that Langya scoundrel', and now 'that old dog Langya', damn, the change is too fast.

Gongyang Ce, standing behind Langya Daoist, was also dumbfounded.

What kind of grudge or enmity exists between Master and Uncle Yunyang for their relationship to be this bad?

"Forget it, forget it, Yunyang has always been like this since he was a child. If I were to take issue with him on every little thing, I might just lose a few hundred years of my life." Langya Daoist focused inwardly, as usual, ignoring Yunyang and pretending not to hear or see him.

Various parties were gradually taking their seats.

"Oh, isn't this Master Wang Shouzhe? Your Wang Clan is the big winner today, occupying four spots in the Holy Son Struggle." A rugged-looking man with a perfect physique greeted with a hearty laugh.

This man was naturally Mingcheng Zhenren from the Glazed King Hall lineage.

Behind him stood a woman with her hands behind her back, wearing a goose-yellow Basalt combat attire, exuding an extraordinary presence.

This woman carried an aura of dominance and authority uncommon in ordinary women. Who else could it be but Wang Luo Qiu?

"Greetings, Senior Mingcheng." Wang Shouzhe stood up and saluted, his eyes slightly surprised as he looked at Luo Qiu. "Could it be that Luo Qiu is also participating in the Holy Son Struggle?"

He was puzzled. Could it be that Luo Qiu had unknowingly become a Peerless Prodigy?

"My Luo Qiu is just a prodigy B-grade bloodline, participating in the Holy Son Struggle just for fun." Mingcheng Zhenren was humble, yet exuded a sense of profound mystery.

But the "empress" aura of Wang Luo Qiu behind him showed a hint of embarrassment. She had already told her master and grandmaster that even with a prodigy A-grade bloodline, the chances of winning were low.

But they didn't believe it and insisted on gathering resources to obtain an eighth-grade immortal pill from Baibao Pavilion to improve her bloodline—[Rebirth Immortal Pill], elevating her from B-grade to A-grade!

The Rebirth Immortal Pill's effect on bloodline enhancement was extremely domineering. Even though she had already entered the Purple Mansion Realm and her bloodline level had reached the Saint Body level, she still endured considerable hardship under her grandmaster's protection to advance from prodigy B-grade to A-grade.

Wang Luo Qiu wasn't afraid of hardship, but she feared her grandmaster would use her A-grade bloodline as a trump card, creating a mysterious aura in front of her Fourth Brother, making her face burn.

Moreover, she couldn't possibly tell her grandmaster that her niece and grandniece were already Peerless Prodigies, could she?

"Luo Qiu," Wang Shouzhe encouraged, "No matter the result, just show your brilliance. Fourth Brother believes you'll one day walk the path of the emperor."

"Got it, old—Fourth Brother..." Wang Luo Qiu's spirit was instantly lifted.

After Mingcheng Zhenren and Wang Shouzhe "showed off" their disciples, they took their leave and began mingling with other Zhenren.

"This time is really lively." Jiang Zhencang sat in the center of the main seats, his eyes scanning left and right. "I never expected that the number of participants in this Holy Son Struggle would far exceed my generation. It seems like there will be quite a fierce competition."

"Holy Master Jiang," Tianlang Zhenren, sitting beside him, calculated and sighed, "It seems that only Xuandan Pavilion and Purple Sky Thunder Peak won't participate this time. After all, Xuandan Pavilion focuses on alchemy assistance and has no chance of winning..."

Tianlang Zhenren was a gentle-looking middle-aged man. He was the nephew of Tianhe Zhenren and about a thousand years old, currently the head of the Tianshui lineage.

However, just as Tianlang Zhenren finished speaking, Xuandan Pavilion's Pavilion Master Yuandan Zhenren arrived with his young disciple: "Who said we wouldn't participate?"

As an alchemist, Yuandan Zhenren spent most of his time with the alchemy furnace, making his personality somewhat aloof, yet his demeanor exuded an ethereal charm, making him a middle-aged handsome man no less than Langya Zhenren.

Behind him was a male disciple, somewhat plump, looking quite prosperous. The loose robe of the Xuandan lineage, with its white and red interwoven design, fit him like a tight suit, making one wonder if it might burst at any moment.

This male disciple was the successor of the Xuandan Pavilion lineage, Bao Bucheng.

Bao Bucheng was from a fifth-grade family in Guilong City and had shown exceptional talent in alchemy from a young age. Therefore, after reaching adulthood, he was sent to the Holy Land for further study. Now, he was one of the mainstays of the Xuandan lineage in the Holy Land, surpassing many elders in alchemical prowess.

"Bucheng greets all Zhenren and Holy Master Jiang." Bao Bucheng greeted with a cheerful smile, his chubby figure jiggling with his movements, adding to his comedic charm.

"Bucheng, are you participating too?" Jiang Zhencang looked at him with surprise. "Although the Holy Son Struggle isn't solely about martial prowess, you can't do without it either, right?"

"It's all about participation, participation." Bao Bucheng laughed like a little Maitreya Buddha. "What if I have exceptional luck and succeed by chance?"

"Bucheng, if you really get lucky and become the Holy Master, what are your plans?" Tianlang Zhenren didn't take his words seriously, casually joking.

In his heart, Junior Sister Liyao was the strongest contender. Didn't you see that Uncle Tianhe was already heavily in debt to cultivate Junior Sister Liyao? Even he, Tianlang, had been borrowed from until he was broke.

"If I become the Holy Master," Bao Bucheng laughed happily, "I'll send all you departments that only know how to fight and don't produce anything to the frontier to open up wasteland and make money."

In terms of pure money-making, Green Emperor Valley ranked first, and Xuandan Pavilion also ranked first. In terms of pure fighting, Xuandan Pavilion ranked second to last, and Green Emperor Valley also ranked second to last...

Therefore, these two departments, which were particularly good at making money but not so good at fighting, were most annoyed by those departments that were excellent at fighting but so poor they had to scrape together resources to buy an eighth-grade immortal pill.

If it weren't for the Holy Land's centralized allocation of most resources, the Taiyi Golden Sun lineage would have been starving long ago.

"Hahaha, the chubby kid has ambition! We all support you."

Tianlang Zhenren, Mingcheng Zhenren, and others didn't care at all, laughing more joyously than anyone else.

So what if they couldn't make money? After all, they had Green Emperor Valley and Xuandan Pavilion, as well as half of the South Ming Leaving Fire Cave, supporting them. They only needed to focus on improving their combat power. In times of crisis, wasn't it the Basalt cultivators with strong combat power who had to stand at the forefront?

By the way, the South Ming Leaving Fire lineage had its own refining industry, but its technology couldn't compete with the third-grade Gongye Clan's refining workshops, making it less competitive. However, because the Holy Land also had some unique technologies, they still made quite a bit of money.

"Since Bucheng is participating in the Holy Son Struggle, it seems that only Purple Sky Thunder Peak from the nine veins of the Holy Land isn't participating," Tianlang Zhenren said.

"Purple Sky Thunder Peak requires thunder attribute variant bloodlines, and their numbers are inherently low. Even Master Zixiao has just broken through to the Divine Realm, making it difficult to find quality thunder attribute successors."

Everyone understood the situation of the Purple Sky lineage, so no one found it problematic that they didn't send disciples to participate in the Holy Son Struggle, though it was a bit regrettable.

The Holy Son Struggle was a rare training opportunity. Even if one didn't secure the position of Holy Son, there were many intangible benefits for participants.

Amidst the discussions.

Suddenly, a thunderous voice came from outside the Trial Hall: "Who said we don't have a successor?"

As the voice fell, a burly middle-aged man strode in with a dragon-like gait.

He wore a blue-purple combat attire, with a treasured sword hanging at his waist, exuding a heroic aura.

Compared to other Zhenren in the Holy Land, he looked much younger, with a bit of youthful vigor, and his aura was like a sword in its sheath, ready to strike at any moment.

This person was naturally the newly promoted Divine Realm powerhouse of the Purple Sky lineage, Master Zixiao.

Everyone present turned their surprised gazes toward Master Zixiao upon hearing his words.

"Feihong, come here. Greet everyone." Master Zixiao was well-prepared, confidently waving to someone behind him.

"Yes, Master Ancestor."

With the voice, a figure walked in from outside the door.

It was a young man with a slender build, wearing a blue-purple combat attire, with a cold and aloof demeanor, like a sharpened sword, standing out in stark contrast to the lively atmosphere around him.

He didn't mind at all, holding his sword and bowing to everyone present, respectfully saying, "Du Gu Feihong greets Holy Master Jiang, all uncles and aunts, and all senior brothers and sisters."

Everyone was taken aback.

Who would have thought that the Purple Sky lineage would have a candidate for the Holy Son?

It was known that although the Purple Sky lineage had strong combat power, their inherited techniques required a high degree of bloodline compatibility, making it difficult to find successors. As a result, the Divine Realm Zhenren had been absent for many years, keeping a low profile in Lingyun Holy Land.

It wasn't until over a hundred years ago, when Master Zixiao successfully advanced to the Divine Realm, that they became slightly more high-profile.

Who would have thought that the Purple Sky lineage, which had always struggled with inheritance and had only recently filled the Divine Realm Zhenren position, had secretly cultivated a Purple Mansion Realm great prodigy successor?

The key was that before today, not a single hint of this had leaked from the Purple Sky lineage. It seemed that Master Zixiao had grand ambitions~~

"Zixiao? How did you manage this? Weren't you always in seclusion? Even I didn't know about this." Yunyang Daoist was both curious and apprehensive. He and Zixiao were "friends," but Zixiao's constant seclusion to break through to the Divine Realm had allowed him to escape unscathed.

"Haha, Yunyang, didn't you also secretly cultivate Lici?" Master Zixiao couldn't contain his pride. "This disciple of mine comes from a small, remote family. He was born on a stormy night, and I accidentally discovered that his bloodline was highly compatible with the [Purple Sky Thunder True Method]. To ensure he could make a stunning debut in the Holy Son Struggle, I had him first apprentice under Yaoguang Master at Qing'an Academy for secret training."

A small, remote family? Surname Du Gu? Stormy night? Yaoguang Master? Secret training?

Everyone's minds were filled with question marks. These key elements seemed insignificant individually, but when connected... everyone's expressions became quite colorful.

Even Jiang Zhencang couldn't help but look at Zixiao with a questioning gaze, then glanced at Du Gu Feihong.

Could it be that Zixiao, due to the difficulty of finding thunder attribute bloodline successors, secretly had a child with his fellow lineage sister Yaoguang Master?

Such things had happened before...