115: Xu Qian's choice

Before long, an Elder Council deacon arrived, bowed to Xu Jing, and then led Xu Qian away.

Xu Qian honestly followed the deacon.

"You're Xu Ping's cousin's son, aren't you?"

On the way, the deacon asked.

Upon hearing this, Xu Qian looked at the deacon with an incredulous expression.

"Your cousin Xu Ping and I once met in Four Directions Town. We even went hunting in the mountains together. He mentioned you to me, but I never had the chance to meet you," the deacon said with a smile.

Fate is always so intriguing.

"Greetings, Cousin-Uncle!" Xu Qian bowed.

"Come with me! Don't be nervous. What your lineage did is unforgivable to the Family, but it won't go so far as to kill you. The Young Lord and the Grand Elder won't make things difficult for you!" The deacon reassured Xu Qian.

Perhaps due to some concerns, the deacon did not take Xu Qian along the main road, but instead led him around the Family's secret and important areas.

Along the way, Xu Qian curiously observed his surroundings. He saw King Medicine, which he had desperately sought, being treated as ornamental flowers, plants, and trees. Venerable Medicine, which was beyond his reach, also met the same fate.

He couldn't help but find it a bit laughable, and this laugh was directed at the members of his own lineage.

At the same time, a great doubt arose in his heart. After all, when he left the Family, there were only a few Yuanhai Realm cultivators within the Family. Now, Profound Kings were as common as dogs, and Venerable Realm powerhouses ran rampant on the ground.

There were even Profound Venerables.

Even if Cloud Mist Mountain was extraordinary, it was impossible to Cultivate Profound Venerables in just over a year. At least, from Zhao Xingzhou's experience, becoming a Profound Venerable was no simple matter, unless one could obtain special Heaven And Earth Treasure!

But did the Xu Family have so many special Heaven And Earth Treasure?

Before long, the two arrived in front of a majestic palace.

Xu Qian's body tensed. The entire hall was solemn and dignified, heavily guarded by hundreds of Profound King powerhouses, and among them, there were not a few Venerable Realm powerhouses.

Following the deacon's report, Xu Qian was finally led into a great hall.

Inside, an old man stood with his hands behind his back, facing away from him.

Profound Venerable!

Inside the jade pendant, Zhao Xingzhou was somewhat surprised.

"Xu Jing has told this old man about your experiences. As for whether you stay or leave..."

At this point, Xu Ming turned around and looked at Xu Qian, who immediately felt as small as an ant facing a towering mountain.

"This old man asks you one thing: do you wish to return to the Family?" Xu Ming asked.

Upon hearing this, Xu Qian's body trembled. If he could return to the Family, he would certainly be willing. After all, he had clearly witnessed the Xu Family's power.

As the saying goes, it's good to enjoy the shade under a big tree. In the past year or so, he had witnessed too much intrigue and the ups and downs of human relationships.

"Yes!" Xu Qian said directly and clearly.

Xu Ming looked at Xu Qian, then his expression turned serious: "The sins committed by your lineage are too deep. If you wish to return, you must perform a great service for the Family, otherwise this old man cannot account to the other Family members!"

Xu Qian fell silent.

Xu Ming continued: "I have seen your resume, and I know you are a Prodigy of great talent. But what my Xu Family lacks least are Prodigies. The sin was not committed by you, but you were born into the Qingyang Lineage, so you must bear this sin."

"From the moment you were born, you were already branded with the mark of the Qingyang Lineage. This is etched into your bones and cannot be changed. The only thing you can change is your own destiny."

"If you want to return to the Xu Family, you have no other choice but to perform meritorious service. If you do not wish to return, this old man will not make things difficult for you. Since you are a Prodigy of this tournament, what is rightfully yours, this old man will not deprive you of."

Listening to Xu Ming's words, Xu Qian didn't know how to choose: to stay or to leave?

After a while, Xu Qian asked, "What kind of meritorious service counts as meritorious service?"

"The Family has a Hall of Merit. Family members all accept tasks from the Hall of Merit to earn contribution points. If you can accumulate a million contribution points to atone for your sins, all past transgressions will be wiped clean!"

"During this period, I will not give you any assistance, nor will you have any of the rights that Family members enjoy. If you want anything, you can only exchange it with contribution points, but it will be two-tenths higher than for Family members. You also cannot live within a ten-thousand-mile radius of the core area, but you can find a residence in the hundred-thousand-mile region of Cloud Mist Mountain!" Xu Ming said.

A million contribution points, it could be said, was already a lot, enough to exchange for a Divine Venerable Perfection identity card.

After a new round of mechanism reforms, current contribution points are not like others. Now, the Xu Family's tasks are divided into two types: one type is for tasks below the King Realm, where the highest reward is only one hundred contribution points, given to Family members below the King Realm.

The other type starts from the King Realm. The reward for King-level tasks is one hundred to three hundred contribution points; Profound King-level tasks are three hundred to five hundred contribution points; Heavenly King-level tasks are five hundred to one thousand contribution points.

Venerable-level tasks are one thousand to ten thousand contribution points; Profound Venerable tasks are ten thousand to thirty thousand contribution points; Heavenly Venerable tasks are thirty thousand to sixty thousand contribution points; Divine Venerable tasks are sixty thousand to one hundred thousand contribution points.

A million contribution points, even if he took tasks worth one thousand contribution points each, would require him to take a thousand tasks.

Moreover, he would also need to Cultivate during this time, meaning he would need to complete even more tasks.

Xu Ming honestly told Xu Qian these conditions. If the latter could accept using a million contribution points to clear his name, then giving him a spot to return to the Family was not out of the question.

"I accept!" Xu Qian accepted without hesitation.

His thinking was simple: at least within Cloud Mist Mountain, he would be safe and sound. When outside, even if he was a sinner of the Xu Family, others would still be wary of him.

Another reason was that his teacher needed to condense a Physical Body, and staying in the Xu Family was the best choice.

As for the million contribution points, he knew it would be difficult, but as long as his strength grew, earning points would not be hard.

He did not hate Xu Ming for setting the million contribution points, because from the beginning, Xu Ming had given him hope. The other party had not set a time limit, and that was enough.

"Very good!" Xu Ming smiled and nodded, "Also, one more thing: your identity has been exposed, so I will remove your name from the true dragon rankings."

Upon hearing this, Xu Qian's expression changed slightly.

Xu Ming continued: "But you don't need to worry. I will give you what is rightfully yours. Now, go and participate in the Myriad Spirit Blood Pool baptism. Seize these three opportunities; you might gain unexpected benefits."

"Yes, Grand Elder!"

Afterward, Xu Ming had the deacon from earlier send Xu Qian to the Ten Thousand Spirits Blood Pool Palace.

At the same time, the Profound Yellow Pavilion, which had previously presided over the True Dragon Tournament, left Cloud Mist Mountain and arrived at the foot of the mountain. Thus, the Prodigy ranked 301st was very lucky to become the last one on the hidden dragon list, becoming the object of envy and jealousy among all the Prodigies.

Time passed bit by bit, and soon the last hundred Prodigies emerged. They had gained a lot, their cultivation bases had greatly increased. Most of these last hundred Prodigies had cultivation bases below the Late Stage Profound King. With this opportunity, some of them reached the Half-step Heavenly King Realm.

This was not even the greatest gain. Some of them also awakened their Bloodline and King Body, and those who already possessed a King Body even used the Myriad Spirit Blood Pool to Cultivate their King Body to Major Achievement, greatly increasing their combat power.

With their current strength, competing for the top two hundred would definitely not be a problem, but it was clear that the top two hundred Prodigies were also making progress.

As other Prodigies emerged one after another, the entire Southern Four Hundred Domain Worlds was stirred, because over a dozen Venerables were born among the true dragon rankings, and among the remaining people, most reached the Half-step Venerable Realm.

This also made everyone realize once again the terrifying foundation of the Xu Family. Venerables, which were difficult for them to obtain, were simply not an issue in the Xu Family.

"Myriad Spirit Blood Pool? This Xu Family is not simple!"

In No. 1 Zhenguan City, the middle-aged man's brows relaxed after receiving the news.

"Naturally, it's not simple! After all, the Xu Family is a Family that possesses a Profound Venerable!"

Just then, a voice resounded in the hall, and then a stream of light streaked into the hall, transforming into a middle-aged man clad in a luxurious purple robe.

"Your subordinate Yan Zicheng greets Inspector Tang Yuan!"

Seeing who it was, the middle-aged man hastily bowed.