64: Bloodline Heir

Long Yuan almost got goosebumps, feeling that Lu Shijie's performance and words today seemed to have deep meaning. Both overtly and covertly, he was praising him, even trying to curry favor. This seemed a bit off, didn't it?

He was just an F-grade Aptitude student. Even if his Mental Energy was outstanding, that was for the future. As the saying goes, a Genius who hasn't grown up yet is not much different from a good-for-nothing. Just like Ye He from the Ye Family before, although he was a super Genius with S-grade Aptitude, he was attacked just minutes after his Awakening, leading to his Qi Sea being shattered. Now he was lying like a corpse on his bed in the Ye Family...

The image he projected to the outside world was actually not much different from Ye He's. Although both had talent, one was trash and the other was a good-for-nothing. In short, neither was in a good situation. And Ye He still had a powerful Family background supporting him, while he was all alone. What “noble Mind Power Master”? Please, such praise would only fit Xu Yanran, Great General Xu, perfectly...

Wait...

"All alone... Isn't that how an Emperor refers to himself? Could Lu Shijie have found out about my identity as a direct descendant of the Royal Xuanhuang Bloodline?!" Long Yuan's mind raced, and he realized.

In fact, the protection squad members dispatched by Geng Yun had been subtly present around him recently. Even Yun Yi had noticed their existence. As the principal, even if Lu Shijie was oblivious, he should have noticed something, right?

Furthermore, his main activity areas were the school and his home. Besides sending people to monitor Hengbi Garden, Geng Yun would probably also hint to Principal Lu Shijie that he needed special care. Such an operation, whether here or on Earth, could be said to be a basic maneuver in official circles...

Understanding this, Lu Shijie's behavior just now seemed very normal. Especially his personal visit to deliver gifts, and his solemn demonstration of the power of the Nian Needle in front of him. All of this was actually to deepen his impression and make him feel more favorably towards him. When he became successful in the future, he would naturally not forget how much his former principal cared for him. What a cunning "Mediterranean" old fox...

"Thank you, Principal! I am just a young man who has just begun to Cultivate Mental Energy. How can I bear the title of Mind Power Master? But no matter what, I will do my best to strive for honor for our school in the Inter-school Competition!!!" Long Yuan puffed out his chest and cooperatively said.

"Good! Excellent!! Young people should have such a belief and confidence in victory. Work hard, and I believe you will return victorious. When that happens, I will hold a grand celebration banquet for you!" Lu Shijie said, patting Long Yuan's shoulder affectionately.

"Yes, Principal!!!"

This scene left Yun Yi and Yun Feiyan, who were standing by, a bit speechless. They were both thinking, "We strongly suggested ordering these Nian Needles, so why has all the credit gone to you, Principal?"

He even said just now that he specifically bought them as a gift for Long Yuan, making it sound like he was the one who paid. However, this was nearly a year's worth of Fengyang No. 1 High School's financial expenditure, wasn't it?

He was purely being generous with other people's money, giving a gift using borrowed flowers. It's possible he might even deduct the welfare of teachers like them to make up for this deficit...

After Lu Shijie encouraged Long Yuan with fervent hopes, he left with Yun Feiyan. Yun Yi told Long Yuan to put away the Nian Needle, then guided him through the School Exercise Fist. Finally, he said with great satisfaction, "Not bad, I didn't expect your Comprehension Ability to be so strong. This set of fist techniques already shows signs of reaching the Subtle Realm. Work harder during this period and try to reach the Subtle Realm before the competition. Then you won't even need to use the Nian Needle to sweep away your opponents! Oh, and I've brought you the qi and blood pills and Body Tempering Potion the school invested in for you. As for the thousand low-grade xuan stone, let's forget about them, since you already have these Nian Needles..."

"Okay, thank you, Teacher! I will work hard to Cultivate the fist technique. I wonder if I still need to Cultivate those four pseudo Yellow Rank Martial Skills from the library?" Long Yuan put away the qi and blood pills and Body Tempering Potion and asked again.

"With your School Exercise Fist at this Realm, why would you need to Cultivate them? The School Exercise Fist is Medium Grade Yellow Rank, while those four Martial Skills are merely pseudo Yellow Rank. Don't bite off more than you can chew. You can practice them later when you have time. For now, focus solely on the School Exercise Fist... Oh, right, I'll find you a pair of boxing gloves and inner armor then, so you won't have to worry about your opponent's weapons..."

"What if the opponent has also Cultivated their Family's high-grade Martial Skills?" Long Yuan asked again.

"This..." Yun Yi pondered, "Generally speaking, before the age of 16 is the stage for building Foundation, and it's not suitable for Cultivating more profound Martial Skills. So, Family disciples usually only begin formally Cultivating high-grade Martial Skills from their Family after participating in the Awakening ceremony at 16. Therefore, even if they have Cultivated them, it's impossible for them to reach a very high level. For Martial Skills like Yellow Rank, I've only seen super Geniuses in the Imperial Capital reach the Subtle Realm within 20 years of age. But in a small place like Fengyang, it's impossible. You are already very special; there can't be a second one!"

Long Yuan suspiciously said, "Wouldn't it be too late to start Cultivating Martial Skills after 16? You know there are a large number of exotic beasts eyeing us outside the city..."

"This is a conclusion reached by successive strong individuals of this dynasty after many years of exploration. Too many examples show that if one blindly Cultivates various Martial Skills before Awakening, it is not only unhelpful but harmful. Because Martial Skills add to combat power, and the stronger the combat power, the greater the self-inflicted damage. If the body is not fully developed and the Foundation is not solid enough, Cultivating Martial Skills at this time is very likely to damage the Foundation. Lightly, it affects the upper limit of Cultivation; severely, it can injure tendons and bones, turning one into a cripple! Furthermore..."

"Furthermore what?"

"After the Awakening test, everyone will know their Cultivation direction, so they will be more targeted in choosing Martial Skills, and Cultivating will be twice as effective with half the effort. This is much better than blindly Cultivating from a young age!" Yun Yi explained.

"What about the School Exercise Fist? Everyone practices it from a young age, and it's also a Yellow Rank Martial Skill?" Long Yuan asked again.

"The School Exercise Fist is somewhat special because it is a basic fist technique that has been continuously improved by successive strong individuals. It is suitable for Cultivating from a young age and can also play a role in building Foundation and improving the degree of Awakening. However, while this type of fist technique is easy to learn, it is very difficult to practice to a profound level..." Yun Yi explained.

"So that's how it is..."

"But there are exceptions..." Yun Yi's tone shifted.

"What exceptions?"

"Bloodline Inheritors!"

"This is..." Long Yuan was startled.

Yun Yi continued, "So-called Bloodline Inheritors refer to those who possess obvious Family Bloodline characteristics. Such people are naturally suited to Cultivate their Family's Legacy Cultivation Technique and Martial Skills, and thus can start Cultivating from a young age. Some Geniuses among them already possess formidable combat power at a young age, and it's not even a problem for them to reach the Innate Realm!"

"Is that so?!" Long Yuan was astonished. He hadn't expected Bloodline Inheritors to be so powerful. Then, among his royal cousins and grandchildren, there must be some who started Cultivating the Xuanhuang Cultivation Technique and Xuanhuang Sword from a young age. Perhaps some had already advanced to the Innate Realm and become Martial Ancestors...

"Yes..."

Yun Yi nodded, saying with a hint of envy, "The Great Ming Empire has many super aristocratic families that possess special Family Bloodlines. For example, the Xu Family's Dual Soul Bloodline, the Chang Family's Mad Demon Bloodline, the Yuan Family's Vajra Bloodline, the Zhang Family's Haoran Bloodline, the Mao Family's Dragon Bloodline... Of course, the most famous is the Great Ming Royal Family's Xuanhuang Bloodline... These Bloodline Inheritor families and the Royal Family all have younger generations who reach the Innate Realm at a young age. After they grow up, they become generals and marshals, guarding the four directions for the Great Ming Empire and becoming pillars of the nation..."

...