"Three elders, I must ask you to step aside for a moment," Lin Qian suddenly spoke to the three elders as he stood at the center of the ruins.
The three elders nodded lightly and turned to leave.
Lin Qian's request to have them leave likely meant that there was something he didn't want them to witness. The three elders had no objections to this; after all, Lin Qian was now the ruler of the Southern Region, yet he still treated them with respect as elders, which made them feel honored.
Many young masters of various human territories treated their elders' followers as mere servants, dismissing them at will.
Lin Qian's attitude, however, was exceptional, showcasing his high character.
Everyone has their own secrets, and the three elders knew that their role now was to avoid being a hindrance to Lin Qian, ensuring they didn't cause him any trouble.
After the three elders exited the ruins, Lin Qian stood at the center, glancing at Ye Xin beside him. He pressed his index finger to his lips and whispered, "Shh, don't tell anyone."
Ye Xin smiled at Lin Qian's playful expression. "Alright, I understand. So what is it that made you send the three elders away?"
"Actually, Xin'er, you should already know," Lin Qian said with a light smile as he opened his arms.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
In an instant, a full ten thousand scholars from the Heaven's Craft Division appeared in the vast ruins.
Alongside them, twelve thousand imperial soldiers materialized, standing guard around the scholars.
The moment the scholars appeared, they immediately approached the portal of the ruins, pulling out formation diagrams to seal the entrance. Meanwhile, the imperial soldiers and scholars knelt on one knee, bowing in respect.
"Greetings, Your Majesty! Greetings, Your Highness!"
"Get to work. This place is in your hands now," Lin Qian commanded after summoning the scholars and soldiers. "Be careful of the formations—don't let anything go wrong."
"Yes!" The scholars from the Heaven's Craft Division bowed their heads in acknowledgment.
Satisfied with the arrival of the scholars, Lin Qian took Ye Xin's hand and began walking toward the exit of the ruins.
"Xiao Qian, can you summon them at any time and place?" Ye Xin asked, surprised, her eyes widening in amazement. "No wonder people from the Hua Xia Empire seem to appear out of nowhere, always by your side."
Lin Qian chuckled and nodded. "Yes, but remember, it's our little secret. Don't tell anyone. Although it's not a big deal if it gets discovered, it's better to avoid unnecessary complications."
Ye Xin nodded seriously. "Of course, I won't tell anyone. If people found out, it could be troublesome."
As they walked out of the portal, Lin Qian's expression suddenly changed as he said, "Xin'er, I've found out about your condition."
Ye Xin's heart tightened as she nervously looked at him. "What is it?"
"As I suspected, Xin'er, you're not purely human either," Lin Qian explained. "But don't worry, your condition is the same as mine."
"Ah!" Ye Xin gasped in surprise, her eyes filled with concern. "Xiao Qian, will you…?"
Smack!
Lin Qian gently tapped her on the head and laughed. "We're in the same situation, so how could I dislike you? I've already told you not to overthink. Besides, we are still human. We just have the powers of another race flowing within us, much like a bloodline."
"In other words, while we possess human bodies, we carry the blood of another race and inherit their talents. Our essence remains human."
"This feels more like we've stolen the talents and bloodlines of another race. The adaptability of humans truly is incredible," Lin Qian mused as he looked down at his hands. "I carry the bloodline of the Ice Dragon Clan."
As he spoke, Lin Qian attempted to activate the power within his bloodline, but nothing happened. Soul power swirled around him, but there was no visible change.
However, he was certain that his techniques, like the Cloud Sword and White Orchid Frost Soul, were undoubtedly influenced by the Ice Dragon Clan's bloodline.
Ye Xin's bloodline power was similarly stable, deeply hidden within her, but it seemed that some aspects of it had already begun to awaken.
According to Zhuge Ming, the bloodline powers Ye Xin had activated were merely a fraction of their potential, just the tip of the iceberg.
Her recent rapid improvement in cultivation was likely linked to the awakening of her bloodline.
Zhuge Ming had also discovered that the bloodline power didn't conflict with human abilities; in fact, the stronger the bloodline, the more it would enhance human talent.
A significant enhancement!
Judging by Ye Xin's incredibly fast cultivation progress, even beginning to catch up with Lin Qian, it was clear that the awakening of her bloodline played a major role.
Realizing this, Lin Qian was eager to awaken his own bloodline power. If he could do so, his cultivation speed would increase dramatically, and he would be able to summon even stronger forces for the empire.
After leaving the ruins, Lin Qian didn't see the three elders outside, but he didn't dwell on it. He simply took Ye Xin back to the Green Spirit Clan's village.
As expected, the three elders had returned to the village after leaving the ruins.
Upon returning to the Green Spirit Clan's village, Lin Qian and Ye Xin noticed that the villagers looked at them with a mix of curiosity, doubt, and anticipation. Some seemed skeptical, while others appeared hopeful.
There was no need for Lin Qian to guess—he knew what had happened. Cuit Yu's words had spread, which explained the varied reactions from the Green Spirit Clan.
Soon, the elder of the Green Spirit Clan stepped out of his house and approached Lin Qian, bowing respectfully.
"Your Majesty, the Green Spirit Clan leader and the Earth Spirit Clan leader are on their way here to meet you."
Although the elder didn't explain why the two clan leaders were coming, it wasn't hard to figure out.
The fact that both the Green Spirit and Earth Spirit clan leaders were coming in person already indicated their intentions.
Lin Qian was confident that after meeting the two leaders, he could persuade them to join the Hua Xia Empire and become part of the empire's future.
"In that case, I will await the arrival of the two clan leaders. I hope that after this meeting, we will all be pleased with the outcome." Lin Qian smiled warmly at the Green Spirit Clan elder, nodding in acknowledgment.
The Hua Xia Empire was about to grow stronger once again.