"This is terrible! Why did a Thunder Cloud Fiend Beast manage to break into the Carp Eagle Blessed Land?"
"It's chaos, complete chaos! What are we going to do now?"
"Calm down, calm down, everyone calm down!"
"..."
The Changkong Clan.
Fang Clan Council Hall.
Several clan elders were stunned by the sudden news, their faces frozen in disbelief. They couldn't believe what they were hearing.
Some, amidst their shock and anger, even felt a cold dread rise from deep within, a chill that shot up their spines and filled them with a horrifying premonition.
This had all come about far too suddenly.
No one could have imagined it. The clan was supposed to be temporarily watching over the Carp Eagle Blessed Land, so how could a Thunder Cloud Fiend Beast have broken in?
The consequence of this was that the next calamity for the Carp Eagle Blessed Land would now arrive ahead of schedule!
Originally, there were at least a hundred years until the next calamity.
Now, that time had been reduced to approximately thirty years.
The period of access was cut short by a full seventy years.
Seventy years! Such a crucial length of time, long enough for a young man to grow into a Great Cultivator capable of holding his own.
This completely disrupted the Fang Clan's plans, forcing them to adapt.
In thirty years, calamity would descend upon the Carp Eagle Blessed Land once more.
If the Fang Clan failed to produce a Dao Seed before then, the rights to the Carp Eagle Blessed Land would be completely opened up, and the clan would lose its exclusive right to reclaim it.
If, after thirty years, the Carp Eagle Blessed Land was taken by another clan or carved up and devoured by a new Saint...
Either outcome would be a testament to the Fang Clan's incompetence, causing them to lose face completely and become the laughingstock of the Changkong Clan.
If that happened, who knew how many of the Fang Clan's elders would die with regrets, unable to rest in peace.
A major crisis was descending upon the Fang Clan.
"PTUI—" Suddenly, one of the old men in the hall spat a mouthful of blood.
"Eighth Brother."
"Eighth Brother."
Seeing this, the other old men rushed over.
The elder in the main seat, Elder De, rubbed his temples in agony.
The Carp Eagle Blessed Land had been temporarily placed among the clan's public Blessed Lands, and the one managing those was Saint Fan Liu.
'Could it be that Saint Fan Liu did this on purpose?'
'That shouldn't be the case. Our Fang Clan has always respected the Sen Clan as our leader.'
But even knowing that this was a result of Saint Fan Liu's dereliction of duty, none of the Fang Clan elders present dared to point out her mistake.
It was, after all, just a small, willful exercise of a Saint's power.
Who could guarantee they would go their whole life without making a single mistake?
"Sigh... Inform Fang Min and Fang Hao about this."
"Should we tell Ah Yang as well?"
"That won't be necessary. As long as we can still hold on, there's no need to tell Ah Yang."
"Yes. The responsibility on Ah Yang's shoulders will be immense in the future. He will have to face challenges from all sides. For now, if we can spare him any hardship, we should."
"Let's increase the intensity of their training according to the development list. Even if it means selling off our ancestral foundations, so be it."
"..."
Afterward, the Fang Clan elders pulled themselves together and began to formulate a new plan.
Fang Hao, Fang Min, and Fang Yang were the top three prospects prioritized for development.
Among them, Fang Hao was a generation older than Fang Yang—his youngest uncle—and his current Cultivation Realm was Tier Five Elementary.
Fang Min was Fang Yang's older cousin, and her current Cultivation Realm was Tier Four Middle.
The clan elders had always placed high hopes on those two.
Even after Fang Yang's Fire Eagle Spirit Body was revealed, he was still ranked behind them.
For now, the elders were putting the pressure on them, not on Fang Yang.
Fang Yang had simply appeared on the scene too late.
All they needed to do now was quietly support Fang Yang's growth without burdening him with too much responsibility and pressure.
Nevertheless, the elders still entrusted Fang River—Second Uncle Fang—to act as Fang Yang's guardian.
They hoped Fang Yang would be thoroughly tempered in the Battle of Xuan Yu and grow up quickly.
"Sigh... The last supreme, Dao Seed Level prodigy of our Fang Clan was Ancestor Fang Nian."
"Let's just throw all our cultivation resources at them for now."
"Producing a Dao Seed in thirty years... Difficult! Difficult! Difficult!"
...
The frigid wind cut like a knife, blowing wantonly across the plains.
On these plains, the Silver Tribe of the Ten Thousand Birds Tribe was migrating, heading for the Thunder Punishment Banner.
The Ten Thousand Birds Race Leader led the way with his elite soldiers.
Meanwhile, Second Uncle Fang rode a Frost White flying steed, holding his position in the center of the Ten Thousand Birds Tribe.
"I wonder how Ah Yang is doing at the Thunder Punishment Banner. It seems I'll have to be stricter with him from now on," Second Uncle Fang sighed softly.
He would protect Fang Yang with his life in this Battle of Xuan Yu, just as his own older brother had protected him all those years ago.
「Elsewhere.」
At that moment, Fang Yang was resting behind the apothecary with his younger cousin, Fang Xuan.
Killing enemies on the front lines earned battle merits, but so did saving lives in the rear.
Hong Qishang, for example, had used this war to successfully gather the cultivation resources needed to advance to Tier Three.
"Brother, I heard that guy Chen Xing killed seven people in a row. How terrifying. Sigh, if I had a Spirit Body, I'd definitely be on the front lines too. You can earn battle merits so much faster that way," Fang Xuan said, his voice full of envy.
Although a Spirit Body could be acquired later, a youth who possessed one right from their Enlightenment was undoubtedly a genius in the eyes of every clan and lineage, receiving far more attention than an ordinary person.
Originally, Fang Xuan had thought he was quite decent himself.
But with Zhang Ye, Fang Yang, and others successively making a name for themselves, he was brutally shown the gap between ordinary people and geniuses.
Suddenly, he added with a hint of indignation, "That guy Zhang Ye, I heard he killed a Tier Two Cultivator, even though he's a tier lower. It was just a warrior from some minor tribe, but it still made him famous. If you went to battle, Brother, you could definitely do it too!"
Hearing this, Fang Yang paused slightly. "Zhang Ye, you say? He is indeed impressive. But you should calm down. Our path and theirs are ultimately different."
Then Fang Yang resumed gripping the Yuan Stones in his hands, continuing to absorb the Primordial Qi from them to replenish the True Essence in his Void Acupoint True Essence Sea.
To a certain extent, the Fang Clan's heritage leaned toward the path of medicine.
When one's Cultivation Realm was not yet profound, their killing power was not particularly outstanding.
Therefore, if Fang Yang were to actually do as his cousin suggested and imitate Zhang Ye by leading troops, it would be truly foolish.
"WHACK—"
At some point, Seventh Uncle Fang had appeared.
The moment he did, he brought his hand down hard on Fang Xuan's head, leaving the boy dizzy and disoriented.
After a moment, Seventh Uncle Fang's face turned icy. "So young, yet already blinded by fame and fortune, unable to see the path beneath your feet. If you continue like this, what's the difference between you and Desert Tiger?"
'What's the difference between me and Desert Tiger?'
As he rubbed his aching head, Fang Xuan heard this and snorted with disdain in his heart.
'Desert Tiger has been in the spotlight recently, raking in fame and fortune. He's living the good life. If I could be as successful as him, what would be so wrong with that?'
Fang Yang, however, remained silent, his gaze fixed on the orb of light that was his "Seek Fortune, Avoid Misfortune" talent.
「Five days later.」
Once again, it was behind the apothecary.
Only now, Fang Xuan's restlessness had vanished. His admiration for Fang Yang had grown even stronger, and he now thought Zhang Ye wasn't all that special.
"I can't believe Zhang Ye was so unlucky. He actually ran into the Black Iron Cavalry."
Fang Xuan's tone was a complex mix of glee and resentment. "What's even more unbelievable is that he actually broke through to the High-grade of Tier One mid-battle, which let him run a step faster. He was heavily injured, but he managed to escape with his life. Still, he'll be stuck in bed for a while this time."
A step ahead, always ahead.
While it was certainly impressive that Zhang Ye was the first to reach the High-grade of Tier One, Fang Xuan wasn't the least bit envious.
This was because he was certain that while Zhang Ye was recuperating, his brother Fang Yang would easily catch up and, what's more, would eventually surpass him!
'To survive such a disaster... It seems Zhang Ye has some kind of fortune gathering around him.' Fang Yang's thoughts, in contrast, were more solemn; he wasn't as optimistic as Fang Xuan.
Before long, Seventh Uncle Fang arrived with Second Uncle Fang.
And the major news Second Uncle Fang brought with him plunged Fang Xuan into complete silence.
Desert Tiger was dead!
The very same Desert Tiger whose fame had been spreading far and wide just a short while ago, the one Fang Xuan wished he could become, had just perished, his body and dao extinguished.
It was said that Desert Tiger had been greedy for merits and advanced recklessly, ultimately getting killed in a single move.
"It's a bit surprising, yet it also seems logical," Fang Yang said, lowering his head.
From their time during the Flying Fish Cloud Sea Hunting to their encounter in the trade district, Fang Yang had never approved of Desert Tiger's temperament or his methods.
But Desert Tiger was, after all, a great expert at Tier Three. For him to die so unceremoniously left Fang Yang with complicated feelings.
Fang Yang's desire to become stronger grew even more intense.
In the end, however, Fang Yang decided to stick to his own pace.
He had nearly finished laying his foundation and was about to ascend to the High-grade of Tier One.
Being too hasty would only make it easier to make mistakes. His greatest talent, after all, was to "Seek Fortune, Avoid Misfortune"!
If conditions allowed, he should take a long-term view, make good use of his "Seek Fortune, Avoid Misfortune" talent, and quietly watch the heart-stopping drama of others from the sidelines.