Chapter Three: A New Path

Three days later, outside the teleportation array of Cloud Beast City.

Xu Chen reluctantly waved farewell to his parents.

“Son, remember! You must bring home a non-human Dao companion with excellent aptitude—the Xu family’s bloodline depends on you,” his father’s voice sounded in his mind, transmitted with such force that it left Xu Chen’s head buzzing amidst the bustling crowd outside the teleportation array.

Once his parents stepped onto the array, a dazzling beam of light rose from its center, piercing the heavens before vanishing from sight.

Only when the light faded did Xu Chen truly understand that his parents were gone.

Gazing at the crowds coming and going around the teleportation array, Xu Chen felt a wave of disappointment as he turned toward home.

Trailing quietly behind him was an alluring woman with an enchanting figure and a pair of feline ears.

“Not long ago, a woman from a Spirit Rabbit tribe used charm magic to force a relationship with a human, hoping to bear his child and join the human race,” Xu Chen said as he paused before a nine-story pagoda, each floor ten meters high.

“She was discovered by a True Spirit guarding Cloud Beast City. Do you know what happened in the end?”

At his words, the cat-eared girl behind him shuddered violently.

“The entire tribe was implicated and executed by the Law Enforcement Army.”

“I wonder if your Catfolk are numerous enough for our Law Enforcement Army to mobilize an entire battalion.”

Whether in human territory or among the nearby non-human realms, the human race was unquestionably supreme.

“I only wanted to be your friend,” the catfolk girl replied timidly.

He merely chuckled.

Xu Chen strode onto the Human Sovereign Avenue.

Cloud Beast City lay at the very edge of human lands, bordering non-human territory. Its openness attracted many non-human folk of lesser strength, who came seeking livelihoods, working for humans in hopes of earning cultivation resources.

Even more common were non-human women meeting human standards of beauty, seeking to marry into the human race, dreaming that by bearing children, they might be granted the fortune of joining humanity, sharing in the blessings of the human Dao.

Yet in most cases, these women brought nothing but their beauty to their human husbands, offering no other true benefit.

His father served as a Centurion in the City Patrol, benefiting from the blessings of the human Dao, which increased his cultivation speed by a full tenth. Even the average human commoner could cultivate three percent faster thanks to this fortune.

For this reason, Xu Qiangjia had always planned for Xu Chen to take over his post one day.

When Xu Chen entered the Human Sovereign Avenue Tower, the guards at the door merely glanced at him before letting him pass.

The tower stood nine stories tall, and to ascend to higher levels one needed a certain level of cultivation. Xu Chen, who had yet to reach the Blood and Qi Realm, could only remain on the first floor.

In the Myriad Races Records section, Xu Chen found the entries for the two races his father had mentioned.

“No wonder Father told me to seek out the Flower Spirit Tribe or the Tricolor Fox Clan. These two have the best compatibility with human bloodlines—their offspring are more purely human and possess higher talent.”

He leafed through a tome on the Flower Spirit Tribe at a massive bookshelf two stories high.

“Young man, seeking a Dao companion from the Flower Spirit Tribe is no simple task,” came a sly voice. Xu Chen turned to see a small, thin old man in black and white robes.

“Please, senior, instruct me,” Xu Chen said respectfully, sensing no aura from the elder and not daring to be careless.

“The women of the Flower Spirit Tribe, their faces, their figures, those slim waists, and above all, those long, deadly legs—it’s impossible to count how many human heroes have fallen for them,” the old man mused, a look of reminiscence on his face.

“There was a time when almost every unmarried Flower Spirit girl married a human. Their chieftain saw this and realized their tribe would soon be extinct if it continued. So, they sealed themselves off and now allow only a handful of girls to marry out each year.”

“For someone like you—obviously not from a wealthy, high-ranking family—marrying a Flower Spirit girl is a long shot,” the old man commented, his gaze still on his book.

“Since you’ve chosen to advise me, senior, surely you have a method. Please, share your wisdom.”

Xu Chen bowed, catching a glimpse of the title on the old man’s book: “A Compendium of the Beauties of All Races.” He remembered his father kept a copy at home; he’d once tried to sneak a look, only for his mother to catch him. His father had been made to stand outside the study for an entire month before being allowed back in.

“Twelve years old and not yet in the Blood and Qi Realm—your talent is rather poor. Your family must have some savings; marrying a Flower Spirit girl and having many children isn’t a bad plan.”

“Here’s the secret: the women of the Flower Spirit Tribe are deeply devoted. If you meet one you truly admire, swear an oath upon the Dao’s fortune that you’ll love only her in this life, and should you stray, you’ll be struck by a thousand thunderbolts.”

“That will seal the deal,” the old man said with a wry smile.

“What!” Xu Chen couldn’t help but exclaim. Was he to forsake an entire forest for a single blossom?

“I’ve told you the method; whether you use it is up to you.”

“Senior, what about the Tricolor Fox Clan?”

“Not worth it. The women of the Tricolor Fox are dangerously seductive. Without a sturdy constitution and strong roots, you’ll be ruined in a few short years. If you can’t take it, you’ll soon be sporting green grass atop your head.”

The old man eyed Xu Chen up and down, clicking his tongue.

“…”

“My thanks for your guidance, senior.”

Xu Chen bowed again and, with a heavy heart, set the book aside and wandered off to another section.

“Eight Steps of the Vajra, Five Element Stakes, Three-Source Flood Dragon Body, Moon-Gazing Method, Nine Forms of the Wandering Dragon…”

In the Basic Foundation Techniques section, Xu Chen read through the summaries of various foundational arts, his eyes filled with impatience.

He had an idea: to learn a Blood and Qi foundational art that could counter the Sacred Ape Eight Forms—so he could defeat that brat.

Why not study other techniques? Because only those who reached the Blood and Qi Realm could cultivate the higher arts.

Yet, after reading through dozens of foundational techniques, he found none that specifically countered another.

“Sigh, should I ask someone?” Xu Chen set down a book and sighed.

The Human Sovereign Avenue Tower was reinforced with spatial arrays; each floor was at least four or five hundred meters wide and long, with designated staff patrolling every section.

“What? You want a foundational Blood and Qi art that counters the Sacred Ape Six Forms?”

A robed administrator looked at Xu Chen, barely suppressing a smile.

“Foundational arts are about strengthening the body’s blood and qi—they don’t counter each other.”

“Judging by your bones and stature, you’re about twelve or thirteen. Go home and train. Most children your age are already in the Blood and Qi Realm.”

The administrator looked at Xu Chen with a sigh, as if he were watching a truant punk sneaking off to an internet café.

“Senior, please—I must know. This is important to me.” Xu Chen spoke respectfully, slipping a small pouch of crystals into the administrator’s hand.

“Oh? It must be important,” the administrator said, weighing the pouch—about fifty spirit coins, by his estimate.

“The Sacred Ape Six Forms is the most basic and steady Blood and Qi foundational art. If you want an edge, focus on techniques that emphasize raw power.”

“Twelvefold Wave-Stacking Body Art, Sun-Cleaving Sixfold Method, Three Lights Facing the Sun, Heavenward Eight Seals, Red Dragon Stirring the Seas…”

As the administrator listed technique after technique, Xu Chen’s eyes grew brighter and brighter.