Protect Our Patriarch

……

The Commandery Prince of Heng was a man of considerable prestige within Guilong City.

Especially for Shangguan Yunhong, even if the first Ancestor of the Shangguan family came to see the Commandery Prince of Heng, he would have to be respectful and address him as "Your Highness" from the bottom of his heart.

It was rumored that His Highness the Commandery Prince of Heng was in the final polishing stage. Once he broke through the last barrier, he would become a Divine Realm True Person, not only elevating his strength but also extending his lifespan by more than double, reaching up to two thousand years.

At that time, Guilong City would hold a grand celebration, and the Emperor would personally announce at the ancestral temple, conferring upon him the title of "Prince Heng" in the name of the Wu Clan's ancestors.

Even in the mighty Great Qian royal family, there were only eleven living princes today.

The status of the Commandery Prince of Heng within the royal family was evident.

Even if Shangguan Yunhong was inwardly rebellious, he had to retract his battle form, return to a somewhat human shape, and bow respectfully, "Yes, Your Highness. Yunhong will take his leave now."

With that, he led his family guards away in a hurry.

After Shangguan Yunhong left, Fang Yaowu, who was equally burly, suddenly became conspicuous.

Many onlookers naturally shifted their attention, their eyes shining as they looked at him.

After some treatment, Fang Yaowu finally resolved the excess energy and blood in his body and came back to life. Being stared at by so many people, he felt guilty and said in a muffled voice, "Uh... why are you all looking at me?"

"Brother Fang, you are also one of the top ten outstanding youths in the military. Are you just going to stand by and watch an outsider show off on the stage?"

"Yeah, yeah, didn't you always say you could handle Shangguan Yunhong with one hand?"

"Hehe~ That was when he kicked the prodigy of the capital." Fang Yaowu's expression turned serious, and he said honestly, "I, Fang Yaowu, am a prodigy of the Thirty-Six Guards, and we are not on the same path. By the way, I forgot to turn off the chicken soup at home. Excuse me, excuse me~"

Saying this, he walked out of the White Cloud Tower with his head held high, then quickly ran away from the scene.

What a joke, that Liyao Fairy was purely a super abnormal master. Even two of him, Fang Yaowu, wouldn't necessarily gain the upper hand.

As for handling Shangguan Yunhong with one hand... okay, he admitted he was bragging.

After all, he was one of the top ten outstanding youths in the military. Even though Fang Yaowu was burly, he was still very fast and agile...

Within a few breaths, his figure disappeared.

The onlookers inside the White Cloud Tower let out disappointed boos.

However, although Fang Yaowu ran away, Wang Liyao, this great prodigy, had successfully made a name for herself in her first trial battle.

Soon, the news of the great prodigy's trial battle spread like wildfire throughout Guilong City and quickly became the hottest topic in the city.

After all, it had been over a hundred years since the last great prodigy's trial battle.

Everyone wanted to see how far Wang Liyao could go. Could she match the achievements of Gongyang Ce back then?

However, most people subconsciously believed that Wang Liyao was probably not as good as Gongyang Ce.

After all, the age difference during the great prodigy's trial battle was significant. Gongyang Ce was already in his nineties back then, while Wang Liyao was only sixty-nine now.

The speed at which great prodigies cultivated was incredibly fast. How could they withstand a twenty-year age difference?

While the outside world was in an uproar.

The Commandery Prince of Heng had already invited Wang Liyao to a private box on the top floor, kindly saying, "The True Inheritor of Tianhe is indeed extraordinary. You have not disgraced the name of the Tianhe predecessors."

"Liyao greets Your Highness the Commandery Prince of Heng." Wang Liyao saluted neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"No need for formalities~~ Liyao, you just ate a lot of roasted spirit beef, so I won't serve you greasy food." The Commandery Prince of Heng instructed the chief steward beside him, "Brew a pot of immortal tea and prepare some top-grade immortal spirit fruits to entertain Miss Liyao. Oh, and remember, there is a five-pound Western Sea Snow Skin Fish in the ice crystal storage. Have the chef steam it plainly to refresh Liyao."

"Your Highness, that Snow Skin Fish is a designated ingredient for Consort Yi..." the chief steward whispered.

Snow Skin Fish was extremely rare and had excellent effects on women's beauty and skin. Each Snow Skin Fish fetched astronomical prices in Guilong City, let alone a five-pound treasure fish.

"Just do as I say." The Commandery Prince of Heng's face turned stern, "Consort Yi has already eaten it twice. Missing it once won't kill her. Liyao is my honored guest, and she deserves the best."

Wang Liyao was about to refuse, but the Commandery Prince of Heng stopped her, "Liyao, don't be polite. By choosing my White Cloud Tower for your trial battle, you have already brought a huge crowd and fame to the tower. A mere Snow Skin Fish is nothing. You can fight here; don't go anywhere else."

"Then Liyao thanks Your Highness the Commandery Prince of Heng." Wang Liyao hesitated slightly, "But about the arena..."

"Change it!" The Commandery Prince of Heng said without hesitation, "I will immediately replace it with a black obsidian iron arena and hire a formation master to set up a protective formation to ensure Miss Liyao's battle is not delayed."

The Commandery Prince of Heng realized that he had been too straightforward in business for the past few hundred years, just following traditional methods. But after tasting the benefits of the Big Eater competition, his thoughts became more flexible.

The great prodigy's trial battle would definitely attract more attention than the Big Eater competition. In the end, even the Emperor might take notice. Imagine how much profit this would bring to the White Cloud Tower.

Taking advantage of this wave, he could hold a regular prodigy's trial battle every three years. Although it wouldn't be as attractive and influential as the great prodigy's trial battle, it would still bring long-term fame and customers.

The Commandery Prince of Heng felt like he had discovered a new world. He had wasted over six hundred years living in vain.

As for the purpose behind Wang Liyao's battle, he was just there to watch the fun and make money. What did it matter to a leisurely commandery prince like him? The most important thing was that when Lici returned, he could ensure she was well-fed and never had to leave again.

"By the way, does Miss Liyao know Wang Lici?" The Commandery Prince of Heng asked curiously, thinking of Lici.

"Sister Lici is the eldest sister of our family's 'Li' generation." Wang Liyao said, bowing gratefully, "Elder Sister once wrote home, specifically mentioning the kindness of the Commandery Prince. Before I came to the capital, my father specifically instructed me to express his gratitude to Your Highness on his behalf."

"No wonder, haha, no wonder Miss Liyao chose my White Cloud Tower for the trial battle. Good, good, good, it turns out good people are rewarded." The Commandery Prince of Heng laughed in realization and then asked, "May I know your father's name?"

"My father is Wang Shouzhe of the Changning Wang's Clan, currently serving as the Clan Leader." Wang Liyao did not hide this.

"Wang Shouzhe?" The Commandery Prince of Heng frowned slightly, thinking for a moment, "Never heard of him. But to raise such an outstanding great prodigy like Miss Liyao, he must not be an ordinary person. If there's a chance, I'd like to meet him."

It was normal that he hadn't heard of him. The Wang Clan's rise was relatively recent, and their fame was mostly concentrated in Longzuo Commandery. A mere sixth-grade family, even if they made some waves, was just a small commotion in the eyes of the high and mighty figures in Guilong City.

Unless someone was particularly attentive, it was difficult to notice the Changning Wang's Clan.

He said this out of politeness to Wang Liyao; he had no real interest in Wang Shouzhe.

Then, he focused on how to entertain Liyao. As a "senior" of the royal family, the Commandery Prince of Heng often had a mind to support some promising young talents he found pleasing.

Wang Liyao, being so intelligent and perceptive, sensed the Commandery Prince of Heng's disdain and perfunctory attitude towards her father. However, she didn't mind.

Her father, Wang Shouzhe, was a man of extraordinary talent and vision. Only those who had seen it firsthand could understand his far-sightedness and great ambitions.

Currently, the Wang Clan's reputation was not prominent, but that was because her father deliberately kept a low profile.

One day, his name would shake the entire Great Qian. By then, those who looked down on him now would realize how wrong they were.

……

Longzuo Commandery, Changning Garrison, Ping'an Town.

Wang Clan's main residence.

One had to marvel at the foresight of Ancestor Zhouxuan back in the day. Even during the financially tight pioneering era, he still built the main residence very large.

This left ample space for the Wang Clan's descendants to thrive and expand.

Wang Shouzhe was quite idle.

The clan members were all excellent, and they could handle their respective responsibilities well. Therefore, after they had taken over the family affairs and each managed their own domain, Wang Shouzhe's days became increasingly leisurely.

Every day, he stayed in his small courtyard, spending time with his wife, granddaughter, and great-grandson, tending to flowers and plants, cultivating new plant varieties, and so on.

Of course, he still practiced cultivation, as it was part of his daily routine.

But aside from that, Wang Shouzhe had plenty of free time.

As the saying goes, no matter how hard it gets, you can't neglect the children; no matter how poor you are, you can't skimp on education. Therefore, the Wang Clan placed great importance on the healthy growth of the children. Among them, the one who cared the most was Clan Leader Wang Shouzhe.

His top-grade storage ring had a considerable space, second only to Wang Anye's storage ring, the "Endless Abyss."

And in this storage ring, thirty percent of the space was used to store various ancient literary classics, "Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art," "Three Hundred Questions on Formation Basics," "Hand-in-Hand Guide to Starting from Scratch in Artifact Refining," "Basic Knowledge of Alchemy in One Hundred Days," "Clan School Course Guide," "Highlight Enhancement," and the scientific knowledge books Wang Shouzhe compiled in his spare time, "Wang's Basic Mathematics," "Wang's Basic Physics," "Wang's Basic Chemistry," and so on.

Of course, there were also many test papers that Wang Shouzhe painstakingly compiled with a group of excellent teachers, "Wang's Secret Test Papers Five Hundred Sheets" (for internal use only, not to be circulated). This was a small special benefit Wang Shouzhe prepared for the Wang Clan's children, to help them maintain a leading position in the clan school.

After all, the Wang Clan School had grown larger, and the proportion of Wang Clan children in it was only about one percent.

Wang Shouzhe strolled through the main residence with a pot of tea.

Tall, sturdy trees spread their canopies like crowns, casting cool green shadows. Walking under these tree-lined avenues was truly refreshing.

These trees were planted by the pioneers of the Wang's Clan of Ping'an, Ancestor Zhouxuan, Ancestor Yuzu, and Ancestor Youyou. This was the principle of "planting trees for future generations to enjoy the shade."

Wang Shouzhe enjoyed this feeling of being sheltered by the ancestors, which gave him a strong sense of belonging to the family and a sense of responsibility towards his descendants.

The new generations of Wang Clan children were the true foundation of the future of the Changning Wang's Clan.

In the distance, under a huge tree that several people could barely encircle, a group of children of various ages were playing happily in the shade, their laughter as bright as sunshine, so carefree.

It was because the Wang Clan was strong enough that these generations of Wang Clan children could have a space to grow up healthily.

And under Wang Shouzhe's tireless efforts in nurturing and urging, generations of outstanding clan members had been cultivated, such as Lici, Luo Qiu, Zongchang, and many others.

For this reason, Wang Shouzhe was willing to continue this tradition, striving to cultivate more outstanding clan members.

As Wang Shouzhe approached the children with goodwill.

The group of children suddenly seemed to be hit by a time-stopping spell, all turning into cute little puppets, their radiant smiles frozen like ice.

A few breaths later.

Someone took the lead and shouted, "The Fourth Great Grandfather Demon King is patrolling the residence, run!!"

Then a group of little rascals instantly woke up, each immediately sprinting with their short legs, running as fast as they could.

Through long-term "training," they had already summarized the experience, knowing not to run in the same direction but to scatter like birds and beasts.

This idea was naturally based on the attitude of letting whoever could escape, escape.

Unfortunately, they were too young and underestimated Wang Shouzhe.

Wang Shouzhe's expression didn't change at all, as if he was used to it, still maintaining a kindly smile.

Vines broke through the ground like a witch's hair, wrapping around the little monkeys and dragging them to Wang Shouzhe.

Eight children in total, not one escaped.

Of course, this group of little rascals was just a part of the many children in the Wang Clan. The Wang Clan was no longer what it used to be, and with generations of expansion, the population naturally grew more prosperous.

They were growing healthily under the family's protection, and in the future, they would become the foundation of the Wang Clan's prosperity.

But at this moment, they were all frightened, their little faces pale, their legs weak. Then, all eyes turned to a little girl among them.

It seemed that the little girl was the backbone of this group of rascals.

"Hello, Fourth Great Grandfather~" A little girl of about ten years old, with big watery eyes, looked at Wang Shouzhe, "Why did you suddenly tie us up? Did Qiqi do something wrong?"

Her face was full of innocence, and she remained calm as usual.

Wang Yingqi was one of the granddaughters of Wang Shouyong, the fifth of the "Shou" generation, and ranked twentieth in the "Ying" generation, known as "Miss Twenty."

Despite Shouyong being a bit foolish in his youth, his granddaughter was a mischievous one. At only ten years old, she was already a tyrant in the clan school, even giving her father, Wang Zonghui, a headache.

However, with the continuous increase in the bloodline concentration of the Wang Clan, the snowball effect gradually accumulated. By the ninth generation of the "Ying" and "Shi" generations, and the tenth generation of the "Xuan" and "An" generations, the children's innate bloodline qualities had significantly improved.

The eleventh generation of the "Ning" and "Mei" generations currently only had two children, so it was too early to see any significant changes. But it was clear that as time passed and more eleventh-generation children were born, the changes would become evident.

When Wang Zonghui was born, his grandfather Wang Shouyong was already a prodigy with a third-level Lingtai Realm bloodline. As a result, Wang Zonghui was detected to have a mid-grade B bloodline at the age of eight, which was considered top-tier among the "Zong" generation.

Later, with the enhancement of the three types of pills—Enlightenment, Blood Refining, and Marrow Cleansing—provided free of charge to the direct descendants, he reached a mid-grade A bloodline.

Then Shouyong worked hard to earn family contributions, combined with family rewards, contributions on credit, donations from his maternal family, and secret support from Liu Ruolan, to obtain a Xisui Dan and a Wuji Baodan.

This allowed Wang Zonghui to reach a second-level C bloodline in the Qi Refining Realm. Taking two Xisui Dan in a lifetime meant the second one would have a very weak effect, only about ten percent.

But even so, it caused a qualitative leap for Wang Zonghui, making his bloodline slightly higher than his father, Wang Shouyong.

Not only did it add a good prodigy to the family, but it also allowed him to marry a mid-grade B prodigy.

As a result, their first son, Wang Shijing, had a mid-grade C bloodline... which greatly frustrated Wang Zonghui. According to family rules, a set of free Enlightenment, Blood Refining, and Marrow Cleansing pills would only elevate him to mid-grade B.

Fortunately, Wang Zonghui's daughter, Wang Yingqi, had exceptional luck when her aptitude was tested two years ago, being born with a mid-grade A bloodline. This naturally brought both joy and worry to Wang Shouyong's lineage. With a few more sets of Marrow Cleansing pills, she might reach the prodigy level.

But that kind of prodigy would just barely qualify as a prodigy.

If they could get another Wuji Baodan, not to mention that it was becoming increasingly rare in the market, even if they had one, Wang Shouyong and his son hadn't yet paid off the debt for the previous one.

Because both father and son were prodigies, their resource consumption was enormous, and it would be even greater in the future. Unless they gave up progress and abandoned the path to the Purple Mansion, they had to push forward as much as possible while they were young to leave ample time for polishing at the peak of the Celestial Realm.

If they failed to break through, they might have a second chance if they were still young.

Therefore, the path to the Purple Mansion for a prodigy consumed a lot of resources. Just look at the seventh-grade Zhenze Wang's Clan. To support a prodigy, the whole clan had to tighten their belts.

So even though Shouyong's lineage contributed a lot and received many resources, they were still very poor. Just the daily cultivation of the father and son was a major expense, and adding a prodigy granddaughter...

Was Shouyong's lineage preparing to be on par with a fourth-grade family?

With no other choice, Wang Shouyong and his son had to go to Wang Shouzhe again. Naturally, Wang Shouzhe Naturally, Wang Shouzhe firmly believed that they should continue to elevate their bloodline. "No matter what, we must elevate it!" he declared.

If the contributions weren't enough, they could owe the family treasury. Opportunities missed were opportunities lost.

First, they would elevate the bloodline to near-prodigy level, then use the Wuji Baodan to push it further. The higher they could push it, the better. After all, there were differences even among prodigies. Some of the top prodigies, if lucky enough, might even have a slight chance at the Divine Realm!

With Wang Shouzhe's decisive approval, Wang Shouyong and his son left in high spirits.

However, this decision brought immense pressure to Wang Shouzhe as the Clan Leader. In fact, with the current financial strength of the Wang Clan, buying a Wuji Baodan was not a significant burden; they could even afford to buy one every year.

But the problem was that producing a prodigy was easy, while nurturing one was difficult.

To cultivate a prodigy to the Purple Mansion Realm, it would take between 250 to 350 years, excluding the cost of Wuji Baodan and other bloodline-enhancing pills. The total expenditure would reach 30 to 40 million, averaging around one million per year!

Of course, that was just the average annual expenditure.

In the early stages, the cost was far less exaggerated, but the closer they got to the Purple Mansion Realm, the more the expenditure increased. Especially during the breakthrough to the Purple Mansion Realm, the cost was the highest, akin to the expenses incurred when a child got married... Most families needed a long time to accumulate such resources!

Wang Shouzhe's pressure didn't come from nurturing one or even a few Purple Mansion Realm prodigies.

In fact, the Wang Clan had an astonishing number of prodigies and great prodigies. As more descendants were born, those with excellent aptitude couldn't be left uncultivated, right?

Each additional prodigy or even a small prodigy was a testament to the clan's deep foundation and growing strength, but it was also a heavy burden for the family.

This was why it was extremely difficult for Purple Mansion Clans to cultivate an extra one or two Purple Mansion Realm cultivators. It wasn't that they couldn't afford the Wuji Baodan, but that their family foundation was insufficient to support such cultivation.

Therefore, Wang Shouzhe had to lead the family in continuously expanding their territory, industries, and earning more money, gathering more resources. Only in this way could they cope with the ever-increasing annual total expenditure of the family.

These thoughts, though lengthy to describe, passed through Wang Shouzhe's mind in just a few breaths.

Seeing Wang Yingqi, his mind was filled with various reflections and emotions.

"Qiqi, my dear girl," Wang Shouzhe said with a kindly smile, patting her head, "I heard you've been quite active lately, forming the 'Heavenly Maiden Alliance' with Yingxuan in the clan school. The conditions for joining are: one, girls under fifteen; two, bloodline reaching mid-grade B; and three, members must unconditionally obey the orders of the main leader Wang Yingxuan and the deputy leader Wang Yingqi."

Indeed.

Wang Yingqi and Wang Yingxuan, one the twentieth Miss of the "Ying" generation, the other the twenty-first Miss of the "Ying" generation, were the youngest and had already started "bullying boys and girls" in the clan school.

Moreover, their organization was gradually becoming the largest "organization" in the Wang Clan School, even the teachers had a hard time dealing with them.

"Fourth Great Grandfather, is there something wrong with that?" Wang Yingqi asked innocently, her eyes wide, "Our organization's full name is the 'Genius Girls Mutual Aid Alliance,' and it's meant to protect weaker girls from being bullied by teachers and classmates."

"Also, Little Twenty-One will be going to the Holy Land for training in a few years. Grandfather and Father discussed it and decided I should go with her to protect her. I formed the 'Heavenly Maiden Alliance' to gather some resources for her and pave the way for her future path as a Holy Son."

"What?"

Wang Shouzhe's eyes widened, "When did the Clan Leader say that Yingxuan would walk the Holy Path? I just wanted her to train in the Holy Land... that's all." How could there be plans in the family that he, the Clan Leader, didn't know about?

"Little Twenty-One said it herself," Wang Yingqi blinked, "She said that Ancestor You'an from her maternal family declared that even if it meant exhausting all their resources, they would support Yingxuan in competing for the Holy Path. They wouldn't let certain people dominate and have the final say. Fourth Great Grandfather, who are these 'certain people' Ancestor You'an mentioned?"

"Uh... hehe~" Wang Shouzhe's eyelid twitched. Fang You'an, oh Fang You'an, you are indeed far-sighted and diligent for the rise of the Fang Clan.

It's one thing to ride on a great prodigy, but now you plan to ride on the Holy Land's master?

When did I, Wang Shouzhe, ever dominate and have the final say?

Compete if you must, who’s afraid... wait, isn't that my daughter on one side and my granddaughter on the other?

Wait, there's more.

Decades ago, my niece Wang Lici wrote home saying she was following her master to the Han Yue Immortal Dynasty. She also mentioned that her master intended to train her for the Holy Son Struggle, aiming for the position of the Holy Land's master.

"Three?"

"Daughter, granddaughter, niece..." Wang Shouzhe suddenly felt a headache coming on.

……

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