Ethan observed the life of his descendant with a keen eye.
The boy, Alexander, possessed remarkable potential, bearing a dual psychic constitution.
Helen, with her sharp mind, had raised Adam well, instilling in him the ways of cultivation while emphasizing discretion.
Now at the sixth level of Foundational Energy, Adam was a skilled cultivator, though he kept his abilities hidden.
His reputation as the finest fisherman for miles around had, in his youth, drawn matchmakers to their small village like moths to a fla.
Yet, Adam remained devoted to Erin, the girl who lived just two lanes down from his childhood ho.
Their marriage was a testant to their enduring love.
Erin, though not blessed with extraordinary beauty, possessed a heart of gold.
She might not have mastered the refined embroidery of noblewon, but her kindness knew no bounds, extending even to the injured creatures of their village.
As Ethan prepared to return to his family and resu his cultivation, a sense of contentnt washing over him, a sight gave him pause.
Adam, dressed simply in tunic and trousers, erged from the tavern, his deanor as composed and collected as his mother's.
He walked towards the front of the tavern, where the Drunken Fool sat begging for alms.
With a familiar gesture, Adam offered the old man a gourd filled with wine.
The Drunken Fool accepted the offering with a grateful smile, but a flicker of sothing crossed his features, his expression montarily freezing.
"Old friend," Adam began, his voice steady, "you've been a fixture outside this tavern since I was a boy. I've grown now, and many in the village my age are gone, yet you remain as spry as ever. And never a day goes by without your gourd of wine."
"Good wine, good wine!" the Drunken Fool exclaid, taking a large gulp, feigning intoxication.
Adam's expression remained unchanged. "I've faced my share of dangers growing up, but sohow, I always managed to escape unscathed. Years ago, when bandits threatened our village, I led our n to fight them. By the ti we arrived at their hideout the next day, they were all gone. When I inquired, the villagers ntioned you had been away for a while that night."
"There's no such thing as a selfless act of kindness, at least not in my experience. I've been cultivating since I was a child. My mother possesses knowledge of cultivation that others wouldn't even dare to dream of. I can sense she's keeping sothing from , and so are you."
"When I was young, I used to ask about my father, but she would always refuse to speak of him. Now that I'm older, I need to know..."
"What is my father's na?"
"..."
As Adam spoke, Helen, her brow furrowed, peered down from the tavern window.
Though Adam's voice had dropped to a whisper, it couldn't escape Helen's ears, honed by years of cultivation to the second level of Developing Skill.
Below, the Drunken Fool continued to play the part of a rambling drunkard, oblivious to Adam's questioning gaze.
Unbeknownst to them, a man carrying a coffin on his back stood with his arm around a beautiful woman, their figures hidden in the shadows of a nearby alleyway.
"My love, let's stay a while longer," Luna pleaded softly.
"As you wish," Nathan replied with a smile. "We shouldn't disrupt their lives. They have everything they need here."
"Perhaps this simple life is a blessing," Luna mused. "We never had a choice, but I hope they can live in peace and happiness, always."
The street bustled with activity, but the couple remained unseen, like phantoms passing through the crowd.
Suddenly, the Drunken Fool, still squatting by the tavern entrance, froze.
His eyes widened as he spotted the couple in the shadows. "Twenty years! Do you have any idea what I've been through all these years?" he sputtered, nearly choking on his wine.
That night, Helen, clutching Alexander in her arms, soared into the night sky, searching for any sign of Nathan and Luna.
Her efforts proved futile.
All she found was a storage ring lying on the ground.
It contained enough resources and treasures to drive a Competent Force level power mad, along with a simple note:
[Live well]
Facing south, towards the Erald Empire's border, Helen fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face.
A few days later, the old beggar vanished from his spot outside the tavern.
A fierce thunderstorm raged across the sea near Coastal Village, much to the astonishnt of the villagers.
Soon after, the filthy old beggar reappeared, back in his usual spot, begging for alms.
...
Unlike the peaceful lives of Nicholas's descendants in the small fishing village, Cloudview County remained embroiled in conflict.
The war on the border raged on, even after all these years.
Daniel, now a seasoned general with a commanding presence, sat upon the main seat in Border Town.
His youthful face, frad by a crown of silver hair, contrasted sharply with his imposing black armor.
Another battle was about to comnce outside the town.
Jessica, leading Cloudview County's Azure Cloud army, pursued a retreating Druid force.
They had already seized control of a Druid settlent, and many psychics were busy plundering its resources.
Ethan observed the scene with a sense of relief.
[Your descendant, Jessica, a true warrior, leads the Azure Cloud army against the Druids on the border of Cloudview County, her victories unmatched. The re ntion of her na strikes fear into the hearts of the Druids. Word of her past deeds in Cloudview County, particularly her actions in Jonestown, has spread among the Druids, earning her the moniker "The Bloodsoaked Widow."]
[Due to her rciless slaughter of the Druids in every battle, she has acquired the trait: Druid Slayer.]
[When facing Druids, her pressure increases by 100%. She is under the protection of Cloudview County's destiny. For every ten thousand Druids slain, her progress towards the Competent Force stage increases by 1%. Current progress: 12%.]
"Kill!" Jessica roared, her voice echoing across the battlefield.
She soared through the air on her dual swords, her beautiful face contorted in a grimace of righteous fury.
Behind her, tens of thousands of Azure Cloud army psychics followed, their swords forming a dazzling, unstoppable formation.
The combined might of their psychic powers seed to blot out the sun.
Ethan watched the battle unfold, a hint of surprise flickering in his eyes.
"It seems Olivia's borrowing of destiny from the Druids is having a more significant impact than I anticipated. If Jessica slays another eighty-eight thousand Druids, she'll break through to the Competent Force stage..."
With Daniel and Jessica leading the charge, Ethan felt reassured about the border's security.
The Azure Cloud army was stronger than ever.
Ethan had grown accustod to his existence as a silent guardian, a phantom watching over Cloudview County.
[Blackwood Year 185]
[Congratulations! After years of contemplation alongside Daoist Bill, you have fully comprehended the law of the mountain's weight.]
Erging from seclusion, Ethan assessed his current state.
The barrier between the Competent Force and Basic Mastery stages was a formidable one.
It required not only the absorption of vast quantities of natural energies but also the mastery of the laws governing the universe.
Only then could his Competent Force grow and transcend its physical limitations, achieving Basic Mastery.
He could now perceive the various laws that perated the world around him, such as the five elents, wind, and thunder.
"Thankfully, with the aid of these laws, my Competent Force has grown sowhat."
Ethan felt a surge of excitent.
The Blackwood family had presented him with two tribute offerings during this period, but the amount of natural energies they provided was minuscule.
Based on his calculations, if he continued to receive tributes of this caliber every decade, it would take him at least ten thousand years to reach the peak of the Basic Mastery stage... and a Competent Force stage cultivator's lifespan was a re two thousand years...
"However..." Ethan murmured, a glimr of hope in his eyes.
And with that, he vanished from sight.
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