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Chapter 3 - Chapter 2 - The Tales of Two Heirs

Chapter Two: The Tales of Two Heirs

Long Tian nodded at his father's proposal. He drew a slow breath and continued.

"It was a strange feeling," he began, his voice low. "To be aware of everything but have no strength to move. It was all a confusion of realities. And the nightmares… Every time I slept, I lived another life."

"So you pushed us away," Zi Rou said softly, not as an accusation but as a simple truth. "You couldn't believe we were real."

"That's a good summary," he said, looking down at his hands, his voice dropping. "But not the whole picture. I didn't want to believe it. Deep down, I knew what was real—but accepting that felt terrifying. It was safer to think you were just creations of my mind. To treat the nightmares as someone else's life. Like I said… it was a very confusing time."

He lifted his eyes to them, his voice growing steadier. "But time passed. Even when I kept my distance, you never stopped trying to chase the nightmares away—Mother, with your hugs; Father, standing guard like a silent protector. Slowly, I began to accept it. To see you for who you truly were. And with that acceptance, I finally began to understand the nightmares."

He drew a deeper breath, the weight of the admission settling in the air. "They weren't just dreams… They were memories."

"Memories of the soul you fought?" Long Qingxiao asked, his voice hushed.

"Yes." Long Tian nodded. "Memories of a young man named—ironically—Long Tian, who lived around the time Glory City was founded. He was the reason I knew about the ring and how to bind it. It was an artifact meant as a last resort in case of the family's destruction, but it could only be bound by someone with a very specific soul realm and soul attribute. The creator didn't want it used by anyone else—not even another branch of the family."

Long Tian let the words hang for a moment. "That specificity is why it worked for me... and why it never worked for you or your grandfather."

"Tian, you keep using these terms—Soul Form and Attribute. What are they?" Zi Rou asked, recalling their conversation from outside the house.

"I did promise an explanation," Long Tian conceded. "And it's crucial for understanding why the ring works for me. But first, Father needs to keep his part of the deal."

"It is only natural," Long Qingxiao agreed. "You know that almost ten years ago, our family lost all its Gold Rank experts, correct?" His son nodded. It was the well-known catastrophe that had shattered them, plummeting the family from its status as a powerful Aristocratic House to mere commoners.

Noticing his understanding, the Patriarch continued. "You may know the reason, but not the details. I was in my final years at the Saint Orchid Institute then. My cultivation had just reached Silver Rank, but the family had no Demon Spirit for me to fuse with."

"It's understandable. We can't fuse with anything but a Dragon," Long Tian interjected. "Some ancestors believed it was tied to our Soul Forms always taking a draconic shape—the very reason we're named the Heavenly Dragon Family. One theorized that a dragon is too prideful to share its home with a lesser being." Noticing his parents' curious looks, he added, "There's a book in the ring. It's more like a collection of disjointed entries from different people across the ages than an organized history."

"That makes the Soul Forms even more intriguing. And this book—may I read it?" Zi Rou asked with a smile. Long Tian nodded.

"Your mother can read the book later," his father interjected, though his eyes betrayed his own deep interest. "But let me finish my tale first." At Long Tian's gesture for him to continue, Long Qingxiao gathered his thoughts. "I was without a Demon Spirit. My father began inquiring if any family would sell a Dragon Demon Spirit—at a reasonable price, of course. But as you know, they are exceedingly rare. The fact that our family once possessed nine was mind-boggling; most came from the family treasury in what we believe was our family's golden age. The experts of the family all had at least Green Soul Realm, with my father's being Cyan. He was certain to reach Black-Gold within a few years. The clan was at its peak, perhaps the strongest since the city's founding."

Long Tian let out a short laugh at the statement, drawing a look of annoyance from his father. "What is so funny, brat?" Long Qingxiao asked.

"Father, our family was a founding power of this city," Long Tian said. "According to the memories, we had at least seven Legend Rank experts then—one from each branch. The ring's creator, Long Ao Tian, was considered the most powerful expert of that era; I doubt anyone has surpassed his feats since. But that is only half of it. Our family is ancient. The book contains passages of a patriarch witnessing the rise of the oldest known empires. I believe our lineage is far older. For some reason, we turned nomadic and lost interest in recording our own history. The book is as frustrating as it is intriguing; its truths are buried in subtext, as if deliberately hidden."

Zi Rou's eyes sparkled like a child's upon receiving a precious gift, much to her husband's private amusement. But the sheer scale of their family's lost strength made both of them stare, their mouths agape.

But Long Tian wasn't finished. He delivered the true revelation. "And I am certain that seven was not the true number. That was only the count known to the outside world. The Long Tian of the memories knew of at least ten. And on the day of his death, he sensed two dozen or more, battling the demon beasts that assaulted our estate. Could they have been from other families? Doubtful. Our territory was in the outer ring, and the attack was a complete surprise."

Long Qingxiao was flabbergasted, and a glance at his wife's stunned face confirmed she was no different. But he quickly collected himself, his mind shifting into the cold, analytical overdrive of a strategist. How could a family with such power fall so far? More importantly, how was all record of that strength erased? Yes, Glory City had been shattered before, and knowledge was lost with each cataclysm. But for the memory of a clan boasting dozens of Legend Ranks to be utterly scoured from history? It defied all logic.

"Husband?"

Zi Rou's voice pulled him from his thoughts. He gave voice to the turmoil in his mind. "How did we fall so far? And why is there no memory of our true strength? The city remembers the Snow Wind Family as founders. They note the Sacred Family's ascent. So how was our history utterly erased? Lost records are one thing, but to be purged from the city's very memory... it makes no sense."

"Your father is right," Zi Rou added, her brow furrowed in thought. "You describe a power that would have been impossible to fully conceal. And if the other Long Tian could sense those hidden experts, so could every other top-tier cultivator in the city."

Long Tian scowled, sifting through the memories of his past life. "The day that Long Tian died, it was a city-wide tragedy. His father, Long Zongyuan, was ambushed within a massive horde. Ten Peak Legend Rank beasts encircled him—a targeted strike. He was mortally wounded, but he took every one of them down with him."

"That seems impossible," Long Qingxiao interjected. "Even Lord Ye Mo, with his power, could only handle two, perhaps three such beasts. To defeat ten at the peak of Legend Rank? It sounds less like history and more like a boast told to a child."

A knowing smirk touched Long Tian's lips. "To understand, you need to see how the clan was truly structured." After receiving their nods, he continued. "We have four branches now, correct? Internal and External Affairs, Resources, and the Disciplinary Branch, with the Patriarch above them."

They agreed.

"Back then, there were seven primary branches: the Main Line, Wood, Fire, Water, Earth, Metal, and Yin-Yang. Each had one Legend Rank known to the city, but the family was obsessed with secrets. The Main Line's true power... was of a different dimension entirely."

"So his power came from this hidden branch," Long Qingxiao reasoned. "But what was the source?"

"The Soul Form and Soul Attribute," Zi Rou answered, her eyes alight with sudden understanding. "Now I really want to know what they are."

"Mom has the heart of it," Long Tian said. "It was the Soul Form and Soul Attribute. They were so potent that only one born with them could lead the family—that was the unbreakable rule. And they weren't random; the manifestation was guaranteed within the Patriarch's line, though not always to the firstborn. Long Zongyuan was the third son, yet he inherited the mantle from his father."

He paused, realizing the conversation had circled back to the very concepts he needed to explain. "To understand the rest, I must finally explain what Soul Forms and Attributes are. Then we can return to Father's story."

"Finally!" Zi Rou said, her excitement palpable.

Both males smiled. "Common knowledge says Soul Realm color dictates talent," Long Tian began. "Red is poor, Yellow is average, Green is good, Cyan is excellent, and Azure and Indigo are legendary." After their nods, he continued. "But that is an incomplete picture. It is entirely possible for someone with a Red Soul Realm to reach Legend Rank if they possess a cultivation technique that perfectly matches their Soul Form and Attribute. The path would be slower, but the peak is not closed to them."

"This... this knowledge could reshape Glory City," Long Qingxiao breathed out, his mind reeling at the implications.

"It could," Long Tian agreed. "But it is not simple. To see someone's Soul Form and Attribute, a pure, unused Soul Crystal is required. Without it, only the crude color and raw power are visible." He returned to his explanation. "A Soul Form can be anything—from a 'Primordial Nine Heavens Sky Azure Dragon' to a simple beast or object. The Attribute is simpler: usually elemental or conceptual, like Fire, Void, or Lightning. Consider the Snow Wind Family. I have a theory—and it's just a theory—that their name is a clue to a common trait within their bloodline. This could explain their consistent production of Legend Ranks; if true, the local demon beasts would possess compatible attributes, leading to more harmonious and empowering fusions."

"Couldn't the Snow Wind family be hiding this from everyone else? To maintain their power?" Zi Rou suggested.

Long Tian shook his head. "No. This was one of the secrets our own family kept. I don't even know why we joined the city; it was Long Ao Tian's decision. The man is a paradox. He created the ring as a last resort, showing foresight, yet made it impossibly restrictive. He stored the originals here but made copies for the archives—I only know because Long Zongyuan helped create them. It speaks of paranoia. Yet, he also changed our nomadic ways, showing a willingness to adapt. Why then hide knowledge that could have strengthened the entire city? He is a frustrating enigma. But above all, he was strong. Which brings me back to his son's power."

His parents were amused by his frustration, yet they shared it. Why had the family hoarded its secrets so fiercely? He noticed the same exasperation dawning on their faces, which amused him in turn.

He interrupted their thoughts. "Back to Long Zongyuan. He was powerful because he possessed the fabled Soul Form and Attribute. But those were the prerequisites, not the source. The source was the cultivation technique. His deathbed confession to his son revealed that the technique could annul or reverse—I'm not certain which—all elemental attacks from Demon Beasts. And here is the catch: it made it impossible for the user to fuse with a normal Demon Spirit, even a draconic one."

"Wait, what?" Long Qingxiao said, dumbfounded. "I understand nullifying elemental attacks is a profound advantage, enough to turn the tide of any battle. But to forgo a Demon Spirit entirely? That is a tactical nightmare. It makes one-on-one combat with Demon Beasts impossible! Their bodies are inherently stronger. Our lineage has an advantage, but not enough to match a beast's raw physique."

"No, it gets better," Long Tian countered. "The technique permits fusion with seven demon spirits, each mirroring the attributes of the family's branches: Wood, Fire, Water, Earth, Metal, and Yin-Yang."

"So my attribute is Yin-Yang?" Long Qingxiao concluded, a spark of hope in his voice.

Long Tian shook his head. "No. Your element is Wood. Pure Wood."

"You felt that through the space?" his mother asked.

"No. I can't feel that here, remember? It's in the eyes. Father's emerald-green eyes are the mark of the Wood Branch. It was a common trait; your eyes always revealed your lineage. The tones could vary, but the colors were: green for Wood, red for Fire, blue for Water, brown for Earth, grey for Metal, black with white irises for the Yin-Yang branch, and a void-black for the main Patriarch's line."

"What do you mean?" his mother asked.

"It relates to the purpose of each branch," he said, trying to organize the fragmented memories. "The Wood Branch, Father's line, were the alchemists; Fire, the blacksmiths; Water, the inscriptionists…"

"Wait," Long Qingxiao interjected, his brow furrowed. "Was it truly that rigid? Every member of our line was simply an alchemist? Because our family has been trying for generations, green eyes or otherwise, and our success rate is abysmal. We have Elder Yun, and almost no one else to show for it."

Long Tian hesitated for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "The memories are more like impressions of the family. It's perfectly possible it wasn't a strict rule, but simply what each branch excelled at."

"So the branch techniques worked more like a foundation, making it easier for them to stay in their respective lines of work," Zi Rou murmured, a look of understanding on her face. "An advantage."

"I believe it has nothing to do with each branch's technique. I practice the wood technique, remember, love?" Long Qingxiao said affectionately.

"If not the technique, then..." She paused, and it didn't take long for her to come up with a new theory of her own. "The attributes, right?!"

Long Tian smiled; what he was about to say was a theory just like hers. "I believe you are right. Certain attributes have a stronger connection with certain things. Like Wood having an easier time dealing with herbs, making the success rate higher. But it isn't a sure thing; it's only a prerequisite. Alchemy requires much more than that, with foundational knowledge being more important." His theory was based on what he had read in his past life, but it seemed applicable here too.

"From that point of view, it makes sense that it would appear to a teenager that a branch was focused on that," the family patriarch concluded.

"But this brings up questions about the other branches, don't you think?" Zi Rou questioned. Both men looked at her, and she explained her thoughts. "Like, fire is also required for alchemy, and metal could be said to be needed for smithing. And why did he perceive Water as inscriptionists? And how did he see the Earth, Metal, and Yin-Yang branches?" she ended, looking at her son.

Noticing his parents looking at him, he shrugged. "Now I believe his knowledge was very faulty. But couldn't it just be a matter of preference in the end? The book I mentioned before has some passages confirming how they addressed each other, at least." He paused to organize his thoughts and proceeded. "Long Tian perceived the Earth Branch as the defensive ones and the Metal one as the family's offense…" He paused again as if struck by a sudden enlightenment. "Well, I believe some of this could have something to do with their cultivation techniques after all. Mom was on the right track."

Zi Rou had a smug look on her face, and Long Qingxiao rolled his eyes.

"In fact, both of you were right in your own ways." The duo looked at Long Tian with interest. "Like this: the wood technique, the Verdant Dragon Scripture, has nothing to do with alchemy in its principles; it's more focused on dragging out fights and defense…" Long Qingxiao nodded; it was like the technique he practiced. "...The fire one, Crimson Dragon's Decree Art, is more focused on power, but its consumption is absurd, and there are no blacksmithing secrets in it. The water one, Abyssal Dragon's Flow Art, on the other hand, is more focused on healing but has little power. Father was right here; their techniques have nothing to do with how they were organized."

"Yes. I haven't read the others like you apparently know so well," Long Qingxiao said. "But I can see where your logic is leading."

"It has something to do with the space; I'll explain later," the boy shrugged off the comment and continued. "And as Father assumed, the earth one, Yellow Dragon's Foundation Sutra, is focused on defense, explaining why someone would perceive them as the defense of the family. And the metal one, Adamantine Dragon Form Method, is more about offense and versatility, explaining why they would be perceived as the offense." He ended his explanation about the five branches.

"But what was Long Tian's designation for the Yin-Yang branch?" Zi Rou asked, curious.

"Well, he designated them as the keepers of knowledge. So, if he was correct about two, he could be correct about this, taking everything into consideration."

"Oh, yes. That makes sense," Long Qingxiao concluded. "The knowledge keepers died out, and so did our records of the past."

"But surely tales of our power would have persisted among the common people," he continued, still grappling with the scale of their forgotten history. "The day such strength was unveiled should have lived on in memory."

"You're correct," Long Tian said. "But we were a frustratingly hidden family. We've lived in the outer ring since the beginning, and our territory was deliberately reclusive. We didn't request it from the City Lord; we took it and essentially said, 'We will live here, but do not bother us.' That part is my assumption, but I know Long Ao Tian and the then-City Lord, Ye Yan of the Thunder Family, were friends. And yes, the Snow Wind Family were founders, but they were originally a branch of the Thunder Family. Ironic, isn't it? The most powerful family's branch took its leadership, and a similar thing happened within the city's power structure."

"That would explain why we were forgotten, especially if our allied family also died out," his father concluded. Then he asked with curiosity, "But son, by your own explanation, you must have the void-black eyes, or you could never have bound the ring."

"I know," Long Tian said. "It confused me too until I tested my soul. The form and attribute matched the requirements. So I came to a conclusion..." He paused, his voice somber. "On rare occasions, a child of cultivators is born unable to cultivate. I believe that was my original fate. I am more thankful than you can know for the other Long Tian. Without his soul, I would be... I wouldn't be able to cultivate—"

"And we would have loved you all the same," his mother interjected, his father nodding firmly in agreement.

A true smile finally broke through. "I know. I felt that love even at my worst. So I planned for two years to help in secret—to suggest things, 'discover' lost knowledge, and anonymously send recipes to the Alchemist Guild. I would honor the other Long Tian's penchant for shadows without attracting attention to myself. But then I bonded with the ring."

"And with it, this space, scattering all your carefully laid plans to the wind!" Zi Rou lamented, throwing her hands up in a gesture of loving despair. "By the heavens, what did I do to be surrounded by such self-sacrificing, brilliant morons?"

They shared a laugh, but her outburst brought the original reason for their conversation back to the forefront of all their minds. Long Qingxiao sighed and began.

"So, it's my turn again. Before we were led so far off track, I was speaking of my father searching for a Draconic Demon Spirit for me. He found no sellers among the other families. No one who possessed one would part with it. They are too powerful, after all."

"But seeing you at the Peak of Gold Rank at your age, you clearly obtained one," Long Tian added. "And based on everything we now know, it's safe to assume its attribute is highly compatible with yours, Father."

A look of contemplation settled on Long Qingxiao's face. "Yes, you are right. Its name was the Jade-Tail Forest Dragon. It was a peak Gold Rank beast, and before it died, it killed all nine of our Gold experts, plus several Black-Gold ranks the Sacred Family had offered as 'help'."

Long Tian scowled. Of course they were involved, he thought. The Sacred Family... Their scheming with the Dark Guild was one of the first major plots in the novel I read. A pity I only made it through the first twenty chapters before ending up here.

"What is it, Tian?" his mother asked, noticing his expression.

"The facts don't align with the beast's known capabilities," he stated flatly. "The Jade-Tail Forest Dragon is a rare wood-attribute dragon, but it's not that powerful. Not enough to wipe out that assembled lineup. Something is wrong here." He had already seen the truth that made his father hide his cultivation. "Such a group should have had little difficulty dealing with that beast. Its camouflage can be annoying, but that's it. Are you certain this was the beast they fought?"

Long Qingxiao tightened his hands in fury. "So what I suspected was true, then?" Zi Rou placed her hands over his, and after a long, steadying breath, he continued. "No. I am not sure. My father never told me the beast's name; it was meant to be a surprise gift. Everything I know about it came from the person who delivered the Demon Spirit Stone to me, even the part about my father seeking it. It seems this 'hiding the truth' really runs in our veins." He spoke in a hurt, self-deprecating tone. He didn't like it one bit. "Back to the story. As my father's inquiries became known among the city's nobles, the Sacred Family contacted him weeks after his first query. They claimed to have located a Draconic Demon Beast on one of their expeditions, but it was too powerful for their group at the time. They offered a joint operation to kill it. They would send a number of Gold Ranks and some Black-Gold experts. All our family needed to provide was my father and two other Gold ranks, and we could keep the Demon Spirit. The price: twenty-five percent of our family's territory."

"Plausible. Scratch that—very plausible," Long Tian interjected. "They hear a rumor and offer help for a price. But I doubt that's everything, right?"

"Oh, it wasn't," Long Qingxiao confirmed darkly. "At the time, I didn't understand why, but one day my father, my grandfather, and the lead elder of the Disciplinary Branch left the city. Taking into account what the messenger later told me, that was when they went to verify the story. Losing all the family experts could be seen as a reckless move, but your grandfather never accepted anything at face value. Now, the final part: He negotiated a new deal: the price was reduced to ten percent of our territory, but the Sacred Family would now send only their Black-Gold experts."

"If this is leading where I think it is leading," Long Tian commented, a cold understanding dawning on him, "then the person behind this is a truly frightening man."

He now saw clearly what his father had feared all these years.

A satisfied smile touched Long Qingxiao's lips. Seeing his son's mind working in parallel with his own long-held suspicions was a profound relief. "Yes. But for the longest time, it was only a gut feeling. What you said about the Demon Spirit confirms it. You will understand in a moment just how frightening the architect of this plot was." He felt his wife's soft hand close over his, and the simple touch gave him the strength to continue.

"Then came the day of the expedition," he began, his voice growing heavier. "The official story was a joint operation to some ruins our families had found. The Sacred Family's Black Gold experts came to our estate; I could feel their power, and they were proud to showcase it. My father and grandfather personally verified their ranks. They left... and returned the next day. Honestly, it's all a blur. I recall a man talking, telling a story, but my eyes were locked on the bodies of my father and his companions. I was a boy, barely in my teens, and I had lost everything that day. My grandmother was inconsolable. The next thing I knew, I was at a negotiation table, with them demanding fifty percent of our territory as compensation for their loss."

He tightened his hands, his knuckles white, and a wave of soul pressure flared instinctively around him before he wrestled it back down, remembering his son was in the room. "Sorry... I..."

"I understand, Father," Long Tian said with a contemplative smile. "And it seems soul pressure doesn't affect me here. Good to know."

The observation piqued Long Qingxiao's interest, but he filed it away for later. "But I wasn't buying it. Something felt wrong. I demanded to see their dead and confirmed they were the same men. My grandmother verified it. Still unsatisfied, I asked the newly instated City Lord, Ye Zong, to investigate. He summoned his father, Lord Ye Mo himself. He testified that he had fought alongside those very men. They were, without a doubt, Black Gold experts from the Sacred Family. He gave his condolences and left. I was cornered. I had to take the deal, or our family would be left with no Dragon Demon Spirit. To this day, I am one of only two in our family who possesses one."

He looked at his son, the old isolation clear in his eyes. "I had this gut feeling, but no one shared it—not even my grandmother. And I understood. Why would they? The Sacred Family had sacrificed five of their own Black Gold experts. The story was far too believable to invite suspicion."

"Yes, they were right. In hindsight, it was hard to believe someone would plot in such a masterful way, even to the point of sacrificing part of their power. In the world we live in, five Black Gold experts could mean the existence of a family," Long Tian said, piecing the logic together. He paused, then continued. "And now, you are a Peak Gold Rank cultivator not even in your thirties. This is fast—far too fast for a cultivator with a Yellow Soul Realm in a minor family. You were right to keep your cultivation hidden. That speed would certainly garner notice, and they would assume you were carrying some kind of secret or powerful treasure."

"Not what I was thinking, but you've grasped the heart of it and probably see the value of my caution better than I did," the Patriarch admitted. "I just wanted to keep my family safe. You were born after I broke through, and nothing was more important than protecting you."

An embarrassed smile formed on Long Tian's face. "Yeah, I think I was reading too much into it. But it was a smart decision. And now, with the Space Farm and the knowledge from the ring, we can rise again and take our revenge when we are powerful enough."

His son's thoughts of revenge weren't something he shared, and from the look on her face, neither did Zi Rou. The Space Farm was a boon without a doubt, even greater than the knowledge his boy possessed. But to Long Qingxiao, nothing was worth more than family.

"Tian'er," Long Qingxiao began, his voice soft but firm. "As much as I would like to see my father and grandfather avenged—just as the rest of those who died that day deserve—the Demon Spirit was for me, at the end of the day. But... I would simply like to keep our family safe, even at the cost of strength. It is selfish, I know. But it's a feeling I can stand behind."

"What your father is saying," Zi Rou added, "is that he would choose for you not to have to pass through what he has been through. Your great-grandmother, I am sure, would think the same. The loss of a family member is a thing we should not have to suffer through. Unfortunately, we all will someday. Let's just keep it as natural as we can, considering the world we live in."

And he could understand it. He had memories to back it up. "I understand. I just... got carried away. The grief, the pain, the rage and desire for vengeance in the other Long Tian was a heavy burden. But... this space," he said, gesturing around them, "is something you guys don't have any idea what it's capable of. Even I don't know all of it. It's easy to see what we could do in a short span of time."

"Then, tell us," Long Qingxiao said, steering the conversation onto its new path. "What is this space capable of? What makes you so sure that the vengeance you speak of could be possible?"

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