Born in Blood



Liam's eyes widened in absolute shock.

Did this Usan just say brother?

No, before that, did he say father?

Father as in… the Rank 6 powerhouse of the Moyong family?

From the looks of it, not even the Seven Clan Patriarchs knew that. Their wide eyes and furrowed brows were an indication.

This instantly complicated things.

And why was Usan attempting to anger a damn Rank 6 cultivator?!

Not to mention, his own dad?!

Well, Liam had a habit of pissing off Malcolm just for the heck of it now and again. 

Though, he'd get a nasty bruise or a broken bone or two, but it was worth it.

This was different.

Way different.

But Liam was out of his depth.

This was between the Zeniths.

All he could do was watch.

As Usan let his words linger in the air, there was grim silence. 

The seven looked conflicted.

On one hand, they wanted to kill the Unforgiven for his rude and untimely arrival.

If they didn't nip this problem in the bud, then a 'revolution' of sorts was starting.

They weren't dumb. The seven knew what Usan was trying to do.

…But they had to listen.

This 'Miracle Fruit'... the fact that Usan is actually from the Moyong family…

They had to see where this led.

North Star must have realized how venomous his face currently looked, since he lowered his head and raised it with a slightly calmer expression.

But scorn couldn't really be hidden like that.

It looked like the man was itching to unleash his spells and get rid of Usan.

…But he couldn't. 

If he did, it'd make him and the Moyong family seem guilty of something. 

And now that his fellow seven intended to hear the full story, he was forced to let it go on.

Usan creaked his neck to the side.

'So many people.'

There were more than two dozen Rank 5's watching the current event unfold.

And more were coming.

In truth, the Unforgiven really didn't want to make his burdens known to so many faces. 

But if he wanted to make his case as convincing as possible, he had to.

"Haven't you all wondered how the Hand of Light became a Rank 6 so fast?"

Hand of Light.

This was the powerhouse whose sole presence stopped the incoming wars against Ilali.

"He was the strongest of us all," Felling Wind cut in, eyes narrowed. "It was obvious he was going to break through the fastest."

Usan nodded his head.

"Indeed…"

"But then, how did he advance to the fifth Rank not too fast after?" Usan lightly pointed to the North Star, who grimaced in response.

Silence.

Indeed, it was strange.

Roughly 500 years had passed since Hand of Light had become a Rank 6 powerhouse.

However, his son, who was a Rank 4 Zenith at the time, abruptly became a Rank 5.

And he was just under 350 years old!

For Rank 5 standards, that was too little.

Unnaturally little. 

Sure, talent played an important part in these ranks.

But how much talent could a person really have?

All the Rank 5's watching required almost twice the age to advance to a higher Rank.

However, when a Rank 6 was involved, they couldn't apply the same ruleset or thinking. 

The Moyong family was the strongest family in Ilali to date.

And they were all talented warriors that didn't even show themselves to the public.

It wouldn't be surprising if they had amazing cultivation techniques and methods to increase their progress.

Plus, since they were so few, they could spread more resources amongst one another. 

But now…

Everyone saw that progress in a different light.

If they didn't have amazing generation-to-generation techniques, how did they progress so fast?

"What are you getting at?" Miasma Queen hissed. 

"What's this about a tree?" Sun's Spear added with a slight frown.

Usan was now addressing only the Rank 5's and 4's.

His words didn't reach anyone below those ranks, except his own acolytes, of course.

"There is a Rank 6 tree beneath that massive light palace. Every half-millenia, it gives birth to a special fruit."

"Whoever eats it naturally jumps a few ranks ahead, depending on how much they could naturally digest."

Shocked silence.

Everyone's jaws fell.

There was such a thing?!

Certainly, that explained the unadulteratedly pure 'Ora' density around the Main Lands.

Staying here for just a few days even as a Rank 3 cultivator could give months of progress.

Of course, there were other sources of that density.

'Ora' Pockets, 'Ora' Wells, and for some, 'Ora' Caves.

Because of this, they didn't really suspect such an incredible thing living under them.

To keep its existence a secret, the Moyong family must have coated the thing with countless Formations and inscriptions, just to reduce its influence.

When hearing Usan say those words, Liam felt incredibly amazed.

It was basically a way to fast forward one's progress, without the dull time-wasting efforts that goes into it.

There was nothing worth more to a cultivator than such a thing.

And Liam could only imagine the rarity of such an item.

Actually, he couldn't imagine it.

In the first place, he couldn't even imagine the processes of the low Zenith ranks.

Suddenly, all those watching the debacle felt a sting of greed.

They all wanted a piece of that pie.

Wouldn't they have a chance to become a Rank 6 powerhouse then?!

But why did Usan reveal that information to everyone involved?

Couldn't he just keep it between him, the acolytes and the seven clans?

Usan scoffed.

"Why do you think the wars happened?" 

Another round of shock arose in everyone's chests.

Of course!

Other than having natural 'Ora' reserves and valuable materials, that alone didn't warrant an invasion.

But a Rank 6 item definitely would.

Still, if Hand of Light didn't want to give up his resource, he didn't have to.

This was the thought that ran through everyone's mind.

But Usan's next words reassured everyone.

"Consuming the Fruit as a Rank 6 won't work."

"Hand of Light cannot use the resource anymore."

Usan paused dramatically, then grinned at everyone's shock.

"...And in exactly one year, the Tree will bear its Miracle Fruit."