Chapter 75 A Forgotten Descendant

As Junhao's desperate cries gradually faded into the distance, Haoyu and Yuhan exchanged glances.

Neither of them spoke.

After a moment, they silently nodded to one another.

"Let's leave..."

"No point getting dragged into that."

Without another word, the siblings quietly turned around and began walking away from the training grounds, doing their best to look as inconspicuous as possible.

They kept their heads down and quickened their pace, pretending they had never met Junhao in the first place.

Behind them, Junhao's miserable voice continued to echo.

"Haoyu! Yuhan! Save me!"

The siblings didn't even look back.

Instead, they silently increased their walking speed.

If they stayed any longer...

They had a feeling Senior Sun Lei might suddenly remember there were two more spectators who had heard Junhao's embarrassing story.

Neither of them wanted to find out if that feeling was correct.

Meanwhile, atop Cloud Ascension Peak, Zan Yunxiao sat alone inside a newly built pavilion near the edge of the cliff.

A gentle breeze swept across the mountain as clouds drifted beneath the peak. From his seat, he could overlook the entire Zan Clan and Solhaven City in the distance, the peaceful scenery contrasting with the matters currently occupying his mind.

With a single thought, a translucent screen appeared before him.

It was the Clan Interface.

Following the incident involving the forged descendants, Zan Yunxiao had personally reorganized the interface through the Eternal Ancestor System. The clan registry was now neatly divided into two separate lists: Descendants and Non-Descendants.

The Descendants list was completely automatic.

As long as someone truly carried the Zan Clan's bloodline, the Eternal Ancestor System would instantly recognize them and record their name without any possibility of error or manipulation. No forged identity, fake token, or false claim could deceive the system.

Anyone without a genuine blood connection, regardless of whether they bore the Zan surname or possessed a Zan Clan token, would be placed under the Non-Descendants list instead.

Zan Yunxiao calmly browsed through the two lists, carefully inspecting every name. With this automatic bloodline verification integrated into the Clan Interface, he no longer needed to worry about another incident like the fake descendants. From this day onward, the Eternal Ancestor System itself would determine who truly belonged to the Zan Clan bloodline.

As Zan Yunxiao continued browsing through the Clan Interface, his gaze suddenly stopped on a single name.

Tianlin.

Beside the name was a golden mark.

[Descendant]

His brows slowly furrowed.

"Tianlin..."

He quietly repeated the name to himself.

A hint of confusion appeared on his face.

He clearly remembered the descendant registry that Zan Wei had personally compiled and presented to him after the recent investigation.

However...

This name had never appeared in the report.

Nor had he seen anyone named Tianlin among the descendants gathered in the plaza a few days ago.

Curiosity flickered across Zan Yunxiao's eyes.

Without the slightest hesitation, he selected Tianlin's name.

A new panel immediately unfolded before him, displaying Tianlin's detailed information, his age, bloodline, current status, and other records recognized by the Eternal Ancestor System.

Zan Yunxiao merely glanced at it.

He had no interest in reading through pages of information.

Instead, his gaze fell upon another function beneath the profile.

[Real-Time View]

Without hesitation, he activated it.

The Clan Interface rippled like the surface of water before a floating screen slowly materialized before him.

The Real-Time View gradually became clearer.

The image focused directly on Tianlin.

He was a young child, quietly sitting at a large dining table while eating his meal with proper manners.

As the screen expanded, the surroundings also became visible.

The dining hall was magnificent, decorated with luxurious ornaments befitting a royal palace.

Seated at the head of the dining table was a middle-aged man dressed in royal robes, the king of the nation.

Several royal guards stood silently along both sides of the hall, vigilantly guarding the banquet.

Beside Tianlin sat a handsome young man in white robes with an extraordinary temperament.

It was...

Ling Tianyou.

Seeing this, Zan Yunxiao's eyes narrowed slightly.

"So..."

"This child is Tianlin."

He rested his chin on one hand, calmly observing the scene through the Real-Time View.

Although the image was centered on Tianlin, it faithfully displayed everything occurring around him.

Zan Yunxiao became increasingly curious.

How had one of his descendants ended up dining beside a king.

After taking a sip of wine, the king looked respectfully toward Ling Tianyou.

"Immortal Master Ling..."

"I've always been curious."

"What is the Central Continent like?"

Ling Tianyou calmly set down his cup before answering.

"It is a remarkable place."

"The scenery is magnificent, and the spiritual energy there is far richer than anywhere in the Western Continent."

He paused briefly.

"However..."

"It is also home to countless cultivators far stronger than myself."

The king blinked in surprise.

"Stronger... than you?"

Ling Tianyou nodded without hesitation.

"That's right."

"In the Central Continent, I'm merely an ordinary cultivator. There are countless experts whose cultivation I cannot even comprehend."

His expression became serious.

"For a mortal like Your Majesty, if you were to step foot there... You could very well lose your life without even knowing why."

The king's smile immediately stiffened.

Ling Tianyou continued calmly.

"A battle between high-level cultivators can destroy mountains and cities, if you happened to be nearby... You would likely die from the aftermath alone."

A chill ran down the king's spine.

Originally, he had entertained the thought of one day visiting the legendary Central Continent.

Now...

That idea completely vanished.

"Hahaha..."

The king forced out an awkward laugh.

"I suddenly think the Western Continent is quite beautiful. I'd rather stay alive than become collateral damage."

Ling Tianyou smiled faintly without refuting him.

"That is indeed the wiser choice."

An awkward silence settled over the dining hall.

For a few moments, no one spoke as the king quietly sipped his wine, trying to think of another topic to continue the conversation.

His gaze eventually drifted toward the young boy sitting beside Ling Tianyou.

Smiling politely, the king asked,

"Immortal Master Ling..."

"May I ask..."

"What is the name of this child?"

Ling Tianyou glanced at the boy before replying in his usual calm tone.

"His name is Tianlin."

"..."

"..."

The dining hall fell silent once again.

The king blinked.

"That's it?"

"No explanation?"

"No mention of where the child came from or why he's with you?"

The king had expected a lengthy introduction.

Instead...

He received only a name.

For a moment, he wanted to ask another question.

Who is Tianlin?

Is he your disciple?

Your relative?

An orphan you adopted?

However, after recalling Ling Tianyou's indifferent personality, the king wisely swallowed those questions.

"Better not."

"If I keep asking... I might accidentally offend Immortal Master Ling."

With that thought, the king forced an awkward smile and quietly continued eating, deciding that preserving his life was far more important than satisfying his curiosity.

Meanwhile, atop Cloud Ascension Peak, Zan Yunxiao silently observed everything through the Clan Interface's Real-Time View.

Originally, his attention had been on Tianlin.

He was curious how one of his descendants had ended up dining beside a king and a disciple of the Thousand Sword Sect.

However, after overhearing their conversation about the Central Continent, his attention gradually shifted from the child to the young cultivator seated beside him.

"Ling Tianyou..."

Zan Yunxiao murmured.

He activated All-Seeing Eye.

A translucent panel appeared.

[Name:] Ling Tianyou

[Cultivation Level:] 1st Nascent Soul Realm

[Physique:] Heaven's Pulse Physique

[Affiliation:] Thousand Sword Sect

[Identity:] Senior Brother

[Relationship:] Adoptive Father of Tianlin

Zan Yunxiao blinked.

"...Adoptive father?"

A puzzled expression appeared on his face.

"So Tianlin was adopted by him?"

He waited for more information to appear, hoping to learn how Tianlin had ended up under Ling Tianyou's care.

Unfortunately...

The All-Seeing Eye revealed nothing further.

No additional details appeared.

After pondering for a moment, Zan Yunxiao slowly nodded.

"At least..."

"He seems to be a kind-hearted person."

Otherwise, Ling Tianyou would never have taken in an unrelated child and raised him as his own.

Even so, another concern quickly surfaced.

"If Ling Tianyou returns to the Central Continent..."

"What will happen to Tianlin?"

His gaze returned to the child.

From the Clan Interface, Tianlin was still an ordinary mortal.

He possessed no spiritual root.

No cultivation talent.

Nothing that would allow him to survive in the cultivation world.

Zan Yunxiao quietly sighed.

"It would be impossible for Ling Tianyou to bring him to the Central Continent."

"A mortal without the qualifications to cultivate..."

"He would only become a burden."

Genuine concern appeared in Zan Yunxiao's eyes.

At the same time, another thought surfaced.

"If Tianlin could somehow enter the Central Continent..."

"I could observe that place through the Clan Interface's Real-Time View."

His fingers lightly tapped the stone table.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up.

"...The Blessing."

He almost forgot.

The Eternal Ancestor System possessed the Blessing function.

Among its abilities was the power to bestow a physique upon one of his descendants.

With an appropriate physique, even someone born without a spiritual root could step onto the path of cultivation.

The corners of Zan Yunxiao's lips slowly curved upward.

A rather suspicious smile appeared on his face.

"So..."

"My dear descendant..."

"It seems your ancestor will have to trouble you a little."

Anyone seeing that smile would instinctively feel a chill run down their spine.

It was the smile of someone who had just found the perfect... volunteer.