"Other than that," we Nine-Headed Serpent Bloodline Warriors have other things." Duan Fengbuer showed no sign of weakness: "Every time a Nine-Headed Serpent Bloodline Awakens, the abilities gained are different. I am Night Eye; others might gain Serpent Scale Golden Armor or something else entirely. Moreover, if I awaken my bloodline power a second time, I can gain another new ability. This ability can either emerge naturally during the awakening, or I can prepare the necessary materials in advance to obtain the desired ability on the Bloodline Altar." Qikofilit shot Duan Fengbuer a look, though he said nothing, his eyes clearly conveyed what he meant: "You can enter the Altar of the Nine-Headed Serpent Bloodline Family? If you can't, you can only rely on natural awakening! Who knows what useless ability you might awaken? Like the ability to feel full after just one sip of water, enabling you to go three days without eating."

Duan Fengbuer’s straight back suddenly slumped a little. "That is indeed a problem, unless I agree to return to the Nine-Headed Serpent Bloodline Family, otherwise, I probably can't just stride onto the Altar."

Qikofilit slowly extended a finger and wrote a single character on the ground before him, then walked over to another large stone and leaned against it, gazing up at the sky.

Steal!

Duan Fengbuer stared at the simple character on the ground, finding it hard to believe that someone like Qikofilit could devise such a method—Steal! Sneak in! Complete the mission stealthily! It truly was an exceptionally good plan!

However... Duan Fengbuer lay down on the grass, looking at the sky. The Nine-Headed Serpent Bloodline Family, one of the Ten Great Bloodline Warrior Families, probably wasn't somewhere you could just sneak into.

For a time, the empty wilderness was filled only with the crackling sound of burning firewood.

Qian Jin glanced at the bronze longsword in Fen Tu Kuangge's hand. The weapon, normally polished to a mirror sheen, was now covered in a thin layer of green patina, as if it had been sitting unused on a rack for a very, very long time—verdigris grown through the weathering of time.

The wilderness of the Zhence Dynasty was far safer than the wilderness swarming with bandit gangs.

Throughout the night, apart from an occasional wild rabbit venturing out to forage, no other creatures passed by.

Fen Tu Kuangge blinked his bloodshot eyes. Besides the pain in his body that made sleep impossible, there was also the excitement of having begun cultivating the Great True Gold Dou Qi Secret Art for the first time.

Twelve Dou Apertures—the circulation of Dou Qi through only twelve apertures—should have been the hallmark of the most inferior Dou Qi secret arts. Yet, Fen Tu Kuangge was delighted to discover that this set of Dou Qi was potentially even better than Qian Jin had described.

Although he had never practiced a Twelve Aperture Dou Qi secret art before, as a scion of the Fen Tu family, he had certainly read various warriors' notes, including introductions to the Twelve Aperture Dou Qi secret arts.

The circulation of his Dou Qi was powerful, far exceeding the rotational speed of a standard Twelve Aperture Dou Qi. More importantly, this Dou Qi had absorbed the Metal Qi of bronze, making its intensity incomparable to that of regular Twelve Aperture Dou Qi.

This intensity was something usually only possessed by secret arts that reached eighteen or even nineteen Dou Apertures! If he continued to cultivate and absorb more Metal Qi into his Dou Qi, its strength would only grow stronger!

"Duan Fengbuer, come try this." Fen Tu Kuangge suddenly rushed forward, unleashing a sharp punch. The impact met Duan Fengbuer's raised palm with a crisp clang.

As fist and palm met, Fen Tu Kuangge was thrown back several steps, a look of pleasant surprise once again crossing his face. Duan Fengbuer stared at his palm in confusion. "Your punch was much sturdier than I expected. Even though I didn't use my full strength, you were only knocked back, and your Dou Qi wasn't shattered. This Dou Qi is interesting." "One hundred and eight Dou Apertures..." Fen Tu Kuangge looked hopefully at his own palms. If he could truly cultivate to one hundred and eight Dou Apertures, how powerful would the resulting force be? Like a Burst Bear Bloodline Warrior? Or Hall Tie?

Qian Jin smiled, swung himself onto his horse. He knew the excellence of the Enlake Dou Qi Room techniques after studying them, so he figured this Great True Gold Dou Qi, appraised as a Saint-level secret art, couldn't be bad either. He had to find an inn in a city tonight; it would be good to enter the Endless World then. Such a small village gathering so many experts from different fields seemed overly strange! Qian Jin felt that what Uncle Black and the others taught him might also have a purpose, something they needed him to do, but he couldn't quite grasp what it was.

Whatever it was, Qian Jin snapped his whip, urging his warhorse into a gallop. Much of this skill came from Uncle Black and his group; it was only right that he should help them with whatever they needed.

Duan Fengbuer, riding his horse, kept glancing at the palm that had just clashed with Fen Tu Kuangge, and then toward Qikofilit in the distance. These two—one learning the Great True Gold Dou Qi, the other having awakened the power of the Fallen Angel Bloodline to the second level—both were set for rapid development in the future.

As for Qian Jin, there was no need to mention it! This ordinary warrior who had awakened his bloodline power was already leading the group in strength... Duan Fengbuer frowned subtly. He really needed to start preparing for himself too, otherwise, he might be left far behind by the Fu family! Especially the ability gained from the second awakening of the Nine-Headed Serpent Bloodline—he absolutely needed a plan for it and couldn't gamble on the unknown power of a natural awakening.

Fen Tu Kuangge lay prone on his horse, his bronze longsword tightly gripped. His current strength was the weakest among the four. Anyone else would be better off maintaining vigilance over their surroundings than he. He might as well completely forgo vigilance and focus entirely on absorbing the Metal Qi within the bronze to boost his own power.

Gallop, rest. Rest, gallop.

The simple, almost monotonous journey—thousands of li—shrank rapidly, shorter and shorter.

Upon entering Qianzhou, the clothes on Qian Jin felt considerably lighter. The weather in the south was much hotter than in the north.

After passing several cities in Qianzhou, a vast, grand city appeared before them, completely devoid of defensive walls.

No walls! The Zhence Dynasty had four such cities without fortifications! The first city without walls was the Divine Capital Holy City, which Emperor Fulong Zhence had established as his capital.

"A nation whose capital city has been attacked has lost the adoration and support of its people; then let it perish," the First Emperor Fulong Zhence decreed, establishing the Divine Capital Holy City as a place where walls would never be built.

"Noble Elf King Bloodline Warriors need no walls to guard their territory!" Qian Wuyang, the warrior who had awakened the Ultimate Bloodline Power, demolished the existing city walls when Qian City needed expansion, allowing the city to grow rapidly—but no wall was ever built in its place again.

A city without walls! In Qianzhou, there was only one: Qian City!

Duan Fengbuer turned to look at Qian Jin. For the first time, in the eyes of this companion who never seemed anxious, he saw an expression that was hard to define—perhaps tension, perhaps excitement, or some complex emotion.

"Qian City. Qian City..." Qian Jin stopped his horse, staring at the immense city in the distance. He inhaled deeply the long-missed scent of his homeland. With a sharp squeeze of his legs against the horse’s flanks, the warhorse let out a long neigh and bolted forward.

The absence of walls did not mean an absence of gate guards. Along the main thoroughfares leading into the city, several rigidly upright soldiers stood guard on either side.

The soldiers at the gate of Yongliu City were the elite of the elite compared to the guards at Oakland. Anyone looking at them could sense the spirit burning in their eyes.

But compared to these gate guards standing along the main roads of Qian City, the guards at Yongliu City’s gate seemed rustic, or rather, their spirit was something they tried hard to project. The guards at Qian City’s gate possessed an indescribable pride woven into their very bones.

This innate, deep-seated pride was enough to make the guards at Yongliu City’s gate feel inferior.

The few guards stationed along the road glanced at Qian Jin but did not step forward to halt or question him. They merely stood quietly on both sides of the road, allowing ordinary passersby to proceed.

In Qian City, home to the Ultimate Bloodline Warrior Family, the Qian Family, it had always been one of the Zhence Dynasty’s cities with the lowest crime rates. Only a warrior or evil mage whose mind had completely broken would dare cause trouble and seek death on the territory governed by the Qian Family, where both combat and magic cultivation were practiced.

Qian Jin rode his horse slowly along the streets of Qian City, observing the surroundings. In just a few short years, the city had expanded even more compared to when he left.

Stability and prosperity—this was the life most ordinary people, whether they were Demon Race, Barbarian Race, or Human Race, desired.

When a city can provide stability, prosperity, a low crime rate, and relative fairness as long as one doesn't provoke a powerful family, it naturally attracts people to seek refuge there.

In Qian City, as long as you didn't provoke the Qian Family or infringe upon the interests of its members, and if you voluntarily ceded a portion of your profits to the Qian Family when they entered an industry, everything seemed relatively fair.

Riding down the main thoroughfare, Qian Jin realized that after just a few years, perspectives shifted dramatically depending on where one stood.

Previously, as a Qian Family disciple, he always felt the city prospered because of the Qian Family, so it seemed only right that the Qian Family shouldn't have to adhere to fairness with any other force in Qian City.

Now, walking the roads of the Qian Family once more, Qian Jin shook his head slightly. Qian City! It was one of the least fair places! Why must others share the business routes they painstakingly opened, or the new goods they developed, with the Qian Family?

Why did the Qian Family simply monopolize many industries entirely, not allowing others even a small chance?

The Qian Family protected the entire Qian City? Then was the entire populace of Qian City not supporting the Qian Family with their very breath?

Fairness? If the Qian Family wasn't fair to its own kin, how could it be fair to outsiders? Because he hadn't awakened his bloodline power, he had worked hard his entire life until death, yet he couldn't be buried in the Qian Clan ancestral tombs.