Volume Three: Rising Fame Chapter Twelve: Ninety-Eight Percent Probability

Xiaocui answered and left immediately, returning before long with a set of documents. All the information was from within the clan; sources from outside were still being collected and, as expected, would be compiled before their departure.

“It’s fine, I’ll look at these first,” Li Yu waved his hand dismissively and then focused his attention on the materials in his hands.

Only three juniors were chosen for this outing: himself, Qing Xiumin, and Qing Yuan.

“She made the cut too?” Li Yu recalled that this was the combative girl Xiaocui had mentioned, yet when he met her, she seemed gentle. Still, to have qualified, she must have some skill. If memory served, her bloodline boasted fourth-grade affinity for fire.

When his gaze swept past the name Qing Yuan, Li Yu’s expression changed, lingering for a moment before he continued reading.

The leaders were Elder Qing Tianlu, the third elder and father of Qing Tiangan, whose divine cultivation was at the peak of fourth grade; and Qing Yuan’s father, Elder Qing Yan, the second elder, with third-grade divine cultivation. His other son managed the clan’s military, and Li Yu recalled scoffing when he first heard this—such a person was surely a villain.

He hadn’t expected that, on his first journey outside, two people he disliked would be in the party. Father and son acting together—it was truly a case of “like father, like son.”

“This doesn’t feel like a good omen,” Li Yu muttered, rubbing his brow before reading on.

The rest detailed the protocols and etiquette for outings, as well as the itinerary. Through this document, Li Yu gradually understood the nature of the event.

The Hundred Clans Conference, formally known as the Clan New Beginnings and Mutual Development Summit, could be traced back to the Qin Empire, where the participating clans far exceeded a hundred. After the empire’s collapse, the clans not only battled among themselves but also fought against demons and monsters, forcing the summit’s discontinuation.

Only after the landscape shifted, forming the Three Kingdoms and Two Houses, did internal strife diminish and the summit resume, though now it was held within each nation, with fewer clans involved. The divisions between nations were greater than during the Qin Empire, and many clans had perished under internal and external threats.

Later, within Ming, the summit was simply called the Hundred Clans Conference.

“So it’s about dividing resources and territory… and deciding troop contributions for fighting demons?”

Reading through the information, Li Yu quickly grasped the situation. No wonder some resorted to underhanded tactics during the clan’s martial contests—it was all about interests at the conference. The lengths people would go were unsurprising.

Just the issue of troop quotas alone meant more losses for those who contributed extra; it weakened their forces without benefit, and many clans had been ruined by this.

Li Yu soon finished the thick stack of materials and handed them to Xiaocui, “I’m done. Put them away, and call me before we leave.”

There was still some time before departure; he intended to prepare as much as possible for any unforeseen circumstances.

“The Duke said arrangements could be made to replace you…” Xiaocui hesitated before speaking.

Qing Heng’s intention was clear—this Hundred Clans Conference would not be peaceful. He had originally planned to lead the party himself but was tricked into staying within the clan. If Li Yu was worried about danger, he could remain inside.

The documents mentioned an increase in demons at the border, clearly a major concern.

Li Yu was silent for a moment, then shook his head. “No need. It’ll be good for me to go out for a while—it won’t interfere with my cultivation.”

What he didn’t say was that only the juniors participating this time would have the chance to enter the royal secret realm.

As for Qing Yuan within the clan, he was the first Li Yu wouldn’t trust. Qing Xiumin, being from an external family, he reserved judgment. In such hardship, replacing himself wouldn’t guarantee safety.

If the secret realm truly held the Snow Fox Vine that could cure Qing Anqi, it would be safest for him to act personally.

Xiaocui said nothing more. Holding the documents, she stood by for a long time before softly asking, “Young master, how confident are you this time?”

“Of course, I’m one hundred percent sure,” Li Yu replied without hesitation. “At worst, ninety-eight percent!”

It took Xiaocui a moment to realize—ninety-eight percent… that’s practically the same as one hundred. Round it up and it’s a full ten out of ten.

She parted her lips, but Li Yu continued, “Xiaocui, you must trust me. The only chance of failure is if the Snow Fox Vine isn’t in the secret realm!”

Outside the pavilion, Xiaocui nodded. In that moment, she didn’t even consider the possibility of Li Yu failing. Even if he faced all the clan heirs within Ming, she believed victory was his only outcome.

Just as he’d declared before the martial contest, “Victory at first strike, claim the championship.”

After saying this, Li Yu had indeed, with sixth-grade cultivation, defeated the fifth-grade Qing Yuan and won first place—a feat unprecedented in history.

So this youth, several years her junior, seemed to her more gifted than anyone, perhaps even destined to reach the highest grade one day.

…

…

Aside from being unable to see Qing Anqi, Li Yu’s days proceeded as usual—eating, drinking, and spending the rest of his time cultivating.

Within the clan, things appeared normal, except for the occasional arrest and execution, evidence of Qing Heng’s lingering fury.

Spies and assassins embedded within the clan became even more withdrawn, terrified they might be seized in their sleep.

In addition to Xiaocui and Xiaohong, two more women arrived at the lakeside residence: one, a plain woman in her forties named Qing Miaoyan, nominally Li Yu’s caretaker; the other, the elderly Qing Yingyao, his tutor.

Both would accompany him to the Hundred Clans Conference, tasked only with protecting his safety.

Li Yu made no comment, but one morning his expression grew darker.

News arrived from Chen Chengde on Blue Star: regarding the poison sample Li Yu had sent, Blue Star’s medical technology could not break it down.

This meant Li Yu could only pin his hopes on the secret realm.

Several days later, a company of a hundred elite soldiers arrived outside the lakeside residence. Li Yu and his companions rose, surrounded at the center.

They were about to depart for the Ming royal capital.

The procession merged with other forces within the clan, forming a five-thousand-strong column before leaving the clan territory and marching out.

Li Yu sat in a carriage, swaying gently as tiger-shaped beasts pulled it along.

“Sign-in location…” He still had an incomplete sign-in task for a place called the Grand Imperial Capital.

From his previous research, one was the current site of Ming’s royal family, known as the Grand Imperial Capital; the other was the former center of the Qin Empire, also called the Grand Imperial Capital.

Perhaps this was another possibility for resolution?

If only he could sign in for a treasure that could detoxify.

But he wasn’t sure—did Grand Imperial Capital mean the location of the Ming royal house?