Chapter Twenty-Seven: Setting Out

When Qin Feng awoke, three days had already passed.

During those three days of slumber, he experienced a most peculiar dream. In it, he saw himself failing to awaken his Bloodline Soul, becoming the object of ridicule among all the Qin clan disciples, and ultimately being cast out from the family. Unwilling to accept such a fate, Qin Feng tried to force his way back into the household, only to be met with cold, unfeeling faces at every turn.

Of course, it was this strange nightmare that startled him awake.

As he regained consciousness, his body suddenly lost its balance mid-float, and he let out an undignified yelp as he plunged into the water with a splash.

Moments later, a figure burst from beneath the surface, landing nimbly at the water’s edge. His strength and speed were leagues beyond what they had once been—a veritable transformation.

“I’m not dead after all! Ha!” Qin Feng exclaimed, though he had no idea why he’d survived. He suspected it had much to do with the strange illness that haunted his body—a malady that had followed him to the brink of death once before, and had perhaps learned its lesson. This time, it seemed unlikely to let him perish so easily.

Now, even Qin Feng himself could not say whether this affliction was a blessing or a curse, for it had just saved his life.

Just as these thoughts drifted through his mind, something caught his attention. With a soft exclamation, he looked down at his right hand.

He opened his palm and blew across it. A cloud of black ash scattered on the wind, leaving behind a hard, dark cocoon, which he now examined closely.

“It’s that mysterious leech from before!”

Seeing this, Qin Feng’s feelings were a tumult of emotions. By now, he’d pieced together the events of the past few days. The three people he’d encountered must have been pursuing this very leech. Since it had ingested the blood of the Ancestral Dragon, those pursuers were almost certainly members of the Qin clan from Yunqi Kingdom.

He did not know how the leech had managed to steal the Ancestral Dragon Blood, nor how it had escaped, but none of that mattered now. In the end, he was the one to benefit. The sensation in his body was simply magnificent.

His cultivation had broken through its bottleneck, reaching the tenth level of the Mortal Steel realm.

As for the leech… Qin Feng raised his right hand toward the lake, preparing to throw away the cocoon. But as he was about to let go, he paused.

“Better keep it for now.”

After a moment’s thought, he decided to hang onto the cocoon. To be safe, he wrapped it in a circle of Ninefold Devouring Fire before stowing it securely in his storage ring.

Once all was done, Qin Feng hurried to the lake’s edge to retrieve his clothing, but as he dressed, he was startled to discover that his clothes had shrunk!

His shirt barely counted as a vest, and his trousers now reached only mid-calf.

“What on earth…?” Clad in garments a third too small, he caught his reflection in the mirror-like surface of the lake and stood stunned.

The figure in the water was at least eight feet tall, whereas he’d previously been merely seven. His entire physique was robust and well-proportioned, devoid of excess fat—neither broad-shouldered nor thick-waisted, but undeniably powerful. Compared to the sickly weakling he once was, this was a transformation beyond measure. Most striking of all, his features had grown more defined and chiseled, losing some of their former delicacy for a newfound, masculine strength. Even his hair had changed, now a healthy, jet-black mane that fluttered elegantly in the breeze. He was not quite handsome in the conventional sense, but his appearance was unforgettable—majestic and arresting.

He owed it all to his strange illness. The awakening of his cellular activation ability had saved him from becoming a monster during the growth and expansion his body endured.

The thought made Qin Feng shudder. Still—

“This is how a man ought to look!”

He admired his reflection for a long while, until a few croaking frogs in the lake broke the spell with their raucous chorus.

Qin Feng rolled his eyes.

Thankfully, he was not so vain as to dwell on his looks. Satisfied with knowing his own appearance, he glanced skyward and frowned.

“How long have I been unconscious? What time is it now?”

Since the sun had yet to rise and the sky was only faintly brightening, Qin Feng guessed it must still be early morning. He hoped he hadn’t missed the Soul Awakening Day—for that would be a grievous loss indeed.

...

Outside the gates of the Qin estate—

The crowd was already assembled, ready to depart.

Today was Soul Awakening Day for the Qin clan of Qiyun Kingdom. On this day, every disciple of the clan who had reached the age of eighteen would be summoned from across the land to the ancestral seat in Skywind City, there to partake in the most significant ritual of the year.

Soul Awakening Day was of immense importance to every Qin clan scion.

On this day, they would enter the Ancestral Dragon Blood Pool and awaken their Bloodline Soul. Without it, they could not advance in cultivation. The quality of the Bloodline Soul they awakened would also determine their destiny.

Thus, every face was filled with anticipation, tinged with nervousness.

“Old He, have you found Feng’er yet?”

“Master, not yet…” replied Old He with a weary sigh. The dark circles beneath his eyes and the anxious look within made it clear he had been working himself to exhaustion searching for Qin Feng these past few days.

Standing at the front of the assembly, Qin Tianzheng’s expression was grim.

His most promising grandson had vanished at this crucial moment?

From the previous day, Qin Tianzheng had dispatched numerous people to search for Qin Feng, but all efforts were in vain. No one had seen where Qin Feng had gone; it was as if he had disappeared from the face of the earth for days.

With the sun about to rise, any further delay would mean missing the ceremony.

“That troublesome boy, always making things difficult.”

The clouds in the east were already parting, and the sun’s edge crept into view.

Qin Tianzheng looked at the assembled disciples, sighed, and said, “Let’s go.”

“Master, shouldn’t we wait a bit longer for Young Master Feng?”

“No. You stay here and wait for him. If he returns, have him ride my Black Cloud Leopard and catch up with us toward Skywind City. With the leopard’s speed, he should be able to join us by midday.”

“Yes, Master!”

A note of resignation crept into Old He’s voice as he gazed into the distance, thinking, “Young Master Feng, where have you gone? To forget even something as important as Soul Awakening Day… I hope you return in time.”

Just then, Old He’s eyes widened with excitement. His face flushed red as he pointed at a distant, bounding black speck and shouted, “Master, look! Isn’t that Young Master Feng coming back?”

Qin Tianzheng followed the direction of Old He’s finger. His reaction was much the same—eyes wide, face full of disbelief.

In the distance, a figure leapt rapidly closer, vanishing and reappearing in great bounds, each one closing the distance by a hundred yards.

“What immense physical power… But is that truly Feng’er?”

Qin Tianzheng’s eyes were sharp, yet the approaching figure, though bearing a seven-tenths resemblance to Qin Feng, was far taller and more robust, his black hair streaming behind him. It hardly seemed possible it was the same person.

The figure drew near, and a shout of “Wait for me!” rang out, attracting everyone’s attention.

As all eyes turned, the figure vanished for an instant, then suddenly descended from the sky. With a resounding crash, he landed in front of the Qin clan disciples, his arrival so forceful it shook the ground, sending up clouds of dust and leaving a giant crater in the stone path.

“What overwhelming strength!”

It was clear the newcomer had channeled all his power into his legs to hurry back, and the effect was nothing short of stunning.

As the dust settled, the crowd finally saw the man in the pit.

“Who is this? He looks a little like Qin Feng, but with such a powerful build…”

The crowd murmured uncertainly, scrutinizing the mysterious newcomer.

Qin Feng, however, raised his head and, under the astonished gazes of the Qin disciples, climbed out of the crater to stand before Qin Tianzheng. He cupped his fists in salute and declared, “Grandfather, your grandson Qin Feng is late. Please accept my punishment!”

It was truly Qin Feng!

Even Qin Tianzheng was momentarily dumbfounded.

Qin Feng had once stood at only seven feet, but now he was a full eight. His features had shed all traces of sickly frailty, replaced by the vigor and presence befitting a son of the Qin clan—a true man of iron and blood.

“Well now, Feng’er, your appearance…” Qin Tianzheng was delighted, but curiosity overcame him, and he could not help but ask. In truth, not only he, but Old He and all the disciples looked on with interest.

Qin Feng knew his transformation would cause a stir, but he was no fool. He would never reveal the truth of his body’s changes. He had already prepared an explanation on the way over, so he smiled and said, “I was cultivating in Stillwater Lake these past few days and accidentally consumed a red vermilion fruit growing on the lakebed. When I awoke, my body and appearance had changed. My cultivation also broke through to the tenth level of the Mortal Steel realm.”

“A red vermilion fruit? Could that be a legendary treasure? What? The tenth level of Mortal Steel? Is it true?”

Qin Tianzheng’s questions tumbled out in a rush, his face flushed with excitement.

“It’s absolutely true!” Qin Feng replied, nodding firmly under his grandfather’s expectant gaze.

With that affirmation, Qin Tianzheng burst into laughter. “Feng’er, you are truly blessed! Heaven favors the Qin clan!”

His mood was elated, for Qin Feng was one of his most prized descendants. For his grandson to advance to the tenth level of the Mortal Steel realm before Soul Awakening Day was a most pleasant surprise. It seemed this child, like his father, was destined to soar like a dragon above the clouds.

Qin Tianzheng himself had reached the tenth level of the Earthsteel realm, and made no attempt to restrain his power. His laughter thundered across the sky.

The Qin disciples were equally inspired, and they shouted in unison, “Heaven bless the Qin clan, may our glory last ten thousand generations!”

“Very well. Let’s depart!”

At Qin Tianzheng’s command, he ceremoniously withdrew a talisman glowing with a strange azure light from his robe and affixed it to the head of the giant qilin beast standing at the right of the gate.

At once, the talisman flared bright, and from the point of contact, a web of blue veins spread across the qilin’s stone body. To everyone’s astonishment, the qilin’s head began to move, its mouth opened wide in a roar.

With a thunderous bellow, the qilin beast began to shed its stone skin, revealing flesh and blood beneath as its body rapidly grew.

The crowd hurriedly stepped back to give the qilin room.

The beast continued to swell until it reached a length of nearly seventy feet, and then stopped.

Qin Tianzheng leapt onto the qilin’s head and swept his arm wide. “Qin clan disciples, follow me to Skywind City, awaken your blood and soul, and bring glory to our family!”

“To the glory of the Qin clan!”

Hearts ablaze with ambition, the disciples mounted the qilin’s broad back in an orderly fashion and sat quietly.

“Feng’er, come!”

Qin Tianzheng beckoned to Qin Feng, who stood alone on the ground.

Qin Feng nodded and leapt onto the qilin’s head to stand beside his grandfather.

“Let’s go!”

At the command, the qilin unfurled its massive wings and sprang into the sky.

The Qin estate shrank beneath them as they soared higher.

Qin Feng’s gaze turned toward the distant Skywind City. Clenching his fist, he whispered to himself, “Skywind City, I, Qin Feng, am coming!”

…