Chapter 716: The Origin of Yuan Tao

A Conferred Empire is a level above a First-Tier Empire, overseen by Seven-Star Master Teachers, and its national power is at its peak.

The young man yelled so unrestrainedly, yet the Prince didn't get angry; instead, he smoothed things over, indicating the young man's exceptionally high status and position. If he was indeed from a Conferred Empire, it would explain everything. Just like when Princess Yu Feier and Xing Yuan visited the Phantasm Feather Empire, even Ye Wentian had to speak carefully and dared not disobey.

"Indeed!" The old man smiled and looked over. "Teacher Zhang's mental fortitude at such a young age already surpasses that of ordinary Six-Star Master Teachers. His talent is so formidable that even among all the Master Teachers I've met, he is exceptional. He is truly a young hero!"

"Surpasses ordinary Six-Star Master Teachers?" Prince Huai was startled, taken completely aback. He had sent people to inquire about Zhang Xuan. He was merely a Four-Star Master Teacher from the Phantasm Feather Empire, at most a half-step Five-Star. Prince Huai had thought that even if Zhang Xuan could achieve success, it would take many years, but he never expected his mental fortitude to be so high already!

Cultivating mental fortitude is the most challenging aspect. Many people reach a certain cultivation level but fail to pass the Master Teacher examination precisely because their mental fortitude is insufficient. This person before him has low cultivation but high mental fortitude, which indicates that with enough time, becoming a Six-Star Master Teacher is a certainty. If allowed to grow, such a person will surely become famous throughout the world. It seems... he must form a good relationship with him.

Hearing the other party's assessment, Zhang Xuan's brows furrowed. His mental fortitude was 19.1. Without using a Mental Fortitude Stone for detection, even Six-Star Master Teachers couldn't discern it. Yet, the other party stated it outright. His discernment and high cultivation were truly terrifying.

His expression serious, Zhang Xuan clasped his fist and said, "Elder Yuan, you flatter me!"

"Cultivation and talent are not things one can flatter!" Elder Yuan looked at him, puzzled. "Teacher Zhang's surname is Zhang. May I ask if you have any relation to the Zhang family of the Saintly Clan?"

"Saintly Clan? Zhang family?" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "I don't know them, and I have no relation." He was just an orphan and, moreover, a transmigrator. He had never even heard of any Saintly Clan or Zhang family.

"No relation?" Elder Yuan was startled for a moment, then smiled. "Regardless of whether there's a relation or not, to be able to cultivate your mental fortitude to such a formidable level by the age of twenty, and to act with such composure and moderation, neither arrogant nor impatient, it's no wonder Young Master Tao values you so highly, recognizes only you as his teacher, and refuses to give up on you for anything!"

"Young Master Tao?" Zhang Xuan's brows furrowed. "Are you referring to... Yuan Tao?" He had only a few students, and the other party's surname was Yuan, so it wasn't hard to guess.

"But... wasn't Yuan Tao an orphan? Didn't he grow up in Emperor City of Tianxuan Kingdom? When did he become a young master of some Yuan family from the Boundless Empire?"

"Yes, we also just found him based on bloodline resonance. He is our young master. He told us about his time with you, and we are very grateful for your care during this period!" Elder Yuan nodded.

"This..." Zhang Xuan scratched his head.

Bloodline resonance, searching... Could it be that Yuan Tao is the long-lost young master of this Yuan family? This is simply too incredible! If that's truly the case, this Yuan family must be terrifying. How could they place their so-called young master in a remote place like Tianxuan Kingdom?

"As Young Master Tao's teacher, Teacher Zhang, do you know that he possesses an ancient bloodline?" As if seeing through his confusion, Elder Yuan asked with a smile.

"He possesses the Dragon Rhinoceros Ancient Bloodline!" Zhang Xuan nodded. Yuan Tao's bloodline was detected the moment Zhang Xuan saw it. It was precisely because of this that he accepted him as a student.

Bloodlines, like Innate Constitutions, are divided into many types: Ancient Bloodlines, New Bloodlines, Inherited Bloodlines, Mutant Bloodlines, and so on. The Dragon Rhinoceros Bloodline, found only in ancient times, is one of the most invincible defensive bloodlines and is extremely powerful. So many people, even Mo Gaoyuan, hadn't recognized it, yet the other party knew Yuan Tao possessed an ancient bloodline with a single glance. It was likely they truly had a blood relation.

"Teacher Zhang truly has excellent discernment!" Elder Yuan nodded. "That's right, Young Master Tao indeed possesses the family's purest Dragon Rhinoceros Ancient Bloodline. And we never expected it to be activated by Teacher Zhang!"

"Family?"

"Our Boundless Yuan family rose to prominence precisely because of the Dragon Rhinoceros Ancient Bloodline. Our entire family possesses this bloodline; however, as time passed, the bloodline became increasingly diluted!" With a sigh of emotion, Elder Yuan's eyes shone brightly. "Fortunately, Heaven has shown mercy! In this generation, Young Master Tao possesses a complete ancient bloodline, and we were able to find him successfully. The family's revitalization is within reach!"

"This..." Zhang Xuan froze, then remembered the young man who had spoken earlier. This fellow's muscles were taut, indicating exceptionally strong physical cultivation at a glance. Zhang Xuan had thought it was just that he specialized in this area, but it turned out he was from the same family as Yuan Tao and also possessed the Dragon Rhinoceros Bloodline. The Dragon Rhinoceros Bloodline offers invincible defense. If cultivated well, the physical body can become even stronger than one's true qi cultivation. No wonder he had been puzzled before: the Dragon Rhinoceros Bloodline was an ancient bloodline, incredibly rare, so how could it appear in Yuan Tao? He never expected such a massive family to be behind him.

"Since Yuan Tao is your family's young master, why did he end up in Tianxuan Kingdom?" Unable to hold back, he voiced the doubt in his heart. How could such a large family allow a young master with such a pure bloodline to wander outside?

"This is the dilemma of ancient bloodline families like ours," Elder Yuan explained. "As time passes, bloodlines become increasingly diluted. To restore the ancient bloodline, we usually use teleportation arrays to send newborn descendants to ancient desolate lands, allowing them to grow freely! Only in such places can the bloodline be restored..."

Ancient bloodlines can only remain complete in ancient lands. Staying within the family permanently would only cause the bloodline to become increasingly diluted and eventually vanish.

"Ancient desolate lands? Are you saying... Tianxuan Kingdom is one such place?" Zhang Xuan was surprised. He had thought that Tianxuan Kingdom, a kingdom without even a designated tier, was the most remote and lowest-tier nation. Could it actually be an ancient desolate land?

"Yes," Elder Yuan explained with a wry smile, "the war between the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe and humanity almost affected the entire continent. The places that were not affected are the ancient desolate lands! These places are relatively backward; they don't have teleportation arrays, haven't even joined the Master Teacher Pavilion, and are isolated from the world..."

After listening for a while, Zhang Xuan's eyes widened. It seemed... Tianxuan Kingdom fit the description perfectly! No Master Teacher Pavilion, no teleportation arrays... a remote region, sparse spiritual energy...

"These ancient lands are all on the fringes of the continent. Their scope is vast, and there are many of them. Although we know descendants are sent to such places, we don't know their exact whereabouts. We can only search for them, but... many don't survive; they all perish!" Elder Yuan shook his head. Sending descendants away using teleportation arrays is unavoidable, but where they teleport to and whether they can survive is beyond their control. Many descendants lose their lives this way. Only a few survive, and even fewer of those who survive manage to restore their ancient bloodline. Fortunately, the two of them came out searching and not only found him but also discovered Yuan Tao, who had restored his ancient bloodline. How could they not be excited?

After chatting for a while longer, Zhang Xuan finally understood. The war between the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe and humanity back then had a vast impact. Unaffected places became the ancient desolate lands. Though closer to ancient times, these places were too backward; both their cultivation techniques and martial skills were far too inferior. Descendants teleported to these places had no one to care for them. It was unknown if they would even survive, let alone restore their ancient bloodline. But only this way was success possible. Otherwise, if the bloodline were allowed to become increasingly diluted, even the strongest families would be devoured by other forces and gradually vanish into the river of history.

"Possessing teleportation arrays capable of transporting humans, this Yuan family is probably more formidable than imagined!" Understanding this, Zhang Xuan fell into thought. According to legend, a formation must reach Level 8 to teleport living beings. To be able to construct formations of this level and successfully send their descendants out, how could the Yuan family be simple?

"Since we've found our Young Master, we plan to take him back to the family to receive his inheritance..." Elder Yuan stated his request. "However, Young Master Tao insists on seeing you and getting your consent before he leaves. Therefore, we hope Teacher Zhang can agree!"

After finally finding a Young Master with a complete bloodline, they naturally wanted to take him back to receive his inheritance. However, he insisted on getting his teacher's consent before leaving. The young man behind the elder felt that a mere Four-Star Master Teacher was unworthy of being their young master's teacher, which led to the scene at the beginning.

"This..." Zhang Xuan hesitated.

Just like Zhao Ya before him, Yuan Tao also faced a choice. For the ancient Dragon Rhinoceros Bloodline, returning to the family was indeed the best option. But after spending so much time together, to suddenly separate, not knowing when they would meet again, or even if they ever would, Zhang Xuan still felt a profound reluctance.

"I've also heard about Teacher Zhang's method for activating Young Master Tao's bloodline; it's truly novel," Elder Yuan said, looking at him with a hopeful expression. "However... our Yuan family, after all, has a complete inheritance. As long as the Young Master returns, he will definitely be able to activate his physique faster, making his cultivation speed increase rapidly! We hope Teacher Zhang will agree; this is also for his own good!"

Through their conversation, he understood the deep bond between Young Master Tao and this teacher. If the teacher truly refused, Young Master Tao would absolutely not leave with them. But... they bore a heavy family responsibility. Since they had found the young master, they naturally had to take him back. How could they allow him to remain wandering outside?

"I know!" With a sigh, Zhang Xuan was filled with a sense of loss. There is no banquet that never ends, and no teacher and student can stay together forever. Sometimes, letting go appropriately allows students to develop better. Just like Zhao Ya, who went to the Glacier Palace and likely developed much better. Her current cultivation might not be inferior to his own! There's also Lu Chong, who went with Mo Hunsheng to find the Ancestral Land of the Witch Soul. He might not have arrived yet, but once he does, his future achievements will be no less impressive than his own.

Seeing Zhang Xuan's hesitant expression, the young man at his side coldly scoffed, "The Elder has said so much, and you still disagree? Young Master Tao possesses the Dragon Rhinoceros Bloodline; sooner or later, he is destined to transform into a great dragon and soar to the heavens. It's true you're a Master Teacher and your talent is not bad, but in terms of body cultivation... you're far too lacking, completely unworthy of being the Young Master's teacher. Consulting with you is giving you face; don't be ungrateful!"

"You say I'm unworthy of being Yuan Tao's teacher in terms of body cultivation?" Zhang Xuan's face darkened.