Chapter 2: Strength Makes One Truly Powerful

"I've never heard of him. Bu You, tell me, what makes this man so remarkable?" Shaoyan Nong asked curiously.

Xue Hongyi, though displeased, could only keep it to himself.

"This man is a sword arts prodigy. When he first entered the Black-White College, he defeated several senior disciples in the Debate Dao battle. In the end, it was the reincarnated immortal Fire Rainbow Immortal Yu Wei who defeated him. Now his strength is even greater! Not long ago, he even repelled Xue Yu Daoist, one of the three Primordial Daoists of the Snow Dragon Mountain!" Bu You Zhenren said hurriedly.

"Snow Dragon Mountain?" Shaoyan Nong looked at Xue Hongyi beside him. "Hongyi, you're from Snow Dragon Mountain, is this true?"

Xue Hongyi felt aggrieved and frustrated, but still said in a low voice: "It is true."

"What level is Xue Yu Daoist?" Shaoyan Nong pressed, living in the imperial capital of Great Xia, he wouldn't know about a Primordial Daoist from a small sect like Snow Dragon Mountain in Anchan Commandery.

Xue Hongyi said grimly: "Primordial Perfection."

"Hahaha... this Ji Ning is indeed worth meeting." Shaoyan Nong nodded with a smile. This journey was an important test from his tribe, and the tribe would not give him much help. The only one he brought from the tribe was his old servant 'Xiangliu Fang', who had protected him since childhood. As for the others, he had them 'offer' themselves willingly.

This test was quite troublesome.

The old servant needed to stay close to protect him, so he also needed some formidable subordinates. Invite Primordial Daoists? Immortals? Shaoyan Nong was uneasy, because some heaven-defying Primordial Daoists even had the combat power of immortals, and could probably annihilate him, Shaoyan Nong, in an instant! He absolutely could not allow such a threat to exist.

So he could only invite Wanxiang Adepts. No matter how powerful a Wanxiang Adept was, their strength was within controllable limits.

Some heaven-defying Primordial Daoists, however, were beyond control.

A cultivator's true strength could not be judged from the surface. Even if a Primordial Daoist was not famous, who knew what hidden secret arts they might have? It was safer to invite Wanxiang Adepts! Safe, and just within controllable limits. But the more powerful a Wanxiang Adept, the harder it was to invite.

"Young Master Shaoyan, this Ji Ning has only been cultivating for thirty years, it will be difficult to invite him," Xue Hongyi said quickly. "Moreover, he is very aloof. He didn't even give face to my Snow Dragon Mountain before. If you invite him and he treats you with disrespect..."

"Hahaha, he didn't give face to your Snow Dragon Mountain, but would he not give face to me?" Shaoyan Nong glanced at him. "Hongyi, I can see that he has some conflict with your Snow Dragon Mountain, but since he's coming to help me, there's no need to dwell on past matters."

Xue Hongyi could only lower his head and reply: "Yes."

"Let's go, let's go see this Ji Ning." Shaoyan Nong smiled, looking forward to it.

...

Wingsnake Lake, Brightheart Island.

In the study.

Ji Ning was writing characters stroke by stroke, Qiuye grinding ink and attending to him, while Jiuli stood by watching.

"Whoosh."

Ji Ning put down his brush, revealing a faint smile.

Writing was indeed a pleasure, especially when he wrote down his insights on the sword arts. It felt wonderful.

"Qiuye, take it and burn it." Ji Ning said.

"Yes, young master." Qiuye immediately began picking up the paper.

"Qiuye." Jiuli also said, "Take it to the next room to burn. Ji Ning and I have something to discuss."

Qiuye nodded and obediently withdrew.

Only Ji Ning and Jiuli remained in the room.

"What secret matter requires avoiding Qiuye?" Ji Ning hung up the brush and glanced at Jiuli.

Jiuli looked at Ji Ning: "Ji Ning, have you ever felt that you are... a bit too intimate with Qiuye?"

Ji Ning was taken aback.

"I see that your treatment of Qiuye is not much different from your treatment of me," Jiuli said, looking at Ji Ning. "I am your Dao companion; she is just your maidservant."

"Hahaha." Ji Ning laughed. "You're overthinking."

"No." Jiuli quickly said, "I'm not as petty as you think. But you are destined to grow stronger and stronger, your status higher and higher, and more and more people will follow you. With so many subordinates... how do you manage them? There must be rules. Without rules, how can anything be accomplished? The hierarchy of status must be clear. Qiuye is a maidservant, so she is a maidservant! If there is no distinction between superior and inferior, won't it be chaotic?"

Having learned everything from the Dongyan clan since childhood, Jiuli believed that the hierarchy of status must be clearly defined.

A servant is a servant!

Even if you dote on a servant, the servant must still abide by their duty!

"What are you trying to say?" Ji Ning frowned.

"I'm just telling you that in the future, your strength will grow, and the Ji clan will gradually become powerful. A great tribe must have the appearance of a great tribe. As the pillar of this great tribe... the hierarchy among those around you must be even clearer!" Jiuli said. "And you? Not to mention Qiuye, but even ordinary servants, you actually talk and chat with them? They are just mortal servants; why bother with them?"

Ji Ning shouted: "Enough!"

Jiuli was stunned.

"Everyone has their own way of doing things. As for Qiuye, although she is a maidservant, in my heart, she is my sister!" Ji Ning looked at Jiuli.

Jiuli gritted her teeth.

The two had different upbringings, and Ji Ning's previous life was from Earth.

Naturally, there were great differences in their ways of handling matters.

"If you act like this, people will laugh at you in the future!" Jiuli frowned.

"Laugh? Who would laugh at me?" Ji Ning looked at Jiuli. "And why care about others' laughter? I am who I am. When I truly become famous throughout the Great Xia Dynasty, perhaps my every word and action will be admired. Jiuli, haven't you seen through this yet? Even if a person has low moral character, if he is a true immortal... clans will still lick his toes. And if he is a mortal, no matter how much his words and actions conform to your so-called requirements of a great tribe, he will only be a joke."

"Look at the Three Realms!"

"Strength is the foundation! With strength, one is truly powerful!" Ji Ning looked at Jiuli.

Jiuli felt the strong determination and ambition in Ji Ning's eyes.

Jiuli lowered her head.

"Alright, I won't say more. You'll understand on your own in the future." Jiuli turned to leave.

Just then...

A powerful fluctuation spread from afar.

"Hmm?" Ji Ning and Jiuli both turned to look at the distant sky, sensing the fluctuation.

Although they had just argued, they still flew into the sky together.

...

In midair, Ji Ning, Jiuli, Mu Zishuo, Yu Wei, and Cangjiang Zhenren all flew over.

"Who is it?" Ji Ning saw an ancient large ship in the distant sky, with war flags fluttering, bearing the characters 'Shaoyan'.

"Shaoyan clan!" Jiuli was startled.

"The Shaoyan clan?" Cangjiang Zhenren was also greatly surprised.

As for Ji Ning, Mu Zishuo, and Yu Wei, they had never heard of it and looked bewildered.

Cangjiang Zhenren quickly sent a voice transmission to everyone: "Junior brothers and sisters, be careful. The Shaoyan clan is one of the top ten powerful clans in the entire Great Xia Dynasty. Many clan members hold official positions in the Great Xia Dynasty and have great influence over this major world. Their clan has three marquises, and their three commandery fiefs are far larger than Anchan Commandery."

Jiuli also sent a voice transmission: "The Shaoyan clan's fief alone is nearly a hundred times larger than Anchan Commandery! Their depth of heritage is such that, according to legend, they began to flourish shortly after this major world was born, and they were extremely powerful throughout the long Primordial Era."

Ji Ning, Mu Zishuo, and Yu Wei were all shaken.

"That's incredible." Mu Zishuo blinked.

"One clan, three marquises?" Ji Ning had seen the map of the entire Great Xia Dynasty, and indeed there were three commandery fiefs belonging to the Shaoyan clan. Those three fiefs were completely scattered in three places, but each commandery fief was very large, belonging to the category of super-sized commanderies.

"With such a powerful clan, why would their war ship come to my Wingsnake Lake?" Ji Ning was puzzled.

At that moment, the ancient war ship in the distance directly transformed, opening a passage. A young man in blue appeared, flanked by a tall, thin, dark-skinned middle-aged man with narrow eyes. Behind them followed Xue Hongyi, Bu You, and a group of Wanxiang Adepts and Zifu cultivators.

"Xue Hongyi?" Ji Ning recognized him at once.

Xue Hongyi also glanced at Ji Ning.

"Everyone be careful," Jiuli quickly sent a voice transmission. "That young man in blue is 'Shaoyan Nong', one of the Four Young Masters of the Great Xia imperial capital. Shaoyan Nong has an extraordinary status; barring accidents, he will be the next leader of the Shaoyan clan, becoming the new Yufeng Gong."

Ji Ning, Mu Zishuo, Cangjiang Zhenren, and Yu Wei were all secretly astonished.

The next leader of the Shaoyan clan?

Such an important figure?

"Dongyan Yun greets Young Master Shaoyan." Jiuli smiled.

"You know me?" Shaoyan Nong was surprised. "Dongyan Yun? Are you the Jiulian of the Dongyan clan?"

"Yes." Jiuli nodded.

Shaoyan Nong smiled and nodded. Having been groomed since childhood, he was familiar with the important figures of the major powers in this major world ruled by the Great Xia Dynasty. Jiuli was the next leader of the Dongyan clan, so he naturally knew of her, but that was a long time ago. After a brief recollection, he remembered completely.

"Jiulian, you are much more beautiful than the painting I saw back then. In that painting, you looked much younger." Shaoyan Nong smiled.

Jiuli smiled, then said: "Let me introduce you, Young Master Shaoyan. This is my Dao companion, Ji Ning."

"Dao companion?" Shaoyan Nong was taken aback, then nodded. "Indeed, a perfect couple."

"This is my senior sister, Fire Rainbow Immortal Yu Wei, also a reincarnated immortal." Jiuli pointed to the black-clad young woman Yu Wei beside her.

Shaoyan Nong's eyes lit up.

Jiuli was already a beauty with good looks and temperament, but Fire Rainbow Immortal Yu Wei was even more stunning, making Shaoyan Nong, who often stayed in the Great Xia imperial capital, brighten up.

"This is my senior brother, Cangjiang Zhenren, also a reincarnated immortal. This is my junior brother, Mu Zishuo." Jiuli said.

As soon as Jiuli finished speaking.

"Greetings, Young Master Shaoyan." Ji Ning, Mu Zishuo, Yu Wei, and Cangjiang Zhenren all bowed.

Shaoyan Nong nodded, seeing that this group was all extraordinary.

Bu You Zhenren secretly sent a voice transmission: "Congratulations, Young Master Shaoyan. Fire Rainbow Immortal and Cangjiang Zhenren are also the top geniuses of the Black-White College, comparable to Ji Ning."

Shaoyan Nong looked at Ji Ning and the others, smiled, and said: "To be honest, I have a matter for which I would like to ask for your help."

Ji Ning and the others exchanged glances.

"Please speak, Young Master Shaoyan." Ji Ning said.