A Card In Hand

Chapter 89: Family Bloodline Trial Grounds

“Next, let’s head to the main family,” Li Ao decided.

Being in Shangjing and not visiting the main family if they wandered outside for too long would be highly disrespectful.

What would outsiders think?

And what about the people at the main house of the Ironclad Family?

In any case.

Surface-level respect was necessary.

Moreover, he had already arranged a visit with Tie Zheng, so it was inexcusable not to go.

Ling Long and the other three gathered to discuss for a while before deciding to split up for the time being: “If you are going to the Ironclad Family, we’ll contact our classmates to gather earlier. If everyone is in Shangjing, then we should set off sooner rather than waste a few more days. How about, Big Devil, you suggest what type of war beast’s crystal core we should use to fuse and transform the newbies’ outfits?”

“There are many options for a Luminous level, such as the Silver Pine Lion or the Shadow Leopard, and for the female classmates, the Silver Feather Falcon would do!”

Li Ao thought there were plenty of choices.

“The Silver Pine Lions are in the Pinecone Forest, Shadow Leopards are harder to obtain, but we can figure out a way to get the Silver Feather Falcons ourselves!”

Long Ying agreed.

“We won’t go to the Pinecone Forest then!”

Wu Ying felt they should head directly to the Nine-Layer Ancient Prison.

In the Nine-Layer Ancient Prison.

There was no shortage of types of magical beasts.

The Pinecone Forest was primarily for harvesting golden pinecones, and although many Silver Pine Lions lived there, the quantity of magical beast crystal cores needed to fuse and transform three hundred newbie suits was simply too great to gather sufficiently.

Ling Long then asked, “What type of war beast crystal core would be most suitable to fuse and transform our Luminous-level clothes?”

Li Ao thought for a moment, “Either the White Lion Griffin or the Silver Pegasus would work. What do you think?”

Ling Long exchanged opinions with Yue Sha, Long Ying, and Wu Ying.

They nodded in agreement.

Of course.

That was the best expected target.

If they couldn’t collect enough suitable magical beast crystal cores in the Nine-Layer Ancient Prison, they would have to use other types of beasts as substitutes, as the newbie outfits had to be completed before the graduation performance.

“Then let’s meet at War God Square at nine o’clock tomorrow morning,” Ling Long carefully scheduled the time and place with Li Ao.

“How does that sound, boss?” Li Ao turned to look at Fuxi.

“Sure, we’ll be there on time!” Fuxi was pleased.

It seemed.

Important decisions.

Still required the personal intervention of this boss!

Fuxi was delighted, resolved to work hard to be a good role model. Being a boss wasn’t easy, but if not him, then who?

Little Li Ao was already burdened with constant fights and the charge into battles, along with handling various other matters. How could he allow him to toil so much? As a boss, he must step forward and provide protection!

As his thoughts whirled.

Fuxi quickly realized there was a significant unresolved issue: “Little Li Ao, we forgot to buy the Purple Gold Gift Box!”

The Purple Gold Gift Box was something Yuan Chi had instructed Fuxi and Li Ao to purchase.

And he had specified that it be of the minimum standard.

Now, as their airship was headed toward the main house.

In mid-air.

Where to buy the Purple Gold Gift Box?

Li Ao waved his hand dismissively, “No worries, when we see Boss Tie Zheng, just give him the money, and he’ll send a house guard to buy one!”

Upon hearing this, Fuxi’s eyes widened in surprise, wondering if such a maneuver was even possible.

However, he liked the approach.

Delighted, he slapped his thigh, “Li Ao, excellent suggestion, definitely top marks!”

They reached the main house of the Ironclad Family, located on a platform reserved for their use.

Ling Long and the others waved goodbye to Li Ao and Fuxi as they boarded an airship and departed.

The main house of the Ironclad Family.

Nestled deep within a mountain range on the third tier of the Upper Capital.

It occupied only one peak and a few smaller hills around it, forming the stronghold.

Surrounding it were a gigantic floating island and eight large floating islands, with numerous smaller ones—too many to count at a glance.

The platform was situated on the gigantic floating island.

This island, spanning over three square kilometers, served as the primary gateway for the Ironclad Family.

The formidable main family castle stood here, its outermost part being a square over one square kilometer in size, known as the Ironclad Square.

When the family guards on duty at Ironclad Square saw an airship landing on the platform, they hurriedly welcomed the arrivals. Li Ao and Fuxi explained their purpose, and the guards quickly ushered them to wait in a kiosk on the square, while one of them rushed to the castle to report their arrival.

After a few minutes.

Tie Zheng came running out with a thunderous approach, embracing them both with a surprise, “I was just hoping you’d come, didn’t expect you guys to be early! Lie Feng and the others came looking for me the day before yesterday, they’ve been asking about you! I was thinking, if you didn’t show up by tomorrow, I’d have to head to Silverlight City with them to fetch you!”

“Ha, you have no idea, Boss Tie Zheng, I’ve been wanting to come earlier, but Li Ao here, he’s a homebody, delayed us for days,” Fuxi said, suddenly remembering the matter of the purple-gold gift box. He pulled out the gold shield and handed it to a slightly astonished Tie Zheng, “This is for the purple-gold gift box… Don’t get it wrong, Boss, this gold shield is the money Yuan Chi told us to use to buy the purple-gold gift box. We ran into Ling Long and others at the War God Square, went to the Temple of Creation to get some newbie gear, and didn’t manage to buy it on the way!”

“Money from Cousin Yuan Chi?” As the future head of the main family, Tie Zheng was certainly no fool. He understood instantly, nodding as he took the gold shield Fuxi handed him, then passed it to a house guard, “Go buy a purple-gold gift box on behalf of Young Master Yuan Chi!”

Tie Zheng clapped Fuxi on the shoulder lightly, “I get it!”

Fuxi was moved.

Boss Tie Zheng was reliable.

Compared to Yuan Chi, that guy didn’t even qualify to carry Tie Zheng’s shoes.

Fuxi scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit embarrassed, “Boss, to be honest, Li Ao and I came empty-handed, only remembered on the way here that we came without anything, it’s our first visit to the main house with Li Ao, sorry about that!”

Tie Zheng laughed heartily, “Come on, it’s pointless among brothers to fuss over such things, let’s go, father has been waiting for you for days!”

The head of the Ironclad Family main house, the patriarch of all its branches.

A tall and imposing middle-aged man.

His features bore a seriousness.

He looked like a mature version of what Tie Zheng would one day become.

It was hard to gauge his true power just by looking at him, but Li Ao felt that this Ironclad Family head, even just sitting there, exuded an aura akin to a towering giant.

He possessed at least near-legendary strength. Only a step away from becoming a true legendary figure, any opportunity could likely secure his future promotion to legendary status.

The Ironclad Family head, Long Tai.

The demeanor of the head of the Ironclad Family differed drastically from the arrogant indifference shown towards the younger members by the branch established in Silverlight City.

Upon the arrival of Li Ao and Fuxi, he was warm and welcoming. He made a conscious effort to speak in a gentle and steady tone, aiming to bridge the generational gap and ease their psychological burden. “I’ve heard a lot about you from Tie Zheng,” he said. “I am very impressed and satisfied with your performance! Unlike the noble families, our Ironclad Family has seen too few geniuses emerge over the past centuries. Moreover, our approach to nurturing successors is different from other families.”

“We focus on refining our bloodline, enduring harsh environments and brutal combats to eliminate the weak and temper the elite.”

“Our inherent bloodline strength, due to the Ironclad Family’s talents, ensures that every generation, some of us excel through rigorous trials to inherit the ancestral will and continue the family business generation after generation.”

“This path guarantees that our family will not fall for a thousand years.”

“But this path is harsh.”

“Having experienced it myself, my insights are no less significant than yours.”

“The elders in Silverlight City and others who established branches, I must say, they have managed to expand the family. We can’t expect much more from them!”

“The future relies on you, the youth. Whether the Ironclad Family can restore our ancestors’ glory depends on you. As the head of the family, I can tell you, I will not give you anything. If you think you can obtain treasures or war beasts from me, discard that thought. If it were not for these expectations, like Yuan Chi and Huo Mei in Silverlight City, I could have given them some beasts or treasures… because their future, like Fen Hou’s, is bound to just breed and pass on the lineage. That is their role.”

“You are the rare geniuses of our Ironclad Family in a century, especially you, Li Ao. Your emergence is a blessing from our ancestors, and we have waited far too long for someone like you.”

“If I am not mistaken, Li Ao, you have already awakened your bloodline strength.”

“I believe you can sense the bloodline power hidden within me as well, a mark of the Ironclad Family. In the future, if you meet anyone claiming to be from our family, and they lack this power in their veins, regardless of their apparent identity, regard them as outsiders.”

“Our Ironclad Family, including Tie Zheng and Fuxi, even those of you who have not yet awakened your bloodline, have the Ironclad blood concealed within you. That is our greatest marker!”

“The power passed down from our forefathers will never fade with time; it merely sleeps, waiting to be awakened.”

“As the family head, I will give you nothing but the wisdom gained from my life experiences.”

“That is all I can offer.”

“If you are willing to accept my teachings, brace yourselves; the training that follows will be ten times more painful than death! How about it? Do you dare to join me on a visit to the family’s most secluded bloodline testing ground? I’m not afraid to tell you the truth; when I went with my three brothers, I was the only one who walked out alive!”

“If you’re not mentally prepared, you might very well die there… Give me your answer by 9 o’clock tonight.”

With these words, the head of the Ironclad Family, Long Tai, concluded his speech.

He then patted Li Ao, Tie Zheng, and Fuxi on their shoulders and strode away.

Fuxi’s face turned pale.

He had never thought he would need to face the prospect of death so soon.

“I’m undoubtedly a rare genius, but isn’t it too soon to enter the family’s bloodline testing ground?”

“Little Li Ao is fine, his combat power is ten times mine, I only have a combat power of 404, why can’t I wait until my power exceeds a thousand like Brother Tie Zheng?”

“What should we do?”

Fuxi was visibly frightened, the thought of only one surviving out of four was terrifying.

Even if there was a chance to survive, it surely would be Li Ao, the mighty demon, and not even the powerful Tie Zheng might make it out alive!

“I’ve decided to take a look!” nodded Li Ao.

“Isn’t that too hasty? You haven’t thought this through. Think it over again, don’t rush. Think about Aunt Niu Shui and Niu Huang, think about Ling Yin and the little milk baby, think about the villagers of Xinguang Wuzhuang who are counting on us to change their lives! Come on, Brother Tie Zheng, you try and persuade Li Ao too. It’s still too early to enter the family’s bloodline testing ground!”

In his panic, Fuxi turned around seeking support from Tie Zheng.

Only to find Tie Zheng’s expression incredibly odd, as if he were both smiling and muttering to himself…