Protect Our Clan Leader

...

"So... Great Grandfather, what do you think? Should I take him as my master?"

Wang Anye's adorable face was tinged with hesitation and confusion.

Today, he had been happily attending the Clan School, sailing through the vast ocean of knowledge when, all of a sudden, his Great Grandfather had grabbed him and leaped off a cliff...

And now, out of nowhere, this Spirit Remnant had appeared, proposing to take him as an apprentice...

Although the prospect of a talking Storage Ring sounded appealing, the whole situation seemed too abrupt, and he felt it best to ask for his Great Grandfather's opinion.

Wang Shouzhe pondered for a moment before looking at Ji Wuchen, noting his aged appearance, yet also his demeanor, akin to an immortal — not someone from the demonic path. However, in these times, there were many who had the appearance of virtue but hearts as dark as ink; one couldn't reach conclusions based solely on appearances.

Especially with such ancient creatures who had lived for one or two thousand years — if they wished to feign a noble demeanor, it would be all too easy.

Wang Shouzhe would not judge by appearances alone, but missing such an opportunity would be a pity indeed. It was better to investigate further.

Thus, he asked, "Senior Ji, what was the highest level of your cultivation at your peak?"

"Advanced Stage of Divine Power Territory, Level Eight," Ji Wuchen was taken aback but responded truthfully. "I am particularly skilled in swordsmanship and formations, with a mastery of a Sword Array cultivation method, which allows the weaker to defeat the stronger, the few to overcome the many."

"What caused you to perish here?" Wang Shouzhe pressed on.

"It's a long story..." When this topic arose, Ji Wuchen's expression darkened, and a chill of sorrow rose in his heart. "My bonded wife, Fu Hongye, fell during the Immortal Demon Battlefield due to a sneak attack by Chao Qiubo of the Red Moon Demonic Dynasty. To avenge my wife, I ventured alone into the Demonic Dynasty to assassinate Chao Qiubo.

Despite countless dangers, I barely managed to kill him, but I was then pursued by the experts of the Demonic Dynasty. By the time I fled to this place, I was already at the end of my rope."

"Knowing my time was short and with no way to return to the Immortal Dynasty, I could only muster my strength to set up a Hidden Large Array here. By using spirit parasitism in my lifeblood sword, merging with the Sword Spirit, I barely managed to maintain a sliver of consciousness, surviving to this day. How many years have passed since then, I do not know myself."

"Are you seeking to take my great-grandson as a disciple in order to possess his body through soul parasitism?" Wang Shouzhe inquired.

"This strand of my Divine Soul has already integrated with the Sword Spirit, essentially becoming an Artifact Spirit. How could I possibly possess another's body?" Ji Wuchen shook his head candidly.

"Then do you wish for my grandson to, once his divine skills are fully cultivated, take revenge on the Demonic Dynasty?" Wang Shouzhe asked again.

Upon hearing this, Ji Wuchen fell silent for a moment, then sighed, "If I claim I have no such intentions, you likely wouldn't believe me. However, my primary goal in choosing to become a Sword Spirit rather than let my consciousness vanish was not for that. Instead, it was to avoid the demise of my Master's lineage in my hands."

"As for seeking revenge... When I infiltrated the Red Moon Demonic Dynasty alone, I never expected to come back alive. Now that I've managed to take revenge for my wife, I have few regrets left. As for the rest..."

He paused, then chuckled, "If there's an opportunity in the future, if Ye'er uses this sword to take down a few more from the Demonic Dynasty, it would also soothe the resentment in my heart."

He made a valid point, and Wang Shouzhe nodded his head in acknowledgment.

But he didn't stop there; instead, he continued to question.

One question followed another, and for a full quarter of an hour, not a single inconsistency was found.

Finally, he said, "One last question, my wife is skilled in a Soul Search technique. If Senior is willing to cooperate, I'll support Anye inheriting your mantle."

"Otherwise, as you know, with Anye's talents, we won't struggle to find him a master of the Divine Power Territory in the future."

"Soul Search?" As soon as these two words were mentioned, Ji Wuchen's Divine Soul underwent a violent fluctuation, showing strong resistance. "No, no, even as a Spirit Remnant, I wish to preserve my dignity."

At the mention of Soul Search, the old ghost Jiang Yuchen also trembled in his broken divine soul form, vibrating slightly, as if recalling some horrific past. Although the young Wang Shouzhe before him was exceedingly cunning, compared with that individual, he was rather "benign."

"If that's the case, let's shelve the matter of Anye becoming an apprentice," Wang Shouzhe said with a slight bow, apologetically. "Although I am almost completely convinced by Senior, Anye is, after all, my legitimate granddescendant. Without absolute certainty, I would never risk his safety."

Wang Shouzhe believed that, as the Wang family continued to grow stronger, every member would have the chance to unleash their potential without their talents being buried.

Especially Anye, a legitimate direct descendent, who was also to marry a daughter of the An Commandery Prince — his future potential was boundless.

Ji Wuchen's face was filled with disappointment; he had thought that accepting a disciple was his choice to make, yet after being interviewed back and forth and essentially being screened out, he felt dejected.

But with his pride, if he needed to cooperate with a Soul Search to qualify to accept a disciple, he would rather disperse into nothingness, allowing this lineage to vanish into the annals of history.

Since ancient times, countless schools had risen to prominence, and just as many had faded into oblivion with the passage of time. His lineage was not the only one.

"By the way, didn't Senior Ji say earlier that you were the sword's Artifact Spirit?" Lu Xiaoxiao, seeing the deadlock, suggested from the sidelines. "Why not have the sword choose its master directly? If Anye can control the sword, he can control the life and death of the Artifact Spirit, and my cousin Shouzhe will be reassured."