"Lei Chen, bring Lei Qi and Lei Dong into the Inner Realm."
After leaving this message through spiritual transmission, Lei Ying turned and walked toward the Inner Realm.
Yes — even within the self-contained worlds owned by the Emperor Clans, strict hierarchies existed.
In the Outer Realm, the strongest were usually one or two Half-Saints who remained stationed there, while most elders were peak Dou Venerates.
But once someone reached the Dou Saint realm, they entered the Inner Realm and no longer involved themselves in daily clan affairs. In fact, most Dou Saints spent the majority of their time in closed-door cultivation.
Thus, every Emperor Clan had an Inner Realm and an Outer Realm.
The elders of the Outer Realm managed daily tasks and clan administration.
But the Inner Realm handled matters of true life and death — decisions that could alter the clan's fate.
Unless absolutely necessary, Dou Saints rarely appeared.
Of course, nothing was absolute. For example, today — with two youths awakening high-grade bloodlines — Lei Ying naturally issued a summons.
Aside from a few Great Elders currently in death-closed cultivation, nearly every elder of the Inner Realm rushed toward the Thunder Clan's Council Hall.
Very soon, more than a hundred figures appeared inside the great hall.
Some were white-haired old men, others looked like vigorous middle-aged adults — but in truth, every one of them was at least a hundred years old.
However, that didn't mean they were all Dou Saints.
Many among them were Half-Saints as well.
"Patriarch, what has happened that you've gathered all of us here?" a man who appeared around forty or fifty asked.
"During today's initial bloodline test for the juniors, two of them displayed bloodline grades exceeding Sixth Grade."
Lei Ying looked at the elder and did not hide the joy on his face.
"!!!"
The hall fell silent.
Initial awakening… and already Sixth Grade?
That meant that with proper cultivation, the Thunder Clan would gain two new Dou Saints in the future.
For an Emperor Clan, the number of Dou Saints represented true strength.
After all — the age of Dou Emperors had long ended.
"One of them even reached Seven-Grade High-Tier. I believe when he becomes an adult, he will definitely awaken a legendary God-Grade Bloodline. Now, Elders, do you understand why I called you here?" Lei Ying continued.
The elders' eyes widened instantly.
The Grand Elder, Lei Jin, could no longer hide the excitement on his aged face.
"This is Heaven's blessing upon our Thunder Clan!"
"Exactly because of their extraordinary potential, I plan to open our Thunder Clan's Ancestral Grounds and send them inside to cultivate." Lei Ying said.
Competition existed even among Emperor Clans.
Unless facing an external enemy, conflicts were common.
Not just in the Thunder Clan — even the Gu Clan was the same.
Only the Soul Clan was different.
Soul Heavenly Emperor's words were absolute commands.
That was the difference between the clan leaders.
"This matter — I agree."
Grand Elder Lei Jin voiced his approval.
Lei Jin was a late Seven-Star Dou Saint. Even compared to the Gu Clan's Three Immortals or the Soul Clan's Four Demon Saints, he was not inferior. In fact, thanks to lightning-attribute techniques, Lei Jin was even stronger in one-on-one combat.
The only disadvantage… was numbers.
The Soul Clan had four Demon Saints.
The Gu Clan had three Immortals.
But in the Thunder Clan, aside from Lei Jin, none matched his level.
With both Patriarch Lei Ying and Grand Elder Lei Jin supporting the decision, no other elder objected.
Soon, Lei Chen brought Lei Qi and Lei Dong into the great hall.
Lei Qi glanced at the gathered experts — he knew these people were the true peak combat power of the Thunder Clan.
Lei Dong also understood the significance of the Inner Realm. He had expected it would take him many years to qualify to enter, but unexpectedly, he received a chance today.
Lei Chen swept his gaze across the hall — aside from the few elders in deep seclusion, every Thunder Clan elder was present. It was not surprising.
"Greetings, Patriarch."
Following Lei Chen, Lei Qi and Lei Dong cupped their fists respectfully.
Everyone present was a senior.
Lei Dong's father was also among them — though only a Two-Star Dou Saint.
As for Lei Qi… he was the classic "protagonist with a cheat."
"Lei Qi, Lei Dong — the two of you performed exceedingly well. Therefore, I have decided to open the Thunder Clan's Ancestral Grounds and send you inside. You will have ten years of cultivation within. What realm you reach afterward will depend entirely on your own ability." Lei Ying declared straightforwardly.
The Thunder Clan never liked beating around the bush. Aside from major clan affairs, everything was straightforward. If someone disagreed, they fought.
Even Lei Qi — who was normally smooth and clever — had his temperament influenced by this environment.
"What exactly is the Ancestral Ground?" Lei Qi asked with curiosity.
Lei Dong had already responded with a simple "Yes."
"It is a Thunder Realm opened by our ancestor, the Thunder Emperor. Within it exists terrifying lightning power that greatly benefits lightning-attribute cultivators. Understand that opening the Ancestral Grounds consumes immense resources. I hope you treasure this opportunity. Also — be cautious. The place is dangerous."
Any land of fortune was filled with life-threatening trials.
Especially the Thunder Clan's Ancestral Grounds.
Inside were techniques, battle arts, even secret arts left behind by the Thunder Emperor himself.
Whoever seized the best opportunities would tower over their generation.
After understanding this, Lei Qi was speechless.
He had a cheat — yet he still needed to spend ten years suffering inside such a place?
But in his current situation, he clearly had no right to refuse.
So both of them accepted their fate.
After explaining the necessary details, Patriarch Lei Ying personally led the two to the clan's technique repository.
Now that both boys had reached the Dou Fighter realm, they were qualified to cultivate battle techniques.
Before their bloodlines fully awakened, even descendants of the Emperor Clans were similar to ordinary people.
Even a prodigy like Gu Xun'er only became a Dou Fighter at over ten years old.
Lei Qi and Lei Dong were unusually hardworking, reaching Dou Fighter at age eight.
Lei Qi felt that as a transmigrator, he couldn't possibly lose to a native.
Lei Dong… probably just liked competing.