Cheng Zongyang watched from beginning to end as the elders conducted the process of establishing the Earth Branch Lineage, and in doing so, he learned the full procedure.
It began with the sixteen initiates, who had already been informed of the rules, lining up in an orderly fashion. At Zhou Hansong's direction, they paid their respects to heaven and earth and worshipped the ancestors.
Next, the Clan Leader, Cheng Guanghai, addressed them, recounting the history of the Cheng Family, explaining its rules, and outlining the arrangements that would follow.
Then came the renaming. Each new name was announced, and Cheng Zongyang would write it down using a special Blood Ink, after which the individual would press a thumbprint in blood onto the Clan Tree. At that moment, the black ink of the name would turn red.
This signified that they were alive and in good health.
Their life status was displayed with three colors: red, gray, and black.
