The Fang Clan Ancestral Hall.
Divine Tablets hung in the hall. The scent of incense was rich, and smoke curled through the air.
One by one, the Fang Clan disciples who had successfully undergone Enlightenment took their leave, until only Fang Yang remained.
Standing before Fang Yang was a clan elder.
This was the same Fang Clan elder who had witnessed Fang Yang and the others' Enlightenment. His name was Fang De, and he was of an extremely high generation.
At that moment, Elder De recalled what Fang Yang had done during the Enlightenment ceremony and still found it somewhat incredible.
After a moment, Elder De spoke softly:
"Ah Yang, although you possess the Fire Eagle Spirit Body, you must not grow careless or arrogant."
"You must understand that there will always be someone better than you, a higher heaven beyond the one you see. To say nothing of others, Sen Wei alone is a high mountain that will be difficult for you to surpass!"
Sen Wei...
In that instant, the image of a girl as cool and proud as a moon fairy flitted through Fang Yang's mind.
And so, Fang Yang nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
Seeing this, Fang De, as a clan elder, revealed a gratified expression, inwardly praising him as a teachable youth. He then proceeded to explain the path of cultivation to Fang Yang:
"After Enlightenment opens the body's apertures, one has formally stepped onto the path of cultivation.
"The paths of cultivation in this world are many and profound, so a Cultivator must choose and condense their own Lifebound Skill.
"Our Changkong Race reveres Thunder Skills as supreme, with all other skills as supplementary.
"Everyone chooses from various Thunder Dao True Skills to serve as their respective Lifebound Skills.
"It is precisely because of this that different lineages have emerged.
"Our Fang Clan, for example, follows the path of combining thunder and fire!"
The Changkong Race is one of the Golden Clans, and along with the other Golden Clans in the Xuan Domain, they are known as the Eight Great Golden Clans.
The reason for this is that the bloodline of all Golden Clans originates from a legendary Tier Nine Cultivator—the Thunder Saint Venerable!
The Thunder Saint Venerable was the foremost of the three great Saint Venerables of ancient times.
At the same time, He was also the fourth Tier Nine Cultivator in history, His thunder skills brilliant and majestic, meting out heaven's punishment!
Because of this, many Thunder Dao True Skills are recorded within the Changkong Race.
Members of the Changkong Race can choose one or more of these to be their Lifebound Skills, using them to aid their cultivation and to battle enemies...
Compared to other True Skills, using a Lifebound Skill consumes less True Essence, produces better effects, and can be activated more quickly.
In short, theoretically, members of the Changkong Race can learn as many Thunder Dao True Skills as they wish.
However, a person's energy is ultimately finite, and if True Essence of different attributes are not properly harmonized, they can backfire and damage one's apertures.
Therefore, a Cultivator must be extremely cautious when choosing which Lifebound Skill to cultivate!
According to the world's cultivation methods, the selection of a Lifebound Skill follows the same principles:
First, one can only master one Lifebound Skill per major realm.
In other words, a Tier One Cultivator can master one Lifebound Skill, a Tier Two Cultivator can master two, and so on.
Second, the skill a Cultivator practices must be compatible with their own foundation.
That is, the Lifebound Skill must be in the same vein as the Cultivator's own Cultivation Technique. Otherwise, in a mild case, the skill's power will be diminished; in a severe case, one could suffer from cultivation deviation.
Third, once a Lifebound Skill is mastered, it becomes bound to one's life and is difficult to replace.
Although one can only cultivate Low Tier skills at lower realms, as the Cultivator's realm increases, their Lifebound Skill will also transform and evolve, so there's no need to worry about it becoming obsolete.
"While the doctrinal lineage of our Fang Clan does follow the path of combining thunder and fire, it leans more toward creation than destruction."
"In a sense, we carry the lineage of healers, because the Lifebound Skills we condense in our apertures are almost always Pill Cauldrons."
"Generally speaking, the first Lifebound Skill our lineage chooses is either the Thunderous Strike Skill or the Flame Skill."
"Of course, you could also choose the Wind Riding Skill, which is common throughout the clan, and follow the path of combining wind and thunder."
Elder De asked with a smile, "Now, which Skill do you plan to condense?"
Fang Yang asked in return, "Elder, what are your thoughts?"
Elder De's expression grew complicated. He turned his head to look at the highest Divine Tablet in the Fang Clan Ancestral Hall and said:
"In our Fang Clan, the last person to manifest a Fire Eagle Spirit Body right after their Enlightenment was the departed Ancestor Fang Nian!
"Back then, when Ancestor Fang Nian only possessed the Fire Eagle Spirit Body, he had a fortuitous encounter. He obtained the essence of a Thunder Carp and an exceptional Thunderfire Spiritual Object, which allowed him to leap a grade and evolve into a Grade A Thunderfire Spirit Body, capable of the Carp Eagle transformation.
"Unfortunately, the Ancestor was ultimately unable to advance the Carp Eagle transformation into a Kun Peng transformation. He was just half a step away from achieving a perfect-grade Thunderfire Spirit Body."
The moment Ancestor Fang Nian was mentioned, information about this ancestor surfaced in the mind of Fang Yang, who had read extensively in the clan's archives.
Ancestor Fang Nian was the most outstanding figure in the Fang Clan in the last thousand years. At his peak, he was a Tier Seven Great Cultivator, his fame widespread, his might shaking the Eight Domains.
While he was alive, the Fang Clan enjoyed boundless glory.
Unfortunately, due to a flaw in his youthful cultivation, he ultimately fell to a tribulation and passed away more than three hundred years ago.
After his passing, the Fang Clan began a long decline that has continued to this day.
If Fang Yang wasn't mistaken, it was because Ancestor Fang Nian had failed to achieve a perfect-grade Thunderfire Spirit Body. Therefore, when he advanced to a Sacred Body, he could at most reach a Grade A Sacred Body.
Without a perfect-grade Sacred Body, the path to becoming a Tier Eight Cultivator was essentially cut off.
But in truth, a Tier Seven Cultivator was already a super-powerhouse in this world, a name to be reckoned with!
"The first Lifebound Skill Ancestor Fang Nian chose was indeed the Flame Skill, combining alchemy and medicine," Elder De finished.
Immediately after, Elder De looked at Fang Yang with an expectant expression, but he didn't force a choice upon him.
However, since a bright path lay before him—one that, despite a small flaw, still led to Tier Seven—Fang Yang naturally knew what to choose.
Fang Yang replied, "The ways of the ancestors should not be changed. I too will choose the Flame Skill as my first Lifebound Skill."
Hearing this, Elder De's heart began to pound, and his face flushed slightly as he said:
"In that case, your future path can perhaps follow the example of Ancestor Fang Nian. We old timers will do everything in our power to help you.
"Of course, the most important thing is that it must suit your own temperament. The Ancestor is the Ancestor, and you are you!"
Fang Yang nodded.
Fang Yang naturally understood the true meaning of cultivation: in the end, you had to rely on yourself and walk your own path.
But forging one's own path was something only those Great Powers needed to consider.
For a fledgling like him who had just stepped onto the road of cultivation, it was best to follow the bright path cleared by his predecessors.
"Although I am not your parent, I have watched you grow up since you were a child. There are some things inside this medium-sized storage pouch. Take it for now.
"When you reach the realm of a Tier Two Cultivator, you'll be able to reclaim the assets your parents left for you.
"As for the thunder and fire items, we uncles and elders will do our best to gather them for you. Cultivate well."
Finally, Elder De patted Fang Yang's shoulder reassuringly.
It was obvious that Fang Yang's status in Fang De's heart had risen considerably.
Although the Fang Clan, which had long been in decline, possessed a little more warmth compared to the other lineages of the Changkong Race, it was for this very reason that every single cultivation resource was precious and had to be used where it counted most.
"Ten days from now, this batch of newly Enlightened children from our Fang Clan will participate in the Xuan-Yu War. You will enter Changkong Sen Yue's army and become Sen Yue's personal troops.
"The Xuan-Yu War is undoubtedly dangerous, but you don't need to worry. We old-timers will protect you. Besides, our Fang Clan mostly participates as healers, supporting the rear."
"Sen Yue's army has eight banners, such as the Thunder Punishment, Cold Jiao, and Liepeng. Which one do you plan to join?"
The Xuan-Yu War was a massive conflict that encompassed an entire domain. The only distinction was that Cultivators of Tier Six and above did not participate, making it extremely perilous.
But the Golden Clans were a people born for battle, a race that would fight until death.
The sea of blood in war could be said to be the coming-of-age ceremony for every son of the Golden Clans.
Succeed, and the world is your oyster.
Fail, and your bones will be buried on a green mountain!
Perhaps Fang Yang's Fire Eagle Spirit Body was exceedingly rare within the Fang Clan, but when considered within the entire Changkong Race, it wasn't quite enough to stand out.
As a member of the Golden Clans, the one thing the Changkong Race did not lack was geniuses!
At this moment, Fang Yang lowered his head in contemplation.
As far as he knew, this Sen Yue was not only from the Sen lineage but was also Sen Wei's older brother, one of the undisputed leading figures of the Changkong Race.
And under Sen Yue's command, if one were to ask which banner legion was the most ferocious, it would naturally be the legion of the Thunder Punishment Banner!
The Thunder Punishment Banner was a divine weapon, a heavenly general forged by the Sen lineage, powerful enough to be passed down for many generations. 'No doubt many of the clan's youths will throw themselves into its ranks this time, hoping to be heavily nurtured...'
Just as Fang Yang was pondering, the [Seek Fortune, Avoid Misfortune] orb of light in his mind suddenly flickered, and text appeared:
[The Xuan-Yu War, a struggle among clansmen. The army splits into eight paths, fortune and misfortune lie hidden.]
Then, three fortune slips flew out of the orb of light, presenting themselves one by one in Fang Yang's consciousness:
[Upper-middle Fortune: Join the Cangmu Banner. You can obtain a Tier Two opportunity. No risk, no future worries. Auspicious.]
[Neutral Fortune: Join the Liepeng Banner. The banner is safe. No extra gains, but no losses either. Neutral.]
[Lower-middle Fortune: Join the Thunder Punishment Banner. You can receive priority nurturing and a Tier Three opportunity, but before you can reap the rewards, you will face a calamity and be trapped in a deadly plot. Inauspicious.]