A Talk with His Parents
Standing up from his mother's lap, Xue Bai showed them his most significant change.
"I got a bloodline." Xue Bai plainly spoke as he entered his hybrid form.
Like before, in Huli Jing's cave abode, the same nebulous purple-colored nine fox tails appeared from Xue Bai's lower back along with his ears, and then finally, his hair changed colors.
Xue Bai's sudden transformation stunned Li Rou and Xue Feng. From the oddly colored fox tails to the faint seductive aura that Xue Bai exuded, everything about Xue Bai's new appearance shocked his two parents.
After a few seconds of stunned silence, Li Rou was the first to respond.
"Bai'er, what bloodline did you get in there?" Li Rou asked. Though she could make some guesses about which animal it was, the purple tails made her mind fuzzy.
Xue Feng nodded at her question too. Though he had many questions going through his head, they all boiled down to what Li Rou asked.
"The first bloodline I got was a nine-tailed fox bloodline. That's why you guys sense the seductive aura." Xue Bai explained.
"Then I mutated it into a different bloodline more suitable to me. But sadly, I couldn't get rid of the seductive aura." Xue Bai finished.
"Then Bai'er, what rank is your new bloodline?" Xue Feng asked.
"A high one." Xue Bai answered simply.
Xue Bai never liked lying to his parents, and rather than tossing them another half-lie as he did with his Martial Veins, Xue Bai just answered ambiguously.
Xue Feng could sense what Xue Bai meant with his half-answer, and surprisingly, he didn't get angry.
Standing up, Xue Feng walked over to his son and bent down to look him in the eyes.
"Son, you are a cultivator now. And having important secrets is something that will happen eventually. But they must be kept to yourself. Even people like your mom and I are no exception. Disaster comes from the mouth." Xue Feng solemnly said as he patted his son on the shoulder.
He wasn't angry at his son for having secrets but rather relieved.
From the day Xue Bai told him about the memories he got, Xue Feng knew that his son was destined to travel along a path much different than his.
And to travel such a path, Xue Bai needed to have secrets. Of course, Xue Feng didn't expect Xue Bai to get one now, but it didn't matter to Xue Feng.
No matter how many secrets Xue Bai had, he was his son. So why would Xue Feng be angry?
Li Rou felt left out of the conversation and also imputed from the side.
"Bai'er, even when you get married or have sworn siblings in the future, you have to keep some things from them. You can never know someone's true thoughts. In the future, obtaining high-level treasures will be normal. But you must learn to keep your cards hidden, especially if people are greedy for them. Many geniuses have fallen before reaching their potential because of a betrayal from a close companion." Li Rou spoke in a tone carrying the same solemnity as Xue Feng.
Not expecting the life lesson, Xue Bai didn't know what to say for a moment. He knew what they said was true from all the cultivation novels he had read. But hearing it from someone was odd.
However, it made him smile. Xue Bai's parents in this life loved him with all their hearts. They knew he had massive secrets on his body, but they weren't greedy for them. Instead, they wanted him to keep it to himself and leave them in the dark.
"Right, Bai'er, so now, with your new bloodline, you have another element, right? I saw you create a fireball in front of Duke Yan." Xue Feng broke the silence.
Coming back from his thoughts, Xue Bai responded, "Yes, my new bloodline gives me a fire element affinity, but it also gives me peak level talent in illusion arts."
After a few more basic questions about his bloodline, Xue Feng asked about the elephant in the room.
"Bai'er, so how did you kill all of the Wang Clan members?"
Though Xue Feng believed in his son, he was extremely confused about how the latter managed to accomplish the feat.
The Wang Clan did bring four peak stage Muscle Nourishing realm cultivators into the secret realm. Xue Feng knew his son was talented, but to kill four people three realms above his own cultivation base? Xue Feng loved Xue Bai to death, but he knew the boy would never be able to accomplish such a feat.
"It's simple. I released the bloodline suppression from my bloodline against a Bone Strengthening realm demonic beast and its clan. Then I used them to kill the Wang Clan members." Xue Bai explained simply.
It wasn't through some heaven-defying secret that he managed to kill the Wang Clan members. All he did was get a lackey. Xue Bai didn't think it would be bad to tell his parents that.
"But wasn't the limit of the secret realm the Muscle Nourishing realm? So how did you find a Bone Strengthening realm demonic beast?" Li Rou asked.
"It was the overlord of the secret realm." Xue Feng responded.
Li Rou and Xue Feng felt enlightened after Xue Bai said that.
Secret realms usually had at least one beast that was the guardian of the core region. And that beast, as the guardian, was usually the strongest in the secret realm. So Xue Bai's finding the overlord and subduing it made sense to the two parents.
Li Rou and Xue Feng continued to ask various questions throughout the night about what Xue Bai encountered in the secret realm. It was only when the sun started rising that they noticed the day had changed.
Even Xue Bai didn't notice, as after breaking through two stages in a day, his stamina had also greatly increased, and he didn't feel tired even after staying up through an entire night.
Standing up, Xue Feng smiled at Xue Bai and said, "Bai'er, it's morning now. Do you want to go to the practice field and test out your new strength?"
Xue Bai readily agreed. He, too, was curious about his new strength. When he was only at the 6th stage of the Vein Transformation realm, he could fight someone at the 2nd stage of the Blood Exchange realm.
But now that Xue Bai was at the peak of the Vein Transformation realm, had a complete circuit, and had that odd training session against Wang Mo, Xue Bai wondered. How strong was he now?
Seeing the ever-growing fighting intent between the two, Li Rou on the side just shook her head.
"Men will be men." Li Rou sighed.
And after patting the dirt off her robe, she walked out of the courtyard to do her own business.
She was a busy woman.
Ten minutes later, Xue Feng and Xue Bai stood across from each other on the practice field. Xue Feng was still wearing his Duke clothing, while Xue Bai was fitted in his sleeveless black practice wear.
Xue Feng was far stronger than Xue Bai, and he didn't care to change into better and more flexible clothing.
Xue Bai was the opposite and, wanting any advantage he could get, changed before he decided to fight against his father.
"Bai'er, are you going to go into your hybrid form to fight?" Xue Feng asked while taking out a simple iron sword from his spatial ring.
"Not yet, Father. That form, while it does give me a power boost, I want to see how strong I am without it." Xue Bai answered while shaking his head.
"What about your space element?" Xue Feng asked while getting into a defensive stance.
"Not that either. The space element isn't something for practice sparring. It's a killing weapon." Xue Bai responded while also taking out a simple iron sword from his spatial ring.
"Alright, enough talking, Bai'er, come at me." Xue Feng said.
"Wait, what level did you suppress your cultivation to?" Xue Bai asked before charging at his father.
"Same as yours, the peak of the Vein Transformation realm." Xue Feng replied.
"But that's not fair. You're in the Domain Lord realm. At least give me an advantage." Xue Bai complained.
Even if Xue Feng suppressed his cultivation base to the Vein Transformation realm, he was still a bonafide Domain Lord realm cultivator.
Xue Feng had the reaction time, instincts, and experience of a peak powerhouse. Being on the same level as Xue Bai meant nothing.
"Bai'er, nothing in this cruel world is fair. Never forget that." Xue Feng said sternly, and he stood up and began to lecture.
"Also, you have a low Earth-grade Martial Vein. You are meant to be an anomaly, even among geniuses. And you are going to learn what it means to be a genius. It's not luck or background or even cultivation speed. It is to be invincible within the same realm. Let alone me, a mere Domain Lord realm cultivator such as I, even if a god himself comes down to your cultivation base, you have to win." Xue Feng lectured.
Not expecting to get lectured, Xue Bai was stunned for a moment, but he soon regained his composure and listened with all of his attention.
"Bai'er, while I may not show it, I love you just as much as your mother. And I, too, wish to let you live a peaceful life under our protection. However, that's not a father's job because the world is a cruel place. So I am here to make you into a man and teach you how the world works before kicking you out of the nest."
"But until the day I do, I will make you into the best man I can. So pick up your sword and fight." Xue Feng finished as he went back down into a defensive stance.
After Xue Feng finished speaking, the cowardice and anxiety in Xue Bai's eyes dissipated, and what replaced them was enlightenment and gratitude.
"Thank you, Father. I will always remember those words." Xue Bai said from the bottom of his heart.
Xue Feng smiled and was going to respond until he saw Xue Bai charge at him.
"You Brat!" Xue Feng yelled with a darkened expression.
'And I was proud of him for a moment.'
The fight went as anyone expected, with Xue Bai being suppressed without being able to do much. But through some extended testing, they figured out that Xue Bai was now at least as strong as someone at the 4th stage of the Blood Exchange realm.
It was a slow start, but Xue Bai was still hopeful for the future.
Laying on the ground, defeated, beaten, and exhausted, Xue Bai was feeling a myriad of emotions.
Whether it was excitement at his new strength or annoyance at his father, who had beaten him into this state, Xue Bai was feeling conflicted on various levels. However, all of his feelings and thoughts reminded him of one thing: He was getting stronger.
If Xue Bai were on Earth, he'd be the strongest human who had ever existed. Though he wouldn't be invincible, as missiles and heavy guns would be able to kill him, he still could be able to fight and destroy any average human on Earth with little to no effort.
And Xue Bai's latent potential made him hopeful for the future. He had another three years of peaceful growth where he could grow without any troubles coming his way at home.
After that, Xue Bai decided he would join the Soaring Sword Sect. It was the sect that matched him the most, as he was a swordsman at heart.
Also, if he didn't encounter any hiccups during his three years of growth, Xue Bai estimated that he would at least be in the Bone Strengthening realm.
The only thing he had to be careful of during these three years was the Wang Clan, not because of their strength but because of Wang Yu.
That kid was a menace in every sense of the word. If not for Huo Long and the other protagonist on the Southern Continent joining forces in the plot, he would've easily taken over the continent.
Wang Yu was recognized as the hardest early game villain from any of the continents unanimously by players. After all, as the first major villain to two protagonists, how could he not be a challenge?
However, Xue Bai shook away his swaying thoughts and stood up from the ground. No matter how fast he grew, the climactic battle of this continent wouldn't happen for at least another ten years. Even with his Martial Veins, he would only get to the later realms of the Houtian Great Realm in his late teens.
For now, all he needed to do was seize the moment.
"Carpe Diem, was it?" Xue Bai muttered to himself as he patted the dirt off his clothes.
"Carpet them? Bai'er, what are you saying?" Xue Feng on the side heard Xue Bai and asked confusedly.
"Father, you're hearing things. You should get your ears checked out." Xue Bai said without a change in expression.
Li Huo's encounter made him know how to handle such moments.
"Nonsense, I'm at the 7th stage of the Domain Lord realm. How could I be hearing things?"
"Maybe you're getting old. Aren't you like 100 at this point?"
"You stinky brat! You know I'm only 82. How dare you curse me?" Xue Feng was blowing smoke from his nose at this point.
Knowing he touched a sore spot, Xue Bai giggled and ran away, not wanting to mess with the old man any longer.
Though Xue Feng was still annoyed, he smiled at Xue Bai, acting like a child. He wasn't really angry and only put up a pretense. It was moments like that gave him the most happiness. However, they also gave him a strong sense of danger.
Xue Feng was weak, and he knew that. Even in the Great Xuan Empire, where he is held as one of the biggest powerhouses, there were at least a dozen old monsters stronger than him. And that wasn't even mentioning the Three Great Sects neighboring them.
While Xue Feng would love to play with his son in peace, he also had the duty of protecting the peace they had. Until Xue Bai grew up, Xue Feng had the mission of protecting Xue Bai from harm.
So standing up with resolve, Xue Feng walked to his courtyard.
"I can most likely break through to the 8th stage tonight."
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