As Lin Wei ascended to the summit, the concentration of spiritual energy gradually intensified. He deliberately slowed his pace to admire the scenic artificial mountain, prolonging his journey to the top. After half an hour, Lin Wei finally reached the summit.
At the end of the stairs, he was greeted by a small two-story pavilion. The pavilion, rectangular in shape, measured five meters in length, three meters in width, and stood at a height of ten meters.
As Lin Wei inspected the mountain summit, his gaze fell upon Fang Yulong sitting cross-legged outside the pavilion. Yulong appeared visibly injured, his face pale and drained of color. A servant stood nearby, still shaken by the recent phenomenon, with unfocused eyes drifting in thought. At the sound of approaching footsteps, the servant glanced towards the stairs, noticing Lin Wei's slow ascent. Upon recognizing Lin Wei, the servant retreated back into his thoughts, seemingly traumatized by the recent events.
Despite not experiencing the full force of the phenomenon, they could sense the overwhelming spiritual pressure, which, if left unchecked by that senior figure, would likely have pulverized them into bloody mist. Such was the intensity of the event that even the emperors themselves might have met the same fate. Such were the thoughts of those below the Martial Emperor Realm.
What they did not know, however, was that Lin Wei had no hand in their speculations. He neither retracted the spiritual pressure nor reduced its intensity. In fact, Lin Wei remained unaware of events beyond the area where he could absorb spiritual energy, which extended to the thousand-meter mark. So how could he have possibly helped them?
When Lin Wei saw the sorry state they were in, he didn't know how to face them. 'System, why didn't you block the whole phenomenon and help me breakthrough silently?' Lin Wei asked the system in his thoughts.
''Host, are you worried that the phenomenon caused by your breakthrough might have resulted in mortal deaths?'' a cold reply echoed in Lin Wei's mind.
''Yes,'' Lin Wei replied.
"Do not worry, host. Different people experienced the maximum pressure they could endure fainted," the system's explanation echoed in Lin Wei's mind. "Even the ants and worms below the ground merely fainted. Only those exempted from experiencing the spiritual pressure were children below the age of four." Understanding his host's concerns, the system preemptively provided reassurance.
Hearing the system's explanation, Lin Wei felt relieved. The guilt he experienced dissipated slightly.
The system continued, "Additionally, the main reason why I did not suppress the Host's breakthrough phenomenon is because it presented a good opportunity for the host to become known throughout Dragon Tail County, albeit anonymously," the voice explained further. "That's why I merely allowed the strongest people, the emperors, to experience the spiritual pressure and witness the phenomenon firsthand. They will serve as your eyewitnesses," the system replied matter-of-factly.
Hearing the system's main objective, Lin Wei experienced mixed feelings. He couldn't decide whether to feel guilty for what he caused or be thankful for the system's thoughtfulness. "Why would I need a witness? Isn't the first half of the phenomenon enough?" Lin Wei asked skeptically, questioning the logic behind the system's decision.
"Host, being well-known would indeed be enough, but you won't receive the reward for the additional one Minor Wish," the system explained. "To earn the reward, the host must fulfill two conditions: first, be well-known throughout the area, and second, evoke at least one of the following feelings in the people: fear, reverence, devotion, admiration, and so on. If all the people in the county or any other place experience at least three of these emotions, the host can then receive a Minor Wish."
"As I have expected, I would receive a wish for being well-known, but what I did not anticipate is that I need to evoke those feelings in all the people of each place to earn a minor wish," Lin Wei remarked. "So the system continued the phenomenon and allowed some of them to witness it so that the strong can feel how insignificant they are and evoke feelings of reverence, dread and so on."
As Lin Wei spread his spiritual sense to gather information in the library, he also overheard the comments of some of the civilians. He knew what had occurred in the county city; he knew that the images of those divine beings had formed and bowed to him. So he concluded that if the system had merely allowed them to witness those divine beings bowing down, the strong would probably not feel fear or reverence, but rather admiration and respect, or even jealousy.
Shaking his head, Lin Wei looked back at the patriarch. Seeing that the patriarch's pale face was slightly turning reddish, Lin Wei slowly approached them.
Hearing footsteps slowly approaching him, Fang Yulong said with a hint of coldness in his tone, "Who's there?" He opened his eyes and looked at the person approaching. Seeing who it was, Fang Yulong's cold expression diminished slightly.
"Lin Wei, what are you doing here? Don't you know that it's against the rules?" Fang Yulong continued, "If an ordinary servant like you enters this Cultivation Isolation Mountain, you'll get punished. The lightest punishment would be having your cultivation crippled, while the heaviest would be direct execution."
Fang Yulong's words carried a hint of severity, but also a trace of understanding. "Even if Tong'er had sent you, the rules must be upheld. However, given our history, I will refrain from severe punishment."
"I am well aware of the rules, Patriarch," Lin Wei replied respectfully. "But I have not come at Young Miss' behest. I am here of my own volition."
Before Fang Yulong could respond, Lin Wei continued with a composed tone. "I've come to bid you farewell, Patriarch, and to express my gratitude for your care after my father's passing. This is a final gesture of respect from me."
As Lin Wei prepared to kowtow, Fang Yulong intervened, "Do you truly intend to depart from the clan?" Fang Yulong's expression hardened at the notion of Lin Wei leaving.
"Yes," Lin Wei replied firmly.
As Lin Wei affirmed his decision, Fang Yulong felt an intense urge to lash out and crush Lin Wei, but he managed to restrain himself. Sensing a slight shift in Fang Yulong's demeanor, Lin Wei felt a pang of unease. 'Why would the Patriarch harbor any ill will towards me? No, it must be my imagination. It's inconceivable for the Patriarch to entertain thoughts of harming me,' Lin Wei thought, trying to dismiss his apprehensions.
Smiling gently, he said to Lin Wei, "Wei-er, if you have truly decided to leave the clan and explore the world, I won't stop you, since that's what you want. After all, a baby eagle must leave its mother's nest and live for itself." Continuing, he added, "But before you go, there's something I wanted to ask you."
What is it, Patriarch?" Lin Wei asked, puzzled by the Patriarch's question.
"Before your father died, did he leave you a bronze ring?" asked the Patriarch, his smile still gentle.
"A bronze ring?" Lin Wei pondered the question, trying to recall. Suddenly, a memory surfaced. 'Is he talking about the ring that I attached into my necklace?' Lin Wei thought to himself. Originally, he had high expectations for that bronze ring. He believed it might contain some sort of cheat or hidden power, perhaps a severely injured old teacher sealed within. He even entertained the idea that his slow cultivation speed might be attributed to the slumbering old teacher within the ring.
However, even after five years, no such figure emerged. So he slowly lose hope. With the awakening of his system, he had forgotten about the ring altogether. If the Patriarch hadn't mentioned it, he might have never remembered it existed.
"Yes, my father did give me a ring a week before the assassination five years ago," confirmed Lin Wei, slowly revealing the ring attached to his necklace. Seeing the bronze ring, Fang Yulong's eyes revealed a sense of greed. 'With the accumulated energy contained in this ring, I should be able to successfully reach the Emperor Realm,' Fang Yulong thought excitedly.
"Wei-er, if you don't mind, can you give me the ring?" asked Fang Yulong, suppressing the greed in his heart.
"If the Patriarch really needs this ring, I'll give it to you," Lin Wei said, handing the ring to Yulong. Although Fang Yulong might have hidden it well, he didn't manage to hide his greediness from Lin Wei's eyes. Without even finding out the truth, Lin Wei could conclude that the reason why the Patriarch treated him well was because of the ring.
Lin Wei had already checked the ring, and through his spiritual sense, he can tell that ring contains a vast amount of spiritual energy, not any weaker than a strand of the ancient energy that he had absorbed, although such vast amount of energy is really very important to Kings and even to emperors but to Lin Wei, such amount of energy is nothing but a mere dust. 'This spiritual energy should be the accumulated energy, when I cultivated for five years' he concluded.
Lin Wei originally wanted to help the clan by improving the array in the summit, but looking at it now, this ring should be enough for compensation.