"Now that I think about it," Kellan began, his eyes glinting with curiosity, "I actually don't know a lot about the Conqi Clan. Can you tell me more about them?"
Shi Yan gave him a knowing nod, getting ready to talk. "The Conqi Clan, eh?" He paused thoughtfully.
"If we're talking about the most powerful clan in the Mystfall Region, it's definitely the Conqi Clan."
"What? It's not the Nightshade Clan?" Kellan asked, his brows knitting in surprise.
He remembered his encounters with the Nightshade Clan; to him, they seemed like the strongest, so it surprised him to find out that there was a clan stronger than them in the Mystfall Region.
Shi Yan shook his head.
"Nope. The Conqi Clan holds that title. Their Patriarch, Julio Conqi, is said to be the closest in the entire region to reaching the Heart Awakening Realm.
He's not someone to mess with lightly."
Kellan's eyes widened.
"The Heart Awakening Realm… Just how strong does someone become if they reach that level of cultivation?" He couldn't help but wonder.
"That's the thing," Shi Yan continued, his tone dropping into reverence.
"Those who reach the Heart Awakening Realm can channel spiritual energy into their hearts, allowing their bodies to create spirit blood.
Spirit blood allows a cultivator to become extremely efficient at utilizing spiritual energy. A person at the Heart Awakening Realm can almost never run out of spiritual energy."
"Amazing…" Kellan murmured, momentarily lost in thought.
But his curiosity got the better of him again.
"So, who are the people I should keep an eye on in the upcoming inter-tribe Trial by Fire? I hear the Conqi Clan has some strong youths, too."
Shi Yan's face darkened slightly as he answered. "There are two people you need to be particularly wary of, one from each clan—the Conqi and the Nightshade.
First, there's Kayne Nightshade. Word is, when he was still at the fifth level of the Blood Solidification Realm, he took down three demonic beasts of the same rank… all on his own.
And they say he didn't even flinch. He's… dangerous. Ruthless.
They say he's highly favored by the current head of the Nightshade Clan.
Many think he's the one who'll inherit leadership someday."
I wonder if Kayne knows about those Nightshade Clan cultivators I killed, Kellan thought to himself.
"It seems the Nightshade Clan's genius is pretty strong."
"Exactly," Shi Yan agreed. "But don't let that overshadow the Conqi Clan's head of the younger generation.
They have their own prodigy—Jayes Conqi. Jayes is different. He's… quiet. Almost detached.
He doesn't care about anything outside of his cultivation, and everyone knows he's driven to the point of obsession.
His goal is to surpass his elder brother, who's already in the Yan Imperial Capital."
Kellan frowned. "What's so special about the Imperial Capital?"
Shi Yan's eyes lit up.
"Oh, it's more than just special. The capital is the very heart of the Yan Empire, where only the strongest reside.
They say that even if all the other Dominances combined their forces, they wouldn't be able to challenge the might of the Central Dominance.
And that's because of one person—the Son of Heaven, the Yan Emperor himself."
"Wow," Kellan said, genuinely impressed.
"You seem to know a lot about this, Shi Yan. Do you spend your free time studying?"
Shi Yan sighed, casting a wary glance at the sky.
"The best thing ordinary people like us can do is to learn about the world around us.
If we're not careful, we could offend someone powerful just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Kellan's eyes sparkled with determination.
Ordinary… I don't plan on being ordinary, he thought.
"Come on, Shi Yan," he said, clapping his friend on the shoulder.
"Let's get to the training grounds. I'm eager to see Big Bone again."
"Alright,"
Shi Yan said, laughing as he walked faster.
"Let's go. But you better be careful, Kellan; Big Bone is a lot stronger now.
He practically looks like a human demonic beast!"
Kellan laughed. "Come on, no matter how strong he gets, Big Bone is still Big Bone."
When Kellan and Shi Yan arrived at the training grounds, they immediately spotted Big Bone being cornered by three older disciples, one of whom was Shi Jun.
Big Bone's stance was tense, though he held his ground, his fists clenched tightly.
"Hey, Big Bone!" sneered one of the disciples.
"A farmer's kid like you doesn't deserve those cultivation materials. You'd better hand them over to us."
The second disciple chimed in with a smirk. "
Yeah, obviously those Qi Gathering Pills would be put to better use by Young Master Shi Jun here.
You know the Young Master is the son of the Second Elder, Shi Junpei.
Someone like you, with no backing, shouldn't be hoarding such valuable things."
Shi Jun stood in the middle, flanked by his lackeys, a smug look plastered across his face.
"Hey, Big Bone, I'm offering you a fair deal. If you hand over the Qi Gathering Pills, I'll give you 20 spirit stones. Not a bad offer, eh?"
Big Bone's face was taut with frustration.
"I told you, I don't have the pills anymore! I already used them.
If you want more, you'll have to wait until next month, when the clan distributes them again."
Shi Jun's expression darkened, his lips curling in irritation.
"Big Bone, I give you an inch, and you take a mile. You think you can look down on me?"
Before things could escalate, Kellan stepped forward, raising his voice.
"Hey! You shouldn't be bullying people like that!"
All eyes turned to him as Kellan and Shi Yan reached Big Bone's side.
"Kellan!" Big Bone's relief was visible.
"When I heard from Elder Wei that you got injured again, I was worried.
It's good to see you're alright." He smiled, a large grin spreading across his face.
"You don't have to worry about me, Big Bone. But how about you? Are your injuries healing up well?" Kellan asked, his voice filled with concern.
"I'm fine," Big Bone replied, looking proud of himself.
"The day after my injuries healed enough for me to leave the infirmary, I went back to cultivating, and I broke through to the 2nd level!
And now, I'm already close to reaching the third."
Kellan's eyes widened in surprise. Big Bone must have some hidden potential, he thought.
"Enough of this reunion nonsense!" Shi Jun snapped, his patience wearing thin.
"If you don't hand over those Qi Gathering Pills, Big Bone, I'll just have to take them from your beaten-up body."
Kellan glanced at Shi Jun, quickly assessing him.
Though Shi Jun was at the 4th level of the Blood Solidification Realm, his cultivation base seemed unstable, as if it had been forced.
"He's probably only reached that level because he's consumed a lot of pills rather than training properly," Shi Yan muttered to Kellan.
In the clan, the first three levels of the Blood Solidification Realm didn't grant one much status. But reaching the 4th level marked a significant change.
Those at the 4th level and above were considered talented and received more resources from the clan.
However, the 4th level was the first bottleneck in the Blood Solidification Realm; many remained at that bottleneck their entire lives, never managing to break through.