"This child is so old, and still hasn't spoken. Could he be mute?"
"Don't be upset. Every generation has its own blessings. Even if he is mute, it's no big deal. We already have Feng'er. Feng'er is the recognized genius of the family."
"But... but when I think of my child suffering, I can't help but cry."
---
The sky was a deep blue, and the land stretched out, a vast sea of green.
The fertile grassland was lush with vegetation, and the horse herds roamed in small groups, grazing peacefully.
The young boy silently stared at the horses, his eyes shining, lost in thought.
---
"My heavens! The horse enthusiast has A-class talent!"
"That fool, always hanging around horses, what good can come of it? Such great talent is wasted on him."
"Exactly, he'll just end up being a horse caretaker."
---
"Fool, since you like being with horses, why not learn the art of horsemanship? The family could always use another slave-tamer in the future."
---
"…"
"Horses are the symbol of our Ma family. Their lives exemplify loyalty, hard work, bravery, progress, and sacrifice. This is the spirit of our family!"
---
Through soul searching, Qi Tian learned about the life of Ma Zun.
Ma Zun's life was simple—no scheming, no deceit. His life was dedicated to horses.
It was precisely this focus that allowed Ma Zun to achieve such great things. Mastering one art, with a single-minded devotion—that was the secret to his success as a master of Northern Yu's slave-taming path.
"Others' paths are always theirs; I must carve my own!" Qi Tian's gaze was resolute.
Soul searching comes with risks, and no matter how skilled one is, there are always side effects.
Soul searching is simple enough. As long as one has a third-tier soul-searching bug, the simplest soul-searching can be done.
But this method has significant drawbacks. Not only does it yield information, but it also causes great harm to both the user and the one being searched.
In his previous life, Qi Tian had often used soul searching for his craft, killing and searching souls to refine his techniques. To hone his skills, he had captured many Gu Masters as practice.
Through extensive practice, Qi Tian's understanding of souls deepened, and his mastery of the soul path grew steadily. His journey to becoming a master of the soul path was not only due to chance but also to his constant effort and accumulation of experience.
Meanwhile, his soul-searching techniques continuously improved, becoming more refined and effective.
With better techniques, the side effects decreased, and the amount of information obtained increased.
The more information gathered, the more it felt like living through someone else's life.
But this is where the danger lies!
When experiencing another's life, do you remain yourself?
Can you retain your own self during such a process?
If the person's life is short, and you find little information, the side effects are minimal. But if their life is long, the memories become overwhelming—a real test.
A person's life experience shapes their character and will.
If your character and will are altered, the consequences are dire. At best, it will affect your personality and cultivation; at worst, it could lead to madness, or you could lose yourself entirely, becoming a puppet of someone else's will.
Qi Tian had suffered from this in his past life, but luckily, he was able to spot the danger in time and overcame it.
In the end, he turned misfortune into a blessing, finding his true self in the process.
Having found himself, Qi Tian could now face others' memories with a calm heart, reading them like a biography. He could absorb others' experiences and apply them to his own growth.
His will became even more resolute.
Now, Qi Tian faced no negative impact from experiencing Ma Zun's life, and he could even grow from it, turning it into a way to deepen his own understanding.
Of course, those who can find themselves through such experiences are not many, but they are by no means rare. The world is full of geniuses.
Fang Yuan, after five hundred years of hardship in his previous life, had also found his true self and now sought immortality.
Additionally, some exceptionally talented Gu Immortals had achieved the same through various means.
This concept is also reflected in the values emphasized on Earth. A person with firm values cannot be easily swayed by outside information, no matter how much they are exposed to.
For teenagers, however, whose values are not yet fixed, an influx of foreign information can disrupt their worldview, affecting their future and even completely assimilating them.
Wars between nations are often battles of values. When a country's or nation's values are assimilated, even if they do not perish, their original essence vanishes, leaving only a puppet.
With the help of Ma Zun's soul, Qi Tian completed the soul search in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
"Choosing Ma Zun was indeed the right choice!" Qi Tian sighed with relief after the soul search.
Ma Zun spent most of his time with horses. Even Ma Yingjie, who had the most contact with him, barely interacted with him. Ma Zun refused all attempts to assign bodyguards, as he had his own herd of heavenly horses and didn't like dealing with people.
In the end, only a few Gu Masters remained as guards, allowing Ma Zun to have them at his disposal when necessary. Ma Yingjie had insisted on this arrangement, as Ma Zun had little interest in mundane affairs.
Qi Tian, as long as he kept silent and spoke sparingly, could easily assume Ma Zun's role.
As for cultivation, Ma Zun was at the early stage of fifth transition, and so was Qi Tian, so there was no problem. Even if his cultivation was restored, he could easily mask it with the Concealment Bug.
And as for controlling the horse herd, as long as Qi Tian had enough Horsemanship Bugs, it would be no problem.
Qi Tian's soul had reached the level of two thousand souls, refined through immortal Gu.
Although it wasn't a horse spirit, Qi Tian had an advantage in controlling the herd, making it easier than Ma Zun, who had only a thousand-level horseman soul.
As for the slave path, Qi Tian was also a master.
There was almost no risk of exposure in replacing Ma Zun.
Choosing to replace Ma Zun was a carefully considered decision by Qi Tian.
The struggle for the royal throne became particularly intense later on.
At that time, a fourth-tier Gu Master could not protect themselves, and a fifth-tier Gu Master would be too busy to care.
If Qi Tian entered the conflict as a fourth-tier Gu Master, his abilities would inevitably be exposed under such intense battle.
There were few fifth-tier Gu Masters in the Northern Yu region, and all were famous figures, so finding a suitable replacement was difficult. Integrating into such an identity would be even harder.
Fang Yuan's choice of Chang Shan Yin was an excellent example of this.
Chang Shan Yin, a hero from Northern Yu, became famous in his youth and used the Wolf Fetus Earth Burial Bug to remain hidden underground.
Fang Yuan could not only easily kill Chang Shan Yin but also inherit his precious Gu from the Turtle Breath Bug.
Most importantly, Chang Shan Yin had been missing for twenty years, which helped cover up Fang Yuan's identity. Even if there were any flaws, the twenty years of disappearance could be explained as a strange encounter.
Furthermore, Chang Shan Yin was a slave path Gu Master, a role that had the power to alter the course of a battle. Fang Yuan, being a master of slave path, naturally fit this role.
In comparison, the identity of Ma Zun was even more prominent. With a complete set of Gu worms and a vast beast herd, including a Beast Emperor, exotic horses, and fifty thousand ordinary beasts, Qi Tian could easily form a full combat force.
Also, due to Ma Zun's personality, this identity was easier to disguise.
But this choice was also fraught with difficulties. The hardest part was how to replace Ma Zun without the Ma family noticing.
Fortunately, Qi Tian had the Ghost God Wuying, a force comparable to a "half-immortal," which allowed him to use his methods to subdue Ma Zun and take his place.
Once he had the identity, Qi Tian only needed to command the horse herd in battle, without worrying about the mundane affairs of the Ma family's allies. As Ma Zun, no one would try to oust him.
As for the result of the royal throne struggle, Qi Tian did not need to worry.
Based on past experience, the Ma family was strong in the early stages, with unwavering resolve and victories over powerful enemies.
Although later on, they were targeted by the older, more established Golden Families and suffered several devastating battles, they still managed to hold on and eventually faced the Black Family.
Although they did not win, their strength was still formidable, and in the end, Black Loulan had no choice but to force a peace.
After the Ma family submitted to the Black Family, they gained many seats in the royal court.
This was the outcome Qi Tian was hoping for.
As long as the Ma family retained strength, it would provide convenience for Qi Tian's actions before he abandoned the Ma Zun identity.
As for the death of Ma Zun in the original story, caused by Fang Yuan's involvement, with Qi Tian's participation, that would never happen.
As for whether to support the Ma family in defeating the Black Family, Qi Tian knew this task was thankless and would not involve himself.
The Ma family, though large, was not in the same league as the Black Family, which supported the Black Loulan.
A large family supported by a devil path Gu Immortal could not win against the righteous Gu Immortals. This had been proven time and again in the royal throne struggles.
If a large family supported by a devil path Gu Immortal rose to power, it would be unacceptable to the righteous Gu Immortals.
For now, Qi Tian was still a pawn. Despite having two blessed lands, he was still too weak to be the player.
If he was to remain a pawn, he had to accept his role and align with the larger forces.
The players create the trends, and the pawns must follow.
"When can I play a game with the Five Domains as the chessboard, and all beings as the pieces?" Qi Tian silently wished in his heart.