At midnight, Lin Shanhe slowly got up and, following a sound, arrived at the Ancestral Hall. A robust old man with a spirited demeanor was standing before Lin Tian's memorial tablet, lighting four sticks of incense and bowing in prayer.
"Second Uncle, why are you here?" Lin Shanhe recognized the elder before him, who bore an eight-tenths resemblance to his father, as his father's younger brother.
After paying respects to his elder brother, Lin Hai turned to his nephew. "Shanhe, do you blame your Second and Third Uncle for neglecting you all these years?"
"Second Uncle and Third Uncle must have had their reasons. Otherwise, with the Ancestor's care for our Lin family, it's unlikely they wouldn't have intervened even when I was severely injured for so many years." Lin Shanhe had harbored resentment towards his two uncles but had found much peace after his son's explanation.
"Good child, you think so comprehensively and see so clearly. The Ancestor's painstaking efforts were not in vain. It's a pity your elder brother wasn't as sharp as you, or it wouldn't have ended up like this," Second Uncle Lin Hai said, quite pleased with his nephew.
"Please enlighten me, Second Uncle. What further arrangements does the Ancestor have?" Lin Shanhe said, feeling a pang of shame.
He was fortunate to have such a good son; otherwise, he'd be grouped with his father as slow-witted. It seemed he also owed a debt of gratitude to his intelligent wife, for how else could he have such a smart son? Fortunately, Lingxiu was like his sister-in-law and not like his elder brother.
"Shanhe, you are a Lord now. How is your domain construction progressing? Show me." Lin Hai asked his nephew.
"It's been preliminarily constructed. It's much faster than what Brother Zhang Zhen mentioned. According to his account, he took three months to reach preliminary construction, while I've only taken over ten days." Lin Shanhe then displayed his constructed domain to his Second Uncle.
"Since your domain has reached preliminary construction, I should also tell you about the next stage of cultivation and how to ascend to the King realm," Lin Hai began to impart his cultivation experience to his nephew.
"When you advanced from Diamond to Lord, you already felt a shift in your life level. In the depths of the cosmos, you sensed a special law, a principle that transcends elements and innate abilities. This is the Law."
"The domain constructed by a Lord is, in essence, an imitation of this Law. You carve out a controllable space with your own power and then use your innate abilities as pigments to mimic this Law, using your own strength to construct the domain." As Lin Hai spoke, he released his own domain, enveloping Lin Shanhe.
"But with pigments, you need a brush. This brush is our spiritual power. Use your spiritual power to observe the Law, guiding your innate abilities to paint and imitate according to the Law you've observed. Throughout this process, you continuously accumulate and refine your control over the domain.
Once you completely master the Law you've painted, you'll reach the Quasi-King realm. However, Quasi-King is a realm without precise markings, so it's not individually classified when dividing martial arts realms. This is why after Lord comes King."
"Quasi-Kings and Lords are martial artists of the same tier. The difference lies in their control over their domains. It's like two people holding a gun; one wields it like an extension of their arm, hitting precisely where they aim, while the other has just learned to fire. Can they be compared?" Lin Hai explained while circulating his domain power for Lin Shanhe to feel carefully.
"I understand, Second Uncle. The reason I built my domain faster than Brother Zhang Zhen isn't due to higher talent, but because for the fifteen years I was injured, I possessed spiritual power without physical strength. This led to an imperfect fusion of spiritual and physical power. When unbound by the body, spiritual power underwent independent growth and training. With stronger spiritual power, the domain was built faster, and control over it became more adept." Lin Shanhe finally grasped the intentions of his two uncles.
"It's good that you understand. Your father and I are both Quasi-Kings. Our family is no longer lacking in Quasi-Kings. The Ancestor desires us to produce a King, and this is why he has left you more capital for your future advancement to King."
"Although Quasi-Kings can perfectly control their domains and the Law they imitate, it is not the true Law of the universe. In essence, what you control is a replica. To advance to King, you must master the true Law, the power within the universe."
"To reach this stage, spiritual power alone is insufficient. Spiritual power must undergo a metamorphosis and evolution. After evolving, it becomes soul power. This is why those who reach the King realm can reign eternal."
"Your father's spiritual power could not metamorphose and evolve. So, the Ancestor slew an Evil Eye King for him. After all, the Evil Eye race subsists on spiritual power. He hoped your father could use this King's core to successfully evolve into soul power. Unfortunately, before your father could use it, he was killed by the Bone Demon King."
"Second Uncle, rest assured. One day, our Lin family will exterminate the entire Bone Demon race."
"That is a certainty. Your father's revenge can only be avenged by the entire Bone Demon race paying with their lives," Lin Hai said, his voice filled with killing intent. It seemed the Lin family were all ruthless individuals who wouldn't tolerate being wronged. If you kill one of our Lin family, we will slaughter your entire clan.
"Shanhe, tell Zhan'er to train hard. He must take the top spot in this Hundred Schools League. The secret realm discovered this time holds a great opportunity. We don't know which senior left it behind, but even if it wasn't left by a human, it was by one of the ancient races allied with humanity. This was personally instructed by the Ancestor, who also commanded you to take Zhan'er to Qingqiu to see him after the secret realm expedition."
"Second Uncle, the Ancestor wants to see Zhan'er?"
"The Ancestor's bloodline has only this branch of the Lin family remaining. During the War of Investiture of the Gods, the Yin family's bloodline suffered too many casualties. Over the years, only we have endured.
Your Third Uncle and I cultivated under the Ancestor in the Human Royal Court when we were young. Later, we became secret guardians of humanity and did not leave any bloodline. With Zhan'er being the only male heir in the vast Lin family, how can the Ancestor not be anxious?
Shanhe, you and Xinlan are still young. You should work harder and have two more children." After discussing the important matters, Lin Hai began to urge his nephew to have more children, as the older generation prioritized prosperity and a flourishing lineage above all else.
"Uh, Second Uncle, this matter should be left to Zhan'er to work harder on in the future. After all, this boy matured early and has already settled on a wife—it's Lingxiu, daughter of Brother Zhang Zhen."
Upon hearing this, Lin Hai's spirits immediately lifted. "Ah, this is wonderful news! We must hasten. Zhan'er will be sixteen the year after next, old enough to be a father in the old days.
This is the most pleasing news I've heard all night. I must hurry back and tell your Third Uncle. We two grandfathers must show our joy for this great occasion of our grandson. I'll discuss it with your Third Uncle and go slaughter a few Lords from the myriad races to give to Zhan'er as a congratulatory gift." This Lin family—they plan to slaughter some Lords from other races as wedding gifts!
"Second Uncle, aren't you going to see Zhan'er and Xinlan?"
"No, I'm not. The Ancestor sent me here in secret. You can visit me and your Third Uncle again when you bring Zhan'er to Qingqiu."
Watching his Second Uncle's receding figure, Lin Shanhe couldn't help but sigh, "Why is there no normal person in our family?"