Rise of the Sword Son-in-Law

Chapter 104: The Seven Great Families

Time swiftly passed, and it was the second day.

The Sect competition of this session was to be held on this day.

The martial arts arena of the Li Huo Sect was extraordinarily lively at this moment.

Aside from the disciples of the Li Huo Sect, there also came those from Crimson Fire City and some renowned cultivator families.

Therefore, the arena was now crowded with three to four thousand people.

On the high platform of the Li Huo Sect, around twenty to thirty people were gathered at this moment.

Among them were several elders from the four great sects, and in addition, there were some important figures from Tianlong County.

Of course, this time for the Sect competition, there was also a very unexpected dignitary who had come.

Even the Sect Leader of the Li Huo Sect and Wu Biao, the leader of the four great generals of Tianlong County, regarded this person with utmost respect and courtesy.

"Ninth Highness, why have you come here? The Commandery Prince doesn’t know; if he did, he would have surely hurried over," said Wu Biao with a smile, looking at the young man in front of him wearing a luxurious python robe and a golden crown.

"I was just traveling around and happened to hear that there was a Sect competition taking place here, so I was curious to come and watch. You don’t need to mind me, nor do you need to inform the Commandery Prince of Tianlong County; I’ll leave after the competition ends," the young man said with a smile.

His smile was warm and conveyed an air of refined grace.

Behind him stood an old man with respectful demeanor, dressed in the attire of a eunuch.

This person emanated a feeling of sinisterness, yet was extremely formidable.

Those familiar with the Imperial Palace knew that the eunuch was named Chen Guangcai, a fearsome warrior of the Sixth Rank, with countless killings to his name.

Wu Biao smiled: "As long as Your Highness is pleased, that’s all that matters. Should there be any need, I will certainly notify the Commandery Prince."

However, inwardly he cursed.

This Ninth Prince’s visit here couldn’t possibly be casual.

There must be some other agenda; it would be best to inform the Commandery Prince at the earliest opportunity.

Moreover, I need to be more discreet about the Commandery Prince’s instruction to kill Xu Ping’an from the Beichen Sword Sect.

As for the Sect Leader of the Li Huo Sect, he was somewhat excited at that time.

The arrival of the Ninth Prince came as a surprise to him as well.

If they could gain the support of the Ninth Prince this time, perhaps the Li Huo Sect could soar to great heights.

Besides, this Ninth Prince was one of the four main contenders for the Crown Prince’s position.

If the Ninth Prince really seized the position of Crown Prince, wouldn’t the Li Huo Sect be able to become the foremost sect within the Great Qin Immortal Dynasty in the future?

Therefore, the Sect Leader of the Li Huo Sect was exceptionally warm towards the Ninth Prince, occasionally showing his intention to pledge allegiance.

However, the Ninth Prince maintained a lukewarm attitude throughout, never giving the Li Huo Sect Leader a firm commitment.

When they were finally left alone, Chen Guangcai, who had been respectfully silent on the side, spoke up: "Your Highness, it’s obvious that the Sect Leader of the Li Huo Sect intends to submit to you; why not agree to him?"

Qin Mu, the Ninth Prince, smiled: "I’m not interested in the Li Huo Sect. Frankly, a sect where the leader is merely a Fifth Rank warrior isn’t of much help to me."

"Then why did you come to participate in this Sect competition? The Li Huo Sect is the strongest among the four great sects; if the Li Huo Sect doesn’t catch your eye, surely the other three sects are even less worthy of your attention? Could it be that you’re here for the Prince’s Mansion of Tianlong County?" Chen Guangcai asked in surprise.

He originally thought that Qin Mu had come to win over the four great sects.

But now it seemed that Qin Mu’s purpose was something else.

"The old cur from Tianlong County’s Prince’s Mansion is my fourth brother’s man. His daughter has become my fourth brother’s princess consort. With such a relationship, do you think I could win them over?" Qin Mu said with a laugh.

"Then what is your purpose for coming here?" Chen Guangcai asked, puzzled.

"Chen, have you ever heard of the ancient Seven Major Families?" Qin Mu asked with a smile.

"Are you referring to the Seven Attributes families that have long since faded into obscurity?" Chen Guangcai said in astonishment.

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"Yes, I’m talking about families of the Seven Major Attributes: metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, and thunder. These seven major families once commanded great influence in the Mortal Realm. Sadly, they suddenly disappeared without a trace, and the bloodlines of these families are extremely special," Qin Mu said.

"Has Your Highness discovered something?" Chen Guangcai asked.

"Mm, I’ve had people investigating and there are some clues. Among the Seven Attribute families, three were known to have hidden themselves in Tianlong County, specifically the families of the metal, water, and fire attributes," Qin Mu nodded.

"So, in this martial arts tournament of the Sects in Tianlong County, it’s very likely that we will see the descendants of these three families. Does Your Highness wish to recruit these individuals under your command?" Chen Guangcai said.

"Yes, if we can find the descendants of these three families and win them over, with their bloodlines’ potential, they might become a great aid to me in the future. It’s said that these seven major families are also connected to an extremely mysterious secret," Qin Mu said.

Chen Guangcai nodded in agreement.

Legends of these Seven Major Attribute Families have been widely circulated in the Mortal Realm.

However, for several hundred years, these families have completely vanished.

No one knows whether they have cut off their lineage or have thoroughly hidden themselves away.

There have been those who searched for them but ultimately found nothing.

But everyone knows that these seven major families once had peerless powerhouses, which certainly hints at a great secret.

If Qin Mu really could gain the support of these families’ descendants, or even uncover the secrets of these families,

it would greatly benefit his pursuit of the Crown Prince position.

Compared to this, recruiting the Li Huo Sect pales in significance to finding the descendants of the Seven Major Families.

And if the descendants of the Seven Major Families were truly practicing cultivation, then the chances of them becoming the cream of the crop in one of the four great Sects would be incredibly high.

This Sect martial arts tournament might very well have participants from the Seven Major Families.

...

Xu Ping’an was unaware of Qin Mu’s arrival or the affairs of the Seven Major Families.

At the moment, he and the disciples of the Beichen Sword Sect had arrived at the practice arena and were seated in their Sect’s designated area.

The four great Sects, each in a different direction.

Directly opposite them was the Tyrant Heavenly Sect, on their left was the Li Huo Sect, and to the right, the Yudao Sect.

As the eleven participants from the Li Huo Sect showed up, the disciples of the Li Huo Sect excitedly began to cheer.

Soon, the time for the Sect martial arts tournament arrived.

The leader of the Li Huo Sect walked on air, arriving above the practice arena.

"Welcome, everyone, to the Li Huo Sect. We’re about to begin the triennial Sect martial arts tournament. This time, as before, there will be two stages: a team competition and an individual competition," the leader of the Li Huo Sect announced.

A cheer erupted from the crowd below.

"Let me briefly explain. For this team competition, we will continue with the tower challenge format."

"You all must have seen the tower next to the practice arena; that tower has nine levels, and each level contains an Illusion Spirit Formation."

"Whichever Sect climbs the highest will be ranked accordingly. If any floor has a tie, the Sect with more Spiritual Body kills will win," the leader of the Li Huo Sect explained.

Many in the audience were already familiar with the rules and thus were not surprised.

Judging the strength of a team by the tower challenge is quite a fair method.

Xu Ping’an looked towards the towering structure in the front.

The Illusion Spirit Tower?

So, the team competition is conducted in this format.

Killing Spiritual Bodies; that does sound interesting.

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