Chapter Nine, The Baptism of True Blood

The Jiang Family Village has been established for only four generations, with a population of over ten thousand. However, there are fewer than fifty men who truly possess the Jiang bloodline. Nevertheless, the Jiang family is undoubtedly the ruler of the entire Jiang Family Village, relying on their formidable military power.

Inside and outside the main hall, everything fell silent, especially some far-sighted members of the Jiang clan, who stared wide-eyed at Jiang Han, hoping that he could demonstrate sufficiently strong talent to revitalize the increasingly weakened bloodline of the Jiang family

The Jiang family's direct lineage spans three generations, with the order of seniority among peers determined by age

In his previous life, Jiang Han's cultivation world had not experienced these events; however, he had read books in the library and learned some knowledge about the path of cultivation. He understood that this was the manifestation of the Martial Ancestor's image directly within the child's sea of consciousness.

The farther one goes, the greater the talent one possesses, and the more resources one will obtain from the village, thereby increasing the likelihood of becoming a martial artist in the future

The surging vitality of heaven and earth spread, and the portrait of the Martial Ancestor seemed to be stimulated. The figure in the portrait instantly came to life, becoming even more resplendent, with a faint aura of malevolence descending, causing the faces of the hundreds of children directly facing it to change.

Certainly, correspondingly, the reproductive capacity of the Jiang lineage is also weaker than that of ordinary people. Excluding those who have died in battles and fights, there are currently only a few dozen men from the Jiang lineage still alive

Buzz! Buzz!

Seventh-level qualification, possessing the potential for cultivation, can become a warrior of the guard

Suddenly

Soon, a faint glimmer of blood appeared on the child's body, and he involuntarily struck a pose while standing on the steps, mimicking the stance of the martial ancestor, as if he were learning something.

Hundreds of children were tested for over an hour, and a total of thirty-six individuals possessed the talent for cultivation and had received the baptism of true blood

Not far away

Very soon

It must be of the sixth grade

The sound spreads out

Last year, I remember there were only about twenty individuals with cultivation talent, but this year there are actually more than thirty. However, so far, only one person with sixth-level talent has emerged. In the crowd, as more and more children are being tested, many people have already begun to discuss this.

The country is established by Yuan, with nine levels of talent; the next one is the country granted to Xu Yu

Therefore, every new generation of disciples from the Jiang family is highly valued within the clan, as this likely represents a future powerful martial artist

Ordinary individuals consuming elixirs and the true blood of mythical beasts is limited; one should only partake to a moderate extent, as excess can be detrimental

Everyone's gaze was fixed on the seemingly ordinary child—Jiang Han

Many members of the Jiang clan were discussing

Five steps, twenty steps, forty steps, he advanced quickly, and the natural energy of the universe that merged into his body was evidently greater

Subsequently, Hu Cheng directly found a place to sit under the altar nearby, and the cave once again surged with a large amount of the primordial energy of heaven and earth, completely enveloping Hu Cheng

The boy felt that there was an invisible force blocking him in front of himself

A boy standing next to Jiang Han quickly walked to the white line, looked up at the enormous statue of the Martial Ancestor, and then slowly took his first step

"Hmm, I will do my best to reach the top of the altar." Jiang Han smiled gently. Jiang Qinghe ranked seventh among their generation and was the son of Uncle Jiu, so he should be addressed as Sixth Brother.

Hu Cheng's success dispelled the previously oppressive atmosphere

At last, he stepped onto the altar three steps, and finally could not move any further, then slowly knelt down.

In Jiang Family Village, all disciples of the Jiang family bear the surname Jiang, while individuals from other families in the village will prefix their names with the words 'Jiang Shan'.

"The country is in chaos," Jiang Yan shouted

After all, he is the son of the second master, so the possibility of having a sixth-level talent is still quite high

Having read many books, Jiang Han has completely understood what this true blood baptism is all about

A robust little boy with a tiger-like appearance took a few steps forward and then walked towards the altar

The consecutive appearance of two seven-star talents caused the usually smiling clan leader Jiang Yangshan to furrow his brows slightly

Bang

As soon as he took his first step, strands of the primordial energy of heaven and earth surged forth from the open cave of the Yuanquan beside him, converging towards him and then merging into his body, causing him to feel a significant reduction in the resistance before him

Quickly, he advanced six more steps, but could not take another step forward and could only stop, while he was still several dozen steps away from the altar.

Mother Qin Wei grasped her husband Jiang Zheng's hand tightly, fixating her gaze on her son

One by one, step forward to pay homage to the statue of the Martial Ancestor. The closer you get, the better the homage; at the very least, you must reach the steps of the altar. The voice of the clan leader, Jiang Yangshan, echoed in the main hall: "Is everyone clear?"

In the crowd of onlookers behind, Jiang Shan and Gu Yue's parents displayed expressions of unwillingness.

He hoped that his talents and qualifications had indeed been enhanced. Jiang Han pondered, although he felt that his talents were quite good, he had never truly tested them, making it difficult for him to be certain.

This is the true essence of baptism

A talent level of nine essentially means a lack of cultivation talent. In this lifetime, one can only grow up to be an ordinary farmer, unable to join the guard, let alone become a martial artist. In the village, one's status would also be at the bottom.

"The ancient mountains and rivers." Jiang Yan pronounced the name of the first person.

However, more people turned their attention to the second child, but unfortunately, he had only advanced a dozen steps.

"Jiang Qinghe, seventh rank talent, next, Jiang Ying." Jiang Yan shouted, his face showing little joy.

Children with potential for cultivation, after experiencing their first tangible encounter in life and consuming the True Blood Elixir, can directly refine the medicinal power that enters their bodies, thereby tempering their physiques and strengthening their bodies

Soon, the child Hu Cheng stopped mimicking the posture, and the blood essence of the demon beast, which had been suspended in mid-air, seemed to be guided and directly bathed onto Hu Cheng's body. Although it was only a small portion, it caused Hu Cheng's body to become hot and flushed.

The country flows like a river, with eight levels of talent, the next one, Jiang Qinghe. Jiang Yan's voice suddenly rose a few degrees.

From this moment on, the children who have undergone the baptism of true blood and those who have not will completely embark on two distinct paths in life

A group of children are all aware, as they have each been entrusted with instructions from their respective parents and are very clear about it

... ...

The reason is quite simple: Jiang Han's father, Jiang Zheng, is the foremost expert in the village and also the first martial arts master of the Jiang family, the first generation of the village's founders.

"With the blood of the demon beast, I beseech the Martial Ancestor to grant me the law!" The master of the estate, Jiang Yangshan, stood atop the altar and shouted fiercely

A group of watching guards and high-ranking officials from the Jiang family were all taken by surprise. Jiang Yan also stood up and shouted: "Jiang Shan Hu Cheng, seventh-tier qualification"

Directly manifesting in the sea of consciousness, in the future, as long as one visualizes the image of the Martial Ancestor in their heart, they will be able to obtain the inherited techniques, and the operation of the meridians will be flawless. Jiang Han thought to himself: "This image of the Martial Ancestor truly deserves to be the heirloom of the Jiang family."

Cultivation talent is divided into nine levels. Strictly speaking, at least a seventh-level talent is required for the compatibility with the primordial energy of heaven and earth to reach a certain degree, which makes the cultivation of true energy and the condensation of martial patterns possible

The true energy is contained within, causing the sound to resonate throughout the entire main hall

The rolling essence of the demon beast, along with the primordial energy of heaven and earth gushing from the cave entrance, was absorbed by an invisible force released from the image, quickly coalescing in mid-air to form a massive mass of flesh and blood, appearing exceedingly bizarre

Jiang Qinghe was stepping forward, beads of sweat appearing on his face, making it evident that the journey was quite arduous. However, in the end, he managed to ascend the steps of the altar, but he had only taken four steps upward.

Suddenly, an invisible force was released from the image of the half-human, half-snake martial ancestor, causing the essence and blood elixirs in the several large cauldrons to be directly lifted by that power

After Hu Cheng sat down by the empty space, the remaining children began to step forward one by one to test their talents. Some failed, while others successfully ascended to the altar

In this world, for practitioners, innate talent is not the most important factor, yet it is indispensable

One by one, the children stepped forward to try, yet none were able to approach the altar, with the best among them only managing to advance a little over twenty steps

The figure in the previously silent and fluttering portrait seemed to open its eyes, and a stream of blood-red golden light surged from the portrait, directly striking the child.

This is because the ancestor of the Jiang family, Jiang Han's great-grandfather, was an exceptionally powerful martial arts master who once roamed freely in Jiangbei County. The members of the Jiang family possess his bloodline, and generally have high innate talents

In the distance, Jiang Yan gently lowered his head, making a mark on the list in his hand with a pen, and continued: "Ancient mountains and rivers, nine grades of talent, next, Jiang Shan Chen Qing"

In order for the Jiang family to maintain its dominance over Jiang Family Village, it is essential to consistently uphold an absolute advantage over any faction within the village

With a father so powerful, how could Jiang Han, who has inherited his bloodline, be weak

Another girl stepped up, but she barely managed to ascend the altar, taking only two steps, even worse than Jiang Qinghe, possessing only a seventh-tier talent.

Jiang Han! Uncle Jiang Yan's voice rose to the highest pitch

"Sixth Brother, I will go and give it a try first," Jiang Qinghe said with a smile, addressing Jiang Han.

These three children are all of the Jiang lineage

In the past decade, among the third generation of the Jiang family disciples led by Jiang Han, only the fifth-ranked Jiang Zhantu, possessing a sixth-level talent, stands out, while the others all have seventh-level talents. Compared to the previous generation, this represents a significant decline in talent, which undoubtedly raises concerns among the higher-ups of the clan

Jiangshan Chenqing, eight-tier talent, next, Jiangshan Chengu

Since the generation of Jiang Han's grandfather, half of the male members of the Jiang clan have a sixth-level talent, half have a seventh-level talent, and only a few possess an eighth-level talent

This is the first Class 7 qualification of this year

The sharpness of that war spear made even Jiang Han feel a wave of trepidation

Jiang Han has already taken the first step slowly

The crowd watching in the training arena fell silent, and the Jiang clan members also shifted their attention, their gazes directed towards the last three remaining children in the center