Chapter 2: The Lottery Conference

This time it is Nie Hong's turn

Currently, his eldest son is eleven years old and has already reached the seventh level of Qi Refinement. As long as he enters the ninth level within four years, he will gain the favor of the Lingyun Sect and become a disciple of the Lingyun Sect. With the assistance of the Lingyun Sect, he will smoothly advance to the acquired realm and thereafter achieve great success.

"Since Mr. Liu has spoken, we shall naturally obey," Nie Beichuan said hurriedly

Nie Beichuan, the second son of the Nie family, sat upright in his chair, motionless as a clock, listening to the commotion within the hall, yet showing no intention of intervening

Let eight children enter the venue! Nie Donghai said in a deep voice

Nie Beichuan felt a slight stir in his heart, hurriedly facing Liu Yan, he bent down to express his gratitude: "Thank you very much for your kindness, Mr. Liu"

At the gate of the palace, members of the Nie family, accompanied by children around one year old, entered one after another

"Elder brother, as far as I know, you would rather swallow that unknown fellow whole. These days, you have been constantly mentioning that you want to find him and kill him at all costs." Nie Family's third son, Nie Nanshan, chuckled, "Why have you suddenly changed your attitude and acknowledged his identity as your son-in-law? Moreover, marrying into the family... should also follow the proper customs, right? I don't recall that person ever taking an oath in our Nie family's ancestral hall."

And Liu Yan is indeed the senior brother of Nie Jin

The gaze of the crowd instantly converged on the seven exquisite spiritual artifacts, no longer casting a glance at Nie Tian.

Head of the family, you cannot casually accept someone with a deep-seated grudge as a son-in-law just to allow Nie Tian to participate in the drawing lots event. You must understand that he has harmed Nie Jin!

The following day

Seven rays of precious light, each of a different color, momentarily illuminated the Nie family's grand hall, making it shine brilliantly

As he spoke, a trace of barely perceptible pain flickered in Liu Yan's eyes

Inside the hall, the direct and collateral relatives of the Nie family who had brought their children began to express their dissatisfaction loudly, accusing Nie Donghai of his reckless behavior

Due to his insufficient realm, he additionally utilized an extraordinary elixir, which gave him a seventy percent certainty that there was a trace of lightning attribute contained within Nie Hong's body

Nie Lan is his son, and Nie Hong is naturally his grandson. Shortly after Nie Hong was born, he secretly sensed Nie Hong's talent using a secret technique.

The jade-like visage of Liu Yan softened slightly as he turned his gaze earnestly towards Nie Tian, who was beside Nie Qian, and said, "He is... the son of Junior Sister?"

Nie Donghai, along with his second brother Nie Beichuan and third brother Nie Nanshan, maintained their dignity and did not excessively flatter or seek to please Liu Yan. However, each time they made eye contact with Liu Yan, they all wore bright smiles.

Next to her was Nie Tian, a robust child of about one year old. Nie Tian was not only slightly taller than the other seven children participating in the drawing lots event, but he also appeared significantly sturdier.

Just as the clamor was escalating, Liu Yan from Lingyun Sect suddenly cleared his throat.

Nie Nanshan also nodded eagerly with a beaming face, repeatedly saying: "We all listen to Mr. Liu."

Even the three brothers Nie Donghai instinctively stood up at this moment, each emanating a wave of spiritual energy from within to sense the attributes and grades of the seven spiritual artifacts

Low-level Fifth Rank

That low-grade fifth-tier blue orb is clearly a spiritual artifact imbued with lightning, perfectly aligned with Nie Hong's cultivation attributes

The precious light scattered onto the stone floor of the grand hall, transforming into seven shimmering artifacts, namely a sword, a dagger, a fan, a glove, a staff, a pearl, and a beast bone

From beginning to end, Liu Yan did not stand up, while the members of the Nie family beside him bowed and displayed a humble demeanor

The births of his three sons were all meticulously planned, each coinciding perfectly with the Nie family's quinquennial lottery event when they were around one year old, and the first two occasions yielded remarkable results

At the moment when the seven spiritual artifacts landed, Nie Tian beside her was already wide-eyed with excitement, eager to rush into the arena. Had she not firmly grasped Nie Tian's arm, he would likely have dashed out long before everyone finished speaking.

At this moment, as soon as she let go, Nie Tian indeed opened his arms and rushed into the arena with the posture of embracing the heavens and the earth, making a "thud thud" sound.

All the clamoring suddenly came to an abrupt halt

The remaining individuals had no further objections

A crowd of the Nie family, both young and old, gathered around Liu Yan of the Lingyun Sect, engaging in warm inquiries and expressions of concern, hoping to gain Liu Yan's favor in order to secure a few more opportunities for their descendants to enter the Lingyun Sect.

Father! Nie Qian suddenly looked towards Nie Donghai

Indeed, without taking the oath at the ancestral hall and completing the ceremony, one cannot be considered a son-in-law of the Nie family

Today, I present to you his young son Nie Hong, who has just recently turned one year old

Every newcomer will first bring a child to meet Liu Yan, smiling broadly as they introduce the child to Liu Yan, before respectfully greeting the three elders of the Nie family who are also seated beside Liu Yan

Nie Jia's second son, Nie Beichuan, stared intently at the bead, a strange light flashing in his eyes

Nie Lan is the eldest son of Nie Beichuan, the second son of the Nie family. He is the oldest among the second generation of the Nie family, yet his cultivation talent is lacking. To this day, he has only reached the ninth level of Qi Refining and has been unable to break through the bottleneck to enter the postnatal stage.

"Sir, Nie Tian is the young son left behind by my poor sister," Nie Qian said sadly

Even if you are the head of the family, you cannot ignore the clan rules and act recklessly

Violet, purple, red, and blue, the different hues of spiritual treasures, shimmered one after another from the seven spiritual artifacts under the perception of the Qi Refiners of the Nie family

"Regardless of who my son-in-law is, before Jin'er left, she once mentioned that Nie Tian's father willingly joined the Nie family, so Nie Tian is considered a child of the Nie family." Nie Donghai said with authority.

... ...

Go! Nie Qian secretly breathed a sigh of relief and finally let go of Nie Tian

All the members of the Nie family, young and old, immediately cleared the space in the center of the great hall at the moment the seven spiritual artifacts landed, and everyone quickly formed a circular formation around the seven items.

"Nie Qian? What are you bringing Nie Tian here for?" At that moment, an untimely voice suddenly rang out. Nie Lan, who had just been smiling and introducing his child to Liu Yan, frowned and looked displeased at the palace gate

Nie Tian?" Nie Lan let out a soft snort, her expression grave. "Although he shares the Nie surname, it is only because we do not know who his biological father is, and thus we can only let him bear the Nie name. In fact, he does not qualify as a member of our Nie family. According to the clan rules, the grandsons of the Nie family are not eligible to participate in the drawing lots event. Do not create unnecessary trouble; quickly take Nie Tian away and do not waste Mr. Liu's time or that of everyone else.

He turned his head to look at Nie Beichuan and Nie Nanshan beside him

Since that is the case, let the Nie family's drawing lots event begin now. Liu Yan did not waste any words, and with a wave of his hand, seven beams of precious light suddenly flew out from the sleeve of his left arm

Liu Yan waved his hand, signaling everyone to be silent, and then said: "From this moment on, no one is allowed to use their internal spiritual power to perceive, nor to disturb the aura of the objects. Now, everything is entrusted to those eight children; let us see their own fortune."

Many members of the Nie family also had their eyes shining brightly, similarly sensing with the spiritual energy within their bodies

Nie Lan widened her eyes, staring intently at the green bead taken out from behind the willow inkstone, her breathing becoming somewhat rapid

With a soft reprimand from Nie Lan, all the eyes of the Nie family, young and old, in the hall turned in unison to Nie Qian and Nie Tian, who had just entered.

Upon hearing this, the members of the Nie family suddenly recalled that Nie Jin, the most gifted of the second generation of the Nie family, had already reached the ninth level of Qi Refinement at the age of ten, and was thus recruited early by Lingyun Sect to become a disciple of Lingyun Sect

His two sons, now six years old, have already cultivated to the fourth level of Qi Refinement, demonstrating extraordinary talent in their training, making the future worth looking forward to

Oh heavens, is it really fifth rank

The blue bead, under the perception of the spiritual energy of the crowd, seemed to have strands of lightning jumping and flickering within it, making it appear even more extraordinary, which also caused the members of the Nie family to turn red with envy

On the contrary, Nie Tian opened his mouth and laughed heartily, completely unaware of the numerous unfriendly gazes directed at him, seemingly relishing this feeling of being the center of attention, showing no signs of timidity

Under the gaze of the crowd, Nie Qian's voice was loud, yet her expression revealed a hint of unease

If it were in the past, when Nie Donghai had not suffered serious injuries and his influence was still strong, they might not have dared to act in such a manner

For every additional child participating in the drawing lots event, it means that their own child may have one less chance, which they are naturally reluctant to accept

Mr. Liu is magnanimous

Liu Yan nodded gently, her expression complex as she gazed deeply at Nie Tian, and spoke softly: "This time, I originally intended to bring out five small items, but due to my past connection with my junior sister, I took the liberty of bringing out the other two spiritual artifacts I had in my possession for the sake of Nie Tian. What do you all think?"

However, now they are all aware of Nie Donghai's situation, and they understand that it will not be long before Nie Donghai may be forced to relinquish the position of family head due to his continuous decline in status, and naturally, they will no longer continue to show him any respect

According to convention, shouldn't all spiritual artifacts be of the low-level third grade? Even a low-level fifth grade spiritual artifact is of extraordinary value, as it is a reward given by the Lingyun Sect to true disciples, this time...

Unlike yesterday, today Nie Donghai is radiant and full of energy, completely showing no signs of injury.

Even the third elder, Nie Nanshan, who wanted to ask again, quickly fell silent, his face awkwardly turning towards Liu Yan

It is precisely for this reason that he has long since given up on his own cultivation and has instead placed all his hopes on his three sons

The crowd, coming to their senses after Nie Beichuan, also expressed their gratitude to Liu Yan for his generous actions.

Liu Yan, clad in a gray robe, occupied the main seat, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth as he engaged in casual conversation with the Nie family, though there was a hint of impatience in his eyes

The Nie Family Assembly Hall was bustling with voices, lively and extraordinary

Elder brother, I brought Nie Tian to participate in the drawing lots conference