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…
The Merchant Union. Temion City. The
Lenoir Family. The training field.
The training field of Lenoir Family extended tens of miles and was covered with ancient trees and odd rocks…
There were also water pools, sand fields, earth fields and wooden rooms within the training field…
With complicated refuges and barriers everywhere, the members of Lenoir Family were able to conduct live combat exercises.
And they could also learn to adjust and fight in all sorts of topographies.
At the time being, in the center of the training field, stood a huge, diamond shaped testing jade. The third generation of Lenoir Family were in a queue, walking towards the jade. They put their hand on the testing jade and sent out Profound Qi to test their level.
“Ethan Lenoir, twenty-one, the Second Sky of Nascent Level!”
“Oliver Lenoir, twenty-five, the First Sky of Nascent Level!”
“Jacob Lenoir, twenty-seven, the Third Sky of Elementary Level!”
“Steven Lenoir, twenty, the Second Sky of Nascent Level!”
“Mark Lenoir, nineteen, the Third Sky of Nascent Level!”
“…” Paul Wrogan, who was standing beside the testing jade with his eyes narrowed, yelled out after every young member finished his test.
Everytime Paul Wrogan announced the result, the members of the first and second generations changed their expression accordingly; either happy or disappointed.
“Second Brother, your Mark is really something! He managed to advance to a higher stage!” Gideon Lenoir was a little angry as he grunted, “Steven has been too lazy recently! I have to do something!”
“Third Brother, Steven trains really hard. I saw him training in the Gravitational Room at midnight. Don’t pressure him too much, or it could go the opposite way.” Berry Lenoir comforted him.
“Mark, work harder. Advance to Human Level as soon as possible.” Thomas Lenoir voice sound was like a great bell as he said proudly.
Thomas was Eren Lenoir’s(Head of Lenoir Family)brother, and Gideon and Berry were his sons. Mark was Berry’s son and thus his grandson. Thomas was delighted as he saw that Mark had advanced.
The position of family head was decided by one’s Martial level. Many years ago Thomas lost to his brother, so he was rather unhappy and hoped that his grandson, Mark, could transcend Eren’s grandson, Oliver Lenoir.
The Petrification Martial Spirit was very special and only went to the first two children of a couple.
The third child would rarely have the chance to inherit it.
That’s why every small family of Lenoir would generally only have two children.
Even the head of the Lenoir Family, Eren Lenoir, only had two children: Kenneth Lenoir and Ashley Lenoir.
Kenneth had a daughter – Carol Lenoir, and a son – Oliver.
Ashley and Raymond Alaister only had one son and that was Berkan Lenoir (Leylin).
Thus, Oliver, Jacob and Berkan were Eren’s grandchildren, while Steven, Ethan and Mark were Thomas’s grandchildren.
The members of Lenoir Family all got along well with each other. They stuck together and worked hard to increase the influence of their family.
But no matter how close they were, they still competed with each other. Such as Thomas, he always wanted to surpass Eren through his grandson.
As his sons, Gideon and Berry, were not comparable to Eren’s son, Kenneth, he had given up passing his dream onto them.
Luckily, his grandsons, Steven and Mark, were more talented than Oliver. He was rather proud every time they did the test, although it was without any bad intentions.
Raymond Alaister (Berkan’s father) was standing next to Kenneth, as he was explaining the state of their quarry to the latter. Hearing Thomas’s yell, Kenneth got serious, “Well, second uncle is about to show off again.”
After a pause, he glanced at Oliver who was standing beside him and scolded, “You little bastard! You only cause me to lose face!”
“Er…I’m not that bad…” Oliver drew his head back and looked miserable.
Raymond Alaister face became bitter as he sighed, “You should be satisfied. Think about my Berkan. At least Oliver is a warrior. But that bastard fools around all day and hasn’t come back yet. Who knows how much trouble he will bring back this time.”
“Ha, that’s true.” Kenneth laughed
….
The descendants of Lenoir Family were all gathered together on the training field and were discussing lively.
Just then, an eagle appeared in the sky and settled down on Eren’s shoulder.
Eren picked up a little gray bag from the eagle’s claw and took out a letter. Opening the letter casually, he began to read and he frowned.
They were all his relatives, so he didn’t intend to hide anything.
“Huh?”
After merely one glance, Eren couldn’t help but cry out with an amazed look on his face.
The people on the field were surprised and became quiet. They looked at Eren, the mighty family head and wondered why he was acting so weird.
“Big Brother, what’s up?” Thomas frowned and asked loudly, “Is the Dunn Family making a fuss again? Damn! They won’t quiet down if we don’t give them a good kick!”
“Nope.” Eren put down the letter excitedly as he said in surprise, “Harris found Berkan!”
“How is that bastard?” Upon hearing that, Raymond Alaister finally settled down. He asked with an annoyed face, seemingly planning on giving him a lesson when he returned but his concerned filled eyes betrayed his harsh tone.
“That kid, is a warrior now…” Eren looked shocked as his mouth trembled. He was trying to hide his excitement.
“What?” Thomas couldn’t help but cry out, “He is seventeen! Why did he begin to train at such an old age!”
After thinking, he sighed lightly as he really felt sorry for Berkan, “It’s too late, starting at seventeen. I guess he won’t achieve anything in his life. What was that little bastard doing before now! If he had been training since he was born, he could have reached the Second or Third Sky of Nascent Level, even if he doesn’t possesses the Martial Spirit of Lenoir Family.”
“That kid, is now at the First Sky of Human Level!” Eren answered firmly with sharp eyes.
..
Days passed by, as Leylin and Harris as well as a troop of warriors from the Lenoir Family, were entering the city at a leisurely pace.
A round dragon was carrying the goods they had purchased from Silent Town.
Leylin and Harris were at the head of the troop and had talked all the way. Leylin talked mildly with Harris and those warriors in that half a month.
Leylin was not very uptight at all as he ate and interacted with the warriors but maintained a kind of prestige that made everyone look upto his flair.
The group went to a lot of brothels as Leylin paid for their expenses along the way, he didn’t divulge into such behavior himself but showed no despise like Berkan used to, Leylin wasn’t afraid of being too different from his past body’s owner because they are barely anyone who truly knew Berkan. And changes in mood and personality after a tough adventure and showcasing different prospective is very common, the taste of strength and blood changes people.
In a very short time, Leylin with his sly skills won over Harris and his escorts.
Harris thought that he never really understood his young master before, or probably he didn’t care cause he was just a normal human but now as his reinstated status as a genius warriors, he complimented Leylin on the fact that he had grown up. As his level increased, Leylin had become a totally different person.
Leylin obviously concealed most of what had happened to him in the Dark Forest. He told Harris an exciting adventurous made up story about his sudden growth while he was studying ancient caves. After which, he got Profound Qi and awoke the Petrification Martial Spirit of Lenoir Family.
Though Harris was very surprised by Leylin’s magical story, he didn’t keep asking, the details simulated by A. I.Chip are so fine that not even top grade detectives couldn’t find a single clue. Harris thought that Leylin was incredibly lucky to find something which made him stronger.
Leylin also gained from Harris as he told Leylin a lot about the features and weakness of all sorts of Martial Spirits; about the most powerful Martial Spirit in the Merchant Union, the Fire Empire and the God-blessed Empire, and their weaknesses and disadvantages.
Although Harris was very lustful, he was quite diligent in training Martial Arts.
He possessed a lot information about warriors, therefore, through him, Leylin gained a thorough and comprehensive understanding about warriors, as well as the differences among the Levels below Disaster Level.
Harris was a Disaster Level warrior, so he couldn’t tell Leylin much about the levels above it, but he told him everything he knew about the lower levels.
This information was exactly what he needed most right now because he was going to hit his bottleneck sooner rather than later.
..
The Merchant Union was a very special country which was co-governed by the big families, warriors, mercenaries, merchants and all sorts of NGOs.
There were no formal army, no officers, and no governmental structure.
Instead, there were many big families, hundreds of mercenary unions, tens of thousands of merchants, vagrants and civilians who hated wars…
The Merchant Union never got involved in the wars between the Fire Empire and the God-blessed Empire, therefore it was a peaceful country.
However, once it was invaded, all the forces in the Merchant Union would unite to fight against the enemy.
Over the history of the Merchant Union, the Fire Empire and the God-blessed Empire had both attempted to invade it for its wealth, but they were smashed every time by the united army of the big families and mercenary unions in the Merchant Union.
On average days, there were no governors in the Merchant Union, but once it was in danger, its people would fight together to drive back their mutual enemy.
Those big families, hundreds of mercenary unions and wealthy merchants could form an extremely powerful force which could defeat the God-blessed Empire and the Fire Empire easily.
It’s lucky that the forces in the Merchant Union only came together when the country was in danger, or it could swallow any other country at any time!
The Merchant Union was in a crucial position. The Dark Forest was to its south, the Dead Swamp to its north, continuous Cloud Mountain to its west and the enormous Endless Sea to its east.
No matter if it was the Dead Swamp, the Cloud Mountain, or the islands in the Endless Sea, there hid all kinds of abundant resources, such as minerals and magical medicines. As a big trading nation, the Merchant Union took advantage of its geographical location.
However, despite the exuberant resources in the Dead Swamp, the Cloud Mountain and the Endless Sea, there was also incredible danger.
Demon beasts, poisonous fog, miasma, hideous tribes, and disasters…
That’s why one needed to be very capable to travel in these areas. Luckily, the Merchant Union never lacked skillful mercenary unions and warriors.
There were seventeen cities in the Merchant Union, and the Temion City was the biggest among them. Temion City was located in the center of the Merchant Union, with eight small cities around it. It covered a large area which almost equaled the eight small cities combined, as did its population.
Therefore, Temion City was like the capital city of the Merchant Union, which was the main territory of those biggest families.
The Lenoir Family was amongst them. Though they had properties and gardens in every main city, the Lenoir Family was rooted in Temion City.
The Lenoir Family was located in the northern part of Temion City. It covered one hundred miles and had thousands of buildings in it. Artificial lakes, rockeries, gardens and brooks were everywhere. The Lenoir Family descendants lived in the serene back garden, where there was an artificial lake in the middle, with beautiful pavilions surrounding it. Behind the pavilions were the training fields, gravitational rooms, and surrounding palaces…
There were not many direct Lenoir descendants, but its branches and ministers could easily reach one hundred. Considering those servants and escorts, there were almost one thousand people in Lenoir Family.
Early every morning, the Lenoir Family members, ministers and warriors would train hard in within the training grounds.
On that day, just as the rooster crowed and the sky began to turn bright, many warriors had already gotten up and started to train.
Eren walked out of the Rock Room and shouted below into Raymond Alaister’s pavilion. Then they walked toward the gate together.
During their walk to the gate, the warriors bowed to them. Eren nodded indifferently without slowing his steps.
A short time after they reached the gate, Paul Wrogan appeared behind them. He began to observe the corridor out the gate as he stood next to Eren silently.
“According to Harris’s message, they would arrive today.” Eren frowned and mumbled, “I am very eager to see if that bastard really reached First Sky of Human Realm.”
“Did he perhaps sent wrong information?”
Eren looked back to Paul in confusion, “I have met someone whose Martial Spirit awoke as a teenager, so I’m not skeptical about that. However, that kid has never trained in martial arts before turning seventeen, but now he is suddenly at the First Sky of Human level, that is just unbelievable! I have been pondering upon it for nights but I still can’t figure it out. What do you think?”
Paul pouted, narrowed his eyes and said, “Though Harris is not a serious man most of the time, he is quite cautious on major things, so I don’t think he would dare to lie about this. I can’t explain it either, but I think it might be true.”
“Well, I can only hope so. That bastard has let me down these past seventeen years, I hope this time he will be different.”
Many warriors came out after them in curiosity after they had breakfast, as they heard that the family head was waiting at the gate. They gathered together and were discussing boisterously.
No one knew who was coming. The most likely people were those of the Crystal Family or Ashdown Family, or Eren wouldn’t be there.
Minutes later, a fat ground dragon slowly appeared from the corridor.
Two persons were leisurely leading while chatting happily. They were Leylin and Harris.
…
In the backyard of Lenoir Family. After coming back, Leylin didn’t waste much time as he greeted everyone lightly and followed Eren who wanted to test him, to Leylin this wasn’t a big issue as he agreed readily.
Leylin actually wanted to at first just showcase his rank at Nascent realm, but with him being a Human Level Warrior, it would be hard to pose as Nascent when he knew that his grandfather would conduct all test possible on him hence, he just decided to showcase his level as a Human rank as for what exactly, it’s something they wouldn’t be able to figure out.
Leylin advancement to second stage of Petrification Martial Spirit despite not reaching Human realm before would also be explained, cause warriors would be at that stage after becoming Human rank warrior.
At the center of the huge training field, the diamond-shaped test jade was glinting in the sunshine as if it was a small sun.
Eren was standing beside the testing jade. As Leylin and Raymond came over, he patted the jade and suddenly, a ball of light flew into the jade from his hand.
The dazzling testing jade dimmed at once and returned to its original color.
“Inject your Profound Qi into the testing jade.” Eren ordered with firm eyes.
Leylin gave him a side glance shrugged as he confidently walked up to the testing jade, stretched out his hand, and pressed on the jade. He operated his Profound Qi and injected it into the testing jade.
Complex patterns showed up on the silver testing jade and a vague red light shone from it. Gradually the light got brighter and the color deeper.
“Ok now.” Eren’s mouth trembled as he focused his eyes on Leylin, “I heard that the Martial Spirit of Lenoir Family also awakened in your body, did it?”
“Yes.”
“Show me.”
“OK.”
Leylin stretched out the other hand and rolled up his sleeve.
As he operated the Martial Spirit according to his will, his arm gradually petrified and became dark brown.
“The color is right, Dark brown for Human rank. It seems much more robust than others!”
Eren nodded with happiness spread all over his faces, while gazing at Leylin with please.
Leylin has actually reached a higher realm, computed through the calculations of his body’s Martial Spirit purification and figured that he might advanced to the third stage of Petrification Martial Spirit at Disaster Realm itself! One can only reach third stage as they breakthrough to Earth realm!
Petrification Martial Spirit is a power that Leylin would definitely like to develop as it would provide strong self-defense ability against attacks from weapons and Profound Qi.
After petrification, one’s body would be as hard as rock, but was still very agile, which would increase one’s ability a lot.
Can transform one’s body to any shape or sizes he wants and add specific characteristics to his disguise. After reaching a certain level, He can not only change his body characteristics (ex. into a different lifeform or into a different size human), he can also change his facial features.
As he advances stages, not only does his body become stronger, it is also protected with a coating of colored light. He also advances in much earlier stages and his advanced level are much more powerful even reaching the bottleneck of the correspondingly next level!
Eren proceeded to fire a barrage of question towards Leylin trying to figure out what brought about such a change as Leylin answered calmly, despite the slightly fetched story Eren could only accept because he was so excited that he couldn’t help but nod and say joyfully, “Amazing! It really is the unbelievable! Bastard, I don’t know how you managed this, but from this day on, you can’t be lazy! Whether you like it or not, I will push you to be a warrior!”
