"The Duan Clan members all have it. My grandparents and my father had it." Lin Feng was astonished. No wonder that they could reign over the country for such a long time. They can circulate their energy into their blood and the special strength which is created is transmitted onto the next generations.
The possessors of that strength could increase their natural abilities many times over. They were not like ordinary people. They could increase their own power and that of their next generations.
"Because the strength which is created by the Blood Spirit, the natural abilities of a person also change. If natural abilities are increased and that they are systematically transmitted onto the next generation, it means that their power increases each time it is passed down. However, because the power can also be weak in some children, it is important for the male cultivators possessing the Blood Spirit to have many concubines and many children to ensure that there is greater chance of a pure lineage."
Lin Feng was stupefied and smiled wryly. Because some children didn't get the purest power and had a weaker spirit, the Duan Clan members decided that having multiple offspring would increase the chances at stronger generations. They only needed at least one genius to be born and that would be enough. Lin Feng was not sure that he understood the logic of this properly, he could not think on the same wavelength.
"Because of that, there are many problems which were created between the members the Duan Clan… That is what happens when too many people live together in one place. Besides, it is also a harsh environment in which the competition is often extremely oppressive. There is a lot of pressure to be the strongest. If you are weak in the Duan Clan, you are almost sure to get rejected by the clan. A moment ago, I told you that my grandfather had left because he had had some problems with other members but I am convinced that he might had been rejected or expelled because of he was too weak. That wouldn't be impossible considering the situation and rules of the clan. There are so many people who get expelled from the Duan Clan because they are too weak."
Duan Feng continued to talk while Lin Feng was calmly and attentively listening to him. If the members of the Duan Clan had many concubines, it was normal for them to have many children. But it wasn't possible for the Imperial Clan to have hundreds of millions within the clan so getting expelled from the Duan Clan was a normal thing. Besides, too many people were hard to manage and that often led to chaotic situations.
"Every single child of the Duan Clan inherits strength from that Blood Spirit but those who are expelled leave and try to stay hidden while never revealing their identity. However, there are always people who follow them closely and then if they become extremely strong then the Duan Clan will accept them as members again."
When Duan Feng was speaking, he suddenly made a pause and continued: "Lin Feng, I also hid the truth from you. I told you that it was my big brother who had recommended me to the Celestial Academy. Well, he is like a brother to me but he is not my real brother, his status is quite important. He is the second Prince of the country. He is his Majesty's second son. He is extremely talented and knows many mysterious and mystical things. He is monstrously powerful."
His Majesty's second son? Lin Feng wouldn't have thought that Duan Feng knew such illustrious people.
"Duan Feng, it seems like you have extremely high natural abilities as well as the inherited strength from the Blood Spirit." said Lin Feng while smiling at Duan Feng. Duan Feng had been invited to come to the Imperial City by His Majesty's second son personally. Obviously, Duan Feng was extremely talented and possessed a purer Blood Spirit which had greater strength and energy within.
"It is impossible to determine how much of strength one has. It is essential to practice a lot, to develop one's own abilities and get to know one's spirit perfectly. But the blood spirit can't be extremely strong directly at the beginning. You need to develop its power. I can release my spirit but it is still too weak. I am extremely far from the second prince's abilities. But there is someone even more powerful than His Majesty's second son. He is the same generation as us but he is a true genius. In the entire history of the Duan Clan, geniuses as powerful as him are rare. Besides, it had been at least one thousand years since the Duan Clan had someone with such a powerful Blood Spirit."
Lin Feng was captivated by Duan Feng's words. From what Duan Feng had said, it already seemed like the second son of His Majesty was one of the strongest members of the Duan Clan but that other young man seemed to be even stronger.
"That person is the crown prince himself. He is destined to rule the country in the future. He is regarded as the Genius of the Millennium in the Duan Clan. He is so strong that amongst the eight high officials of the Xue Yue Country, there has never been anyone who could take the first place in the rankings from him. It is probably normal for a crown prince to be extremely powerful. His abilities are endless and his bloodline is pure. His name is Duan Wu Dao."
"Duan Wu Dao is a real genius, always cold-blooded, strong and smart. He has killed many people. It is said that when he became strong, he challenged his teacher… and then killed his own teacher. He seems to think that if a teacher is weaker than him, then he isn't qualified to be a teacher any longer. Many people hate him bitterly but nobody has ever dared to disobey him. He would kill anyone who dares to disobey him."
Killing his own teacher… how cruel and heartless. He really has no moral values.
"If the crown prince is a genius and there is nobody stronger than him, it is a difficult situation but his brother the second son could also become tremendously strong. He is younger than the crown prince right now but he could become one of the eight officials in the future. He also seems to be a modest person who is appreciated by many."
Lin Feng was slightly nodding as if he understood much more of the inner workings of the Imperial Clan as the discussion continued. Lin Feng now had a general idea of how things worked in the Imperial Clan.
Duan Feng continued: "The crown prince is a genius that nobody dares disobey but the second sometimes will go against his brother. It is said that the two are not on the same wavelength but I don't know too much about it. I heard these things from my father when he was still alive. You were talking about Duan Tian Lang. He is very close to the crown prince."
"So that's how it is." said Lin Feng while nodding and then added: "So when Uncle Wang said that Duan Tian Lang had sent me it was because he was trying to destroy our new friendship. Because if I was close to Duan Tian Lang, I was indirectly on the side of the crown prince."
"Precisely. That must have been his reasoning." said Duan Feng while nodding.
All this trouble had happened because the second prince had recommended Duan Feng to help him study at the Celestial Academy.
Duan Feng had been in danger a few times yet the second prince had never shown himself.
"The second prince seems to be very smart. Please be careful." warned Lin Feng.
"Hehe, there is nobody who dares disobey the crown prince. Even if the second prince disobeys him, it doesn't mean that he can prevent him from doing things. Thus, the crown prince had most likely ordered people to kill me and that is within his power. However the second prince wouldn't try to help me and that's normal. I'm too unworthy for him to fight with the crown prince. That could lead to a disastrous situation between them for nothing." said Duan Feng while smiling wryly. He looked sad.
"Maybe the second prince and the crown prince never go out. Their way of handling affairs is to delegate tasks to various people. This is their way of doing things, that's all."
Lin Feng was still nodding. Lin Feng was really captivated by Duan Feng's words. Lin Feng was also impressed and astonished to hear such a young man talk with such eloquence. He was very smart for his age. He was right after all, the second prince and the crown prince were at the head of such a huge powerhouse filled with members ready to obey their orders at any given time.
"I have a question though. If all the members of the Duan Clan have a blood spirit, how come Duan Tian Lang and his son both use swords?"
"This is what I meant when I told you about the fact that the blood spirit could weaken from generation to generation. This is also why the Duan Clan members want to have so many children because they need to be sure to have at least one with a strong Blood Spirit which is dominant. If the Blood Spirit weakens, then the cultivator would have another spirit which would normally be dominant. That dominant spirit will combine itself with the blood spirit in its weakened state. That is probably what happened in their case and why you noticed that they both use sword spirits."
"So, even if the strength of the Blood Spirit is weak, they will all have dual spirits. How terrifying." thought Lin Feng who felt a shiver run down his spine.
"As far as the Blood Spirit and its special strength are concerned, there are some extremely gifted cultivators who inherit a pure and unadulterated Blood Spirit whose strength can increase infinitely." said Duan Feng. He looked strange at that moment and added: "Lin Feng, brother, I inherited from a pure and unadulterated Blood Spirit which is why I attracted the second prince's attention."
Lin Feng slightly nodded. Lin Feng had already guessed that Duan Feng was a prodigy and probably has a Blood Spirit that was extremely powerful. That is why he attracted the attention of two people: one who wanted to help him and considered him important and another who wanted to kill him.
Duan Feng smiled and said to Lin Feng: "Lin Feng, big brother, could it be that you don't know what kind of spirit the Blood Spirit is?"
"I have never heard about the Blood Spirit before. I have never even seen Duan Tian Lang and his son use it. It doesn't seem to be something that its possessors seem to enjoy showing to strangers." said Lin Feng while smiling.
"Lin Feng, big brother, you saved my life twice already. We are not strangers anymore. You are like my family. Have a look at my Blood Spirit!"
When Duan Feng finished talking, a strange Qi enveloped his body and then his spirit appeared behind his back.
There were three black doors floating calmly above his body. They diffused an extremely ancient Qi which felt like the Qi of a long dead era. These doors were open and they led into endless dark holes. It was impossible to see the end by looking at them.
Lin Feng was blankly staring at these three doors. Then, a strangely familiar impression invaded him.
"Lin Feng, big brother, if you ever meet members of the Duan Clan in the future then you really have to be careful. Our spirit is called Sealed Doors. It can confine and seal other people's power and strength behind these doors and even seal their life. The more seals you have, the stronger and the more powerful your spirit and your strength becomes. The second prince personally has five seals. He is extremely powerful. It is said that one of our ancestors could seal the souls of five thousand people in a single strike."
"When a cultivator uses this ability, a seal appears on the opponent's body as a personal mark of the one who carried out the attack. Then, either his strength or his spirit is sealed."
Duan Feng was speaking slowly… and Lin Feng was shaking. Meng Qing and Duan Feng were suddenly astonished and were staring blankly at Lin Feng.
"That is… the Sealed Door!" Lin Feng was speechless. A strong Qi was emanating from his body. Suddenly, he remembered where he had felt that Qi. It was when he was a child and the victim had been his father, Lin Hai. The seal had appeared between his eyebrows!