Eternal life begins with saving my clan

The rooster hadn't even crowed when the younger generation of the Cao clan stirred, excitement buzzing beneath their eyelids.

The mystery of the "special guest" had consumed them, gnawing at their curiosity like a persistent pup.

Who, within the illustrious core city, was deemed worthy of witnessing their blossoming talents?

Despite their burning questions, etiquette remained paramount. They dressed in meticulous care, every fold of their robes an unspoken oath of respect.

As they reached the training grounds, the rising sun painting the sky in fiery hues, the sight took their breath away.

A martial stage, polished to a mirror sheen, dominated the clearing. Its sleek wooden planks promised a vibrant clash of steel and flesh.

Flanking it stood three pavilions, each offering shade and vantage points. But one pavilion, positioned like a regal king amongst its humble court, stole the show.

Lavishly draped in silks the color of spun gold, its intricate carvings shimmered with inlaid sapphires.

The surrounding ground, within a five-meter radius, shone with an unnatural cleanliness, marked by crisp white pebbles as if to ward off even the whisper of dust.

No soul from the Cao clan dared approach this sacred space, their gazes held by its silent, alluring presence.

The air crackled with anticipation, as if charged by the unspoken question hanging in the air: Who are those people that would sit in the pavilion.

The younger generation looked at the special pavilion with eyes burning with curiosity. Still, they maintained the pavilion allocated to them.

After a couple of minutes, the elders began to arrive one after the other. Each of the elders looked at the younger generation and nodded slightly.

Even though they were their children, and only a few of them were orphans picked from the street, none of the elders dared to disclose who the special guest was.

The last person to arrive was Cao Meng, their clan master. She was dressed in an alluring purple robe that showed all her curves. Her arrival gathered the attention of everyone present.

"She is getting more beautiful by the day?" A young man whispered to a handsome man sitting at the core front.

"She is the Clan master; looking at her like that may cost you your life," he responded.

"Really?" The boy looked at his friend with a knowing smile. "But why has your eyes never left her face since she arrived."

"Hmm. I'm not looking at her face…" he quickly averted his gaze and turned to face him. "Do you know who the special guest is?"

His friend chuckled, knowing what his friend just did but didn't try to expose him. "I don't know… but I heard some rumors."

"Really?!"

"Yes. Have you heard of the strange artifact that could allow people to talk to one another?"

"Yes. But I don't believe it."

"It is true. My mother showed me. I heard the people we're meeting are those behind the strange artifact."

"Your parents are nice to you. As for my parents, they didn't even allow me to ask them before they sent me back to my cultivation," he grumbled.

Though he was the strongest amongst the younger generation of the clan, to his parents, they told him he was too weak to face and that he should train very hard and make sure to impress this special visitor.

"Don't worry, we're going to know what is special about this guest," his friend patted his shoulder with an encouraging smile.

While the two friends were discussing in a hushed voice, the training ground was silent, with their gaze looking at the entrance frequently.

As for the elders, they didn't seem to be impatient. They sat calmly and enjoyed the tea served by the maid.

Suddenly, a voice came from the entrance, gathering the attention of everyone.

"Brother Zimo, you cheated."

"What do you expect? Brother Guo always cheated when I play with him also."

Huang Guo and Zimo had bitter expressions on their faces. Each of them played a game of chess with Ai and Aiguo but lost miserably.

Previously, they were confident in defeating in ten or so moves. But under the claw of the two geniuses, both of them didn't last five moves before they were defeated.

They didn't stand a chance at all.

With their pride trampled by kids not even fifteen, the two friends continued to challenge the kids, unfortunately, they lost miserably.

Before coming to watch the Cao younger generation, each of them had played five games with them. Still, the result was the same, and they could only resort to cheating their way out to preserve some face.

Else, they won't know how to react when their friend from the barren land arrived. Especially Huang Guo; his sister would be coming to the city with their niece.

How would he react if they found out he couldn't last five moves against some kids?

While the four were chatting about the chess game, the training ground was deadly quiet. All eyes were on them.

Instantly, Cao Meng and the elders stood up to pay their respects. Seeing this, the younger generation was stunned for a couple of seconds.

What the hell?!

Two kids dressed in plain white robes with a cultivation of Early Qi Refinement realm stage 2, while the two older ones were in Early Foundation Building realm stages 2.

All the disciples of the Cao clan couldn't believe their eyes. Two kids who were not even fifteen were already in the Qi Refinement realm. Instantly, their worldviews and the previous pride they gained from their travels shattered into pieces.

Apart from the kids, the two Foundation Building experts behind them were the same age as them. Where the hell were these four from?

Just as they were thrown into a whirlpool of confusion and shock, Huang Guo looked at Cao Meng and the elders and said respectfully.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting."

"Young master, not at all," Cao Meng responded courteously.

With that, the four walked to the special pavilion dedicated to them. Taking their seats, they looked at the younger generation without any kind of expression on their faces.

They only looked at them before they averted their gaze. It was not that they looked down on them, but they never saw them as a threat or opponent in the first place.

They were here only to broaden their experience with the martial arts from the powerful clans in the Zizhu prefecture.

Even though the Cao clan disciples were baffled, they maintained their calm, waiting for the special guest to arrive.

After waiting for over an hour, the disciples were now getting impatient. Their murmurs and complaints rose to the ears of the elders. They had woken up early to meet the special guest only to wait for hours for nothing.

Instead of wasting their precious time, they could use that time to cultivate and solidify their foundation. The Hidden Dragon tournament was around the corner, and they couldn't afford to waste time like this.

Watching his fellow disciples complaining, the strongest amongst them, who was also the uncrowned king of the younger generation, stood up.

"Clan master…."

"Sit!" Cao Meng commanded in a cold voice.

Cao Bohai froze on his spot, and all the words he wanted to speak stuck in his throat. He saw the disappointment on the faces of the elders and his parents.

'What cheapened!' He asked in his mind.

He was only trying to appeal to the clan master about this unreasonable wasting of their time. Slowly, he returned to his seat, confusion written on his face.

It was at that moment that the disciples realized the gravity of who they were meeting. Instantly, all the grievances in their hearts disappeared into thin air.

Some of them didn't even dare raise their heads to meet their parents' eyes. They knew they just messed up.

As they were wondering what they did wrong, they heard a voice.

"You all failed the first test," Ai said casually as she stood from her seat, and right beside him was Aiguo.

"I expected more from your declining clan, but you disappoint us," Aiguo added as they walked calmly toward the center stage.

Their previous jovial demeanor was long gone. They looked at the tens of disciples without any expression on their faces. The youngest of the Cao clan's younger generation was 25 years old, while the oldest was 35.

Cao Bohai, their leader, was only 32 years old and was considered young and talented. But in front of Ai and Aiguo, his talent didn't worth a penny.

"We have a lot of work to do, so let's get started on the second phase," Ai announced.

"The rules are simple. To qualify for the next round, you must win ten straight matches," Aiguo added from the side.

"You can go all out. Use your best skills and show us how talented you are."

"To defeat your opponent, it's either they surrender, pass out, or get sent out of the stage."

"Hope the rules are clear enough. You can start."