Chapter 51: Bloodline Verification

"The Four Seas Trading Company truly lives up to its reputation as the greatest under heaven," Lu Sheng exclaimed, gazing at the portraits before him. "They managed to gather such detailed information, even about the minutest things!" To be able to collect the circumstances of the Lu family on Blackstone Island upon receiving word, and then, through martial artists who had met them, recreate the fine features of their faces—such resourcefulness from the Four Seas Trading Company was beyond his imagination. "This world indeed cannot be underestimated!"

"Not at all," Guan Yingfan replied, his face brimming with a smile as he listened to Lu Sheng's praise. "Brother, it's just that your experience is still limited. Spend a few years honing your skills in the Central Plains, and these things will cease to surprise you."

He had keenly perceived the shift in Lu Sheng's attitude as soon as he spoke in admiration, so he responded with polite modesty and proposed, "Shi Yin Jian has already arrived, and the news of the Snow Lotus cannot be concealed forever. Once the word spreads, who can say how much your knowledge will be worth? Why not take advantage of the present and trade with us at the Four Seas Trading Company?"

"Trade?" Lu Sheng frowned. "Trade what? Do you expect the Lu clan of Great Jing to acknowledge me as one of their own?"

His words finally revealed that he was a descendant of the Lu clan.

--------

"There's a way!" As a businessman whose livelihood depended on negotiation, Guan Yingfan was always keen and firmly believed that nothing in the world was beyond reach—so long as one had sufficient leverage, even souls could be bought and sold. As long as his counterpart was open to a deal, opportunities would abound.

Suppressing his delight, Guan Yingfan said, "Having the Lu clan of Great Jing acknowledge you is indeed difficult. Among the descendants of Great Jing's Lu clan, only those whose lineage has never been severed are recognized. Most must become Martial Masters, condense their vital blood, and verify their heritage before the family register is continued."

"Your branch, the Luhun Lu clan, hails from the Bingzhou Lu family, the main bloodline," he continued, "but years ago, after falling into the grasslands, your genealogy was erased by the Great Jing Lu clan. So, the only way to reclaim your heritage is to condense your vital blood."

"I know," Lu Sheng replied. "To condense vital blood, one must become a Martial Master."

A Grand Martial Artist can refine the heart and complete the blood tempering stage. Upon reaching Martial Master, the cultivation shifts to marrow refinement. This is not only because a Martial Master's spiritual power is entirely fused with arcane energy, allowing for finer manipulation and penetration into the bone marrow, but also because they can, through attunement with the cosmos, constantly absorb the world's vital energy, nurturing their marrow and increasing their blood.

This newly born blood, once refined by a Martial Master, differs fundamentally from ordinary blood and is commonly called "vital blood." It not only enhances strength and recovery but also contains abundant information. Powerful warriors can trace their ancestral lineage through the information contained in vital blood.

Many arcane weapons passed down through bloodlines are forged according to this principle. This is why many families require one to become a Martial Master before being eligible to serve as head of the household—without vital blood, one cannot inherit the family's arcane weaponry, let alone lead the clan.

For the Great Jing Lu clan, if one cannot validate their lineage before the ancestral spirit treasure left by the Emperor of Jing, even if the genealogy remains unbroken, they cannot become a core member, much less inherit the throne. Every emperor of Great Jing, upon ascending, has at least reached the Martial Master stage.

--------

"Is there any other way to verify bloodline?" Lu Sheng pondered the information regarding lineage verification and asked.

Guan Yingfan shook his head. "The Emperor of Jing possesses no unique bloodline. It's not like the Xiliang Ma clan, who have the Heavenly Horse bloodline, which can be awakened early to confirm their heritage. There is only one way to verify the bloodline of the Great Jing Lu clan: condensing vital blood. Any other method, even if it proves effective, would not be acknowledged by the Great Jing Lu clan."

"Not acknowledged?" Lu Sheng frowned. "Why?"

With a slight chuckle, Guan Yingfan explained, "If you are not a Martial Master, what value do you have to the Great Jing Lu clan? Why would they accept another Lu clan descendant, adding to their burdens for no reason?"

"Value?"

Lu Sheng repeated the word, already understanding the import of Guan Yingfan's words. To reclaim his heritage by other means, he must offer value recognized by the Great Jing Lu clan. Otherwise, they have no shortage of Lu clan descendants.

Presently, Lu Sheng's value clearly lay in the Grade Six Snow Lotus Guan Yingfan had mentioned.

As expected, Guan Yingfan continued, "Precisely—value. If you have sufficient value, our Four Seas Trading Company can even persuade Grandmaster Lu Wanshan to personally verify your bloodline. With his familiarity with the Emperor of Jing's vital blood, any trace of imperial blood in yours would not escape his perception. Once he recognizes you, who in the Great Jing Lu clan would dare doubt? What do you think of this offer?"

Guan Yingfan laid out his terms in quick succession.

In truth, blood contains lineage information, but compared to vital blood, it is sparse and difficult to detect. Yet, for a grandmaster with exceptional sensitivity, this is not an issue. As long as there is the slightest trace of information in the blood, they can sense it, and targeted detection such as bloodline verification is a simple matter.

In fact, even Martial Masters who have condensed vital blood can usually sense their own descendants. There is no shortage of stories in the martial world where a warrior, upon advancing to Martial Master, discovers that some children do not share his blood, leading to all sorts of dramatic events.

Lu Wanshan, currently the foremost grandmaster of the Great Jing Lu clan, wields the ancestral spirit treasure left by the Emperor of Jing and is intimately familiar with the emperor's vital blood. For him to verify whether someone possesses imperial blood is effortless—the only issue is whether he is willing.

As Lu Wanshan's disciple, Qian Baozhen has guarded the Yangzhou branch of the Lu clan for years and has tirelessly helped the Four Seas Trading Company flourish. If he were to propose this condition, Lu Wanshan would surely not refuse. Moreover, Guan Yingfan believed that if he could truly obtain information about the Grade Six Snow Lotus, Grandmaster Qian Baozhen would certainly agree.

As for the man across from them, suspected to be a descendant of the Great Jing Lu clan, he would have no reason to refuse. Luhun Xun scoured the world for opportunities, leaving descendants behind as guardians of medicinal herbs—what he sought was precisely this.

--------

"If I truly were the guardian of medicinal herbs left behind in the Western Regions by Luhun Xun, or the original Lu Sheng," he mused, "this offer would indeed be irresistible. Unfortunately, I am neither of them, nor do I possess information about the Grade Six Snow Lotus."

Reclaiming his ancestry was not an urgent matter for Lu Sheng; he was merely playing along with Guan Yingfan, using him to navigate this dangerous time. Once he was safe, he would quickly change his identity and leave these matters behind.

"Moreover, becoming a Martial Master is not so difficult for me."

There are two main thresholds to becoming a Martial Master: first, the union of spirit and energy, fully merging one's spiritual power with arcane energy; second, attunement with the cosmos, achieving harmony with heaven and earth.

Although Lu Sheng was still unclear about attunement with the cosmos, the union of spirit and energy was long since accomplished. In fact, the arcane energy within him was condensed from his essence, energy, and spirit—the very bottleneck that stymies so many was nonexistent for him.

Thus, Lu Sheng was confident that, in the not-too-distant future, he would surely become a Martial Master. Once he attained that stage and condensed vital blood, reclaiming his ancestry would pose no obstacle—nor would he need to trade conditions with anyone.