Ethan observed the life of his descendant with a keen eye.
The boy, Alexander, possessed remarkable potential, bearing a dual psychic constitution.
Helen, with her sharp mind, had raised Adam well, instilling in him the ways of cultivation while emphasizing discretion.
Now at the sixth level of Foundational Energy, Adam was a skilled cultivator, though he kept his abilities hidden.
His reputation as the finest fisherman for miles around had, in his youth, drawn matchmakers to their small vige like moths to a me.
Yet, Adam remained devoted to Erin, the girl who lived just twones down from his childhood home.
Their marriage was a testament to their enduring love.
Erin, though not blessed with extraordinary beauty, possessed a heart of gold.
She might not have mastered the refined embroidery of noblewomen, but her kindness knew no bounds, extending even to the injured creatures of their vige.
As Ethan prepared to return to his family and resume his cultivation, a sense of contentment washing over him, a sight gave him pause.
Adam, dressed simply in tunic and trousers, emerged from the tavern, his demeanor asposed and collected as his mother''s.
He walked towards the front of the tavern, where the Drunken Fool sat begging for alms.
With a familiar gesture, Adam offered the old man a gourd filled with wine.
The Drunken Fool epted the offering with a grateful smile, but a flicker of something crossed his features, his expression momentarily freezing.
"Old friend," Adam began, his voice steady, "you''ve been a fixture outside this tavern since I was a boy. I''ve grown now, and many in the vige my age are gone, yet you remain as spry as ever. And never a day goes by without your gourd of wine."
"Good wine, good wine!" the Drunken Fool eximed, taking arge gulp, feigning intoxication.
Adam''s expression remained unchanged. "I''ve faced my share of dangers growing up, but somehow, I always managed to escape unscathed. Years ago, when bandits threatened our vige, I led our men to fight them. By the time we arrived at their hideout the next day, they were all gone. When I inquired, the vigers mentioned you had been away for a while that night."
"There''s no such thing as a selfless act of kindness, at least not in my experience. I''ve been cultivating since I was a child. My mother possesses knowledge of cultivation that others wouldn''t even dare to dream of. I can sense she''s keeping something from me, and so are you."
"When I was young, I used to ask about my father, but she would always refuse to speak of him. Now that I''m older, I need to know..."
"What is my father''sname?"
"..."
As Adam spoke, Helen, her brow furrowed, peered down from the tavern window.
Though Adam''s voice had dropped to a whisper, it couldn''t escape Helen''s ears, honed by years of cultivation to the second level of Developing Skill.
Below, the Drunken Fool continued to y the part of a rambling drunkard, oblivious to Adam''s questioning gaze.
Unbeknownst to them, a man carrying a coffin on his back stood with his arm around a beautiful woman, their figures hidden in the shadows of a nearby alleyway.
"My love, let''s stay a while longer," Luna pleaded softly.
"As you wish," Nathan replied with a smile. "We shouldn''t disrupt their lives. They have everything they need here."
"Perhaps this simple life is a blessing," Luna mused. "We never had a choice, but I hope they can live in peace and happiness, always."
The street bustled with activity, but the couple remained unseen, like phantoms passing through the crowd.
Suddenly, the Drunken Fool, still squatting by the tavern entrance, froze.
His eyes widened as he spotted the couple in the shadows. "Twenty years! Do you have any idea what I''ve been through all these years?" he sputtered, nearly choking on his wine.
That night, Helen, clutching Alexander in her arms, soared into the night sky, searching for any sign of Nathan and Luna.
Her efforts proved futile.
All she found was a storage ring lying on the ground.
It contained enough resources and treasures to drive a Competent Force level power mad, along with a simple note:
[Live well]
Facing south, towards the Emerald Empire''s border, Helen fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face.
A few dayster, the old beggar vanished from his spot outside the tavern.
A fierce thunderstorm raged across the sea near Coastal Vige, much to the astonishment of the vigers.
Soon after, the filthy old beggar reappeared, back in his usual spot, begging for alms.
...
Unlike the peaceful lives of Nichs''s descendants in the small fishing vige, Cloudview County remained embroiled in conflict.
The war on the border raged on, even after all these years.
Daniel, now a seasoned general with amanding presence, sat upon the main seat in Border Town.
His youthful face, framed by a crown of silver hair, contrasted sharply with his imposing ck armor.
Another battle was about tomence outside the town.
Jessica, leading Cloudview County''s Azure Cloud army, pursued a retreating Druid force.
They had already seized control of a Druid settlement, and many psychics were busy plundering its resources.
Ethan observed the scene with a sense of relief.
[Your descendant, Jessica, a true warrior, leads the Azure Cloud army against the Druids on the border of Cloudview County, her victories unmatched. The mere mention of her name strikes fear into the hearts of the Druids. Word of her past deeds in Cloudview County, particrly her actions in Jonestown, has spread among the Druids, earning her the moniker "The Bloodsoaked Widow."]
[Due to her merciless ughter of the Druids in every battle, she has acquired the trait: Druid yer.]
[When facing Druids, her pressure increases by 100%. She is under the protection of Cloudview County''s destiny. For every ten thousand Druids in, her progress towards the Competent Force stage increases by 1%. Current progress: 12%.]
"Kill!" Jessica roared, her voice echoing across the battlefield.
She soared through the air on her dual swords, her beautiful face contorted in a grimace of righteous fury.
Behind her, tens of thousands of Azure Cloud army psychics followed, their swords forming a dazzling, unstoppable formation.
Thebined might of their psychic powers seemed to blot out the sun.
Ethan watched the battle unfold, a hint of surprise flickering in his eyes.
"It seems Olivia''s borrowing of destiny from the Druids is having a more significant impact than I anticipated. If Jessica ys another eighty-eight thousand Druids, she''ll break through to the Competent Force stage..."
With Daniel and Jessica leading the charge, Ethan felt reassured about the border''s security.
The Azure Cloud army was stronger than ever.
Ethan had grown ustomed to his existence as a silent guardian, a phantom watching over Cloudview County.
[ckwood Year 185]
[Congrattions! After years of contemtion alongside Daoist Bill, you have fullyprehended thew of the mountain''s weight.]
Emerging from seclusion, Ethan assessed his current state.
The barrier between the Competent Force and Basic Mastery stages was a formidable one.
It required not only the absorption of vast quantities of natural energies but also the mastery of thews governing the universe.
Only then could his Competent Force grow and transcend its physical limitations, achieving Basic Mastery.
He could now perceive the variousws that permeated the world around him, such as the five elements, wind, and thunder.
"Thankfully, with the aid of thesews, my Competent Force has grown somewhat."
Ethan felt a surge of excitement.
The ckwood family had presented him with two tribute offerings during this period, but the amount of natural energies they provided was minuscule.
Based on his calctions, if he continued to receive tributes of this caliber every decade, it would take him at least ten thousand years to reach the peak of the Basic Mastery stage... and a Competent Force stage cultivator''s lifespan was a mere two thousand years...
"However..." Ethan murmured, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
And with that, he vanished from sight.