Chapter 745: Chapter 747: Vomiting Blood
“Father, I heard that you are going to hand over the position of Heavenly Mansion Chief. Isn’t it a bit early, I’m not ready yet.”
The voice arrived before the person.
As the hurried voice fell, a white-haired elder appeared.
He was dressed in loose training clothes, perhaps because the news from Chen Tian’en had spread too quickly, his face was etched with anxiety and worry.
“Chen Yan, didn’t you see that we have a guest? Did your manners get carried away by a dog?”
Seeing his son hurry in, Chen Tian’en felt as if he’d lost all face.
If Xia Liu weren’t here it might have been better, but with the presence of Xia Liu, whose cultivation is much higher than his own, Chen Yan’s behavior was causing Chen Tian’en to feel angry.
He certainly knew that his father would only scold him because Xia Liu was present.
But Xia Liu was too young, even younger than his own eldest son.
At such an age, he had caused his father to reprimand him.
After his surprise, Chen Yan gave a deep bow, then stepped back to the staircase, “Father, Chen Yan has urgent news to report.”
“Come up,” Chen Tian’en took a sip of bland tea, took a deep breath and said slowly.
Seeing Chen Yan once more ascend with respect, Xia Liu was filled with embarrassment.
In the eyes of an outsider, Chen Tian’en’s strict parental guidance was unsurprising, but it seemed to lack a certain humaneness.
Judging by appearances, Xia Liu guessed that Chen Yan should be seventy or eighty years old.
As such, Chen Tian’en, being a Path-Entering Martial Artist, should be over a hundred years old.
The lifespan of a Path-Entering Martial Artist should be more than this, so why did Chen Tian’en say his time was almost up?
This is way too bizarre.
Could it be that Chen Tian’en was already three or four hundred years old?
“Father, I overheard people talking that five days from now there will be a meeting to assess the candidates for Heavenly Mansion Chief.”
Chen Yan asked with confusion after collecting his thoughts.
“But I’m not ready yet. With my current cultivation, I will definitely fail the assessment. Are you planning to give the position of Heavenly Mansion Chief to someone from the four major clans?”
Chen Yan was very frustrated; he was currently at the peak of the Heavenly Rank.
Truly speaking, he was a Half-Step into the Dao Martial Artist, stuck at this realm for over ten years.
He was confident that once his cultivation advanced into the Path-Entering level, he would discuss taking over as Heavenly Mansion Chief with his father.
But now, without the Path-Entering cultivation, his father had arranged for warriors from all sides to come for the assessment in five days.
To pass this assessment without Path-Entering cultivation was simply impossible.
Because the matter was so serious, Chen Yan had just behaved a bit presumptuously.
“Oh? You know, but who told you it must be you taking over the position?”
Chen Tian’en was so embarrassed, if it weren’t for the presence of Xia Liu, he would have torn Chen Yan apart.
With no self-awareness, does he really think the position of Heavenly Mansion Chief must be passed to him?
“Not me? Could it be my second uncle? His cultivation is the same as mine, Half-Step into the Dao. Other members of the clan don’t have Path-Entering cultivation either…”
Chen Yan’s face was full of questions; who was his father actually planning to recommend for the position?
Within the Chen Family, Chen Yan was confident; aside from his father, he was the strongest.
At the right age too, given a few more years, he would surely advance into the Path-Entering level.
“The Chen Family currently has no martial artists qualified for the position of Heavenly Mansion Chief,” Chen Tian’en shook his head, sighing, which had been unceasing for countless days and nights.
There was no one in their own family with such a destiny; it could not be forced.
Chen Yan couldn’t dare imagine, could his own father be about to pass the position on to a martial artist outside the Chen Family!
“Don’t think too much about it, I have decided on the candidate for the Heavenly Mansion Chief, and it is this Daoist Fellow Xia Liu.”
Looking at the person Chen Tian’en was pointing at, Chen Yan froze on the spot.
It was actually Xia Liu!
A Xia Liu who might only be as old as his own young daughter!
Moreover, the name Xia Liu had too much flavor to it.
A young man in his twenties was the new Heavenly Mansion Chief his father had chosen.
This left Chen Yan unable to react for a long time.
As for Xia Liu, he was indifferent, sporting a handsome and spirited appearance that would draw gasps of astonishment wherever he went, something he had long grown accustomed to.
“Father, are you really sure, you want to hand over the position of Heavenly Mansion Chief to him?” After being frozen for a long time, Chen Yan couldn’t believe it, and wouldn’t believe it.
With his half-step into the Dao cultivation, he was able to sense the energy emanating from other martial artists.
Xia Liu’s energy was at the Heavenly Rank Early Level.
Reaching the Heavenly Rank Early Level at such an age, Chen Yan couldn’t deny that Xia Liu was definitely the most talented young martial artist he had ever seen.
Yet a Heavenly Rank Early Level warrior probably couldn’t even take half a palm strike from him.
His own father was actually letting him take part in the assessment for the Heavenly Mansion Chief, which was clearly about to give the position away to one of the four major super clans.
Chen Yan couldn’t accept this outcome.
“Yes, it’s him, speaking of cultivation, he is your senior, and in terms of seniority, he is also your elder.”
Chen Tian’en nodded, he called Xia Liu “Daoist Fellow,” which meant they were peers and good friends.
His own son would naturally have to respect him.
Chen Yan spurted out a mouthful of essence blood, and in the end, he couldn’t control and sprayed it out.
Yes, Chen Yan had coughed up blood.
He somewhat believed that his father must have been bewitched.
If his father were in his right mind, how could he say such a thing; Xia Liu has only the energy of Heavenly Rank Early Level, how could he be his senior.
With such a young age, how could he possibly be his elder!
Seeing Chen Yan spit out blood, Xia Liu showed a bit of embarrassment.
He didn’t expect this old gentleman to be so agitated.
“I know you are not convinced and have many suspicions, but Daoist Fellow Xia has extraordinary cultivation. At such a young age, he possesses unfathomable cultivation; even I am ashamed in comparison, not to mention you?”
“Father, I think it’s necessary to let a doctor thoroughly check your body, his energy is merely at the Heavenly Rank Early Level, how is that unfathomable?”
Chen Yan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth; he very much wanted to burst out.
But in front of his father, who had Path-Entering cultivation, he always had to be respectful.
“Daoist Fellow Xia dislikes high-profile, normally repressing his energy; you all are far from comparing to him.”
Remembering Xia Liu’s humility, that was what Chen Tian’en admired most.
If he hadn’t witnessed Xia Liu perform such high-strength techniques with his own eyes, he too would have thought that Xia Liu only had superficial Heavenly Rank energy.
“This senior, this elder, the position of Heavenly Mansion Chief is related to the whole world, not just the Warrior Realm, but also the secular world. If someone with an agenda were to sit in this seat, unpredictable events would occur. I hope you understand.”
Chen Yan suspected his father was too old, and with his end approaching, he might be a bit deluded, casually being deceived by Xia Liu into handing over the position to him.
“Hmm, regarding responsibility, Chief Chen has spoken to me about it. As for the person with an agenda you mentioned, I’m sorry, but I am not that person.”
Xia Liu did indeed value the cultivation resources that came with being the Heavenly Mansion Chief each year.
But he would still care about the Warrior Realm and about ordinary people; if anyone were to challenge the Heavenly Mansion, he would unwaveringly stand up to them.