Lou Zen looked at the elders straight in the eyes and said,
"Father, I accept this mission."
The room fell silent for a moment. Lou Jin took a deep breath and spoke:
"Son, today I will tell you something you've never heard before."
Lou Zen sat quietly, a bit confused.
Lou Jin began:
"10,000 years ago, the Lou family didn't live in this Lu Village. We used to rule in the Eastern part of the Central Lands. Our bloodline carried god-level power — every generation birthed powerful cultivators."
The elders listened in silence.
"But then," Lou Jin continued,
"our bloodline started weakening… generation after generation, we lost our power. Eventually, we had to leave our homeland and settle here in Lu Village. Today, we no longer possess that divine bloodline…"
Lou Zen's eyes burned with anger and pain.
"So what can I do, father?"
Lou Jin took out an ancient scroll — it was a map.
"This was passed down by one of our ancient elders. He claimed that deep in the East Desert, beyond the Snake Clan's domain, lies a sword once owned by our ancestors — the legendary Black Sword."
"That sword still holds a trace of our god-bloodline," Lou Jin said.
"If you retrieve it, we might awaken the true power of the Lou family again."
Lou Zen unrolled the map.
It showed the following path:
A Dangerous Forest filled with beasts of up to Qi Condensation Level 15
A Foundation Building level beast guarding the edge
The vast and deadly East Desert
And finally, the hidden vault of the Snake Clan, where the Black Sword rests
Lou Zen rolled the map and replied:
"Don't worry, father. I'll bring the sword back no matter what."
Just then, First Elder Lou Li objected:
"Lou Jin, Lou Zen is only 16. Why don't we raise his cultivation level first before sending him on such a risky mission?"
Lou Jin looked at him and said:
"We don't have time. If we delay, the Xin family will attack us. There's no other option left. Sending Lou Zen is our only chance."
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