Kurumi Tokisaki's Planar Journey

Kurumi touched the small ring on her left index finger, its silver patterns exuding an ancient aura.

This was a small gift from the silver-robed Dou Sheng, said to be some of his spoils from his travels across the continent when he was younger.

Thinking of the mountain of magical beast cores inside, along with the high-level Dou Techniques casually tossed in a corner, Kurumi couldn't stop smiling.

Although she didn't remember the silver-robed Dou Sheng's name, she accepted his goodwill gesture.

She looked at the bloodline testing platform, where Xun Er timidly approached Elder Tongxuan.

Holding the cracked star plate, Elder Tongxuan felt a bit depressed. By the time Xun Er started her test, another hour had passed.

The bloodline power surged through her arm into the star plate!

Four stars... five stars... seven stars!

Xun Er's little face turned pale, beads of sweat forming on her smooth forehead, her tiny body trembling slightly!

"Gu Xun Er, seventh-grade bloodline!"

As Elder Tongxuan announced the result, Xun Er's pale face flushed excitedly!

She looked at Kurumi with wide eyes, waving her small arms when she saw her sister waving at her.

After bowing deeply to Elder Tongxuan, Xun Er hurriedly ran down the high platform on her short legs.

"Sister! Sister! Did you see? I scored higher than them!"

Xun Er stood before Kurumi, her big eyes blinking and her flushed face eager for a reward.

Kurumi reached out and patted Xun Er's black, silky hair. Her slightly chubby face looked like a contented kitten.

"What reward does Xun Er want?"

The little girl's face showed a hesitant look. She stretched her tiny hand and gestured, "I want five malt candies!"

Seeing Kurumi smiling at her, Xun Er felt guilty and quickly changed her request, "I want four! If that's too many, three will do! No less!"

Xun Er pouted, tugging on Kurumi's sleeve, "I won't eat them all at once, just give them to me~."

A small, tender hand reached out to Xun Er's face, and Kurumi pinched her little nose dotingly, "You little glutton!"

"Open your mouth!"

"Ah!~"

Elder Tong Xuan absentmindedly continued testing the other children, his mind elsewhere.

Meanwhile, the other two elders' news "accidentally" spread caused a sensation throughout the Gu Clan!

A child with a ninth-grade peak bloodline! By the coming-of-age ceremony, it would undoubtedly condense into a divine-grade bloodline!

The clan leader's daughter!

If their child could be so lucky...

For a while, various thoughts buzzed through the high ranks of the Gu Clan; even the usually stern-faced elders of the Council smiled and went to congratulate Gu Yuan.

They also mentioned their disappointing descendants, hoping to secure a marriage that could ensure centuries, even millennia, of prosperity, disregarding their pride!

——————

After dismissing the last well-wishers, Gu Yuan gathered his trusted confidants.

In the discussion hall, over a dozen people sat in their chairs, their auras thick and powerful. The weakest among them was a high-level Dou Zun!

Sitting in the second chair to Gu Yuan's left, an elder in black robes stood up and bowed slightly to show respect.

"Clan Leader, are we gathered here because of the two young misses?"

"Sort of."

Gu Yuan's vague response left the elder nodding and returning to his seat.

The atmosphere in the hall grew heavy.

"In recent years, our clan has had continuous friction with the Soul Clan, and you've all seen the various internal power struggles. In these centuries, we've rooted out many Soul Clan spies from our affiliates. Does anyone have anything to say about this?"

After a brief silence, a few people began whispering, which gradually escalated into a heated argument!

Gu Yuan sipped his tea calmly, observing the scene before him.

Suddenly, a shadow appeared behind him, cautiously whispering, "Clan Leader, the two young misses are almost here."

"Mm."

Seeing Gu Yuan nod, the shadow quickly vanished into the darkness. He couldn't stand the tense atmosphere; he had felt suffocated by the intense auras of over a dozen powerhouses before showing himself!

The shadow felt like crying; did a mere messenger need to be treated with such caution by so many big shots?

He had almost suffocated! Even now, his legs were still trembling.

Gu Yuan continued discussing the declining Xiao Clan, though he didn't mention the Tuo She Ancient Jade.

The people present were all shrewd; putting together the pieces, many understood that the clan leader intended to send the young misses to the Xiao Clan for their childhood!

The elders in the front row frowned deeply. The clan's instability and constant power struggles made sending the young misses to the Xiao Clan for "refuge" reasonable.

But... while Xun Er was less of an issue, despite her excellent bloodline, her damaged foundation meant she could only hope to reach Dou Zun with the clan's support.

However, Mo'er was different! She had reached the peak of the ninth-grade bloodline in the recent test. Condensing it to divine grade by the coming-of-age ceremony was almost certain!

Combined with her unparalleled talent, she was the Gu Clan's hope for the next generation! She was their faction's young master!

If word got out and someone wanted to harm her, how could they rest easy?

The elder sitting at the head of the right side spoke up, "Clan Leader, I have no objection to Xun Er going to the Xiao Clan, but Mo'er must not leave the Gu Clan!"

Seeing someone take the lead, most echoed their agreement, but there were also some dissenting voices, turning the hall into a chaotic marketplace!

"I bet you're a spy from the Soul Clan, wanting to put the young miss in danger!"

"Bullshit! You're the one who's up to no good, only caring about your own interests!"

"You old geezer, today I'll show you the difference between one star in Dou Sheng!"

"Bring it on! You think I'm afraid of you?"

As the two were about to start a full-blown fight in the hall, Gu Yuan couldn't help but release his aura.

"Quiet! You're all over a thousand years old, why are you bickering like youngsters?"

With clan tattoos on their foreheads, the two elders huffed and returned to their seats.

"Let's wait until San'er and the others arrive."

"But..."

The elder, who had lost his temper, was about to speak when he sensed two small auras outside the hall.

He adjusted his appearance, sitting with an air of sage-like serenity.

Kurumi, holding the shy Xun Er, entered the hall. After scanning the room, she focused on the middle-aged man in the chief seat.