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Chapter 1136 I Choose the Path of Martial Saint

Inside the ancestral hall, it was ultimately the ninth ancestor who broke the peace.

"Do you want to become a feudal lord, or... a martial saint?"

These words struck a chord deep within Zhou You's soul. Even though the other person was an ancestor, Zhou You felt that he had been speaking too frankly with someone he barely knew.

He said with considerable difficulty, "Ancestor, are you joking?"

"I won't go into how difficult it is to become a Martial Saint, as for being granted the title of Lord, I have already decided to assist Lian Feihong in his struggle for the throne and have no intention of having any close relationship with him."

The Ninth Ancestor, displeased, pounded on the spatial barrier, saying, "I'm asking about the direction of your ambitions, not how bold you are."

"Just tell me, do you want to become the ruler of the world, or a martial arts saint?"

The former is the supreme authority, the unique position above hundreds of millions of people, and the existence recorded in history.

The latter is an extraordinary being, transcending time, shining like the blazing sun for eternity.

With a population of hundreds of millions across fifty states, it would be extremely difficult to find even one of these.

Seeing that Zhou You was still pondering, the Ninth Ancestor pressed him, "You must have already made a decision, because someone without a goal could not have come this far."

"Don't hesitate, just say it. I'm not faking it."

"If you want to become a feudal lord, let's abandon the Lian family brat and go it alone. I have the ability to carve out a position for you."

"But if you wish..."

At this moment, Zhou You spoke up, "Ancestor, I actually want to become a Martial Saint more?"

"..."

The ninth-generation ancestor was interrupted again. He glared at the man, then suddenly fell silent and remained silent for a long time.

"...Regarding the matter of being enfeoffed as a noble, the family can still help you. As for the matter of becoming a Martial Saint, my abilities are insignificant and I am powerless to do so."

“Zhou Daqian, you have chosen the most difficult path, even a dead end with no hope of the future.”

The ninth ancestor's eyes showed a sense of vicissitude. "In my life so far, I have encountered many brilliant and outstanding geniuses, some of whom are even more extraordinary than you, but none of them have been able to become a martial saint."

"Do you know that in the hearts of us old men, the Martial Saint is like the sun and moon, existing since ancient times, and no one has seen him since then?"

Zhou You asked him, "How long has the ancestor lived?"

"The Heavenly Sect's lifespan is three thousand years. I took a pill that doubled my lifespan and used a secret spatial technique to hide myself and prolong my life. I have lived for more than nine thousand years now, and I am still thirty years away from reaching the age of ten thousand."

"I admire you; you're still going strong for your age."

Over ten thousand years, across the fifty states of the world with countless people, not a single Martial Saint has emerged.

However, the titles of feudal lords and abbots have been passed down in an unbroken line, perhaps indicating that the world no longer needs martial saints.

But things are different now.

"Ancestor, I still want to give it a try!"

The Ninth Ancestor waved his hand, "Whether you become a feudal lord or a martial saint is your own business. It will not only be of no benefit to the family, but will also be harmful."

What's happening here?
"You already know about the situation with the sea warriors; they're all remnants of past royal families."

“Once a family reaches that position, there is no turning back. Once the monarch abdicates, the family’s status will decline sharply and it will be difficult to maintain it. They will either be divided up or shrink drastically, or even be besieged by many powerful families.”

"This is because the rise was too rapid. The royal family seized the wealth of the world and expanded to the extreme, but it could not guarantee that the monarch would remain on the throne. Often, when dynasties changed, they would flee overseas in a sorry state."

"Therefore, it's not easy for the families of the previous royal families to survive in this world. If you become a feudal lord, the Zhou family may enjoy temporary glory, but you will inevitably have to abandon your roots and flee overseas." Zhou You thought about it and realized that it was true. None of the large or small families in the capital had ever had a feudal lord as an ancestor.

It's not that one must sacrifice one's family to become the ruler of the world, but rather that once a noble family becomes royalty, it is difficult for them to return to their original position and accept the dramatic fall from grace after the monarch abdicates.

A ready example is that after the death of a contemporary feudal lord, the royal family still occupies the sacrificial palace and competes with the ancient aristocratic families for the position of the next monarch.

Another question arises: if the outcome is known, why are so many powerful families vying for the throne?

"Haha, that's a good question. Few can resist fame and fortune in this world. Even if one enjoys temporary glory, there are hundreds of years of family honor. Everyone is hoping to break the precedent."

The ninth ancestor's explanation enlightened Zhou You.

Although royal families throughout history have fled overseas, they at least enjoyed the privileges and glory of being on the throne. It is no exaggeration to say that even noble families are divided into different classes, and the Zhou family now has the potential to be considered top-tier.

The royal family transcends all other aristocratic families, making them even more powerful than the top-tier families.

Aristocratic families can collect taxes on city construction thanks to the legacy of their ancestors, but the royal family can collect taxes from cities and towns in all fifty states of the country.

"As for the Martial Saint?"

The Ninth Ancestor continued, "You must have noticed that there are families in the world with descendants of the Heavenly Sect, but not a single family with the title of Martial Saint."

"Those self-proclaimed descendants of the Martial Saint from the Human Race Cult, I can only laugh."

Why do you think so?

Zhou You shook his head sincerely, "I don't know."

"Because if a Martial Saint has a family, that is an existence that is even more heaven-defying than any monarch or royal family. Therefore, a feudal lord does not need to sacrifice his family, but a Martial Saint must, absolutely must!"

“Ancestor, perhaps there is another reason. To become a Martial Saint, one must go through mountains of corpses and seas of blood. One’s close friends and relatives will inevitably be affected, and in the end, one will be left all alone.”

"Besides, once you reach the position of Martial Saint, well, I've never met a Martial Saint, but I've seen top-tier Heavenly Sects like the Southern Divine Sword and the Northern Guardian Spear. Their realms have reached inhuman levels, so there must be 'reproductive isolation', right?"

The concept of reproductive isolation was common knowledge to Zhou You, but it was the first time it had appeared in this world, causing a great shock to the Ninth Ancestor.

"you are right……"

"Different species cannot reproduce. Since the Martial Saint is not human, it is probably impossible for him to leave offspring."

The Ninth Ancestor seemed to wake from a dream, and excitedly pointed at Zhou You, "Your guess makes sense. How come I didn't think of that?"

He thought that after he advanced to the Heavenly Sect, the situation of having many offspring changed, and having children became extremely difficult.

Previously, I thought that wives and concubines were of too low a level and their physical strength was insufficient to bear offspring. Now it seems that it is indeed a case of 'reproductive isolation'.

This speculation is not unfounded, because Zhou You also discovered that after he became a Grandmaster, his childbearing rate suddenly stopped, and his current children were all his previous incarnations as a Grandmaster.

Many people may have experienced the laws of this world, but their understanding is limited, and they have not come to the important principle of 'reproductive isolation'.

OK?

Zhou You suddenly realized that perhaps a senior had discovered this, namely the Myriad Manifestations Martial Saint who created the Human Race Cult.

The origin of the Human Race Cult might be that Wanxiangwu wanted to break reproductive barriers and create a 'race' that was born a martial saint.

"Even so, if you want to become a Martial Saint, the Zhou family will be wiped out, not only the Eastern Branch, but also your Western Branch, and all your women, children, and future generations. Are you willing to give them up?"

The ninth-generation ancestor posed a soul-searching question to Zhou You.

Humans are not plants or trees; how can they be without feelings? The bonds of blood and the ties of kinship are the origins of countless families.

(End of this chapter)