The Path of Immortality: Starts With Creating Water Bear Gu

Upon hearing this, Long Biao's expression became even more disdainful. "A remote backwater, what's a poor relative's household going to produce in terms of genius?"

The upper echelons of the family have truly lost their minds, he thought. They don't trust the geniuses within our own family but instead pin their hopes on outsiders. He couldn't comprehend it.

"And besides, in a fair and just competition, you go outside and bring in external help? Isn't that shameless? Isn't that cheating? I'm not stooping to that level."

"Can they really do that? Are you sure we can bring in outside help for this kind of competition? Isn't that just cheating? That's way too dishonest!"

Long Biao's eyes widened in disbelief as he asked.

"Heh!" Long Qian chuckled smugly. "You young ones don't know this, but the Far West Long Clan is actually a split-off from the Western Long Clan."

"Two hundred years ago, the number of Gu cultivators in our clan had swelled to its peak. But don't think that more Gu cultivators in a family is necessarily better."

"Sure, having more Gu cultivators increases the potential for war, but every situation has its limits. The more people there are, the more resources they consume. Sooner or later, the burden will exceed what the family can bear."

"At that time, the Long Clan faced just such a situation. There were too many Gu cultivators, and the clan's resources were no longer sufficient to go around."

"In those days, resources were scarce, and everyone had to make do with less. This led to skyrocketing prices within the clan, and tensions grew increasingly severe."

"If resources were distributed equally, no one would ever become a Gu King. But if they were concentrated on a few, those left out would certainly not accept it quietly, and it would cause trouble."

"As internal conflicts escalated, the only options were to either start a war to divert the tensions or to split the family."

"The family voted and ultimately decided to split."

"But all the fertile lands had long been taken. Those who split off could only head to remote areas to clear new land or use force to occupy a small area."

"No one wanted to develop in barren lands, so the family used strong-arm tactics to force a large group of people out."

"And those who were forced out back then are the ancestors of today's Far West Long Clan."

"Of course, those sent to barren lands harbored resentment. Add to that the great distance between the two locations—crossing the dangerous Ten Thousand Great Mountains or taking a long detour by sea—made travel very difficult."

"After two hundred years, the two sides gradually lost contact, effectively becoming two separate forces. It wasn't until recently, when the old hatred had faded, that they reestablished relations."

"So strictly speaking, the Far West Long Clan is part of our Western Long Clan. We share the same bloodline, and their names are still on our family genealogy. Doesn't that make us the same force?"

"Did our clan break the rules? If you don't believe me, check the genealogy or even do a blood test. Who said we brought in outside help? We just found a few long-lost blood relatives and brought them back to the family. What's wrong with that? Heh!"

Long Qian revealed a sly smile, looking quite shameless.

Long Ruoxue covered her face. She couldn't bear to watch; it was so shameless. Was it really okay to bully the Bai Clan like this? She silently mourned for the Bai Clan in her heart.

If the Bai Clan knew that the Long Clan was planning to bring in external help, who knows what kind of expression they would make? It would probably be quite a sight!

"Are you really that confident in the geniuses of the Far West Long Clan? Are you so sure that a genius from a poor place can be stronger than our own family's geniuses? The upper echelons of the family really lack confidence in their own geniuses," Long Biao sneered again.

"The so-called geniuses in our clan are all arrogant fools like you, with no sense of reality. How could the family have confidence?"

Long Qian glanced at him impatiently before continuing, "Don't underestimate those who split off from the clan. Over the past two hundred years, they've developed very well, with their power growing steadily, producing many experts and geniuses."

"According to the clan's observations, the Far West Long Clan has at least four geniuses who could replace the four weakest candidates in our clan, with at least four others pending."

"In other words, in this upcoming genius tournament between our clan and the Bai Clan, at least half of our participants will be from the Far West Long Clan. With the strongest geniuses from both clans united, our chances of victory are greatly increased."

"I'm even considering bringing in more external help to replace you because you just don't inspire confidence."

Long Qian looked at him with a doubtful expression, as if he wasn't joking.

Long Biao scoffed, his face full of defiance. He had made up his mind that when they arrived, he would challenge the strongest genius of the Far West Long Clan to prove that the family's decision was wrong.

"Don't look so defiant. Based on the information we have, the Far West Long Clan has two geniuses who are unbeatable in their realm, far surpassing any of our family's geniuses. The toughest opponents from the Bai Clan will have to be handled by these two. You all should just focus on the weakest ones!"

Long Qian could see what Long Biao was thinking and decided to add fuel to the fire to provoke him further.

In his view, Long Biao had grown up in too comfortable an environment, which had led to his arrogant and conceited nature. A defeat might do him good, tempering his arrogance and possibly correcting his inflated ego.

...

The ship flew rapidly through the sky until it neared a mountain range rich in spiritual energy, where it finally began to slow down. After flying for a while longer, it slowly descended vertically near a cluster of buildings.

It seemed that the people inside had already received the news, as a large group came out to greet them with smiles on their faces.

Long Wanli Spoke First with a Beaming Smile

Long Wanli was the first to speak, smiling broadly, "So it's Brother Qian visiting! It's been years since we last met, and I hadn't expected that you would now hold such a high position as one of the Five Elders of your clan, and even become a renowned formation master in the Western Lands. Time truly flies."

Long Qian also smiled and responded politely, "That doesn't compare to you. You are now the head of your entire clan, a position far superior to mine."

"The fact that your clan is flourishing under your leadership speaks volumes about your abilities. I am far from being your equal."

"Let's not dwell on the past. I am here today because I have an important request."

"My clan is preparing to hold a Genius Tournament with the Bai Clan to decide the ownership of a mineral vein. Each side will field twelve geniuses, three from each stage: early, middle, late, and peak Marrow Cleansing."

"Although my clan doesn't lack geniuses, we want to ensure our victory. Therefore, I have come to request the help of a few of your clan's geniuses."

"As long as your clan's geniuses can secure the victory for us in the tournament, our clan will surely reward you with precious treasures."

Upon hearing this, Long Wanli and the elders behind him finally understood the purpose of Long Qian's visit. After exchanging glances, Long Wanli smiled and said, "You truly came at the perfect time."

"Today happens to be the day of our clan's tournament, where all our geniuses gather to compete in the arena. The tournament has just begun, so you can watch and assess the talents of our clan, making it easier to select whom you need."

"Please, come inside. Let's go in and talk. We shouldn't keep those geniuses waiting."

Long Wanli made way, gesturing with a welcoming hand.

"Hahaha!" Long Qian laughed heartily, "It seems our two clans share the same timing for our tournaments. I planned my visit precisely for this reason."

"I'll take this opportunity to see firsthand the depth of your clan's talents. Although we've done some research, what's written on paper can't compare to seeing it with our own eyes."

Long Qian chuckled and stepped forward, with Long Ruoxue and Long Biao immediately following behind. However, Long Biao still walked with his head held high, maintaining an arrogant demeanor.

"That's right, seeing is believing. It's only proper to inspect things personally. Someone, quickly prepare seats on the high platform!"

With a group of people surrounding him, Long Qian slowly made his way to the high platform overlooking the tournament arena. Long Wanli arranged for him to sit beside him. As for the two juniors he brought along, they could only stand behind him. Even though they were guests, their status was still too different to be treated as equals.

The clan elders sat on either side of the two, with no change in their seating arrangement, except that an additional chair was placed between them.

As the two entered and took their seats, their conversation never ceased, with smiles and polite exchanges flowing constantly.

At this point, Long Qian finally directed his attention to the geniuses on the arena below, which was the main purpose of his visit. The clan tournament was the ultimate test of a genius's strength, and those who earned rankings here were considered the most outstanding geniuses in the entire clan.

At that moment, the two figures on the arena turned out to be Long Yan and Long Bao, a pair of rivals. One was tall and thin, the other short and fat, and they were fiercely battling it out with earth masters clad in metallic insect armor.

It was a battle of Gu against Gu and man against man. On one side of the arena, the Gu insect were engaged in chaotic combat, while on the other side, it was a showdown between the two men.

However, in the Gu insect battle, Long Yan had a significant advantage, while in the physical fight, Long Bao was clearly dominating.

Long Bao was simply too massive; getting hit by him was excruciating. Long Yan's face was pale, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't budge this mountain of a man. At this point, he could only dodge and evade, barely holding on.

But this didn't mean he was at a disadvantage overall. In Gu cultivation, the battle isn't just between people but also between the Gu. And in the Gu insect battlefield, he currently held a considerable upper hand.

His strategy was to stall, delaying until his Gu secured victory, so they could then assist him in subduing this fat giant.

However, Long Bao wasn't foolish. He knew his weaknesses and that dragging the fight out would only be to his detriment. Thus, he increased his attack speed, aiming to defeat his opponent as quickly as possible before the Gu battle was decided. If the fight dragged on, he knew he would be the one to lose.

Long Yan tried every possible method to delay time, even using verbal distractions, leaving no stone unturned.

Meanwhile, Long Bao did everything he could to end the fight quickly, his attacks growing faster and faster. Their fighting styles were complete opposites, with each other's weaknesses counterbalancing the other's strengths. This made the outcome of the battle highly uncertain, and it was hard to say who would ultimately win.

The spectators around the arena were thoroughly entertained, cheering and shouting encouragement. The close and unpredictable nature of the match made it all the more thrilling.

Watching the battle below, Long Qian's eyes lit up. Although these two weren't the top-tier fighters, they were definitely capable of replacing the two candidates already chosen by the clan.

Long Qian had a keen eye. Nearly everyone who entered the ancient tomb back then had perished, with only a handful surviving. These two were among the rare survivors.

For someone to survive such a deadly scenario, they had to have some real skills. It was just that their talent had been overshadowed by the monstrous abilities of Long Ziyan, which was why they weren't well-known.