C53 The Five Great Families

"I've obtained my mid-level spiritual spell and those lotus flowers from the Moonfall Sanctuary."

Yuan Lianyao gazed at the distant, enormous archway, lost in memories of times gone by.

The sky was dimming, heralding the approach of night.

The archway radiated a soft silver glow, captivating the attention of everyone, even from several miles away.

The Silvery Land beneath their feet was marred with numerous fissures, said to be the result of the Moon Shard's impact that tore the ground asunder.

Yu Yuan stood at the edge of one such crack, peering into its depths.

Inside, it was dark and mysterious, with occasional white lights flickering like elusive fireflies.

He had heard tales of the Moonfall Sanctuary in his past life but had never visited.

That's because the Moonfall Sanctuary's benefits were reserved for cultivators.

They would grasp the spiritual spells, overcome their cultivation bottlenecks, and claim extraterrestrial rare treasures.

In his past life, he hadn't even reached the Spirit Channel Realm, let alone embarked on the path of cultivation. What good would visiting the Moonfall Sanctuary do for him?

Moreover, the Moonfall Sanctuary had been in decline for three hundred years.

The lack of groundbreaking discoveries or significant cultivation breakthroughs by explorers had caused this once-coveted land to lose its appeal to formidable cultivators.

Otherwise, the Moonfall Sanctuary wouldn't have fallen under the control of the Silvermoon Empire, becoming merely a proving ground for the empire's youth.

"The five great families of the Empire, along with the seven cities, will send people of your age to the forbidden area for trials," Yuan Lianyao said, turning to address the group that had accompanied her. "Each of the five great families will form their own team, while the seven cities will each contribute to a single team."

"However, the teams from the cities tend to disperse once inside the forbidden area."

"Only the teams from the five great families maintain their unity from start to finish."

"…"

With the Moonfall Sanctuary now within sight, she reiterated her advice with unwavering patience.

Yu Yuan looked up at the vast arch in the distance and pondered, "What about us? Should we also disperse and go our separate ways once we're inside the forbidden area?"

The Silvermoon Empire was home to seven cities: Silvermoon, Lellon, Wethtalos, Sillserine, Erhokadi, Asenalenor, and Asvetaesi. Each of these cities housed various influential families, much like in Asvetaesi.

Within many of these cities, the families were far from harmonious. Instead, they were often engaged in covert and overt conflicts. Deadly feuds, such as those between the Huang and Yu families, were not uncommon.

In such an environment, teams from each city were likely to go their separate ways the moment they stepped into the forbidden area for the trial. It was even possible that they would end up crossing swords later on.

However, members of the Lee, Yan, Su, Lin, and Van families generally stood united against common foes during the trials in the forbidden area. Teams from these five great families tended to reap the greatest benefits from each trial.

"Brother Yu, before I came here, the old man told us to stick with you," Zhao Yafu said with a crescent-moon smile. "I'm not concerned about the details. Our Zhao family will join forces with you, and I'll follow your lead."

"Brother, rest assured, I'll protect you!" Yu Feifei declared, clenching her fists and swinging them energetically.

Throughout the journey, she had been glued to Yu Yuan's side, consistently addressing him as "brother," regardless of his response. Gradually, Yu Yuan grew accustomed to her constant chatter, and deep down, he even missed it when she fell silent during her cultivation.

"Brother Yu, why don't we stick together from now on?" Yuan Ting suggested.

Yuan Ting, a robust and forthright member of the Yuan family with a late-stage Soul Awakening cultivation, was slightly older than the rest. Under Yuan Lianyao's guidance, he had been making a concerted effort to befriend Yu Yuan. After sharing a few drinks together, they had grown close, comfortably referring to each other as brothers.

"If you think we shouldn't part ways, then we won't," Yu Yuan replied with a nonchalant shrug. "After all, I'm just here to fill a spot in this forbidden area trial, merely to take it all in."

He was the sole practitioner to have achieved the Spirit Channel realm.

Yet, he hadn't managed to break through the initial barrier and step into the Soul Awakening Realm.

Of course, he wasn't in a rush.

"Now that we're rid of the Huang family's malignancy, the three major families of Asvetaesi have grown much closer," Yuan Ting said with a hearty laugh. "If we stick together and watch out for each other, we won't suffer too many losses."

The others nodded in agreement.

Asvetaesi ranked at the bottom of the seven cities within the Silvermoon Empire in terms of strength.

It was significantly weaker than the other cities, let alone when compared to the five great families.

The highest realm among their group was Zhao Yafu, who was only in the early period of the Golden Sanctum.

Su Yan from the Su family and Lin Zhuyun from the Lin family were both in the late period of the Golden Sanctum, and they might even advance to the Veil Breaking realm during the trials in the forbidden area.

The Lee, Yan, and Van families also had young powerhouses of similar caliber leading their teams.

It was rumored that many families from the other six cities had representatives at the Golden Sanctum level.

In terms of both numbers and realm strength, Asvetaesi was lagging behind.

Without unity, they would face even greater disadvantages during the trials in the forbidden area.

"Hu!"

A massive green bird suddenly appeared from the distance.

Its wings spanned five to six meters, and its flapping caused the air to whirl into a mini-storm, with energy sparkling and scattering throughout.

"A Spirit Bird!"

"And there's someone riding it!"

Yu Feifei and the youths from the Zhao and Yuan families exclaimed in amazement as they watched the great green bird.

Yu Yuan glanced over and then hung his head, displaying a lack of interest.

"A fourth-level Songbird has a battle strength equivalent to someone in the Veil Breaking realm," Yuan Lianyao remarked with a hint of envy. "This Songbird belongs to the Lee family of the imperial lineage. The rider must be the Lee family's leader for this journey—Lee Yu. He's the top-ranked contender in the empire's Five New Moon Rankings."

"Lee Yu! The same Lee Yu who has already ascended to the Veil Breaking Stage?"

"It's rumored that he's now an official disciple of the Sunlit Order, one of the three great upper sects of Euwrea!"

"Yes, I've heard the Sunlit Order values him highly."

"The Sunlit Order of Euwrea is even more formidable than Winter's Bite!"

"Ebon Star, Sunlit Order, and Sword Sect, these three upper sects, can hold their own even against the likes of Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep! Winter's Bite is merely one of the seven lower sects. How could it possibly compare to the Sunlit Order?"

Members of the younger generation from the Zhao and Yuan families gazed enviously at the indistinct figure atop the Songbird, buzzing with conversation.

"Yu Yuan, why are you so unaffected?" Yuan Ting inquired, puzzled.

While everyone was marveling and expressing their envy of Lee Yu and the Songbird, Yu Yuan alone remained indifferent, his demeanor nonchalant as if he hadn't heard a word they said.

"I'm just worn out from the journey and in need of a good rest," Yu Yuan replied with a wry smile.

"Oh, my apologies, brother," Yuan Ting said, feeling a bit sheepish. "I nearly forgot you're the one among us with the lowest level of cultivation. Indeed, after such a long trek, it's only natural that you'd be overwhelmed without having used spiritual energy to rejuvenate your body."

Yuan Lianyao gave him a covert eye roll, thinking to herself, "He's clueless."

If Yu Yuan's abilities were limited to the Spirit Channel stage, how could he have possibly survived the earth-shattering events in Asvetaesi?

She had long noticed that neither the fourth-level Songbird nor Lee Yu's status within the Sunlit Order seemed to matter to Yu Yuan.

His detachment and nonchalance left her puzzled, wondering how this young man from the Yu family could remain so composed, as if nothing mattered to him.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

A golden rhinoceros charged across the open plain, heading straight for them.

Atop the rhinoceros stood a young man, his body gleaming with golden light.

He stood firm and unshaken, unaffected by the wild ride, his gaze fixed on the Songbird soaring above, as if challenging Lee Yu.

"Move aside!"

Yuan Lianyao called out, prompting the crowd to quickly disperse and clear a path for the charging golden rhinoceros.

"Yu Yuan, dodge quickly!"

...