The heavy snow blanketed everything in silver, transforming the world. The bustling city was cloaked in a pristine white, pure and unblemished. The cold wind howled, snowflakes danced, and one landed gently on a passerby's shoulder.
Feng Lin shook the snow off himself, the scene before him both unfamiliar and familiar. Unconsciously, he had been away from Earth for nearly a month, yet it felt like a lifetime. Earth had fully entered the depths of winter, with heavy snow falling. This sight was something unseen on Mars, where fierce winds and swirling sandstorms raged year-round.
After his spaceship landed on Earth, Feng Lin tucked it back into folded space and hurried toward his family home. He pushed his speed to the limit, moving so swiftly that his form became a blur, leaving no footprints on the soft snow beneath him. A blur of motion, treading snow without a trace—his cultivation had reached a level beyond ordinary imagination.
Glancing at the sky, his heart stirred slightly. Today was New Year's Eve, the day for the family's ancestral rites. In the ancient Earth era, after the technological explosion, civilizations had transitioned into modern societies, pursuing legal fairness, justice, and human freedom. The ancient form of the family clan had faced extinction. Across the vast Earth, with its many races and nations, only a few tightly-knit great families had survived.
But when humanity ventured beyond the solar system, they awakened their mythological genes. They felt the ancient bloodlines within them and rediscovered the meaning of ancestry. The interstellar realm was immense, dark, and brutal. To protect themselves, those of the same blood naturally gathered together again. The ancient clan system revived, bursting forth with unprecedented vitality. Because genetic bloodlines were no longer just oral legends but had become real, powerful supernatural forces, like an invisible chain binding kin together inseparably.
Every New Year's Eve, clan members performed ancient rites to honor their ancestors, strengthening family unity. After the rites came the annual clan ranking competition, determining the true geniuses of the family. The entire clan would pour its resources into nurturing that genius, preparing them for the interstellar university exams. Raising a true genius who could leave the solar system would greatly benefit the whole clan for generations.
Time was tight, and Feng Lin knew this well. He quickened his pace, turning into a gust of wind as he sped forward. If there had been a blur before, now even his figure was invisible.
...
At that moment, inside the Feng Corporation building, a grand hall hosted an ancient, solemn ancestral rite. No technology was involved—just a simple, archaic ceremony, dignified and reverent. The clan leader, leading all members dressed in ancient Hanfu, knelt and bowed to the ancestors. Those of higher status knelt in front, the lower-ranked behind, in strict order of precedence.
An elder presiding over the ceremony chanted the eulogy, its rhythmic cadence echoing through the air: "Long mountains verdant, Wei waters vast. Taihao Fuxi, born in Chengji. Drawing trigrams to open heaven, dawn of civilization. Setting calendars and measures, discerning yin and yang. First weaving nets, raising livestock. Building houses, making pottery, creating writing. Initiating marriage, establishing ethics. Crafting zithers and harps, bringing ritual and music. Naming officials after dragons, ordering the nine tribes. Founding Huaxia, igniting Yan and Huang. Great virtue shines with sun and moon, grand deeds match heaven and earth! ... Majestic Fuxi, revered through ages. Protecting the nation and people, dragon lineage ever prosperous. Honoring merits and repaying virtue, fragrant offerings. Come and partake, we humbly offer!"
The ritual was intricate, involving incense, reading the eulogy, offering meals, tea, silk, wine, delicacies, sacrificial meat, blessings, burning the eulogy, and final bows. Before the crowd stood a simple plaque inscribed with eight oracle bone script characters, one on each side: "Huaxia Ancestor" and "Taihao Fuxi!" The plaque bore an engraving of an old man with a human upper body and a serpentine tail, holding a brush, gazing skyward with ancient, penetrating eyes that seemed to see through all creation and the Dao. Before him lay a compass engraved with the yin-yang eight trigrams.
Though plain and unadorned, the plaque exuded an aura of ancient, enduring age—clearly no ordinary object. A divine artifact conceals its brilliance. The simplicity of the ancestral plaque only highlighted the family's deep, ancient heritage.
Among the crowd, Feng Lin's parents, along with his younger siblings, knelt at the very back, their faces anxious. Feng Lin had said he was doing part-time work but had been gone for a long time, even missing the ancestral rites. This was a grave sin of neglecting the ancestors. They could already feel the steward's cold, knife-like gaze lingering on them. If Feng Lin truly didn't return, their family would be in trouble.
Suddenly, cheers erupted in the hall. With the ancestral rites concluded, all the clan members grew excited. They knew the highlight of the year was next: the clan ranking competition. The family's geniuses would take the stage, competing in this ancient arena combat to honor the ancestors and showcase the clan's prosperity and talent.
The clan leader, aware of the eager crowd, wasted no time and announced loudly, "The clan ranking competition officially begins! Those wishing to participate, step forward and register!"
"Great!" A chorus of approval rose. The hall buzzed with fervor and enthusiasm. The leader nodded with satisfaction. This lively scene was a testament to the clan's thriving state.
"Register here!" Ten elders stepped forward and declared.
Boom! "I, Feng Haisheng, register!" "And me, Feng Chao!" "I, Feng Yang, also register!" ...
A flood of young clan members surged forward, jostling to be first, unwilling to fall behind. Soon, long lines formed before each elder.
Tap, tap, tap! Light footsteps sounded. A young man in a tailored uniform approached, his face stern, his whole demeanor like an unsheathed blade, sharp and imposing. As he neared, others stepped aside warily, creating a wide gap around him.
"I, Feng Li, register!" He stopped before an elder, speaking curtly and coldly.
"Look, it's Feng Li! My idol!" "Yeah! Feng Li's parents are ordinary, but he rose on his own to become the clan's prized genius—so impressive!" "A lower-class member becoming the top genius—truly inspiring!" ...
The murmurs reached a pale-faced young man, who snorted disdainfully.
"And me!" He shouted, stepping out from behind the clan leader. Standing on a thirty-meter-high platform, he looked down at the crowd, then leaped like a hawk swooping on its prey.
"Move aside! It's Feng Jinpeng!" "Another genius enters the fray! He's the clan leader's direct grandson, a true upper-class member!" "Yeah! Feng Jinpeng has been personally taught by the leader since childhood, with extraordinary strength—he might make it into the interstellar university!" ...
Every time a prodigy stepped forward, cheers erupted. More geniuses meant a more prosperous clan, and everyone felt pride and joy.
Feng Lang, an upper-class member, stood silently near the clan leader, watching the radiant Feng Jinpeng in the crowd, gritting his teeth. Both were the leader's direct grandsons, yet their statuses were worlds apart, fueling his resentment. His gaze then fell on Feng Lin's parents and siblings, darkening further. That kid still hadn't shown up—was he really abandoning his family, too afraid to return? If he dared to stand him up, he'd make sure...
The registration process ended quickly. To be thorough, the lead elder suddenly bellowed, "Anyone else to register? If not, then—"
"There's me!"
A deep voice cut him off. The hall's doors burst open, and fierce wind swept in with swirling snow, making everyone shiver. A figure strolled in unhurriedly, draped in snow.
Feng Lin had returned.