Gaining lifespan, acquiescing to the kingdom

Upon seeing this, the Conquestian closed his eyes and sighed emotionally, "You've grown younger. After advancing to Blue Depth Core Level, how much lifespan did you gain?"

As it turned out, advancing ranks gave lifespan! That revelation would singlehandedly throw the entire human world into chaos! Who did not want to live a long life? Everyone had their own hopes and dreams, lovers and families, fears and regrets. Life, especially a human life, was too short and finite. What could they achieve in one lifetime? It was inconsequential! That was why everyone feared death. In this world, where lives could vanish on a whim, it was simply too fragile. Disease, war, murder, famine, old age, and accidents… Just like how the Second Great Kingdom War left hundreds of thousands of dead, and many more struggling to survive, death was ever-present! So, if the truth spread, that advancing in ranks could grant lifespan, everyone would go crazy!

Despite all that, the truth was never widespread. Could it be that the civilizations were keeping a tight lid on it, to prevent mass panic? That seemed logical on the surface, but when one looked further, they would realize it was nonsense. Who did not yearn for eternal life? Even if not eternal, but a long and fulfilling life? Greed was the main driving force behind all actions. This matter was too big to conceal! A single spark was all that was needed to start a raging fire, and this matter was the driest kindling in the forest! In the face of eternal life and immortality, loyalty would become worthless. People would die for money and kill for life! That saying was true everywhere, whether it be the lowest of ants, or the greatest of humans!

Excluding that, then the reason must be… no one knew! But how was that possible? There were hundreds, if not thousands, of Rank 2 individuals throughout the world. Who among them were not geniuses, war-born heroes, or legendary? For no one to discover it, it seemed unlikely and yet it was the undeniable truth! Advancing ranks absolutely granted lifespan one hundred percent of the time. The world was both cruel and fair and with risks came rewards. The greater the risk, the greater the reward! Advancing ranks was extremely challenging and dangerous, consuming countless geniuses over the eons. Time, energy, talent, effort, and resources were the foundations of advancement. There may be a thousand willing, but only a few could do it. And this advancement was equivalent to an evolution in life, transcending mortality and becoming a higher being! The world granted both power and lifespan to the victor!

Rank 1, that is Fundamental Realm and Gaseous Fog, had nothing much to say. Because it was the starting point of every sentient being, there was no point to talk about lifespan extension. That changed once a person reached Rank 2, either Perception Realm or Condensed Drop! They were breaking through the first barrier on the path towards the top! The increase in lifespan here, roughly ten years, was small enough to ignore. People would think it logical since Perception Realms were unimaginably fit and vigorous. People with stronger bodies would live longer than those with weaker ones; that just made sense. That was why no one discovered this hidden earth-shaking secret!

And Rank 3 was even more exaggerated, granting the person around one hundred years of life! The greater the risk, the greater the reward! It was titanically monstrously difficult to scale the ladder and step into the realm of a Rank 3 King. Hundreds of years could pass without one! They were many, many times rarer than a Rank 2 Lord, so the rewards matched the difficulties. A hundred years… a century. Most humans lived to seventy, with healthier and luckier individuals making it to eighty. Queen Bethnal of the Alzar Kingdom was one such case and it represented the rough ceiling of a human's lifespan. Taking Rank 2 into account, then a human could live to ninety and potentially a hundred! The Conquestian was the perfect example.

So, a hundred years effectively doubled a human's lifespan! With two hundred years of total lifespan, a Rank 3 King could accomplish many things! Just think about it. The Alzar Kingdom lasted for a little more than five hundred years… With a Rank 3 King, they could steer and control the kingdom's growth for half of its existence! And it was not a trick either. This lifespan did not simply 'extend' the person's maximum age. If an elderly man reached Rank 3, and lived for an extra century, but kept his old decrepit body… that would be a truly sad joke. What could they accomplish with their body halfway in the grave? That would be pointless, almost insulting. Therefore, this 'extension' was more like regaining youth!

An elderly man would regress to a middle-aged man, while a middle-aged man would regress to a young lad. One could almost say it was defying natural order, reversing time, and restoring youth! That was why despite being born in the same generation, the Conquestian and Protector Avin, looked diametrically different. Although the Conquestian's demeanor and posture radiated youthful vitality, his body exuded a thick aura of death. It was obvious he was close to dying. On the other hand, Protector Avin lacked those qualities. There were no tricks, no disguises, and no magic involved. He was unmistakable a middle-aged man!

Freon and Nassandra were once confused by this too, since their old uncle transformed into a 'young' man again. That was why Avin was confident when he roamed Firecast looking for the siblings that if he suppressed his Core Level, no one would discover him. How could they? Even if they remembered the person known as Avin Arcellius, the image of an elderly grandfather would enter their mind. No one would dare associate that image with the middle-aged Avin! This allowed Protector Avin to search the capital for weeks using his True Perception, in hopes of catching either Freon or Nassandra, without being discovered. The rest was history.

Protector Avin did not answer the man's question and instead replied with his own, "Princess Samanthie gifting that girl a mansion, were her intentions aimed towards me?"

The Conquestian did not answer either and walked away from the window, settling down to pick up a teacup. Staring at the enchanting amber liquid inside, he started mysteriously, "Do you know the origins of the leaves used to brew this tea?" Without waiting for an answer, he continued, "They're called Yellow Fall Leaves and they're grown in the southeast of the kingdom. It has a strict growth cycle and has a peculiar diet, that of tea leaves! Depending on the quality of tea leaves used as fertilizer, it has dramatically distinct growth speeds. The highest quality could shorten that time frame to a few months, while the lowest quality could drag it out to years, if not decades. But the most important thing of all… is that it requires tea leaves to grow! Only with that can it fully grow and flourish, being enjoyed by everyone in the kingdom."

Like a brick wall, Protector Avin maintained his silence, but he was inwardly scoffing. The Conquestian's meanings were as plain as day to him. How could they not be? Freon and Nassandra were the 'budding tea leaves', while he was the 'fertilizer'! New waves plow forward, while the old waves support it from behind, that was the saying that immediately came to his mind. He needed to become the solid foundation for which the Arcellius Family grew their roots and sprouted! But there was a hidden meaning that Protector Avin should step to the side and leave the stage for the younger generation. Oldtimers like him and the Conquestian… their generation had long since been passed! Like this, the Conquestian was implying that Protector Avin should refrain from acting out, even if he possessed Rank 3 combat strength!

This was the crux of the problem, and one that gave him the greatest headache. Blue Depth Core Level was indeed impressive, almost borderline mythical in the human world! It was worthy to be termed as 'King'! But… it was not almighty, not close at all! Taking the extermination of the Featherwind Sect as an example, there were numerous Rank 3 Kings present. The leader of the four guardians, Infernal Witch King, Chaotic Hex King, and even Ice Rupture King, a total of four Rank 3 Kings. They could dictate the flow of battle! They were undoubtedly the stars of the battlefield! However, they could not dominate it. The ultimate result was still decided by the armies of Rank 2 Lords and Rank 1s. If it were a Rank 4 Emperor or higher, then things would be different, but as Rank 3s, they were too insignificant!

Protector Avin knew his limits well. Just like how the Luminous Central Origin required three massive armies consisting of thousands of Rank 2 Lords, specialized warships with Rank 3 power, three Rank 3 Kings, and finally the Underworld Rose to triumph, contesting against the Zino Kingdom with his meager power was a fool's errand. It was suicide! But that was never his goal anyways. For now, he wanted to focus on Freon and Nassandra to rebuild the Arcellius Family. His dream was to witness its revival! The matter of the Zino Kingdom refusing to aid the Arcellius Family in their time of need would be dealt with later. Thinking this, then what Protector Avin had to do was obvious. He sat down opposite of the Conquestian and grabbed a teacup. He was acquiescing!

"When the Arcellius Family fell into a predicament, the Zino Kingdom did not help. Because of that, all of our members died and Lady Serana was no exception," the man turned chilly. If looks could kill, this would be it! "I fled with Mikaus and I managed to protect him for decades, while he created a family of his own. But just when I thought it was safe and secluded myself to break into Blue Depth Core Level, the Xingyuu Empire attacked," the man turned gloomy. "However… Freon and Nassandra were both saved by you and brought up. For this, we can call our debts settled and evened," the man turned calm before Avin glared at the Conquestian deeply. "The Arcellius Family has no intent on pursuing these past matters. I hope that the Zino Kingdom does the same."

"Of course, that is what we desire as well," the Conquestian smiled. "These decade-old grudges should stay as water under the bridge. The future should rest in the hands of the next generation."