15. Ancestor takes on a case!

When Lan finished watching movies, it was already noon. Energized by the action film, he stepped out of his bamboo house. The sun was setting, painting the sky a vivid red. The sky looks just like it did back in my home world, he mused.

In his home world, he often watched sunsets—initially out of necessity, as he lived on the streets, and later out of habit, even after his success. The sunset, a symbol of the end of the day, had always given him a sense of solace, a reminder that even the sun could set. Conversely, he never liked sunrises, which he found to be too hopeful and optimistic.

Lost in these thoughts, he was approached by Caretaker Rin, who greeted him with a smile. Seeing his phone-addicted gang member made him a bit happier. At least in this world, I have someone working for me willingly, though it's just one lady goon.

He gestured for Rin to follow him into his bamboo house. Once inside, he opened his work desktop and showed her two screenshots. "Rin, who is this drunken kid?"

Rin, who was always fascinated by Ancestor's artifacts, looked at the large screen with interest. The image wasn't the best quality—the person was collapsed on the floor—but she quickly deduced from the description that the kid was Situ Kulu.

"Great Ancestor, this is Situ Kulu. He's from the 9th generation main family line." Rin's gossip instincts kicked in. "He's always drinking. Three months ago, he was a very honest person, but then he suddenly took to drinking. Despite his condition, he's still honest and doesn't disturb anyone while drunk. He usually passes out everywhere. Yesterday, I heard he lost his money bag."

Rin added slyly, "He's 26 years old and at Martial Apprentice Level 9," she boasted. "Which is five levels below my Martial Warrior Level 3."

Lan acknowledged her bragging with a casual nod. He wasn't expecting much from her; he needed deeper insights into the situation. "Rin, go and bring Situ Xi here. Tell him if he isn't here in five minutes, I'll come find him, and that won't be pleasant for him."

Rin hurried away with a spring in her step. Lan stroked his beard thoughtfully, "He must be in the west side stables."

Meanwhile, Situ Xi was relishing his time trashing Hai Yaozu. "Yaozu, I told you to go home, but you got cocky after gathering a few arrows, huh?" He kicked the Cheng Family head in the face and stepped on his hands.

Situ Xi continued, "Who used 'Qulin Rising to Sky' to flee? You think you're 'Qulin'? I'll make your face look like 'Qulin' today." He pummeled their faces, with Situ Pao occasionally joining in.

At that moment, Rin arrived and informed Situ Xi of the Ancestor's summon. He quickly wiped his bloody hands and rushed towards the Gray Courtyard, worried about why the Ancestor needed him now.

Entering the bamboo house, he saw Lan sitting leisurely in a reclined chair. Situ Xi bowed and asked, "Great Ancestor, what service do you require of me?"

Lan, stroking his long white beard, asked, "Do you know about Situ Kulu? Why is that kid always drunk?"

Situ Xi began to sweat. He hadn't expected the Ancestor to be concerned about someone's drinking habits. Why did Situ Kulu have to show his drunken self to the Ancestor? He cursed Situ Kulu internally before responding, "Ancestor, Situ Kulu is an honest kid. I've tried to stop him from drinking, but he's beyond saving. If you find him irritating, I can expel him from the family grounds."

Lan's hand paused, and he stared at Situ Xi. "Why is he drinking so much?"

Situ Xi, wiping sweat from his forehead, continued, "Great Ancestor, Kulu is in love with the daughter of the Kai family. He wanted to propose to her, but given our difficult situation last year, I didn't allow it. The truth is, the Kai Family would never have agreed to the marriage. Despite this, Kulu was diligent in his cultivation. However, during the last Annual Sect Gathering, the girl, Kai Jiaying, was selected by the Red Wind Sect. Kulu proposed secretly but was harshly rejected due to his poor aptitude in cultivation. That's when he resorted to drinking."

Lan, deep in thought, listened carefully. Situ Xi, surprised by the Ancestor's interest in worldly affairs, waited in silence. Lan finally spoke, "What is this Red Wind Sect? How powerful are they?"

Situ Xi was prepared for this question. "Great Ancestor, the Red Wind Sect is one of the three major sects of the Aste Continent. They possess power similar to the three academies. The current Patriarch is in the Martial King realm, but there are rumors that the sect's founder was an Emperor-level powerhouse, though no one dares to confirm this."

He added quickly, "Great Ancestor, we should avoid interfering with the sect's affairs. Sects often have founder's treasures with power to kill Emperor-level powerhouses. They don't disturb us as long as we handle foreign threats together. They also don't care for our minor wealth, but they occasionally recruit talented juniors during the Annual Sect Gathering."

Lan, still listening, nodded. Situ Xi continued, "If we interfere with the Red Wind Sect, the Kai family will support the sect, disturbing the power balance. I know you're invincible in the King Realm, but I wouldn't want to risk losing you again." He pretended to shed a few tears to show his concern for the Ancestor.

Lan chuckled and asked, "Do you know what realm my powers are in?"

Situ Xi, embarrassed, hesitated. He recalled that the Ancestor was in the late King Realm before going into seclusion. Since breaking into the Emperor Realm was challenging, he cautiously replied, "King Realm?"

Lan laughed and got up. "That's old news. Your ancestor is far more powerful than you think." He shooed Situ Xi away. "Tell Kulu to come here fast."

Situ Xi, ecstatic, hurried away, his mind buzzing with the news of the Ancestor being in the Emperor Realm. Our Ancestor is in Emperor Realm! My good days are coming.

After Situ Xi left, Lan turned to Rin, who was still loitering around. "How did you know I was breaking through to the Demi-God Realm? Even the family head didn't know."

Rin puffed out her chest proudly. "Great Ancestor, before entering seclusion, you told me yourself. I was unaware that the family head did not know. Perhaps you saw my talent and found me trustworthy."

Lan shook his head, uninterested in more of Rin's bragging. "Oh, I guess you are trustworthy. Now, go bring me something to drink."

As Rin walked away with her chin held high, Lan pondered his future. The sects and academies are low-level areas. If I become a God-level character, I could be a world boss!

He quickly called the system. "System! How many FP are required to reach the God level?"

The system whirred and displayed:

< Query Accepted >

< Host Current Cultivation Realm: Half-Step Demi-God State >

< FP required for God Realm: 106 Trillion >

Lan gasped at the number. "Holy fuck! It's too much. If the whole population is around a billion, it would take me at least 300 years to gather that many points, assuming everyone knows me for that long. This is literally impossible."

He calculated the population based on the world's high danger levels. To solve this problem, he asked, "How many FP are required to advance to Demi-God Realm?"

The system responded:

< FP required for Martial Demi-God Level 1: 53 Million >

< FP Required for Martial Demi-God Level 5: 31 Billion >

< FP Required for Martial Demi-God Level 9: 500 Billion >

< Host's current FP: 11,328,499 >

Lan considered that he might be able to amass enough FP to reach the Middle Demi-God Realm in about a year. Reaching the God level, however, would take much longer. The Demi-God level seemed sufficient for now.

He then asked the system, "How many people in this world are in the Demi-God Realm?"

The system answered:

< Query Accepted >

< No one except the host can advance to Martial Demi-God Realm in this world. No killing penalty on host is to cater for the same restriction. >

Lan understood why he was given such a huge penalty. The system was preventing him from disrupting the power balance. But, being clever, Lan planned to rise to Demi-God level first after gathering the points.

Just then, someone knocked on his door. Lan invited the barely sober Situ Kulu inside. Situ Xi was keeping the young man from collapsing.

Lan observed the messy, nearly unconscious young man. "Why are you always drunk, kid?"

Situ Kulu, too drunk to comprehend, swayed in response. Annoyed, Lan stood up, walked over, and swatted him away like a fly. Situ Kulu, a Martial Apprentice Level 9, was thrown against the Thousand-Year Bamboo wall by Lan's strike.

"Tell him to report to me tomorrow, if I saw him drunk at that time, Humph!" And he pushed everyone out and closed the door. Lan watched as Situ Xi and Situ Kulu were hurriedly escorted out. As the door closed, he thought, Fear of death is the best cure for addiction! He was confident that after today's scare, Situ Kulu would be keen to mend his ways.

Glancing at the next picture on his desktop screen, Lan's frustration mounted. The image was less than ideal, and the situation it represented was not what he had hoped for. With a sigh of irritation, he shooed away anyone who might have been lingering around, deciding that it would be too embarrassing to call them back now.

Feeling the weight of the day's events, Lan decided to retire early for the evening, mentally preparing for the tasks ahead. The challenges of his role and the intricacies of the world he was navigating were becoming ever more apparent, and he needed a clear head for the days to come.