At that moment, Hu Lie's face displayed a hint of pain as he muttered, "It's so rare to come across such a promising talent, yet it's like a tantalizing treat we can see but cannot eat...and you even have an incredible background. The Tiger Clan simply can't accommodate you..."

After saying so, Hu Lie fixed his burning gaze on Chu Mo. "Brother, if you don't mind, let's become sworn siblings!"

"Huh?" Chu Mo, already uneasy, was taken aback by Hu Lie's proposal. Staring blankly at Hu Lie, he asked, "What did you say?"

"Let's become sworn siblings!" Hu Lie repeated himself.

"Even though... I understand... my suggestion is rather abrupt, but honestly, brother..." Hu Lie began to stutter, rubbing his hands together and looking at Chu Mo apologetically. "I might be overstepping my bounds..."

"Wait..." Chu Mo gawked at Hu Lie, his mouth twitching as he asked, "What exactly are you saying? Are you overstepping your bounds with me, or am I doing so with you?"

"I'm overstepping my bounds with you!" Hu Lie stated.

"...." Chu Mo rubbed his forehead in exasperation.

"Let me tell you this!" Hu Lie looked at Chu Mo earnestly and said, "If I'm not wrong, you probably weren't born in the Mortal Realm!"

Chu Mo's heart fluttered upon hearing this. Considering his orphan status, his face didn't betray much emotion as he looked at Hu Lie.

Hu Lie explained, "The Mortal Realm is reputed as a small and barren land, where the laws of Heaven and Earth are broken and incomplete. No one pays much attention to such a place, so in some sense, it's the safest place to hide. Even a Heavenly Emperor would need to condense a clone not exceeding the innate state to enter, and that's a risky endeavor. Can you imagine the embarrassment if an avatar of a Heavenly Emperor is killed in the Mortal Realm? It would be a huge joke, and they simply couldn't afford that loss!"

"What does this have to do with whether I was born in the Mortal Realm?" Chu Mo inquired.

"Your bloodline, and the divine weapon you possess, they all point to one thing, you were intentionally placed in the Mortal Realm to grow up!" Hu Lie explained.

"...." Chu Mo wore a speechless expression as he looked at Hu Lie.

"I won't claim to be a hundred percent certain about my guess, but I'm certain....it's pretty close to the truth!" Hu Lie declared confidently, "The only thing I don't know is who your parents are. They sure were brave, to leave you in such a place where no one could intervene, even themselves. It was a huge risk! If anything had happened to you... even if they were supreme beings, they wouldn't have been able to save you immediately!"

"How do you know I don't have biological parents in the Mortal Realm?" Chu Mo asked Hu Lie.

"Do you?" Hu Lie countered.

"...." Chu Mo was rendered speechless.

"See, I am known for my unparalleled wisdom in the Tiger Clan!" Hu Lie boasted proudly, then continued, "Usually, the power of one's bloodline only begins to awaken after the Foundation Establishment. I've never heard of a bloodline awakening before that! Therefore, your bloodline must be unimaginably powerful!"

"....." Chu Mo looked at Hu Lie and asked, "Can a bloodline be ascertained?"

Hu Lie shook his head, "Bloodlines cannot be detected, unless it's universally-known powerful ones or if the individual themselves confess. However...."

"However what?" Chu Mo inquired.

"The strength of a bloodline can be tested!" Hu Lie offered brightly, "Would you like to try it?"

Chu Mo stared at Hu Lie with a blank expression and said, "You seem to have strayed off-topic...also, you seem to have a knack for tangents. I asked you earlier about the ranking systems above the Spirit Realm, and you still haven't told me."

"....." Hu Lie also rubbed his forehead in frustration, murmuring, "The problem is your ignorance, you don't know anything. I'm telling you, if you hadn't run into me, you'd be sold by someone and still help them count the money...."

"You're going off topic again," Chu Mo kindly reminded.

"Cough cough... " Hu Lie looked at Chu Mo, "Let's become sworn siblings!"

"...."

....

"I, Hu Lie, the young master of the Tiger Clan, hereby solemnly swear to become sworn brothers with Chu Mo of the Human Clan. May we share good and bad fortunes and never betray one another!" Hu Lie knelt on the ground, fiercely vowing with utmost sincerity.

"I, Chu Mo of the Human Clan, declare hereby, to become sworn brothers with Hu Lie of the Tiger Clan. May we share fortunes and hardships and never betray one another!" Chu Mo knelt next to Hu Lie and declared his oath with the same solemnity.

At this moment, Chu Mo finally fully understood why Hu Lie had been so kind to him.

Hu Lie was an straightforward individual. Despite his high intelligence, he didn't hide anything even when dealing with someone he considered an insignificant "weakling" like Chu Mo. He informed Chu Mo about everything with utmost honesty.

Among the multitude of races in the Heavenly Realm, the Tiger Clan could be considered neither weak nor strong.

In the early years, the Tiger Clan had produced several extremely talented powerhouses. However, in the recent years, the Tiger Clan has been in a bit of awkward situation with no successors.

When it came to Hu Lie's generation, only he and his elder brother, Hu Xiao, were considered the pride of the Tiger Clan.

Hu Lie's brother, Hu Xiao, had already reached the second layer of the Illusory God Realm, where he had quite a reputation. However, Hu Xiao was very tough and hot-tempered, his main interests being battle and more battles!

Hu Xiao, who was originally supposed to be the young master of the Tiger Clan, made trouble several times in order to reject the position. The clan elders ultimately had to take away his right to inheritance. It was only after Hu Lie became the young master of the Tiger Clan that Hu Xiao eventually relented... and was actually quite happy about it.

Upon hearing this, Chu Mo was at a loss for words, considering Hu Xiao an oddity.

Although the Heavenly Realm was vast, the struggle for resources was intense, with small-scale wars erupting frequently. The Tiger Clan was also always under the threat of invasions from foreign territories and other dimensions.

And casualties... were inevitable.

Not just the Tiger Clan, other clans in the Heavenly Realm, even the topmost houses, were all facing these issues.

So, attracting talent to their clans... was a mission all families deemed necessary.

Especially for a clan's young master, like Hu Lie.

Hu Lie was candid and informed Chu Mo about these matters.

"Right now...I can help you a lot; in the future, you can help me!" Hu Lie stood up and extended a hand, "Our not-so-pure brotherhood will slowly become pure."

Chu Mo high-fived Hu Lie and laughed, "Now, can you tell me about the rankings above the Spirit Realm?"

-----------------

Let me start by saying that I'm not writing two novels simultaneously. Heaven Slaying Blade is a book I'm putting a lot of effort into, and it just happens that my other work, Crossing the Tribulation, was delayed due to frequent travels.

Crossing the Tribulation is a short novel of two hundred thousand words that I wrote for a gaming company. I began writing it right after I finished my previous novel, Proud Sword Overarching the Heavens, and it was completed before I started Heaven Slaying Blade.

So, rest assured, I won't be distracted from working on Heaven Slaying Blade.

Okay, I'm still asking for monthly votes! (To be continued. If you like this work, I welcome you to vote for it on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. For mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com.)

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.