At the moment of his father's death, he finally understood: in order for him to awaken his bloodline factors, his father had not hesitated to make deals with others, even selling the treasured Wenlin Blade he cherished as his very life!

In order for him to cultivate quickly, his father had knelt before the clan leader, enduring humiliation to beg for the Linggu Pill, but had his mother pretend to have obtained it by chance and give it to him!

To keep him from being implicated by his father's reputation, his father had forced himself to act cold and indifferent in front of his own son, despite the pain in his heart...

But... what did it matter to realize all this at that moment? His father was already gone, had left him forever!

The tree wishes to be still, but the wind will not cease; the son wishes to care for his parents, but they are no longer there!

He realized it all too late. If he had understood earlier, he wouldn't have been so unfilial. After his mother passed away and he took charge of the branch family, he scolded his father so harshly that he didn't dare come home! If he had understood earlier, he wouldn't have, when the demon clan invaded, shouted that he was ashamed to be the son of such a useless man, breaking his father's heart and driving him to a death he accepted willingly! If he had understood earlier, he wouldn't have...

Too many "ifs," too many things he would never do, all vanished with that single shot, never to be recovered!

Father, your son has let you down!

Father, your son was a fool!

Father, your son was immature, your son never understood your painstaking efforts!

Father, since I have been given a second life in this world, I am willing to use my life to make up for my past mistakes, to defend your honor and dignity with my very existence!

"Father!"

Overcome with emotion, looking at his somewhat ragged father, William Nash's eyes reddened. The word he hadn't spoken in hundreds of years slowly came from his lips, awkward but filled with a son's heartfelt longing.

"You... what did you call me?" Edward Nash's steps faltered as he walked out, his whole body trembling uncontrollably, unable to believe what he had just heard.

This son, ever since he was six, had been ashamed of his background, ashamed of his father, and had never once called him "father." How... how...

"Father, drink less wine. Your old injuries still haven't fully healed!" Suppressing his emotions, William Nash said.

"You want me to drink less? My son is calling me father? No, no, I have brought you shame, I am not worthy to be your father..." Edward Nash hurriedly walked out. With his back to William Nash and the others, two murky tears slowly slid down his face...

My son is willing to call me "father" now, willing to acknowledge me. Even if I die now, it will have been worth it!

"I'll talk to father again later. He's still trapped in the shadow of his past failure. I must help him resolve this knot in his heart!" Sighing, William Nash looked at his mother in front of him. "Mother, I'm fine. Look, your eyes are all red. You must be tired. Go rest quickly. I'll come greet you in the morning!"

"As long as you're alright. Since you've just woken up, sleep a bit more. I'll find the best healing medicine for you so you can fully recover!" His mother, Linda Nash, seeing her son fully awake, finally let go of the pressure she had been holding inside. She did indeed feel a bit tired, so after a few words of comfort, she stood up and went back to her room to rest.

"If I want to change everything, I must have strength. I can't waste any more time—it's time to cultivate!"

After his parents left the room, William Nash slowly sat up and, following his usual breathing technique, entered a state of cultivation.

For Qi Sea cultivators, there are a total of nine realms, commonly known as the Nine Heavens of the Qi Sea: the first is Qi Induction, the second is Spirit Valley, the third is Breath Nurturing, the fourth is True Qi, the fifth is Out-of-Body, the sixth is Formation of Gang, the seventh is Armored Soldier, the eighth is Qi Sect, and the ninth is Supreme!

Qi Sea cultivation talent is determined by the strength of one's bloodline—the higher the bloodline, the greater the talent, and the higher the realm one can eventually reach!

Bloodline strength is measured by bloodline factors, which are set at birth and represent one's innate talent. The more factors, the more noble the status. There are five ranks: Imperial, Royal, Marquis, Noble, and Common. Ordinary cultivators have no bloodline factors; being able to awaken even one means a top-grade common bloodline. Two to three is a noble bloodline, and so on: four to five is marquis, six to seven is royal, and eight to nine is the rarest imperial bloodline!

Each rank is further divided into upper and lower grades based on the number of bloodline factors. Even among royal bloodlines, upper grade is more prestigious than lower grade!

Back then, his father Edward Nash was able to awaken as many as seven bloodline factors, becoming an upper-grade royal bloodline—his potential was extraordinary!

Seven bloodline factors meant he could form seven dantians in his Qi Sea, meaning he alone had seven dantians, and his cultivation speed was seven times that of others!

Where others needed seven days to cultivate, he needed only one. Such talent could only be described as terrifying!

"Hmm? Where are my bloodline factors? Weren't they already awakened? Why can't I see a single one?"

As soon as his mind entered his Qi Sea, William Nash immediately noticed something was wrong and froze in place.

Before his rebirth, his talent, though not as great as his father's, was still decent; otherwise, he couldn't have cultivated to the peak of the Dantian Acupoint Realm! He clearly remembered that at sixteen, he had awakened three bloodline factors, reaching an upper-grade noble bloodline. Why did he now have not a single bloodline factor in his body?

Impossible!

Without bloodline factors, he was just an ordinary cultivator. Even with the best techniques, it would be impossible to reach the peak of the Dantian Acupoint Realm. How could he take revenge, how could he lead this branch to prosperity?

"Also, I remember that after being seriously injured at sixteen, when I woke up, I still had the first realm of the Nine Heavens of the Qi Sea. Why... do I have no strength at all now?"