If Qin Xuan's speculation was indeed true, then a series of events would follow.
For instance, were Ling'er's biological parents still alive?
If they were, where were they?
If they were dead, then who brought Qin Ling'er back to the family?
Fortunately, it was now certain that the Lu and Lie families intended to use Ling'er's existence for a marriage alliance.
Therefore, before the two families finalized their engagement on February 28th, Ling'er should be out of danger.
He could use this time to uncover the intricate secrets involved.
With everything settled, Qin Xuan shook his head and bid farewell to the院长阿姨 (Dean Auntie).
He then immediately boarded a plane back to the imperial capital.
To understand what these so-called hidden families were, no one would know better than his three god-level masters.
After all, on the surface, the three of them were already among the strongest individuals in the world.
If there were any secrets in Long Country, they would surely not escape their notice.
And so it was.
When Qin Xuan arrived at the Central Sea where his three masters resided, the three god-level supreme beings were already waiting.
"I didn't expect you to learn about the existence of hidden families."
"But it's good. With your current strength, it's time you knew about these things."
Hearing Qin Xuan mention information that ordinary people shouldn't know, Ke Wudi shook his head helplessly.
Although he said this, they truly did not wish for Qin Xuan to get involved with those people at this time.
However, they were aware of the relationship between Qin Ling'er and Qin Xuan, so this incident was destined not to end as easily as previous events.
"Actually, the general structure of the world is not much different from what you already know."
"It's just that in every large gathering of civilizations, there are always some super forces that remain hidden."
"For example, the divine forces behind ancient Egypt, the angelic forces behind the Holy Roman Papacy, the Brahma divine forces behind Indian religions, and the vampire forces in Europe, etc."
"And in Long Country, these forces are the immortal cultivation families left over from ancient times."
"Immortal cultivation?"
Qin Xuan raised an eyebrow.
This was the second time he had heard this term.
And according to the novels he had read, immortal cultivation and immortal seeking seemed to be the same.
"That's right, immortal cultivation."
"Do you remember what your third master once told you?"
"Years ago, in Long Country, cultivators used the vital energy of heaven and earth."
"Later, the world underwent drastic changes, the vital energy of heaven and earth dissipated, and cultivators gradually disappeared from public view."
"But this disappearance did not mean they ceased to exist entirely."
"After all, Long Country is vast, and there are always places where the vital energy of heaven and earth is extremely abundant."
"So they united, utilizing the residual power of heaven and earth to create several barriers suitable for their cultivation and living."
"Although these barriers could prevent the residual vital energy from being lost inexplicably, they also restricted the scope of their daily activities."
"Thus, over time, they became hidden families that remained aloof from worldly affairs."
"No matter how chaotic the outside world became, they would not react."
When it came to hidden families, Ke Wudi and the others harbored some resentment.
After all, Long Country was vast and rich, possessing the largest number of super forces in the entire world.
But it was precisely because these people chose to remain in their secluded corners, hidden from view, that Long Country was bullied by various foreign powers in modern times.
If the super forces of other countries had not been suddenly restrained by certain special existences, Long Country might not have waited for the few of them to resist to the end before being completely annihilated by them.
However, despite their complaints, Ke Wudi, after calming down, clearly explained the strength of the super forces to Qin Xuan.
"It's similar to the immortal seeking system that Senior Chen Xuan told you about. The immortal cultivation system is also divided into stages such as Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, and Golden Core."
"And corresponding to the cultivation methods we practice now, Qi Refining corresponds to Grandmaster, and Foundation Establishment corresponds to God-level Supreme."
"However, as time passed, the remaining vital energy of heaven and earth was no longer sufficient for cultivators to reach higher realms."
"Therefore, even with the existence of special barriers, the strongest cultivators among them could at most reach the Core Formation stage and could not advance further."
"Core Formation stage?"
"Then, in terms of cultivation alone, wouldn't that surpass the three of you?"
Qin Xuan was confused.
If the strongest individuals in these hidden families had already surpassed his three masters, and their cultivation could no longer progress, why didn't they simply break free from the barriers and come to Long Country to wreak havoc?
But then, Qin Xuan realized his own thought process was flawed.
He and his three masters practiced the internal cultivation methods created by their masters themselves.
All combat power and cultivation relied entirely on the essence and energy cultivated within the human body, without the need for external forces.
The people in those hidden families were different.
Their cultivation required the vital energy of heaven and earth, their battles required the vital energy of heaven and earth, and even their daily circulation of techniques required the vital energy of heaven and earth.
Therefore, when they came to the outside world where the vital energy of heaven and earth was scarce, the things they could do would be very limited.
It was even possible for them to possess true strength far exceeding the god-level, yet be unable to exert their full power.
That was why they were unwilling to leave the barriers easily.
Even within the barriers, they could only wait for death in silence.
Seeing Qin Xuan's expression, Su Nishang nodded and continued.
"Just as you thought, once cultivators are separated from the vital energy of heaven and earth, they are like fish out of water."
"They might survive, but they certainly won't reach their peak state."
"Moreover, my second master and I have now reached the peak of the god-level. Unless a group of Core Formation stage powerhouses act together, even one or two coming to the outside world would not be able to do anything to us."
"However... this principle also applies in reverse."
"Outside, we can rely on the advantages of our own techniques to contend with those Core Formation powerhouses, but within the barriers, we are no match for those Core Formation stage experts."
"Therefore, if you want to find Ling'er now, we should plan carefully."
"It would be best if we could facilitate a peaceful meeting between you and Ling'er, as well as the Lu family head, rather than forcing our way in, which would ultimately lead to conflict."
Feeling his third master's gentle gaze, Qin Xuan nodded slightly.
Since his masters knew how to contact the Lu family, he naturally would not choose to use force as his first option.
After all, that was Ling'er's real home. Before he could uncover the truth about Ling'er's parents, he would avoid conflict with the Lu family if possible.
Unless Ling'er was truly being mistreated in the Lu family, or if the Lu family had some unspeakable secret behind this matter.