It wasn't long before Ashen was face to face with the matriarch.

Fanrong once again knelt in front of her, contrary to Ashen, who kept standing straight with a calm smile.

Seeing this, many elders of the clan were visibly offended, but didn't say anything since they knew someone else would already do it for them.

And as expected, the supreme minister instantly questioned with an offended expression:

"Why aren't you kneeling to show respect to the matriarch? Don't you know this defiance of yours can be taken as treason to the tribe? You can even lose your life for your impudence!"

Ashen, with a gentle smile, shook his head in disagreement as he spoke:

"It is not me who should kneel, it is you all!!"

"What??!!"

The supreme minister and everyone present were shocked, with their eyes open wide in disbelief.

"Do you even know what you're saying?" The supreme minister spoke in a cold tone, his pressure leaking into the room.

Ashen wasn't bothered by his puny pressure as he spoke confidently:

"You all know who I am, right?"

"Yes, you are the inheritor of ancestor Beast Sovereign's inheritance and his successor!" The Supreme Minister answered with a disgruntled voice.

"That's correct. I am his successor and was bestowed his status in my inheritance, so..."

His smile widened as he took a pause and continued:

"I represent your ancestor Beast Sovereign..." His tone turned cold as his gaze turned sharp, piercing the supreme minister: "And you want me to kneel? Tell me, do you really want to bring shame to the name of the Beast Sovereign?"

"T-That..." The Supreme Minister couldn't retort any further. It was true that Ashen represented Beast Sovereign as his successor. If he insisted on making him kneel any longer, it would be seen as treason.

In the Zhuji tribe, Beast Sovereign was considered a god. In the tribe, you may be forgiven for disrespecting the matriarch; however, no one would be pardoned if they disrespected their god. This was the most heinous crime one could commit.

"Tell me, would you make me kneel or will you kneel yourself?" Ashen asked with a kind smile.

The supreme minister hesitated, knowing what he would need to do now.

"I will..." He began bending his knee; however, the matriarch stopped him: "Wait!"

The matriarch then continued:

"Successor of the Beast Sovereign, Huan Tian. He will surely kneel along with everyone present to show respect to the beast sovereign; however, that is only if you are really the successor of the Beast Sovereign."

"Oh, is the Matriarch doubting me?" Ashen asked in a playful manner.

The matriarch nodded: "Yes, I cannot just accept that you are a successor to the revered ancestor just because you say so!"

"Hmm, and how do you plan to check that?" Ashen asked with a smile.

"It's simple. From what Fanrong told me about you, there is something that can certainly prove your identity." The Matriarch smiled confidently.

"Oh, it appears enslaving the tiger kings, known for their pride, wasn't enough to prove my identity," Ashen smirked sarcastically.

The matriarch shook her head:

"No, it certainly is a feat that makes one believe you. It is only due to this feat that you are being entertained for so long."

"So what is it? What can make you sure that I'm really the successor of the Beast Sovereign?" Ashen asked curiously, knowing full well that there wasn't anything that could get him in trouble.

"My daughter here said that you are only 39 years old and already a king realm cultivator, is that true?" The Matriarch asked.

Ashen nodded, understanding instantly what the Matriarch had planned for him.

"Very well then. Let us check your bone age. If it is really 39 years old, then I will officially accept your proclamation as the successor of the Beast Sovereign."

Checking the Bone age was the only method that could tell someone's real age. In this world of cultivators, appearance didn't convey much about age, and hence, Bone age was the only reliable method to find out someone's real age.

The matriarch's reasoning was simple. If Ashen was really 39 years old and had become a king realm cultivator at that age, there could be only one explanation: that he was indeed the inheritor of Beast Sovereign's inheritance.

However, he could also be lying and could be someone more than 200 years old.

She couldn't help but doubt him after seeing how calm he was in front of her. This couldn't be possible if he was only a 39-year-old brat.

"So? Do you accept?" The Matriarch asked, trying to see a hint of nervousness on Ashen's face; however, all she could see was a smile as he nodded in agreement: "I accept."

So you're still going to keep up the act, huh?

The Matriarch looked at one of the guards and ordered: "You! Call the court physician and tell him that he has to check someone's bone age."

The guard bowed in acknowledgement before leaving, and it wasn't long before he arrived with the court physician.

"Greetings, Matriarch!" The court physician bowed before asking: "Tell me whose bone age I have to check?"

"It's me!" Ashen answered before the matriarch could say anything.

The court physician looked at the matriarch just for confirmation and, getting a nod from her, she held Ashen's wrist and closed her eyes, sending her qi into his bones to inspect their age.

In under a minute, she opened her eyes before letting go of Ashen's wrist and bowing to the matriarch, reporting: "Matriarch, it's 39 years!"

"What??!" The matriarch couldn't hide her shock: "He is really 39?"

Even if she wanted to deny him now, she couldn't. This proved that he was really the successor of the Beast Sovereign.

Moreover, the court physician didn't know about Ashen or his age, so it left her with no doubt that Ashen's bone age was really 39.

Ashen smirked confidently as he asked: "Do you all believe me now?"

The Matriarch stood up from her throne and smiled: "Of course, we believe you, lord Huan Tian. Oh, I forgot to express my gratitude to you for saving my daughter, let me..."

Ashen raised his hand, stopping her in between: "My Lady, you are not forgetting what you promised, right? Please show proper respect!"

"O-Oh, of course." The Matriarch glared at the supreme minister and the others.

The Supreme Minister instantly knelt along with everyone present in the room, leaving only the Matriarch, her husband, and Ashen standing.

"We greet the Successor! We pay respect to the ancestor!"

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(A/N - Thanks for reading. ^..^)