Cultivation Begins From The Desert-Chapter 665 - 649: I Am Not Worthy! [Request Subscription]

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"Clan Leader, Clan Leader, good news, good news!"

Inside Haoyang Cave, Zhouyang was originally following his Twelfth Uncle Zhou Xuanchen from the clan to open up the Medicinal Garden. Then, he saw Eighth Aunt Xuan Yan run in from outside with excitement on her face.

Since completing his cultivation technique transition and exiting seclusion, he had returned to the clan with his flying sword and brought back dozens of storage bags, packed with spiritual soil from the clan's spirit fields and Spirit Medicine Garden, intending to establish the clan's second Medicinal Garden here.

To ensure the successful opening of the Medicinal Garden, he specifically had the clan's only Tier Two Spirit Plant Cultivator, Twelfth Uncle Zhou Xuanchen, come to help oversee it. He also took the opportunity to consult this uncle for advice on various matters concerning spirit medicine transplantation and cultivation.

After reaching the Foundation Establishment, a cultivator's lifespan extends significantly, allowing the time to explore other types of Hundred Skills of Cultivation. While not necessarily achieving the same level of expertise as in original skills, having some understanding is necessary.

The art of the Spirit Plant Cultivator is something that almost every Foundation Establishment Cultivator explores.

This is because when Foundation Establishment cultivators travel adventurously outside, they often encounter spirit grass and spirit wood with transplantation value. Without understanding the art of the Spirit Plant Cultivator, it is easy to cause the grass and wood to wither and die during transplantation, leading to unnecessary losses.

At this point, seeing Eighth Aunt Zhou Xuanyan walk in with excitement, Zhouyang hadn't spoken yet. Next to him, Zhou Xuanchen, holding a jade hoe and loosening the soil in the medicine field, put down the hoe and looked at his Eighth Sister with a surprised smile, saying: "What good news makes you so happy, Eighth Sister? Did Xiaoyu get another concubine pregnant?"

Zhou Xuanyan's face instantly flushed at his teasing words, and she angrily retorted: "Pah, pah, pah, you shameless old thing of eighty years dare to say such. My Xiaoyu isn't as unfaithful as you at seventy to eighty, going around and messing with young girls of seventeen to eighteen. Such shamelessness!"

Unexpectedly, Zhou Xuanchen felt no sense of shame but rather chuckled proudly: "Heh heh heh, though my body is old, my heart is young, and I am robust enough to handle ten women at night!"

"Besides, the Clan Leader and the former clan leader both encourage cultivators from the clan to take more concubines and have more descendants. I'm just following the clan's call and contributing to its grand plan. The Clan Leader even praised me recently for this!"

"Ahem, ahem, there's a kid here, Eighth Aunt and Twelfth Uncle. Is it really appropriate to discuss such matters in front of your nephew here?"

Zhouyang felt helplessly targeted, and quickly coughed lightly to stop them from continuing the conversation on this topic.

"The Clan Leader is right, I won't argue with you, shameless old thing. Go on and make trouble as you please; if you don't take care of yourself, you'll meet your end on some young girl's belly someday!"

Zhou Xuanyan nodded briefly and then looked at Zhou Xuanchen with disdain, cursing him before stopping.

"Heh heh heh..." Zhou Xuanchen chuckled, indifferent.

As a Spirit Plant Cultivator, he practiced the Wood Element Technique "Cyan Wood Longevity Technique," specializing in health maintenance. Others his age might struggle with ten women at night, but he had no such problem. Zhou Xuanyan's curse would surely not take effect on him.

"Eighth Aunt, please tell us the actual matter. Seeing you so joyously rush over, you must have more than just sparring with Twelfth Uncle in mind!"

Zhouyang's lips twitched; he really didn't know how to evaluate his Twelfth Uncle and could only steer the conversation back to the main topic.

Upon hearing Zhouyang mention the main topic, Zhou Xuanyan's face lit up with a smile again, as she burst into laughter and said: "Good news, great news! Xiaobao's concubine gave birth to a pair of Dragon and Phoenix twins a few days ago. He invited me today to test their spiritual roots, guess what happened?"

Here she sold a bit of a secret, smiling as she looked at the visibly engrossed Zhouyang and Zhou Xuanchen, inviting them to guess.

Zhouyang and Zhou Xuanchen exchanged glances; then Zhou Xuanchen laughed and spoke: "How did it go? I don't think there's much mystery with Eighth Sister so delighted. The siblings must both have detected spiritual roots, maybe even Middle-grade Spiritual Root among them?"

"Heh heh heh, not quite. You've only guessed half of it right. Have another guess!" Zhou Xuanyan laughed and shook her head, denying Zhou Xuanchen's guess.

"If you say so, Eighth Aunt, could it be that both of Second Brother's children have Middle-grade Spiritual Roots? If that's the case, it truly is a great celebration!" Zhouyang couldn't help but venture his guess, his face alight with joy.

A Middle-grade Spiritual Root cultivator, with effort and family support, stands a significant chance of reaching the Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation before sixty. Even without a Foundation Establishment Pill, there'd be nearly a ten percent success rate in impacting the Foundation Establishment.

If these two happen to waver over Foundation Establishment, reaching the Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation can still augment the clan with two more elders, enhancing the overall power of the clan.

Now as the Clan Leader, Zhouyang naturally feels gratified and joyful to see talented juniors within the clan.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Xuanyan laughed and shook her head several times at his guess, saying: "Wrong, wrong, you guessed wrong as well, Clan Leader!"

Then, evidently feeling she'd prolonged the suspense enough, she laughed and revealed the answer: "Hahaha, Xiaobao really hit the jackpot! His son and daughter, the brother has the Top-grade Spiritual Root talent never before seen in our Zhou Family, and the sister has Middle-grade Spiritual Root talent. This is absolutely true; I confirmed it several times myself before coming to announce the good news!"

What!!!

Zhouyang and Zhou Xuanchen's expressions changed simultaneously, standing dumbfounded on the spot.

"Did I hear wrongly? Did you say Zhou Bao, that kid, has a son with Top-grade Spiritual Root Talent? Are you sure you didn't make a mistake? It is Top-grade Spiritual Root, not Middle-grade Spiritual Root?"

Zhou Xuanchen's breath quickened, coming to his senses and exclaiming before Zhouyang, his voice urgent and fast, full of incredulity.

Facing his doubt, Zhou Xuanyan didn't quibble this time but laughed heartily, saying, "No mistake, it's Top-grade Spiritual Root Talent. I used the 'Spirit Testing Technique' on that kid three times, each time the magic displayed was the shining yellow light that reached over three meters above, isn't that a Top-grade Spiritual Root?"

Hearing her say this, Zhou Xuanchen recalled the records about Top-grade Spiritual Roots from the texts and couldn't help but nod, murmuring, "Spiritual Light reaching three meters high, indeed matches the records of Top-grade Spiritual Root phenomena in the texts. But how is this possible? Zhou Bao, that foolish boy, stupid as he seems, how could he have such an outstanding son? Could it be that fools have…"

Before he could finish saying "fools have fool's luck," suddenly Zhou Xuanyan hit him on the forehead, causing him to cry out in pain, "Ouch, Eighth Aunt, why did you hit me?"

"I hit you, you shameless old fellow!"

"How could Zhou Bao's child not be outstanding? His concubine's child is not his? Could it be yours, you old coot? Can't you shut your mouth if you can't speak properly?"

Zhou Xuanyan glared angrily at Zhou Xuanchen, who was clutching his head and shouting, hurling a tirade that made Zhou Xuanchen not dare lift his head, not daring to utter another word.

Clearly, he realized the impropriety of his words earlier, feeling guilty.

Feeling guilty, he dared not look at the angry Zhou Xuanyan but turned his eyes to Zhouyang, hoping this clan leader nephew would help him out.

However, upon looking, he was stunned.

Only to find Zhouyang's previous spot empty, without a trace of him.

"Eh, where is the clan leader? Where did the clan leader go?" He turned to Zhou Xuanyan, asking, his face full of confusion.

Zhou Xuanyan, seeing his bewildered look, felt both angry and amused, rolled her eyes, and said, "You old fool really have poor eyesight, the clan leader must have gone to Zhou Bao's house to confirm the situation. You think everyone is like you, so aged and speaking so carelessly!"

Indeed, Zhouyang went to his second brother Zhou Bao's house.

Upon hearing Eighth Aunt Zhou Xuanyan's words about the recent birth of his nephew with a Top-grade Spiritual Root in his second brother Zhou Bao's house, his first reaction was disbelief, then couldn't help but immediately want to verify.

His current feelings were just like when the old clan leader Zhou Minghan initially heard about his father Zhou Xuanhao's Foundation Establishment success; even knowing clansmen couldn't deceive him, the clan leader, he still had to witness it with his own eyes to fully believe.

The speed of the Foundation Establishment Cultivator's Sword Flight was so swift. While Zhou Xuanchen was still speaking with Zhou Xuanyan, Zhouyang had already descended onto Zhou Bao's City Lord's Mansion backyard with Sword Light.

"Clan leader..."

Seeing the Sword Light descend upon his home, Zhou Bao quickly approached intending to offer greetings, but was interrupted by Zhouyang's urgent wave of hand before he could utter a single word.

"Second Brother, you must know my intention. Please bring the child here immediately, I must test him personally!"

Having just sheathed his Flying Sword, the aura of the Foundation Establishment Cultivator hadn't completely dissipated, Zhou Bao was overwhelmed by the aura and reflexively yelled towards the bedroom, "Xiaoyun, didn't you hear the clan leader? Quickly bring the boy out for him to see."

But even as a Mid-Stage Qi Cultivation Cultivator, Zhou Bao couldn't withstand Zhouyang's aura pressure, let alone the mortal concubine inside the room. The mortals inside were already paralyzed by his aura when Zhouyang descended with the Flying Sword into the yard, unable to move, let alone carry the child out.

Zhouyang's Divine Sense was extremely powerful; seeing no one came out, a sweep of his Divine Sense made him realize the situation, then he shook his head and said, "Fine, I'll go in myself!"

He was initially apprehensive of disregarding the gender difference, not wanting to intrude into the woman's chamber, but under current circumstances, he couldn't care less about such trivialities.

Saying this, he stepped into the bedroom, slightly nodded at the pale-faced woman on the bed, and with a motion, the two infants not yet a month old landed in his arms.

Holding the two newborns, Zhouyang began muttering as he immediately cast the "Spirit Testing Technique."

"Spirit Testing Technique" is a Tier Two High-grade Technique, a must-learn technique for any cultivator in the Qi Cultivation late stage of every cultivation clan.

Take the Zhou Family for example, every three years, the Late-Stage Qi Cultivation cultivators of the Zhou Family, as long as they are on the family Spirit Mountain, must go down to the settlement of secular clan members at the foot of the mountain to test the spiritual root talents of newborns born in the last three years.

As for cultivators like Zhou Bao, if they have offspring, they can have the clan elders come to their home to test the spiritual roots of the child upon birth.

Zhouyang, with his Foundation Establishment cultivation, used the Tier Two Top Grade technique "Spirit Testing Technique". Even though he hadn't practiced this technique much before, he managed to perform it in less than ten breaths.

He flicked his fingers, and the seven-colored light sphere transformed by the "Spirit Testing Technique" fell onto the boy baby held in his left hand.

Wow!

The seven-colored light sphere penetrated his body, and the boy baby less than a month old immediately shivered, crying out loud.

But at this moment, no one cared about such trivial matters.

Zhouyang saw, as the seven-colored light sphere transformed by the "Spirit Testing Technique" penetrated the boy baby's body, a dazzling golden light surged out from the boy's body, rising straight up to three zhang high before stopping.

Seeing this, Zhouyang had no doubt left in his heart, and he couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Hahaha, three zhang of spiritual light, it truly is an anomaly unique to the Top-grade Spiritual Root! The Zhou Family has a Top-grade Spiritual Root cultivator!"

Behind him, Zhou Bao couldn't help but laugh foolishly along when he heard his laughter.

Previously, when Xuan Yan came to test the baby's spiritual root, saying it was a Top-grade Spiritual Root, Zhou Bao was already delighted by the news. However, seeing Zhouyang earnestly come to retest the child, he couldn't help but worry, afraid it was just a false joy.

Now, after the Foundation Establishment cultivator Zhouyang tested the child's spiritual root and personally confirmed the Top-grade Spiritual Root assessment, Zhou Bao had no worries left, only endless joy.

After all, as a Foundation Establishment cultivator and the current clan leader, Zhouyang quickly returned to a normal demeanor after laughing for a while.

He did not show favoritism, immediately testing the spiritual root of the girl baby in his right hand.

The result was that after the seven-colored light sphere penetrated the girl's body, only a spiritual light of blue and yellow ascended to one zhang and four chi.

According to the Cultivation Realm's standard for assessing spiritual root quality, spiritual light less than seven chi is a Lower-grade Spiritual Root, seven chi to three zhang is a Middle-grade Spiritual Root, and above three zhang is a Top-grade Spiritual Root.

As for the legendary Spirit Body or Dao Body, it's said the spiritual light would reach ten zhang or more, with other anomalies appearing.

Zhouyang learned from his father Xuan Hao that when his own spiritual root was tested, the spiritual light reached one zhang eight chi, gold and red in color.

Although the girl's spiritual root talent wasn't as high as his, within the Zhou Family's dozens of cultivators, it could still rank in the top five, potentially achieving Foundation Establishment in the future.

"Second Brother really has good fortune, a Top-grade Spiritual Root! It's the first time in over two hundred years that such a talent has appeared in our Zhou Family! It is not only a blessing for Second Brother but also a fortunate occurrence for our entire clan!"

Zhouyang turned his head to look at his foolishly smiling second brother Zhou Bao, truly admiring his luck.

This second brother had lived a mediocre life with no standout achievements. Were it not for being born into a cultivation clan like the Zhou Family and having Elder Zhou Quan as a grandfather to take care of him, with his character and mind, he'd likely have been devoured in the Cultivation Realm leaving not a trace behind.

Yet, before this, who could have thought that such a wooden, introverted, taciturn person could give birth to a pair of twins with Top-grade and Middle-grade Spiritual Roots!

"Clan Leader, these children have yet to be named; since you are a Foundation Establishment Immortal, I dare to ask you to bestow your eminence upon them by giving them names, so they may gain a share of your immortality!"

Just as Zhouyang sighed over the luck of his second brother Zhou Bao, the woman on the bed suddenly struggled to get up, kneeling on the bed, begging him to name the two children.

Hmm?

Zhouyang paused slightly, then, with a half-smile, looked at the woman with her head pressed against the bed and then at his foolishly smiling second brother Zhou Bao, feeling as if he understood something.

"Haha, you are clever. Unfortunately, you lack a spiritual root and cannot cultivate; otherwise, the Zhou Family might have had another exceptional woman!"

He gave a light chuckle, noncommittally replied to Second Brother Zhou Bao, "I have no objections, just fear Second Brother might resent me for overstepping my bounds!"

The woman heard this, her face flashing with joy, hurriedly shook her head and exclaimed: "Not at all, Clan Leader naming the children would bring too much happiness to my husband. He could hardly blame you, right? Husband, wouldn't you say so?"

After speaking, she gazed intently at Zhou Bao, who was stupidly grinning, desperately signaling to her husband.

Zhou Bao snapped out of his stupor upon hearing his concubine Xiaoyun's loud shout. He first let out an "ah" and then nodded quickly, saying, "Xiaoyun is right, Xiaoyun is right, Clan Leader, whether it's in terms of cultivation or knowledge, you far surpass me. It's best if you name the child, for the name you choose will certainly be wonderful!"

"In that case, the boy shall be named Zhou Guangxiang, and the girl shall be named Zhou Xiang!"

Zhouyang pondered briefly and decided upon clan names for these two next-generation Zhou Family cultivators of the "Guang" nomenclature.

"Zhou Guangxiang, Zhou Guangxiang!"

"Great name, great name, from now on my child will be called Zhou Guangxiang!"

After repeating the name Zhouyang gave, Zhou Bao's face lit up with joy, and he happily agreed to the names Zhouyang had chosen.

Seeing this, Zhouyang relaxed his hands, allowing the two infants to fly back to the woman on the bed. He then solemnly looked at the couple and said, "According to family rules, infants are still cared for by their parents until they are five years old. For the next five years, this pair of children will still be under your care, Brother. After five years, I will send them to Jade Spring Peak to have Uncle Xuantai personally instruct them in cultivation. You can also apply to live at Jade Spring Peak if you wish."

Speaking of family rules, Zhou Bao and his wife dared not oppose. They replied hastily, "We understand, it will all be as the Clan Leader says."

Seeing this, Zhouyang nodded slightly and said, "Very well, since it is settled, I will send a message to Elder Zhoun Minghan to inform him of this good news. You two should rest well."

With that said, he turned around to return to the Spirit Vein at Haoyang Cave to send a message to Elder Zhoun Minghan.

However, as he reached the door, he suddenly paused and turned to ask the woman on the bed, "Which cultivator of the Zhou family is your ancestor?"

The woman was startled by the question but quickly recovered and replied smartly, "Replying to the Clan Leader, this branch of mine descends from Ancestor Ming Yue."

"Descendants of Great-Aunt Ming Yue? No wonder!"

Zhouyang seemed to understand something, a complex expression appearing on his face as he sighed at the perplexed Zhou Bao couple. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

If he remembered correctly, the "Zhou Mingyue" Great-Aunt was, in fact, the younger sister of Elder Zhou Quan's father. In her lifetime, she was also a Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation elder of the Zhou family.

However, Great-Aunt "Zhou Mingyue" wasn't very fortunate; her son and daughter were mortals without a Spiritual Root. Zhou Bao's concubine, Xiaoyun, was likely a descendant of those two mortals, though whether she was the fourth or fifth generation wasn't clear.

"Great-Aunt Ming Yue was also an elder of the Zhou family. You may be a mortal, but you have birthed a son with a Top-grade Spiritual Root and a daughter with a Middle-grade Spiritual Root, a tremendous merit to the Zhou family, which must be rewarded!"

Zhouyang looked at the woman gazing bewilderedly at him, and then at his equally stupefied second brother, Zhou Bao. He gently smiled and said seriously, "Zhou Family cultivator Zhou Bao, hear my command: I, as Clan Leader, order you to marry Zhou Family woman Zhou Yun as your lawful wife, never to change."

"Ah!"

Both Zhou Bao and the woman Zhou Yun exclaimed in surprise, looking at Zhouyang with expressions full of shock, astounded by his peculiar order.

However, Zhou Yun, being clever, quickly discerned the deeper meaning in Zhouyang's order. She instantly became emotional, repeatedly bowing to Zhouyang with gratitude, saying, "Thank you Clan Leader, thank you Clan Leader, your great kindness, this humble woman will never forget, will never forget!"

As a mortal, she wasn't originally entitled to become a cultivator's lawful wife, only able to live as a concubine alongside a cultivator.

Now, Zhouyang's order for Zhou Bao to marry her as a lawful wife implied willingness to record her name in the family genealogy, allowing her spiritual tablet to be placed in the Ancestral Hall on Jade Spring Peak, to stand beside her husband Zhou Bao's tablet after death.

In the future, Zhou Bao's descendants would see the spiritual tablet of "Zhou Yuanbao's wife Zhou Yun" during ancestral rites, knowing who their grandmother was, thus paying homage to her as well.

Mortal members of the Zhou family dreamed of having their spiritual tablets installed in the Ancestral Hall on Jade Spring Peak. However, in more than two hundred years, fewer than three mortals achieved this, and the two before Zhou Yun were both mothers of Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Understanding all this, it was not hard to comprehend Zhou Yun's emotions at this moment.

As for Zhou Bao, although he did not understand the full implication of Zhouyang's command, as a Zhou Family cultivator, obeying the Clan Leader's orders was something he had learned from a young age.

Moreover, he genuinely loved Xiaoyun, who had given him a pair of gifted children, so he naturally had no objection and wholeheartedly agreed.