Cultivation Begins From The Desert-Chapter 859 - 4: Fusang Tree Branches, Reforging the Immortal Artifact

(Anti-theft chapter, the full text will update after six-thirty in the morning) In the Land of the Far West, within the Boundless Desert Sea.

The Boundless Desert Sea, true to its name, is a sea of sand, vast and endless.

The desert conditions are harsh, with very few places suitable for human habitation; only a few desert oases can support human settlement and survival.

Jade Spring Lake is one of the few desert oases in the Boundless Desert Sea where people can live.

The oasis stretches over a hundred miles east to west and spans over seventy miles north to south, with the east high and the west low. In the east, there is a mountain named Jade Spring Peak, hundreds of meters high, covered with trees and shrouded in mist. At the foot of the mountain lies the source of life for the entire oasis—Jade Spring Lake.

Jade Spring Lake covers an area of more than ten square kilometers, fed by an underground dark river with a substantial water supply, and its clear sweet water can be directly consumed.

The clear waters of Jade Spring Lake nourish thousands of square kilometers of land and sustain the tens of thousands of humans and countless birds and beasts.

The Yuquan Zhou Clan is the owner of the Jade Spring Lake Oasis.

The first person to discover the Jade Spring Lake Oasis was Zhou Yuquan of the Yuquan Zhou Clan. Now, the tens of thousands of people living in the oasis are all related to the Zhou Clan in some way.

The Yuquan Zhou Clan is a cultivation family, with its ancestor Zhou Yuquan coming from the cultivation sect "Yellow Sand Sect". Over two hundred years ago, he resigned from the sect and established the Yuquan Zhou Clan at Jade Spring Lake. Now, seven generations have passed.

Today, the Zhou Clan's ancestor Zhou Yuquan has long since passed away, but after more than two hundred years of development, the Yuquan Zhou Clan has grown into a powerful cultivation family with one Foundation Establishment Cultivator, dozens of Qi Cultivation Cultivators, and tens of thousands of mortal vassals.

Ordinary Zhou Clan members mainly reside in three small towns in the Jade Spring Lake Oasis, where they farm the lands or herd cattle and sheep, leading a self-sufficient and carefree life.

Meanwhile, the cultivators of the Zhou Clan uniformly reside on Jade Spring Peak, where the spiritual energy is abundant.

Jade Spring Peak itself is a natural spiritual vein of Tier Two Top Grade, and after more than two hundred years of cultivation by the Zhou Clan, it has now been promoted to Tier Three Middle Grade, capable of supporting several Foundation Establishment Cultivators and over a hundred Qi Cultivation Cultivators in their practice.

Zhouyang is a sixth-generation cultivator of the "Yuan" generation in the Yuquan Zhou Clan.

Jade Radiance, Profound Origin Communication, Blessed and Flourishing, Evergreen, these sixteen generational names were personally devised by Zhou Yuquan, the founder of the Yuquan Zhou Clan.

Zhou Clan members are listed in the clan genealogy only if they have been tested for spiritual roots and possess the talent to cultivate. After death, their spiritual tablets are enshrined in the ancestral hall, receiving offerings from descendants.

The "Yuan" generation of the Yuquan Zhou Clan has fifteen members, ranking Zhouyang ninth, but in terms of cultivation, he is the first among the fifteen.

At this moment, Zhouyang, an acclaimed "Little Genius" within the Zhou Clan, is sitting cross-legged with eyes closed on the hillside of Jade Spring Peak, inside a natural cave, focusing intensely on absorbing and refining the milky-white Earth Vein Spiritual Qi rising within the cave through hand-cast spells.

Earth Vein Spiritual Qi is a refined essence formed by the convergence of spiritual and earth veins, which has remarkable effects on Low-Tier Cultivators attempting to breakthrough realms.

However, Earth Vein Spiritual Qi is hard to cultivate, appearing only in special places where earth and spiritual veins intersect. On the whole Jade Spring Peak, only the "Jade Sun Cave" where Zhouyang resides can cultivate it.

The Earth Vein Spiritual Qi cultivated within "Jade Sun Cave" in ten years is enough for one Qi Cultivation Cultivator to break through, but it's only effective for those below the Seventh-Layer Qi Cultivation.

Thus, among the dozens of Qi Cultivation members of the Zhou Clan, only a few exceptionally excellent clan members can use Earth Vein Spiritual Qi for breakthroughs during their Qi Cultivation stage.

Zhouyang's ability to utilize the "Jade Sun Cave" for breakthroughs is naturally due to his status as the number one of the "Yuan" generation. Otherwise, even though his father is the Sixth Elder of the Yuquan Zhou Clan, he would not have been given the chance to use the "Jade Sun Cave" at seventeen.

It's noteworthy that among those dozens of Qi Cultivation members in the Zhou Clan, many have been waiting for this opportunity for one or two decades!

At the moment, Zhouyang sits cross-legged with a hand casting spells and breathes evenly. With every inhalation, two misty snakes formed of milky-white Earth Vein Spiritual Qi enter through his nostrils, being refined into his magical power.

Then, when the quantity of Earth Vein Spiritual Qi in the cave reduced to less than thirty percent, Zhouyang's tightly closed eyes suddenly fly open, his shoulder-length hair blowing without wind behind him, his aura nearly doubled compared to before.

He stands upright, joyfully murmuring to himself, "I finally broke through. Sixth-Layer Qi Cultivation, Earth Vein Spiritual Qi is indeed unparalleled. It has saved me at least three years!"

Seventeen years old, Sixth-Layer Qi Cultivation, such age and cultivation level in a sect like Yellow Sand Sect would only be achieved by a few elite disciples with top-grade spiritual roots.

But Zhouyang's spiritual root talent is merely of medium quality.

"The Clan Leader believes I might possess some special Treasure Body, hence my cultivation speed far surpasses cultivators with similar talents. Yet, assessing a Treasure Body is challenging, only major sects like Yellow Sand Sect can ascertain it using secret techniques."

"Although our Zhou Clan is affiliated with Yellow Sand Sect, requesting their assistance to assess a Treasure Body is virtually impossible unless I am willing to join Yellow Sand Sect!"

"But once I join Yellow Sand Sect, I would be bound by its rules, with numerous senior sect members who could boss me around, unlike the comfort I enjoy within the clan now."

"Hmph, it's said better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix. Yellow Sand Sect is grand, gifted with top-grade spiritual root prodigies every generation. Even if I possess a Treasure Body, in Yellow Sand Sect I'd just be an elite disciple, not necessarily receiving better benefits than in our Zhou Clan, especially when the elders here are eager for me to succeed in Foundation Establishment, promoting the family name with genuine intention for my welfare."

"Moreover, once I succeed in Foundation Establishment, the Treasure Body will naturally awaken, leading to the derivation of Treasure Body Divine Techniques, revealing the type of Treasure Body I possess."

Zhouyang is not ordinary; he is a reincarnated soul from Earth, carrying two or three decades of past-life memories more than ordinary people.

Although these two or three decades of past memories are mostly irrelevant due to vastly different world environments, some experiences, wisdom, and principles are universally applicable across realms.

Others only see the prestige of Yellow Sand Sect, with Golden Core Ancestors presiding internally, and numerous desert oases like Jade Spring Lake offering tribute externally, never short of cultivation techniques and treasures, eager to be part of it.

Unknown to them, although sects provide excellent welfare and benefits, they are equally rigid in rules. Joining a sect means losing autonomy. Ordinary Qi Cultivation disciples must complete mandatory tasks annually, failing which, they might have welfare halted or be expelled after having their cultivation abolished!

Furthermore, factionalism is intense within sects, with Low-Tier disciples striving fiercely to attack competitors, whether to show prowess to sect seniors or compete for certain spiritual lands, creating strong competition.

The Zhou Clan's ancestor was once a Foundation Establishment Cultivator in Yellow Sand Sect, and the clan records retain Knowledge on Yellow Sand Sect, thus, unless they lack spiritual root talent and wish to gamble, Zhou Clan members typically avoid becoming Yellow Sand Sect disciples.

Zhouyang grew weary of office politics in his past life, and now blessed with the chance to escape it, he firmly avoids returning to such conflicts.

He decided early on, even if the path to enlightenment and immortality were uncertain, he absolutely wouldn't choose a life filled with schemes and intrigues daily.

Innate, Qi Cultivation, Foundation Establishment, Purple Mansion, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Crossing the Tribulation, Returning to Void, Harmonization Dao; these nine realms of cultivation; to truly gain eternal life, only by becoming a Harmonious Celestial Immortal merging with the Dao can one achieve it.

However, as Zhouyang knew, since cultivators existed in this world, there has been no heard of anyone truly achieving immortality. The division of the nine great cultivation realms was said to have been passed down by celestial immortals and had never been verified.

Thus, for ninety-nine percent of cultivators, attaining a millennial lifespan like a Golden Core Stage cultivator was the highest aspiration of their cultivation journey.

Therefore, it was no wonder that he was unwilling to compromise himself for the sake of those elusive tales of immortality by involving himself in schemes and plots.

Cultivation is also about cultivating the heart. Since his true heart didn't want to be involved in those scheming matters, Zhouyang naturally chose to act according to his true intentions.

Having just broken through a realm, his mind was excited, and he thought of many things. It took Zhouyang a while to calm his chaotic thoughts and look at the remaining milky-white earth vein spiritual qi inside the cave.

"Although each time Jade Sun Cave opens, the earth vein spiritual qi inside can be absorbed freely, since I have successfully broken through, absorbing more of this earth vein spiritual qi would only help stabilize my realm, which isn't very beneficial."

"In that case, it would be better to preserve this earth vein spiritual qi so that the next opening of Jade Sun Cave can be advanced by a few years, benefiting other clan members."

It is unwise to drain the pond to catch the fish. The generation of earth vein spiritual qi is not easy, and using it merely to enhance one's magical cultivation is truly wasteful. Since Zhouyang was determined to develop within the clan, he certainly wouldn't commit such a selfish, harmful act.

Having made up his mind, he immediately opened the cave door and exited, explaining the situation to the clan elder guarding outside.

"Jade Sun Cave" is a crucial place for the Zhou family, guarded by clan elders all year round. The current guardian outside is the "Xuan" generation cultivator Zhou Xuanhe, also Zhouyang's fourteenth clan uncle.

At this moment, seeing Zhouyang successfully break through and walk out from inside, and hearing him describe the situation inside, Zhou Xuanhe, clad in a blue robe embroidered with white cranes and auspicious clouds, was instantly gratified and nodded with a smile: "Not bad, not bad, Yang'Er, you are indeed the most promising of the Yuan generation in our Zhou family. Such a young age and already having this broad vision, the old clan leader and your elder brother would certainly be very pleased if they knew of this!"

The old clan leader he mentioned is Zhou Minghan, the Zhou family's sole Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator at present, and a rare remaining member of the "Ming" generation. The elder brother refers to Zhouyang's father, Zhou Xuanhao, one of the eight Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation Elders in the Zhou family, and the eldest of the "Xuan" generation.

In the Zhou family, cultivators of the same generation refer to each other as brothers, while those of different generations refer to each other as uncles or nephews.

Facing the praise from his fourteenth uncle, Zhouyang humbly expressed that this was what he ought to do as a member of the Zhou clan, showing no pride despite his status and cultivation.

This demeanor caused Zhou Xuanhe to regard this junior even more highly in his heart.

Already possessing Sixth-Layer Qi Cultivation at such a young age was remarkable, even more so was his ability to remain humble and consider the bigger picture. Perhaps the hope of the next generation of the Zhou family truly rests upon this boy.

Thinking of this, he remembered something and quickly said: "Since you've successfully broken through, go to the cave mansion at the mountain peak to see the old clan leader. He had instructed earlier that if you could successfully break through, you should go to see him."

"For there to be such a matter? Then I shall not disturb fourteenth uncle, thank you for guarding over me, fourteenth uncle."

Zhouyang, with a change in expression, immediately thanked Zhou Xuanhe and quickly made his way to the old clan leader's cave mansion at the peak of Jade Spring Peak.

Jade Spring Peak, which stands several hundred meters high, has spiritual qi more concentrated the higher up you go. Generally, Qi Cultivation stage Zhou clan members cultivate on the mountainside, where comfortable palaces and pavilions have been built for living, and the mundane clan members take care of daily needs.

Only Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators reside in the cave mansions at the top of Jade Spring Peak, using the abundant spiritual qi there for cultivation.

Jade Spring Peak is entirely covered by a Tier Three Middle Grade array, the "Array of Ten Thousand Trees Holding Up the Heavens." Because this array can absorb the spiritual energy of the flora within the array to enhance its power, the entire Jade Spring Peak, from base to summit, aside from areas developed into spirit fields and medicinal gardens, is densely planted with various tall trees, some even being ancient trees that are hundreds to thousands of years old.

The crowns of these towering trees form a gigantic canopy, blocking sunlight, and making the mountain cooler by a few degrees compared to outside, with cool mountain breezes passing through the forest, providing a pleasantly cool experience.

Wearing a fluttering white robe, Zhouyang utilized a Light Body Technique, ascending rapidly from the mountainside along the stone path through the woods, quickly reaching the summit.

Having been artificially smoothed, the summit of Jade Spring Peak is quite flat, with an area of only a few dozen acres. Due to the abundance of spiritual qi here, aside from three spots where three cultivator cave mansions are built, the remaining space is developed into spirit medicine fields, planted with various graded spiritual medicines.

Reaching this place, Zhouyang was enveloped by a mix of medicinal fragrances, invigorating him and accelerating his magical power circulation significantly.

It was conceivable that if one could cultivate here long-term, the cultivation speed would surely surpass that of the mountainside.

However, this is fundamentally impossible.

The spirit medicine garden is a crucial place for the Zhou family, containing numerous spiritual medicines that have been cultivated for one to two hundred years and are precious varieties. The loss of any one could cause the old clan leader Zhou Minghan to grieve for decades.

Therefore, besides the two Tier Two spirit plant cultivators in the clan, even a favored genius clan disciple like Zhouyang is strictly forbidden to step into the peak without the clan leader's summons.

Moreover, the peak is not a place anyone can tread on whim; it is the core area of the Array of Ten Thousand Trees Holding Up the Heavens, protected by powerful array forces, and without the pass from the guardian controlling the array, even a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator would have no choice but to forcibly break through.

"The junior Zhouyang is here by order to visit the old clan leader, and I ask for the senior to allow passage."

Standing at the edge of the mountaintop array, he respectfully bowed and spoke towards the area before him shrouded in array-generated white mist.

"So it's Xiao Jiu, the clan leader has already instructed, you may come in."

An ancient voice sounded from within the white mist, and then the opaque white mist in front of Zhouyang surged, revealing a safe passage wide enough for one person.

Upon seeing this, Zhouyang hurriedly bowed in gratitude, "Nephew thanks Grandpa Qi."

Then, he followed the path inward, finally arriving beside a white-haired elder sitting cross-legged under a towering tree.

This white-haired elder, named Zhou Yun, possessed Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation and served as the Zhou family's Fourth Elder. He was ranked seventh within the "Guang" generation and was also one of the Zhou family's only two Tier Two Spirit Plant Cultivators.

Zhou family "Guang" generation cultivators, the youngest of whom was over eighty years old. This Fourth Elder Zhou Yun was nearly one hundred years old, quite near the Qi Cultivation cultivator lifespan limit of one hundred and twenty years.

Although the combat ability of cultivators doesn't diminish much with age, generally, in major cultivation clans, those aged Qi Cultivation stage cultivators nearing a hundred would retire to the clan ancestral land to live out their days peacefully, without being disturbed unless facing clan-destroying events, for their contribution to the clan over a large part of their lives.

Especially as Zhou Yun was a Tier Two Spirit Plant Cultivator; letting him retire on this mountain peak allowed him to care for the acres of medicinal gardens.

At this moment, seeing Zhouyang approaching, the elder immediately waved his sleeve, and a tea table with a tea set and a cushion appeared out of nowhere in front of him. Gesturing towards the empty cushion, he said, "The clan leader is consolidating his cultivation; Xiao Jiu, accompany this old man for a cup of tea and a chat."

Ordinary clan juniors rarely make it to the peak, and since the clan leader is often in seclusion, the elder usually stays alone on the mountain with no one to talk to, feeling quite lonely.

Now meeting Zhouyang, the most outstanding junior in the family's younger generation, naturally made him very happy.

Young people may not usually understand the mindset of the elderly, but being someone who has lived two lives, Zhouyang understood quite well and was willing to chat with these elders, listening to them recount various legends and events from the cultivation realm, as long as it didn't interfere with serious matters.

"Having a cup of Grandpa Qi's specially brewed medicinal tea isn't easy on usual days, today I must drink to my heart's content."

He smiled as he walked over and sat on the mat, taking the initiative to pick up the tea set and start brewing tea.

Cultivators brew tea differently from mortals; the flame used is formed by magical power, and it only takes a moment for the water to boil, without any smoky taste.

Once the tea was brewed, Zhouyang poured tea for both of them and couldn't wait to lift his own aromatic steaming cup and drank it all in one go.

If a mortal drank tea like this, the boiling hot tea would probably scald their throat, but for cultivators whose bodies have been tempered by magical power, this temperature is like warm water to an ordinary person, nothing significant.

Seeing him gulp down the tea like this, the elder not only did not show any displeasure, but instead, happily watched him and asked with a smile, "How is it? Is my new medicinal tea satisfactory to you?"

Without waiting for Zhouyang's response, he lightly picked up the teacup himself and took a sip, closing his eyes with a look of enjoyment, saying proudly, "This is a new tea I made using fallen leaves of the Tier Two Spirit Elixir , along with twenty-year-old

fibers, , and other five spirit elixirs. In total, only three taels have been made, and even the water used for brewing is Spirit Dew collected from the spirit plants in the medicinal garden this morning."

"It is indeed good tea, Grandpa Qi. This medicinal tea, whether in taste or effect, is no less than any spirit tea I've had before. If it could be mass-produced, it would add another source of income for our Zhou family!"

Zhouyang put down the teacup, silently feeling the changes in his magical power within, and smelled the lingering medicinal aroma around his lips, his face full of admiration.

Upon hearing his praise, the elder initially smiled with joy, then shook his head with a face full of melancholy and helplessness, saying, "I also have this idea, but

is the main ingredient for refining the Tier Two Spirit Pill . We can't waste such a spirit elixir just for tea, can we? Just using naturally fallen leaves would barely be enough for my own drinking!"

"This..."

Zhouyang awkwardly lowered his head, decisively not picking up on the elder's words.

The family only has one Tier Two Alchemist, which is his father Zhou Xuanhao. Once the

matures, it is supplied for his father's alchemy. If he dared to suggest using the spirit grass for tea, his father would surely smack him dead.

"Hehe, you little rascal, don't worry. I am not someone who disregards the bigger picture. I was just speaking casually just now!"

The elder laughed heartily, knowing full well what Zhouyang was thinking, soothing him with a few words, and then shared some amusing anecdotes from his youth to lighten up the previous awkwardness.

The two chatted like this for about a quarter of an hour before the door to the cave mansion where the clan leader was cultivating on the mountain top suddenly opened. From inside came the old clan leader's strong, aged voice, "Is that Xiao Jiu? Come on in."

Upon hearing this voice, the two stopped their conversation simultaneously, and Zhouyang immediately stood up, cupping his hands towards Zhou Yun, saying, "Grandpa Qi, I'll go pay respects to the old clan leader first."

"Go on, don't keep the old clan leader waiting."

After bidding farewell to Zhou Yun, Zhouyang walked straight through the open door of the cave mansion and soon saw the current clan leader of the Zhou family, late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator Zhou Minghan, inside the cultivation chamber deep within the cave.

Zhou Minghan was already over one hundred and fifty years old, yet he looked younger than Zhou Yun outside, with a face as ruddy as a baby's.

This was completely normal. Foundation Establishment cultivators have a lifespan of over two hundred years, barring accidents. Zhou Minghan had at least forty to fifty years left, and his high cultivation naturally made him appear younger than Zhou Yun.

As Zhouyang met Zhou Minghan, this Zhou clan leader was seated cross-legged on the Cold Jade Bed in meditation. Not daring to look more than necessary, Zhouyang bowed deeply and paid formal respects, saying, "Grandson pays respects to Great-Grandfather."

As the only existing "Ming" generation cultivator in the Zhou family and possessing Foundation Establishment cultivation, Zhou Minghan was naturally the great-grandfather to all "Yuan" generation cultivators.

"Xuanhe has already sent a message to the old man about your performance in . You did a very commendable job, Xiao Jiu! Even the old man was far inferior in terms of strategic foresight at your age."

On the Cold Jade Bed, Zhou Minghan opened his eyes slightly, and his gaze towards Zhouyang was filled with unabashed admiration, showering compliments with apparent joy.

Hearing this, Zhouyang couldn't help but feel elated. Being the first "Yuan" generation junior to receive such praise from clan leader Zhou Minghan, if this got out, his status in the eyes of the elders and seniors within the clan would certainly rise another notch.

However, despite his joy, Zhouyang did not become conceited, quickly responding respectfully, "Great-Grandfather overpraises me. Grandson only did what ought to be done and is not worthy of such compliments from Great-Grandfather."

"Well said on doing what ought to be done! If every child of the Zhou family were as sensible as Xiao Jiu, how could the Zhou family not flourish?"

Zhou Minghan couldn't help but wear a cheerful smile, clearly immensely pleased with Zhouyang's response.

He smiled, raised his hand slightly, and an invisible force lifted Zhouyang's bowed body up.

"Come, stand up straight, let the old man have a good look at the Qilin'Er of our Zhou family!"

The old clan leader couldn't help but call Zhouyang "Qilin'Er" in his excitement, showing the deep affection and importance placed on this junior.

Zhou Minghan had high hopes for Zhouyang.

From the time Yuquan Zhou Clan was established by Zhou Yuquan, there's always been a Foundation Establishment cultivator present, allowing it to develop into its current scale in just over two hundred years.

But now, like its luck had run out, the Yuquan Zhou Clan hadn't seen a new Foundation Establishment cultivator emerge in over a century after Zhou Minghan.

This was dangerous.

The worst fear for a cultivation clan is the sudden loss of high-tier cultivators.

Without the protection of Foundation Establishment cultivators, not only would the Zhou family struggle to expand further, but they might not even be able to hold onto ancestral lands like the Yuquan Lake Oasis and Jade Spring Peak.

Thus, under Zhou Minghan's secret guidance, the Zhou family quietly ceased its expansion in recent years, fearing that further growth would attract covetous eyes, bringing disaster upon the family after his demise.

However, this was not a permanent solution; the best course of action would be for the family to produce a new Foundation Establishment cultivator before Zhou Minghan's passing.

As long as a Foundation Establishment cultivator holds the fort, with the Tier Three Array

on Jade Spring Peak and the help of dozens of Qi Cultivation family members, even multiple attacking Foundation Establishment cultivators wouldn't be able to harm the foundation of the Zhou family.

Originally, Zhou Minghan pinned his hopes on the "Xuan" generation juniors, even deciding that if no one in the Zhou family reached Foundation Establishment before his demise, he would rather offer Yuquan Lake Oasis and most of the Zhou family's resources to the Yellow Sand Sect in exchange for their protection than let the family be destroyed due to envy over extensive resources.

But now, Zhou Minghan realized perhaps it was time to change his mind.

With the potential Zhouyang, this "Yuan" generation junior, now exhibited, given another twenty or thirty years, his chances of reaching Foundation Establishment seemed far greater than those of the "Xuan" generation members.

He carefully looked at the young man standing in front of him. The youth's handsome and elegant appearance wasn't what he focused on; rather, he valued the young man's calm demeanor, that sort of deep composure in the face of being scrutinized, despite knowing he's being judged.

After watching him, only one thought lingered in his mind.

This boy is of great potential!

Of course, as an elder, even if he was extremely satisfied and happy within, he wouldn't show too much of it outwardly. It wouldn't do to inflate the young man's pride.

Therefore, despite feeling immense joy, he kept a composed expression, looking at Zhouyang with a calm face and asked, "Do you know the reason I summoned you here?"

"Grandson does not know." Zhouyang honestly replied.

"According to clan rules, young cultivators in the clan must descend the mountain after the age of twenty to train and serve the clan for a time before returning to meditate."

"However, your situation is special. Although you are only seventeen, you've already reached the Sixth-Layer Qi Cultivation. In the past hundred years, no one in the clan has had your level of cultivation when descending the mountain at twenty."

"You just broke through using Earth Vein Spiritual Qi, and will need at least five years to consolidate your magical power. Leaving you on the mountain would waste manpower, wouldn't it?"

"So, I've decided to make an exception and let you descend the mountain early to serve the clan. It's also an experience for you, which will greatly benefit your future cultivation."

Zhou Minghan looked at Zhouyang, who attentively listened, slightly smiling and spoke of his arrangement in a serious tone.

As expected, Zhouyang, upon hearing his words, showed a change in expression, clearly not expecting to be called for this reason.

He wasn't sure whether to be happy or annoyed as Zhouyang's expression briefly changed but then quickly returned to calm as he respectfully bowed and said, "Grandson understands, willing to comply with the clan's arrangement."

Upon seeing this, he asked quirky, "Don't you want to know where I intend to appoint you?"

"Grandson believes no matter the arrangement, it would ultimately be for grandson's good."

Zhouyang inwardly chuckled, delivering this line, making Zhou Minghan speechless.

Half a moment later, he laughingly chastised, "Truly a clever little fox! Xuanhao's couple are upright people, how could they produce such a sly lad like you!"

Without waiting for Zhouyang to protest, he proceeded to tell Zhouyang the plan.

"Your spiritual root aligns with the attributes of gold and fire, and you cultivate the dominant technique, 'Golden Sun Fiery Flame Technique'. Although lacking experience in combat, your magical combat abilities aren't inferior to any same-level cultivators."

"Coincidentally, the cultivator stationed at Qingping Mountain has reached the term limit, and you can replace him for five years. Afterward, I'll send someone else to take over."

"Moreover, I hope during this period, you spare some time to learn the Artifact Refining. The talent for refining artifacts within the clan is limited at present, and if you can make progress in it, it would greatly benefit the clan."

After explaining the arrangement, Zhou Minghan waved his hand, tossing a gray storage bag and a small silver shield to Zhouyang.

"Inside the storage bag are some low-tier artifact refining materials, along with my insights into refining, and a copy of the 'Artifact Refining Truth' from the clan's collection. You should carefully guard these and never pass them on externally."

"As for this 'Silver Gang Shield', it's one of the finest second-tier magical artifacts I've refined, consider it my compensation for having you descend the mountain early."

"Alright, if you have no other matters, you can withdraw. The journey to Qingping Mountain should ideally be completed within a month."

Zhou Minghan's proclamation and actions left Zhouyang in surprise, responding almost instinctively with, "Then grandson will take leave first."

Not until he walked out of the cave mansion and heard the door closing sound, did he shake, awaken to the happenings.

Reflecting on what Zhou Minghan entrusted him with in the cave mansion, his eyes held a puzzled mumble, "What happened just now? How did I seem lost without any reaction? This isn't like my nature!"

Before his voice faded, a sudden jump in his heart led to a bold speculation.

"Could it be that the old clan leader cast some spell on me?"

The next instant, he restrained this dangerous thought.

Even if the old clan leader cast some spell, it was just a harmless joke, no need to overthink, as baseless pondering could harm oneself.

Thinking of this, he carefully secured the storage bag and artifact, and asked Grandpa Qi drinking tea under the tree over there for help in opening an array to send him down the mountain.

Before stepping through the array, Zhouyang looked back at the mountain top, only to see Grandpa Qi smiling under the tree, watching him leave.

"This kid seems to have sensed something; I should refrain from using tricks like this again to avoid miscommunication."

In the mountain top cave mansion, Zhou Minghan felt a pang of regret through his divine sense upon seeing Zhouyang's expression change after leaving.

He did silently influence Zhouyang's mind with the Soul Capturing Technique he acquired years ago while speaking.

Not that he feared Zhouyang's resistance to the arrangement, but disliked Zhouyang's mature demeanor, hence the urge to tease him.

Just like adults among mortals orchestrating tricks on small children, deliberately giving them a sip of spirits, watching the mature-acting child cry with spice and laughing heartily.

Such pranks, while delighting elders at the time, can lead to regrettable resentment from juniors if not addressed.

Such was Zhou Minghan's predicament now.

Luckily, Zhouyang is genuinely mature, not just acting so, having no resentment towards the elder caring for the clan despite the trivial jest.

Once he descended from the mountain top, he returned to his pavilion halfway up the mountain and closed the door, sorting through the day's gains.

Firstly, the storage bag given by the old clan leader. This storage artifact, crafted from the skin of Spirit Void Mice, is almost universally owned by cultivators; even the poorest loose cultivator would strive to procure one.

Of course, storage bags vary in size and grade; typically, the type used by Qi cultivation loose cultivators offers only a space of three feet squared, barely accommodating a few sets of clothes and minimal items.

In the Yuquan Zhou Clan, a cultivation family, every clan member who reaches the Qi Cultivation Stage can receive a five-foot-square storage bag from the family for free. Due to his good father, Zhouyang usually carries a storage bag that's one-zhang square.

But now, his storage bag has been upgraded.

The seemingly dull storage bag given by the old clan leader is surprisingly spacious, with a square space of three zhang inside, containing an artifact cauldron for refining and some artifact refining classics, filled with low-tier artifact refining materials like Profound Iron, Red Copper, and Centennial Iron Wood.

Zhouyang roughly calculated that if only refining magical artifacts like swords, which require fewer materials, these materials would be enough for him to refine hundreds of times.

"When ordinary clan members learn artifact refining, the family provides free materials to practice, but at most they get a hundred opportunities. The old clan leader gave me so many materials, even a fool could succeed two or three times, right!"

Looking at the pile of materials in the storage bag, it's a lie to say he wasn't moved.

He knew the old clan leader was always impartial, and even though he had exceptional talent, exceptions wouldn't be made for him.

The reason he could use so many materials was that the old clan leader used his personal savings to exchange these materials from the family treasury.

"It seems the old clan leader really wants me to inherit his artifact refining skill. As the only Tier Three Refiner in the family, he must have seen something. Perhaps I also have a good talent in artifact refining."

Recalling the cultivation technique "Golden Sun Fiery Flame Technique," Zhouyang suddenly had an epiphany, a smile of understanding appearing on his face.

Carefully, he stowed away the storage bag and turned his gaze to the other item the old clan leader had given him, the Tier Two Spiritual Artifact "Silver Gang Shield."

The Tier Two Spiritual Artifact "Silver Gang Shield" is primarily crafted from the shed bark of the Tier Two Spiritual Object "Dragon Scale Tree," mixed with the Tier Two Spiritual Object "Silver Gang Stone."

There are nine realms in cultivation, and the magical artifacts, elixirs, arrays, and talismans used by cultivators are similarly divided into nine tiers, from Tier One to Tier Nine. Tier Two Spiritual Artifacts correspond to Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivators.

Even within Tier Two Spiritual Artifacts, there are upper, middle, and lower grades. The "Silver Gang Shield," meticulously refined by Zhou Minghan, a Tier Three Refiner, is naturally of the highest upper grade.

Before refinement, this artifact appears palm-sized, but once Zhouyang refines it, during battle, it can expand to the size of a door, shielding his entire body, and can adjust its position at will.

Due to the incorporation of "Silver Gang Stone," this artifact not only easily blocks attacks from Tier Two flying swords or flying sabers but is also particularly effective against magical attacks from cultivators or demon beasts, significantly mitigating damage from spells below Tier Three.

"The Zhou family possesses a Tier Two "Dragon Scale Tree," from which mature bark can be harvested every ten years, considered self-produced. However, the breaking spiritual object "Silver Gang Stone" is quite rare, and even a small fist-sized piece costs at least five hundred low-grade spirit stones. The old clan leader's gift is indeed substantial!"

In the room, holding the palm-sized silver small shield, Zhouyang suddenly felt the spiritual artifact's weight increase.

As a cultivation family, every Zhou family member who reaches the Qi Cultivation Stage regularly receives spirit stone offerings each year from the family until they exceed sixty years old.

According to the current clan regulations, a Zhou family member at First-Layer Qi Cultivation receives 10 low-grade spirit stones annually, while at Second-Layer Qi Cultivation it's 20 low-grade spirit stones, and so on, until a change at Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation.

Ordinarily, Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation is the limit for average Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivators. Zhou family rules promote any family cultivator reaching Ninth-Layer to clan elder status, allowing each elder to receive an annual offering of 150 low-grade spirit stones, unaffected by age, as long as the elder doesn't pass away, they receive full offerings.

Zhouyang had been at Fifth-Layer Qi Cultivation for two years, receiving an annual offering of only 50 low-grade spirit stones. Calculating accordingly, even if he saved every spirit stone, it would take ten years of offerings to exchange for a fist-sized "Silver Gang Stone."

In reality, despite entering the Qi Cultivation Stage at age seven, counting only what his parents gifted him as rewards, his total assets amounted to just over three hundred low-grade spirit stones.

Thus, the old clan leader Zhou Minghan's use of the "Silver Gang Shield" as a reward for his early departure is indeed a heavy gift.

"With the old clan leader so valuing me, I must live up to his expectations. Whether learning artifact refining or guarding Qingping Mountain, I must do an outstanding job!"

Heart warmed, Zhouyang tightened his grip on his spiritual artifact, determined to repay the trust of his elders with diligent efforts.

Over the next few days, Zhouyang secluded himself in his room, wholeheartedly refining the newly acquired "Silver Gang Shield" spiritual artifact, until mastering its use before venturing out to prepare for his departure.

First, he visited another important place within the Zhou family, the Scripture Cave, to learn the Qi Cultivation Sixth-Layer technique of "Golden Sun Fiery Flame Technique," then selected five magic techniques benefiting magical combat from the numerous spells collected within the cave.

These five spells consisted of the Tier Two attack spells "Golden Saber Technique" and "Fire Snake Technique," the Tier Two defense spell "Golden Light Body-Protecting Technique," and the Tier Two assistance spells "Celestial Eye Technique" and "Earth Escape Technique."

The Zhou family's Scripture Cave doesn't prohibit clan members from browsing Qi Cultivation Stage techniques and spells, but they can't be taken out, nor privately taught to outsiders.

Following his parents' guidance, Zhouyang previously focused only on simple Tier One auxiliary spells and didn't divert his attention to magic techniques for combat, dedicating all efforts to cultivation advancement.

Now, however, with the need to guard a region below the mountain, unpredictable combat encounters warrant diversifying techniques beyond relying solely on his spiritual artifacts, as a single strategy risks easy countering.

Magic techniques are easy to learn but hard to master. With Zhouyang's Sixth-Layer Qi Cultivation, he learned all five spells within half a month.

As the one-month deadline given by the old clan leader approached, he wrote a letter explaining the situation, asking a clan elder to deliver it to his parents stationed at a cultivator marketplace thousands of miles away, then bid farewell to familiar elders and peers on the mountain and set off alone.

Descending the mountain, Zhouyang borrowed a desert-traversing camel from clansmen and headed straight into the Boundless Desert Sea.

It was his first time leaving Yuquan Lake Oasis in seventeen years, and during two lifetimes, his first adventure into the desert.

The desert is boundless; travelers easily lose direction within it.

Once lost in the desert, even cultivators with ample supplies in their storage bags must reach an oasis before depleting food and water to avoid starving or dying of thirst.

Cultivators surpass mortals in strength, but until reaching the Golden Core Stage, they can't fully fast. Even Nascent Soul Stage cultivators need regular meals of spirit grains or demon beast spiritual flesh.

In fact, Golden Core Stage cultivators capable of fasting won't recklessly explore the Boundless Desert Sea.

Though fearless of losing direction, the desert conceals threats like terrifying natural disasters and formidable demon beasts capable of killing even Golden Core Stage cultivators.

For instance, the infamous "Black Sand Storm," ensnaring Golden Core Stage cultivators in unique energy cutting off divine senses and five senses, with endless storm consuming magical power until death.

Another example is the most renowned Tier Five demon beast in the desert, "Sand Worm," reaching a thousand zhang in length with terrifying teeth able to crush Tier Five defense spiritual artifacts. A careless Golden Core Stage cultivator risks death in its maw.

Due to these threats, Golden Core Stage cultivators refrain from delving into the desert without compelling reasons.

Fortunately, neither the terrifying "Black Sand Storm" nor the Tier Five Demon Beast [Sand Worms] sleeping in certain underground spiritual veins deep in the desert appear near the oasis. Otherwise, Zhouyang might not have dared to venture into the desert alone.

With only a camel for company, he traveled according to the map provided by his clan, taking about five days to reach his destination—Qingping Mountain.

Qingping Mountain is also an oasis, but an artificial one.

This oasis is quite small, only about a dozen square kilometers in size. The oasis was created entirely thanks to the Zhou Family's expenditure of over ten thousand low-grade spirit stones to artificially construct a Tier Two Low-Grade Spiritual Vein.

The Zhou Family went to such great expense to build an oasis here because more than fifty years ago, a Zhou Clan member lost in the desert discovered a medium-sized refined iron ore vein in this location.

Refined iron ore is a type of spirit ore that contains a small amount of spiritual energy. After smelting and processing, it can be refined into Tier One spiritual object refined iron and Tier Two spiritual object profound iron. These two spiritual objects are the main materials for cultivation clans or sects in constructing important buildings like ancestral halls, scripture pavilions, and treasure vaults. They are also the main materials refiners use to craft most Tier One and Tier Two magical artifacts, and they are in great demand in the market.

To mine the refined iron ore vein, the Zhou Family had to construct an oasis for the miners' residence. At the same time, to protect the miners from attacks by low-tier demon beasts in the desert, the Zhou Family needed to station cultivators for defense.

Whether it was to build the oasis or to allow stationed cultivators to continue cultivating, the Zhou Family had to artificially create spiritual veins here.

Of course, all these investments were worthwhile.

This single medium-sized refined iron ore vein alone generates over five hundred low-grade spirit stones in pure profit for the Zhou Family annually after processing and selling the refined iron. Over the past fifty years, the initial investment has been repaid several times over.

Moreover, given the reserves of the refined iron ore vein, it can be mined for at least another fifty years.

The area of Qingping Mountain oasis is extremely small. Most of the region has been converted into residential areas for the miners, with only a small hundred-meter-high hill at the center of the spiritual vein being designated as the residence of the stationed cultivators and the storage for finished materials.

In fact, the small hill is the actual Qingping Mountain.

Because the current Grand Elder of the Zhou Family is a Tier Two Array Master, a Tier Two Array "Cloud Sea Light Splitting Array" has been set upon the spiritual veins at Qingping Mountain, which allows the hill to be shrouded in fog year-round, obscuring its inner arrangements from sight.

Zhouyang arrived outside the array and channeled his magical power to shout. The fog at the front began to churn, opening a path for him to go up the mountain.

He followed the array's passage and soon saw the stationed cultivator within—an intellectual-looking middle-aged scholar. This person is ranked sixteenth among the "Xuan" generation cultivators of the Zhou Family and is named Zhou Xuanjin.

"Oh, why is it you, Yang'Er, coming to replace me? Aren't you under twenty?"

Seeing Zhouyang enter, the scholar-attired Zhou Xuanjin gave a slight surprise and promptly set down his book to inquire before Zhouyang could salute him.

"Returning to Sixteenth Uncle, this was arranged by the Old Clan Leader. He said that my cultivation has reached the standard for leaving the mountain, so he made an exception for me to go out for training ahead of time," Zhouyang replied honestly.

Zhou Xuanjin was taken aback for a moment. He muttered softly in confusion, "Reach the standard for leaving the mountain? Since when did our Zhou Family have such a standard?"

After speaking, a thought struck him as if he recalled something. He quickly cast a "Celestial Eye Technique" on himself, his eyes glinting with golden light as he examined Zhouyang up and down.

What he saw made him gape in surprise. "Oh my! You've broken through to the Sixth Layer of Qi Cultivation!"

"I was fortunate to make a breakthrough after a retreat last month in [Jade Sun Cave]."

Zhouyang smiled faintly and nodded in acknowledgment.

In the cultivation realm, using "Celestial Eye Technique" to directly observe someone's cultivation is considered a violation, often leading to disputes among cultivators.

However, since Zhou Xuanjin was a family elder, Zhouyang didn't mind such trivial matters.

"Tsk, tsk, amazing, truly amazing. How young are you!"

"I, your uncle, have painstakingly cultivated for forty to fifty years to reach my current Seventh Layer Qi Cultivation, and yet you've reached the Sixth Layer at seventeen. In another ten or so years, your cultivation might surpass mine!"

"Ah, I'm old, so old. I can't compare to young people. We both have Middle-grade Spiritual Root talent, yet why is the disparity so great!"

Zhou Xuanjin withdrew the spell, looking at this outstanding junior with complex emotions. He couldn't decide whether to be excited for the clan to have such a genius or to feel ashamed and dejected that his cultivation might soon be surpassed by a junior several decades younger.

Zhouyang had encountered this situation before. Ever since he broke through to the Sixth Layer of Qi Cultivation, the peers and elders on Jade Spring Peak have expressed both astonishment and joy at his cultivation speed yet also showed feelings of despondency similar to Zhou Xuanjin.

In response, he could only remain silent, feeling it unseemly to say more.

Truly, Zhouyang had little more to say.

The greater his cultivation, the wider the gap between him and his peers, and the more acutely he felt the importance of talent for Low-Tier Cultivators.

Among mortals, only one or two in ten thousand might possess a spiritual root. The offspring of cultivators have a higher probability of possessing a spiritual root, yet it's still only a few tens of a chance.

Among those with spiritual roots, the majority have lower-grade spiritual roots, with only one in ten being a Middle-grade Spiritual Root Cultivator. As for Top-grade Spiritual Roots, they are even rarer; scarcely one in a hundred cultivators has one.

On the Zhou Family land at Yuquan Lake oasis, there are over ten thousand clan members, yet the total number of Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivators is under a hundred, among which are seven or eight outsiders married into the Zhou Clan.

Among the existing Zhou Family cultivators, not one has a Top-grade Spiritual Root, not even the Late-Stage Foundation Establishment old clan leader Zhou Minghan, who only has a Middle-grade Spiritual Root.

So how significant is the influence of spiritual root quality on a cultivator?

With the same First-Layer Qi Cultivation, practicing the same cultivation technique, and meditating in the same place, a Low-grade Spiritual Root cultivator's ten days of meditation equals the effect achieved by a Middle-grade Spiritual Root cultivator in one day.

A Middle-grade Spiritual Root cultivator's ten days of meditation might not equal what a Top-grade Spiritual Root cultivator achieves in a single day.

Top-grade Spiritual Root cultivators not only cultivate quickly, but when facing the first major barrier of cultivation, the "Foundation Establishment" hurdle, their chances of success vastly exceed those of lower-grade spiritual root cultivators. Even without consuming a "Foundation Establishment Pill," a rare spirit elixir that greatly enhances the success rate of foundation establishment, they have a thirty percent chance of breaking through.

It's said that above Top-grade Spiritual Roots, there are Spirit Body Cultivators and Dao Body Cultivators.

Any Spirit Body Cultivator, as long as they do not fall prematurely, is guaranteed to become a Golden Core Stage Ancestor, encountering no bottlenecks en route.

As for Dao Body Cultivators, they are legendary beings. Since this world's cultivation began, less than a handful of Dao Body Cultivators have emerged, each ruling over an era as a superpower.

Apart from the Spirit Body and Dao Body, there is another special physique in the cultivation realm known as the "Treasure Body."

The "Treasure Body" is an exceptionally rare physique that any Spiritual Root Cultivator could possess. If a cultivator with a Treasure Body practices cultivation techniques that align with their physique, their cultivation speed will surpass that of cultivators with the same grade of spiritual root. Moreover, as their cultivation improves, they will acquire unique Treasure Body Divine Techniques.

For instance, Zhouyang might possess a certain yang attribute Treasure Body. Therefore, even with a middle-grade spiritual root talent, after practicing the "Golden Sun Fiery Flame Technique," a domineering yang-based technique, his cultivation speed matches that of an upper-grade spiritual root cultivator.

If all goes well, Zhouyang is likely to reach the Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation before turning forty.

A regular cultivator with middle-grade spiritual roots like Zhou Xuanjin may only reach the Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation around the age of sixty or seventy.

An ordinary cultivator with lower-grade spiritual roots might not ever achieve the Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation, even if they live to the lifespan limit of a Qi Cultivation Stage cultivator!

A harsh reality is that the older a Qi Cultivation Stage cultivator is, the more difficult it becomes to advance to the Foundation Establishment Stage. The success rate for Foundation Establishment for a Ninth-Layer cultivator over sixty is less than half that of those under sixty, and it decreases further over eighty, with Zhouyang never having heard of such an extraordinary person over one hundred.

Given Zhouyang's age and cultivation speed, his success rate for Foundation Establishment is indeed much higher than average, which is why the old Clan Leader Zhou Minghan holds him in such high regard.

Unfortunately, having a Treasure Body does not increase a cultivator's success rate for Foundation Establishment; otherwise, Zhouyang could attempt Foundation Establishment right after reaching the Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation.

Both understood these circumstances, so when Zhouyang fell silent, Zhou Xuanjin quickly adjusted his mindset and began to pass on his duties to him.

"Guarding Qingping Mountain involves three main responsibilities. First, when the clan-assigned steward at the mine raises the alarm, go down to assist the miners with dealing with any Tier One or Tier Two Demon Beasts that occasionally intrude. Second, protect the miners' encampment outside and ensure that the finished materials they refine are safely stored in the mountain repository, awaiting clan retrieval. Finally, take care of the ten or so acres of spirit fields on the mountain; this concerns whether you will have enough to eat."

"Additionally, if ever faced with a powerful beast or attacking cultivators, do not leave the array boundary lightly. The best course is to hold the array and use your essence blood to activate this Tier Three Communication Talisman and await clan rescue."

"Lastly, here are the control array banner and manipulation methods for Qingping Mountain's array. Only after you have refined the banner and are familiar with the array operations can I leave."

Zhou Xuanjin explained as he handed over everything Zhouyang would need for his guardianship duties, teaching him step by step how to use each item.

Several days passed this way, and only after Zhouyang fully mastered the "Cloud Sea Light Splitting Array," a Tier Two Array, Zhou Xuanjin took the mine's yield from nearly a year and returned to the clan.

After Zhou Xuanjin's departure, Zhouyang became the highest-ranking Zhou family member at Qingping Mountain.

He first summoned the clan members responsible for managing the mining and smelting operations, gaining an initial understanding of the processes, and handed them Sound Transmission Talismans containing his aura so they could notify him in case of any issues.

Those appointed as stewards were innate martial arts practitioners with no spiritual roots and thus unable to cultivate magical power to become Qi Cultivation Stage cultivators, remaining at the Innate Realm all their lives.

Nevertheless, for mortals, the power wielded by Innate Realm practitioners was enough to inspire awe and reverence.

As long as a mortal reached the Innate Realm and refined innate true qi from within, they could move as fast as galloping horses, lift cauldrons effortlessly, and could easily face a hundred foes alone. They also gained significant resistance to illnesses.

Yet, a mortal without spiritual roots, even with innate true qi, could not perform even the lowest Tier One Magic.

True cultivators with spiritual roots did not recognize these mortals as cultivators and disdained any interaction with them.

Zhouyang didn't discriminate against these mortal practitioners, but they had long internalized the superiority complex of true cultivators, so even when he invited them for conversation, no one dared to treat him as an equal, and thus he eventually dismissed them due to the lack of meaningful interaction.

From then on, Zhouyang's life became simple.

Every morning, he would meditate and practice breathing techniques facing the sunrise for three hours, then spend another three hours practicing five magics he learned from the Scripture Pavilion. By evening, he dedicated half an hour to weeding and deworming the thriving spirit grain in the mountain's spirit fields.

The spirit vein at Qingping Mountain was Tier Two Lower Grade and artificial, supplying just enough spiritual qi for daily cultivation needs of a Late-Stage Qi Cultivation cultivator, and only two to three percent remained each day.

Therefore, only fifteen or so acres of spirit fields were developed, for nourishing the stationed cultivator without requiring tributes to the clan.

The spirit grain planted in these fields is called [Golden Pearl Rice], resembling the cotton tree from Zhouyang's previous world, harvested once annually, with each plant yielding dozens of fruits. These fruits, once peeled, reveal golden pearl-like grains, giving it the name [Golden Pearl Rice].

This [Golden Pearl Rice], grown in spirit fields and needing spiritual qi to thrive and mature, apart from being nutritious and delicious, also contains traces of spiritual qi, greatly beneficial for cultivators to absorb.

Qi Cultivation cultivators consuming [Golden Pearl Rice] regularly need only a small bowl to satisfy the body's nutritional needs for two or three days while also slightly enhancing cultivation.

Even Foundation Establishment and Purple Mansion Stage cultivators often have meals made with this [Golden Pearl Rice].

Zhouyang began cultivating at age four, reaching the Ninth Layer of the Innate Realm in just three years. Besides having decent talent, it was largely due to his parents often providing [Golden Pearl Rice] and some low-tier demon beast meat for his meals.

Not being a Spirit Plant Cultivator, Zhouyang was unfamiliar with the magic necessary for increasing the yield of spirit fields and could only tend to the [Golden Pearl Rice] like an ordinary farmer, watering, weeding, and pest control to ensure survival.

As long as he didn't kill off the crops, the output from these few acres of spirit fields was more than enough to meet his dietary needs, leaving a substantial surplus.

Zhouyang understood that this surplus was the generous welfare given to stationed cultivators, as completing tasks outside the mountain was every adult clan member's duty, without earning additional rewards from the clan.

After daily tending to the spirit fields for half an hour, Zhouyang spent the rest of the evening learning the art of artifact refining.

He did not begin refining artifacts immediately but spent time carefully studying the artifact refining classics and the notes given by the old Clan Leader, practicing basic materials refinement with ore extracted from the refined iron ore mine.

These simple yet enriching days went by, totaling three years.

After three years, having fully grasped the knowledge in those artifact refining classics and the skill of material refinement, Zhouyang finally began formal refining with materials granted by the old Clan Leader.

To conserve materials, he chose to refine the simplest Tier One sword-type spiritual artifact, the [Cyan Blade].

The primary material for the [Cyan Blade] is refined iron, with the hilt made from Centennial Iron Wood and other spirit woods, allowing innate realm cultivators to wield the artifact and by injecting innate true qi, unleash sword light ranging from three inches to a foot, to strike foes based on the user's cultivation.

Refining this artifact is straightforward; begin by refining the refined iron with spiritual fire to craft the sword embryo, maintaining the fiery temperature to keep the sword embryo in a heated state while using the cultivator's magical power and divine sense to inscribe a [Sharpened] restriction inside the sword embryo.

Once the restriction is completed, the sword quenches; if its body then gleams with the typical spiritual light of a spiritual artifact, it signals success. Without it, you simply obtain an ordinary yet sharp mortal blade.

Easy said, hard done. Even after visualizing countless possibilities during refinement and rehearsing the [Sharpened] restriction setup countless times, Zhouyang's first attempt at artifact refining undoubtedly ended in failure.

With a "bang" echoing from the artifact cauldron, his first foray into artifact refining concluded without even reaching the quenching stage.

The first failure in artifact refining did not dampen Zhouyang's enthusiasm, as he had never expected to succeed on his first try.

If artifact refining were so easy to master, the profession of an artifact refiner wouldn't be the most esteemed in the Cultivation Realm.

No artifact refiner, not even the most talented, can succeed in refining on their first attempt.

Most artifact refiners, even those with a bit of talent, rely on an enormous amount of materials to gradually develop their refining skills.

Thus, in the Cultivation Realm, among those loose cultivators without a sect or clan, it is rare to find artifact refiners or alchemists because they cannot afford the cost of the wasted materials needed to learn these arts.

Even for a clan like the Zhou Family, which has Foundation Establishment cultivators, cultivating a truly profitable Tier Two Refiner is very difficult. It requires selecting talented members and investing heavily. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Before Zhouyang, many "Xuan" generation cultivators in the Zhou Family studied artifact refining, but only his Seventh Uncle Zhou Xuanlin barely advanced to Tier Two Refiner. This was also thanks to Zhou Minghan, a Tier Three Refiner, who personally guided him, while also spending thousands of spirit stones' worth of materials to train him.

However, the limit for a Qi Cultivation Stage cultivator is Tier Two Refiner. To become a Tier Three Refiner, one must first reach the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Thus, when Zhou Minghan expressed his hope that Zhouyang could inherit his refining skills, he implicitly hoped Zhouyang could succeed in reaching Foundation Establishment.

If Zhouyang could succeed in reaching Foundation Establishment and show even a hint of talent in refining, Zhou Minghan was confident he could invest enough spirit stones to make Zhouyang a Tier Three Refiner!

Of course, Zhouyang was unaware of these details. He only felt that refining materials were hard to come by and it was a shame to waste them. Thus, after failing, he did not rush to try again. Instead, he cleaned up the waste from the artifact cauldron and carefully summarized his experiences and lessons.

Only when he felt a bit more confident did he start a new attempt.

In this way, he failed, summarized, and failed again, and summarized once more...

After experiencing failure seventeen times, Zhouyang finally succeeded in crafting a complete [Cyan Blade], officially becoming a Tier One Refiner.

With the experience of his first success, Zhouyang's success rate improved significantly in subsequent refining attempts, roughly succeeding once for every ten tries.

After over a hundred attempts, when he managed to control his success rate to two out of ten, he stopped refining [Cyan Blade], a Tier One Magical Artifact, and switched to refining another Tier One Magical Artifact, the [Flaming Saber].

The [Flaming Saber] primarily uses refined iron as its main material, but it also requires the addition of two-tenths part fire attribute spirit gold red copper. Once refined, when an Innate Realm cultivator infuses innate true qi into it, it can ignite flames to add burning damage against opponents, and it can be used to attack ghosts that cannot be harmed by pure physical attacks.

The refining process of [Flaming Saber] is roughly similar to that of [Cyan Blade], except that the restriction placed within the saber is not [Sharpness], but the [Fiery Flame] restriction.

Despite his successful experience with refining [Cyan Blade], Zhouyang still failed in his first attempt at refining the [Flaming Saber].

However, after summarizing his failure, he succeeded on the second try by chance. After dozens of attempts, he managed to increase the success rate of [Flaming Saber] to above twenty percent.

At this point, there were still plenty of basic refining materials left that the old clan leader had given him, but he did not continue refining. Instead, he handed over the magical artifacts he had crafted, his insights gained during refining, and letters written to his parents, to his peer Zhou Qi, who had come to collect refined iron ores, asking him to bring them back to the clan to give to the old clan leader and pass on to his parents living far away.

Zhou Qi ranked third among the "Yuan" generation of the Zhou family. His parents were ordinary mortals, and he was already thirty-two years old. Yet due to having only a low-grade spiritual root, his cultivation level barely reached the Third-Layer Qi Cultivation, meaning there was no hope for him to reach Foundation Establishment in this life.

When he heard about Zhouyang's accomplishment in becoming a Tier One Refiner, he was first shocked, then beamed with joy as he took the items and nodded vigorously, "Ninth Brother, don't worry. I will definitely deliver these items and letters to the old clan leader and uncle and aunt."

After saying this, he paused, earnestly advising, "But you should also focus on your cultivation. Don't put all your efforts into refining. You are the hope of our entire Zhou family. The elders and all of us siblings are counting on you to succeed in reaching Foundation Establishment and lead our Zhou family forward!"

"Third Brother is right. I will work hard in my cultivation and not disappoint the elders!" Zhouyang nodded, responding with a serious demeanor.

"As long as you understand, I'll be on my way then."

Watching his cousin Zhou Qi depart, Zhouyang operated the array to restore it to its original state, then closed the door to read the long letter his parents had entrusted to his cousin.

Zhouyang's father, Zhou Xuanhao, dedicated himself to cultivation in his early years. It was only when he was over sixty and saw no hope of reaching Foundation Establishment that he heeded the clan elders' advice to marry and have children.

At that time, Zhouyang's mother, Lin Yuting, was being hunted by enemies. She escaped to the vicinity of Yuquan Lake Oasis, where Zhou Xuanhao saved her. The two became a couple and soon after, Zhouyang was born.

Because both were cultivators, their first child luckily tested with medium quality spiritual roots. From then on, Zhouyang became the apple of his parents' eye, cherished dearly.

It was precisely their meticulous care from a young age that allowed Zhouyang, who had memories spanning two or three decades from his previous life, to gradually let go of everything from his past life and wholeheartedly accept and acknowledge his parents and the entire Zhou family in this life.

To ensure their son could go further in cultivation than they did, Zhou Xuanhao and Lin Yuting decided not to have more children and poured all their energy into earning spirit stones and taking care of Zhouyang.

When they discovered Zhouyang's precocious talent, realizing he could take care of himself, the couple entrusted him to the care of the clan elders. They then devoted themselves to running a store at a cultivator marketplace, using their skills in alchemy and brewing to earn spirit stones for the clan and their son.

As someone with past life experience, Zhouyang fully understood his parents' intentions.

Just like his parents in his past life, who worked in the city to support his education, Zhou Xuanhao and Lin Yuting were doing everything they could so Zhouyang could reach Foundation Establishment and go further on the path of cultivation.

Thus, he never resented them for their long absence. Instead, he wrote them multiple letters each year, sent through clan elders, to share his daily experiences, knowing that these mundane details were what his parents most wanted to hear.

"Yang'Er, Qingping Mountain is far from the clan. You must think twice before acting and prioritize your safety in all matters..."

"Son, the tavern business here has been booming thanks to the ideas you suggested last time. My son truly is a genius. You will certainly become a Foundation Establishment cultivator, no, a Golden Core Ancestor!"

Reading each word of the letter from his parents, Zhouyang's face radiated genuine joy. His parents' simple words of encouragement were far more motivating than anyone else's lengthy speeches.

Once he finished reading the letter, he carefully put it away, murmuring to himself, "Two more years. Once I complete this two-year post, I'll return to the clan to prepare for a breakthrough to the Seventh-Layer Qi Cultivation. Once I reach the late-stage of Qi Cultivation, I'll apply to the old clan leader to be stationed at the marketplace, and then our family can be reunited!"

Meanwhile, when Zhou Qi returned to the clan with Zhouyang's crafted artifacts and insights, it immediately caught Zhou Minghan's attention.

He personally inspected each of Zhouyang's crafted artifacts, pointing out their shortcomings and suggesting improvements. He also addressed each concern Zhouyang recorded in his refining insights, and had a "Guang" generation clan elder personally deliver higher-tier refining materials and further refining insights to Zhouyang.

"Haha, Xiao Jiu, you've truly made us proud. In all my years, it's the first time I've seen the old clan leader so delighted and attentive towards a junior. Your reputation as the Zhou family's Qilin'Er has spread throughout the clan, and even those living in the secular world are talking about your feats!"

The elder said joyfully.