Cultivation Begins From The Desert-Chapter 96 - 95: Zhou Xuanbin’s Request

The family meeting was, of course, an excuse made by Zhou Minghan to avoid Zhou Xuan Yu’s embarrassment. In reality, regarding the summoning order from the Yellow Sand Sect, the Zhou family’s rules have long stated that everything is decided after discussions between the clan leader and the supreme elder.

According to the rules set by the Yellow Sand Sect for vassal families, once a summoning order is issued, the lowest level of cultivation for participating cultivators must be at the late-stage Qi cultivation level.

Therefore, given the current situation of the Zhou family, when the summoning order is issued, there’s no need to choose who will participate; it can only be those few clan cultivators from the Xuan generation.

Because it was unknown when the summoning order from the Yellow Sand Sect would arrive, Zhouyang did not return to the "Haoyang Cave" spirit vein; instead, he temporarily stayed at another cave dwelling on Jade Spring Peak, dealing with some trivial matters within the family while studying the "Godslaying Needle" spiritual sense attack secret technique recorded on a jade scroll.

In addition to the physical items like artifacts he gained in the "Thousand Machines Grotto Heaven," Zhouyang shared other cultivation techniques and secret techniques with the old clan leader Zhou Minghan and his father Zhou Xuanhao for free, then stored them in the clan treasure vault to exchange for clan contribution points.

The contribution points he gained from exchanging these cultivation techniques and secret techniques not only canceled out all the clan contribution points he owed in the family accounts but also gave him several thousand more special contribution points.

The role of the special contribution points needs no further explanation. The Chen Family Ancestor has promised that in the next refining of the Foundation Establishment Pills, one will be given to the Zhou family for free. Zhouyang did not hide this news from the clansmen, and now the cultivators in the family are all eager to earn special contribution points because of this news.

However, according to Zhouyang’s estimate, it is unlikely that any Qi cultivation stage cultivator could save up the ten thousand special contribution points needed to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill within at least a hundred years.

As for the Foundation Establishment stage cultivators, if they are truly willing to take risks, spending dozens to a hundred years, there is still a great hope of accumulating ten thousand special contribution points.

Unfortunately, among the three Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Zhou family now, both Zhouyang and his father Zhou Xuanhao do not have descendants who need the Foundation Establishment Pill. Although Zhou Minghan has the great-granddaughter Zhou Yuanyao, who has a middle-grade spiritual root, due to Zhou Yuanyao’s special status, he probably would not be willing to do so.

Ultimately, the Zhou family currently has Zhou Guangxiang, a descendant with a top-grade spiritual root. As a cultivator with a top-grade spiritual root, if the Zhou family acquires a Foundation Establishment Pill, it is undoubtedly necessary to consider letting him use it first.

After all, the success rate of a top-grade spiritual root cultivator using a Foundation Establishment Pill is almost ten out of ten, nearly guaranteeing the family an additional Foundation Establishment cultivator.

On this day, Zhouyang was in the cave dwelling on Jade Spring Peak, studying the "Godslaying Needle" secret technique, when he suddenly received a sound transmission talisman from his fifth uncle, Zhou Xuanbin.

"Fifth Uncle suddenly visits, what important matter might there be?" ƒrēenovelkiss.com

In the cave dwelling, Zhouyang emerged from seclusion to meet his visiting fifth uncle, Zhou Xuanbin, and immediately asked his purpose without any pleasantries.

As a Foundation Establishment cultivator and the clan leader, he no longer needed to waste time on formalities with these Qi cultivation stage family elders. Not only would it tire him, but for the elders, it was also a mental burden.

If he were too polite, they would feel compelled to choose their words carefully to respond appropriately, ensuring they did not offend him.

"Clan Leader, you calling me fifth uncle makes me truly ashamed! I have come this time for a personal matter!"

Zhou Xuanbin, feeling ashamed, cupped his hands and spoke with a low tone, revealing his intention for coming.

It turned out that Zhou Xuanbin had come on behalf of his son, Zhou Yuanchen.

Zhou Xuanbin’s son, Zhou Yuanchen, is the eldest of the "Yuan" generation in the Zhou family and is now fifty-eight years old!

As the eldest of the "Yuan" generation and a middle-grade spiritual root cultivator with a thunder attribute, Zhou Yuanchen was sent to the Yellow Sand Sect by Zhou Xuanbin when he was twenty, becoming an inner sect disciple of the sect.

Zhou Xuanbin’s thoughts were straightforward at the time. If his son stayed in the Zhou family, it was unlikely the family could prepare a Foundation Establishment Pill for him, and ultimately, he would tread the same path as himself, remaining a Qi cultivation stage cultivator until death.

Conversely, if he joined the Yellow Sand Sect due to the advantage of his thunder attribute middle-grade spiritual root, there might be a chance for the sect to favor him, treating him as a "Foundation Establishment seed."

Unfortunately, reality is harsh. The Yellow Sand Sect is such a major sect that several upper-grade spiritual root cultivators appear every generation, along with many descendants of high-tier cultivators waiting for Foundation Establishment.

What can Zhou Yuanchen, with his mere middle-grade spiritual root—even though it’s a relatively rare thunder attribute middle-grade spiritual root—amount to?

A middle-grade spiritual root remains a middle-grade spiritual root. Its success rate for Foundation Establishment does not increase or decrease because of different attributes.

Within the Yellow Sand Sect, upper-grade spiritual root cultivators are prioritized for exchanging Foundation Establishment Pills. However, for middle-grade spiritual root cultivators, without background or support, it’s almost impossible to accumulate enough merit points to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Zhou Yuanchen joined the Yellow Sand Sect at twenty and is now fifty-eight. In thirty-eight years, he has only accumulated less than three thousand merit points, far from the ten thousand needed to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill.

In this situation, it was essentially impossible for Zhou Yuanchen to succeed in Foundation Establishment using a Pill. In a letter two years ago, he had already sent a farewell message to Zhou Xuanbin, stating that he would go into seclusion three months before his sixtieth birthday to attempt Foundation Establishment. If unsuccessful, he would accept his fate!

However, a few days ago, Zhou Xuanbin heard Zhouyang mention that they had gained eight to nine thousand Yellow Sand Sect merit points from their demon-slaying battle, which stirred his thoughts. He hoped Zhouyang and the others could transfer these merit points to his son Zhou Yuanchen, allowing him to gather enough to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill.

"Clan Leader, I know my request is unreasonable, but I have no choice! Chen’Er is my only child, my hope for living on; I truly do not wish to witness burying my child with my own hands while I am still alive!"

In the cave dwelling, Zhou Xuanbin, with a face full of grief, knelt to the ground, choked with sobs.

These days felt like years for him, his heart filled with agony, struggling and internally debating daily.

Indeed, as he himself admitted, his request for Zhouyang and the other three family Foundation Establishment cultivators to transfer their life-risked earned Yellow Sand Sect merit points to his son was exceedingly unreasonable.

According to the rules of cultivation clans, once family disciples join a sect, they cannot receive any welfare or offerings from the family, nor are they obligated to perform any family tasks, and don’t even need to follow the clan leader’s orders.

After Zhou Yuanchen joined the Yellow Sand Sect, for the Zhou family, besides maintaining the name "Zhou Yuanchen" on the family genealogy, he essentially had no further relation to the Zhou family.

In the future, either the Zhou family wants him to assist with something, or he wants the family to do something for him, sufficient compensation according to cultivator rules must be offered, with communication tethered through his father, Zhou Xuanbin.

When Zhou Xuanbin passes away, the bond between Zhou Yuanchen and the Zhou family would only grow weaker over time.

Should he have descendants, their names might not even be included in the Zhou family’s genealogy unless he wishes them to return to the ancestral clan under the Zhou family rather than the Yellow Sand Sect.

Under such circumstances, for Zhou Xuanbin to ask Zhouyang and the others to transfer their arduously earned Yellow Sand Sect merit points to his son to help him exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill was indeed unreasonable.

Yet, outright denial would be unsuitable as well—Zhou Xuanbin, as a family elder, had greatly contributed and endured for the clan, especially given that the Foundation Establishment Pill Zhouyang received for his own Foundation Establishment was obtained through the perilous struggles involving himself, the old clan leader, and others.

Therefore, after frowning in contemplation for a moment, Zhouyang hurriedly stepped forward, helping Zhou Xuanbin up while saying, "Fifth Uncle, please stand, this matter is of great significance, and I cannot decide alone; I must consult with the old clan leader and my father before giving you an answer."

ps: Decided to accept the suggestions of readers and include the generational titles for family cultivators outside the protagonist.

Follow current novels on (f)reew𝒆bnovel