The death of Old Cui, who served the Stone Ancestor, at the hands of Ancestor Xianzhou did not cause even a single ripple. The most significant consequence was probably a massive reduction in the number of demon beasts attacking River Bend Fishing Port.
Over the past two years, River Bend Fishing Port had only encountered a single attack by a minor demon, which Zhang Xuewu led his n to resolve. Wang Yulou did not even have to lift a finger.
He was now pouring nearly all of his energy into his cultivation.
The scale of ti was illusory to cultivators. Once Wang Yulou had navigated through nurous troubles and thoroughly established his footing in Dripdrop Cave, his cultivation felt as though an acceleration button had been pressed.
However, from the perspective of acceleration, the spiritual pills Yulou consud daily provided more than a sixfold boost to his cultivation speed. Layering that with his lack of sleep and complete freedom from mundane distractions, the ultimate result gave him an elevenfold cultivation speed.
He spent his ti cultivating the Gui Water Qi, tracing his spiritual ridians while tempering his divine sense, practicing magical combat, and, well, continuously healing and recovering.
Extre speed ca with a price. Adding up the consumption of various spiritual pills, Yulou had utilized resources worth approximately twenty thousand spirit stones over the past two years. Ancestor Xianzhou's alchemy furnace was practically throwing off sparks from constant refinent.
Yet the results were highly prominent. With the aptitude of a dual spirit root, Wang Yulou reached the perfection of the third layer of Qi Refining on the exact day of his twenty-fifth birthday.
Just as he was about to break through to the fourth layer of Qi Refining, the first bottleneck of his Qi Refining stage finally manifested.
"A minor bottleneck—arguably not even a real bottleneck. Most dual spirit root cultivators wouldn't even encounter a bottleneck like this.
"You've encountered it purely because you cultivated too quickly. Even though I've accompanied you in a spiritual duel once a week to temper your spiritual qi, reaching the perfection of the third layer of Qi Refining in three years is still too fast," Wang Xianzhou analyzed.
Facing the legendary bottleneck, Yulou had initially felt a sliver of worry, but hearing Ancestor Xianzhou put it that way, he felt there was nothing left to worry about.
Indeed, three layers in three years. This speed had already seized a massive temporal advantage. Even if the bottleneck trapped him for a period, it would not truly hinder his overall cultivation velocity.
Normally, a dual spirit root cultivator could cultivate at three to five tis the standard speed, requiring five to seven years just to touch the bottleneck of the mid-Qi Refining stage.
Yulou's cultivation speed was eleven tis that of standard cultivation. Reaching the bottleneck in three years gave him at least a three-year head start.
Here, his points of comparison were the children of great clans, such as Zhou Yingxi, Lin Ying, and even the descendants of the great clans within the Immortal Alliance.
Why was Ancestor Xianzhou so deeply invested in pushing Yulou to cultivate at such a breakneck pace?
It was because the ancestor understood exactly how vital this temporal advantage was.
Dripdrop Cave to the Red Lantern Illumination Sect, and finally to the Immortal Alliance—this was the future path of developnt he envisioned for Yulou.
Ancestor Xianzhou believed that with Yulou's aptitude and inherent talents, paired with a temperant as deep and steady as a profound abyss, he possessed the chance to reach for that elusive possibility the Wang Clan had eagerly sought for one thousand two hundred years but could never grasp.
The ti snatched away now would serve as Yulou's safety margin for opening his Purple Palace in the future!
"Ancestor, how should Yulou handle this bottleneck now?
"Consuming pills? Or perhaps trying the nourishnt of spiritual materials? Or maybe using the legendary thod of breaking through via magical combat?" Yulou inquired.
When cultivators faced a bottleneck, the strategies available were nurous.
Consuming pills was the simplest thod. Various grand realm-breaking pills and precious breakthrough pills were designed specifically for a cultivator's bottlenecks.
Nourishnt from spiritual materials ant stuffing oneself with an abundance of resources, piling on overflowing wealth alongside certain auxiliary spiritual pills to force a breakthrough.
Compared to breaking through via pill consumption, relying on spiritual materials left the cultivator with a better foundation for the future.
It followed the sa logic: breaking through with spiritual pills was easy, but doing it too often would cause massive trouble when facing a truly monuntal bottleneck later in life.
Pills for the Qi Refining stage were easy to obtain; any Foundation Establishnt family could provide them for their younger generation.
But spiritual pills for the post-Foundation Establishnt stages were incredibly difficult to acquire. If a cultivator developed a reliance on spiritual pills to smash through bottlenecks, they would severely compress their strategic options when facing future bottlenecks.
As for breaking through via magical combat, that was practically the exclusive domain of rogue cultivators.
Without resources, without backing from a powerful organization, and without useful spiritual pills to assist them, yet still wishing to break through as quickly as possible, what could they do?
They went to engage in magical combat. Between life and death lay not only imnse terror but also imnse latent potential.
Using the peril of life and death to stimulate one's potential, breaking through while fighting—just thinking about it felt rather exhilarating.
However, upon hearing Yulou's words, Wang Xianzhou's expression grew incredibly stern as he spoke with solemn weight, instructing him carefully.
"Breaking through via magical combat... Yulou, rember this well: do not ever attempt such a ridiculous thod in your entire life.
"Hardly anyone ever succeeds. Most of them die in the middle of combat.
"When the ancestor attained Golden Core, they plundered all the liquid wealth of every major and minor power under the Red Lantern Illumination Sect. That is the proper path of cultivation.
"I teach you magical combat not so you can go looking for trouble with people or demon beasts whenever you feel like it, but so you can protect yourself and walk further!"
Yulou naturally nodded in quick succession. The ancestor was absolutely correct; the lucky ones were a tiny minority after all. Breaking through via combat was simply too dangerous.
"Then which breakthrough thod should I choose?"
Which breakthrough thod to choose was a question that actually stumped Wang Xianzhou for a brief mont.
Ancestor Xianzhou pondered for a long ti before finally shaking his head and speaking.
"Yulou, if you want to walk further on the path of cultivation, you must look several steps ahead with every single step you take.
"Your current bottleneck is far too small. My recomndation is to avoid pills and skip spiritual material nourishnt. Rely purely on your own efforts to slowly grind it down.
"This applies to every single bottleneck you face during the Qi Refining stage in the future—I do not recomnd breaking through via pills. The sa goes for when you reach Foundation Establishnt.
"You must preserve the strategy of breaking through via pills until after you have established your foundation!
"Only in this manner can you maintain the advantage snatched during the Qi Refining stage all the way into the Foundation Establishnt stage."
Seeing Yulou nod in agreent, Wang Xianzhou continued to supplent his explanation.
"Of course, grinding it down slowly doesn't an waiting around like a fool for a breakthrough. You still need a strategy."
"Oh? What strategy?"
Yulou eagerly anticipated Ancestor Xianzhou's strategy. To put it plainly, the ancestor had simply been held back by circumstances; otherwise, he would already be a highly accomplished Foundation Establishnt figure by now.
Given his decades of imrsion in the cultivation world and his experience traveling the realm within the Immortal Alliance, any strategy he provided would surely be highly valuable.
"We will approach this from three distinct angles to maximize your chances of a breakthrough.
"First, I will concoct a batch of auxiliary breakthrough pills for you once every two weeks. The potency of these auxiliary pills will increase sequentially with each batch, starting from the first, until you successfully break through.
"This way, you can enjoy the wonderful benefits of auxiliary pills without causing future trouble for your cultivation by relying on breakthrough-forcing pills.
"Second, since you've snatched a head start of several years, we don't need to be in such a rush. Next, before you break through, you will begin body tempering!
"The thods of body tempering usually conflict with regular cultivation. Often, only those Foundation Establishnt cultivators who have no hope of reaching the Purple Palace will engage in body tempering, using the body to nourish the soul in hopes of living a few years longer.
"But for you, since you cannot break through in the short term, you can utilize this ti for body tempering, which is a vital component in enhancing your underlying foundation.
"Even if you only achieve a minor effect, it will yield massive benefits in magical combat, cultivation, and even your future lifespan extension.
"Third, change your cultivation environnt. Movent breeds inspiration when stillness reaches its limit. Cultivation cannot be sustained by nesting in a single location for long periods, especially since you are still a young man.
"You've been cultivating on this stupidly tall platform for over two years now. It's ti to change locations and see if a change in environnt can trigger the spark needed for your breakthrough."
Silently digesting Ancestor Xianzhou's three asures, Yulou thought of a few complications.
"Ancestor, two matters are sowhat troubleso.
"The sect master is still conducting a strict crackdown. If I rashly leave River Bend Fishing Village, even if the Grotto Heaven Patrol Team and the Azurewater Palace inspectors leave alone due to our Wang Clan's unique status outside Dripdrop Cave, it still carries an inherent risk.
"In addition, River Bend Fishing Village is supposed to be allocated three Town Guardian Cultivators. Right now, a spot is being held vacant for Little Fish. If I leave, only Zhang Xuewu will remain.
"This... is also not entirely proper."
Wang Yulou had utilized his position as a Town Guardian Cultivator to claim so many spirit fish from Droplet Cave Heaven, so he naturally had to shoulder the corresponding responsibilities.
Simply patting his thighs and walking away, leaving his post for an extended duration—the sect master certainly wouldn't execute him for it. After all, the Wang Clan was a family outside Dripdrop Cave, and as long as Wang Yulou didn't cross the line, no one would want to form a grudge with him.
However, one's thods and appearances when conducting business remained highly crucial.
This concerned how Wang Yulou would establish his standing within Dripdrop Cave and how he would establish himself under the banner of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect.
Only those who understood how to respect the rules and could perceive the greater picture would have the opportunity to grasp the rules and beco the greater picture themselves.
The realm was filled with far too many geniuses; Wang Yulou possessed no right to grow arrogant.
Constructing the Golden Platform to consolidate power might look flashy, but his fellow disciples would only view it as an elegant pasti upon seeing it.
But if he treated a rash abandonnt of his post as a minor matter, then Wang Yulou was destined not to walk far!
Wang Xianzhou chuckled softly and said, "That is not difficult. Wouldn't everything be resolved if we simply have Little Fish break through to the Qi Refining stage as quickly as possible?"
Yulou blanked for a mont. True, if they had Bai Xiaoyu break through to the Qi Refining stage as soon as possible, both dilemmas would resolve themselves.
Wang Yulou leaving his post didn't an he was fleeing outside Droplet Cave Heaven; he would ultimately remain in the vicinity of River Bend Fishing Village anyway, which would rely amount to changing his cultivation site.
Having two Qi Refining stage Town Guardian Cultivators overseeing the fishing port was actually quite sufficient.
However, Yulou reminded him in a low voice, "Ancestor, regarding the matter of breaking through from the Spirit Induction realm to the Qi Refining stage, you understand it well yourself. There are no shortcuts to be taken..."
It was common knowledge that the laws of heaven and earth had been jointly altered by grand cultivators long ago. The modified rules restricted every single thod used by Spirit Induction realm cultivators to accelerate their cultivation speed.
The cruelty of this artificial screening chanism's restrictions had choked away the entire lives of countless four-spirit-root and five-spirit-root cultivators.
Droplet Cave Heaven was semi-connected to the outside world, so the Spirit Induction cultivators within the grotto-heaven were equally bound by this rule.
"No, Yulou. You know that there is actually one shortcut."
"The grotto-heaven?"
Wang Yulou slightly suspected if the ancestor had lost his mind. An Ning's small grotto-heaven was the Wang Clan's greatest secret; how could they possibly allow an outsider to use it?
The ancestor chuckled softly and said in a profound tone, "No, dual cultivation!"
"Dual cultivation?!"
Wang Yulou froze for a mont, and then he instantly caught the ancestor's aning.
With reservations in his heart, he spoke slowly, saying, "Ancestor, while dual cultivating with Bai Xiaoyu can help her break through, my primal yang is currently intact. Wouldn't it be better to save it to help smash through bottlenecks after I achieve Foundation Establishnt?"
How should he put it? Sotis, Wang Yulou felt as though cultivation was alienating his very sense of self.
For the sake of cultivation, his principles of conduct were incredibly cautious, to the point of being tedious.
For the sake of cultivation, he even had to pre-determine what his future companion would look like well in advance—she had to hail from a great clan to provide him with leverage and support.
And now, for the sake of cultivation, he was even calculating the utility of his own primal yang...
If cultivation was a process of restraining chaotic desires to focus solely on the Dao, then Yulou's choices were not incorrect. Yet no one could truly define what cultivation was supposed to be.
The Ten Sects alone possessed ten entirely distinct thods. Qi Refining cultivators all cultivated a single spiritual qi, yet the variations among them could be infinite.
Therefore, Yulou had felt reservations just now.
He was not rely worried that dual cultivating with Bai Xiaoyu now might cause him to lose his primal yang, which felt a bit like wastefully deploying a grand tool for a minor task. He was also worried about his own current mindset and state. To be entirely frank, Yulou did not particularly like this version of himself.
Living a cramped, plotting life just for the sake of cultivation—was it truly worth it?
In the past, he might not have had the spare luxury of ti to ponder these entirely useless matters. It was likely because he had hit a bottleneck stage, where the advancent of his cultivation base was no longer yielding imdiate results, allowing these thoughts to surface amidst his restless emotions.
"The effect of primal yang isn't as massive as you think; it's not even comparable to a single realm-breaking spiritual pill.
"Your cultivation base is much higher than Bai Xiaoyu's. Dual cultivating with her, supplented by a corresponding dual cultivation manual, will allow you to help her shatter the barrier into the Qi Refining stage.
"After all, she has already lingered at the peak of Spirit Induction for well over a year. Her accumulation itself is already entirely sufficient."
Wang Xianzhou possessed a more stalwart fra than Yulou. As he reached this point in his speech, he stretched out his hand to rub Yulou's head.
"Furthermore, Yulou, you lost your parents at a young age, and you left the family after growing up, moving first to Clear Stream Market and then coming here to River Bend Fishing Port.
"You are grown now, and you need soone by your side who knows your needs to accompany you.
"My thought is that Little Qin and Little Fish are both quite excellent. These two can beco your genuine companions on the path.
"As for who your nominal companion will be in the future, we can leave that for later without any delay."
The ancestor was essentially pressuring him to get married...
Yulou still wanted to struggle against it; he felt it was entirely unnecessary.
Leaving River Bend Fishing Village to change his cultivation environnt wasn't guaranteed to work anyway, and rushing to engage with these two female cultivators... well, it didn't seem all that necessary either.
Hmm? Could it be that the ancestor had intentionally guided the conversation step-by-step just to arrive at this point?
"This... Ancestor, Yulou is naturally willing to obey your arrangents.
"It is just that matters between a man and a woman involve two people. Ultimately, we must still see what Little Qin and Little Fish think."
'Yulou is willing'—Wang Xianzhou only registered this single phrase. As for the rest, he indicated that he hadn't heard clearly.
Deeply comforted, Ancestor Xianzhou clapped his palms together and said, "Hahaha! Little Qin has already agreed, and you can go speak with Little Fish yourself. You are her great benefactor after all.
"Moreover, taking advantage of the ti before your breakthrough to hold a concubine-taking ceremony will allow you to naturally invite the fellow disciples you've co to know over the years to attend.
"When the ti cos, once they observe your cultivation base and see that you are taking a concubine rather than marrying a primary companion, they will naturally understand that you are preserving the position of your formal companion to await a lady of high status.
"In this manner, those who wish to place their bets early will naturally get in touch with you—how could the true kirin of the Wang Clan ever lack a companion? It is nothing short of treating a rare commodity as investnt capital."
Seeing how delighted the ancestor was, Yulou, whose heart had been thrown into a bit of disarray by this sudden ambush from the ancestor, could only agree.
The ancestor would never harm him, and the suggestions offered were all excellent pieces of advice.
It was just that Yulou still felt everything was moving a bit too fast.
"Ancestor, I agree to this matter. I will find an opportunity to speak with Little Fish later. As for the specific details, we will certainly not use our influence to oppress others; it will depend entirely on her wishes. What do you think?"
Wang Xianzhou understood Yulou's thoughts; it was nothing more than feeling things were too hurried.
But he did not care. Cultivation was a matter of fighting for every single second.
A cultivator's lifespan seed vast, but without forming a Purple Palace, even a Foundation Establishnt cultivator possessing divine abilities would ultimately see their path end in death.
The Purple Palace could easily grant ten thousand years of life, and hiding inside a grotto-heaven rendered one's lifespan virtually infinite. That alone was true freedom.
Urging Yulou to be faster now, to be a bit faster in everything—faster in cultivation, faster in taking concubines—was all done to ensure he could establish his foundation early, thereby granting him a chance to charge at that Purple Palace barrier that over a dozen generations of the Wang family had been unable to touch.
"Excellent! Regardless of whether she agrees or not, you will hold the concubine-taking ceremony one month from now.
"It will allow you to showcase your cultivation base to those fellow disciples while gathering so congratulatory gifts.
"Go find Little Fish now. I will go study how to refine the spiritual dicines for your body tempering."
Wang Yulou departed with a heart weighed down by heavy thoughts. He still had no idea how to face Bai Xiaoyu. If the young lady didn't agree, wouldn't he, Wang Yulou, turn into an absolute clown?
However, Wang Xianzhou's good mood was visibly apparent. He summoned the Crimson Sparrow over and imdiately began writing letters.
Wang Xianmao, Wang Jingyi, Wang Rongjiang, and Tie Qinhuo—the four Foundation Establishnt cultivators of the Wang Clan. Surely at least two of them would show up for Yulou's concubine-taking ceremony, right?
Taking a concubine wouldn't normally warrant such grand treatnt. The underlying issue was that Yulou's ceremony this ti also carried implications for the selection of his future formal companion.
Whether Yulou would ultimately return to the family or continue his developnt within Dripdrop Cave or the Red Lantern Illumination Sect needed to be given an answer now.
The Patriarch wished to wait until after Yulou achieved Foundation Establishnt before discussing these matters, which was essentially delaying the problem rather than resolving it.
Wang Xianzhou harbored no such reservations. In his eyes, Yulou was the finest child.
Regardless of whether Yulou chose to remain in the sect or return to the family, the clan ought to provide him with greater support.
Even if the Wang Clan was currently in a transitional phase and resources were incredibly tight, surely having two Foundation Establishnt cultivators show up to bolster the scene wasn't asking too much?
---
Inside the quiet room, Wang Yulou was tracing his spiritual ridians.
His cultivation of the Gui Water spiritual qi had already reached the limit of the third layer of Qi Refining and could not proceed further, but tracing his ridians could be done at any ti and could not be neglected.
Receiving Yulou's summons, Qin Churan silently arrived at the entrance of the quiet room.
She stood there obediently, watching Wang Yulou as he focused entirely on tracing his spiritual ridians, her eyes filled completely with reverence.
Three layers in three years. Even if Qin Churan didn't understand the cultivation of Qi Refining practitioners, she understood just how extraordinary Wang Yulou's breakneck cultivation speed truly was.
After all, with Zhang Xuewu standing as a reference point—Old Zhang had practiced Qi Refining for thirty years and was still rely at the fifth layer, with a long grind still ahead before he could reach the sixth layer.
After a long ti, Yulou finally recovered from his full-body stiffened state. He consud a pill ant to nourish his ridians and spoke.
"Co in, Churan. Has Clan Uncle Rongzhou spoken with you about our matter?"
The ancestor had claid that Little Qin had agreed, but Yulou still needed to confirm it himself.
"Senior Wang, Churan is willing."
Qin Churan's statent caused Yulou to feel a trace of anxiety.
A companion, a partner, or even a concubine carried a share of responsibility. He knew he could not bring himself to be entirely cold and ruthless.
The unity of opposites was prominent at all tis. Entering into a contractual relationship was a good thing, but it was also a complex matter.
With one more person following him, Yulou gained a reliable assistant, but correspondingly, he also gained another thread of karmic cause and effect.
However, Little Qin had always been incredibly clever, making her a talent well worth cultivating.
Leaving aside her cultivation base and background, purely based on her improvable talents, she might be slightly inferior to Lin Ying, but she was at least on par with Zhou Yingxi.
Under circumstances where Yulou's cultivation base was insufficient to expand his influence by taking on disciples, appropriately gathering people's loyalty through marital ties could help him effectively expand his personal influence.
The family's support could be highly abundant, but if Yulou wished to walk far, he could not rely solely on his family.
The beautiful life of closed-door cultivation where years passed unheeded in the mountains existed purely in fantasy. Cultivators of Wunan ultimately had to operate within the system of the Immortal Alliance.
Qin Churan and Bai Xiaoyu were both parts of Yulou's future fundantal base.
"The concubine-taking ceremony will be held one month from now. If you feel wronged, you can refuse right now..."
"Churan does not feel wronged. I am willing even without an official title!"
Qin Churan understood perfectly in her heart that an extraordinary talent like Wang Yulou, backed by a flourishing and prominent family, was not soone she could normally aspire to touch.
It was only because Wang Yulou required the position of a Town Guardian Cultivator, and needed a reliable executor within that position, that she was granted such an opportunity.
Seeing this young lady hold herself in such low esteem, Wang Yulou rose to his feet, turned around, and said with solemn gravity.
"Titles are not important, Churan. You are a clever person, which is the exact reason I selected you out of so many Spirit Induction cultivators to remain by my side.
"There is no need to overthink things. Simply cultivate well. In doing so, you can assist further, and the returns I grant you will also be greater.
"In the future, if your cultivation base rises and your capabilities increase accordingly, I can elevate you to beco my formal companion."
Wang Yulou saw through everything clearly.
A companion was simply a basket into which anything could be thrown; it was nothing more than a form of alliance, rely borrowing the structure of marriage.
The ancestor had arranged for both Qin Churan and Bai Xiaoyu to beco his concubines because he favored Qin Churan's efficiency and sense of propriety, and Bai Xiaoyu's aptitude paired with her unique relationship to Yulou.
The forr could beco an assistant in Yulou's managent, while the latter could help Yulou leave behind offspring of extraordinary aptitude.
In the ancestor's eyes, both of them could beco his genuine emotional companions.
Therefore, while Yulou's words just now carried a heavy suspicion of dangling an illusory promise, it wasn't entirely a hollow promise.
Qin Churan's eyes began to redden once more. Yulou turned back around and said, "Go on. Call Little Fish over."
"Yes..."
The weeping Little Qin spoke in a low voice.
Senior Wang did not possess much tenderness, but Qin Churan did not care in the slightest because she did not demand much to begin with.
Looking at the statue of the Immortal Venerable shrouded in drifting smoke, Yulou pondered how he should explain things clearly to Bai Xiaoyu in a mont.
'Hello, let's get married, but you can only be a concubine. Is that alright?'
Inappropriate.
'Little Fish, if you truly understand gratitude, then beco my concubine. I won't treat you poorly.'
Stupid.
'Fellow Daoist Bai...'
Forget it. No matter how he thought about it, nothing felt appropriate. Yulou discovered that his long years of cultivation had already stripped him of the ability to communicate normally with young won.
It was either a complete lack of communication, or interacting via the mode of fellow disciples and Daoist friends. Anything else had been mostly forgotten.
But this was by no ans a negative thing. It was precisely because he possessed such a mindset that Yulou could endure the loneliness, using extre self-discipline to achieve the incredible speed of reaching the third layer of Qi Refining in three years.
Cultivation was not sothing that could succeed through the simple accumulation of spiritual pills and spiritual food. Yulou had indeed consud many spiritual pills and spirit fish.
But his achievents today relied on far more than just spiritual pills and spirit fish.
Where did the spiritual pills co from? Ancestor Xianzhou provided them for free.
Why did Ancestor Xianzhou provide them?
Where did the spirit fish co from? River Bend Fishing Port contributed them to him.
Why did River Bend Fishing Port give him the spirit fish?
It relied entirely on Yulou's own efforts!
If it were purely a matter of relying on one's background, there were plenty of people whose backgrounds far exceeded Yulou's.
If one claid it was due to the Jade Ruyi in his mind, the ager amount of spirit stones Yulou earned through artifact refining wasn't even enough to sustain his spiritual pill consumption for half a year.
Talent, background, and luck were ultimately ethereal things. Only tangible effort and struggle could allow the path of cultivation to extend further.
---
A heavy-hearted Qin Churan erged from Yulou's estate, nodding to the two martial artists standing guard outside the doors. The martial artists felt deeply overwheld by the favor and hurriedly returned the gesture.
Little Qin smiled slightly and said, "Stay alert. You two are doing well."
The martial artists grew even more terrified. What sort of illness had this person contracted today?
For lower-level executors within a closed system, things like a superior inspecting their work to grant rewards were entirely beyond their wildest dreams. Having their superiors leave them alone was already the greatest reward possible.
If a superior suddenly showed an uncharacteristically pleasant countenance one day, there was no need to overthink it—there was a high probability that nothing good was coming, and they might even ask you to sacrifice for the sake of the greater picture.
However, Little Qin truly just smiled and walked away.
She was deeply aware that she lacked a prominent family background, her talent was thoroughly ordinary, and her looks were not the most beautiful among her peers.
At the very least, she was a fair bit behind Lin Ying.
Her sole competitive edge was being sufficiently hardworking and highly useful.
Then she would simply focus on being a dedicated worker.
Sigh...
Walking to the front of the stone steps with a heavy heart, Qin Churan spotted that familiar senior sister once more.
Whenever this senior sister had no tasks, she enjoyed sitting on the steps halfway up the Golden Platform, resting her chin in her hands as she gazed out toward Beautiful Water Lake, sotis watching it for an entire day without anyone knowing what she was looking at.
"Senior Sister Bai, Senior Wang is looking for you."
Qin Churan did not specify the reason, and Bai Xiaoyu did not ask either. The two of them were actually not very well acquainted.
Thinking about how she would have to rank behind this senior sister in the future, the pressure in Little Qin's heart grew even heavier.
Difficult, difficult, difficult. Since that was the case, she might as well go conduct another round of inspections on the work of the various Spirit Induction cultivators throughout River Bend Fishing Village.
Being a dedicated worker was Qin Churan's core competitive edge. That Senior Wang she constantly thought about stayed cooped up like a sheltered young bride every single day, never leaving his estate except for a mysterious weekly disappearance.
Since her own daily cultivation ti was quite limited now, she naturally possessed the spare ti to properly handle matters on Wang Yulou's behalf.
---
Bai Xiaoyu was entirely different from Qin Churan. Likely due to being severely bullied by the Cui family father and son since childhood, she maintained a distant attitude toward most male cultivators. For instance, she would never greet the martial artists guarding the gates.
"Ha, you've grown fat again, Little Crane."
The mont she entered the front courtyard, Bai Xiaoyu spotted He Laosan lying on the ground, pretending to be dead.
This bird was both annoying and lazy. Ever since soone was specifically assigned to groom its feathers, it lived an entirely undisciplined life.
Seeing a re Spirit Induction female cultivator dare to provoke it so boldly, He Laosan instantly wanted to stand up and deliver a vicious peck to Bai Xiaoyu. However, its efforts were destined to be futile, and it ended up having the nape of its fateful neck pinned down by Bai Xiaoyu instead.
"Alright, I have business to attend to, so I won't play with you today," Bai Xiaoyu said with a smile, releasing the troubleso He Laosan.
To speak of it, while Little Qin maintained a great relationship with Wang Xianzhou, Bai Xiaoyu was different; she got along far better with He Laosan.
Entering the quiet room, her gaze imdiately landed on the massive stone trough placed to one side.
Inside the stone trough rested the egg of the Stone Ancestor. The egg itself was not particularly massive, but the sheer quantity of various spiritual materials and spirit stones nurturing it within the trough was staggering.
This was the egg of a Foundation Establishnt Great Demon, and both Wang Xianzhou and Wang Yulou attached imnse importance to it.
Although its inherent talent would be extraordinary even without specialized nurturing, the two had still constructed a specialized cultivation trough specifically for it.
Wang Yulou was currently studying an artificing path manual exchanged from the sect. Perhaps he was deeply engrossed in his reading, or perhaps he simply didn't know how to broach the subject.
In short, he did not speak.
Seeing that he remained silent, Bai Xiaoyu blinked her eyes, walked over to the side of the stone trough, and extended a finger to poke the turtle egg inside, seemingly wanting to test its texture.
However, with just that gentle touch, the turtle egg suddenly cracked open.
Yulou rose to his feet in surprise. Conducting a swift calculation in his mind, he smiled and said, "The timing is indeed just about right."
"Senior Wang, what kind of spirit beast's egg is this?" Bai Xiaoyu turned to look at Yulou.
"A turtle, right? It should be. Uncle Rongzhou picked it up."
Wang Yulou spoke without his heart skipping a beat or his face flushing. A turtle was excellent; a turtle's appearance served to greatly alleviate Yulou's awkwardness.
The two of them stood quietly before the stone trough, watching the little turtle go through the process of breaking from its shell.
It seed the eggshell was incredibly tough, as that little turtle dawdled and struggled inside for a long ti without managing to crawl out.
"Senior Wang, this little turtle's talent seems rather poor. Why don't we just treat it like a spirit fish and eat it?" Bai Xiaoyu suddenly suggested.
Just as Wang Yulou was staring in bewildernt, the little turtle inside the eggshell scrambled out with incredible speed, as though Bai Xiaoyu's words had produced an imdiate effect.
"Ha! Scaring it actually works!" Bai Xiaoyu clapped her hands in excitent.
The little turtle was entirely greyish-white, its head protruding from the shell still covered in a trace of fluid, and its entire body looked to be roughly the size of two palms.
Upon spotting the two people outside its shell, the little turtle's neck shrank back slightly, as though it wished to hide away inside once more.
"Initial stage of the Mixed Demon Realm. Though its aura is weak, it is indeed at the initial stage of the Mixed Demon Realm. Born with a cultivation base—it truly is extraordinary," Yulou sighed softly.
"Yes, it's very adorable. Senior Wang, would it be alright to let Little Fish feed it every day?" Bai Xiaoyu asked Yulou beside her, using her finger to gently tap the little turtle's head.
"Mm... Little Fish, do you wish to break through to the Qi Refining stage early?"
This was incredibly difficult; Wang Yulou would honestly prefer to go battle rogue cultivators right now.
Bai Xiaoyu had been severely bullied by the Cui family father and son. Although her age was a few years greater than Yulou's, her maturity was actually far lower, which was why she enjoyed playing with He Laosan.
Speaking of these matters to Little Fish now gave Yulou an uncomfortable sensation that he was leading a young lady astray.
"I do! Senior Wang, is there any thod to quickly break through to the Qi Refining stage?" Bai Xiaoyu asked with a trace of lancholy.
"This bottleneck has trapped for an entire year. I want to cultivate but I simply cannot, sigh."
Excellent, young lady. You were the one who asked.
"There is, but it requires you to marry . Afterward, I can utilize a dual cultivation thod to assist you in breaking through your barrier early.
"Once you reach the Qi Refining stage, you can naturally enter Splendid Pool Palace and take over the position of Town Guardian Cultivator left behind by Old Cui."
"Marry?" Bai Xiaoyu seed sowhat surprised, but it was the kind of surprise laced with joy.
Qin Churan enjoyed putting on an act, and her performance was usually diocre, though Yulou didn't care either way.
Little Fish disliked acting, which made her appear incredibly genuine at this mont.
"Yes, though for the ti being, you can only be a concubine. Little Fish, I have no intention of using my past favors to coerce you.
"The position of Town Guardian Cultivator in River Bend Fishing Village cannot remain vacant for a long period; complications will arise over ti.
"Of course, it still depends on your thoughts. If you find it acceptable, I will naturally not treat you poorly in the future."
Concubines, companions, disciples, and subordinates were essentially all thods to expand the reach of one's own authority; this was their utility in terms of shifting interests.
Naturally, aside from interests, emotion was also a significant factor.
But for Yulou, speaking of romance with either Qin Churan or Bai Xiaoyu was highly improbable.
His long periods of isolated cultivation had thoroughly altered his way of thinking. Wang Xianzhou turning his incarnation into fuel to aid his path, and the family's dedicated nurturing—these were sources of support, but they were also sources of imnse pressure.
Right now, Yulou's yearning to achieve the Dao far eclipsed his desire for romance between a man and a woman.
"Little Fish wants to marry Senior Wang tomorrow."
What an incredibly passionate and earnest statent. If it was genuine, then it represented a pure thread of love and admiration.
Yulou felt a wave of emotion.
Bai Xiaoyu kept her head lowered, preventing Yulou from seeing her expression, but he understood that the young lady had grown shy.
At this mont, under Bai Xiaoyu's emotional response, Yulou's prior hesitation transford into a deep sense of tenderness.
He reached out his hand, gently lifting Little Fish's chin to gaze upon that countenance which resembled clear autumn waters, causing Yulou to daze for a brief mont.
He wanted to retract his prior thoughts. Certain young ladies might not be the most stunningly beautiful, nor the most strategically appropriate, and might lack any foundational emotional connection, yet they sohow managed to strike a deep chord within your heart.
He shook his head to banish his stray thoughts and spoke, "Let gift you a magical artifact. Tell what you desire."
Mm, he would need to provide a matching gift for Little Qin as well.
Bai Xiaoyu pondered for a mont, her face filled with anticipation, yet her tone carried a trace of timidity as she spoke, "I want a Water Jade Dharma Sword. Senior Wang, would that be alright?"
Looking at the young lady's picturesque features, Yulou smiled gently.
"It is alright!"
He understood that Bai Xiaoyu simply wished to know whether he cared for her as his bride, so he chose to display a bit of extravagant generosity.
Using a single Water Jade Dharma Sword to secure a beautiful, reliable, and exceptionally talented companion was a bargain no matter how one calculated it.
However, Yulou was also fully aware that this was rely an excuse he had fabricated for himself.
When he uttered that it was alright just now, he hadn't even had the ti to calculate things so clearly.
"Forget it, I don't need it anymore. Even if I break through to the Qi Refining stage, I won't be able to handle a flying sword well anyway. Senior Wang, I don't want the Water Jade Dharma Sword anymore."
Yulou's hand could feel the heat radiating from the young lady's face. In truth, it hadn't been hot at the beginning; it was rely a gentle warmth.
For the first ti, he truly comprehended the underlying aning behind the phrase, 'What I look at is the attitude.'
So that was how it was.
So that was truly how it was.
"You will find a use for it eventually, Little Fish. I do not wish to wrong you."
Water Jade was primarily of the water attribute while possessing a secondary earth attribute, matching Bai Xiaoyu's spirit roots perfectly.
Although it was sowhat expensive, to a Wang Yulou who held absolute control over River Bend Fishing Port, it wasn't prohibitively expensive either.
It amounted to nothing more than a few months of revenue.
Once Bai Xiaoyu beca a Town Guardian Cultivator in the future, the fishing port would yield twenty-four spirit fish a day. Dripdrop Cave would claim eight, other parties would take six, and the remaining ten would belong entirely to the two of them.
That amounted to fifteen spirit stones a day. In just a few months, the cost of a single piece of Water Jade would be fully recovered.
Back when he fought to secure total control over River Bend Fishing Port, Yulou had poured an imnse amount of effort into the endeavor, and now the ti had arrived for those efforts to bear fruit.
Furthermore, this stream of revenue was by no ans stagnant.
Two years ago, the daily catch of spirit fish at River Bend Fishing Port stood at rely seventeen; it had now risen to twenty-four, with the potential to keep increasing in the future.
Hearing Senior Wang speak in such a manner, Bai Xiaoyu's heart was flooded entirely with moving emotions, and her eyes brightened imnsely.
When Wang Yulou had first appeared in her life, he was a grand hero riding upon iridescent clouds—no, a grand hero riding upon a troubleso spiritual crane—who had delivered her from her plight.
At that ti, she wished to repay his kindness, but she always felt that a forced repaynt of favor felt far too deliberate.
Now, being able to marry Yulou, how could she possibly refuse?
"Senior Wang, the fact that you are willing to grant the Water Jade Dharma Sword is already enough to satisfy Little Fish. There is no need to actually give it to ; it is simply too expensive."
Feeling the rapid, trembling throb of the young lady's heart pressed against him, Yulou found himself at a slight loss for words for a mont.
Qin Churan's rit lay in her perfect sense of propriety, while Bai Xiaoyu's rit lay in her total disregard for propriety.
The differences between individuals could be vast, yet Yulou, who had always favored strict boundaries and propriety, actually reaped an infinite bounty of moving warmth from Bai Xiaoyu's boundary-breaking behavior at this mont.
"There is no need to think so much. I am a son of the Anbei Kingdom's Wang Clan. Our family does not lack a single piece of Water Jade, nor am I lacking in that piece of Water Jade, Little Fish."
"What if the refinent fails and it explodes?"
"Then we will simply refine another piece."
"What if it explodes again?"
"Hahaha! I am a highly formidable artificer. Rest assured, it will explode once at the absolute worst!"
In truth, Yulou lacked full confidence in his heart. He was thinking that when the ti ca, he could seek out Fan Zhugao or Wu Faxian, using their connections to get in touch with an artificer who specialized in the water-thod cleansing techniques of the artificing path.
Bai Xiaoyu lifted her head from Yulou's shoulder, looking into his eyes as she spoke with a firm tone, "Senior Wang, Little Fish believes in you!"
Wang Yulou realized he could not let this continue; his Dao heart didn't seem quite as unshakeable as he had believed.
Then again, he had only cultivated for a dozen or so years after all, rather than being so ancient monster. His physical body was still at its peak of youth, and it would be far stranger if he harbored absolutely no desires whatsoever.
"Alright, go back first and take your asurents. I will contact soone later to tailormake a beautiful dharma dress for you to wear when the ti cos."
"Ah? That is far too precious, I..." Bai Xiaoyu still wished to decline.
First the Water Jade Dharma Sword, and now a gifted dharma dress. This sort of treatnt felt far too extravagant.
"Say no more. My mind is made up!"
Wang Yulou waved his hand, adopting a stern expression, causing Bai Xiaoyu to instantly swallow her remaining words.
After sending Little Fish off, Yulou exhaled a long, heavy sigh.
What an absolute ss.
When Ancestor Xianzhou had discussed taking concubines first to help Little Fish smash through her Qi Refining barrier, he had maintained a thoroughly unshakeable Dao heart.
Yet with just a few interactions, Little Fish had already rendered him sowhat unable to hold his ground.
Churan was still easier to handle. Of course, that didn't an Little Fish was flawed; it was simply that the differences between the two young ladies were far too vast.
Little Fish constantly carried a sharp edge of raw honesty. It was likely this exact sharp honesty that had shielded her from the molestations of the Cui family father and son.
Yet it was also this sharp honesty that slightly pricked at Yulou's heart.
Cultivation was an exhausting endeavor.
Wishing to shatter one's shackles to attain true freedom was a long and arduous path that was equally draining.
At this exact mont, Yulou seed to grasp Ancestor Xianzhou's underlying aning.
Indeed, having soone to keep you company wasn't a bad thing after all.
Whether it was Churan or Little Fish, both were exceptionally fine young ladies who treated him with utmost sincerity.
What was genuine, how many parts were true—did any of that truly matter? —
When Zhang Xuewu t with Wang Yulou, several days had already elapsed.
He was conducting his standard work briefing, which occurred once every ten days.
Yulou currently occupied a position akin to a supre immortal monarch who sat high above, while Little Qin served as his chief palace administrator and Old Zhang acted as his pri minister—there were no useless officials who shirked labor to engage in empty political squabbling under his rule.
He only needed to focus on his own cultivation. Every minor detail was handled entirely by Qin Churan, while major matters were coordinated by Old Zhang, leaving him with absolutely no need to worry.
"...The total population stands at twelve thousand nine hundred individuals. Within the last ten days, seventy-eight new external residents have been added, all of whom are able-bodied youths. Nineteen among them possess the latent potential to beco martial artists.
"Regarding the placent of these new villagers, I have implented the ntorship model according to your instructions, Fellow Daoist Yulou. Every household has been paired with a corresponding martial artist to offer assistance.
"Those possessing martial potential have been placed under the direct guidance of martial artists at the late stage of the Post-natal Realm.
"Initially, they suspected it was so sort of trap, but once they learned this was your explicit directive, Senior Yulou, their fears dissolved, and their integration into River Bend Fishing Port naturally accelerated significantly."
Wang Yulou smiled and nodded, sighing with emotion.
"Over two hundred people every month—the growth rate has accelerated considerably. The reputation of River Bend Fishing Port can be considered thoroughly established by now.
"However, next you must begin compiling statistics on the original origins of the people who have arrived over the past two years.
"Particularly regarding those martial artists who are occasionally mixed in among them..."
Zhang Xuewu naturally caught Yulou's aning. Wearing a knowing smile, he replied with imnse eagerness.
"Rest assured. Let alone actual martial artists, even for those who rely possess martial potential, I have fabricated distinct places of origin for every single one of them.
"Even if other Town Guardian Cultivators co knocking on our doors, they will find themselves entirely without a leg to stand on.
"The fact that River Bend Fishing Port can attract residents from the surrounding areas to settle here is a testant to our port's strength!
"If they refuse to manage their own territories properly, does that an they can forbid us—or rather, forbid you, Senior—from managing yours properly?"
Yulou tapped a finger toward Old Zhang and sighed, "You, oh you... Here, take this and cultivate well. Break through to the sixth layer of Qi Refining as soon as possible."
Receiving the spiritual powder Yulou tossed over, Zhang Xuewu's face instantly split into a wide grin.
Wang Yulou consud refined spiritual pills, while he happily consud the spiritual powder leftovers Wang Yulou didn't need; he actually felt highly satisfied with the arrangent.
"Old Cui, you truly died a wonderful death.
"The sole regret remaining between us is that you never got to witness the absolute devotion with which I serve Fellow Daoist Yulou."
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