A cultivator's life was not entirely filled with grand and tempestuous waves. While a life of grand waves sounded heroic and passionate, such waves were often accompanied by imnse risks.
After experiencing the turmoil in the Droplet Heaven Palace, Yulou's cultivation within Dripdrop Cave had stabilized. No fools ca to find trouble with him, and no malicious enemies launched sneak attacks from the shadows.
In fact, under the threat of Perfected Man Hongli, Yuan Daoshen would even occasionally send Wang Yaohai to River Bend Fishing Port to express his concerns and check on Yulou. After all, Perfected Man Hongli had stated that if anything happened to Wang Yulou, she would kill Yuan Daoshen to avenge him.
Although it was uncertain whether Perfected Man Hongli was simply delivering a warning or speaking her true thoughts through that warning, Yuan Daoshen did not dare to gamble. Wang Yaohai had played a certain role in the Grotto Heaven Patrol Team's investigation of the iron crocodile dragon and had managed to show his face before Yuan Daoshen, which was why he was entrusted with a heavy responsibility—and visiting Wang Yulou regularly was indeed a heavy responsibility.
After being personally protected by Perfected Man Hongli, Wang Yulou's reputation within Dripdrop Cave rose to another level. Previously, he was Wang Yulou of the Anbei Kingdom's Wang Clan; now, he was the Wang Yulou highly regarded by Perfected Man Hongli. The disciples of the three palaces in Droplet Cave Heaven might not rember the nas of all the sect elders, but they would certainly rember the na Wang Yulou.
On this day, Wang Yaohai, who had been entrusted with this heavy responsibility by Yuan Daoshen, ca once again to check on Yulou's condition. Inside the quiet room of the courtyard, Yulou poured tea for Wang Yaohai while saying helplessly,
"Brother Yaohai, what could possibly happen to ? Over these past three years, I have only left River Bend Port twice. Once was to congratulate Xuewu on taking up his post as the Town Guardian Cultivator of White Mao Fishing Port, and the other was to go to Droplet Heaven Palace to speak with Elder Lin. Go back and tell Yuan Daoshen that I won't look for trouble, so he can stop making things difficult for you. You visit this courtyard once a month, coming even more frequently than Little Fish and Senior Martial Sister Lin. It's truly not appropriate."
Wang Yaohai clicked his tongue inwardly. When Wang Yulou spoke of Yuan Daoshen, he addressed him directly by na. If these words reached the old man's ears, he would likely be furious again. Foundation Establishnt cultivators and even Purple Palace grand cultivators had not truly beco immortals; when it was ti to deal with mortal matters, they were still very bound to the mundane world. When Hongli repeatedly humiliated Yuan Daoshen back then, she might not have been without the mindset of enjoying the face-slapping too much to stop.
As for Wang Yaohai, he naturally would not spread these words carelessly. After all, he had already submitted his allegiance to Wang Yulou. Yuan Daoshen believed that Wang Yaohai was a loyal subordinate of the Yuan Clan, but in reality, this Senior Brother Wang was a standard double-dealer. He acted one way before Yuan Daoshen and another way before Wang Yulou.
Of course, being a double-dealer was not a pleasant term, but from Yulou's perspective, he was willing to view Wang Yaohai's behavior as a firm, idealistic conviction of playing a mole in the enemy camp. What conviction? Following Wang Yulou would not necessarily be worse than following Old Yuan!
"Hahaha, I wouldn't dare speak carelessly to Elder Daoshen," Wang Yaohai laughed. "Besides, being able to engage in more Dao discussions with you, Yulou, is a wonderful thing in itself. However, those two concubines of yours have been taken in for many years now. Why haven't they given birth to a child yet?"
Wang Yaohai's question was actually crossing a line, but he had gotten along well with Wang Yulou over the past three years. This kind of boundary-crossing could be seen as a probe to take their relationship a step further. In short, Wang Yulou thought so too, so he did not hesitate and imdiately accepted Wang Yaohai's invitation to deepen their connection.
"Brother Yaohai might not know, but to ensure that I am not delayed in my cultivation by matters between n and won, Perfected Man Hongli placed a magic seal on ," Yulou explained. "These past few years, the mont Chu Ran or Little Fish have any skin-to-skin contact with , my entire body starts burning hot within monts."
As he spoke, Yulou used his spiritual qi to slightly stimulate the magic seal that Hongli had left inside his body. A Purple Palace grand cultivator was indeed terrifying; even after three years, that magic seal still retained its power. Noticing the red magic seal on Yulou's forehead, Wang Yaohai envied him imnsely.
Although there was a suspicion of being controlled, would a True Person go out of their way to trouble just anyone? What did it an to be highly regarded by a True Person? This was exactly it!
Seeing Wang Yaohai's astonished expression, Yulou did not mind and continued to explain, "You can report this matter to Old Yuan. Just say you managed to extract this information after getting drunk on bitter leaf wine, and use it to claim credit. You must know that the sect releases two portions of Foundation Establishnt resources every year. The portion belonging to the Yuan Clan won't be available until nine years from now, and there are still three people ahead of you. Nine years later will be another twenty-four years, aning it will only be your turn thirty-three years from now. But during this interval, other more core disciples of the Yuan Clan will definitely jump ahead of you. Brother Yaohai, your age is probably not young anymore, right?"
Three years ago, the sect had rewarded the River Bend Fishing Port's Town Guardian Cultivator, Wang Yulou, with two thousand rit points for Azurewater Palace, eight hundred rit points for Droplet Heaven Palace, ten thousand spirit stones, and various amounts of Water Jade, droplet grass, and green-blood frog marrow. But the final result was not an act of generic generosity from the sect; instead, they directly took away the portion of Foundation Establishnt resources that the Yuan Clan was supposed to receive in the rotation—and the one hundred thousand spirit stones paid by Yuan Daoshen as compensation was not even included in this.
The reason why eight hundred rit points for Droplet Heaven Palace were given was under the pretext that Wang Yulou had repelled the Great Demon iron crocodile dragon. This matter was naturally a good thing for Wang Yulou, but for Ji Yuan and Wang Yaohai, it was a bolt from the blue. The Yuan Clan could obtain a portion of Foundation Establishnt resources from the sect every twelve years, and the subordinates of the Yuan Clan relied entirely on this portion of resources to serve them like dogs. It could be said that when Wang Yulou fought with the Yuan Clan, the collateral damage ended up hitting all of the Yuan Clan's subordinates. The respective Foundation Establishnt tis for Ji Yuan and Wang Yaohai had to be pushed back by at least twelve years.
Hearing Yulou proactively calculate the waiting ti for his Foundation Establishnt resources, Wang Yaohai's expression turned unnatural. Thirty-three years was naturally a wait he could not afford, but Wang Yaohai had no other option. This was only because the Yuan Clan accepted fewer subordinates, which was why he even had a chance at Foundation Establishnt. So elders in the sect accepted disciples with absolutely no regard for quality or restrictions. The apprenticeship gifts could not be lacking, yet the support they provided was minimal, and they did not care at all whether their disciples would have a chance to achieve Foundation Establishnt in the future. Compared to those elders, the Yuan Clan at least possessed so baseline standards, and more importantly, they had strength. They were, after all, the number one clan in Dripdrop Cave. A portion of Foundation Establishnt resources every twelve years ant that the Yuan Clan could provide their subordinates and clansn with an opportunity for Foundation Establishnt every twelve years.
"It might not take that long. Old Ji and I will likely each take half a portion in the future, so there is still a chance. As for whether we succeed, it will depend on fate," Wang Yaohai replied with a forced smile.
The Yuan Clan had failed to truly possess dozens of Foundation Establishnt cultivators for two reasons. First, having too many people was not necessarily a good thing; the cultivation resources and protective assets could not cover everyone, and it might even force other people to unite more closely around Perfected Man Hongli. Second, the Yuan Clan would split the Foundation Establishnt resource shares they obtained from the sect and distribute them among the disciples under their tutelage. This appeared fair, but it only guaranteed they wouldn't die, not that they would succeed.
"We cannot rely on fate. Relying on fate leads to trouble," Yulou said softly. "Therefore, what I am doing now is trying my best to help you secure a chance to obtain a full portion. Brother Yaohai, I will certainly go to the Immortal Alliance in the future... well, at the very least, I will be going to the Red Lantern Illumination Sect. However, since I have managed to build such a grand prospect here in Dripdrop Cave, it is naturally impossible for to abandon it. After Senior Martial Sister Lin and I are wed, I will have three wives. They will look after my properties and influence in Dripdrop Cave after I depart. And you, if you can achieve Foundation Establishnt, you will be my own insider planted within the Yuan Clan. If Yuan Daoshen or the future patriarch of the Yuan Clan harbors any ill intentions, you being in the shadows will at least allow you to pass along information."
If Zhang Xuewu was a dog raised by Wang Yulou, then White Xiaoyu and Qin Churan were extensions and representatives of Yulou. anwhile, Wang Yaohai and Lin Ying were different; they belonged to the category of Wang Yulou's allies. Wang Yaohai could beco an ally because of his special status as a subordinate of the Yuan Clan. When Yulou initially reined him in, he thought that if he ever had a conflict with the Yuan Clan, Wang Yaohai might prove useful in the future.
"Secure a chance to obtain a full portion..."
Wang Yulou's words were highly candid, and he even directly stated his future plans. Wang Yaohai naturally understood that Yulou was not uttering empty boasts. In less than eight years, he had reached the fifth layer of Qi Refining, and it looked like he would soon break through to the sixth layer. Born of a great clan, possessed of a powerful background, establishing an influence that turned heads, and highly regarded by Perfected Man Hongli of the sect. How could such a Wang Yulou lack the qualifications to arrange his own future, and even the future of Wang Yaohai?
"However, this opportunity won't be easy to fight for, Yulou. Ji Yuan is still ahead of ," Wang Yaohai smiled bitterly.
When Wang Yulou had reined him in previously, Yulou had said that it was a good thing for Ji Yuan to go to the Zhuo Family's territory to act as a frontline enforcer, and now it had indeed proven true. Ji Yuan had worked in the Grotto Heaven Patrol Team for several years and had completely stabilized his footing, and his ranking among the Yuan Clan's subordinates firmly placed him ahead of Wang Yaohai.
"We will exert pressure from three angles," Yulou replied. "Within the Yuan Clan, there are three people ranked ahead of you. One of them is your master's granddaughter, while the other two are disciples of the direct lineage Foundation Establishnt cultivators of the Yuan Clan. If we ruin one of them, your ranking can rise a bit and beco more stable."
Seeing that Wang Yaohai remained silent, Yulou understood that Old Wang was tempted. He was, after all, a Splendid Pool Palace disciple who had fought his way out of the narrow escapes of the West Sea. How could he truly beco a loyal dog of the Yuan Clan? It was nothing more than mutual exploitation. Faced with the temptation of Foundation Establishnt, Hongi could beco crazed enough to want to slaughter his own apprentices. Getting Wang Yaohai to ruin a fellow senior brother or sister was not an excessive matter at all.
"Second, within the sect, Brother Yaohai, you have done a decent job in your position as an inspector of the Splendid Pool Palace, but that is rely a normal work result. Make a move. Stir up so noise. Now that Sect Master Qu has stepped down, the new Sect Master, Chu Hongyi, is a moderate candidate between factions. Back when I managed River Bend Fishing Port well, Sect Master Qu gave rewards. This sort of thing is sothing you can orchestrate as well."
Wang Yaohai could not think of how he should stir up noise, but he did not ask, instead waiting expectantly for Yulou to point out the third direction for him. Refilling his teacup with spiritual tea once more, Yulou finally spoke softly.
"Lastly, Elder Changhe is not young anymore. Long ago, any possibility of him taking a step further in this life vanished. If you can ruin his granddaughter, Brother Yaohai, you will beco one of his few remaining hopes. This perfectly aligns with the first point, counting as a wonderful matter that kills two birds with one stone. What do you think?"
The hidden daggers were finally revealed. Old Wang, submit another pledge of allegiance, otherwise I cannot remain at ease. A master's care and support for their disciples were limited. People often thought of themselves first, followed by their relatives, while disciples were ranked further back—of course, Immortal Venerables and True Persons possessed lifespans of tens of thousands of years, and in their eyes, there might be no difference between relatives and disciples, as all were rely tools. But for Wang Yaohai's master, Luo Changhe, his choices were few. To rise within a system, in addition to having excellent personal capabilities, removing the obstacles blocking the path ahead was also an excellent thod. Within the small subsystem of the Yuan faction centered around Luo Changhe, Elder Changhe's granddaughter was precisely Wang Yaohai's obstacle.
As for whether Yulou's suggestion was cruel... If one isn't ruthless, one can't stand firm. If being cruel to outsiders could help Yulou and those around him live better, then let it be a bit cruel. The patriarch and the ancestor always felt that Yulou's heart was not ruthless enough, and Yulou was actually reflecting and growing. Compared to Mang Xiang's aura of viewing all things as consumables, he was indeed far too lacking. And such a Mang Xiang was rely an ordinary individual among grand cultivators. The cruel and strength-ruled cultivation world could not accommodate the useless kindness of the weak. Ultimately, Yulou had co to understand—being cruel externally and saintly internally was at least better than being enduring externally and cruel internally. Too many people clearly knew that being cruel externally and saintly internally was a good choice, but none dared to execute it, whereas Wang Yulou dared. From this perspective, the path Yulou had chosen was far from any ordinary path.
Wang Yaohai did not know how to respond to Yulou's invitation. After he had tentatively probed to upgrade their relationship, Wang Yulou had given him an excellent response, but this response was too much and too large, making it difficult for him to bear all at once. Looking at the teacup, Wang Yaohai fell into a long silence.
This cup of tea was poured for him by Yulou. Just like that day when he drank the tea Yulou gave him and subsequently chose to backstab the Yuan Clan, right now, Yulou was also waiting for him to drink the tea. Waiting for him to choose. The brown tea liquid emitted white steam, and the black tea dregs swirled slightly within the liquid. Spinning and spinning, so tea dregs floated up, while others sank down. It was exactly like the cultivators struggling in the world; so could float up, becoming Qi Refining, becoming Foundation Establishnt, and eventually even taking a step further to beco Purple Palace. But the majority would ultimately sink, settling at the bottom of the cup, becoming the consumables that constituted the rich aroma of the tea liquid.
'I cannot sink down!'
'I want to float up!'
Wang Yaohai picked up the teacup, drinking it down in one gulp with a resolute expression, swallowing all the tea dregs—whether they were sinking or floating—directly into his throat. He wanted to transcend; he did not want to beco an existence controlled by others. Therefore, when facing the olive branch extended by Wang Yulou, he had no choice.
"Hahaha, good! Brother Yaohai, I knew I didn't misjudge you! Let's first discuss how you can achieve results in the Splendid Pool Palace... Once the matter succeeds, we will present another gift to the sect master. Combined with your background from the Yuan Clan, why worry that the sect won't reward you? The sect's reward is one aspect, and when a subordinate of the Yuan Clan performs exceptionally well, the Yuan Clan will also have to tilt more resources and rewards toward you. The combination of both will be an extra layer of assurance for obtaining Foundation Establishnt resources in the future. As for the matter regarding Elder Changhe's granddaughter, wait for my news. Now that Sect Master Qu has departed, the strict crackdowns have ceased. Descendants of elders like her will inevitably leave the grotto-heaven from ti to ti. When she leaves, that will be your opportunity to strike."
However, Wang Yaohai realized that Yulou's arrangent seed sowhat amiss, and he spoke carefully. "Fellow Daoist Yuque, if she and I leave together, the grotto-heaven entrance and exit will leave records. This..."
He felt no psychological burden regarding striking to submit his allegiance; what he worried about was that he would be suspected by Old Luo.
"No matter," Yulou replied calmly. "When the ti cos, I will have Senior Brother Jin Ruiqing and Senior Martial Sister Qu Yi leave together with you, serving to provide an alibi for you."
Jin Ruiqing was an experienced Qi Refining cultivator who had leaned toward Wang Yulou during the Exchange Conference. He had entered the Azurewater Palace based on his seniority and had long lost any opportunity for Foundation Establishnt. Qu Yi was Wu Jinyan's underground lover, an Azurewater Palace disciple whose original master had died a violent death. These two individuals, in a certain sense, were both Wang Yulou's people. The forr was a subordinate in Yulou's business affairs, while the Wu Jinyan behind the latter was gradually becoming a family friend of the Anbei Kingdom's Wang Clan. What did it an to possess influence? This was exactly it! Wang Yulou's cultivation base was rely at the fifth layer of Qi Refining, yet he could rely on his influence to directly manipulate Wang Yaohai's destiny.
"But what reason would the three of us have to leave the grotto-heaven together?" Wang Yaohai was already feeling an urge to retreat. He had not expected Wang Yulou to want to control him to such an extent. He had t Jin Ruiqing before, and they could be considered nodding acquaintances; he had not expected this person to actually belong to Wang Yulou. He had only heard of Qu Yi, a female cultivator whose master had died violently during a magic decree mission from the Immortal Alliance. With these two individuals providing proof for Wang Yaohai, in the future, Wang Yaohai would beco Wang Yulou's lackey, completely controlled by him. He could accept being influenced by Wang Yulou and submitting an allegiance pledge, but he could not accept a result where he completely lost his autonomy. Would such a Foundation Establishnt truly have anything to do with being free and unfettered? Clearly, Old Wang was still too naive; an excessively low starting point had limited his horizon. Not to ntion that Foundation Establishnt was not free and unfettered, even the Purple Palace realm was not truly free and unfettered. Zhou Bojiao, who had lived freely only to end up half-dead, was a pri example.
"You are an inspector of the Splendid Pool Palace and a disciple of the Yuan Clan. If you want to leave the grotto-heaven, you just need to speak with the cultivators guarding the entrance. I will naturally arrange for the other two, and no loose ends will be left behind. Rest assured."
"But Fellow Daoist Yuque, if Senior Martial Sister and I are outside simultaneously and she dies violently, I will inevitably be suspected no matter what." Wang Yaohai remained rational and saw the issue. Luo Changhe's granddaughter was outside with him. If the granddaughter died while he lived, and his ranking to receive Foundation Establishnt resources within the Yuan Clan rose by one spot, from the principle of the beneficiary being guilty, he would inevitably be suspected.
"Are you regretting this?" Wang Yulou looked calmly at the male cultivator opposite him.
Under Yulou's emotionless gaze, Wang Yaohai lowered his head and said, "I don't regret it."
Favor had arrived, and he lacked the qualifications to refuse, nor did he truly want to refuse; he rely wanted to negotiate with Yulou. For instance, he could notify Wang Yulou of the ti the senior martial sister left the grotto-heaven, and Wang Yulou could arrange for people to handle it.
"Old Wang, the death of one granddaughter of an elder is trouble and a problem. Won't the problem disappear if a few more die? Since you don't regret it, I will naturally help you handle everything properly!"
The death of a single elder's granddaughter was trouble; killing a few more would an it was no longer trouble. Wang Yaohai raised his head in disbelief, locking eyes with Yulou's calm face once again. Ruthless, collected, and cold, Wang Yulou's current manner of conducting matters was already no different from Mang Xiang or those other grand cultivators. He had understood the rules of this world very well and was gradually accepting a portion of them. The first step to changing reality was to accept portions of reality; this was an eternally unavoidable logic of practice.
"Is it worth it?" Wang Yaohai did not believe that the matter of his Foundation Establishnt resources warranted such a massive disruption.
Yulou pulled Wang Yaohai up, leading him to the cloud terrace beside the quiet room. The quiet room of the courtyard was remodeled to mimic Old Yuan's cultivation residence. Outside the cloud terrace connecting to the main hall was the boundless sea of clouds of Dripdrop Cave along the mountainside. Pointing at the sea of clouds, Yulou said passionately,
"Look, the sun and moon above the grotto-heaven are fake, yet the people within the grotto-heaven know nothing of it. The people on the ground gaze up at the Immortal Venerable's residence in the sky, worshiping the greatness of the Immortal Venerable. They cannot imagine that the demon beasts in the grotto-heaven are placed there by the sect, existing only because the Immortal Venerable permits it. You are different, Brother Yaohai. You have been to the West Sea, and you know the vastness of heaven and earth. Between heaven and earth, you and I are nothing but mayflies. How much truth do we actually know? The so-called power and authority are rely drifting clouds brought by one's cultivation base. Cast aside those fake suns and moons; cast aside the fake rules and concepts ant only for discipline and control. The sole reality is rely your and my cultivation bases, and the only thing we can rely on is ourselves. To walk further, to avoid becoming the price spoken of by others, we must always discard certain things, must we not? But wanting to achieve sothing while being unwilling to stain one's hands with karma is likely impossible. As humans, we cannot be too greedy."
Pulled by Yulou to stand at the edge of the clouds, Wang Yaohai could feel the clear wind between the mountains and clouds blowing through his hair. He temporarily fell into a daze.
'Am I truly worth being valued so heavily?'
Wang Yulou utilized both soft and hard tactics, offering sweet dates, grand cakes, and heavy sticks, and had even just perford a low-tier version of welcoming a guest with misplaced shoes. The effect was outstanding; at the very least, Wang Yaohai had been left utterly bewildered.
"Fellow Daoist Yuque, Yaohai understands!" Ultimately, Wang Yaohai perford a formal bow and departed solemnly.
anwhile, Wang Yulou stood before the cloud terrace, remaining motionless for a long ti. Staining one's hands with karma, staining one's hands with karma—what a pleasant phrase to hear.
"Excellent, Yulou. This is precisely the appearance that the patriarch and I expected you to beco. Do not harbor misgivings, do not hesitate; what you did is entirely correct. The resources between heaven and earth are inherently limited, and grand cultivators have already taken away the vast majority of them, with everyone warily guarding everything they own. If you do not fight, if you do not tear and bite, how can you walk far? Wait for the enemy to co to your door, and then stand on the moral high ground to seek revenge, slay the enemy, and gain profits? The grand cultivators won't allow it, the Purple Palace cultivators won't allow it, the Golden Core cultivators won't allow it, and the Immortal Venerables won't allow it! Enemies like Yuan Daoshen and the Yuan Clan won't give you too many opportunities, and even if you obtain an opportunity, you won't be able to resolve them in a short ti. The Immortal Alliance restricts you, and it restricts the Yuan Clan; everything has been designed beforehand, and this short ti could be a thousand years, or even ten thousand years. Those you can easily take down, such as Cui Dingyi, cannot bring you sufficient returns. Grand cultivators devoured countless people to stand at the apex of the clouds, becoming independent from the world. If you do not eat people, how can you beco a person above others?"
Hiding to one side, Ancestor Xianzhou, who had listened to the entire conversation between Yulou and Wang Yaohai, walked out with large strides, offering affirmation for Yulou's choice.
"However, Ancestor, if I do not pursue cultivation speed, many matters could be avoided," Wang Yulou did not turn around, instead asking the ancestor behind him.
Wang Xianzhou hesitated for a mont, but ultimately decided to reveal the truth that was known to only three individuals even within the Wang Clan. "Silly child, haven't you realized it by now? Restricting Qi Induction is a thod used by grand cultivators to limit the ergence of more people who could affect their interests between heaven and earth. But their thods extend beyond restricting Qi Induction. A thousand years ago, the inability to use spiritual pills to accelerate cultivation during Qi Induction was rely an overt restriction. The true issue lies in the fact that achieving the Purple Palace realm under the new thod is far too difficult! In ancient tis, under the old thod, one out of a hundred Foundation Establishnt cultivators could achieve the Purple Palace realm. Nowadays, under the new thod, one out of ten thousand Foundation Establishnt cultivators might not even erge. Why? Why has achieving Foundation Establishnt beco simpler and simpler? Why is the gap between Foundation Establishnt and the Purple Palace realm so massive? You can think it through, Yulou. This is also the reason why I urge you to cultivate day and night to achieve Foundation Establishnt as early as possible. Perfected Man Hongli indeed regards you highly, even utilizing a magic seal to restrict the possibility of you being affected by the pleasures of n and won just so you can achieve Foundation Establishnt early. Stop overthinking and just cultivate, Yulou."
Those who boarded the vehicle first welded the doors shut, and subsequently created a set of ethereal and illusory dreams of longevity, deceiving latecors into willingly becoming consumables. Foundation Establishnt had beco simpler, but if a cultivator wished to undergo Foundation Establishnt, they had to participate in the transactions of the cultivation world. Ultimately, the lion's share of profits went to the grand cultivators who controlled spiritual items—the production materials at the top of the food chain. The more Foundation Establishnt cultivators there were, the more surplus value the grand cultivators could harvest—Mang Xiang, for the sake of harvesting, even permitted those below to make paynts using their future surplus value.
Despite this, as long as cultivators still wished to cultivate, they could only comply with the Immortal Alliance system. Protection was also a restriction. The Immortal Alliance prohibited Foundation Establishnt cultivators from striking Qi Refining cultivators, which served as protection for the Qi Refining cultivators, who would eternally support the Immortal Alliance. But for Foundation Establishnt cultivators, in the face of the chasm-like difference between Foundation Establishnt and the Purple Palace realm, the rule prohibiting them from striking Qi Refining cultivators to extract resources was a cage. As Yulou walked further and climbed higher, he gradually ca to understand many things clearly. But because of reverence—no, because of fear. Because of fear, he did not dare to voice it aloud, nor did he dare to attempt to resist. Intelligent individuals were the first to see through the lie-like rules, and then intelligently chose to comply—such was human nature. The Immortal Alliance had designed everything from the very beginning. To be precise, the Immortal Venerables had designed everything from the mont they established the Immortal Alliance to serve themselves. The Immortal Alliance was a tool, while the Immortal Venerables of the Gathering Immantals Platform were the masters.
"Ancestor, after Foundation Establishnt, does it beco even harder?" Under the imnse ntal pressure, Yulou's throat felt a bit raspy.
The child had grown up and possessed the capacity to endure the cruelty of the world, so Wang Xianzhou naturally would not put on a mysterious act and say things like 'it's not yet ti for you to know'. "Under the circumstances where one can succeed in a single attempt at Foundation Establishnt, a single spirit root Qi Refining cultivator undergoing normal cultivation can achieve Foundation Establishnt at the age of one hundred, while a dual spirit root Qi Refining cultivator undergoing normal cultivation can achieve Foundation Establishnt at the age of one hundred and twenty. After Foundation Establishnt, taking sixty years to cultivate one strand of the Dao foundation is considered a normal speed. Thus, a single spirit root cultivator requires at least two hundred and seventy years to fully cultivate their Dao foundation, aning ti is already insufficient. A dual spirit root cultivator requires two hundred and forty years to fully cultivate their Dao foundation. Yet after the Dao foundation reaches perfection, there is still a very, very long distance before opening the Purple Palace. The connection of the Five Elents Mutual Generation requires at least a dozen years, and if slow, several decades is normal. Once the Five Elents Mutual Generation concludes, it is followed by the initial nurturing of the grotto-heaven, utilizing spiritual items to bear the Dao foundation and generate the grotto-heaven. Five strands of the Dao foundation require five types of rank-nine spiritual items. Even if one type of spiritual item is calculated at only two hundred thousand spirit stones, it still totals one million spirit stones. But the critical factor is ti! The Five Elents Mutual Generation and the initial nurturing of the grotto-heaven require at least several more decades. Under normal cultivation, a dual spirit root cultivator's ti is also insufficient. Every minute and second you save now will serve as the leeway before opening the Purple Palace in the future. The influence and foundation you establish now, along with the spirit stones you earn, are all assistance to help you seize ti—seizing ti during Qi Refining and seizing ti after Foundation Establishnt. Without rapid cultivation, no one can rely on themselves sitting inside a cave dwelling to achieve the Purple Palace realm! Without competing with others for profits, no one can rely on themselves sitting inside a cave dwelling to obtain the spiritual items required for the initial nurturing of the grotto-heaven!"
Yulou opened his mouth weakly, ultimately saying nothing. His current cultivation speed was ten tis that of a dual spirit root Qi Refining cultivator who did not consu any spiritual pills. Logically speaking, after seven years, he should have been able to attain seventy years of cultivation progress, breaking through directly to the eighth layer of Qi Refining, but in reality, he had only reached slightly over three-fifths of the theoretical effect. The marginal effect of spiritual pills on cultivation speed acceleration was excessively massive, and the theoretical maximum cultivation speed was delayed by too many things. This was still the result of Wang Yulou possessing an extraordinary background, allowing him to obtain a massive amount of resources and discard nurous trivial matters. Tracing the lineage required ti, practicing magical combat required ti, participating in normal sect activities required investing ti, and refining artifacts to exchange for spirit stones also consud ti. Ti, ti. What the Immortal Alliance restricted was the channels through which cultivators obtained resources, and the restrictions on rules pointed toward the cultivators' ti. Everything was calculated down to the smallest detail.
Under such calculations, among the nurous Qi Refining cultivators Yulou knew, only a scant few individuals actually still possessed a Purple Mansion opportunity, while everyone else's immortal path was already unlikely to last long.
"Yulou, cultivate," Wang Xianzhou urged. "Break through to the sixth layer of Qi Refining within a month, and break through to late Qi Condensation within two years. By then, achieving Foundation Establishnt around the age of sixty won't be an issue. After extending your lifespan, a lifespan of three hundred and forty years can leave ample leeway. If you can achieve a five-strand Dao foundation within one hundred and fifty years, your Purple Mansion opportunity will be very high."
An Ning was able to extend the sixty-cycle lifespan of a Foundation Establishnt cultivator to nearly five hundred years, showing that the lifespan extension ceiling for Foundation Establishnt cultivators was not low. Ancestor Xianzhou's expectations were conservative, only calculating that Yulou could extend his lifespan to four hundred years old, which ant an extension of forty years.
"Yulou understands, Ancestor. It's just that regarding Wang Yaohai's matter, are you certain that the arrangents outside the grotto-heaven won't face any accidents?"
Wang Xianzhou smiled slightly and said, "In this kind of matter, it's impossible for there to be absolutely no accidents; it's rely a question of how troubleso it gets. But even if Wang Yaohai's matter fails to materialize, it won't affect the grand sche of things, so you need not worry." Speaking to this point, the ancestor asked again, "However, Yulou, are you certain you want to directly kill five Dripdrop Cave direct lineage disciples this ti?"
What Wang Yulou ant by 'killing a few more' to Wang Yaohai was killing four more.
"Yes," Yulou nodded. "The Foundation Establishnt resources of Dripdrop Cave are distributed through a queue among the Foundation Establishnt cultivators, but the elders often prioritize their own bloodlines, and sotis it's not strange for them to give it to their own bloodline several tis consecutively. anwhile, the majority of the participants in the Exchange Conference I initiated are marginal disciples within the Azurewater Palace, such as Ji Yuan, Wang Yaohai, Fan Zhugao, and so forth. Even if they have the Zhuo and Yuan families behind them, they can only rank at the back regarding resource distribution. Killing more direct lineage disciples will provide more opportunities for the participants of the Exchange Conference. This way, even if I depart in the future, my influence within Dripdrop Cave won't vanish. With Little Fish and Lin Ying as the foundation, and the conference Foundation Establishnt cultivators who have ties with serving as support, this will be the foolproof plan."
Wang Yaohai believed that Yulou was showing courtesy to the wise and subordinate, with Yulou killing multiple people for him—or rather, staining himself with much karma for his sake just to make his Foundation Establishnt opportunity more stable. In reality, Yulou had targeted the issues within the Azurewater Palace's Foundation Establishnt resource distribution model. The death of more direct lineage disciples could allow the conference Foundation Establishnt cultivators to erge at a higher frequency. Furthermore, Qu Yunjian, who carried out strict crackdowns, had departed, and the newly elevated Chu Hongyi was far too soft. Only by killing more direct lineage disciples who had entered the grotto-heaven to act as black-market traders could the Exchange Conference continue to prosper. With the Exchange Conference prospering, Yulou's cultivation resources could increase further. A five-strand Dao foundation nurturing a grotto-heaven required one million spirit stones, sigh. The path to the Great Dao was narrow, and Yulou had to strive to push forward.
"Good, good, good! I actually hadn't realized there was this layer of aning. Yulou, you are currently even more calculating than I am, excellent!" Wang Xianzhou's face turned red with excitent, yet no matter how Yulou heard it, it did not entirely sound like praise. It was nothing more than the tumbling mortal realm, striving to forge ahead, except he had ultimately stained his hands with blood.
Wanting to fight for resources through a division based on strength was impossible. If divided by strength, the resources between heaven and earth would all belong to the Immortal Venerables—and this referred to true Immortal Venerables, not even Golden Cores. They could only employ their respective thods within the rules accepted by all sides, and Dripdrop Cave's thod was to universally prioritize caring for Foundation Establishnt elders across nurous levels, with specific distribution based on seniority and queuing. It sounded ridiculous, but when practiced, the effect was actually very good, ensuring that major issues would not arise. And what Yulou was doing now was letting it experience a few small issues so he could take a bit more.
"Ancestor, I will take it as your praise. However, it is truly ti for to erge from seclusion and walk around now, otherwise if I wait until breaking through to the sixth layer of Qi Refining before going out, it will frighten my fellow disciples."
A cultivation speed of five layers in seven years was already terrifying, but if another two months passed and Yulou's cultivation broke through to the sixth layer, that would be frightening. The cultivation path Ancestor Xianzhou had mapped out for him was not complex: first cultivate to the sixth layer of Qi Refining in Dripdrop Cave, and subsequently have Chu Hongyi give him a mission to go to the Red Lantern Illumination Sect. By then, Yulou would take the mission to the Red Lantern Illumination Sect, breaking through to the late stage under the care of Ancestor Jingyi, and simply not return to Dripdrop Cave, cultivating all the way until the Immortal Alliance martial selection thirty years later. Winning the selection would allow him to enter the Immortal Alliance, and upon entering the Immortal Alliance, he would imdiately undergo Foundation Establishnt, becoming a Foundation Establishnt Deacon directly subordinate to the Immortal Alliance—not a one-ti deacon of a labor-dispatch nature like Wu Jinyan. Reaching this step would allow Yulou's ceiling to be raised further. If Mang Xiang failed to form a Golden Core, he could borrow the opportunities of the Immortal Alliance system to open his Purple Palace. If Mang Xiang's Golden Core formation went smoothly, he could also choose an opportunity to borrow the support of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect to open his Purple Palace. Foundation Establishnt and the Purple Palace were separated by a chasm; relying purely on oneself was utterly impossible. No matter how highly Perfected Man Hongli valued Yulou, Dripdrop Cave's volu was set right here, and Wang Yulou was not a local tyrant of Wondrous Peak Mountain like Li Haiping; his future did not lie in Dripdrop Cave. As for River Bend Fishing Port, it could be handed over to White Xiaoyu for managent. Currently, both Little Bai and Zhang Xuewu were Azurewater Palace disciples, and Old Zhang had gone to White Mao Fishing Port. Once the marriage alliance between Wang Yulou and Lin Ying was completed, his basic power base within Dripdrop Cave could expand to three locations: Immortal Mushroom Cave, River Bend Fishing Port, and White Mao Fishing Port.
"That's fine, that's fine. Prolonged seclusion will affect your Dao heart; going out to walk around is also good. However, regarding your marriage with Lin Ying, what exactly is Lin ngyao thinking? He has delayed it until now without giving a specific ti."
In another two years, Wang Yulou would be fleeing from Dripdrop Cave, yet the specific date for the marriage with Lin Ying had not been settled. This matter carried a bit of a flavor of starting with a bang and ending with a whimper.
"From the information I obtained from Senior Martial Sister Lin, it might be because the Lin Family hasn't found a suitable Small Demon Realm spiritual bird," Wang Yulou replied with a strange expression.
A Small Demon Realm spiritual bird that was young and still possessed the possibility of taking a step further was difficult to find, and very expensive. Back then, he had raised this requirent, and Lin ngyao had agreed, so it naturally had to be arranged. However, under the circumstances of being unable to find one for a long ti, Lin ngyao's reputation was on the line, and he felt too embarrassed to suggest just making do with sothing else for now. Consequently, the marriage between Yulou and Senior Martial Sister Lin had been delayed until the present.
"If you ask , since you are about to depart now, it isn't strictly necessary to form a marriage alliance with Lin Ying. Yulou, consider it yourself. I won't make decisions for you; I'm getting old," Ancestor Xianzhou spoke of getting old while departing with vigorous steps.
Wang Yulou was highly capable, making this protector of his feel increasingly motivated in his role. Except Yulou's eyes were filled with worry. Having entered Dripdrop Cave for over seven years, Ancestor Xianzhou had aged by another seven years, drawing increasingly closer to the ultimate limit of his lifespan.
—
Riding the Crimson Sparrow to River Bend Port, Yulou landed upon the monster-controlling platform.
"Senior Yuque."
"Brother Yulou."
"Yulou."
Over two years ago, a dozen or so Wang Clan descendants had entered Dripdrop Cave, with so becoming Splendid Pool Palace disciples and others becoming Clear Spring Palace disciples. Yulou's basic power base at River Bend Fishing Port was considered completely established. After chatting for a few monts with several on-duty low-tier Qi Induction cultivators and instructing one of the younger brothers to find Yuchen and bring him over, Yulou entered the residence.
He intended to first go to the quiet room to offer a few incense sticks to the Immortal Venerable's statue, but discovered that Little Qin was currently cultivating inside the quiet room. Presently, Little Qin had reached the peak of Qi Induction, remaining a single step away from breaking through to Qi Refining. However, this single step had stuck her for half a year without presenting any opportunity.
"Husband, you've erged from seclusion?" Qin Churan stood up with so pleasant surprise upon seeing Yulou arrive. Little Qin still retained the appearance of a young woman in her twenties. Ancestor Xianzhou had refined quite a few Appearance-Fixing Pills to sell at the Exchange Conference, and Qin Churan naturally had a share, being given two pills at once. Double security, retaining youth for another hundred years!
"Yes, I missed you all," Yulou smiled. "There's no need to rush if you can't break through; take it slow, and things will fall into place naturally. Even Cui Dingyi could break through to Qi Refining, so with your three-attribute spirit root aptitude, you naturally won't truly remain stuck at this pass."
What Yulou was thinking, however, was that if Little Qin could break through to Qi Refining within two years, he could arrange for her to bypass the Splendid Pool Palace and enter the Azurewater Palace directly. Dripdrop Cave established the three palaces precisely to waste the disciples' years and harvest them like crops; outside of this, it held no other aning. Once Little Qin entered the Azurewater Palace, he would arrange a leisurely position for her within the palace, responsible for helping Yulou continue maintaining his influence over the Exchange Conference. This way, even if Yulou departed from Dripdrop Cave, his influence would not instantly collapse. Therefore, proceeding from this point, the marriage alliance with Lin Ying was another necessity. The ancestor's idea was to look at what was in the pot, while Yulou only wished to first eat what was in his bowl.
Just as the couple was sharing an intimate mont, the red magic seal began to surface, causing Yulou to release his grip and say helplessly, "The True Person's heavy regard, sigh. After I achieve Foundation Establishnt in a few years, I won't be delayed by it anymore."
Delayed by what? Qin Churan spoke softly with so bashfulness, "Good, then Churan will wait for Husband to undergo Foundation Establishnt."
After offering three incense sticks to the Immortal Venerable, Yulou inquired, "How has the fishing port's recent inco been?"
Seeing Yulou bring up official business, Little Qin quickly responded, "The three primary tasks are all progressing smoothly. The population finally broke through twenty thousand last month, and there are already over seven hundred martial artists. As for the spirit fish, the harvest volu has stabilized at around thirty-five fish. Given the current number of fishern, if we want to catch more, we would have to venture deep into Beautiful Water Lake, which is incredibly dangerous. Regarding precautions against demon beast attacks, it remains the sa situation I reported to you last month; there haven't been any changes recently."
Expanding the population ant expanding the basic power base. Increasing spirit fish production ant increasing inco. Precautions against demon beasts—Yulou's primary task, though it currently did not require him to exert too much worry.
"Churan, you have worked hard over these past few years," Yulou said softly. "Here, take this bottle of Qi Transformation Pills to use for cultivation after you reach Qi Refining in the future. Speaking of which, previously it was quite difficult for to gift you anything. Magic robes look nice but aren't useful, ultimately failing to increase your cultivation base. Magical artifacts are useful but you can't utilize them yet, so it was better to first take them to the Exchange Conference to sell for spirit stones. Now that you are also nearing Qi Refining, it will be easier for to gift you items, hahaha."
In terms of balancing things equally, Wang Yulou was still capable of achieving it. Little Qin and Little Fish were both people close to Yulou. In the future, if resources permitted, Yulou even wished to push both of them to the Foundation Establishnt cultivation base, continuing to serve as his assistance.
Wang Yuchen was a young man who appeared to be in his twenties. Seeing Wang Yulou and Qin Churan chatting, he did not dare to disturb them, standing obediently in the courtyard to wait. Noticing his younger brother's arrival, Yulou called him inside.
"Brother Yulou, Second Sister-in-law," Yuchen greeted with so restraint.
Wang Yulou smiled and motioned for him to sit down, subsequently asking, "How has cultivation been recently? Have you reached great completion in the mid-stage of the Post-natal Realm?"
Among the dozen or so disciples the Wang Clan had sent into Dripdrop Cave, in addition to the eight who possessed at least a spirit root, there were multiple individuals whose five elents were completely muddled, failing to even count as possessing a five-attribute spirit root. Wang Yuchen was one of them, but his unique point lay in the fact that he was Yu'an's direct younger brother. Children born to cultivator couples did not necessarily all possess spirit roots; those with muddled five elents were far from a minority, and Dripdrop Cave Heaven's unique grotto-heaven rules could provide those with muddled five elents with the possibility of cultivation. Chen Luwan and Wang Rongwen did not hold high demands, only hoping that Yulou could lend a hand to let Wang Yuchen achieve Qi Induction, which would suffice.
Naturally, for Yulou, given his relationship with Yu'an, Yuchen was virtually identical to his own direct younger brother, so he naturally would not rely wish for Yuchen to achieve Qi Induction. The Post-natal Realm was a unique cultivation realm within Dripdrop Cave, remaining unaffected by the inability to utilize spiritual pills. Consequently, Ancestor Xianzhou had refined quite a few spiritual pills, spiritual powders, and dicinal salves that martial artists could absorb for the muddled-elent descendants sent from the clan.
"I've reached great completion, except because this speed of elevation is too rapid, I feel a sensation of an unstable foundation," Wang Yuchen replied with so nervousness.
All descendants of the Wang Clan attended school together within the clan academy, but after testing their spirit roots, their treatnt and status beca as different as heaven and earth. This differentiated treatnt naturally did not extend to the point of cold eyes and oppression—anyone who dared to execute such acts would be taken to feed the donkeys; not arranged to feed the donkeys, but taken to literally feed the donkeys. Yet even without cold eyes, without mockery, and without oppression, an individual would still feel lost and despairing on their own. When Wang Yuchen arrived at Dripdrop Cave, he was already sixteen years old. Those three years of completely hopeless ti had molded his current sensitive and self-deprecating nature, along with his sorrowful and aged facial features.
"Hahaha, no need to worry," Yulou laughed. "Before returning from the post-natal to the pre-natal state, that unstable foundation of yours will enrich itself naturally. Right now, what you need to do is put all your effort into cultivating. Here, take these two red ginseng stalks to consu. Do not let others find out; your red ginseng is reimbursed by Wang Yu'an, and I cannot afford to supply red ginseng for everyone else."
Wang Yulou was actually highly looking forward to when that blockhead Yu'an found out that his direct younger brother, who possessed muddled elents, could actually cultivate under his assistance. Would he kneel before him and sing about having a wonderful brother?
"Thank you, Brother Yulou!" Wang Yuchen did not act polite either; previously when he wanted to act polite, he had been scolded twice by Yulou. In reality, Yulou was currently gradually coming to appreciate individuals who displayed fierce eating postures; he liked those types of souls that were unwilling to admit defeat.
Yulou chatted a bit more with Yuchen, inquiring about the recent situations of the Wang Clan mbers within River Bend Port. Right at this mont, Yulou raised his head to look at the sky outside River Bend Fishing Port. Four flying boats were rapidly approaching. Four individuals—exactly the number of people in a single squad of the Grotto Heaven Patrol Team. What was the Grotto Heaven Patrol Team coming to River Bend Fishing Port for? He delivered a few instructions and flew up to et them.
"For what reason have several Senior Brothers arrived here?"
While asking, Yulou had already clearly seen the arrivals. They were indeed individuals from the Grotto Heaven Patrol Team, except what surprised him was that two among them actually displayed cold expressions. The other two individuals—one being Wang Yaohai's friend and the other being Ji Yuan's friend—naturally displayed excellent attitudes toward Yulou.
"Senior Brother Yuque," one of them said. "After Sect Master Chu learned of the Exchange Conference matters, he harbored misgivings in his heart. He has dispatched us to invite you and Senior Brother Wu to the Droplet Heaven Palace to recount the details."
Yulou's eyes narrowed slightly, and he smiled, saying, "Good. I still have a few matters on hand. Could you wait for for a brief mont?"
"As we should, as we should!"
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