On the way back, Wang Xianmao remained expressionless, but Yu'an guessed that the patriarch was definitely gathering strength for a massive scolding once they returned.
Wang Yulou did not say a word either. His expression was even more solemn than Wang Xianmao's.
Yu'an followed behind the two of them, his heart in complete turmoil.
"Patriarch, we just went to have a pot of spiritual tea and were going to leave right after. We didn't expect you to show up."
"Shut up!"
Yu'an did not dare to say another word.
"Patriarch, what is the lifespan of a Purple Palace cultivator?" Yulou asked.
"We will talk when we get back!"
The patriarch looked at Yulou sternly. His gaze was even more serious than when he had just told Yu'an to shut up.
Child, watch your words!
Right now, every word and action of every cultivator in Clear Stream Market is under her watchful eyes and ears!
Yulou understood the patriarch's silent answer.
His face turned pale as he followed the patriarch out of the gates of the Hundred Treasures Workshop.
The surrounding cultivators who ca to attend the Clear Stream Grand Gathering were all beaming with joy, looking incredibly cheerful.
The bright moon in the sky shed a gentle glow, illuminating the pebbles on the ground clearly.
Yet, in the midst of this prosperous night, Yulou felt a chill that penetrated his bones and pierced straight through his soul.
This was a cultivation world where high-level cultivators could easily live for an incredibly long ti!
Great cultivators could join forces to alter the rules of heaven and earth, restricting the cultivation speed of latecors.
Without even investigating, Yulou could already imagine how the forces, families, and organizations surrounding those Purple Palace grand cultivators and Golden Core True Persons monopolized all channels of advancent in the cultivation world.
In such a world...
The Wang Clan, which possessed a so-called Foundation Establishnt Ancestor, was not an immortal family at all. They were rely slightly larger ants, slightly thicker chives waiting to be harvested!
The conversation between the patriarch and Danri replayed in Yulou's mind over and over again—once, twice, thrice... The more he thought about it, the more he understood the patriarch's deep dread.
---
Upon returning to Fortune Source Residence, Wang Xianmao did not deliberately set up any formation to block investigative techniques.
He knew very well that under the surveillance of a Purple Palace grand cultivator, a Foundation Establishnt cultivator held very few secrets.
Sitting on a chair, he looked at the two young n who had dared to visit the Beautiful Pavilion, noting that their faces were equally pale. He felt a sudden urge to laugh.
"Alright, no need to be so tense. I won't beat you, Yu'an."
Yu'an relaxed, but Yulou still looked as if he had lost his soul.
Wang Xianmao felt a wave of lancholy in his heart.
Extre cleverness brings its own harm. Yulou was too intelligent; he had seen through the cruelest side of this cultivation world far too early.
Though it was just a fleeting glimpse like a passing shadow, he had still clearly seen the elephant hidden in the room.
That elephant was unimaginably colossal, yet possessed extraordinary power that no one dared to look at directly.
Yulou had seen that elephant for the first ti, and Wang Xianmao believed he understood the boy's despair.
After deliberating for a long ti, he said solemnly, "The disqualification of a cultivator does not lie in shrinking back before the powerful, nor does it lie in hesitation when making a choice, and certainly not in feeling ashad when accompanied by an extraordinary person.
"The so-called claims that cowardice leads to failure and panic leads to hardship are nothing but nonsense.
"Our Wang Clan has survived for 1,200 years. We operate on the principle of adapting like dragons and snakes.
"What is the transformation of dragons and snakes?
"It is nothing more than preserving ourselves and biding our ti. This ti is not the timing of heaven, but our own timing.
"This world has the rules of heaven and earth, but the rules of heaven and earth can be changed by others.
"Amidst all these changes, the only thing we can rely on, the only thing we can be certain will not change, is ourselves.
"Yulou, do not overthink things.
"Yu'an, cultivate well alongside your older brother.
"You must reach the Qi Refining stage as soon as possible, because our Wang Clan does not lack the courage to forge ahead relentlessly!
"With 1,200 years of accumulation, the Wang Clan has prepared everything a disciple needs for their journey, should they wish to charge forward!
"Before Foundation Establishnt, the resources you receive will not be inferior to those of a Purple Palace clan, nor to the disciples of the Ten Sects. In fact, they will not even fall short of the descendants of the Immortal Alliance families!"
---
In the end, Yulou did not ask the patriarch what exactly he had exchanged in the rit Hall branch. He knew his own experience was far inferior to the patriarch's.
Lying in bed, Yulou found himself completely unable to sleep.
When he first transmigrated into a world where one could cultivate to beco an immortal, he had been ecstatic. He fantasized about becoming the most powerful immortal in the world, dreaming of the legendary freedom of transcending the three realms and the five elents.
Later, as he grew up, he realized that his initial dream was as ridiculous as a child wondering whether to choose Tsinghua or Peking University.
Now, at the Clear Stream Grand Gathering, he had witnessed the vastness of the world and the terrifying nature of a Purple Palace True Person.
That unremarkable-looking girl in gold clothing was a cultivator who was at least a thousand years old.
Why at least a thousand years old?
The Wang Clan's ancestor, Wang Yinghua, was the fourth son of the founding ancestor Xuanjing, belonging to the very first generation of the Wang Clan after its establishnt!
And Wang Yinghua was Danri's senior brother!
If Danri was a thousand years old, how old was Mangxiang?
How old were the Golden Core True Persons in this world?
Danri retained the appearance of a young girl. Did that an a thousand years ago, she had already achieved Foundation Establishnt at the age of thirteen or fourteen?
Yulou did not dare to dwell on these thoughts.
Patriarch Mangxiang, with over a thousand years of Purple Palace cultivation base, was attempting to attain Golden Core status. To this end, he had diverted all the resources of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect, forcing a change in the sect master and putting a descendant of the wealthy Huang clan in charge specifically to exploit resources for him.
From the rogue cultivators on the streets of Clear Stream Market, to Hongi in Forge Peak Residence, to the Wang Clan which had been a vassal to the Red Lantern Illumination Sect for over a dozen generations—every person, family, and subordinate was viewed by Patriarch Mangxiang as part of the price to be paid.
Legend had it that the grand cultivators had altered the rules of heaven and earth, making it impossible for cultivators in the Qi Drawing realm to advance their cultivation bases by consuming pills anymore.
That matter was too distant, and Yulou had already grown used to it, lacking any real connection to it.
But Mangxiang and his disciple Danri gave Yulou an absolute sense of reality.
Before Danri, Wang Xianmao was like nothing more than a toy!
It was so cold. Yulou pulled the blanket tighter around himself.
He felt the warmth of the blanket, yet his heart remained freezing cold.
The road ahead was fraught with hardships.
He had originally thought that with the assistance of the Wang Clan, he was already standing ahead of many people.
But now, he saw clearly—there was no starting line at all.
Without becoming a Purple Palace cultivator, one remained an ant in the end!
Rogue cultivators were exploited ruthlessly by Gao Jian, while the vassals of the great sects were drained dry by them until even their future possibilities were sold off.
Rogue cultivators could not escape Gao Jian's tyranny, and the disciples within the great sects could not escape the tyranny of the Purple Palace family descendants within their own sects.
Yet, those great sect disciples and Purple Palace followers could similarly not escape conscription by the Immortal Alliance.
In this ticulously designed, airtight cultivation world where the channels for advancent were almost entirely blocked, how far could I go?
Will I beco an immortal?
Forget it, will I even beco a Purple Palace cultivator?
Will I?
Yulou was uncertain. After realizing the terrifying reality of Danri, his Dao heart wavered.
When alone, a person always had to face themselves, facing the trivialities and fears that their realistic self confronted.
Fortunately, Yulou was sharing a double room, and lying next to him was his thick-headed brother, Yu'an.
"Brother, a Purple Palace True Person can actually live for a thousand years. We will definitely beco Purple Palace grand cultivators too!"
Yu'an had been tossing and turning for a long ti. Unable to sleep, he started chatting with his older brother.
"How do you know True Person Danri has lived for a thousand years?"
"She said so herself. Don't tell you didn't hear her? She said our Wang Clan has remained exactly the sa for a thousand years."
"True. But as True Person Danri's master, Patriarch Mangxiang is trying to attain Golden Core status now, which ans the lifespan of a Purple Palace cultivator is definitely more than a thousand years."
"Huh? That's true. But why didn't the patriarch tell us exactly how long a Purple Palace lifespan is?"
"That question is too offensive."
"Offensive how?"
"Stop asking. Go to sleep."
"Brother, if I beco an immortal and you don't, I will resurrect you."
"Right, right, right. Drawing pies to feed now, are we?"
"What do you an by drawing pies?"
"Never mind. Just don't forget the patriarch, Uncle Rongyuan, your father, your mother... You have to resurrect all of them when the ti cos, rember?"
"My parents will definitely beco immortals too, maybe even earlier than !"
"Go to sleep. You can have anything you want in your dreams. Who knows, as soon as you close your eyes, you might just beco an immortal or an ancestor in your sleep."
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