"Second, recruit all the handso young n in the family between twelve and eighteen years of age and send them to my Cave Mansion," Qin Xuan said flatly.
The Wang Clan Elders were stunned.
They all turned to look at Wang Lanfeng, the only one present who t the criteria, their expressions turning strange.
"I intend to use a Foundation Establishnt Pill to personally train a promising young cultivator for the family."
"The goal is to help our Qixing Royal Family ascend to the rank of an Eighth-Grade Artifact Refining Family as soon as possible."
"I see."
The elders breathed a collective sigh of relief, their faces breaking into joyful smiles. They looked at Wang Lanfeng with gazes full of envy.
’The Old Ancestor is actually going to bestow the Foundation Establishnt Pill on one of the younger generation!’
Wang Runsheng gave Wang Lanfeng a light smack on the head.
"Lanfeng, what are you waiting for? Thank the Old Ancestor."
Wang Lanfeng was only fourteen, with delicate features, smooth skin, red lips, and pearly white teeth. He seed lost in thought, only belatedly kneeling after Wang Runsheng’s reminder.
"Thank you, Old Ancestor."
"Mm, you may rise."
Qin Xuan acknowledged him coolly.
Wang Lanfeng, however, remained kneeling, refusing to move.
"Old Ancestor, if I may be so bold... how is my sister? Is she safe?"
Qin Xuan frowned slightly, his displeasure evident.
"On this trip to Canglin Country, besides myself, both Runtian and Runsong died. Talisman Master Wei also fell while protecting the Foundation Establishnt Pill. And you’re asking about your sister..."
"What was her na again?"
Wang Lanfeng looked up in astonishnt, his eyes red and swollen. ’He never imagined the Old Ancestor wouldn’t even rember his sister!’
Wang Runsheng snapped, "Lanfeng, what are you doing? Get back, now!"
"Yes." Wang Lanfeng’s eyes filled with tears as he slowly backed away.
"Wait. I’ve changed my mind."
Qin Xuan, his interest having waned, called out to stop them.
"In addition to Lanfeng, go and find so other youths from around Thousand Island Lake, even those not of our family na. I don’t care about their background, only if they are likable...
Whoever is the most docile, this Foundation Establishnt Pill will be theirs."
At these words, the expressions of the Wang Clan Elders instantly soured.
’Lanfeng has angered the Old Ancestor!’
...
「Jade Balance Lake, 8,000 ters underground」
Qin Xuan’s appearance shifted, his fra stretching as he reverted to his original form.
"Pretending to be a two-hundred-year-old fossil is so draining... I much prefer my own face. It’s better looking, and a lot more comfortable."
Zhao Youliang also climbed out of the Black Flood Dragon’s Reverse Scale, growing to the height of a man. Unfortunately, he couldn’t shed the coat of bluish-black monkey fur that covered his body.
"Master, it looks like that Wang Lanfeng holds a grudge against you. Do you want to take care of him? I could chop him up and feed him to Brother Xiaomo!"
Zhao Youliang was hunched over, and on his back rested a basin-sized, dark green turtle, which was snoring softly in its sleep.
At the ntion of food, the dark green turtle woke up instantly.
Its head, covered in fine scales, clumsily erged from its shell. Its beady little eyes blinked as it stretched its neck out as far as it could go.
Qin Xuan gently stroked Xiaomo’s head.
"He’s just a boy. I’m keeping him alive; I have a much greater use for him."
"Are you getting used to staying inside the Black Flood Dragon’s Reverse Scale?"
Zhao Youliang gave a goofy laugh, scratching his head with a hairy black hand. His movents and mannerisms were becoming more and more ape-like.
"Yes, very used to it! Thanks to you, Master, I haven’t slept this soundly in years!"
"Good, as long as you’re used to it," Qin Xuan said with a smile.
By now, Zhao Youliang had completely adapted to his status as Qin Xuan’s Spirit Pet.
At first, Qin Xuan had been reluctant, but he couldn’t talk Zhao Youliang out of it. Zhao Youliang had even actively requested to sign a Divine Soul Contract with him.
But Qin Xuan never truly treated him like a Demon Beast. In conversation, he always addressed him as a proper human being.
"Old Zhao, how many Spirit Stones do you have on you?"
Zhao Youliang replied, "Counting what was left over from before, I have four hundred ninety thousand in total."
"You don’t mind giving them to , do you?"
"How could you even ask? Everything I have belongs to you, Master. There’s no ’mine’ and ’yours’ between us!"
Qin Xuan laughed heartily. "I won’t take them for nothing. Consider it an investnt in my Artifact Refining. Once I’ve honed my skills, I’ll forge you a custom-fit suit of armor!"
...
「Blood Demon Sword Sect, Vast Qi Tower」
A young, handso Cultivator in a Blood Robe sat cross-legged, quietly cultivating.
Behind him, pitch-black Demonic Qi surged like a night sky.
However, as ti passed, stars began to shine one by one, and a vast Star Map appeared within the darkness.
In the eastern part of the Star Map, the stars slowly coalesced to form a Cyan Dragon. At the dragon’s tail, two fiery-red Life Stars suddenly flared to life before falling into a purple mansion.
The next mont, the pitch-black Demonic Qi suddenly contracted, transforming into a lifelike Fiery Fire Tiger!
"After so many years, I have finally stabilized my Purple Mansion Cultivation..."
Ji Bochang slowly opened his eyes.
He saw the Fiery Fire Tiger, ford from his Demonic Essence, enter the center of a massive purple mansion, where it coiled up and lay down.
And with that, Ji Bochang’s cultivation officially stepped into the Second Level of the Purple Mansion Fate Star Realm!
He looked up toward the heavens and murmured to himself.
"It’s just a sha my cultivation is still too low. And without holding a position in Daqian, I was only able to seize the Tail Fire Tiger from the Azure Dragon Seven Stars Palace..."
There are 3,600 Celestial Vault Fate Stars.
They belong to the Three Circles, the Nine Heavens, and the Twenty-Eight Constellations.
Here, a Fate Star actually refers to a Star Palace, and within each Star Palace are thousands of stars.
The strongest way to open a Star Mansion within one’s Purple Mansion is to pull down one of the countless Star Palaces from the heavens, integrating it into one’s own path of cultivation and establishing a connection.
This allows one to use the Power of the Stars to refine their own Star Mansion.
"The Tail Fire Tiger constellation contains six major asterisms: the Tail, Divine Palace, Turtle, Celestial River, Fu Yue, and Fish... I wonder how many people in this generation will be competing with for them?"
Ji Bochang’s eyes were profound, his demonically handso face partially hidden in the shadows.
He possessed the Daqian bloodline; logically, he shouldn’t have to compete for a Fate Star among the Star Palaces of the Twenty-Eight Constellations.
But alas, being in the Demon Sect, the very boons he had acquired during the Foundation Establishnt Stage had now beco his shackles.
’And Father said he would lend a hand, help reach an even higher level within the Purple Mansion Realm in Daqian... Why hasn’t he shown up yet?’
Just as Ji Bochang was lost in his doubtful thoughts, a streak of silver-white light shot across the horizon, speeding toward him.
BOOM!
A magnificent, indifferent voice suddenly rang in his mind.
"Vice Tower Master Ji Bochang of the Vast Qi Tower, heed this command! By order of the Talisman Decree Hall, you are to accept a Task Talisman Decree!"
Ji Bochang’s face lit up with joy.
’Father’s help has arrived!’
The next mont, the silver-white streak of light transford.
It turned into an exquisite, scarlet Jade Talisman, which hovered slowly before him.
*Talisman Decree Task: Secret Envoy to You Province*
*Task Content: Proceed to You Province in Daqian. You are responsible for gathering and summarizing intelligence from the Demon Cultivators under your command and reporting it back to the Sect. Any who disobey may be executed on the spot!*
After reading the contents of the Talisman Decree, a knowing smile played on Ji Bochang’s lips.
’It seems... that Master Qin, a subordinate of the Blood Tyrant Sword Demon, is located there, isn’t he?’
...
「Three years later」
「Cold Abyss Valley, forr territory of the Wu Family」
Scorching heat baked the land. Around a volcanic crater, row after row of bronze furnaces had been set up.
Cultivators from the Qixing Royal Family, dressed in lake-blue robes, bustled back and forth, tirelessly tossing heaps of fine, silvery-white sand into the furnaces.
This was a special type of ore native to Cold Abyss Valley called Cold Star Sand.
It contained a pure but dilute form of tal-attributed Spiritual Power and was prized for the sharpness it could impart.
The only drawback was that it required extensive slting and purification.
Wang Runsheng stood on a high perch and announced, "Everyone, the Old Ancestor has spoken! Last year’s ore production was up by thirty percent. If we can increase it again this year, he’ll give every one of you a Red Copper Shield Spiritual Artifact at the year’s end!"
"Hooray! All hail the Old Ancestor!"
Hearing this, the cultivators’ eyes lit up. They couldn’t help but let out a cheer, and their motivation soared.
The Red Copper Shield was a Spiritual Artifact personally refined by the Old Ancestor. Although it was only a Low-Grade artifact, its power was said to be on par with that of a Middle-Grade Spiritual Artifact!
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