Building a long-lasting family lineage starting with genealogy

Chapter 109 Copper Mountain Market, News of the Clan Protective Array (Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets)

"We will go to the imperial city. Only by going there can we have a clearer understanding of the situation in the entire cultivation world of the Great Wei."

Xu Chuan turned to look at Xu Mingxian and smiled faintly.

"That"

"Although you are not far from the eighth level of Qi Refining, and I am also in the late stage of the eighth level of Qi Refining, we must be careful whether others have methods that we do not know about."

Cultivators are not as straightforward as martial artists; there are countless examples of the weak defeating the strong.

Just like the rogue cultivator at the seventh level of Qi Refining who controlled the Gu worms that we encountered not long ago, we almost suffered a great loss at his hands.”

Xu Mingxian nodded slightly upon hearing this, "Father is right, but we also obtained half of the 'Insect Control Manual.' I've skimmed through it, and it records many methods for cultivating spirit insects; it's quite profound."

"I think it would be suitable for Fourth Sister, but I don't know if it likes creatures like the insects. They're so densely packed that ordinary people would definitely be terrified to see them."

"From what I've observed, she prefers furry spirit beasts like Little White, which are both good-looking and powerful."

Xu Chuan shook his head and chuckled, "Judging from your tone, you still have an adventurous impulse deep down. Fine, I won't say much more to you. Just remember that you have the Xu family behind you, and think twice before you do anything."

"Father, I understand."

"As for Xueji, we'll talk about other things after she enters the Dao through martial arts and becomes a cultivator. Even if she doesn't want to, it doesn't matter, since we don't have any insect eggs to hatch and control anyway."

Xu Mingxian nodded slightly, and then said, "Father, after the last battle, your alchemy furnace seems to have cracked. When we get to Tongshan County, should we find a weapon-refining shop to repair it for you, or should we buy a new alchemy furnace?"

We can't afford top-grade ones, but we can certainly afford to replace our current alchemy furnace with a mid-grade magic artifact-level one.

"Let's repair it. We'll save up the spirit stones to replace it with a high-grade magic weapon." Xu Chuan said with a smile, "Although you've studied formations as I suggested, you're still inclined towards combat at heart. The Golden Sword Technique you've cultivated is mostly attack techniques that condense sword light."

After several encounters and battles, Xu Mingxian has developed a considerable talent for combat.

Xu Chuan even considered bestowing the [Sword Heart Clarity] upon Xu Mingxian, but considering that he already possessed the destiny talent of [Nine Palaces Dao Evolution], he hesitated.

The art of formations is profound and complex; even a lifetime of study cannot fully reveal its secrets.

Continuing to practice swordsmanship will only delay his progress.

As for military deterrence, Xu Chuan has already decided on Xu Mingwei.

His archery skills are unparalleled in attack and defense, surpassing even his swordsmanship.

"I wonder how things are at home, and whether any outstanding children have been born."

Of the three generations of the Xu family, Xu Chuan only bestowed the [Qi and Blood Furnace] destiny talent upon Xu Dezhao. He was cautious about the others and dared not grant them lightly.

Even if one were to bestow upon them a destiny or talent, there would be at most two or three more.

It's normal for geniuses to emerge from generation to generation in a large family.

If resources are concentrated on two or three people with slightly better talent, both top martial arts families and Qi cultivation families can cultivate several geniuses to serve as their representatives.

However, not everyone is a genius, nor is everyone a cultivator of immortality.

Shortly after.

A massive city wall, far larger than the city of Yuehu County, appeared in their field of vision, resembling a bronze dragon stretching across the vast land.

Its foundation is cast from iron ore mixed with a little bit of molten copper, and has a blue and red dragon scale pattern. When it is washed by heavy rain, it will emit a faint metallic smell.

The city gates were all made of red copper, with hundreds of thousands of kilograms of copper gates hanging from them.

An octagonal bronze tower is set up at each of the four corners, with thirty-six unique bronze bells hanging from the eaves. When the bells ring, they can alert the entire city.

Such sturdy city walls were also equipped with warning devices because Tongshan County had repeatedly encountered beast tides surging from the Cangwu Mountains.

Ordinary brick walls are not enough to keep out the monsters lurking in the beast tide.

As the two entered the city, they saw a wide main street stretching to the horizon, with houses, pavilions, taverns, and inns lining both sides.

Pedestrians came and went in droves, like a tide, and horse-drawn carriages sped out of the city.

"Fellow Daoist Mingyun, let's go to the restaurant for a bite to eat first, and while we're at it, let's find out where the cultivation market is in Tongshan County. Master Wu only said it was in the city."

"Well, let's go then."

After walking several hundred meters, they saw a restaurant called "Guyunju", which was packed with customers.
They exchanged a smile and then stepped inside.

After making some inquiries and having eaten and drunk their fill, the two headed east of the city.

That place is also home to fifth-rank martial arts families, a number of immortal cultivation families, and members of the royal family.

The area outside the Immortal Cultivation Market is protected by an array, and only those with an identity token or who are cultivators are allowed to enter.

Outside the formation, two innate martial artists stood with swords in hand, and a young cultivator at the second level of Qi Refining sat beside them. In front of them was a desk with a thick book on it.

Upon seeing someone approaching without an identification token, they were immediately stopped, who said, "This is the Immortal Master Market; ordinary people are not allowed to enter."

"If you two Taoist priests are cultivators, please demonstrate one or two of your magical arts."

Upon hearing this, Xu Mingxian made a simple hand seal, and a burst of golden light appeared, forming a golden flying sword that hovered around him.

With a flick of his wrist, Xu Chuan conjured a fiery lotus flower in his palm.

"So you are the Immortal Master, we have offended you greatly." The two immediately clasped their hands in apology.

Seeing this, the young man beside him knew that Xu Chuan and the other two were highly skilled, and their hand seals were so proficient and controlled that they were not like cultivators in the early stage of Qi Refining.

He immediately smiled and said, "Seniors, please come here to register your names and backgrounds. Afterwards, I will open the array restrictions for you."

The two walked to the desk, and Xu Chuan looked at the young man and asked in surprise, "We have been to many markets and towns, but we have never encountered such strict checks. May I ask why?"

"It seems this is your first time here, seniors. More than ten years ago, a group of rogue cultivators took advantage of the chaos to plunder, causing heavy losses to all families. Since then, this rule has been implemented: no matter who enters or leaves, a designated person must activate the array restriction."

"There are still such audacious rogue cultivators? What happened to that group?" Xu Mingxian asked curiously.

"They have basically been killed by the combined forces of various factions, except for one person named Qiu Jiu who has reached the Great Perfection of Qi Refining. He has not been found to this day, and it is unknown whether he has escaped from the Great Wei."

"Wealth can be very tempting," Xu Chuan remarked.

“Who says otherwise?” the young man agreed, then clasped his hands in greeting and asked, “May I ask the names and backgrounds of you two seniors?”

“The Three Vertical Taoists are independent cultivators from Yuehu County.”

"Yunming Daoist, a rogue cultivator, also comes from Yuehu County."

The young man nodded slightly, completed the registration, patted the storage bag at his waist, and a jade tablet flew out. After he injected his magic power into it, the jade tablet flew into the air, spewing out a patch of azure light, and landed on the formation.

Oh!

A semi-circular archway, ten feet high, appeared on the array's light screen in front.

"Seniors, please come in quickly. The formation can only be maintained for twenty or thirty breaths."

Xu Chuan nodded and immediately entered the market of Tongshan County with Xu Mingxian.

A strong spiritual energy greets you, which is 30-40% stronger than in other cultivation markets.

After pondering for a moment, Xu Mingxian transmitted her voice and said, "Father, there might be a small spiritual vein beneath the East District. Otherwise, the concentration of spiritual energy wouldn't be this high with just a few tiny spiritual vein nodes."

"Tongshan County is already like this, I wonder what the concentration of spiritual energy will be like in the Imperial City." Xu Chuan sighed and then said, "Let's take a look around and find out what's going on."

Half a day later.

The most common shops in Tongshan Market are those that trade in spiritual materials. These materials include not only spiritual herbs and spiritual iron, but also materials from demonic beasts, fragments of magical artifacts, or even half-sections of spiritual wood.

In addition, there are alchemy shops, weapon shops, and talisman shops.

There are also some unlicensed repairmen setting up temporary stalls.

In the market town stands a building called the Treasure Pavilion, which specializes in trading rare spiritual materials and exquisite magical artifacts. Its owner is Cao Jinming, a member of the royal family of the Great Wei Dynasty in Tongshan County, whose cultivation level has reached the Foundation Establishment stage. Without such a level of cultivation, one would not be able to govern Tongshan County.

After all, this prefecture has five major Foundation Establishment families and dozens of Qi Refining families with profound heritage.

Some martial arts families of the fifth or sixth rank also have five or six Qi Refining cultivators. Based on their cultivation level, they can certainly apply to become a lower third-rank cultivation family.

However, only the middle and upper three-rank immortal cultivation families are valued by the Great Wei Dynasty.

Therefore, these martial arts families have been quietly accumulating their strength and resources.

Cultivation families must be certified by the imperial court. Cultivation families of the sixth rank or above are exempt from all taxes, military service, and corvée labor.

The Great Wei Dynasty will not force these family members to participate in wars of other countries, but if they do participate, the spoils of war belong to them.

In addition, they have special privileges; as long as they don't commit mass killings, they are not guilty of murder.

The lower three ranks of cultivation families have at most five or six cultivators, and their strength and foundation are not as good as those of the fifth or sixth rank martial arts families. Such cultivation families are not worthy of their name.

There have even been instances in the Great Wei Dynasty where lower-ranking immortal cultivation families were besieged by fifth- or sixth-rank martial arts families.

With this precedent, it's almost impossible to find any cultivators of the lower three ranks in the Great Wei Dynasty.

All those currently known are of the sixth rank or above.

In the Great Wei Dynasty, cultivators were revered and respected by mortals, who called them immortal masters.

Therefore, their opponents are each other, as well as cultivators from other countries.

Cultivation families often wage war against each other, whether due to personal grudges or for resources.

Whenever a cave, spiritual vein, or mineral vein is discovered, almost every family will go to investigate. If they have the strength, they will fight over it, thus triggering battles.

Therefore, among the powerful families, one rises while the other falls, and vice versa.

Ups and downs.

The Great Wei Dynasty never prohibited it, and it was stated that whichever a powerful family seized it would own it. Of course, there were also unwritten rules in private.

Of all spirit stone mines, 30% belong to the Great Wei royal family, and the remainder to the noble families.

Even the powerful families harbored resentment.

However, the royal family of the Great Wei has occupied this place for thousands of years. Because two Golden Core Ancestors have emerged in succession, there has always been a Golden Core cultivator in charge, which is why they have been able to prosper for so long.

But if the Golden Core were to perish one day, it might be the moment when the Great Wei Dynasty would be transformed.

Xu Mingxian borrowed a workshop and spent several days repairing the magic alchemy furnace.

Afterwards, they rented a cave dwelling, and as in other markets, Xu Chuan bought spiritual herbs and refined pills, while Xu Mingxian studied formations.

Of course, the two of them would meditate and cultivate for several hours every night.

When they reach that level, they don't need to sleep; they can simply sit cross-legged in meditation and cultivate themselves to have abundant energy and perfect mental clarity.

Nearly ten months have passed since I left Yuehu Market.

Xu Chuan's alchemy skills improved once again, and the success rate of producing high-grade pills reached 50%. He usually produced one high-grade pill, and only occasionally two.

Xu Chuan's utilization rate of the medicinal liquid extracted from the spiritual herbs has reached a certain peak.

Of course, it's still a long way from the legendary pinnacle of alchemy, where nine pills are produced, each one of superior quality.

The reason for the difference in quality is that separating the nine clumps of medicinal liquid and ensuring that they all reach the purity of a top-grade pill is truly difficult.

It is mainly related to divine power and fire control.

Any alchemist's fire control skills will continuously improve over the years of alchemy, until they reach a state of perfection.

However, divine sense is different; apart from the increase in realm, it is difficult to amplify divine sense through ordinary means.

Xu Chuan, however, relied on the feedback from the "Daily Divination" to increase his divine sense, which at this moment made him comparable to a cultivator at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining.

But it has already reached a bottleneck.

Unless he finds another way, his divine sense will not be strengthened any further. He can only wait until he breaks through the Foundation Establishment stage to transform into divine consciousness.

It can be said that Xu Chuan's alchemy skills are currently facing a bottleneck. Even if his fire control technique reaches a high level of perfection, he can only produce two to three high-grade pills per batch at most.

To refine more pills, one must sacrifice the number of pills produced.

However, this was not what Xu Chuan sought.

Over the past six months, thanks to Xu Chuan's alchemy skills, they have accumulated a considerable amount of spirit stones.

Of course, he also purchased several mid-grade magic artifacts in other markets to enhance his strength.

Now, in addition to the mid-grade flying sword given to him by Wu Fangzhu, Xu Mingxian also has a mid-grade magic weapon shield. Xu Chuan, on the other hand, has purchased a low-grade storage bag, a mid-grade attack magic weapon, and a mid-grade defense magic weapon.

They also obtained three inferior storage bags, one spirit beast bag, four low-grade magic artifacts, several cultivation techniques and classic texts, and more than a dozen spirit stones from the two groups of rogue cultivators who attempted to plunder them.

He is quite wealthy.

In Tongshan Market, Xu Chuan refined pills every day as usual. As for selling pills at a stall, the two of them would switch places every three days, and the location would also change each time.

With Xu Chuan's current alchemy skills, refining these extremely familiar and ordinary pills is enough to bring in ten times the return.

An ordinary alchemist who can achieve five or six times the results is considered to have mastered the art of alchemy.

Two months passed peacefully in the blink of an eye.

They had accumulated over six hundred spirit stones.

After that, Xu Chuan stopped selling pills and instead refined Rejuvenation Pills and Qi Gathering Pills to improve the quality of the pills, striving to make them as high-grade as possible.

These pills were for their own cultivation.

He even collected materials for three Breakthrough Pills, and refined two high-grade Breakthrough Pills, four mid-grade Breakthrough Pills, and two low-grade Breakthrough Pills.

Keep the items of medium quality or higher; they can be used to break through bottlenecks.

Xu Chuan thought that he would go to the Treasure Pavilion in ten days or half a month to see if he could sell it for a good price.

Unless they appear in large numbers in the market, they usually don't attract much attention.

After all, there are also pills with similar effects in the cultivation world, called Barrier-Breaking Pills, but their effects are not as strong as those of Breakthrough Pills.

The next day.

Xu Mingxian returned from her trip and excitedly went to Xu Chuan's quiet room.

"Father, good news!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Chuan unlocked the barrier around the meditation room, allowing him to enter.

"How old are you? Still so impulsive. What's the good news? Tell me slowly."

"The clan protection formation is showing promise."

"Really?!" Xu Chuan's pupils suddenly contracted, and a look of joy appeared on his face.

"But unfortunately, the price is too high."

Upon hearing Xu Mingxian's words, Xu Chuan immediately burst into laughter, "So it wasn't you who researched it, but rather you who discovered the finished product of the clan-protecting formation."

　I lay on the bed like a useless piece of trash, completely motionless.
　　It hurts so much!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)