Building a long-lasting family lineage starting with genealogy

Chapter 187 To Ride or Not to Ride? The Xu Family's Foundation, Thoughts on Foundation Establishment

The twenty-third day of the first lunar month.

When Wu Shunan got married, he married one of Li Zhi's younger sisters. Her eyebrows resembled Xu Deling's, and she also loved to wear red.

Wu Mingsheng was overjoyed and invited many people to the wedding.

As the head of the Refining Hall of the Immortal Art Hall, and one of the few elders of the Xu family.

He can be described as a person of real power.

There's no harm in befriending them, so Chen Bai and his affiliated families are naturally all willing to participate.

There weren't many people from the Xu family participating.

But they are all important figures.

Xu Mingxian had studied under him and had a mentor-student relationship with him, so when he invited her, Xu Mingxian naturally went and brought Zhou Zongni along.

Xu Chuan had a prior relationship with him and was also among those invited.

He will give Wu Mingsheng face.

There are also Xu Dezhao and Xu Deling.

The two most central figures in the three generations of the Xu family.

In fact, Xu Deling had considered whether or not to invite her, since he was aware of the situation between his grandson and her.

But as his most beloved disciple, Wu Mingsheng had no reason not to invite him.

However, it was ultimately Wu Shunan who made the decision, and he personally invited Xu Deling to participate.

This is the real end.

Even if Xu Deling still had a sliver of hope for Wu Shunan, it became impossible after Wu Shunan got married.

At the wedding.

Xu Deling smiled and congratulated him on his wedding, wishing him and his wife a long and happy life together.

He wielded his sword to sever all ties of affection, freezing his heart in ice.

Xu Chuan nodded slightly.

Xu Deling was bold and decisive, only following her own heart, which made him very admirable.

Despite the difference between immortals and mortals, she fell in love with Wu Shunan.

The breakup was also swift and decisive, without any hesitation.

At this moment, severing the last thread of affection, from now on we will meet as brother and sister.

Xu Mingwei seemed to have noticed something amiss and transmitted his voice to Xu Chuan, saying, "Father, Ling'er and this Wu Shun'an, those two..."

"No need to ask any more questions, just trust Ling'er."

"I have complete faith in my own daughter; she would never do anything to disgrace the Xu family."

After this experience, Xu Deling's heart for cultivating Tao became even purer, and his cultivation speed increased once again.

In the following two months, he went from the middle stage of Qi Refining Level 8 to the late stage of Qi Refining Level 8. It seems that there is some hope that he will be able to advance to Qi Refining Level 9 by the end of this year or the beginning of next year.

Xu Chuan was also surprised by this.

He can access information in the family tree and know everything about each person's cultivation level, talent, and so on.

"Is this the state where one's cultivation is naturally swift when one has no love or affection in their heart?"

Xu Chuan gave a self-deprecating laugh.

In the two months that followed, many things also happened in the Xu family.

For example, Xu Dewen and Chang Haowen's daughter, Chang Wenya, got married.

Several days followed.

Shen Qingyi became pregnant again, then Zhou Zongni, and finally Bai Jing.

Xu Mingwei and others felt helpless about having a younger brother or sister who was thirty or forty years younger than them.

But this is the norm for families that cultivate immortality.

Of course, Xu Chuan himself was also surprised.

He actually only did it two or three times during that period.

However, now that she's pregnant, the natural thing to do is to let Bai Jing give birth to the baby without worry.

Now her body is almost the same as that of a woman in her twenties or thirties.

This is the first time Xu Chuan has had offspring since becoming a cultivator.

He was just a mortal before, and the birth of Xu Mingxian, a seed of immortality, was accidental.

Cultivation families cannot possibly grow stronger through chance.

Only by optimizing one's bloodline and marrying a woman with the aptitude for cultivation can the number of cultivators among the family's descendants increase.

Therefore, marriage alliances between cultivation families are the preferred option.

Secondly, families with good martial arts talent are preferred.

Half a month later.

The three brothers, Qinghuoying, also found spouses.

Xu Mingshu suddenly sent someone to inform Xu Mingyuan and Xu Mingwei to go to the Beast Taming Hall.

"Ming Shu, you called us here, do you mean you're planning to hand over Black Tiger and the others to me and my elder brother?" Xu Mingyuan guessed what was going on and said with a faint smile.

"Second brother, you're the best at guessing things in the family. I can't even give you a surprise."

"Should I pretend to be shocked later?"

Xu Mingshu remained silent and rolled her eyes.

"Mingyuan, stop fooling around," Xu Mingwei said with a smile.

Xu Mingshu whistled and called out, "Tiger Da, Tiger Er, come out and greet the guests."

Xu Mingwei and Xu Mingyuan's faces darkened.

Suddenly, the sound of running came from behind the screen in the main hall, like a gust of wind. Immediately, two figures appeared on either side of Xu Mingshu.

On the left is a black tiger over a meter tall, each hair flowing with a black jade-like luster.

On the right is a striped tiger with black and white stripes.

As their tiger tails swayed, both of them exuded an impressive aura.

"In just over half a year, they've already reached the late stage of the second level of Qi Refining. Their aptitude is indeed much higher than their father, Xiaobai." Xu Mingwei's eyes lit up.

"That's for sure," Xu Mingshu said. "With decent spiritual energy and the nourishment of spirit beast pills, my strength will naturally grow quickly. It won't be difficult for me to get close to Xiaobai in five or six years."

Father said that both of them have similar aptitude to the Azure Fire Eagle, and they can both reach the Qi Refining Perfection level in the future, and may even become second-tier spirit beasts.

It's difficult for beginners, unless they have a stroke of good fortune.

After a pause, Xu Mingshu continued, "By the way, eldest brother, second brother, have you mastered the spirit control restriction technique that I taught you before?"

Both of them nodded.

"Big brother, you go first. I'll help you appease Hu Da and reduce his resistance to you so you can quickly set up the restriction."

Xu Mingwei made a hand seal, condensing a restriction. When the restriction landed on the black tiger, it suddenly let out a roar.

Its fur stood on end like steel needles, its golden eyes suddenly narrowed, revealing sharp claws and fangs.

Xu Mingshu immediately comforted him, "Tiger, be good, you'll follow your uncle from now on."

Black Tiger seemed to understand, and its resistance to the restriction began to weaken.

Xu Mingwei immediately urged it to start at full speed.

A moment later, a spirit-controlling restriction was finally set up within its essence.

The man and the tiger immediately established a mental connection.

Black Tiger understood Xu Mingwei's instructions, and he understood Black Tiger's roars as well.

Black Tiger looked up at Xu Mingwei.

Hey~
His first words were: "Uncle."

Xu Mingwei stumbled and actually mistook him for his uncle!

It should be the owner, right?

How did Xu Mingshu teach her?

He gave a wry smile, looked into the black tiger's pale golden eyes, and could only nod slightly in acceptance.

But what if Black Tiger says something like, "Uncle, ride me!" in the future?
Should I ride it or not?
The same applies to the black and white striped tiger.

The address of "Second Uncle" made him shake his head and chuckle.

“Mingyuan and I don’t know anything about raising spirit beasts, and we are quite busy with our daily lives, so we’ll leave them in the Beast Taming Hall for now. If needed, we’ll contact them telepathically.”

Xu Mingshu nodded, "That works too. Spirit beasts are quite intelligent, so it's not as simple as just feeding them some elixirs. To achieve a better understanding, you need to build a stronger bond with them."

Furthermore, their combat instincts must be honed, and their talents developed.

"How about this, they are usually fostered by me, and every half month my eldest and second eldest brothers take them with them to go hunting in the mountains or something."

"Okay." They both said in unison.

Although the other two have not yet evolved into demonic beasts, with Xu Mingshu's training and daily feeding of elixirs, it is only a matter of time before they become demonic beasts.

However, both of them are destined to have limited potential.

"I asked Third Brother to issue a mission to find the demon tiger or the demon bird. It's been half a month, but there's still no news. Sure enough, the Xu family still has too few people."

If I were to one day command the entire Moon Lake County, I imagine news of such a mission would soon arrive.

He glanced at Tiger Big and Tiger Two and said calmly, "Tiger Big, Tiger Two, let's go and begin our training for today!"

Black Tiger and Striped Tiger followed Xu Mingshu, one on each side, their rear ends swaying as they went.

Even though they acknowledge Xu Mingwei and Xu Mingyuan as their masters, they will still listen to Xu Mingshu.

Behind the Beast Taming Hall lies a vast mountain range, a perfect place for them to roam freely.

Many of the sturdy ancient trees bear deep claw marks.

"First, practice speed and movement. Do you see that ancient pine tree a hundred meters away? Whoever brings back a branch first will get a mid-grade Qi-Nourishing Pill, and the loser will get a low-grade Qi-Nourishing Pill."

In addition, anyone who manages to avoid touching the ancient trees along the way will be rewarded with a low-grade Qi-Nourishing Pill.

"Do you all understand?" Tiger Big, Tiger Two, and Tiger Brain nodded.

They had also consumed quite a few pills, so they naturally knew that Qi-Nourishing Pills were good for them, and not something they could eat every day.

"start!"

At Xu Mingshu's command, the black tiger and the striped tiger shot out like arrows.

The black tiger transformed into a black lightning bolt, leaping at full speed, each leap covering three or four zhang (approximately 10-13 meters). However, the trees in front of it prevented it from exerting its full power.

The striped tiger did the same, constantly dodging and maneuvering, its black and white fur shimmering in the sunlight.

The distance of 100 meters would only take the two tigers five or six breaths.

They leaped into the air, easily biting off a section of an ancient pine branch with their sharp teeth, and then rushed back.

The black tiger has greater explosive power than the striped tiger, while the striped tiger is more agile.

Of course, in this short-distance race, Black Tiger ultimately came out on top.

However, due to its focus on explosive power, Black Tiger still managed to scratch quite a few ancient trees.

The striped tiger, however, was never touched.

Therefore, the black tiger received a mid-grade Qi-Nourishing Pill, while the striped tiger received two low-grade Qi-Nourishing Pills.

Just as the two were eagerly anticipating the prize, Xu Mingshu grinned and said, "You two haven't digested the elixir from a few days ago, so I'll save it for you and give it to you later."

It's just like the way parents give when they receive lucky money from their children during Chinese New Year.

"The fighting will begin. The first match will be against your father, Xiaobai. The second match will be against your Uncle Qinghuoying, Asan. The third match will be between the two of you and me."

Having inherited the Spirit Taming Inheritance, Xu Mingshu is becoming more and more like a Beast Tamer, raising spirit beasts with great expertise.

Spirit beasts trained in this way will never be as useless as domesticated ones. They will possess both loyalty and the ability to fight, and fighting against different opponents will increase their combat experience.

Sometimes, the Battle Hall would also invite Xu Mingshu to bring Qinghuoying and Xiaobai over to teach them how to deal with different monsters.

Then, practical training.

To avoid being caught off guard and confused when encountering wild monsters in the future.

All of Xu's guards are now wearing new standard uniforms, including not only the outermost armor, but also trousers, boots, a longsword or spear, and even the upright crown on their heads.

They were given a new name from then on: the Black Armor Army.

Although they are all made of ordinary materials, their craftsmanship is extraordinary, and they are close to being treasures.

As for the captain-level weapons at the late stage of the Innate Realm and above, the styles are slightly different, and the craftsmanship is even more exquisite. The swords, spears, and other weapons are all divine weapons among mortals.

Captains all wore silver armor, making their rank immediately apparent.

As for the Grandmaster level, it is the Golden Armor. However, the Golden Armor is already at the level of a magic weapon, and there are not many sets available at present. It can withstand the attack of a mid-grade magic weapon.

The Grandmaster's Perfection should be equipped with Dark Gold Armor, a mid-grade defensive armor.

It has not yet been built.

In the past few months, Xu Deling has been following Xu Chuan's advice to hone his skills in ordinary weapon forging, and has become more familiar with the various properties of materials.

Forging it is much easier now, and it has almost reached the point where man and tool are one.

This profound realm applies to both cultivators and weapon refiners, and can improve the success rate and quality of weapon refining.

A few months later.

Her forging skills seemed to have been enlightened, reaching a state of perfect harmony between man and tool.

When he went to forge magical artifacts again, it was as if he had divine assistance.

With a success rate as high as 93%, out of ten low-grade magic artifacts, nine were successful, and only one had some flaws.

In addition, she also successfully replicated the fish basket magic artifact she obtained from Longjiang County.

Special and difficult-to-forge magical artifacts such as chains, ropes, bells, cauldrons, pagodas, and mirrors were also successively forged.

It involves various types such as binding, attack, defense, suppression, and divine light.

There were even two sets of low-grade magic artifacts.

A set consists of nine low-grade magical artifacts and is named "Tian Yuan".

The other set consists of thirty-six flying needles, named "Red Thread".

Both of these magic weapon sets are nearly as powerful as high-grade magic weapons.

Xu Deling had a feather mark engraved on each of these ritual implements to prove that he made them.

She already has the makings of a master craftsman. All she needs to do is accumulate experience and learn how to craft high-grade magic artifacts. Surpassing Wu Mingsheng in one fell swoop will not be a problem.

Those special low-grade magic artifacts and sets of low-grade magic artifacts were all collected into the Xu family treasury as rewards for future family disciples.

[Tianyuan] was bestowed upon Ren Xiaoyao.

However, while the power of [Tianyuan] is formidable, it also has its drawbacks, namely, the consumption of mana.

It is divided into three levels: three swords, six swords, and nine swords. Only when all nine swords are unleashed together can it approach the power of a high-grade magic weapon.

The amount of mana consumed varies depending on the level.

The Three Swords can be used in the early stages of Qi Refining, the Six Swords require at least the fifth or sixth level of Qi Refining, and the Nine Swords probably require the power of the seventh level of Qi Refining to wield.

However, Ren Xiaoyao mainly cultivated the "Azure Gang Sword Technique," and in addition, he also practiced the "Nine Flames Technique" and the "Weapon Control Technique." The former reached the level of two flames, and the latter was close to completion.

This will make him more adept at controlling the flying sword, saving him a lot of mana.

Therefore, even with only the fifth level of Qi Refining, it is enough to unleash the full power of [Tian Yuan], and even after using it several times, one's mana will not be completely depleted.

Ren Xiaoyao, as expected of a cultivator with the aptitude of earth spiritual roots, has seen his strength improve by leaps and bounds under the tutelage of the Xu family.

At only thirteen years old, he had already reached the mid-stage of the fifth level of Qi Refining in less than two years since he began cultivating.

It's probably not a problem for him to reach the peak of Qi cultivation before the age of twenty.

Xu Chuan deduced from this how profound the foundations of those great immortal cultivation clans whose cultivators possessed the aptitude of earth-rooted immortality were.

Even if such a person were to emerge from a third-rank aristocratic family, they would certainly be kept hidden and nurtured with all their might until a crucial moment when they would step into the open to secure more benefits for the family.

Or perhaps they seek an opportunity to be promoted to the second rank.

For the top three rank families, the main criteria are the family's foundation, including the number of Foundation Establishment cultivators and Qi Refining cultivators, as well as the number of rogue cultivators recruited.

In a family of cultivators, having a Foundation Establishment cultivator usually allows one to advance to the fourth rank.

For the third rank, there must be three Foundation Establishment cultivators, one of whom must be in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and the number of Qi Refining cultivators must exceed one hundred.

A second-grade family must have at least five Foundation Establishment cultivators, including one mid-stage and one late-stage cultivator, and at least one hundred and fifty Qi Refining cultivators.

The first rank requires at least seven Foundation Establishment cultivators, with three at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage and one at the peak of Foundation Establishment, and more than two hundred Qi Refining stage cultivators.

Xu Chuan, of course, wouldn't be idle.

In addition to addressing the issue of martial arts bottlenecks raised at the last grand gathering, he began developing his own martial arts breakthrough pill formulas, primarily formulas for breaking through the bottleneck of the Grandmaster level from the Innate Perfection stage, as well as formulas for Grandmasters to break through minor realms.

The two cultivation systems are different. Breakthrough Pills and Realm Breakthrough Pills are only useful for cultivators, and are a complete waste for martial artists.

Because a martial artist's breakthrough is mainly related to qi and blood, and the physical body.

The blood and physical strength of a grandmaster martial artist are far superior to those of a congenital martial artist.

Of course, the development of this elixir was not without its clues.

The path of a martial artist is ultimately similar to that of a demon beast, with the key being bloodline and physical body; each breakthrough improves both.

The "True Scripture of Spirit Control" records many kinds of elixirs suitable for demonic beasts, as well as methods to enhance the bloodline of demonic beasts.

Drawing on this experience, Xu Chuan was confident of success within a few months.

"Perhaps we can also develop corresponding Bone-Nourishing Pills and Body-Strengthening Pills based on the Bone-Strengthening Pill formula, so as to create an excellent martial arts foundation for the young children of the Xu family before they start learning martial arts."

From now on, any member of the Xu family who pursues martial arts will at least reach the level of a Grandmaster, with the potential to reach the pinnacle of Grandmaster status, without being limited by martial arts aptitude.

Martial arts are not actually weak, but they cannot break through to the Grandmaster level and are difficult to compare with Foundation Establishment cultivators.

However, the number of ordinary martial artists in the Great Wei far exceeds that of cultivators.

If every member of the Xu family becomes a Grandmaster in the future, it will undoubtedly be extremely terrifying.

"If one day, someone in the world continues the tradition of martial arts..."

Xu Chuan chuckled self-deprecatingly and muttered, "Thinking too far ahead. That would be a world-shaking change, and it has nothing to do with my Xu family."

"Ming Wei follows the path of combat, unparalleled in attack and destruction, while Ming Yuan follows the path of talismans. Although it is unknown how high they will reach in the future, it seems that drawing high-grade talismans in the future will not be a problem."

Top-tier talismans depend on fate.

We'll see how Mingxuan fares in the future, but he has the talent to "seek advantage and avoid harm," so many things are worth trying.

Ming Shu walks the path of spirit control. The "Spirit Control True Scripture" is extremely profound and complete. As long as she can establish her foundation, it will be enough to support her to the point of perfect foundation establishment.

If the ancient and wondrous Iron-Eating Flying Ant is cultivated well, it may one day cause many cultivators of the same level to turn pale at the sight of it.

Of course, we must also continue to search for the rare insects recorded in the "True Scripture of Spirit Control" to facilitate their cultivation.

Ming Xian has mastered the art of array formations and inherited the ancient methods, a legacy no less powerful than the *Spirit Control Scripture*. Coupled with his corresponding innate talent, the [Nine Palaces Dao Evolution], he may well become a grandmaster of array formations in the future.

Those who can set up formations of level three or higher can be called formation masters.

The same applies to alchemy.

As for the Dao of tools and the Dao of talismans, they are different.

If one can refine top-tier magic weapon sets with a certain success rate, one can basically become a master of weapon crafting.

The same applies to the way of talismans.

And the magic treasures above the top-tier magic artifacts.

For weapon refiners below the Golden Core stage, while there is hope, it is truly difficult to forge such a weapon.

“Wu Mingsheng once said that he obtained the weapon-refining inheritance in his early years. I wonder if he will pass it all on to Ling’er when she catches up with him in weapon-refining skills in the future.”

After careful consideration, Xu Chuan felt that the possibility was very high.

“The Wu family has since attached themselves to the Xu family, and Ling’er is his most prized apprentice. In addition, considering the favors I have done for him, unless he can’t understand it, he will definitely teach me everything he knows.”

Although the superior-grade Divine Mind Pill is not as good as the Divine Advancement Pill, it is still precious enough.

The Xu family will not grant it easily.

People like Lu Feng and Luo Qianshan, who made significant contributions later in life, were at most granted low-grade Divine Sense Pills.

Unless they can also reach the level of a master of talismanic arts and a master of array arts.

"Zhao'er, you have the destiny talent of [Blood Furnace], which should not be wasted. Perhaps you can collect some spells such as Blood Burning Technique and Blood Explosion Technique."

Ordinary cultivators might suffer damage to their foundation, but for Zhao'er, unless she uses it continuously, it shouldn't damage her foundation.

"Among the three generations, Zhao'er and Ling'er are the most outstanding, Heng'er has a good temperament, but Mingxuan's newborn son, Deqian, is the second person in the three generations to be born with a true spiritual root."

Mingxian's daughter, Deyue, is suitable for cultivating the "Taiyin Yuehua Technique" and is also a key student to be nurtured.

The fourth generation would be Chonghui, the eldest son of Dezhao.

It must be said, the eldest brother's lineage has had good fortune in martial arts.

What floated before Xu Chuan was his golden finger, the [family tree], which contained information on all members of the Xu clan.

"However, the fourth generation has not yet exerted its full power. The third generation all cultivated the 'Innate Five Elements Creation Technique'. Even if they do not follow the path of immortality, they still possess true spiritual roots and aptitude. The fourth generation will surely produce more geniuses than the third generation."

"The second son's family has the weakest martial luck, but they have a prospective son-in-law with the aptitude of earth spirit root. In addition, De Rong will also have a true spirit root in the future, so it is likely that another clansman with the aptitude of earth spirit root will be born."

Xu Chuan stroked his short beard, a broad smile on his face.

"Wu Mingsheng will surely reach the perfection of Qi cultivation before the second half of next year, and the collection of the five Qi should also begin."

Although his hopes were slim, he could not go back on his promise.

After him, it will be my turn.

If no one succeeds within five years, then we will place our hopes on Ren Xiaoyao.

Do not!
Placing the family's highest fighting force on an outsider, even if that person might be the Xu family's son-in-law, is highly inappropriate.

Xu Chuan frowned and pondered, "The Xu family must first establish their own foundation before letting others do so. If they fail, then we should suppress Ren Xiaoyao."

"Of course, it would be best if one of us could successfully establish our foundation."

Xu Chuan had considered that he, Xu Mingwei, and Xu Mingxian were all roughly equal in terms of background and resources.

All of them possess true spiritual roots, their divine thoughts transforming into divine consciousness. With the addition of thousand-year-old spiritual herbs, they should have a 20% to 30% chance of establishing their foundation.

However, I am blessed with the destiny of "Heaven rewards diligence".

He had been at the Qi Refining Perfection stage for a long time and tried to break through the Foundation Establishment bottleneck every day.

Persistence will surely bring results.

Compared to other cultivators with true spiritual roots, their foundation-building bottleneck will definitely be much weaker.

In another three or four years, Xu Chuan felt that he had a more than 40% chance of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

This is already close to the probability of a cultivator with an earth-elemental root breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

It is almost impossible for a cultivator with a true spiritual root to increase their chances of establishing a foundation to this extent without the Foundation Establishment Pill.

Xu Chuan thought about it more and more and felt that he might be able to successfully establish his foundation if he made an attempt now.

next moment.

He quickly cleared his mind of distractions and calmed his spirit to avoid the emergence of inner demons.

Having too deep an obsession can easily lead to inner demons.

"One of the misconceptions of cultivators is that if other cultivators with true spiritual roots can successfully establish their foundation, then I can too!"

Xu Chuan used this as a warning to himself.

Those without a powerful foundation can only achieve foundational success by continuously increasing their own resources.

Opportunities are for those who are prepared!

The better you are prepared, the more likely you are to succeed!
　Chapter Two will be read in the evening, around nine or ten o'clock. Fellow Daoists, you can read it before going to bed.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)