Building a long-lasting family lineage starting with genealogy

Chapter 188 Wu Mingsheng's Unexpected Action

Xu Chuan temporarily put aside his idea of ​​Foundation Establishment.

He continued to refine his foundation, sensing that persistently challenging the foundation-building barrier would bring about changes.

To successfully advance to the Foundation Establishment stage, it's best to succeed on the first try!
In August, the Xu family held a reunion.

All cultivators were present.

The meeting was brief and ended in less than half a cup of tea's time.

Finally, Xu Chuan said, "Wu Er, Wu San, Wu Zhen, Lu Feng, and Luo Qianshan, the five of you will temporarily stop your current tasks and go to collect the five elements."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone looked at Xu Chuan.

However, his expression remained calm, and his eyes were deep, showing no change whatsoever.

"This is the method of collecting the five elements."

With a flick of his sleeve, Xu Chuan sent a book flying into each of their hands, each representing one of the five elements.

Wu Zhen nodded and asked, "Elder, how many samples should we collect?"

"The quantity is tentatively set at five portions. I'll leave this to you. Once it's completed, you'll receive suitable resources as compensation."

Wu Zhen said, "This matter is not difficult. Elder, there is no need to be so polite. If Elder can break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, it will benefit the entire Xu family and all of us."

Lu Feng, Luo Qianshan, and the others also clasped their hands in greeting and said, "This is our duty."

Xu Chuan nodded slightly. "Let's end the clan gathering here today. Everyone, please go about your business."

"Yes, Great Elder."

Xu Mingwei and his group of five, along with Xu Dezhao, remained seated and had not yet moved.

After everyone else had left, Xu Mingwei finally spoke up: "Father, are you preparing to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage?"

"Elder Wu is about to reach the Qi Refining Perfection stage. Even if I don't attempt to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, I will still prepare for him. This is the promise I made to him back then."

As for me.”

Xu Chuan glanced at everyone, a slight smile playing on his lips, and said with a faint smile, "I will definitely attempt to make an impact within three to five years."

“Mingwei and Mingxian, you two can also try. However, there are only two portions of the thousand-year-old spiritual medicine at present. If the Yuan family does not obtain it, I will give one of these two portions to Elder Wu.”

Do you have any objections?

Xu Mingwei and Xu Mingxian exchanged a glance, both with smiles in their eyes. Xu Mingwei said, "Foundation Building is a major event, but I'm not in a hurry for now. I want to accumulate more foundation."

This will prevent us from blindly rushing into things, failing, and wasting family resources.

Xu Mingxian smiled faintly and said, "I am nearly ten years younger than my elder brother, so there is no rush. It is not too late for me to break through after I have mastered the inheritance of the array method."

By then, I believe my father will have successfully established his foundation, and perhaps the clan will have other aids for foundation establishment.

Moreover, with our father's successful foundation-building experience, we can also increase our chances of achieving foundation-building.

"You really believe that your father will definitely succeed in establishing his foundation? This hurdle has stumped countless cultivators."

"I firmly believe it!"

"My child too!"

“Grandson believes it too!” Xu Dezhao said, “Even if the Xu family only has one opportunity to establish a foundation, this is also prepared for Grandfather.”

Xu Chuan nodded in satisfaction, but smiled and said, "I appreciate your kindness, but if any of you has a higher chance of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage than I do, I will give it up."

Everything is for the future of the Xu family!

Xu Chuan's voice was deafening, resounding in the minds of Xu Mingwei and the others.

"As for me, even if I, like the Zhou family patriarch, only attempt to break through when I am close to my life limit, it is fine. On the contrary, the later I get, the higher my chances of establishing my foundation will be."

Xu Chuan smiled, stood up and left his seat, saying, "Of course, it would be even better if we could establish our foundation sooner, so that the Xu family's development could also take another step forward sooner."

"You don't need to worry about the rest, I know what I'm doing."

Xu Chuan left the main hall, rode away on his sword, leaving Xu Mingwei and the others looking at each other in bewilderment.

At this moment, Xu Mingxuan asked in surprise, "Brother, you've reached the peak of Qi Refining? When did that happen?"

Xu Dezhao was also surprised.

After all, Xu Mingwei only ever revealed his late-stage Qi Refining Level 8, so no one else could see through him.

Xu Mingwei smiled faintly, "That happened before the New Year."

"You kept it a secret very well," Xu Mingyuan said quietly.

"Stop being jealous. If you uncles and aunts don't work harder, Dezhao and Deling will all surpass you."

Xu Mingshu said, "De Ling is too talented. Now it seems like she has suddenly become enlightened and is making rapid progress. Not long ago I asked her, and she had already reached the middle stage of the eighth level of Qi Refining."

As for Dezhao, I'm still confident I can outsmart him.

Xu Dezhao pouted and said, "Auntie, you have the nerve to compare yourself to me. But I'll break through to the eighth level of Qi Refining soon, and I'll be able to outdo my second and third uncles without any problem."

After saying that, he grinned, looking rather irritating.

“Actually, I feel like I’m about to break through too, Second Brother, what about you?” Xu Mingxuan revealed a smug smile just like Xu Dezhao’s.

Xu Mingyuan's face turned black with anger. "You're trying to suppress one another, aren't you? Don't force me to use my status as your second brother and second uncle to intimidate you!"

Only Xu Mingxian remained calmly to the side, always at the top of the Xu family's food chain.

The crowd burst into laughter.

Soon after, they dispersed, each busy with their own affairs.

Wu Mingsheng left the conference hall and returned to the weapon refining hall, muttering "Foundation Establishment" under his breath.

After careful consideration, he sighed slightly and made a decision.

He immediately summoned Wu Da, Wu Er, and Wu San.

"Master, what can I do for you?"

Wu Mingsheng looked at them and said, "Now that you've both settled down and started families, what are your plans?"

Wu Da was somewhat surprised and asked curiously, "Why did you suddenly ask this, Master?"

The other two were also curious.

“A man who does not plan for the future will have trouble in the present.” Wu Mingsheng said, “My lifespan is only about twenty years left, and my hope of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage is slim, but I, Sun Shunan, am just a mortal.”

After my death, the Xu family will neither mistreat me nor treat me with special favors. How far the Wu family wants to go depends on its own development.

All three of you are orphans I took in, and now you have all started your own families and careers.

Today I formally ask you, are you willing to join my Wu family, so that your names may be recorded in the family genealogy, and you may be of the same blood and lineage?

Of course, you can also develop on your own.

The three looked at each other, but none of them spoke.

Wu Mingsheng continued, "As you all know, the Xu family has the potential to become a Foundation Establishment family, and they will go quite far. Following the Xu family will definitely bring benefits."

But the key is to keep up.

Many powerful clans that have established their foundations once had numerous vassal families, but over the course of two or three hundred years, they gradually disappeared.

It was because they couldn't keep up with the development of their master's household.

If the three of you integrate and work together, the Wu family can become the number one family after the Xu family.

Being a vassal is not shameful.

You see, among the three-rank families of the Great Wei today, there may be former vassals of the Cao family of the Great Wei.

One glory and one glory.

The status of the main family may also represent the status of its vassal families.

"Ask yourselves honestly, if you were to develop on your own, could you become a family of cultivators? Even if you were to develop into a family of martial arts, I doubt you could survive for more than two hundred years."

After pondering for a moment, Wu Da cupped his hands and said, "Master's vision and strategy are beyond our reach." "Apart from the Grand Elder, I'm afraid few others can match him."

Upon hearing this, Wu Mingsheng shook his head and chuckled, "Brother Wu, don't flatter me. If I truly had vision and strategy, wouldn't I have risen to prominence like the Xu family?"

"The Grand Elder is truly remarkable. Starting from humble beginnings, he has built the Xu family into what it is today over the decades."

Wu Mingsheng sighed, then asked again, "How have you considered my previous suggestion?"

After pondering for a moment, Wu San said, "Master means that we should unite as one family, become vassals of the Xu family, and serve the Xu family as our masters in the future?"

“That’s right.” Wu Mingsheng nodded and said, “In the past, we were just guest elders to the Xu family, and the Xu family didn’t care about us.”

We can leave at any time.

After becoming vassals, my Wu family became a subordinate clan of the Xu family, serving them as our masters.

They must obey their every command and follow their lead without question.

Look at the Chen, Bai, and Li families. At the beginning, they were far from even reaching the threshold of becoming a prominent family. However, they caught up with the good times when the Xu family was developing.

We grow together.

Although they are only a prominent family in the county town now, in another twenty or thirty years they will probably be comparable to a martial arts family in the prefecture city.

They could even reach the scale of a fifth or sixth-rank martial arts family.

The Xu family's potential is unfathomable, and the Grand Elder's ambitions may not be limited to being merely a Foundation Establishment family.

The three of them, Wu Da and his companions, had never thought about things so deeply before; everything had simply unfolded naturally.

Compared to Wu Mingsheng, their vision and strategy were indeed far inferior.

“Master, I am willing to join the Wu family, and from now on, the development of the Wu family will be the priority!” Wu Da said, clasping his hands in greeting.

"Me too, Master."

"And I."

Seeing that the three of them agreed, Wu Mingsheng stroked his long beard and smiled, "Good, I will discuss this matter with the Grand Elder as soon as possible, and let everyone witness that my Wu family is a vassal of the Xu family."

At this moment, Wu Da suddenly said with concern, "Master, there is a problem. You don't have much lifespan left, and the aptitude of us is not high. We will probably only reach the late stage of Qi Refining in this lifetime."

If my Wu family doesn't have any outstanding descendants, I'm afraid we'll soon fade from the Xu family's view.

“The only way is to reproduce more.” Wu Mingsheng sighed slightly, then added, “However, I have a way to make the Grand Elder owe me a favor and promise to protect my Wu clan for two hundred years.”

All three were shocked.

"Alright, you all go back and discuss this with your families. I'm going to find the Grand Elder."

"Yes, Master."

Wu Mingsheng immediately went to the alchemy hall.

Quiet room.

Xu Chuan looked over with slight surprise, "Elder Wu, is there something you need from me?"

"Is the Grand Elder gathering the five elements in preparation for Foundation Establishment?"

"I do have that plan, but not now. One portion of this Five Elements Qi is prepared for you, after all, I made a promise to Elder Wu."

“I naturally believe that the Grand Elder is a man of his word,” Wu Mingsheng said. “If I were to use this Foundation Establishment opportunity to obtain a promise from the Grand Elder, I wonder if that would be possible?”

Xu Chuan frowned slightly. "Use this opportunity to get a promise from me? What promise?"

"May the Wu clan be blessed for two hundred years."

Xu Chuan pondered.

In his view, Wu Mingsheng had a very high chance of failing in his attempt to reach the Foundation Establishment stage.

If he dies, the Wu family will remain in Dongxi without any problem, but they will become just another ordinary family among many others.

His three apprentices are still young, and although their growth is limited, they can still serve the Xu family for decades.

"I told the Grand Elder before that when I was young, I had lofty ambitions and wanted to create a family of cultivators, but I encountered many things and became heartbroken."

Later, I was invited by the Grand Elder and given the opportunity to establish my foundation, which is why I joined the Xu family.

I once imagined myself as one of the lucky few who would successfully break through to the Foundation Establishment stage and establish a Foundation Establishment family.

However, after joining the Xu family, I realized how difficult it is for a prestigious family to develop.

Even if I were to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, I fear it would not be enough to ensure the long-term survival of the Wu clan.

Therefore, rather than wasting the Xu family's thousand-year-old elixir on that slim chance, it would be better to completely merge into the Xu family and become its vassal.

"Elder Wu wants to become a vassal of my Xu family?" Xu Chuan was slightly surprised, but quickly fell into thought.

"I know that my lifespan is not long enough and my grandson are not qualified. After all, the Xu family is no longer the same Xu family that took in the Chen, Bai and Li families."

Therefore, before I came here, I persuaded my three disciples to formally join my Wu family, and from then on, only one Wu clan remained in Dongxi.”

Wu Mingsheng bowed deeply to Xu Chuan, saying, "My Wu clan is willing to become a weapon-refining family under the Xu clan, and I offer up the inheritance I obtained in my early years. I hope the Grand Elder will agree."

I have only comprehended one or two tenths of its inheritance. It records the methods for refining several top-tier magic weapons, as well as several methods suitable for weapon refining, including a foundation-building technique called "Shaohao True Yang Technique".

It is most suitable for those who follow the path of weaponry to cultivate. Its fire control method is exquisite, its combat method is also very powerful, and it even has a fire escape technique. It's just a pity that my talent is limited.

If Ling'er could switch to this cultivation method, it might help her progress in the path of weapon crafting more smoothly.

"The opportunity to establish your foundation, plus the inheritance you received, in exchange for becoming a vassal of the Xu family and protecting the Wu family for two hundred years," Xu Chuan said calmly. "Elder Wu, don't you think you're losing out?"

"Using this inheritance to gain the Zhou family's protection would be an easy task."

"I acknowledge that the Zhou family has potential, but I did not accept their invitation before. Joining the Xu family, however, is enough to show that I have higher hopes for the Xu family."

"I bet that if my Wu clan follows the Xu family, one day we can become a Foundation Establishment family!"

"Dong Dong Dong~"

Xu Chuan remained silent, lightly tapping the table with his knuckles.

After a while.

"Since Elder Wu has put it this way, what can I say? I agree to this matter."

"Thank you, Elder. Please allow the patriarch to preside over the vassal ceremony. Once I officially become a vassal, I will voluntarily hand over all the original inheritance I have received, including my life's experience in weapon crafting."

Xu Chuan nodded slightly.

"Then I will not disturb the Grand Elder's meditation any longer."

After he left, Xu Chuan murmured, "The Shaohao True Yang Technique sounds like an ancient cultivation method. I never expected Wu Mingsheng to have such an opportunity."

However, his willingness to sacrifice this inheritance in order to bind the Wu family to my Xu family shows considerable courage.

Xu Chuan might not agree to give up the opportunity to establish his foundation simply because of this.

After all, his hopes were already slim.

However, this weapon-refining inheritance can truly enhance the Xu family's foundation.

"Alchemy, artifacts, arrays, and talismans—now all that's missing is the inheritance of the Dao of Talismans."

Xu Chuan shook his head and chuckled, saying that he had been too optimistic.

The lineage of Daoist alchemy was formed through the kindness of others and the refinement and organization of the material itself.

The Dao of Arrays was inherited by Xu Mingxian in a single instance through the Azure Jade Slip. However, he still needs to fully comprehend and master it before he can leave this inheritance for the Xu family.

Wu Mingsheng voluntarily offered up his inheritance of the art of crafting.

The inheritance of the Dao of Talismans may only be possible after Xu Mingyuan achieves great mastery in the future.

Xu Chuan would not break his promise, and immediately sent a telepathic message to Xu Dezhao.

Xu Dezhao was shocked to hear this, but when he heard that the person had given up the opportunity to establish a foundation and offered up the artifact inheritance and foundation-establishing techniques he had obtained, he said nothing more.

　Tomorrow's update should be at 8 PM.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)