Building a long-lasting family lineage starting with genealogy

Chapter 216 Golden Core Threat, Fifth Generation Talent
"It's alright. If one isn't careful in this secret realm, one would probably be a pile of bones long ago," Xu Mingxuan said.

Zhao Sheyan asked in surprise, "What business does Fellow Daoist Xu have with us?"

"I'd like to make a deal."

"Please speak, Fellow Daoist Xu."

With a flick of his sleeve, Xu Mingxuan revealed more than twenty Great Wei identity tokens in front of him. "Use these tokens to trade for some spirit herbs, spirit wood, and spirit iron ore."

This does not include the main ingredient for Foundation Building Pills.

These identity tokens are useless to us, but they happen to be worth more points than spiritual herbs and spiritual iron, second only to the main ingredient of the Foundation Establishment Pill.

Brother Zhao, are you interested?

“Of course!” Zhao Sheyan’s eyes lit up, but after considering it for a moment, he said, “But with so many tokens, I’m afraid my Zhao family will have a hard time taking them all.”

“Brother Zhao can exchange with your Liang family. As for the token, I can give it to you first.”

"Aren't you afraid I'll just pocket it?"

"My father did save two of your Zhao family's mid-Foundation Establishment elders."

Elder Zhao Qingyan once said that if my father needed anything, he could go to the Zhao family with the token and ask them to do something that would not go against their interests.

"If Brother Zhao were to do such a thing, and my father were to come knocking on our door, you'd be in for a world of trouble."

Zhao Sheyan's lips twitched slightly, and then he said, "Since the Xu family has done a favor for my Zhao family, then the Xu family is my Zhao family's friend."

Zhao helped with this.

"Thank you," Xu Mingxuan said, clasping his hands in thanks.

Through the Zhao family, Xu Mingxuan converted the useless Great Wei tokens into spiritual herbs and refining materials, maximizing his profits.

Then she began to pack the spoils of this trip into a blank storage bag and made Xu Bai swallow it.

He was left with only three portions of the main ingredients for Foundation Establishment Pills, some common spiritual herbs, and a few rare spiritual herbs.

Every herb that is taken out has a backup.

With the identity tokens from both the Great Jin and Great Liang dynasties added to the mix, Xu Mingxuan believed that getting into the top three shouldn't be a problem.

The other people's storage bags contained almost nothing, about the same amount as before they went in.

Other aristocratic families also concentrate their resources on one person to strive for a higher ranking; if they distribute the resources among themselves, all their previous efforts will be in vain.

Before long, they encountered the Lei family's group.

There were several other prominent families in the Lei family, such as the Liu family and the Wang family, but only one person from each family remained.

As for the Lei family members, two or three were missing from the group Xu Mingxuan and his companions last time they met.

Therefore, Lei Xiaoyun and his group were all extremely surprised to see that not a single member of the Xu family was missing.

I wondered where the cat had gone.

"Brother Xiaoyun."

"Brother Mingxuan."

The two greeted each other and headed towards the exit together.

"Brother Mingxuan, you guys are really lucky. In the end, not a single one of you was lost."

"It was just luck. Knowing that the last few days would be dangerous, I naturally stayed far away from the Misty Forest."

At the exit, there was no fighting.

Everyone rushed towards the exit on their swords.

"Finally out." Xu Mingqing breathed a sigh of relief, then followed Lei Xiaoyun and the others as they flew toward the deck of the Great Wei warship.

All the families built their foundations here.

However, many of them had ashen faces.

They all carried the life lamps of the clan's disciples.

However, many members of noble families who ventured into the secret realm all had their life lamps extinguished. Such a fate would be difficult for anyone to be happy about!

Lei Yunchao, the head of the Lei family, glanced at Lei Xiaoyun and the others; the damage was still within their tolerance.

But upon closer inspection, not a single member of the Xu family was missing, which immediately surprised them.

"Father, your children have returned."

Xu Chuan smiled slightly, "It's good that you're back."

Ye Xuehua and Zhou Zongyun also stepped forward to pay their respects to Zhou Qingfang, saying, "Ancestor."

Lei Yun bowed to Xu Chuan and said, "Brother Xu, it's truly remarkable that your Xu family didn't lose a single member. You must have reaped considerable rewards, and you're sure to be among the top ten."

"Brother Lei is too kind. These lads must be cowards who have fled to some unknown place."

The warships of Daliang.

Zhao Sheyan and the others walked up to the head of the Zhao family, greeted him, and then began to talk about the Xu family.

"So it turns out that the one who saved Qingyan and Elder Guan'an in the 'Qinghai Forest' last time was the Xu family of Great Wei." The Zhao family head looked at the Great Wei warship.

"It seems we need to pay a little more attention to the Great Wei; the Xu family has considerable potential!"

Soon.

The Golden Core families of both the Great Wei and the Great Liang all emerged from the entrance.

But no one from the Sima family of the Jin Dynasty appeared for a long time.

The patriarch of the Sima family, who was at the Golden Core stage, frowned slightly.

"Brother Sima, there's only half an hour left, and not a single member of your Sima family has come out yet. Could it be that they've all perished inside?" the Cao family's Golden Core Ancestor mocked.

"Hmph, there's still half an hour left. Don't be so smug. If your Great Wei is still last this time, let's see where you'll put your face later!"

However, half an hour later...

Only the Sima family members remained absent.

The Sima family's Golden Core Ancestor immediately turned ashen.

The three Golden Core cultivators simultaneously withdrew their magical power, and the thin membrane above the valley quickly healed.

A moment later, it disappeared into the void.

The Sima family patriarch glanced at the people on the warship, snorted coldly, and unleashed a wave of oppressive power, "Where are the members of my Sima family? Has anyone seen them?!"

"Reporting to the Ancestor, I saw him in the Misty Forest half a month ago."

"I witnessed them hunting down five or six cultivators from the Great Wei five days ago."

"Three days ago, it seems that the people led by Young Master Sima encountered members of the Cao family of the Great Wei."

"Anything else?" the Sima family patriarch asked again.

After that, no one answered.

He withdrew his oppressive aura, and in a flash, he appeared above the Great Wei warship, saying, "Old ghost Cao, have your Cao family disciple come out and answer my questions!"

"Yulong, come and give me your answer."

Cao Yulong stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Junior Cao Yulong, senior, please ask."

"Did you encounter anyone from the Sima family three days ago?"

"Yes."

"So you killed them?"

"No."

"If you dare to lie to me, you know the consequences!"

"What? You dare to kill someone from my Great Wei right in front of me?" said the Golden Core Ancestor of the Cao family. "We had an agreement before that in the secret realm, one would be responsible for one's own life and death."

If you're afraid, then don't send any more disciples of the Sima family into the country!

The reason why the Golden Core Ancestor of the Cao family defended him so much was because he suspected that Cao Yulong and his group might have been the killers.

The voice of the Liu family's Golden Core Ancestor came, laced with sarcasm, "Brother Sima, some Qi Refining disciples are dead, so what? Does your Sima family lack Qi Refining disciples?"

"But if you make a move, I, Liu, will have no choice but to join forces with Brother Cao to suppress you."

The Sima family patriarch frowned slightly, and his divine sense immediately swept across the surroundings.

He immediately snorted coldly, his gaze fixed on Xu Mingxuan and the others, and he asked sharply, "Who are you?"

Xu Chuan stepped forward and said, "This is a member of my Xu clan!"

"Interesting!" The Sima family patriarch turned to look at the Cao family's Golden Core patriarch, grinned, and said, "Old Cao, I didn't expect a mere Foundation Establishment family to..."

"On this trip to the secret realm, the number of people who broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage actually exceeded that of your Cao family by one!"

As he spoke, his golden core pressure descended upon Xu Mingxuan, Xu Mingxian, and Xu Mingshu.

An aura of Foundation Establishment immediately emanated from them.

Everyone around was stunned.

"Three Foundation Establishment cultivators?!"

"Three members of the Xu family actually succeeded in establishing their foundations in the secret realm!"

"How exactly did the Xu family manage to do that?!"

The various noble families on the warships of the Great Jin and Great Liang were all incredulous.

Even the two great Golden Core families, the Cao family and the Liu family, only had two disciples who broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

Xu Mingxuan and the other two gritted their teeth and persevered, their bones cracking and popping.

"And you, a Foundation Establishment Level 4 cultivator, yet you pretend to be a Foundation Establishment Level 2!"

Xu Chuan was also suppressed.

The surrounding aristocratic families were startled once again.

"Xu Chuan has only been in the Foundation Establishment stage for a little over ten years, yet he's already reached the fourth level?"

How did he do that?

Zhou Qingfang was first surprised, then relieved.

Lei Yunchao fell into deep thought.

Xu Chuan gritted his teeth and said, "Senior Sima, it is my habit to conceal my cultivation level. Is that not allowed?"

"What kind of logic is this!"

The Sima family patriarch snorted coldly and intensified his oppressive aura.

Cao Shengming transmitted his voice, saying, "Ancestor, Xu Chuan cannot die. He is probably the strongest alchemist in our Great Wei right now, and we still need him to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill."

Otherwise, relying solely on the clan's alchemists, they might not even be able to gather enough for the top ten rewards.

The Cao family patriarch frowned slightly, but still managed to dispel the pressure from the Sima family patriarch with a wave of his hand, saying, "Brother Sima, you've overstepped your bounds."

"My great Wei family is not for you to dictate!"

"Hmph!" The Sima family patriarch was slightly displeased. "I'll ask them a few more questions."

As he spoke, his gaze was fixed on Xu Mingxuan and the other two.

"Have you ever met anyone from my Sima family?"

Xu Mingxuan clasped his hands and said, "I met him three days ago. At that time, we happened to see the Sima family and the Cao family confronting each other. If we hadn't arrived, the Cao family would have suffered heavy losses."

But eventually the Sima family left, and not long after, we also parted ways with the Cao family.

If there are any discrepancies, the senior can seek verification from the Cao family.

“That’s true,” Cao Yulong said.

Suddenly, the Liu family patriarch said, "Brother Sima, have you made enough trouble? If anyone here kills a core disciple of your Sima family..."

They will surely bear the mark of your Sima family.

You can see it at a glance, so why keep asking the younger generation?

We should hurry and tally up everyone's gains; Liu's patience is running out.

According to the agreement among the three parties, the person with the lowest score must hand over one-fifth of the Foundation Building Pill materials to the person with the highest score.

"Hmph, then let's begin the statistics."

His face was dark.

Without a doubt, he will be ranked last in this major promotion.

However, he still felt that the Xu family was highly suspicious.

Even though the Xu family produced three Foundation Establishment cultivators, the Sima family will have at least three who successfully establish their foundations this time.

The number of Foundation Establishment cultivators is comparable, their numbers are greater, and they also have the background of a Golden Core family.

He couldn't figure out why he lost to a disciple from a Foundation Establishment family.

In addition, regarding the imprint, unless you kill the person yourself, the secret imprint will not fall on them.

The Sima family patriarch carefully examined the items in the storage bags of the Xu family members.

Although there were many spiritual herbs, materials, and magical artifacts, the Xu family had three Foundation Establishment cultivators, so everything made sense.

Moreover, as long as they are careful, it would not be a miracle if no one in the Xu family survived.

"Is it a flawless disguise, or is it truly not the Xu family?" The Sima family patriarch wondered.

Half an hour later.

The statistics are complete, and the Great Jin Dynasty is undoubtedly the final one.

The Great Wei ranked first, narrowly defeating the Great Liang by twenty points.

The Cao family patriarch smiled and said, "Brother Sima, hand over the two sets of Foundation Establishment Pill ingredients."

"Here you go!" With a flick of his sleeve, the Sima family patriarch sent two documents flying to the Cao family patriarch.

After collecting the materials, he laughed heartily, "Let's go, back to Great Wei!"

The three forces returned to their respective positions.

The Wuhua Trial has officially ended, but its aftershocks continue.

The Xu family's emergence of talent attracted the attention of both the Liang and Jin dynasties.

Especially the Great Jin.

The Sima family ordered men to infiltrate the Wei state to gather information about the Xu family and to monitor them.

Unfortunately.

Xu Chuan has a daily divination, but surveillance will ultimately be ineffective.

Even those who are monitoring them will be silently eliminated.

There was also the fear and apprehension of the other powerful families in the Great Wei.

The Xu family now has six Foundation Establishment cultivators, and with their second-place ranking contribution this time, they can obtain three Foundation Establishment Pills.

This means that three more Foundation Establishment cultivators can be produced.

They might not be quite at the first rank, but they should be good enough to advance to the second rank.

In addition, the Zhou family, which ranked fifth this time, is also quite remarkable.

The first is the Cao family, the third is the Lei family, the fourth is the Jiang family, the sixth is the Lin family, and the seventh, eighth and ninth are all second-rank aristocratic families.

Back to the imperial city.

The prominent families from various counties were all preparing to return.

Xu Chuan was invited by the Cao family to refine Foundation Establishment Pills, and he took the opportunity to ask to read the relevant alchemical classics collected by the Cao family.

Cao Shengming immediately agreed.

He was not the Cao family's alchemist after all, and had no obligation to refine elixirs for the Cao family.

However, Xu Chuan did not mention asking for a Foundation Establishment Pill, which was truly unexpected.

If it were someone else, they might have done the same.

Because Xu Chuan needed to refine pills, Xu Mingwei and the others stayed in the imperial city for the time being.

The storage bag in Xu Bai's body was also taken out and handed to Xu Mingwei.

Most people probably wouldn't expect that such an important item would be handed over to a cultivator in the Qi Refining stage.

All materials obtained from the Wuhua Secret Realm, including Foundation Establishment Pills, must be handed over. The Cao family will take 30% of the remaining spiritual herbs and materials.

If there are any more, I'm afraid no one will want to enter the secret realm anymore.

Xu Chuan and two other top alchemists were refining Foundation Establishment Pills, with Foundation Establishment cultivators monitoring the process from the sidelines.

Xu Chuan then had no choice but to lower his alchemy skills.

This time, the Great Wei obtained a total of twenty Foundation Building Pill materials.

Xu Chuan, citing his lack of experience in refining Foundation Establishment Pills, first observed the other two pill refining to get a general idea of ​​their skill level before starting his own.

He merely showed a level that was slightly better than theirs.

The other two each refined six portions of Foundation Establishment Pills, producing twenty pills in total: thirteen low-grade, five mid-grade, and two high-grade.

Xu Chuan needs to refine eight portions.

Sixteen pills were produced: eight low-grade pills, six mid-grade pills, and two high-grade pills.

"Brother Xu, your alchemy skills are indeed extraordinary. With this token, you can read alchemy-related books in my Cao family library for one month."

Xu Chuan accepted the token, clasped his hands in thanks, and said, "Thank you, Patriarch Cao."

For the next few days, Xu Chuan spent all his time in the Cao family library.

With a Foundation Establishment stage expert from the Cao family presiding over this place, Xu Chuan dared not act recklessly.

There are many ancient books on alchemy here, which broadened Xu Chuan's horizons.

someday.

Cao Yucheng arrived at the library.

"Senior Xu, you really are here."

"Young friend Yu Chen, have you come here because of what happened back then?"

"Sort of, and sort of," Cao Yuchen said. "The materials for Foundation Establishment Pills this time far exceeded those of the previous two times, and there are enough Foundation Establishment Pills to refine. I also have a chance to get one."

He paused, then looked at Xu Chuan and said, "I would like to ask you to refine a high-grade Qi Refining Pill."

“I have two sets of materials. No matter how many are refined, I only need one high-grade Qi Refining Pill. That way, we'll be even.”

Xu Chuan pondered for a moment and said, "Alright, give me the materials, and I will refine them after I return today. Come to the library again tomorrow."

Cao Yuchen nodded slightly and immediately handed the materials to Xu Chuan.

In his opinion, with two sets of materials, Xu Chuan could at most refine four or five pills.

It's estimated that producing even one top-grade one would be the absolute best.

One high-grade Qi Refining Pill is equivalent to three or four mid-to-low-grade Qi Refining Pills.

He deduced this from the results he had heard about Xu Chuan's refining of Foundation Establishment Pills. The other two alchemy masters only refined two high-grade Foundation Establishment Pills, while Xu Chuan alone was equivalent to the combined efforts of the two.

"Is the superior-grade Void Refining Pill for one of his elders who is stuck at the late Foundation Establishment stage?"

Return to the courtyard.

midnight.

Xu Chuan began refining the Chongxu Pill.

Fourteen pills were refined in two batches, including ten superior-grade pills and four medium-grade pills.

So much money!
The next day.

Library.

Cao Yuchen arrived as agreed.

Xu Chuan handed him a porcelain bottle and said with a faint smile, "I have not failed you."

Cao Yuchen examined it and then clasped his hands in thanks, saying, "Thank you, Senior Xu."

After that, Xu Chuan spent another half a month reading here, until he had read through all the alchemical classics, before he prepared to leave.

“Patriarch Cao, now that the token has been returned, I should return to Yuehu County.”

"Ready to go back?" Cao Shengming accepted the token, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Actually, Brother Xu could stay in the capital a little longer, to save you the trouble of traveling back and forth."

Running back and forth?
What does he mean by this?
Xu Chuan smiled and said, "I've been away from the clan for a long time, it's time to go back. My fifth-generation grandson is already more than two months old."

"I see. Then I, Cao, will not stop Brother Xu from returning. This is the Foundation Establishment Pill that your Xu family obtained from this secret realm trial."

Xu Chuan took the porcelain bottle, opened it, and took a sniff.

It really is a low-grade Foundation Establishment Pill.

"Thank you."

Xu Chuan clasped his hands in a fist salute and then left.

He felt that Cao Shengming's words had a hidden meaning, but unfortunately, there was too little information to figure it out.

Two days later.

Returning to Dongxi.

The entire Xu family welcomed them.

Xu Chuan gestured slightly, then walked straight to Cao Shenglin and said, "Let me hug you."

Cao Shenglin smiled and handed the child over.

The child initially struggled, but immediately calmed down in Xu Chuan's arms.

“Great-grandfather, this child only calms down when Lin’er and I hold him; he cries when his father or mother holds him.”

"That shows we're close," Xu Chuan said with a smile. "Have you chosen a name yet?"

Xu Chuan naturally knew his name, but still pretended not to know and asked.

"Let him be named Xu Wenjing," Xu Chonghui said. "It means 'to look up to a high mountain and follow a virtuous path,' and it also contains my expectations for my grandson's character and achievements."

Xu Chuan nodded and smiled, "This child will amount to something."

Everything about Xu Wenjing was recorded in the family genealogy when he was born.

Xu Wenjing: Five Generations of the Xu Family

Age: 1

[Spiritual Root, True Spiritual Root (Spiritual Root Purity 40%)]

[Talent: Natural Martial Bones]

[Bloodline: Rank 8 Fiery Gold Bloodline]

[Note 1: Those born with a martial arts destiny have all their meridians open at birth, making them martial arts prodigies]

[Note 2: Fiery Metal Bloodline, suitable for weapon crafting, with exceptional comprehension of the Metal and Fire elements]

This person is simply the perfect candidate for the "copper skin and iron bones" destiny.

With the birth of the fifth generation, the family genealogy once again solidified into new destiny and talents.

Only two items were combined this time: [The Pen Falls and the Talisman is Born] and [The Mystery of All Laws is Unveiled].

【The talisman is born from the brush】: Each time a talisman is drawn, the understanding of that talisman is enhanced. When the understanding reaches 100%, the state of "the talisman is born from the brush" is reached.

The brush was put down, and the talisman was complete!

Xu Chuan intends to give this innate talent to his second son, Xu Mingyuan.

With such talent, it's only a matter of time before he comprehends top-tier talismans.

【The Profound Understanding of All Techniques】: Learning any technique is like divine assistance; upon reaching a certain level, one can integrate and master it, creating entirely new techniques.

There is currently no suitable candidate for this specific destiny or talent.

Xu Chuan plans to temporarily seal it up.

"Alright, everyone, you can all leave now."

Xu Chuan returned the child to Cao Shenglin and then waved his hand.

We arrived at Bihan Pool.

Mo Yue flew out of the spirit beast pouch and plunged into the icy pool, splashing countless water droplets.

"It's still more comfortable here," Mo Yue said, squinting.

A few moments.

Xu Dezhao arrived.

"What's the matter?"

“Grandfather, the Zhou family has broken off the engagement,” Xu Dezhao said.

Xu Chuan paused for a moment, thought for a second, then frowned and looked at Xu Dezhao: "Is it Mingqing's marriage?"

“That’s right,” Xu Dezhao said. “And there are rumors that Ye Xuehua will marry into the Cao family!”

So that's how it is!
Xu Chuan immediately understood why Cao Shengming had said those things before.

Mocking? Showing off?

"Send someone to invite the Zhou family patriarch here. Although I can guess the general idea, he still needs to give me an explanation." Xu Chuan sighed slightly.

After Xu Dezhao left, he murmured, "In the cultivation world, might makes right."

A few hours later.

Zhou Qingfang arrived at the main hall of the Xu family.

"Brother Xu, you're back. It seems you've already heard about the Zhou family's annulment of the engagement."

"Brother Zhou, please have a seat." Xu Chuan took the host's seat, raised his hand to invite the guest, and said, "I invited you here to hear your explanation."

“An explanation is due.” Zhou Qingfang looked dejected, his eyes filled with anger and helplessness, “but I don’t know how to explain it.”

Ultimately, it's my Zhou family who has wronged your Xu family.

"Did the Cao family use their power to bully others?"

“Exactly!” Zhou Qingfang clenched his fists tightly. “The implication is that if my Zhou family does not comply, my Zhou family will be destroyed.”

"Even if my Zhou family tries to hold on, and our two families are tied together, we still can't fight against the Cao family's powerful backing."

Xu Chuan sighed slightly, then added, "However, this matter is quite strange."

“It was too sudden,” Zhou Qingfang said. “However, after this incident, the people who had been lurking around my Zhou family’s territory have all disappeared.”

"Now that we have the Foundation Establishment Pill, we should quickly select a clansman we are confident in to break through, otherwise people will always be eyeing it."

Zhou Qingfang nodded slightly, "The candidate has been chosen."

Soon.

Zhou Qing then returned to the Zhou family home.

This matter was a minor one for the Xu family.

After all, their own family is currently facing a lot of trouble.

The Cao family and the Sima family are the ones we need to be most wary of.

In addition, Xu Mingwei, Xu Mingyuan, Xu Dezhao, Yunding Zhenren, and Wu Mingsheng all need the Foundation Establishment Pill to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

In particular, both Master Yunding and Wu Mingsheng are facing their end.

Xu Chuan immediately sent Xu Mingwei to summon Xu Mingyuan and the others to Dongxi.

As for the matter in Guangling, it will be temporarily left to Xu Deheng.

As long as Ren Xiaoyao is in charge, there shouldn't be any problems.

Moreover, the Xu family's reputation has spread throughout the counties, and even first-rank families are wary of them. The Wei family wouldn't dare to provoke them.

As for other counties, they should be eyeing the Dongxi main vein, which possesses Foundation Establishment Pills.

Xu Chuan began to go into seclusion to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill.

A total of sixteen portions.

It is comparable to the combined strength of one major power.

Without a doubt, the Xu family is the biggest beneficiary of this "Wuhua Secret Realm".

Two days later.

Xu Chuan left the pass.

He summoned everyone.

"Mingwei, Mingyuan, Dezhao, Elder Yunding, Elder Mingsheng, the five of you shall begin your closed-door cultivation today to break through your limits."

"The affairs of Dongxi will be temporarily handled by Chonghui."

"Grandson understands," Xu Dezhao said, cupping his hands in greeting.

Then Xu Chuan flicked his sleeve, and five porcelain bottles appeared out of thin air and landed in each person's hand.

"You must all swear an oath not to divulge even a single word about the elixir."

The five men immediately did as instructed.

When Master Yunding arrived at the meditation room, he opened the porcelain bottle, poured out the pills, and his eyes widened in shock.

"High-grade foundation-building pill?!"

As a top alchemist, he naturally recognized the quality of this pill at a glance.

With this pill, even if his lifespan is short, he is still somewhat confident that he can successfully break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

"Foundation Establishment Realm, here I come from Cloud Peak!"

Master Yunding was able to go into seclusion that very day.

The same applies to Wu Mingsheng on the other side.

He held a high-grade Foundation Establishment Pill in his hand, a slight smile playing on his lips. "The gamble we made that day was ultimately the right one!"

Once they successfully establish their foundations, they will be Xu Deheng, Xu Deyue, and Xu Mingqing.

Before Xu Mingyuan went into seclusion, Xu Chuan bestowed upon him the innate talent of the "Brushstrokes Create Talismans" destiny.

Several days have passed in the blink of an eye.

Bihan Pool.

Xu Chuan and Xu Mingxian both cultivated here.

Having broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage, Xu Mingxian's ability to deduce formations has increased. He analyzed the Three Absolute Dragon Locking Formation while simultaneously deducing third-order formations.

Without any lineage to pass it on, he can only rely on his own understanding.

Xu Mingqing, knowing about Ye Xuehua's affair, arrived at Bihan Pool, his eyes filled with rage.

"Father, the Cao family is utterly despicable! How could they do such a thing!"

"Then what do you want?" Xu Chuan's question left Xu Mingqing speechless.

From the icy pool, Mo Yue emerged with its dragon head, watching Xu Chuan and his son as if they were eating melon seeds.

"You've seen the Cao family's attitude towards my Xu family, and the Sima family of the Great Jin Dynasty. Do they really think that anyone who can cultivate to the Golden Core stage is a fool?"

"My Xu family is still beset by internal and external troubles, and you still have the mind to worry about other things?"

"To tell you the truth, although I had previously made a marriage agreement with Zhou Qingfang for you and Ye Xuehua, we also agreed that Ye Xuehua would not marry you until Ye Xuehua asked for it."

You shall not marry for even a day.

"Why?" Xu Mingqing asked, puzzled.

"Ye Xuehua has a natural talent for earth spirit roots, and although Zhou Qingfang is her master, he cannot force her to have them."

Moreover, she was devoted to Taoism and had no interest in worldly affairs.

"If the Cao family hadn't threatened to kill the entire Zhou family, Ye Xuehua wouldn't have agreed."

Xu Chuan patted him on the shoulder, "Mingqing, put it down."

Xu Mingqing left, dejected and heartbroken.

Mo Yue suddenly spoke up: "You're such a frustrated father. If my son fell for someone, I would definitely stand up for her."

"Yes, yes, yes, your son wants to fight against the direct descendants of a Nascent Soul family. You should also bring your son to their door, and then he will either be enslaved or become a magic weapon in the hands of that Nascent Soul family disciple!"

"How dare you speak to me like that!" Mo Yuelong glared.

"That's the truth of the world!" Xu Chuan looked at Mo Yue and said, "If my Xu family were a Golden Core family, then even if the Cao family wanted to marry Ye Xuehua, they wouldn't dare to force us."

Otherwise, the cost of breaking ties with another Golden Core clan would far outweigh the benefits they had planned.

What's the plan?

"Why do you think the Cao family would go to such lengths to force Ye Xuehua? Her talent must not be hidden from the Cao family's Golden Core Ancestor."

Such shamelessness can only mean that Ye Xuehua is extremely important to the Cao family.

Or, to put it another way, a female cultivator with an earth-elemental root is very important.

After pondering for a moment, Mo Yue's eyes suddenly lit up. "I remember now. When two people with earth spirit roots unite, they consume a large amount of precious spiritual herbs during the gestation period, and are further nurtured with secret methods."

There is a chance to improve the aptitude of one's offspring.

Golden Core demon beasts are mostly raised in this way if they want to reproduce.

"It seems that this is indeed the case. A descendant with the aptitude of a Heavenly Spiritual Root is extremely important to the Cao family."

Even if they are a first-class noble family, the Cao family would probably force them to compromise by offering them substantial benefits.

"What if it were your Xu family?" Mo Yue asked curiously.

"you guess."

"I won't guess!" Mo Yue turned his head, then turned it back. "Unfortunately, I can only unleash the power of the early Golden Core stage a few times."

"If I can stabilize my strength at the Golden Core stage, I can simply take action and snatch that girl back for your son."

"Should I thank you, sir?"

"It's a trivial matter, not worth mentioning." Mo Yue revealed his neat, white dragon teeth.

Xu Chuan shook his head and chuckled upon hearing this. This old dragon is really getting old; he can't understand good or bad words anymore.

Ye Xuehua had no feelings for love.

They were never meant to be together.

"However, helping you restore your strength is indeed urgent. Even if you don't show yourself, just using you as a trump card will give the Xu family more confidence."

Xu Chuan stroked his chin and looked over. "Is there anything that can help you recover?"

"Among you humans, there is a top-tier third-order elixir called the Creation Profound Pill, which possesses wondrous and miraculous effects."

Even if the dantian is shattered, it can be repaired and the spiritual root aptitude can be improved.

I estimate that one pill would be enough to restore me to my full strength.

However, this pill is extremely rare even in the major cities of the Southern Region.

"anything else?"

"A third-tier dragon core can restore my strength to the early stage of the Golden Core realm. If I also have a complete dragon pearl, there is a 40-50% chance that I can recover to my full strength."

Other third-tier demon cores will also work. Even if the attributes don't match, if you have a way to refine them into demon spirit pills, you can at least restore your strength to the early stage of the Golden Core realm.

As for other methods, perhaps your human race has other means, but I know little about them.

Xu Chuan hesitated for a moment, then suddenly looked up, "That's right, the Zhao family of Yu Ling!"

"The Zhao family has a thousand-year-old tradition and is a family of beast tamers, so they may have records of this."

"I'll go take a look after I'm done with this busy period."

"Take me with you, take me with you."

"Of course!" Xu Chuan smiled slightly. "The relationship between Great Liang and Great Wei is fraught with danger, and we still need your protection."

Upon hearing this, Mo Yue's dragon tail unknowingly extended out of the icy pool and swayed in the air.

Xu Mingqing was unwilling to give up, so he went to the Zhou family.

Ye Xuehua said to his face: Even if she doesn't marry into the Cao family, she will not become his Daoist partner.

Xu Mingqing left heartbroken.

Zhou Qingfang shook his head and sighed, "Xuehua, why did you have to be so resolute?"

Ye Xuehua said calmly, "I'm afraid he'll put the Xu family in danger because of me, and besides, I have no interest in love anyway, so I will never become his Daoist partner."

“In the past, I could do whatever I wanted, but now both my Zhou family and the Xu family are being targeted by the Cao family. If we make any mistakes, we will be doomed.”

We can't let him continue this nonsense.

After a pause, Ye Xuehua stared at Zhou Qingfang and said, "Master, I am married into the Cao family. The Zhou family will be fine in ordinary times, but if something happens to me one day..."

Master, don't hesitate, immediately and openly join the Xu family's ranks.

"With his protection, the Zhou family was able to survive for a long time."

"Seek refuge with the Xu family?"

"Becoming a vassal is best."

Zhou Qingfang looked troubled, and after a moment asked suspiciously, "Why do you suddenly say that? Did something happen in the secret realm?"
"Besides, you have the aptitude of an earth-elemental root; how could the Cao family easily let anything happen to you?"

"Master, please don't ask any more questions. You just need to know that the Xu family may well be able to compete with the Cao family in the future."

"Alright, disciple is a little tired and wants to rest."

Zhou Qingfang left Ye Xuehua's room, seemingly lost in thought.

"To become a vassal?"

Zhou Qingfang looked up at the sky and sighed softly, his heart filled with a difficult decision.

(End of this chapter)