The Longevity Family: Starting from the Foundation Establishment Ancestor

As dawn broke, Han Mu returned to Yanling Fort.

Without disturbing his clansmen, he went straight to the cave on Green Bamboo Peak and laid out his harvest.

The cave floor was piled high with spirit stones, shimmering with an alluring light. Beside them were dozens of jade slips, hundreds of spirit herbs, dozens of magical artifacts, and various refining materials. Most conspicuous among them were three items in Zhao Tianxue's storage bag:

A short, blood-red blade emanated a chilling aura. This was the Blood Fiend Blade, the sect's most prized treasure, a low-grade magic weapon. Unfortunately, it was a demonic artifact, and Han Mu had no intention of using it.

A bottle of "Blood Fiend True Essence Pills" contains twelve pills. They can quickly restore spiritual power, but after taking them, one will be tainted by the aura of blood fiends, posing a significant hidden danger.

Finally, there was an ancient bronze token, with the words "Blood Fiend" engraved on the front and complex runes on the back. Han Mu used his divine sense to probe it and discovered that a powerful restriction was sealed inside the token.

"System, authenticate this token."

[Under investigation...]

[Item: Blood Fiend Token]

[Grade: Special Magical Artifact]

[Function: Opens the Blood Fiend Sect Founder's Secret Chamber (Requires specific incantation)]

[Note: This is a relic left by the founder of the Blood Refining Sect. The secret chamber may contain higher-level cultivation techniques or treasures.]

A hint of interest flashed in Han Mu's eyes.

The founder of the Blood Refining Sect was said to be a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator, just one step away from Core Formation. Perhaps his secret chamber truly contains some treasures.

But there's no rush now; let's deal with the immediate gains first.

"System, display the current resource statistics for the family."

[Family Resource Statistics:]

[Low-grade spirit stones: 13850 pieces]

[Medium-grade spirit stones: 485]

[Cultivation Techniques Texts: 42]

[Dharma implements: 78 items (62 low-grade, 16 mid-grade)]

[Medicinal Pills: 12 Blood Fiend True Essence Pills, 35 bottles of healing pills, 82 bottles of other miscellaneous pills]

[Spiritual Herbs and Medicines: 437 plants]

[Refining Materials: 89 pieces of ore, 112 pieces of monster materials]

Overnight, the Han family transformed from a barely surviving Foundation Establishment clan into a powerful force with considerable resources.

However, these resources cannot be directly exposed, otherwise it will lead to even bigger trouble.

"Changqing, come to the cave."

Shortly after Han Mu sent a telepathic message, Han Changqing rushed over. When he saw the mountain of resources piled up inside the cave, he was dumbfounded.

"Father... Father... These are all..."

"The Blood Refining Sect's reserves," Han Mu said calmly. "The three elders and the sect leader are all dead, and the remaining Qi Refining disciples are no match for us. I've already thoroughly cleaned up the Blood Fiend Mountains."

Han Changqing gasped.

The destruction of a Foundation Establishment sect in a single night is something that hasn't happened in the cultivation world of Yue Kingdom for a long time.

"Father, if this gets out..."

"It won't get out," Han Mu interrupted him. "I used an illusionary artifact, so outsiders won't know who made it. Besides, the Blood Refining Sect is ruthless and has many enemies, so no one will investigate further."

Han Changqing breathed a sigh of relief, then became excited: "With these resources, our Han family can develop rapidly!"

"Indeed," Han Mu nodded, "but we can't make a fuss about it. Listen to my instructions."

He pointed to the pile of spirit stones: "Eight thousand low-grade spirit stones will be kept in the clan treasury for daily expenses and clan members' cultivation. The remaining five thousand will be used to purchase basic pills such as 'Spirit Gathering Pills' and 'Qi Nourishing Powders,' as well as materials for making talismans and refining weapons."

"yes!"

"Regarding magical artifacts, eight mid-grade artifacts will be kept and distributed to disciples in the late stage of Qi Refining within the clan. The rest will be smelted to extract materials."

"Select twelve cultivation manuals that do not involve demonic practices and add them to the library. The rest... will be temporarily sealed away."

Han Changqing noted everything down, and finally asked, "Father, what about this Blood Fiend Blade...?"

"Destroy it." Han Mu said without hesitation. "Demonic magic weapons are tainted with too much karma; keeping them will only cause trouble."

He picked up the Blood Fiend Blade, activated the Primordial Longevity Technique, and five-colored spiritual flames emerged from his palm. Driven by his fifth-level Foundation Establishment cultivation, the Blood Fiend Blade emitted a hissing sound, and the blood-red light on its surface quickly dimmed, eventually turning into a pool of molten iron.

Han Changqing's eyelids twitched as he watched.

That was a low-grade magic weapon; it could be destroyed so easily. However, he also understood that his father's decision was correct. What the Han family needed now was to develop discreetly, not to rely on eye-catching magic weapons.

"There's one more thing," Han Mu said, looking at Han Changqing. "You're currently at the peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining, just one step away from Foundation Establishment. I'm going to have you go into seclusion to try and break through to Foundation Establishment."

Han Changqing trembled: "Father, I... I have ordinary talent, and my success rate in Foundation Establishment with three spiritual roots is less than 30%..."

"It's alright." Han Mu took out a bottle of pills. "This is a Foundation Establishment Pill, which I found in Zhao Tianxue's storage bag. It's of superior quality. With the aid of the Spirit Eye Spring, you have a 60% chance of success."

He paused, then continued, "Even if you fail, I can spare your life. Changqing, the Han family needs a Foundation Establishment cultivator in name only, do you understand?"

Han Changqing took a deep breath and nodded emphatically: "Son understands!"

"Alright, get ready. You will begin your seclusion in three days. During this time, Yun Ge will temporarily manage the clan affairs."

"Yun Ge? She's still young..."

"She's not young anymore." A deeper meaning flashed in Han Mu's eyes. "Sixteen years old, sixth level of Qi Refining, dual wood and fire spiritual roots, outstanding talent in alchemy. It's time to let her train a bit."

Han Changqing said no more and took his leave to prepare.

Han Mu was the only one left in the cave.

He picked up the Blood Fiend Token and pondered for a moment.

"System, can you deduce the incantation needed to open the secret room?"

[Relevant exercises are needed as a reference]

[Detected "Blood Fiend Demon Art (Foundation Building Chapter)"]

[Deduction begins...Deduction complete]

[The activation technique has been obtained: Blood Fiend Seal]

A complex set of magical incantations flooded Han Mu's mind.

He circulated his spiritual power according to the incantation, and a blood-red rune appeared in his palm, which he pressed onto the token.

hum-

The token emitted a faint light, projecting a three-dimensional map. The location marked on the map was deep within the Blood Fiend Mountains, in a secluded valley about thirty miles from the Blood Refining Sect's mountain gate.

"They are cautious enough to build the secret chamber outside the sect."

Han Mu put away the token and decided to investigate again in a few days.

Now, something else is more important.

"System, retrieve the detailed requirements for the family development mission."

[Family Development Tasks]

【Requirement 1: The number of cultivators in the family must exceed 100 (currently 13/100)】

[Requirement 2: Have three Foundation Establishment stage members (currently 1/3)]

[Time Limit: 3 years (2 years and 10 months remaining)]

[Reward: Five Elements Elixir Condensation Recipe x1, Special Building "Heart Refining Tower"]

The number of cultivators is easy to manage; the Han family already has many people of mortal blood, but they lack cultivation resources. Now that they have spirit stones and pills, they can select disciples with spiritual roots to train.

The key is Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Besides Han Changqing, we need to train another one.

Several candidates flashed through Han Mu's mind: Han Yunge had the best aptitude, but was too young, and it was too early for him to establish his foundation; there were also two elders in the clan who were at the eighth level of Qi Refining, but both had four spiritual roots, so their chances of establishing their foundation were slim.

"Looks like we'll have to find a solution from the outside."

He remembered a character from the original work—Doctor Mo.

This old man, who schemed against Han Li in the original story but was killed instead, is a skilled physician with a meticulous mind. If he could be subdued, it would greatly benefit the development of the family.

Moreover, Doctor Mo is at the tenth level of Qi Refining, just one step away from Foundation Establishment.

"But he should still be in Jiayuan City, a thousand miles away from Yanling Fortress," Han Mu pondered. "Once Changqing successfully establishes his foundation, I will make a trip there myself."

Just then, Han Yunge's voice came from outside the cave: "Grandfather, we have a guest."

"A guest?" Han Mu raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"They are the patriarchs of the other two families in Yanling Fortress. They said they have important matters to discuss."

Han Mu's eyes flickered slightly.

The news spread really fast.