The Longevity Family: Starting from the Foundation Establishment Ancestor

Having subdued the Zhao and Sun families and taken over the Qian family, the Han family's control over the Crimson Gold Mine greatly increased. Han Changqing immediately set about consolidation, transferring thirty cultivators from the Han family to the mine to work with the cultivators from the Zhao and Sun families to rearrange the defensive formations and restore order to mining operations.

However, the calm lasted only three days.

On the morning of the fourth day, a group of more than ten people arrived outside the Crimson Gold Mine. The leader was an old Taoist priest in a green robe, holding a whisk, with a profound aura, clearly a cultivator in the early stage of Core Formation. Behind him followed ten Foundation Establishment cultivators, each with an arrogant expression, and the words "Qingxu" were embroidered on the chest of their Taoist robes.

"People from the Qingxu Sect!" Han Lin, who was stationed at the mine, changed his expression and immediately crushed the communication talisman.

Before long, Han Changqing led the Han family to the mine entrance. Zhao Yuanlong and Sun Wenshan also rushed over, their expressions tense upon seeing the Qingxu Sect members.

"So you are a fellow Daoist from the Qingxu Sect. May I ask what brings you to the Crimson Gold Mine?" Han Changqing asked, bowing respectfully.

The old Taoist in green robes swept his gaze across the crowd, finally settling on Han Changqing: "You are the head of the Han family? I am Xuan Chengzi of the Qingxu Sect. The Crimson Gold Mine originally belonged to Tianque Fortress. Now that Tianque Fortress has been destroyed, according to the rules of the Tiannan cultivation world, unclaimed mines are for the capable. My Qingxu Sect has taken a liking to this place. You should all leave quickly to avoid casualties."

These words were extremely domineering, showing no regard for the Han family whatsoever.

Han Changqing's face darkened: "Senior Xuan Chengzi, the Crimson Gold Mine already has an owner. My Han family has taken over this place on the orders of Elder Linghu of Huangfeng Valley, and all seven major sects know this. It would be inappropriate for Qingxu Sect to forcibly seize it, wouldn't it?"

"Ancestor Linghu?" Xuan Chengzi sneered. "His Yellow Maple Valley's influence doesn't even reach the territory of my Qingxu Sect. I'll say it again: withdraw from the Crimson Gold Mine, or else..."

Before he finished speaking, ten Foundation Establishment cultivators behind him stepped forward in unison, their auras radiating outwards, revealing that they were all at least at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage!

Zhao Yuanlong, Sun Wenshan, and the others turned pale. The Qingxu Sect was one of the seven major sects of the Yue Kingdom, its strength far surpassing that of their small families. With one Core Formation elder and ten Foundation Establishment cultivators on the other side, they simply couldn't withstand a direct confrontation.

"What else?"

A calm voice came from behind.

Everyone turned their heads and saw Han Mu, dressed in a green robe and holding a white jade folding fan, walking slowly towards them. He had a restrained aura and appeared to be only at the early stage of the False Core realm, but he exuded a calm and composed demeanor as he walked.

"Ancestor!" The Han family members perked up.

Xuan Chengzi narrowed his eyes, sizing up Han Mu: "You're the Han family's fake core cultivator ancestor? You do have some guts. But a fake core is still a fake core, worlds apart from a true core. I advise you to be sensible and not make a mistake for yourself."

Han Mu stopped beside Han Changqing and said calmly, "Fellow Daoist Xuanchengzi, the Crimson Gold Mine was allocated to my Han family by Huangfeng Valley. If you want it, you can discuss it with Ancestor Linghu. If you want to seize it by force, then let's follow the rules of the cultivation world—a contest of magic to determine the winner."

"A contest of magic?" Xuan Chengzi scoffed. "You, with your mere fake core, dare to challenge me in a contest of magic?"

"How will we know if we don't try?" Han Mu lightly waved his folding fan. "But since we're going to fight, there needs to be a plan. If you win, the Crimson Gold Mine belongs to your Qingxu Sect. If I win, your Qingxu Sect can no longer covet the Crimson Gold Mine, how about that?"

Xuan Chengzi stared at Han Mu, his mind racing. He had received news that Han Mu's ancestor had performed admirably in the Crimson Forbidden Land, severely injuring Wang Chan, the young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect. But that was most likely due to the power of formations or secret treasures; his actual strength was probably not that great. As a dignified early-stage Core Formation cultivator, dealing with a fake Core Formation cultivator was a piece of cake, wasn't it?

"Very well! As you say!" Xuan Chengzi said proudly, "However, combat is dangerous. If I accidentally injure you..."

"Life and death are predestined; each should accept their fate," Han Mu replied.

"That's great!" A fierce glint flashed in Xuan Chengzi's eyes. "Then let's have the contest here!"

The two men soared into the air, facing each other a hundred feet apart. Below, the crowd held their breath, especially the cultivators from the Zhao and Sun families, their hearts pounding in their throats. The outcome of this battle would determine the ownership of the Crimson Gold Mine, and also the fate of their two families.

"System, scan Xuan Chengzi's strength," Han Mu silently commanded.

[Target: Xuan Chengzi (Elder of Qingxu Sect)]

[Realm Level: Early Stage of Core Formation]

[Technique: Clear Void Mind Technique (Intermediate Grade)]

[Magic Items: Three Pure Ones Whisk (Low-grade Magic Item), Black Iron Sword (High-grade Spiritual Weapon)]

[Combat Strength Assessment: Ordinary early-stage Core Formation cultivator, below average strength]

[Suggestion: Using the apparent strength of a fake Core Formation cultivator, one can employ Five Elements magic to maneuver and narrowly win after a hundred moves.]

Han Mu knew what was going on. With his true mid-stage Core Formation cultivation, crushing Xuan Chengzi would be a piece of cake. But in order not to arouse suspicion, he had to put on a "hard fight".

"Fellow Daoist Han, please!" Xuan Chengzi flicked his whisk, and three thousand silver threads surged, transforming into a sky full of silver light that enveloped Han Mu. This was the Qingxu Sect's signature spell, "Three Thousand Troublesome Threads," which would stagnate the flow of spiritual energy once someone was entangled in it.

Han Mu neither dodged nor avoided, but unfolded his folding fan, and five-colored spiritual light flowed, forming a five-element protective shield in front of him.

"Clang clang clang!"

The silver wire struck the protective shield, producing a metallic clang. The shield trembled slightly but did not break.

"Five Elements magic? That's rare." Xuan Chengzi was slightly surprised, but not bothered. It was already quite good that a pseudo-Core Formation cultivator could block his casual attack.

He formed a hand seal, and the Xuan Tie sword was drawn, transforming into a streak of black light that slashed towards Han Mu. This sword strike used seventy percent of his strength, enough to severely injure an ordinary pseudo-core cultivator.

Han Mu did not dodge. He closed his folding fan and drew an arc in front of him. Five-colored spiritual light gathered and transformed into a five-element shield.

"boom!"

The sword light struck the shield with a loud bang. Several cracks appeared in the shield, but it did not shatter. Han Mu was sent flying more than ten feet backward, his face slightly pale, clearly having suffered a minor loss.

"Ancestor!" Han Changqing and the others exclaimed in surprise.

Han Mu waved his hand to indicate that he was alright, but in his mind he was calculating. He had only used 30% of his strength to defend against that sword strike, displaying just the right amount of power—appearing strained but not actually injured.

"They can withstand it, though." Xuan Chengzi sneered, waving his whisk again. This time, instead of silver threads, it transformed into three cyan wind blades, slashing towards Han Mu in a triangular formation. This was another spell of the Qingxu Sect, "Three Pure Ones Slash," which was even more powerful than the flying sword from before.

This time, Han Mu didn't try to take the attack head-on. Instead, he swayed and used the "Five Elements Escape Technique," transforming into five afterimages that dodged in different directions. This was a movement technique from the "True Explanation of the Five Elements" he obtained from the system, and it was extremely profound.

"A mere trick!" Xuan Chengzi locked onto Han Mu's true form with his divine sense, flicked his whisk, and silver threads spread like a net over one of the figures.

However, just as the silver thread was about to touch him, the figure suddenly exploded, turning into a ball of flame. At the same time, four other afterimages attacked simultaneously, with spells of the four elements—metal, wood, water, and earth—attacking Xuan Chengzi from four directions.

"Illusion?" Xuan Chengzi was startled. He used his whisk to defend himself, spreading layers of silver light around himself.

"Boom boom boom boom!"

Four spells struck the silver light, failing to break through its defenses but causing Xuan Chengzi to sway slightly. His expression darkened—a mere pseudo-core cultivator had managed to throw him into disarray.

"Good! Good! Good!" Xuan Chengzi exclaimed three times, clearly genuinely enraged. "It seems I underestimated you. If you can withstand this next move, what's wrong with the Crimson Gold Mine being yours?"

He put away his whisk, formed hand seals, and chanted incantations. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth began to gather, forming a phantom image of a giant azure sword above his head. This was the "Azure Origin Slash," a deadly move from the "Azure Origin Sword Technique," a supreme martial art of the Qingxu Sect. It required the cultivation level of Core Formation to unleash and possessed immense power.

Han Mu's expression turned "solemn." He unfolded his folding fan and poured his five-colored spiritual light into it. This time, he decided not to hide too much—to make his opponent back down, he had to demonstrate sufficient strength.

"Azure Yuan Slash!"

Xuan Chengzi let out a sharp shout, and the cyan giant sword crashed down.

"The Five Elements Revolve!"

Han Mu flicked his folding fan, and five-colored spiritual light transformed into a halo, heading towards the giant sword.

"Boom—!"

A deafening roar erupted, and shockwaves swept in all directions. The onlookers retreated hastily, with those of weaker cultivation even experiencing a surge of qi and blood from the impact.

As the smoke cleared, everyone could see the scene clearly.

Han Mu's face was "pale," a trace of "blood" spilled from the corner of his mouth, and a crack appeared in the folding fan in his hand. Xuan Chengzi, though standing still, had his Taoist robe sleeves torn and his hair somewhat disheveled.

"You..." Xuan Chengzi stared at Han Mu, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He had used his full strength in that attack just now, which should have been enough to severely injure or even kill a pseudo-core cultivator. But Han Mu only suffered minor injuries, which was illogical.

"Fellow Daoist Xuanchengzi, shall we continue?" Han Mu "barely" stood firm, his voice "weak" but resolute.

Xuan Chengzi's expression shifted. He couldn't gauge Han Mu's true strength—his attack just now clearly showed that the opponent was at his last gasp, but what if he still had a backup plan? Moreover, Han Mu was backed by Huangfeng Valley; killing him in full view of everyone would likely cause trouble.

"Hmph!" Xuan Chengzi flicked his sleeves. "You're lucky today. The Crimson Gold Mine belongs to your Han family, but my Qingxu Sect will not let this go!"

After saying that, he led ten Foundation Establishment cultivators and disappeared in a flash of light.

Watching the Qingxu Sect members disappear into the horizon, Han Mu breathed a sigh of relief, his figure swaying slightly.

"Ancestor!" Han Changqing and the others rushed forward.

"I'm fine." Han Mu waved his hand, wiping the "blood" from the corner of his mouth. "It's just that I overused my spiritual energy. I'll be fine after a short rest."

He chuckled inwardly. His performance just now was quite good; he had both dismissed Xuan Chengzi and concealed his true strength. Moreover, the crack on the folding fan was deliberately created to make it more realistic.

"System, has there been any change in the family's reputation?" Han Mu asked in his mind.

[Family Reputation: Significantly Enhanced (Repelled the Core Formation Elder of Qingxu Sect, Intimidating Surrounding Forces)]

[Loyalty of affiliated families: Zhao family +20, Sun family +15]

The special event "Battle for the Crimson Gold Mine" has been completed.

[Reward: Clan Contribution Points +1000, Five Elements Spirit Pool Construction Speed ​​Increased by 30%]

"Not bad." Han Mu nodded in satisfaction. After this battle, no force should dare to provoke us for a while. As for the Qingxu Sect, with Elder Linghu holding the line, there shouldn't be any major problems.

"Changqing, expedite the construction of the spirit pool. I want to see it operational within a month at most," Han Mu instructed.

"yes!"

Han Changqing accepted the order. He knew that once the Five Elements Spirit Pool was completed, the Han family's strength would experience a leap forward. At that time, not only the Qingxu Sect, but also the other forces among the seven major sects would have to look at the Han family with new respect.

And all of this was under Han Mu's control.