Immortality and cultivation begin at age forty, starting with Foundation Establishment.

Wang Qian's concerns were valid, and Chen An understood this.

Family-based cultivation practices often generate exclusionary reactions, which is a very common phenomenon.

Surnames and bloodlines are very important to families that practice cultivation.

They adhere to their own set of principles: those who are not of our family must have different intentions.

There are precedents in the cultivation world where outsiders, after obtaining family resources, led the family to its destruction.

One precedent is enough to make those who follow have reservations.

If Yu Peiyao has talent and a future, it's not a big deal. Chen An has plenty of time; he can wait.

However, Yu Peiyao simply lacked talent. Even though she desperately climbed to the Foundation Establishment stage, she would still have to face a new challenge in the future. It was too difficult for someone with four spiritual roots to step into the Golden Core stage.

After reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, Yu Peiyao could no longer obtain resources through family connections. Some family members even developed a hostile reaction because Yu Peiyao kept acquiring resources without giving anything back.

The Yu family, a large clan with tens of thousands of members, invests a lot of resources in someone who has no hope of reaching a higher level. This is tantamount to encroaching on the resources of those who originally had the potential to reach a higher level.

If Yu Peiyao cannot find a channel to acquire resources on her own, then she is destined to have conflicts with many people in her family.

Chen An was the person chosen by Yu Peiyao.

That night.

Chen An and Wang Qian talked for a long time about their future plans, whether to continue on this ship or switch to a new one and choose a new course.

Ultimately, Chen An decided to continue the collaboration, believing that things would work out in the end.

If you abandon Yu Peiyao today, will you abandon other partners in the future for a better one?

Moreover, Yu Lanhua has already found a new path for Chen An: Shangguan Changqing from the Shangguan family.

Under normal circumstances, even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would only face certain death if they wavered between two Golden Core families.

However, with Yu Lanhua acting as a buffer zone, there is a lot of room for maneuver.

In the latter half of the night.

Chen An and Wang Qian each held a black stone in their hands.

The two black stones seemed to be drawn together by a subtle force, as if trying to attract each other.

Feeling the pure spiritual energy emanating from the black stone, Wang Qian couldn't help but ask, "Senior brother, do you think that if these two black stones are combined, it will really open up a grotto-heaven, just like Senior Brother Zhou said?"

Chen An's expression was solemn as he repeatedly scanned the two black stones, weighing the pros and cons, but ultimately decided not to place them together.

The world of cultivation is full of incredible things, but if you are not strong enough to bear the consequences of your curiosity, it is best not to try.

Because the opportunity is too great, it may bring disaster.

Just like old man Wang Pu, his group went to the lair of the demon wolf beast and successfully stole a storage bag belonging to a Golden Core cultivator, which was originally an incredible opportunity.

However, Yan Gang discovered a clue, and without knowing anything, he tortured Wang Pu with the Soul-Drawing Whip for an entire day.

In fact, if Wang Pu had committed suicide immediately, his family might still have benefited, and Yan Gang might not have targeted other members of the Wang family.

Wang Pu hesitated only slightly before losing control of his own life and death.

If Chen An reveals that he has obtained a fortuitous opportunity, will someone similar to Yan Gang arrest and interrogate him?

The answer is yes.

The simplest example is Zhou Wen. Because he broke through to the peak of the Qi Refining stage with five spiritual roots, many people in the sect were watching him and wanted to find out his secrets.

Several Foundation Establishment cultivators even wanted to take Zhou Wen as their disciple.

Chen An didn't know exactly what Zhou Wen had gone through, but Zhou Wen's initial becoming a demon hunter might not have been voluntary; it was very likely that he wanted to hide from someone in the Demon Beast Mountain Range.

In the past, when hunting demons didn't earn spirit stones, many ordinary disciples in sects would choose to risk joining demon-hunting teams because they had offended some people in the sect and couldn't make a living there, so they would take this path.

Zhou Wen was lucky; some unfortunate people had already died in the sect.

If someone has poor talent but breaks through cultivation quickly, and lacks specific resources, then that person has probably obtained a fortuitous opportunity. If they can't hide it, they will die.

Is there really a gateway to a hidden paradise behind the two black stones?

I don't know, maybe there's a man-eating demon.

Wang Qian did not hide her thoughts; she offered a different opinion. She wanted to open the Black Stone and see the entrance to the cave behind it.

"Senior brother, the great battle is about to begin. The more trump cards we have, the better our chances of survival and the more resources we can acquire in the future."

"This black stone radiating spiritual energy alone cannot help us improve our cultivation level in a short time. When we break through the barriers of our realm in the future, we will still need to use spirit stones and pills."

"So, senior brother, I'd like to try opening it."

Wang Qian guessed Chen An's concerns, but she had her own ideas. Chen An simply felt indebted to Wang Qian because of the dual cultivation incident and didn't want her to take the risk again.

Wang Qian didn't feel wronged; she felt it was only right and proper. Being able to participate in Chen An's life was enough to make her happy.

Wang Qian hugged Chen An from the front and whispered, "Senior brother, I know you're worried about me, but senior brother, in this world of cultivation, getting opportunities means taking risks. We've already been very lucky."

"Let me take the risk one more time. If I succeed, my senior brother will make me a concubine. If I fail, my senior brother can just forget about me."

"Shi Ying may be a bit silly, but I know she knows how to take care of her senior brother!"

Chen An sighed. He knew that Wang Qian was professing her loyalty to him again; this was Wang Qian's unique way of showing her love.

Wang Qian's life is abnormal. She was abducted by her father when she was young. Fortunately, she met her white moonlight, Chen An, but her life was still full of sadness. In the following two years, she was bullied by children her own age. After joining the sect for two years, she was coveted by Qi Refining disciples.

Chen An, who found her again, needed her as a vessel.

Wang Qian didn't know what a cauldron was, but she was willing to become Chen An's cauldron. As long as Chen An had a small place for her in his heart, she would be content.

On the day she was sexually assaulted, Wang Qian was in great pain, but she endured the pain and saw a hint of tenderness on Chen An's face. That was her happiest moment.

Wang Qian used all her strength and gave all her power to Chen An to help him successfully break through to the next level.

Chen An spent more time with her.

Wang Qian became more talkative.

During the days when Chen An was with her, she often shared her thoughts and suggestions, providing guidance for Chen An's spiritual practice.

Wang Qian recalled a line from the book and reminded Chen An, "Senior brother, in the struggle for the Great Dao, one must be ruthless."

"I'm just a little woman, senior brother, you don't need to worry about me."

Chen An simply replied "okay," then hugged Wang Qian tightly and placed the black stone in her other hand.

Two black stones, one yin and one yang, represent both danger and opportunity.