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

Three years.

The cultivation cycle for ordinary practitioners is very long.

Chen An was no exception.

After Yu Peiyao emerged from seclusion, Chen An and Ye Hongyi began an immersive retreat.

Chen An's cultivation level reached the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and he was forty-seven years old.

As a cultivator with three spiritual roots, Chen An's cultivation speed was already fast enough. Besides having a cultivator with a heavenly spiritual root to help him with dual cultivation, the most important reason was the current war.

War profits are really easy to make.

Without the war, Chen An would not have been able to acquire such a large quantity of high-grade pills, and the sect would not have granted permission for lower-level cultivators to exchange for them.

The sect needs its lower-level cultivators to risk their lives to open up new possibilities for the Qian Kingdom.

Meanwhile, cultivators at the lower levels also seek hope of breaking through to higher realms in this chaotic world, in order to survive and become stronger.

A Foundation Establishment age of forty is nothing special in a sect, because there are too many Foundation Establishment disciples around forty years old in the family.

However, at the age of forty-seven, having achieved the mid-stage Foundation Establishment realm through his own efforts, the value of that achievement goes without saying.

It's normal for direct descendants of sects to break through quickly.

However, if a disciple from another family can also break through cultivation quickly, it means that this disciple from another family has exceptional talent and is worthy of being nurtured.

Some people even believe that as long as Chen An survives this war, he will have a chance to compete for the Golden Core in the future.

There was no need to hide it. As soon as Chen An emerged from seclusion, the Yu family members immediately conveyed the news to the clan that both Chen An and Ye Hongyi had broken through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

Two more names were added to the list of the sect's prodigies: Chen An and Ye Hongyi.

Between Ye Hongyi and Chen An, the Golden Core cultivators favored Chen An more.

Since the incident involving Hua Feijian and Liu Cheng, most Golden Core cultivators have known that Ye Hongyi possesses a Heavenly Spiritual Root.

It's perfectly normal for her to break through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, because those with Heavenly Spiritual Roots should have a fast breakthrough speed.

However, Chen An possesses three spiritual roots. He has only been at the Foundation Establishment stage for less than seven years. Without the nurturing of a Golden Core family, or even a Foundation Establishment family behind him, his growth is entirely due to his own efforts.

When Chen An first entered the Foundation Establishment stage, someone investigated his background. After he entered the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, someone investigated Chen An's background again.

It's so clean that Chen An's cultivation path can be traced, including his cooperation with the Yu family and Yu Peiyao, who has four spiritual roots and has become a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Chen An and Yu Peiyao are exemplary in managing resources within the sect.

If a disciple like Yu Peiyao can cultivate to the peak of Foundation Establishment, the Yu family or sect will definitely give her a chance to break through to the Golden Core stage.

Failure is regrettable.

Once she successfully forms her core, Yu Peiyao's status as a direct descendant of the sect will qualify her to compete for the next round of sect leader positions.

If Chen An wants to form his core, he needs a Golden Core expert to take him as a disciple, and this Golden Core expert must be from the Yu family.

As for Ye Hongyi, it is estimated that the Yu family now regards Ye Hongyi as a hot potato. Since she has a Heavenly Spiritual Root, as long as she is given resources, even the lowest-grade resources, she will definitely be able to form a Core. However, it is impossible for the Yu family to have two non-family cultivators, Chen An and Ye Hongyi, in the next generation of Core Formation cultivators.

Unless Ye Hongyi or Chen An, one of them is willing to become a demon core cultivator.

The main base behind the war.

Thirteen figures were projected onto a huge crystal screen. They were either Foundation Establishment stage leaders or Golden Core cultivators of the Yu family in the current era.

An old man with a pockmarked face spoke up: "Junior Brother Qingchen, didn't you meet that boy Chen? Why didn't you take him as your disciple back then?"

Yu Qingchen grinned awkwardly and said, "I was busy looking at the Soul-Nourishing Grass at the time, so I arranged for it to be given to the Song family so they could take care of Chen and Pei Yao."

"How could I have imagined that a mere Foundation Establishment stage kid would cause such a ruckus, even attracting that girl with the Heavenly Spiritual Root to his side?"

The pockmarked old man said, "Junior Brother Qingchen, don't try to evade the issue. If it weren't for you, the Golden Core cultivators from other families wouldn't have stood by and watched Ye Hongyi follow that brat Chen An."

Yu Qingchen said, "That kid Chen gave up the opportunity to obtain the Soul-Nourishing Grass, and you want me to stop him from taking a concubine? What kind of behavior is that! It's all about love between men and women. I can't just accept someone's favor and then do nothing about it."

"Besides, Lan Hua also told me that according to the rules, Chen could have taken the Soul-Nourishing Grass and exchanged it for spirit stones himself. Chen has also made connections with the Shangguan family. Do you think that if Chen had given the Soul-Nourishing Grass to the Shangguan family back then, would the Shangguan family have protected him?"

The pockmarked old man sighed and said, "Then how about we ask Junior Brother Qingchen to accept Chen An as his disciple?"

Yu Qingchen quickly shook his head and said, "No, no, if Chen An had grown up a little slower, I wouldn't mind taking him in. But Chen An is growing up too fast, and he also has a concubine with a Heavenly Spirit Root. If my family's younger generation marries him, they'll probably be bullied to death."

The pockmarked old man said, "Then what do you suggest we do? Are you suggesting we keep both geniuses, Chen An and Ye Hongyi, out the door? If the old monster from the Song family finds out, he'll laugh his head off."

Yu Qingchen said, "Senior brother, besides the two of us, aren't there junior brothers and sisters? Just have them accept Chen An as their disciple."

"As for Core Formation, we'll talk about that later."

After the two oldest cultivators finished speaking, the remaining Golden Core cultivators and Foundation Establishment cultivators began their discussion.

I will definitely take on apprentices.

However, finding someone to collect it has become a major problem.

In fact, cultivators who practice cultivation within their own family are more willing to nurture cultivators from their own family lineage, even if they have slightly lower aptitude, they are willing to invest more resources in them.

Training outsiders is ultimately risky. If they grow up and then leave, or feel they've been treated unfairly and turn against the family, then it's a losing proposition.

If they were only trained to the Foundation Establishment stage, it wouldn't be a big deal, but Chen An and Ye Hongyi have the potential to reach the Core Formation stage in the future, which is a much riskier prospect.

Just when everyone was at a stalemate.

In the corner, a beautiful Taoist nun dressed in an apricot-yellow robe slowly stood up and said softly, "Since my fellow disciples cannot make a decision, let that boy become my disciple."

The pockmarked old man looked at the beautiful Taoist nun, frowned, and whispered, "Junior Sister Mochou, are you going to take on a disciple?"

Yu Mochou looked at the pockmarked old man and asked, "Senior brother, is there a problem?"

The pockmarked old man said, "Junior Sister Mochou has no descendants. Why would you take this kid as your disciple? Your lineage will definitely not agree to let this kid steal their Core Formation resources."

Yu Mochou said, "That kid is only in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. You're taking him too seriously. He's still a long way from Core Formation."

Yu Qingchen chimed in, "That's right, that's right. Senior Brother Ma Zi, just leave this to Junior Sister Mo Chou. We don't need to get involved. Besides, Chen boy is being watched over by Pei Yao!"

"Perhaps, Chen and Peiyao are the real couple. Both of them are experts at making resources, and they might even reach the Core Formation stage in the future."

The pockmarked old man hated being called "Pockmarked," but in the entire Yu family, only Yu Qingchen dared to call him that. So he just glared at Yu Qingchen and said, "Since none of you want to take on disciples, then let Junior Sister Mochou take on disciples."

"It would be best to hold the apprenticeship ceremony as soon as possible."

"Go to the treasure vault, no, let the third brother forge a new magic weapon and a one-time life-saving magic weapon. That's the attitude of the Yu family."

"My Yu family can also accommodate geniuses."

As he spoke, he pointed at the other Golden Core elders and scolded them, "You lot! You're all so petty, afraid that this kid Chen will steal the resources from your juniors."

"Don't you guys even think about it? Where did Chen get all the resources he has now? Not a single one of them was provided to him by others."