A daily divination, from family tortoise shells to immortal clans.

"Envoy Zhou, why have you arrived so early this time?"

In the council chamber, Chen Ming was questioning Zhou Tinglong, who was sitting at the head of the table.

There is still more than a month before the tribute is due, and according to previous years, the Yuanjian Sect will not send anyone until the end of December.

"The sect's disciple recruitment time this year is roughly the same as last time, and it will begin in a few days. I have come here specifically to pick up Chen Weisheng and Qin Wangyue."

Chen Mingzheng suddenly realized what was going on and immediately arranged for someone to call the two little ones and Chen Qingmo together.

The Yuanjian Sect recruits disciples mainly in the last three months of the year, with slight variations in timing each time.

They will release information in advance to attract people to participate, and those who pass the test can join the sect.

Those with Heavenly Spiritual Root, Mutant Spiritual Root, or Dual True Spiritual Root can join at any time. Heavenly Spiritual Root cultivators have excellent talent and will not encounter the bottleneck of Foundation Establishment. Within a few years, they can become the backbone of the sect.

Mutant spiritual roots are second only to celestial spiritual roots, and are even rarer.

Although dual-elemental true spiritual roots have a bottleneck in Foundation Establishment, their success rate in Foundation Establishment is far higher than that of other cultivators, making them highly sought after by various sects.

People like Chen Weisheng and Qin Wangyue need to participate in the test according to the rules of the Yuanjian Sect.

Even if a cultivator with four spiritual roots like Chen Qingmo enters a sect, he will only become a menial disciple, facing a shortage of resources and having a lot of work to do.

Unless they can break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, like Master Tiejian, they will not be valued by the sect.

In fact, after Tie Jian Zhenren achieved Foundation Establishment, Yuan Jian Zong had extended an olive branch to him.

However, he was used to a leisurely life and did not want to be bound by the rules of the sect, so he declined the invitation.

For someone like Chen Mingzheng, from a family under the sect's jurisdiction, the Foundation Establishment Pill was the most likely means to advance further. Therefore, he asked the question that was on his mind most:

"Your Excellency, I wonder if the sect can still exchange Foundation Establishment Pills?"

Zhou Tinglong's lips curled slightly, as if he had expected this, and he chuckled:

"As expected, you and the Bai family both obtained Earth Spirit Fruits, right? This Hundred Spirits Secret Realm is truly quite peculiar."

Chen Mingzheng felt a pang of anxiety, unable to recall when he had revealed this matter.

Zhou Tinglong offered words of comfort:

"Don't be nervous, I have no interest in this. This Hundred Spirits Secret Realm is controlled by three Foundation Establishment cultivators, so it's not easy for you to obtain any opportunities from it."

"Before I came here, I went to other families to look for immortal seedlings, including the Bai family. They have already exchanged them for Foundation Establishment Pills from me."

"I had a suspicion at the time, but I can only be completely sure now."

After Zhou Tinglong finished speaking, he paused, then reached into his storage bag at his waist and took out a jade box.

"This is the Foundation Establishment Pill. I happen to always carry a few with me. Your two families are quite lucky."

Chen Mingzheng quickly took out the Earth Spirit Fruit and handed it to Zhou Tinglong, then put away the Foundation Establishment Pill.

"If you can keep this secret, your two families will have the resources to exchange for Foundation Establishment Pills."

"But once someone breaks through to the Foundation Establishment stage, the Sun and Zheng families will definitely notice. When the secret realm is exposed, they will definitely want a share of the spoils."

Zhou Tinglong analyzed the pros and cons of this matter.

"If we can really break through, it doesn't matter if we get a share of the profits; it'll just mean waiting another ten or twenty years."

Chen Mingzheng's eyes were firm. He could protect his family for nearly two hundred years once he broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage, and the value of a few Earth Spirit Fruits was far less than that.

Zhou Tinglong nodded, said no more, and closed his eyes to rest.

The two didn't wait long in the council hall before Chen Qingmo arrived with Chen Weisheng and Qin Wangyue.

Upon seeing Zhou Tinglong, Chen Qingmo immediately understood, and he bowed respectfully, saying:

"Greetings, Your Excellency."

The two little ones also bowed.

Zhou Tinglong did not reply, but stared straight at Chen Qingmo.

Chen Qingmo felt uncomfortable as he was being scanned by divine sense, but since the other party was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he dared not make any rash moves.

After a moment, Zhou Tinglong withdrew his gaze and couldn't help but laugh:

"Haha, you actually inherited Lin Tiankuang's Green Mountain Sword Technique."

"The old man refused to join my sect, but he still found someone from my sect's family to take him as a disciple."

"Kid, have you mastered it? Show me."

There was a sense of familiarity with the young man in front of him, so he couldn't help but use his divine sense to investigate.

Chen Qingmo chuckled twice:

"My lord, Master forbids me from showing this to others easily."

"It's alright. I've sparred with him a few times, so we're old friends. I'm familiar with all his sword techniques, so you don't need to worry."

Upon hearing this, Chen Qingmo said awkwardly:

"I haven't been cultivating for very long, and I only have a few sword threads in my body."

Having said that, he summoned it and wrapped it around his arm.

Seeing this, Zhou Tinglong was slightly disappointed, but he also knew that the Iron Sword Master's sword technique was not easy to cultivate, so he didn't say anything more.

He calmed himself down and said seriously:

"In that case, you should cultivate diligently."

"I have come here to bring Chen Weisheng and Qin Wangyue to the sect. We shall set off today."

"I observe that Wei Sheng possesses a good water-attribute spiritual root, and I intend to take him as my disciple to pass on the Surging Waves Sword Technique to me. As his father, what are your thoughts?"

Chen Qingmo was surprised that his son had won Zhou Tinglong's favor, and quickly said:

"It is a great honor for the Emperor to accept me as his disciple, and I would never stop him."

"Wei Sheng, why don't you hurry up and become my disciple?"

Finally, he didn't forget to remind Chen Weisheng to find a master.

"Greetings, Master."

The little guy knelt down and performed a grand salute.

Zhou Tinglong watched quietly, and helped Chen Weisheng up after he finished.

Qin Wangyue, standing to the side, lowered her head, seemingly somewhat unhappy.

Zhou Tinglong had already noticed and comforted him:

"Wangyue, don't be discouraged. Your spiritual root lacks water, so you are not suitable to pass on my swordsmanship. After you join the sect, I will find a suitable master to teach you."

Hearing this, Qin Wangyue finally cheered up.

She's still a child at heart and can't hide her emotions.

"The matter is settled, and I will not linger any longer. Other cultivators from the sect will come to collect the offerings at the end of December, so please prepare accordingly."

After saying that, he summoned the flying boat, and after the two little ones said goodbye to Chen Qingmo and Chen Mingzheng, the three of them flew away at high speed.

"There's hope for the family's revival!"

After the three left, Chen Mingzheng sighed.

Chen Qingmo nodded slightly, then went home.

Xinghe Village.

Su Xue felt a sudden panic. She looked up and saw Chen Qingmo returning, but there was no child beside him.

"Where are Wei Sheng and Wang Yue? Why didn't they come back with you?"

She asked anxiously.

"They went to the Yuanjian Sect. The envoy arrived suddenly and left with the two children not long after."

Chen Qingmo gently embraced her and spoke softly.

Su Xue felt somewhat saddened, but she also knew that this was for the good of her child's future.

Chen Qingmo gently patted her back and comforted her:

"Wei Lan and Wei Xia are still at home, don't be too sad."

"Is your cultivation stable enough? Would you like to try breaking through to the fourth level of Qi Refining?"

He tried to change the subject.

"It's still a bit short, let's wait a little longer."

Although Su Xue had been cultivating, her progress was slow due to her lack of aptitude.

"The annual festival is coming soon, and the family will send someone to Xiyun Town to purchase some items."

"The purchasing agent should come to Xinghe Village. If you and your mother want to go to the town, I will arrange for someone to bring you a carriage."

After Chen Qingmo reached the seventh level of Qi Refining, he gained more influence within the clan and could make decisions on some minor matters.

"Okay, the children rarely go out more than two or three times a year, so my mother and I will take them to town for a visit."

Xinghe Village is quite far from Xiyun Town, and there aren't many horses or oxcarts, so it's not very convenient to go out on weekdays.

The children in the village usually travel to Xiyun Town with a caravan from Taixuan Mountain when the annual festival is approaching. This has been a long-standing tradition of the Chen family.

Seeing that Su Xue was no longer sad, Chen Qingmo also relaxed.