Cultivating a family of immortals

In the back courtyard of the Xu family mansion, Xu Changle and Zhou Xingyao stood by the window, looking at the two boys sitting cross-legged in the main hall through the window, and the corners of their mouths slightly raised.

"Xingyao, is the darkroom ready?"

Zhou Xingyao nodded and reached out to take Xu Changle's arm.

"Everything's ready, Brother Le. Do you really have spiritual roots too?"

Xu Changle said with a smile:

"What, would Brother Le lie to you?"

Zhou Xingyao playfully punched Xu Changle's chest shyly, "Isn't it said that only children can develop spiritual roots?"

"I was born when I was ten years old, but I only have the lowest level of the Five Elements Spiritual Root. Now my Xu family has enemies in the shadows, so I have no choice but to cultivate. I need to have some power to protect myself. You'll have a hard time from now on."

Zhou Xingyao shook her head and nestled her face against Xu Changle's chest.

"When I got married, my father said that I should serve you wholeheartedly. What does a dark room matter? You can take me anywhere."

Xu Changle burst into laughter, reached out and lifted Zhou Xingyao's chin, gazing into her eyes.

"If your father hadn't given the order, would you still have been so dedicated?"

Zhou Xingyao lowered her eyes and nodded gently.

Xu Changle leaned down and gently kissed her lips...

The next day, Wu Yuanzuo got up early to prepare to send Xu Changle and his wife to the Haoran Immortal Sect.

Upon finding Xu Wanghe, Xu Wanghe chuckled and said, "Chang Le disguised herself as a villager and left this morning."

Wu Yuanzuo frowned and said:

"Uncle Xu, why didn't you stop him? Cui Hehuan is lurking in the shadows; no one knows where he is. If he were to come looking for us now..."

Xu Wanghe noticed the dissatisfaction in Wu Yuanzuo's eyes, and the concern he felt seemed genuine.

So his gaze toward Wu Yuanzuo softened even more.

"Have you eaten? I had your aunt stew a pot of rock-cracked barb meat for you; it's very nourishing."

Wu Yuanzuo sighed and had no choice but to give up.

"Once we reach the Immortal Sect, there will be no problem. I will send a message to Guan Yi, asking him to go down the mountain and check. If Chang Le has arrived, that would be best."

That's exactly what I think.

At this time, Li Jinglei and Li Jingtao had also gotten up, had breakfast, and went straight to the main hall.

Both of them looked quite well; Li Jinglei's face even appeared a bit fairer.

Xu Wanghe did not let the two eat meat. Firstly, it was to encourage them, and secondly, the meat of the Mountain-Splitting Fang was rich in spiritual energy. Mortals' meridians were not yet open and their dantian was not yet activated. If they ate it, their physical bodies would have problems, especially young children like them.

Even Xu Wanghe and Li Rongping only dared to drink a little soup, which was considered a great tonic.

"You two need to keep up the good work today. Whoever awakens their spiritual root first will get a pot of meat from the Mountain-Splitting Falcon cooked for you tonight."

The two men stared at the small pot on the table, the aroma of stewed meat wafting over them, and they swallowed hard.

"Master, we will definitely do our best!"

Xu Wanghe nodded in satisfaction.

…………

The two side rooms in the back of the Xu family mansion were filled with miscellaneous items.

Below are the two hidden rooms that Xu Changle had dug.

One room was used for meditation and rest, while the other was empty, with the floor covered in dirt.

The dark room for cultivation was entirely built with fire walls for warmth.

Inside the firewall were dozens of circular flues, and the fire was lit in the upper wing. Li Rongping was responsible for burning firewood every day. The smoke circulated through the flues, providing warmth.

Zhou Xingyao tidied the bed, sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and reached for a miscellaneous book on the nearby bookshelf to read. As she read, she glanced at the room next door, where Xu Changle cultivated and planted spiritual herbs. She felt quite content.

Li Rongping delivered their meals daily, so they didn't need to worry about that.

Xu Changle was also focused on sensing the spiritual energy described in the [Five Elements Spirit Guiding Technique].

The first stage of spiritual practice is the embryonic breathing stage.

The core of this realm is to cut off breathing through the mouth and nose, use the dantian as a furnace to condense innate qi, break free from the limitations of breathing in the mortal body, and then feel the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

At this stage, spiritual energy cannot be drawn into the body; it can only nourish the physical body and awaken the spiritual root.

After trying for a long time, Xu Changle's face turned red, and finally he opened his eyes with a "pfft" and gasped for breath.

Indeed, one cannot cultivate without spiritual roots.

He felt nothing.

He shook his head, stood up, and took out a small jade pendant.

Xu Changle smiled and stroked it.

This jade tablet is Xu Guanyi's "Life and Death Jade Tablet".

Before leaving, Xu Guanyi exchanged the mid-grade spirit stone for one hundred low-grade spirit stones from Wu Yuanzuo.

He used one of the low-grade spirit stones to forge his [Life and Death Jade Token].

Looking at the faintly glowing surface, Xu Changle said softly:

"Guan Yi, is your cultivation in the sect going smoothly? Just wait a few years, and I'll catch up with you."

After speaking, he put the jade pendant away and then carefully took out the small green bottle from his pocket.

Looking at the object in his hand, Xu Changle was deeply moved.

The wonder of this object is so great that even the Vast Immortal Sect probably wouldn't dare to dream of its existence.

It's truly an incredible stroke of luck that the Xu family has now acquired it.

After a moment's hesitation, he walked to the wall, where a wooden bucket filled with water was placed. He opened the lid and gently dripped a drop into it.

The green liquid in the bottle poured into the bucket, creating ripples, and besides that, the room was filled with a lingering fragrance.

The fragrance of the seedlings bearing fruit.

Xu Changle sniffed it, smiled, put the small green bottle into his pocket, and then began to plant the spirit seedling.

The soil here was freshly turned, and Xu Guanyi simply planted all the spirit seedlings he had previously hidden on it.

Most of the seedlings were wilted, as if they had been hit by frost.

Unlike ordinary crops, it doesn't die when it withers.

If planted properly and treated with Qingmu powder, it can be saved.

There's no need to use Qingmu San now.

Xu Changle carried the wooden bucket and watered the seedlings one by one. Finally, he left a small spoonful of water, thought for a moment, and then licked some off with his hand.

There was no other taste.

After doing all this, Xu Changle left the dark room, walked through a short corridor, and arrived at the resting dark room.

Zhou Xingyao immediately stood up and said with a smile, "Brother Le, how's your cultivation going?"

Xu Changle recalled how Guan Yi had licked the water containing the green liquid, which caused him to develop a fever similar to a cold, and shook his head.

"I'm not feeling well, I think I caught a chill, I'll take a nap."

"Oh, how about we go out and ask a fortune teller to take a look?"

"No," Xu Changle said with a smile, patting Zhou Xingyao's head. "We agreed to stay here in seclusion starting today. How can we go out? It's just a slight cold; a good night's sleep will fix it."

As soon as he finished speaking, sure enough, Xu Changle felt a bit hot and dizzy.

So he quickly went to sleep.

Zhou Xingyao held his hand tightly and stayed by his side, feeling sorry for him.

About three hours later, Xu Changle finally woke up, feeling a bit sore all over.

But it always felt different from before.

His eyes seemed to have brightened a bit, and his body seemed to contain some power, but he didn't know how to use it.

"Brother Le, are you feeling better?"

Xu Changle glanced at the basin of water beside the bed, which contained a wet burlap sack, and felt a chill on her forehead.

It seems that Zhou Xingyao had been applying cold compresses to him.

Holding her hand, Xu Changle smiled and said, "I feel much better. Wait here while I go back to cultivate for a while."

Zhou Xingyao nodded obediently.

In the dark room, Xu Changle closed his eyes and regulated his breathing, gradually stopping his breathing as described in the cultivation method, and sensing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

At first, it was naturally difficult to feel. He opened his mouth and breathed for a while, repeating this several times. Finally, he felt a warm, spring-like sensation in his abdomen.

Immediately afterwards, he stopped breathing completely, and innate energy arose from his dantian, circulating throughout his body and forming a unified whole.

Thus, Xu Changle has already touched the threshold of the Fetal Breathing Realm; all that remains is time.