Chapter 174: The Beginning of Yuehu's Changes, The Result of Waiting by the Stump for a Rabbit

Returning to Dongxi, Xu Chuan said to Wu Tao, "Go attend to your duties."

"Yes, Grand Elder."

Wu Tao bowed with cupped hands, then flew toward the Discipline Hall.

Xu Dejing was already several months pregnant. His heart was concerned, fearing she would overwork herself.

With a sweep of his divine sense, Xu Chuan discovered Xu Mingshu was at the white tiger's den, touching the female tiger's belly with a bright smile.

"Little White, your offspring are my offspring. I, Xu Mingshu, now have offspring too."

The white tiger tilted its head, its tiger eyes showing incomprehension.

How did they become Big Sister's?

"What nonsense are you spouting?"

Xu Mingshu laughed somewhat awkwardly twice, then said, "Father, you're back so quickly?"

"It doesn't take much time."

"Oh, then why are you looking for me?"

"During this grain submission, I heard about something. The spirit fields of the Lu family, a fifth-rank Qi Refining family, suffered an insect plague. More than half of the planted spirit rice was destroyed."

"Insect plague? Father doesn't suspect your daughter did it, does he?"

Xu Chuan raised his hand and gave a crisp flick to her forehead, his fingertip producing a light sound as he laughed and scolded, "Am I that foolish?"

"You're right. Your daughter was confused." Xu Mingshu rubbed her forehead.

"Once this kind of insect plague breaks out, it's definitely large-scale. I know how many spirit insects you have in hand, but the spirit insects causing the plague certainly can't compare to ancient rare insects like the Iron-Devouring Flying Ants.

I came to have you dispatch the Iron-Devouring Flying Ants to guard the spirit fields in the near future. They're presumably more sensitive to their own kind than we are and can detect them earlier."

Xu Mingshu patted her chest, "Leave this matter to me. If even one stalk of spirit rice in our Xu family's spirit fields is discovered to be destroyed, Father, feel free to trouble your daughter."

Xu Chuan shook his head with a laugh, "That's not it. If an insect plague truly breaks out, what use are a few dozen Iron-Devouring Flying Ants?

I want you to cultivate plague spirit insects, preferably cultivate a spirit insect leader that can control the spirit insects. First, this spirit insect swarm can serve as your trump card. Second, it can keep our Xu family free from insect plagues.

Third, I can research how to prevent this insect plague. If it breaks out in Yuehu Commandery, with this method, our Xu family can profit greatly twice over."

"Twice over?"

"You don't need to ask more about this. Just do what I've instructed you." Xu Chuan said with a smile.

"Understood, Father."

Xu Chuan glanced at the female tiger, thought for a moment, and took out some spirit herbs and pills from his storage bag. "Since you're back, I'll also entrust this work to you."

"What work?"

"This is what you need to do." Xu Chuan gave Xu Mingshu a sheet of paper covered densely with text.

"Father, this is..." Xu Mingshu frowned slightly as she read.

"Optimizing Little White's offspring. If this litter can produce one or two natural demon beasts, they'll have a higher starting point. Generation after generation like this, many years later, Little White's descendants might produce a Foundation Establishment demon beast.

The Azure Fire Eagles can do the same."

After thinking for a moment, Xu Mingshu looked up, "Father is doing this for Little White and the others' good, and also for the future of the Xu family. Your daughter will follow your instructions."

Xu Chuan smiled and nodded, instructing, "Because the female tiger is an ordinary wild beast, if the fetus is powerful and the mother's body cannot supply enough, it may result in the death of both mother and child. So you must carefully follow this formula.

While providing quality food, remember to help her dissolve the spiritual power.

Perhaps the female tiger also has a chance to transform into a demon beast."

"Yes, Father."

Only then did Xu Chuan leave.

Professional matters should be handled by professionals.

If an insect plague broke out in the spirit fields, even someone with extremely strong abilities like Xu Mingwei would have no place to use their martial prowess.

In the Xu family, only Xu Chuan himself and Xu Mingshu had solutions.

Xu Chuan wanted a once-and-for-all solution, so he had Xu Mingshu catch some plague spirit insects and cultivate a spirit insect leader.

Insect creatures had strict hierarchies. If there was a leader, even if ordered to collectively die, the subordinate spirit insects would do so willingly.

A few days later, the Xu family convened a grand assembly.

Hall masters, vice hall masters, and important members all gathered in the council hall.

This hall could accommodate a thousand people.

Of course, at this time there were only a dozen or so people.

Xu Mingwei, Xu Mingyuan, Xu Mingxuan, Xu Mingshu, Xu Mingxian, Wu Mingsheng and others successively reported their achievements.

Matters involving the Xu family's true core secrets would not be brought up at the meeting then Xu Dezhao, Xu Deling, Xu Dewen, Xu Dejing and others shared their insights and suggestions.

The first grand assembly hastily concluded.

Two days later was the year-end sacrifice.

The Xu family banquet was very lively, without the usual solemnity, with a more active atmosphere.

This was Ren Xiaoyao's first time experiencing it.

So a family could also be this relaxed and pleasant.

He began to gradually accept deep down that he was also part of this family.

The next day, the vassal families gathered in Dongxi to jointly celebrate the main family.

The Xu family naturally wasn't stingy and bestowed some resources then came the juniors' New Year's money.

Each person would receive silver. Those practicing martial arts would also receive martial arts resources, while those cultivating immortality would receive immortal path resources.

Giving silver was to facilitate their use when traveling to Qingjiang for leisure.

Almost all of Qingjiang was firmly controlled by the Xu family, and constantly confining family descendants to Dongxi wasn't good either. They needed to see more people and things.

Qingjiang County city became a good destination.

Of course, when these family descendants went out, they all couldn't use their real names, lest they rely on the Xu family name to bully and dominate the market.

At the same time, it was also to let them better see people's true faces.

Each person going to the county city would have two peak Postnatal guards following them to prevent accidents.

As for the older ones, like Xu Dejun and Xu Derui, they could travel to other counties or even the commandery city, with innate guards following them.

Once they broke through to innate and chose their halls, they wouldn't be so relaxed anymore.

Of course, even family descendants could choose not to join halls like the Battle Hall and could choose to be freelancers accepting tasks. However, once they reached innate, even Xu family descendants had to obtain resources based on family contributions.

No one could lie on the laurels of their predecessors waiting to die!

At most their parents would subsidize them privately.

Time flew by and two months passed.

The Xu Trading Company quietly appeared in the commandery city and market. With the Xu family backing it, ordinary people wouldn't come to harass it.

The trading company in the market had basically all types of immortal cultivation resources but mostly low-grade magical artifacts and common pills. There were almost no spirit herbs, and other materials and ores weren't abundant either then there were middle and top-grade magical artifacts and middle and top-grade pills.

The pill varieties were quite complete, including Qi Nurturing Pills, Jade Dew Pills, Antidote Pills, Rejuvenation Pills, Qi Gathering Pills and the like.

However, whether middle and top-grade magical artifacts or middle and top-grade pills, currently only bartering was supported, trading through demon beast materials, spirit herbs, spirit ores, spirit iron and the like.

Because Xu Chuan's reputation as Daoist Sansu had long spread throughout Yuehu Commandery, many rogue cultivators were curious.

Some rogue cultivators in early Qi Refining purchased low-grade Qi Nurturing Pills or traded middle and top-grade Qi Nurturing Pills through spirit herbs and materials they had in hand.

This was rarely seen in other pill shops and the only top-grade magical artifact in the trading company was exchanged that very day by a gray-robed rogue cultivator for a Purple Fire Mushroom of five to six hundred years plus some demon beast materials.

The Xu Trading Company was fairly friendly to rogue cultivators, but the other families in the market weren't too pleased.

After all, some customer traffic had been attracted there.

Of course, the Xu Trading Company didn't want to tear its face with all the other families in Yuehu Commandery at this moment, so it deliberately controlled the quantity of middle and top grades. However, compared to the market trading company, the commandery city trading company was quite hot.

Most of it was martial arts resources, with only a small portion of immortal cultivation resources.

Resources below grandmaster could be purchased with silver. If using silver for Innate Martial Pills, according to pill quality: lower grade one thousand taels, middle grade two thousand taels, top grade three thousand taels.

One price, no bargaining!

This was different from Qi-Drawing Pills. Qi-Drawing Pills helped martial artists perceive heaven and earth spiritual energy to break through to Innate.

Similar to an extremely weakened version of Foundation Establishment Pills.

After all, for martial artists, the Innate realm and Postnatal realm were like heaven and earth.

Of course, Innate Martial Pills could also be traded for ores, medicinal materials and the like, which were twenty to thirty percent cheaper than silver.

Grandmaster Martial Pills, however, must be traded for immortal cultivation resources, spirit herbs, or spirit ores.

While everyone hesitated, the "Yuehu Martial Alliance" took the lead in purchasing a batch to cultivate outstanding descendants from alliance families.

In family competition, the most taboo thing was when you had something that I didn't have.

Wouldn't that mean my family would fall behind?

Therefore, the Xu Trading Company in the commandery city was very hot. Some lower third-rank families seemed to see hope, since high-grade martial arts resources were usually controlled.

Almost impossible to obtain.

Now they all saw hope.

Some fifth and sixth-rank families secretly reached several immortal cultivation resource trades with the Xu Trading Company, such as middle and top-grade Qi Nurturing Pills or middle and top-grade Qi Gathering Pills and the like.

These fifth and sixth-rank families each had considerable foundations.

Don't look at how they wilted before immortal cultivation families, but they hid their good things. Naturally they wouldn't cheaply benefit others.

And the Xu Trading Company was willing to bring out good things to exchange, so naturally they were also willing. However, these trades were all extremely secretive, and because they were so infrequent, they didn't attract the attention of immortal cultivation families.

The Xu family's move in the commandery city was seen by some immortal cultivation families.

Although they felt it had actions breaking Yuehu Commandery's current balance, they had no way to deal with the Xu family.

The Xu family was strong, nearly half-closed off in Dongxi, and had a good relationship with the Zhou family.

As seen from the last tax collection, the Zhou family treated the Xu family with more warmth than all the other families.

Not to mention the Imperial City envoy praised Grand Elder Xu Chuan highly, making them even more wary and not daring to act rashly.

However, they also couldn't just watch as the Xu family won the hearts of all martial arts families in the commandery city. One by one they began disciplining and dividing them, also reluctantly bringing out resources to win them over.

Unfortunately, their so-called resources couldn't compare at all with what those fifth and sixth-rank families obtained from the Xu Trading Company. Therefore, those families only agreed on the surface but actually continued developing quietly.

They all had a feeling that Yuehu Commandery might welcome major changes because of the Xu family.

…

Over two months.

Zhang Wanqing smoothly gave birth to a son. Xu Mingxuan named him Xu Deqian.

A modest gentleman, humble and self-disciplined, symbolizing the character of humility, courtesy, and an open mind.

He had natural true spiritual root aptitude. Although he didn't have innate spirit eyes like Xu Deling, it still represented the prosperity of the Xu family bloodline.

When both parents had true spiritual roots, the probability of giving birth to true spiritual roots would naturally be higher.

Xu Chuan informed Xu Mingxuan and his wife of Xu Deqian's aptitude, which also made their hearts happy.

Besides this, quite a few people in the Xu family had cultivation breakthroughs.

Xu Mingwei broke through to late ninth layer. Xu Mingyuan, Xu Mingxuan and Xu Mingshu also successively broke through one small realm. Xu Mingshu even consumed a top-grade Barrier Breaking Pill and charged into the eighth layer of Qi Refining in one go.

Zhang Wanqing had previously stopped at the peak of the fifth layer of Qi Refining because she was near childbirth. She planned to assault the sixth layer of Qi Refining after a month.

Xu Dezhao broke through to mid seventh layer. Shen Qingyi broke through to late fifth layer of Qi Refining.

Xu Dejing switched to cultivating the Innate Five Elements Creation Art. Wu Tao was still at the peak of late fourth layer and still needed time to break through to the fifth layer of Qi Refining.

After persuasion from Xu Mingwei and Xu Dezhao, Xu Dewen also switched to cultivating the Innate Five Elements Creation Art.

It didn't conflict with ordinary innate martial arts and could even be compatible, so there was no need to scatter cultivation and start over. However, during the period of cultivating this technique, martial arts couldn't possibly make further progress.

Xu Mingwei even told him not to rush to marry until this technique truly reached completion, which left Xu Dewen somewhat puzzled.

Of course, Xu Mingwei also made it clear that it was entirely his own choice.

After thinking it over, Xu Dewen still chose to marry.

Therefore, during this time Yang Ronghua was looking at suitable young ladies.

Her selection range wasn't limited to Dongxi daughters but also included vassal families like the Li, Chen, and Bai families, young ladies from Qingjiang County families, and even commandery city families.

After the news spread, portraits were compiled into booklets and sent before Yang Ronghua.

Behind each portrait were the woman's personality, hobbies, life history and such, which dazzled her eyes.

Xu Deling also broke through to the eighth layer of Qi Refining, and more than a month faster than Xu Mingshu. However, she was now anxious in her heart.

She didn't know how to tell Wu Shun'an about having him marry in. What if he didn't agree?

Therefore, she had delayed speaking clearly.

Xu Deheng stepped into innate before the year-end sacrifice. Xu Chuan personally taught him the Innate Five Elements Creation Art, the complete version.

After all, Xu Deheng had long been decided to walk the immortal path.

Of course he was also ordered not to tell others. As for whether his children walked the immortal path or martial path, he would decide.

Only then did Xu Deheng feel the pressure on his father and uncle elders.

The Xu family had this fortune, but because of their own weakness, they could only make choices among their own children to avoid being too outstanding and inviting calamitous disaster.

The Xu family's rapid development also had the meaning of protecting these descendant offspring.

After all, the more prosperous the family, the more outstanding descendants there would be in the clan then among the Xu family's fourth and fifth generations, more could walk the immortal path.

"Gain and loss. What's gained may not be fortune, what's lost may not be misfortune."

In one evening, Xu Deheng seemed to mature considerably.

In all his actions and deeds, he would first consider their advantages and disadvantages for the Xu family.

There was also Ren Xiaoyao. Starting immortal cultivation from July last year, in just a day or two he successfully sensed heaven and earth spiritual energy and thus practiced immortal techniques. Seven or eight days later he stepped into the first layer of Qi Refining.

He himself was also diligent and hardworking. With pill assistance, he reached the second layer of Qi Refining in one month and the third layer in two months.

Now he had charged into the fourth layer of Qi Refining without any suspense, not needing Barrier Breaking Pills at all.

Early Qi Refining was like playing for immortal cultivators with earth spiritual root aptitude or above.

Even in a county where spiritual energy was thin with no pill assistance, he probably could step into mid Qi Refining within a year or two.

Later, relying only on himself, his cultivation progress would slow down.

After all, the amount of spiritual energy needed for mid Qi Refining and late Qi Refining was different.

If even daily cultivation spiritual energy was insufficient, then progress would naturally be extremely slow, even for earth spiritual root aptitude.

They must go to places with more abundant spiritual energy.

This was why most rogue cultivators always ran to the commandery city market or opened cave dwellings deep in mountains with quite high spiritual energy concentration.

The Xu family's current spiritual energy concentration was naturally enough to cultivate to Qi Refining perfection, but insufficient for Foundation Establishment.

At minimum, the spiritual energy concentration needed to match Yuehu Commandery's spiritual energy nodes, preferably similar to the spiritual energy of the Zhou family and former Su family clan territories.

This breakthrough speed truly shocked Xu Mingyuan, who also informed Xu Chuan and Xu Mingwei.

"Worthy of earth spiritual root aptitude."

Xu Mingwei praised, then looked at Xu Chuan, waiting for his decision on how to arrange Ren Xiaoyao.

"Geniuses need more tempering. If obtained too easily, they easily develop arrogance."

Xu Mingyuan said, "Father, I think Xiaoyao won't. He was born into poverty from a young age."

"This has nothing to do with birth. Anyone will produce different mentalities with time and changing surroundings. For example, you all, are you still the same mentality as twenty-some years ago, the same style of doing things?

Do you have a psychology of looking down on martial arts families or ordinary sixth-rank Qi Refining families?"

The two fell silent.

"Of course, I can also see he's a child with resilience who knows gratitude, but the more genius someone is, the less careless their education can be."

Xu Mingyuan greatly agreed and bowed with cupped hands, "This child asks Father to teach, how should we handle this?"

Xu Chuan said flatly, "Sense of identity, sense of belonging, sense of faith."

"He already has a sense of identity. Mingyuan, don't you plan to have him and Rong'er become a pair? Then let them spend more time together. Why not have them travel to the county city together these next few days?

In the future when they marry and have children, the sense of belonging will naturally deepen."

"As for the sense of faith, we can't treat him as a cultivation tool. However Xu clan descendants are treated, treat him the same. Since he's reached the fourth layer of Qi Refining, follow the rules. Let him choose one of Battle Hall, Discipline Hall, Immortal Arts Hall, or Mission Hall.

Let him choose himself. You cannot interfere.

With experiences, there will be a past. While increasing the sense of belonging, it can also condense the faith of being part of the Xu family.

As for cultivation realm, that's actually what should be valued least.

For a genius like him, as long as he doesn't perish, even alone at worst he'll reach Qi Refining perfection. With opportunities he can soar upward, reaching the threshold of Golden Core."

Two beams of brilliance shot from Xu Chuan's eyes, "And our Xu family is his greatest opportunity!"

"I believe since Xiaoyao proactively proposed following you all back then, he's also a clever person. He'll grasp this well."

"Father's foresight, this child deeply admires."

Both Xu Mingyuan and Xu Mingwei bowed with cupped hands.

"Hearing Father's words, this child also understands Father's meaning. Facing geniuses or other people, assimilation should be primary, not simple cultivation."

"Let them identify with the Xu family and consider themselves part of the Xu family."

"This realm is so high, in all of Great Wei there are probably few who can match it."

Xu Chuan laughed and scolded, "The flattery is very comfortable. I accept it, but don't underestimate people in the world. Low-key and steady development is our Xu family's principle."

"Yes, Father." The two brothers looked at each other, both with slight smiles at the corners of their mouths.

This was where they most admired their father. Even though he was high above and could be a dictator in the Xu family, he was always approachable.

Not only toward his own children, but also toward outsiders.

This was an innate quality that no one could learn.

After a pause, Xu Chuan looked at Xu Mingwei, "By the way, Mingwei, Mingxian has already reached Qi Refining perfection and consumed three top-grade Spirit Advancement Pills, transforming divine sense into divine consciousness.

You also need to work hard."

Among the Xu family's second generation, Xu Mingwei and Xu Mingxian were one cultivation tier, while Xu Mingyuan, Xu Mingxuan, and Xu Mingshu were another tier.

Xu Mingwei smiled bitterly and bowed with cupped hands, "This child has just broken through to late ninth layer of Qi Refining. The accumulation needed to reach Qi Refining perfection is no less than the previous two small realms combined.

At minimum it will take a year, at most a year and a half."

With true spiritual root aptitude, at least he wouldn't be stuck. If it were a cultivator with Miscellaneous spiritual root aptitude, even walking to the ninth layer of Qi Refining, they might hit a wall and not break through for a long time.

As for Foundation Establishment, under normal circumstances, below true spiritual root aptitude basically had no hope.

Abnormal situations would be like someone standing up and treating Foundation Establishment Pills like candy but even Golden Core families couldn't do that.

Even though they controlled quite a few Foundation Establishment opportunities, they couldn't possibly waste them on clan members below true spiritual root aptitude.

In the immortal cultivation world, the principle was survival of the fittest, the law of the jungle.

The same was true within families.

Although everyone in the Xu family could possess true spiritual roots, they didn't dare let everyone walk the immortal path. Becoming a Golden Core family was also impossible.

"Mingyuan, don't laugh either. Among the second generation, you're the most sluggish."

Xu Chuan held the bowl level.

With his guidance, Xu Mingyuan already knew how to treat Ren Xiaoyao.

…

Immortal Arts Hall, Array Formation Hall.

Since giving birth to divine consciousness, Xu Mingxian's comprehension of array formation inheritance seemed to have transformed.

And the Nine Flames Formula also progressed rapidly, breaking through to the Five Flames level.

He sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion and slowly awakened from meditation.

"As expected, the birth of divine consciousness increases one's comprehension, or rather understanding ability. Within ten years, I'll be able to completely comprehend all the content from that green jade slip inheritance."

That green jade slip was an inheritance the cave dwelling owner obtained from some ancient source, belonging to a true ancient cultivation inheritance. It even recorded ancient arrays like the Star Array.

However, what was recorded was the low-tier Star Array, which only Foundation Establishment cultivators had the ability to deploy. Middle and high tiers required Golden Core stage.

Legend had it that after successfully deploying a high-tier Star Array and after decades or a hundred years, it could transform a place with thin spiritual energy into a blessed land abundant with spiritual energy.

Although Xu Mingxian didn't know what a blessed land was, it must be quite extraordinary.

The Great Wei Cao clan might not even occupy such a blessed land.

"First completely comprehend the divine consciousness isolation array and breath concealment array. These two are what the family needs most currently."

Once fully comprehended, Xu Mingxian could refine corresponding array artifacts.

Double insurance: first, divine consciousness isolation; second, concealing realm through breath restraint.

This breath concealment array artifact, Foundation Establishment definitely couldn't see through. At most it could control concealing nine small realms.

As for Golden Core stage, Xu Mingxian couldn't say for sure. Perhaps they could see through with one glance, or perhaps they would also need to carefully probe with divine consciousness.

After all, he couldn't possibly run to the Imperial City and find the Cao clan's Golden Core ancestor saying, "Old one, please see what realm I am."

In addition, Xu Mingxian's wife Zhou Zongli had reached the peak of the fourth layer of Qi Refining under the Xu family's pill resources.

Because she only had pseudo spiritual root aptitude, breaking through mid Qi Refining was as difficult as for someone with miscellaneous spiritual root aptitude in late Qi Refining, unable to advance an inch.

Therefore, she had been stuck at the fifth layer bottleneck. However, Zhou Zongli's heart for the Dao was firm. She wasn't anxious or hurried, quietly cultivating.

After having a daughter with Xu Mingxian, they hadn't had any more children since.

Several days later, border patrol guards came to report that many buzzing sounds appeared within the mist, with many insects. Ordinary martial artists had difficulty killing them even with blade strikes. Only innate martial artists could kill them with one strike using innate true qi.

Xu Mingwei informed Xu Chuan of this matter.

After Xu Chuan notified Xu Mingshu through divine consciousness, he immediately went to check within the mist array.

"There really are so many spirit insects, already reaching over a thousand." Xu Mingshu was quite surprised, then said dejectedly, "Waiting by the stump for a rabbit for so long, and they ended up being blocked right outside the family gate."

"These spirit insects truly disappoint me."

She looked at Xu Chuan and said, "Father, do you think our Xu family is too tightly secured?"