Chapter 43

Time passed, and Song Qingming had originally thought he would only be stationed at Spirit Source Mountain for one more year. He did not expect that this extension would last for another three years, until now, when the relocated Liu family mortals had all settled down, and his ninth uncle, Song Changxin, finally returned to Spirit Source Mountain.

Only then did Song Qingming pack his belongings and return to Mount Funiu. His sixth brother, Song Qinghe, seemed to have taken a liking to the place; although his own stationing time had also expired, he unexpectedly and proactively applied to remain at Spirit Source Mountain.

Under his careful management, the two mu of spirit fields on the platform of the mine had seen their spiritual energy stabilize. From a desolate scene overgrown with weeds and littered with rocks, it had now transformed into a vibrant, lush spirit land.

Three years had added a touch of maturity and steadiness to Song Qingming's delicate face. Now, he was no longer as lost regarding his cultivation path as he had been when he first arrived at Spirit Source Mountain.

Not only had Song Qingming become a mid-grade talisman maker, but his cultivation base was also steadily advancing. Over these three years, with the support of the Jade Profound Scripture and the fragment map, he had broken through to the sixth level of Qi Refining a few days ago. Now, among the 'Qing' generation of the Song family, aside from his third brother, Song Qingze, Song Qingming's cultivation base had far surpassed that of his other brothers and sisters.

Song Qingze had outstanding spirit roots, and from the moment he began cultivating, he had been far ahead of the rest of the 'Qing' generation. A month ago, Song Qingming received news from Mount Funiu that Song Qingze had already begun his seclusion to break through to the seventh level of Qi Refining. With his spirit root aptitude and the family's vigorous cultivation, his cultivation base had likely already stepped into the late stage of Qi Refining.

Song Qingze was only thirty-four years old. Reaching the seventh level of Qi Refining at this age was comparable to the direct descendants of those great Foundation Establishment clans. According to his progress, he would certainly reach the ninth level of Qi Refining before the age of fifty. If he could obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill by then, there would be hope for him to establish his foundation.

It was just a pity that he was in a weak Qi Refining family like the Song family. If he continued to stay in the clan, the Song family certainly would not be able to provide him with a Foundation Establishment Pill. The entire Song family's annual income was no more than four or five hundred spirit stones, and after deducting the consumption of the clan's cultivators, they could only save about one hundred and eighty spirit stones a year. In disaster years or times of war, they even had to take spirit stones from the treasury to subsidize the family, so two hundred years of accumulation had only yielded a little over two thousand spirit stones.

A single Foundation Establishment Pill cost at least ten thousand spirit stones, and it was a rare item that was priceless and unavailable. In Song Guo, only the Carefree Sect sold a few every ten years, and only families that had rendered great service to the sect were eligible to purchase them. This situation meant that Qi Refining families below the Foundation Establishment level had almost no chance at all.

The reason the Qian family of Qinghe County had the opportunity to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill four years ago was because their ancestors had rendered great service to the Carefree Sect, and it was only by the generation of Qian Guangyao that they had the opportunity to exchange for one.

If one were to leave Song Guo and head to other countries tens of thousands of miles away, even if a Qi Refining family like the Song family could scrape together ten thousand spirit stones, they might not be able to successfully buy a Foundation Establishment Pill. They would likely be targeted before they even returned to Song Guo, and at that point, the family's hundreds of years of savings would be lost in an instant, and they might even lose the lives of the entire clan.

Now that Song Qingming had completed his six-year stationing mission, he had at least six years of free time for cultivation. Upon returning to his cave dwelling on Mount Funiu, Song Qingming quickly applied to the family to go to the Floating Cloud Mountain Range for experience.

His cultivation base was currently improving steadily according to his own pace. Over the past few years, by making mid-grade spirit talismans, he had saved quite a few spirit stones. He did not lack the elixirs or spirit stones needed for cultivation, and he even had several hundred spirit stones left on him.

For the past few years, holed up at Spirit Source Mountain with his ninth uncle away, Song Qingming had not dared to casually attack demonic beasts that invaded the array for the sake of safety. When encountering high-level demonic beasts, he had to release transmission talismans to notify the family for reinforcements. Now, he felt that his combat ability had diminished significantly, and he had long wanted to find a place to temper the magic power and divine abilities he had gained after cultivating the Jade Profound Scripture.

This was also a plan he had long since decided upon: to go to the Floating Cloud Mountain Range for a few years of experience and, incidentally, to inquire about where one might find news of a Foundation Establishment Pill.

In the entire Song Guo, aside from the Carefree Sect, only the black markets near the Floating Cloud Mountain Range had Foundation Establishment Pills that flowed out. Although it was still early for him to establish his foundation, he still had to prepare early. Although he had the Water Spirit Fruit, which was equivalent to a Foundation Establishment Pill, in his possession, how to exchange the Water Spirit Fruit for a Foundation Establishment Pill was a problem that gave him a headache now.

Taking the Water Spirit Fruit directly to the Carefree Sect would, of course, be the safest approach for him. But now that the Liu family incident had occurred, the Carefree Sect would certainly suspect the origin of the spirit fruit he possessed. Even if he told the truth, it was hard to guarantee they would believe him. If they used a spirit item like a Soul-Questioning Talisman on him, the matter of the Water Spirit Fruit might be easy to explain, but if the secret of the fragment map on his person were leaked, Song Qingming would be doomed.

Cultivators below the Golden Core stage find it very difficult to resist the questioning of a second-grade Soul-Questioning Talisman. Once he stepped into a place like the Carefree Sect, his fate would be hard to control himself. Only by forming a Golden Core in the future could he avoid such danger.

After arriving at the Gold Treasury Pavilion, Song Gucai saw that his cultivation base had broken through again and could not help but feel a bit envious. However, he did not think much of it, believing that the reason Song Qingming's cultivation was so fast must be due to the credit of the few spirit fruits he had eaten back then.

Song Qingming applied to the Fourth Elder, Song Gucai, for three years to leave the family for experience. He did not expect that this move of his would actually alarm the Clan Master, Song Gushan.

Song Gushan had been the Clan Master of the Song family for nearly thirty years. Although he had no obvious great achievements in the development of the Song family over these years, he was steady in character and broad-minded, and he was a Clan Master deeply loved by his clansmen. During the decades he had been in office, no major events had occurred in the Song family, and the family had been moving forward steadily.

Song Gushan had just celebrated his hundredth birthday last year. Although he looked ruddy on the surface, the lifespan of the Qi Refining stage was at most one hundred and twenty years, and he now only had a dozen or so years left.

He had intended to offer some counsel, but after a few exchanges, looking at the determination in Song Qingming's eyes, Song Gushan finally nodded and agreed to let him go out for experience.

"Qingming, although you have been to the Floating Cloud Mountain Range, you must still be extra careful when out and about. The cultivation world is full of deceit and those who will stop at nothing for profit. You must never trust others lightly. This high-grade spirit talisman is a gift from me for your self-defense; consider it a small token of my heart as an elder. The clan is not yet very well-off, so please do not mind."

After Song Gushan finished speaking, he handed over a cyan spirit talisman, his face full of gratification. Among the young cultivators in the clan, there were few who, like Song Qingming, proactively proposed going out for experience. After all, for a cultivator, walking out more naturally benefits the path of the Dao. While bitter cultivation in the mountains is safer, overly comfortable cultivation also makes it easier for cultivators to encounter bottlenecks.

"Qingming thanks the Clan Master for the gift."

Song Qingming took the spirit talisman and saw that it was a rare high-grade Cyan Light Talisman, which should be a treasured item of the Clan Master, who was a high-grade talisman maker. Although he did not lack spirit talismans on him now—he had also purchased a few high-grade spirit talismans at the Guiyun Market last time—such spirit items, even if Song Qingming could not use them for the time being, could be exchanged for spirit stones at the market at any time to buy other spirit items. For him, things that could be exchanged for spirit stones were definitely the more the better. After putting the spirit talisman into his storage bag, Song Qingming bowed to the two elders and then slowly exited the Gold Treasury Pavilion.

Watching Song Qingming leave, Song Gucai said softly to the Clan Master, Song Gushan, in front of him with some reluctance: "Fifth Brother, Qingming is one of the most promising members of the young generation of the family. Is it a bit rash to let him go to the Floating Cloud Mountain Range alone?"

After hearing this, Clan Master Song Gushan paused and said: "Rest assured. Last time, in such a critical situation in the Floating Cloud Mountain Range, Qingming was able to return safely and even unexpectedly obtained an opportunity. This shows that he is not only calm in the face of events but also a person of great fortune. Going out for more experience will also be beneficial for their future path of the Dao."

(End of chapter)