Chapter 1134: Ye Zhongrong

Wang Yingjie felt a pang in his nose and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

He had been stationed on Xuanyue Island for several years, spending most of his time in arduous cultivation, ignoring two female cultivators from different clans, all in the hope of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.

Many clan members advised him to accept his fate, marry more wives and concubines, and produce more offspring with spiritual roots. But Wang Yingjie disagreed, thinking, "Wouldn't that be repeating the old path of the elders? Can a Five-Spirit Root not turn things around? Am I destined to be a mere breeding tool?"

He refused to live a life where his future was laid out before him. He wanted to change his destiny. He diligently cultivated and worked hard to earn spirit stones for elixirs, yet he remained stagnant. Meanwhile, Lan Xueyun, after only a few years of being stationed there, had advanced from the fourth to the fifth level of Qi Refinement.

Many times, Wang Yingjie had considered giving up, marrying a few young and beautiful wives and concubines, and living a safe and happy life under the family's protection. That wouldn't be a problem.

He had also lamented the unfairness of fate: why was he a Five-Spirit Root when others were Three-Spirit Roots? Even a Four-Spirit Root would have been better. To this day, there were no known cases of a Five-Spirit Root cultivator reaching Foundation Establishment in the Wang family.

After complaining, Wang Yingjie remembered his parents' expectations for him and regained his resolve. Reality had repeatedly crushed Wang Yingjie's belief, but each time he had built an even stronger conviction. Now, his perseverance had paid off, and he had finally encountered an opportunity.

He had never heard of Reverend Qingsang, who must be a Core Formation cultivator. A Foundation Establishment cultivator would be unlikely to possess a legacy dharma bead.

The thought of inheriting the legacy of a Core Formation cultivator made Wang Yingjie's eyes burn with fervor. Images of himself becoming a high-level cultivator involuntarily flashed through his mind.

Suddenly, he slapped himself hard twice. The sharp pain brought him back to reality.

"Wang Yingjie, calm down. Don't let greed cloud your judgment. Evil cultivators often set up traps specifically to harm low-level cultivators."

Wang Yingjie muttered to himself, seemingly reminding himself.

In the cultivation world, there were ancient cultivator's caves, but also traps set by evil cultivators to harm low-level cultivators.

He had encountered the Inkscale Leopard by chance. It seemed unlikely to be a trap set by an evil cultivator. Would an evil cultivator specifically craft a legacy dharma bead and insert it into an Inkscale Leopard? What if the Inkscale Leopard was devoured by another demonic beast? How long would the evil cultivator have to wait? What if they created multiple legacy dharma beads and cast a wide net?

Everything had its pros and cons. Wang Yingjie couldn't determine whether this was a fortunate opportunity or a trap. If it was an opportunity, it might be his chance to advance to the Foundation Establishment stage. If it was a trap, then rashly seeking the treasure would be akin to walking to his own death.

After careful consideration, he decided to report it to the family. If it was an opportunity, he would receive a reward. If it was a trap, he wouldn't be in mortal danger, thereby minimizing the risk.

During their lessons, the clan elders had repeatedly reminded them that if they encountered a so-called ancient cultivator's cave, it was best to notify the family to minimize risk. Being only at the sixth level of Qi Refinement, Wang Yingjie knew his limits.

He disposed of the other Inkscale Leopard corpses but found no second legacy dharma bead.

Early the next morning, Wang Yingjie flew off the deserted island on his artifact, heading towards Purple Lotus Island.

On Green Lotus Island, Jade Lotus Peak, in a vast courtyard.

Ye Bin sat in a stone pavilion, facing a blue-robed youth in his early twenties. Both wore joyful expressions.

Ye Bin was a spy developed by Wang Tianqi. After helping the Wang family gain complete control over the Cloud Sea Sect, he had moved to Silver Serpent Island to live out his retirement in peace. He had five wives and concubines and numerous descendants. The blue-robed youth was his grandson, Ye Zhongren.

Non-Wang cultivators who joined the Wang family generally had their descendants adopt the Wang surname, though they could retain their original surname if they wished, as the Wang family did not force it. However, cultivators surnamed Wang received significantly better treatment than those with other surnames. For the sake of their children, most non-Wang cultivators chose to have their descendants adopt the Wang surname, allowing them to fully integrate into the family.

All of Ye Bin's descendants kept the Ye surname, yet they received the same treatment as Wang family cultivators. This situation strongly suggested that Ye Bin had made significant contributions. However, what puzzled Ye Zhongren was that Ye Bin never left his residence, nor did he refine pills or artifacts. He mostly spent his time with his wives and concubines and had no contact with other cultivators. Furthermore, whenever there was a joyful family event, Ye Bin would always receive gifts from the family head, which was very peculiar.

Ye Zhongren had once pressed Ye Bin about his origins, but Ye Bin remained silent and forbade his descendants from asking. When Ye Zhongren asked, Ye Bin confined him for two years. Since then, he had never dared to inquire about the matter again.

Ye Zhongren was Ye Bin's most outstanding descendant. However, having grown up eating the Wang family's food and with his mother being a Wang clan member, he considered the Wang family his true home; his surname was merely a designation.

He had just passed the family's assessment and become a second-tier talismansmith, which significantly improved his remuneration.

"Zhongren, you must work hard. While you're crafting talismans, don't neglect your cultivation. Cultivation is the fundamental path. As long as you cultivate diligently, once you reach the ninth level of Foundation Establishment, your grandfather will help you form your Golden Core."

Ye Bin said meaningfully. Over the years, the Wang family had been observing him, but he, in turn, had also been observing the Wang family.

So far, the Wang family had kept its promise, not killing him and allowing him to enjoy his later years in peace. He, too, was perceptive, avoiding contact with outsiders and remaining silent about the past.

"Yes, Grandfather. Thanks to Fellow Daoist Chen's careful guidance, I wouldn't have become a second-tier talismansmith so quickly."

Ye Zhongren replied humbly. The Fellow Daoist Chen he referred to was Chen Xudong.

"Another day, have your mother prepare a gift, and go visit Fellow Daoist Chen. Cultivation isn't just about arduous training; understanding human relationships is crucial."

Ye Zhongren gave a wry smile and said, "Grandfather, your grandson has tried to visit Fellow Daoist Chen before, but he avoided seeing me. It's not just me; he doesn't see anyone else either. He has a rather reclusive personality."

Chen Xudong was responsible for teaching Wang family cultivators how to craft talismans. Like Ye Bin, he had no private contact with other cultivators. Apart from visiting the Talisman Crafting Institute to draw talismans, he stayed in his residence and did not socialize. His meticulous guidance in teaching the Wang family cultivators how to refine talismans earned him the deep respect of many Wang family cultivators.

"If that's the case, then never mind. Go on with your work! Make some time to visit your great-grandmother. It's not convenient for me to go."

Ye Zhongren readily agreed and turned to leave.

In the assembly hall, Wang Mengfen sat in the main seat, with over thirty clan elders seated on either side. Everyone's face showed an expression of joy.

"Family Head, our family currently has 5,325 cultivators: two Nascent Soul cultivators, eleven Core Formation cultivators, 452 Foundation Establishment cultivators, and 4,961 Qi Refinement cultivators. There are also 5,374,545 mortals."

This count did not include the forces in the Red Moon Sea and Golden Toad Sea. It represented only the Wang family's publicly known strength. Wang Qiuxin, Wang Youyu, and Wang Rongmiao were not included in the statistics; their existence was top secret, primarily to provide a fallback option for the family.

After the great war, the Wang family entered its best period of development. With vast lands and sparse populations, the family simultaneously encouraged childbirth and absorbed a large number of rogue cultivators and cultivators from minor families to strengthen itself, ensuring effective control over its territory.

Leveraging the influence of their complete sets of puppet beasts, Golden Lotus Market became increasingly prosperous, bringing in hundreds of thousands of spirit stones in income for the Wang family each year.

To maintain the absolute leadership of its clan members, the Wang family distributed Foundation Establishment Pills to a group of suitable clan members, cultivating a number of Foundation Establishment cultivators.

The Foundation Establishment cultivators nurtured by this method were generally not very strong, more for show than for practical use. However, this was unavoidable as the Wang family urgently needed manpower. Islands, markets, and merchant caravans all required personnel. If the proportion of non-Wang cultivators became too high, it could easily lead to trouble. Crucial locations had to be guarded by Wang family cultivators.

With a large number of cultivators, it was naturally impossible to prioritize the cultivation of every single one.

The Wang family implemented a strategy known as the "Five Heroes, Ten Sons, Eighteen Elites." The Five Heroes were Wang Qingshan, Wang Qingling, Wang Mengbin, Ye Haitang, and Wang Qingjing. The Ten Sons were Wang Huaxiao, Wang Jiyun, Wang Xiansheng, Wang Xianfen, Wang Rongxiang, Wang Rongting, Wang Rongfei, Wang Youwei, Wang Jiyu, and Zhao Qian. The Eighteen Elites were mostly cultivators from other clans, with a smaller portion being Wang family members.

Zhao Qian was a second-tier mid-grade alchemist; his inclusion was simply to offer non-Wang cultivators hope for advancement. The Eighteen Elites served a similar purpose, mainly to win people's loyalty.

The Five Heroes, Ten Sons, and Eighteen Elites were all priority cultivation targets for the Wang family. However, this priority was relative to other cultivators of the same rank, not an unreserved investment of vast resources to boost their cultivation through elixirs.