Chapter 1191: Family Status

The Bicolor-Eyed Rat was originally an ordinary mouse. After secretly consuming the spiritual herbs cultivated by Wang Changsheng, it advanced to become a spirit mouse. Wang Changsheng had fed it countless good things to cultivate it to the third tier, but advancing to the fourth tier would not be easy for it.

The Sea-鎮 Ape rushed towards Wang Changsheng, scratched its head, and let out a strange roar. Generally, the higher a creature's bloodline, the later it transforms into human form. The Sea-鎮 Ape likely falls into this category.

Wang Changsheng smiled faintly and produced a blue jade box. Upon opening it, he revealed a pale blue flower emitting an exotic fragrance. The Sea-鎮 Ape's eyes lit up, and its right arm reached for the blue flower. Just then, the void suddenly shimmered with blue light, revealing the Qilin Turtle. For over two decades, Wang Qingling had meticulously cared for the Qilin Turtle, regularly feeding it water-attribute spiritual herbs and demon cores. It had now advanced to the second tier.

The Qilin Turtle opened its mouth, bit the small blue flower, and swallowed it whole. A seven-hundred-year-old Blue Raindrop Flower was thus devoured. The Sea-鎮 Ape was visibly annoyed. A mere second-tier spirit beast dared to snatch its item – did it have a death wish? It opened its mouth, and with a flash of blue light, a bolt of blue lightning as thick as an adult's arm shot out, striking the Qilin Turtle in an instant.

*Boom!*

The Qilin Turtle dissolved into a large cloud of blue water vapor, bursting apart – the Water Illusion Technique. The next moment, countless wisps of water vapor emerged from behind Wang Changsheng, coalescing into the Qilin Turtle's form.

The Sea-鎮 Ape pounded its chest with both hands, causing countless blue electrical arcs to surge forth.

"Alright, don't mind it," Wang Changsheng said. "It's still young and doesn't know any better." Wang Changsheng interceded for the Qilin Turtle and produced two seven-hundred-year-old Blue Raindrop Flowers. The Sea-鎮 Ape ate them, and only then did it cease its grievance with the Qilin Turtle.

"Husband," Wang Ruyan said with a smile, "with the Sea-鎮 Ape advancing to the fourth tier, our chances of eliminating that Nascent Soul-stage ghost are much greater." Wang Ruyan smiled as she spoke. She had to remain at Qinglian Island and could not accompany Wang Changsheng to the Myriad Ghost Sea. Having the fourth-tier Sea-鎮 Ape's assistance significantly improved their odds.

"It has only just reached the fourth tier," Wang Changsheng replied. "It won't be able to help in the short term. We'll wait until it has recuperated for a while."

Wang Changsheng took out his communication disk and contacted Wang Mengfen.

"Old Ancestor, you've emerged from seclusion?"

"Mengfen, come to my residence. I have something to ask you. Also, send a team of reliable clan members here. My residence was destroyed, and I need a new one built." Wang Changsheng instructed.

"Yes, Old Ancestor, your grandson will attend to it immediately."

Wang Changsheng put away his communication disk, turned around, and looked at the Qilin Turtle. The Qilin Turtle had more than doubled in size. Proficient in water-element spells, it had shown considerable boldness by daring to snatch food from the Sea-鎮 Ape.

The Qilin Turtle let out a strange roar, its form flickering and leaving an afterimage. It circled Wang Changsheng, a blur of blue, making its exact position impossible to pinpoint. It seemed to be demonstrating its abilities to Wang Changsheng. Wang Changsheng produced a hundred-year spirit fruit and fed it to the Qilin Turtle. The Qilin Turtle devoured over ten hundred-year spirit fruits in one sitting before finally appearing satisfied. After letting out another strange roar, it transformed into wisps of water vapor and vanished.

The next moment, it reappeared in a vast lake, where it began to play freely. The lake was stocked with numerous White Moon Silver Carp, bred specifically for feeding the Qilin Turtle. Countless blue electrical arcs flickered across the Qilin Turtle's body. White Moon Silver Carp, each about a zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) long, leaped from the lake. Their bodies were pierced by the arcs, leaving them floating on the surface of the water. The Qilin Turtle moved its limbs, swimming to a dead White Moon Silver Carp. It bit into the carp's head, tore off a large chunk of flesh, and swallowed it, feasting heartily.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan exchanged amused glances; the Qilin Turtle was quite energetic. The Bicolor-Eyed Rat wagged its tail, chirping, seemingly protesting that Wang Changsheng wasn't giving it any treats. Wang Changsheng chuckled softly. With a grasping motion of his right hand towards the lake surface, five zhang-long White Moon Silver Carp flew out of the water and landed on the ground, where they thrashed about. The Bicolor-Eyed Rat leaped from Wang Changsheng's shoulder, instantly growing in size. It then embraced a White Moon Silver Carp with both paws and began to gnaw on it.

Half an hour later, Wang Mengfen arrived at Qinglian Peak with a team of clan members. Wang Changsheng recalled his spirit beasts into their spirit beast pearls and instructed the clan members to rebuild his residence.

"Mengfen, how many cultivators do we currently have in our clan, counting only those in the Five Dragon Sea Region?"

Wang Mengfen produced a thick ledger and replied respectfully, "To answer Old Ancestor, the clan currently has nine thousand four hundred thirty-five cultivators. This includes two Nascent Soul cultivators, and seven Core Formation cultivators in the Five Dragon Sea Region. High Ancestor Qingshan is currently traveling, while High Ancestor Qingjun is stationed in the Northern Frontier. We also have one thousand one hundred thirty-five Foundation Establishment cultivators and eight thousand two hundred ninety-one Qi Condensation cultivators. Our clan is in urgent need of Core Formation spiritual items, with forty-five cultivators having already reached the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment."

The Wang family had risen too rapidly, and the number of skilled professionals couldn't keep pace, particularly in the case of third-tier alchemists, of whom only Wang Qingqi was available. Core Formation spiritual items were primarily acquired through auctions, as they couldn't be self-produced. This was an unavoidable reality; not just the Wang family, but also the Lu family, the Golden Blade Sect, and the Rogue Cultivator Alliance all depended on auctions for their Core Formation spiritual items, lacking the ability to produce them internally.

While the Wang family possessed spirit fruits that aided in breaking through to Core Formation, their maturation period was excessively long. The prevalent method in the South Sea cultivation world involved refining elixirs that supported Core Formation using third-tier high-grade demon cores. The Wang family had the formulas for these elixirs, but Wang Qingqi was their sole third-tier alchemist. In the past, the Wang family had the Foundation Establishment Elixir formula, but only Wang Qingqi could refine the Foundation Establishment Elixirs. The present situation was quite similar.

While the number of Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Wang family was steadily growing, their Core Formation cultivators remained few. Wang Mengfen proposed a three-pronged approach: first, dispatching numerous personnel to search for Core Formation spiritual items and participate in major auctions; second, intensifying the cultivation of alchemists; and third, attracting new alchemists. However, alchemists were inherently in high demand, with third-tier alchemists being sought after by all major powers. Frankly, the Wang family's rapid ascent meant that the number of their high-tier cultivators could not compare to established Nascent Soul-stage powers. This was a normal occurrence, as other rising factions had faced similar issues.

"You are to dispatch three hundred loyal and reliable clan members from the Five Dragon Sea Region to Golden Eagle City. Instruct them to travel in disguise and not reveal their origins. Also, send three hundred cultivators from the Red Moon Sea Region, three hundred from the Golden Toad Sea Region, and two hundred from the Eastern Barrens. They are to proceed to Golden Eagle City in batches. Have Rongmiao and Tianqi make the trip as well. The main focus should be on Qi Condensation cultivators. Remember, they must be *clan members*, not just cultivators; loyalty is paramount."

Wang Changsheng's expression was solemn. He explained that "Wang family cultivators" and "Wang family clan members" were two distinct concepts. "Wang family cultivators" referred to cultivators who pledged loyalty to the Wang family, whereas "Wang family clan members" referred to individuals where at least one parent was a direct member of the Wang clan. The Sea-鎮 Sect ruins were too vital. Wang Changsheng could not trust outsiders; if news of the ruins leaked, the Wang family might face utter destruction, so only their own people could be brought in.

The Sea-鎮 Sect ruins could easily sustain over a thousand cultivators in total, but transportation posed a significant challenge. To avoid drawing the attention of other powers, Wang Changsheng decided to send his clan members into the Sea-鎮 Sect ruins in staggered groups.