Chapter 1909: Revising the Cultivation Method

Xuanling Island's terrain slopes from east to west, with its eastern part dominated by a continuous mountain range spanning tens of thousands of miles. The mountains undulate and sprawl like a majestic flood dragon.

Streams and waterfalls abound, with mountain lakes scattered like stars. Towering ancient trees and rugged rock formations dot the landscape. Mysterious cranes circle high above, spirit monkeys frolic in the ancient trees, and spirit butterflies dance gracefully through seas of flowers. A majestic peak, resembling a sharp sword, pierces the ground, enveloped in swirling white mist and rising purple qi. A three-colored rainbow bridge spans a thousand miles, lending the place an air of an immortal's blessed land.

At the foot of the majestic peak stood a bluish-green stone tablet, over ten zhang high, inscribed with the three large golden characters: "Xuanling Peak."

A bluestone staircase, comprising nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine steps, stretched from the foot of the mountain to its summit. The summit itself was a bluestone plaza spanning ten thousand mu. Directly in front of the plaza stood a pale blue palace, adorned with upturned eaves and elaborate dougong brackets.

The blue palace was constructed from a type of blue jade, with shimmering runes and swirling mist, and its plaque bore the characters "Xuanling Palace." To the left and right of the bluestone plaza stood two nine-story bluish-green pavilions, featuring intricately carved jade railings. The plaques on these two pavilions read "Welcoming Immortal Pavilion" and "Gathering Immortal Pavilion," respectively. The Welcoming Immortal Pavilion was designated for visiting cultivators, while the Gathering Immortal Pavilion housed those residing on the island.

Xuanling Palace was, of course, the residence of Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan. Its main hall was spacious and bright, with a ceiling adorned with numerous exquisite precious jades that emitted a soft spiritual glow, illuminating the entire space.

Wang Changsheng, Wang Ruyan, Chen Xin, and Sun Wu were sharing tea and conversation, their laughter echoing through the hall.

"'Junior Brother Wang, Junior Sister Wang, if you don't mind me asking, are you newly admitted disciples?' Chen Xin inquired curiously. Wang Changsheng had not mentioned that they were ascended cultivators, so Chen Xin was naturally intrigued by their background."

"'Yes, we paid our respects to Ancestor Chen, and Senior Uncle Fang introduced us to Senior Brother Qin Ming,' Wang Changsheng explained simply. 'As soon as we arrived at Xuanyue Island, we immediately visited Senior Uncle Li, and upon learning you were fighting the Sea-Swallowing Rhinos, we rushed over to assist.' He had already clearly indicated their faction; unless Chen Xin was a fool, he would understand."

Upon hearing this, both Chen Xin and Sun Wu smiled. Being from the ascended faction meant they were allies.

"'Senior Brother Chen, is Xuanyue Island short-staffed? Are attacks by fifth-order demonic beasts frequent?' Wang Ruyan asked, a hint of confusion in her voice."

"'Several senior and junior brothers have been dispatched for missions, so manpower has been a bit tight recently,' Chen Xin slowly replied. 'Fifth-order demonic beasts rarely appear in nearby waters; these three Sea-Swallowing Rhinos likely just happened to pass through. However, don't be careless. We almost fell into their ambush. Don't underestimate fifth-order demonic beasts; some species are highly intelligent and very difficult to deal with.' He added that, generally speaking, fifth-order demonic beasts with higher bloodlines could transform into human form or speak human language. The transformation process could be accelerated with spiritual elixirs, and most demonic beasts desired to transform because it usually led to faster cultivation."

"'I see,' Wang Ruyan said, a look of sudden understanding on her face. 'We thought demonic beasts frequently attacked the island.'"

"'Don't worry,' Sun Wu said with a smile. 'If you're busy cultivating and can't leave, Junior Nephew Huang and the others will teleport back to Xuanyue Island for reinforcements. They are all from the ascended faction, so they are trustworthy. Feel free to give them tasks.' Being from the same faction, mutual assistance was natural."

Wang Changsheng nodded. Aligning themselves with a faction was a wise decision; had their stance been ambiguous, they wouldn't have been able to enjoy so many potential benefits.

Huang Yun'er strode in, holding three storage rings of different colors. 'Senior Uncle Chen, Senior Aunt Sun, Senior Uncle Wang, Senior Aunt Wang,' she announced respectfully, 'the Sea-Swallowing Rhinos' bodies have been retrieved. Please inspect them.'

Chen Xin reached out, and a golden storage ring flew towards him. He scanned it with his divine sense, a satisfied expression appearing on his face.

"'Junior Brother Wang, Junior Sister Wang, we have other matters to attend to, so we won't stay longer. Farewell,' Chen Xin said, rising to leave. Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan had slain two mid-grade fifth-order Sea-Swallowing Rhinos, a feat not directly related to Chen Xin's responsibilities."

"'Wait, Senior Brother Chen,' Wang Changsheng called out. He picked up a blue storage ring and handed it to Chen Xin, saying sincerely, 'We are new here. In the future, we hope Senior Brother Chen and Senior Sister Sun will look out for us. This is a small token of our appreciation for your assistance; please don't refuse it.' He understood that the immediate supervisor was more influential than a distant superior; they would be cultivating and living in this sea area, and might need Chen Xin's help someday. After all, Li Ruxue was a Void Refining cultivator, and Wang Changsheng naturally wouldn't dare to casually disturb her cultivation."

"'Junior Brother Wang, we appreciate your kind intentions,' Chen Xin said, politely declining."

"'Senior Brother Chen, if you consider us friends, please accept it. There's no need for further words.' Wang Changsheng directly placed the storage ring into Chen Xin's hand, and Chen Xin no longer refused, accepting it."

Chen Xin's smile deepened. 'If you encounter any problems you can't solve in the future, you can come to Xuanyue Island to find us.' He then turned to Huang Yun'er and said in a deep voice, 'Junior Nephew Huang, all of you must obey Junior Brother Wang's and Junior Sister Wang's orders, understand? Violators will be severely punished.'

Huang Yun'er, of course, dared not refuse and readily agreed.

After seeing off Chen Xin and Sun Wu, Wang Changsheng summoned the Nascent Soul cultivators residing on Xuanling Island.

Huang Yun'er and the others looked nervous. As the saying goes, 'with a new emperor comes a new court.' They were unsure if the newly arrived Deity Transformation cultivators would be easy to get along with, and feared facing a harsh and difficult senior.

Wang Changsheng's majestic gaze swept quickly over the cultivators. 'Is there a spirit beast garden on the island?' he asked in a deep voice. 'I'd like to use it to house my spirit beasts. Who among you is skilled in beast taming and insect control?'

Two middle-aged men with notably similar features exchanged glances, then stepped forward. 'Disciples Shen Yunfei and Shen Yunlong possess some knowledge of beast taming and insect control, and wish to serve Senior Uncle Wang,' they said in unison. Both were mid-Nascent Soul cultivators, eager to curry favor with the newly appointed Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan.

"'From now on, our spirit beasts and spirit insects will be entrusted to your care,' Wang Changsheng stated gravely. 'If you care for them well, we will reward you handsomely. If not, we will not be lenient.' He and Wang Ruyan intended to enter seclusion to modify their cultivation techniques, making it practical to leave their spirit beasts and insects in the Shen brothers' care."

"'Yes, Senior Uncle Wang, your disciples will certainly perform their duties well,' Shen Yunfei and Shen Yunlong replied in unison, their expressions respectful."

"'Junior Nephew Huang, take some people to Xuanling Valley to set up a formation,' Wang Changsheng instructed. 'I intend to use it to house spirit beasts.' Xuanling Valley, located near Xuanling Peak, contained a pond that Wang Changsheng planned to use for the Qilin Tortoise and the Wood Demon."

Huang Yun'er acknowledged, then departed with several Nascent Soul cultivators.

He released his Soul-Devouring Golden Cicadas, Gold-Swallowing Ants, and Twin-Eyed Rats. Wang Ruyan released her Lion Qilin Beast, two Jade-Eyed Frost Silkworms, and Soul-Devouring Golden Cicadas. The Qilin Tortoise and the Wood Demon were not ordinary spirit beasts, and Wang Changsheng preferred that their existence remain unknown to many.

"'Take good care of them. If they advance, we will reward you handsomely,' Wang Changsheng instructed. 'From today onwards, no one is allowed to enter or exit Xuanling Valley. You just need to regularly send some live demonic beasts into Xuanling Valley; don't worry about anything else.' Shen Yunfei and Shen Yunlong repeatedly affirmed their understanding and agreed."

Wang Changsheng then flew out. Soon after, he appeared above a massive valley, enclosed by mountains on three sides, containing a lake spanning over a hundred mu. Huang Yun'er had already led her team to set up the formation there.

Wang Changsheng took the token for activating the restriction and then dismissed them.

He descended into the valley and released the Wood Demon and the Qilin Tortoise, allowing them to roam freely.

The Qilin Tortoise let out a sharp roar, transformed into a streak of blue light, and plunged into the lake. It frolicked there, chasing after spirit fish.

The Wood Demon clung to the stone wall, intertwining with other green vines.

Wang Changsheng activated the restriction, and rolling white mist emerged from thin air, shrouding the entire valley.

Returning to Xuanling Palace, Wang Changsheng handed the restriction token to Shen Yunfei and dismissed the cultivators.

The palace gates of Xuanling Palace slowly closed, leaving only Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan in the main hall.

"'We've finally settled down; we can now focus on changing our cultivation techniques,' Wang Changsheng said with a comfortable stretch."

"'After we finish modifying our cultivation techniques, we need to find spiritual elixirs that can increase our chances of having children and establish our own family,' Wang Ruyan said, a hint of worry in her eyes. 'The factional struggle within Zhenhai Palace is already out in the open; who knows, internal strife might break out any day. If Song Yiming were no longer here, it would be difficult for anyone to control Chen Yueying and Lin Tianlong, and the likelihood of internal conflict within immortal cultivation sects is much higher than in immortal cultivation families.'"

Wang Changsheng nodded. The two then walked towards a bluestone passage on their left. A row of identically sized stone chambers appeared before them, and they each entered a cultivation room.

Each cultivation room was just over a hundred zhang in size, furnished with two bluish-green meditation cushions on the floor. The stone walls were inscribed with numerous water-attribute runes, making the water spiritual energy exceptionally abundant within.

Cultivating here, Wang Changsheng would achieve twice the results with half the effort, leading to faster progress in his cultivation.

Wang Changsheng sat cross-legged, took out a jade slip, placed it on his forehead, and began to change his cultivation technique. As he was only at the early Deity Transformation stage, this process would not take excessively long—perhaps a century at most, or as little as fifty to sixty years. Wang Ruyan's modification would take longer, as adapting musical cultivation techniques was more complex.