Chapter 273: Wang Mingren

"I know, Mom, I will. I'm already at the fourth level of Qi Refining, and my brother is only at the third." Wang Changyue glanced at Wang Qingzhi, who was quietly reading, and said with a hint of pride.

"If you didn't get a bottle of Qi Refining Pills every month, how could you have reached the fourth level so quickly? Ultimately, you're benefiting from your father and me. Most of your peers in the clan are still at the second level! Your father and I can only give you a good start; if you want to establish your foundation, you still need to work hard." Wang Ruyan's expression turned serious as she sternly reprimanded her, embodying the image of a strict mother.

As both Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan were Foundation Establishment cultivators, Wang Qingjing and Wang Qingzhi naturally received much better treatment than their peers.

"Your mother is right, Qingjing. You must not become arrogant and complacent. Arrogance leads to stagnation, do you understand?" Wang Changsheng scolded her with a stern face. As parents, they hoped their children would achieve great things, and by comparison, Wang Qingjing and Wang Qingzhi already had a good starting point.

Hearing Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan's reprimand, Wang Qingjing immediately made a pained face and flung herself into Liu Qing'er's arms, whining, "Grandma, please tell them off for me."

"Alright, alright, the child is still young. Don't speak to her in such a tone; you'll scare her. Qingjing will surely cultivate diligently, won't you?" Liu Qing'er intervened to smooth things over, gazing at Wang Qingjing with doting affection.

Just as Wang Changsheng was about to speak, Wang Qingze walked in, a smile spreading across his face. He said, "Aunt San, Ninth Uncle, Ninth Aunt, you're all here!"

"Brother San, look! This is a puppet I carved from spiritual wood. It's only two steps away from becoming a true puppet beast." Wang Qingjing ran towards Wang Qingze, showing him her proud creation.

"Eighth Sister, you're truly amazing! Your future achievements will definitely surpass Ninth Uncle's." Wang Qingze carefully examined the wooden puppet in Wang Qingjing's hands and said with a smile, his words full of flattery.

Hearing this, Wang Qingjing's small face lit up with delight.

Wang Qingze had little interest in cultivation. He was smooth in his dealings with people, and many in the clan liked him.

"Qingjing, come here to Grandma. Your third brother has things to attend to."

"Qingze, what's going on?" Wang Changsheng asked.

"Ninth Uncle, Ninth Aunt, Grand-uncle asked me to invite you to Great-Great-Grandfather Twenty-Five's residence. He said there's an important matter he wishes to discuss." The Great-Great-Grandfather Twenty-Five Wang Qingze referred to was Wang Yaolong.

As the Wang family grew and prospered, Wang Yaolong, being of a higher generation, received good treatment. He had accumulated three wives and four concubines over time. Almost every year, one of his wives or concubines would become pregnant. When it came to the number of children and grandchildren, Wang Yaolong was unparalleled in the Wang family. Children with spiritual roots were kept within the family, while those without were sent to live as mortals. Wang Yaolong cast a wide net and reaped significant rewards; he currently had six sons and three daughters.

Before long, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan arrived at Wang Yaolong's residence. Within the courtyard stood a three-story blue pavilion, beside which was a stone gazebo. Wang Yaolong's three wives and four concubines were drinking tea and chatting in the stone gazebo. Two of the women were visibly pregnant, three held children in their arms, and two others were feeding infants. Although they were only at the Qi Refining stage, and some were even younger than Wang Changsheng, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan still respectfully greeted them.

Wang Changfeng and Wang Changhao were seated on chairs, chatting, while Wang Yaolong sat beside them, a beaming smile on his face. A clear-eyed, handsome boy stood nearby, looking a little nervous.

"Great-Uncle Twenty-Five, Uncle Forty-Two, Eldest Brother, Eighteenth Brother." Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan walked in and offered their greetings.

The boy's name was Wang Mingren, the forty-second of the "Ming" generation. He was just five years old this year, old enough to be tested for spiritual roots.

"Ninth Brother, Sister-in-law, you have a Spirit Measuring Ruler with you, don't you? Please test Uncle Forty-Two's aptitude yourselves; our test might not be accurate." Wang Changfeng said with a solemn expression.

Seeing Wang Changfeng's demeanor, both Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan were somewhat surprised. It seemed Wang Mingren's aptitude must be exceptional, otherwise Wang Changfeng wouldn't be taking it so seriously.

Wang Changsheng took out the Spirit Measuring Ruler, infused it with spiritual power, and the ruler emitted a soft white light that enveloped Wang Mingren. Wang Mingren was a little frightened, but under Wang Yaolong's comforting presence, he didn't try to dodge. After a moment, golden and red spiritual lights emerged on the Spirit Measuring Ruler.

"Dual spiritual roots of Metal and Fire!" Wang Changsheng was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed. He immediately grabbed Wang Mingren's left hand and thoroughly examined it. After a while, he released his hand and congratulated Wang Yaolong. "Great-Uncle Twenty-Five, congratulations!" With Wang Mingren's dual spiritual root aptitude, joining a sect would certainly be no problem. If he received strong cultivation from a sect, there was great hope for him to form a Core in the future.

"Haha, wonderful, simply wonderful! I knew it! If you cast a wide net, you're bound to catch a good fish. Mingren has been different from other children since he was small, and today's test proves it, dual spiritual roots!" Wang Yaolong laughed heartily, his expression highly agitated.

Wang Ruyan's expression turned somewhat solemn. "Eldest Brother, how many people know about this? This news absolutely cannot be leaked." If hostile forces were to learn of this, they might secretly take action against him.

"Everyone who knows about this is in this room; no one else knows."

Just then, Wang Mingren's stomach rumbled, and his small face flushed. "Father, I'm hungry."

"Great-Uncle Twenty-Five, please take Uncle Forty-Two to get something to eat first, and do not reveal this news to anyone else." Wang Yaolong nodded solemnly. He understood the significance of dual spiritual roots and would not speak of it publicly.

After Wang Yaolong left with Wang Mingren, the four of them — Wang Changsheng, Wang Ruyan, Wang Changfeng, and Wang Changhao — began discussing what to do with Wang Mingren. The family would certainly cultivate Wang Mingren diligently, but the question was whether to keep him within the clan or send him to a cultivation sect. Although the Wang family had grown stronger, cultivating a Core Formation cultivator was extremely difficult. For one thing, they simply didn't possess any high-quality cultivation techniques. They unanimously agreed to send Wang Mingren to a cultivation sect. However, before that, the family would strive to nurture him and foster a sense of belonging to the clan.

"Eldest Brother, send Uncle Forty-Two to my place! We can tell others that his talent in artifact refining is good, and I will personally instruct him." As Wang Mingren possessed dual spiritual roots, he certainly needed protection, and this reason was quite plausible. Wang Changfeng and Wang Changhao had no objections to this.

That very evening, Wang Mingren moved into Wang Changsheng's residence, living with Wang Qingjing and Wang Qingzhi. Wang Mingren's birth mother, Ye Li, was delighted to hear this. Being heavily pregnant, she couldn't care for him herself, so she instructed him to be well-behaved. Wang Mingren was initially a little unaccustomed to the change, but Ye Li and Wang Yaolong frequently visited him, and he gradually adapted. Wang Changsheng personally taught Wang Mingren, explaining cultivation knowledge and also imparting artifact refining techniques. Wang Mingren studied very diligently, asking questions whenever he encountered something he didn't understand, and Wang Changsheng answered each one.