Chapter 339: Returning Home

In a guest room in Taiyuan Market.

Wang Mingjiang sat cross-legged on a meditation mat, his body enveloped in a layer of blue light. The room was filled with numerous blue light particles, and a blue gourd rested in front of him.

His eyes were tightly shut, his face slightly contorted. His arms were visibly swollen, veins bulging, as if he were enduring immense pain.

A moment later, the blue light particles in the room dispersed, and Wang Mingjiang opened his eyes.

He sensed his own aura and frowned deeply.

Initially, observing Wang Changsheng's rapid cultivation speed, Wang Mingjiang had chosen to cultivate the 'Kishui True Scripture.' With the assistance of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Water, his cultivation indeed progressed quickly. However, as he advanced through the cultivation levels, he was horrified to realize that his spiritual sense was not strong enough. Each cultivation session became excruciatingly painful, making him feel as if his body might burst.

He had taken Spirit Nourishing Pills, but they only provided a minimal increase in spiritual sense, requiring him to consume them in bulk. However, Spirit Nourishing Pills were already rare on the market, and he had gone to great lengths just to obtain the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Water. He simply lacked the spirit stones to purchase large quantities of the pills.

"No wonder Third Grand-uncle died from his body exploding! If your spiritual sense isn't strong enough, you really can't cultivate this technique!" Wang Mingjiang muttered to himself, his brow deeply furrowed.

During this retreat, he remained stuck at the third level of Foundation Establishment. He felt he was close to the fourth level, but an invisible barrier blocked him. Every time he tried to break through this barrier, it became extremely painful, as if his body were about to burst.

He was now in a dilemma. While the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Water indeed accelerated his cultivation of the 'Kishui True Scripture,' and he couldn't resist the allure of a high-grade technique—the best one collected by the Wang family—his spiritual sense remained insufficient. He dared not continue cultivating, fearing he would suffer the same fate as Third Grand-uncle and die from his body exploding.

He put away the blue gourd, stood up, and walked out.

As soon as he stepped out of his room, he saw Wang Changfeng also emerging from his own.

Upon seeing Wang Mingjiang, a hint of joy appeared in Wang Changfeng's eyes: "Uncle Twenty-one, you've emerged from your retreat?"

"Yes. Where are you off to?"

Just as Wang Changfeng was about to reply, Wang Changsheng opened his door and stepped out.

"Oh, Uncle Twenty-one, you're out of seclusion."

Wang Mingjiang nodded and said, "Come into my room. Tell me what has happened these past few years."

Wang Changsheng and Wang Changfeng entered Wang Mingjiang's room and recounted everything that had happened over the past few years.

Upon learning that Wang Changsheng and Wang Changfeng had teamed up with Zhao Wuji's group of three to hunt demonic beasts, Wang Mingjiang frowned.

"Changsheng, how many high-grade, second-tier puppet beasts do you have?"

"Two, a giant ape and a giant crane."

Wang Mingjiang pondered for a moment and said, "Here's what we'll do: leave the giant crane puppet with us, and you return to the clan. We've been out for seven years now; if we don't go back for so long, I'm afraid Ruyan might not be able to handle things if something happens."

Having been away for so many years, Wang Mingjiang was truly worried about the clan.

Wang Changsheng was somewhat moved. After a moment of hesitation, he said, "Uncle Twenty-one, take both high-grade, second-tier puppet beasts. Your cultivation levels aren't high, and having two high-grade, second-tier puppet beasts will make hunting demonic beasts safer for you. I can buy materials and continue refining more puppet beasts."

Wang Mingjiang repeatedly declined, but Wang Changsheng's attitude was firm, so Wang Mingjiang eventually accepted them.

They kept only a thousand spirit stones and entrusted all other valuables to Wang Changsheng, instructing him to purchase cultivation resources and bring them back to the clan.

Wang Mingjiang and Wang Changfeng each wrote a personal letter for Wang Changsheng to deliver to their relatives.

The following morning, Wang Changsheng went to Jinyu Pavilion to purchase a batch of artifact refining materials, then headed down the mountain.

Last time, when he helped Meng Tianzheng block a third-tier demonic beast, Meng Tianzheng gave Wang Changsheng fifty jin of undiluted Profound Ice Cold Water.

Wang Changsheng gave Zhao Wuji a batch of demonic beast materials and asked him to procure some Profound Ice Cold Water. Currently, he had over five hundred jin of diluted Heaven and Earth Spiritual Water, enough for him to cultivate for eight to ten years.

"Uncle Twenty-one, Brother, you don't need to see me off. I'll take good care of the clan. Please be extra careful when hunting demonic beasts."

As Wang Changsheng spoke, he summoned his flying magical artifact, jumped onto it, and flew away into the distance.

Soon, he disappeared into the horizon.

Yunzhou, Qinjialing.

Qinjialing was formerly known as Baiyunling, but after the Qin family took control of the area, they renamed it Qinjialing.

The Qin family currently controlled three second-tier spiritual veins, and Qinjialing was just one of them.

Qinjialing contained seventy mu of spiritual fields, all dedicated to cultivating Purple Moon Flowers. Purple Moon Flowers over ten years old could be used to refine elixirs, and those over fifty years old were suitable for refining Qi Nourishing Pills. Several other second-tier elixirs also required Purple Moon Flowers, making this spiritual flower highly marketable.

To protect the Purple Moon Flowers, the Qin family dispatched two Foundation Establishment cultivators, Qin Yuntai and Qin Yunhu, to guard Qinjialing.

Qin Yunhu was at the first level of Foundation Establishment, while Qin Yuntai was at the third. They typically cultivated in seclusion chambers.

One day, Qin Yuntai and Qin Yunhu were drinking tea and chatting in a stone pavilion.

"Eighth Brother, we need to find a way to earn more spirit stones, or we won't have enough for our cultivation."

Their current income came from two sources: the annual stipends issued by the family, and the rent from Qinyun Market.

After the Qin family occupied Baiyunling, they not only renamed it Qinjialing but also took over the former market, renaming it Qinyun Market.

The Qin family controlled a significant territory, but with over five hundred cultivators, their numbers were large. The annual stipend received by each Foundation Establishment cultivator was not substantial, and Qinyun Market's business wasn't particularly good, resulting in low income.

Under these circumstances, Qin Yunhu wanted to find some additional sources of income.

"We've been stationed in Qinjialing for over ten years, and we've tried every method we could think of. None have yielded significant results. Let's just focus on cultivating diligently!"

Qin Yuntai was seventy-seven years old this year, and his temperament was relatively steady.

Qin Yunhu was forty-one years old this year, and he had been stuck at the first level of Foundation Establishment for seven years, eager for a breakthrough.

Hearing this, Qin Yunhu gave a wry smile. Over the years, they had indeed tried many methods, but with little real success.

"Eighth Brother, why don't we raise the..."

Before Qin Yunhu could finish his sentence, two men quickly walked in. The one in front was a man in his thirties wearing a green robe, followed by a young man in his twenties wearing a blue robe.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

The green-robed man cupped his hands to Qin Yuntai and Qin Yunhu and said, "Eighth Uncle, Eighteenth Uncle, Ninth Junior Brother has discovered a restriction formation, suspected to be an ancient cultivator's cave dwelling."

Qin Yuntai and Qin Yunhu exchanged glances. Qin Yunhu quickly asked, "Where is it? Are you sure it's an ancient cultivator's cave dwelling?"

The blue-robed youth stepped forward and respectfully said, "Replying to Eighteenth Uncle, it's deep within Qinjialing. The restriction formation is underground. Your nephew tried various methods but couldn't break through it. The spiritual energy there is sparse, and it has always been a rarely visited place, so it's most likely an ancient cultivator's cave dwelling."

"Excellent! We were just worrying about lacking spirit stones, and now an ancient cultivator's cave dwelling has presented itself! If this is true, you will be credited for your achievement. Now, tell me the detailed sequence of events."

The blue-robed youth dared not delay and recounted everything in detail.

He had been chasing a marmot, which burrowed underground to escape. He pursued it and unexpectedly discovered the restriction formation.

"How could an ancient cultivator's cave dwelling suddenly appear? Is it some kind of conspiracy?"