Chapter 45: Two Years

Half a month passed quickly. After several months of studying artifact refinement, it was time for Wang Changsheng and the other four to show their results.

On this day, several Wang family elders, led by Wang Yaozong, came to the artifact refinement room to observe Wang Changsheng and the other four. The two most skilled individuals would receive significant cultivation resources from the family. Each person was given ten sets of refinement materials to create Azure Moon Blades and Azure Cloud Shields. The quantity and quality of the finished products were the evaluation criteria.

Wang Mingmei was the first to begin refining. Her refinement skill had always been the highest among the five. From ten sets of materials, she produced five finished products: three Azure Moon Blades and two Azure Cloud Shields. Four of these were of excellent quality, while one had a defect. Wang Mingdong's performance was slightly worse; he only refined three finished products: two Azure Moon Blades and one Azure Cloud Shield. One of these was of excellent quality.

Wang Mingcan had previously been an apprentice refiner, responsible for extracting ore and making talismans, giving him extensive refinement experience. From ten sets of materials, he produced five finished products: two Azure Moon Blades and three Azure Cloud Shields. Three of these were of excellent quality. Wang Changhuan only refined three finished products: two Azure Moon Blades and one Azure Cloud Shield. One of these was of excellent quality.

Under everyone's gaze, Wang Changsheng began his refinement. The process of preheating, pouring in materials, extinguishing the flame, shaping, and engraving spirit patterns flowed smoothly. He had practiced many times before and was experienced. Perhaps due to the excellent performances of Wang Mingmei and the other three, Wang Changsheng felt somewhat nervous and made errors in three of his attempts. From ten sets of materials, he produced five finished products: two Azure Moon Blades and three Azure Cloud Shields. Two of these were of excellent quality.

The outcome was clear: Wang Changsheng was not selected. Wang Mingmei and Wang Mingcan were successfully chosen to become the family's key artifact refiners.

Wang Yaozong's gaze swept over Wang Mingmei and the other four. He smiled and said, "You all worked hard. It's clear you studied diligently. Fifth Sister and Eleventh Brother performed the best. The family will dedicate significant resources to cultivate you, and we hope you will continue to study hard."

Wang Mingyuan promised solemnly to Wang Yaoxi, "Uncle Seven, from today onwards, Fifth Sister and Eleventh Brother are entrusted to you. Tell me what refinement materials you need, and I will send someone to purchase them."

Wang Yaoxi nodded and said, "Fifth Sister and Eleventh Brother both performed well. However, Changsheng's performance was also good. He was only one excellent quality product short of Eleventh Brother's result, and his refinement skill has already reached the level of a first-rank low-grade refiner. It would be a great pity to give up on him now."

Wang Mingyuan looked troubled and said, "However, the clan doesn't have the financial capacity to cultivate three refiners. Our entire clan has over a hundred members, and the annual expenses are considerable. Just cultivating two refiners is already a strain; we genuinely cannot afford to train three." Wang Mingyuan also felt quite helpless. Truthfully, he hoped Wang Changsheng would become a refiner. But as the saying goes, 'one doesn't know the cost of living until they run a household.' With over a hundred people in the clan needing food and drink, the annual expenditure was significant, making it genuinely impossible to cultivate three refiners simultaneously.

Wang Yaozong pondered for a moment and said, "What Mingyuan and Seventh Brother say makes sense. Changsheng discovered the Dark Gold Vein and made such a significant contribution; he must be well rewarded. How about this: let him be responsible for tending to the newly cultivated three mu of first-rank spirit fields. We will give him an additional five catties of first-rank mid-grade spirit grain each month. Once the family overcomes its difficulties and has sufficient spirit stones, we will then cultivate Changsheng as the third refiner."

In the market, one catty of first-rank mid-grade spirit grain costs one or two spirit stones. Five catties of first-rank mid-grade spirit grain per month would amount to over a hundred spirit stones annually, which is not a small sum. If this were the case, Wang Changsheng's cultivation speed would significantly increase.

"You have made a great contribution to the family, and this is what you deserve," Wang Yaozong earnestly instructed. "However, you must not be too ostentatious. The Dark Gold Vein is a secret of our clan and must not be leaked." Wang Changsheng repeatedly affirmed and agreed.

He had worked hard to learn artifact refinement, only to be unselected. Wang Changsheng felt deeply disheartened and had no appetite for dinner. A few knocks sounded on the door, and Wang Mingyuan's voice suddenly rang out: "Sheng'er, open the door. Your father has something to tell you."

Wang Changsheng opened the door and invited Wang Mingyuan inside. He kept his head down, silent, with a dejected expression. Wang Mingyuan sighed and comforted him, "Don't be too upset. Your Fifth Aunt and Eleventh Uncle learned artifact refinement years ago, even paying for it themselves. Refinement is an ancestral skill of our Wang family, and they naturally wouldn't want to abandon it. However, the family's finances have been tight, preventing us from cultivating a first-rank refiner. If you hadn't discovered the Dark Gold Vein, the family wouldn't even have had enough spirit stones to cultivate a first-rank refiner."

Hearing this, Wang Changsheng still felt very disheartened and said, "No matter what, I wasn't chosen. How many spirit stones can one earn by guarding spirit fields for a year? It's far less profitable than artifact refinement." Becoming a family-cultivated refiner would also mean receiving more cultivation resources, which would benefit future cultivation.

Wang Mingyuan took out fifty spirit stones and handed them to Wang Changsheng, saying, "These are the spirit stones your father saved up. Take them to buy materials and learn refinement on your own. Your refinement skill is already close to that of a first-rank low-grade refiner. With more practice, you will definitely become one."

A warmth spread through Wang Changsheng's heart. Although Wang Mingyuan was the family head, his annual stipend wasn't much. During Wang Changsheng's time in Ping'an County, Wang Mingyuan had always bought spirit grain for him, though it was delivered in Liu Qing'er's name.

"You've been in Ping'an County for several years, so your temperament should have matured," Wang Mingyuan said, patting Wang Changsheng's shoulder encouragingly. "If you weren't selected, then you weren't. Work hard on your cultivation, save some spirit stones, and learn artifact refinement. With a special skill, your future path will be smoother."

"Thank you, Father. Your son knows what to do now," Wang Changsheng said, nodding seriously.

"That's good. I still have things to attend to. Go eat now!"

Wang Changsheng agreed and personally saw Wang Mingyuan off. After Wang Mingyuan's guidance, he felt much better and had a clear plan for his future.

The newly cultivated three mu of first-rank spirit fields were located halfway up Qinglian Mountain, used for planting first-rank mid-grade spirit grain. Wang Changsheng's task was simple: every two days, he would use Rain Manipulation to water the three mu of spirit grain. The remaining time could be used for cultivation. The three mu of spirit fields were built atop a first-rank mid-grade spirit vein, ensuring abundant spiritual energy.

Spring turned to autumn, and two years quickly passed. The three mu of spirit fields were a sea of golden yellow, with every stalk of spirit grain laden with plump rice ears. The air was filled with a rich aroma of rice.

In the early morning, the sun began to rise. Inside a simple stone house next to the spirit fields, Wang Changsheng sat cross-legged on a stone bed, eyes slightly closed, his body enveloped in a vast blue light. After a moment, the blue light surged into his body. He opened his eyes, a glint of light shooting from them. He exhaled a long breath, his face filled with joy. With five catties of first-rank mid-grade spirit grain monthly, two spirit stones for tending the fields, and the ability to cultivate on a first-rank mid-grade spirit vein, in two years, he successfully advanced to the sixth level of Qi Refinement.

With the Dark Gold Vein, the Wang family's situation had improved significantly. However, they publicly claimed the quarry was a spirit vein used for planting spirit grain. To solidify this claim, the spirit artifacts refined by Wang Mingmei and Wang Mingcan were not sold in Ningzhou but were instead taken to Xianyuan City. Additionally, a large quantity of first-rank mid-grade spirit grain was purchased using Dark Gold ore and sold in the Wang family's shops. Because they bought first-rank mid-grade spirit grain in large quantities, they received a discount, and reselling it also earned them a sum of spirit stones. Outsiders were unaware of the quarry's true nature, and with the Wang family selling large amounts of first-rank mid-grade spirit grain, they naturally believed the quarry was indeed a spirit vein.

It's worth noting that the Song family had a new patriarch, Song Zixian. Every time Wang Mingyuan's birthday arrived, Song Zixian sent someone to deliver congratulatory gifts. Wang Changsheng also attended Zhao Yuhui's birthday. In two years, Zhao Ningxiang had made further progress, reaching the seventh level of Qi Refinement. At eighteen years old, reaching the seventh level of Qi Refinement, Zhao Ningxiang's talent made many of her peers feel ashamed. For some unknown reason, Zhao Ningxiang had not mentioned joining an immortal cultivation sect to Wang Changsheng again.

Wang Changsheng's third brother, Wang Changxing, had poor talent and was considered old at twenty-four. Under the arrangement of Fourth Uncle Wang Mingliang, Wang Changxing married Liu Huairen's youngest daughter from Pingyang Prefecture. The marriage alliance between the Wang and Liu families strengthened their relationship. If the Song family wished to target the Wang family again, the Liu family would be the first to object. After getting married, Wang Changxing matured somewhat. In the second year of their marriage, his wife Liu Leyun gave birth to a healthy baby boy, delighting him immensely. With a son, Wang Changxing abandoned his habits of excessive drinking and eating. He began saving the cultivation resources the family distributed to him each month, intending to leave them for his son. A newborn child's spiritual root cannot be discerned; testing for it requires waiting until at least five years of age. Wang Changxing's talent destined him not to go far on the path of immortality. He ardently hoped his son's talent would surpass his own, allowing him to journey further on the cultivation path in the future. For this reason, he began accumulating cultivation resources for his son.