Chapter 492: Half a Year

Six months passed quickly.

Inside a secret chamber, Wang Changsheng sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion. Before him lay a large array of materials, and on the floor, a massive golden-armored guardian lay inert, its surface covered in intricate spiritual patterns.

He retrieved a soul-gathering bottle, from which a green orb of light emerged. Guided by an enigmatic force, the green orb vanished into the golden-armored guardian's mouth.

The golden-armored guardian then stood up, its eyes moving constantly.

Wang Changsheng performed a hand seal, and the golden-armored guardian’s body erupted with a brilliant golden light, transforming into a gleaming metallic sphere that landed in his hand.

With a flick of his wrist, the metallic sphere vanished.

Outside, Wang Ruyan was feeding her two grandchildren: Zhao Ziyu, her grandson, and Wang Tianqi, her great-granddaughter.

Upon seeing Wang Changsheng, Wang Tianqi stood up and sweetly greeted him, "Your great-granddaughter bows to you, Great-Grandfather."

Wang Changsheng walked over, picked up Wang Tianqi, and asked with a smile, "Tianqi, tell your Great-Grandfather what you learned today at the Lecture Hall."

"Today, Seventh Uncle taught us about combat techniques. He emphasized that attacks should be swift, accurate, and decisive, and that we should practice our combat skills diligently..."

Wang Tianqi replied truthfully. The 'Seventh Uncle' she referred to was, of course, Wang Qingshan.

Clan members at the Foundation Establishment stage would take turns teaching at the Lecture Hall, covering a wide range of subjects.

Wang Changsheng nodded with satisfaction, then looked at Zhao Ziyu and smiled, "Come here, let your maternal grandfather give you a hug."

"Ma... Maternal Grandfather," Zhao Ziyu stammered in a childlike voice, his speech still not entirely clear.

"Husband, I plan to depart in a few days. Aunt Twenty-one also wants to accompany me to hunt demon beasts. What are your thoughts on this?"

The Aunt Twenty-one Wang Ruyan referred to was, of course, Mo Caiyun.

Wang Mingjiang had left a significant amount of merit points, distributed based on contributions to the family. Upon learning that Wang Ruyan and others planned to hunt demon beasts, Mo Caiyun volunteered her services.

She had lived with the Wang family for several years, and the family had indeed treated her and her four children well. Wang Changxin and Wang Changxin had begun cultivating and required cultivation resources. Furthermore, Wang Changyang had recently had another son; if he possessed spiritual roots, he would receive a sum of merit points. Naturally, Mo Caiyun was not content to remain idle.

"It's good that Aunt Twenty-one wants to contribute to the family. But where is Ziyu's father?"

"Zhao Zheng also wanted to come along, but I refused. Ziyu is still young; it's better for them to stay home and cultivate for a few more years. We can reconsider when Ziyu is older."

Wang Changsheng handed Wang Ruyan a green storage bead. "My dear, I've refined a few high-grade, second-tier puppet beasts for you. Please be careful on your journey. The Sirius Secret Realm is about to open, so I won't be able to accompany you to the Taiyi Mountain Range."

"We will be careful. Husband, please be extra cautious. After you've helped Senior Guang gather the spiritual fruits, find a place to lie low. Don't wander around unnecessarily; your cultivation level isn't very high."

"I understand. You all be careful too. You continue feeding them; I'm going to check on Qingqi to see if he's managed to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill."

Wang Changsheng set down Zhao Ziyu and headed towards Wang Qingqi's dwelling.

Inside the secret chamber, Wang Qingqi stood before the alchemy furnace, a look of profound disappointment on his face.

The three sets of materials were worth a combined ninety thousand spirit stones, yet he hadn't managed to refine even a single Foundation Establishment Pill.

This was not surprising; the Wang family had built its foundation on artifact refinement, with alchemy and formation arrangement being their weakest areas. Wang Qingqi was the only second-tier alchemist in the clan, and his skill in alchemy was limited.

Even so, Wang Qingqi felt deeply ashamed.

Having spent ninety thousand spirit stones without producing a single Foundation Establishment Pill, Wang Qingqi found it impossible to be at peace with himself.

Wang Qingqi let out a deep sigh, wiped the alchemy furnace clean, and stepped outside.

As he exited the pavilion, he saw Wang Changsheng, Wang Qingkai, and Wang Qingyuan.

Seeing the three of them, Wang Qingqi felt even more ashamed. He could tell that the family placed great importance on this matter; the Foundation Establishment Pill was crucial for a family's continuation and growth, and thus highly valued.

Noticing Wang Qingqi's downcast expression, Wang Changsheng immediately knew that the refinement had failed.

To be honest, Wang Changsheng hadn't held much hope for Wang Qingqi successfully refining the Foundation Establishment Pill. The Wang family had never produced a second-tier alchemist before, and Wang Qingqi was currently the only one in the entire clan, with limited alchemy skills.

Wang Qingqi had exchanged knowledge with many alchemists, but such exchanges were insufficient to significantly improve his alchemy proficiency.

"Qingqi, it's alright. You've never had experience refining a Foundation Establishment Pill before, so failure is understandable. Don't be too disheartened. Just learn from it. Next time, if we acquire a third-tier demon core, we'll try refining the Foundation Establishment Pill again."

Wang Changsheng offered words of comfort with a smile, knowing that Wang Qingqi, as the clan's only second-tier alchemist, was under immense pressure.

Wang Qingqi's inability to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill stemmed from several factors: First, he was only at the fifth layer of the Foundation Establishment stage. Second, the Wang family lacked ground fire, which is purer, hotter, and more consistently stable than a cultivator's true fire, significantly increasing the success rate of alchemy. Third, he had no prior experience in refining Foundation Establishment Pills, making failure unsurprising.

What was done was done; blaming Wang Qingqi was pointless, as he certainly hadn't wanted to fail.

"That's right, Qingqi! Don't be too sad. It was your first attempt, so it's understandable if you failed."

"Exactly, Qingqi. Just learn from this experience and strive to successfully refine the Foundation Establishment Pill next time."

Wang Qingkai and Wang Qingyuan offered words of comfort in turn, but despite their reassurances, they too felt deep disappointment.

Each set of materials for refining a Foundation Establishment Pill cost thirty thousand spirit stones, making three sets a staggering ninety thousand. Ninety thousand spirit stones was a massive sum for the Wang family.

Upon hearing the comforting words from Wang Changsheng and the others, Wang Qingqi's expression softened, and his spirits lifted considerably. However, he also felt his burden had grown heavier. He vowed to diligently study alchemy, hoping to successfully refine the Foundation Establishment Pill next time. Spending ninety thousand spirit stones just for practice felt excessively luxurious.

If he failed to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill again, Wang Qingqi felt he wouldn't be able to face the other clan members.

"Ninth Uncle, there's some good news I forgot to share with you: Qiuxin has reached the Foundation Establishment stage."

Wang Qingkai forced a smile and changed the subject.

"Qiuxin? When did this happen?"

Wang Qiuxin was Wang Changxing's grandson and an artifact refiner.

"You brought back three Foundation Establishment Pills. Qiuxin had already accumulated enough merit points to exchange for one, and half a month ago, he emerged from seclusion, successfully advancing to the Foundation Establishment stage."

As an artifact refiner, Wang Qiuxin had regularly accumulated many merit points. Combined with the points left by Wang Changxing and those accumulated by Wang Qingze, he had long had enough to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill. He had simply reached the ninth layer of the Qi Refining stage a little later than Wang Qingling.

Wang Changsheng nodded with a smile. "This is wonderful news. If Third Brother knows about this in the afterlife, he will surely be pleased."

Three days later, Wang Changsheng bid farewell to Wang Ruyan and her companions.

Wang Ruyan, Wang Qingshan, Wang Qingjun, and Mo Caiyun, along with eleven Qi Refining stage clan members, departed from Green Lotus Villa, bound for the Taiyi Mountain Range to hunt demon beasts.

Among the eleven Qi Refining stage clan members were Wang Qiuming and Wang Qiuling, both of whom had cultivated to the ninth layer of Qi Refining. Although Wang Qingzhi and Qi Shanshan disagreed with Wang Qiuming traveling so far to the Taiyi Mountain Range to hunt demon beasts, his resolve was firm. Unable to dissuade him, his parents could only urge him to be extremely careful.