Chapter 532: Family Legacy Has an Heir

In Wei State, at Red Leaf Ridge.

Wang Changsheng sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, a large pile of artifact refining materials laid out before him. He was currently refining artifacts.

Ye Lin had remained at Red Leaf Ridge and hadn't left, which allowed Wang Changsheng to breathe a sigh of relief. If Ye Lin had fled, Wang Changsheng would have truly felt a pang of regret; after all, he was a top-tier third-rank formation master.

With the demon invasion, it was uncertain how long this war would last. Before the Taiyi Immortal Sect issued any directives, Wang Changsheng dared not enter secluded cultivation. The entire Wei State was under the Taiyi Immortal Sect's dominion, and they had to obey its commands. The Taiyi Immortal Sect couldn't send all its own disciples to the front lines; it would surely draw personnel from its affiliated forces. If Wang Changsheng were in secluded cultivation, it was highly probable that all the Foundation Establishment cultivators from his family would be dispatched to the front. If all the Core Formation cultivators slated for conscription evaded it under the guise of secluded cultivation, wouldn't the defense against the demon race fall entirely on the Taiyi Immortal Sect? That was, of course, impossible.

Since he couldn't escape fate, whether good or bad, Wang Changsheng decided to improve his artifact refining skills as quickly as possible. His success rate in refining prototype magical artifacts had already increased significantly.

At Green Lotus Mountain Villa, in a certain secret chamber, Wang Qiuyan sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion. In front of him was a three-legged alchemy cauldron engulfed in fierce flames. A faint medicinal fragrance permeated the air. Wang Qingqi stood silently to the side.

After a moment, Wang Qiuyan performed a hand seal, and the flames dissipated. He opened the cauldron and saw three pale-green pills lying inside, emitting a delicate fragrance.

“Fourth Uncle, I succeeded! I finally succeeded!” Wang Qiuyan said, a little excited. He had studied alchemy with Wang Qingqi since childhood, becoming a top-tier first-rank alchemist before reaching Foundation Establishment. After achieving Foundation Establishment, under Wang Qingqi's patient guidance, he had failed several times but successfully refined a batch of second-rank pills.

Wang Qingqi was also delighted; cultivating the family's second second-rank alchemist was a matter of great pride. He walked to the cauldron, picked up a green pill between two fingers, examined it carefully for a moment, and then put it into his mouth.

“Not bad. When I first refined Qingyue Pills, my success rate wasn't this high. However, your control over the heat wasn't ideal; the quality of this batch of pills isn't great. They can be sold on the market, but buyers will compare prices and, over time, will go to other pill shops. You need to pay attention to the heat.” Wang Qingqi offered an objective assessment.

“Yes, Fourth Uncle.”

Wang Qingqi patted Wang Qiuyan's shoulder and said with satisfaction, “Qiuyan, you must work hard. Your starting point is much better than mine. Back when I was refining Qingyue Pills, I had to figure everything out on my own, failing more than a dozen times before succeeding. Now that I am a top-tier second-rank alchemist, guiding you to refine low-grade second-rank pills will give you a higher success rate. The family's future depends on you young ones; your Fourth Uncle is getting old.”

Wang Qiuyan bowed respectfully to Wang Qingqi and sincerely said, “This nephew owes all his accomplishments today to Fourth Uncle's meticulous guidance. Thank you for your efforts, Fourth Uncle.”

“Silly boy, why say such things? Now that you've become a second-rank alchemist, you can help me share the burden. Let's work together to cultivate the family's third second-rank alchemist. Take a break, then continue refining Qingyue Pills. Strike while the iron is hot and increase your pill formation rate.”

“Yes, Fourth Uncle.”

In a secluded courtyard, Wang Qingyun was instructing Wang Qiuling in the refinement of second-rank talismans. Wang Qingyun was currently at Foundation Establishment Layer Four, capable of refining eight types of second-rank talismans and low-grade second-rank flying talisman soldiers. She was passionate about talisman arts and not overly concerned with cultivation.

Wang Qiuling initially studied artifact refining, but after half a month, she lost interest and switched to talisman arts. When she saw the flying talisman soldiers, she was instantly captivated and began studying talisman crafting with Wang Qingyun. After reaching Foundation Establishment, Wang Qiuling began learning to refine second-rank talismans with Wang Qingyun.

Wang Qiuling held a green talisman brush, her gaze fixed on a talisman paper before her, which already bore dozens of red runes. After a short while, the last red rune settled, and the talisman paper shimmered with a red glow, its spiritual light flickering erratically, emitting a faint ripple of fire spiritual energy.

Wang Qiuling let out a long breath and said excitedly, “Fifth Aunt, I succeeded! I finally succeeded!”

Wang Qingyun smiled faintly and praised, “Not bad, much better than I was. But you need to keep working hard. I noticed you were a bit clumsy when drawing the thirty-seventh and fifty-sixth runes; you almost failed the refinement.”

“Understood, Fifth Aunt. I will work harder.” Wang Qiuling smiled in response, placed a blank talisman paper in front of her, dipped her talisman brush in cinnabar, and began to draw.

In a certain secret chamber, Wang Qiuxin sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, a massive scarlet fireball hovering before him. Wang Changhuan was instructing him from the side. Wang Qiuxin was currently at Foundation Establishment Layer Three. He was a low-grade second-rank artifact refiner and a low-grade second-rank puppet master. Wang Qingqing taught him to refine puppet beasts, while Wang Changhuan taught him to refine magical artifacts.

Wang Changhuan was now 140 years old and at Foundation Establishment Layer Five. He had entered the Foundation Establishment stage even earlier than Wang Qingshan, but he had switched to cultivating the 'Heavenly Flame Scripture' midway, which cost him twenty years; otherwise, he would have long since reached Foundation Establishment Layer Six. Wang Qingqi, Wang Qingyun, and Wang Changhuan all lacked combat experience, belonging instead to the category of skilled professionals. Besides cultivating, they also made time to instruct the younger generations of the family. A family relies on generations passing down its heritage; if the inheritance is broken, the family's decline is merely a matter of time.

After a moment, Wang Qiuxin withdrew his hand seal, and the flames dissipated, revealing a gleaming golden hammer before them. Spiritual light continuously flowed around the hammer, and faint spirit patterns subtly appeared.

“Finally successful! The mid-grade magical artifact, Golden Ridge Hammer.” Wang Qiuxin's face lit up with joy as he spoke with a smile. He particularly favored heavy magical artifacts, such as hammers, bricks, and seals.

“Not bad, but when you're refining artifacts, could you please refrain from eating? It's easy to get distracted,” Wang Changhuan said earnestly, pointing to the dozens of date pits scattered on the ground.

When Wang Changxing passed away, he had instructed Wang Changhuan to take good care of Wang Qiuxin. Thanks to the merit points accumulated by Wang Changxing and Wang Qingze across two generations, Wang Qiuxin, with just a little effort, gathered enough merit points to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill and successfully established his foundation. Like Wang Changyue, he had a fondness for gourmet food. However, while Wang Changyue never gained weight no matter how much she ate, Wang Qiuxin had been chubby since childhood. When he was young, he often visited Wang Qingzhi's residence for meals. Although he had already entered the state of abstaining from food in the Foundation Establishment stage, he still couldn't part with his snacks.

Wang Qiuxin gave an embarrassed smile and said, “Eighth Granduncle, eating helps me concentrate.”

Wang Changhuan sighed and said, “How many times have I told you? You're still the same. Never mind, do as you please! As long as it doesn't hinder your artifact refining, that's fine. Your granduncle is old; the family will rely on you younger generation from now on. You can now refine mid-grade magical artifacts, but don't get complacent. You must work even harder and not neglect your cultivation, understood?”

“Your grandson will remember Eighth Granduncle's teachings.” Wang Qiuxin nodded, speaking sincerely.

“Alright, that's enough for today. I'm going back to rest. If you have any questions, you can come ask me.”

“Eighth Granduncle, I'll see you out.”