Chapter 561: Seven Years

Seven years passed in the blink of an eye.

In the Wei State, at Green Lotus Villa.

In the Lecture Hall, over sixty young children had gathered, listening as Wang Changli explained the fundamentals of cultivation. Wang Changli, Wang Yaolong's youngest grandson, was seventy-five years old and had reached the eighth level of Qi Condensation. He was responsible for teaching cultivation knowledge to the younger clan members.

“Today, we will be discussing our clan's history,” Wang Changli announced. “All of you must listen carefully, as we will review it tomorrow.”

“Granduncle,” one child curiously asked, “aren’t we here to cultivate immortality? Why are we learning clan history? We can just read the history books in the Scripture Depository; there’s no need to teach it specifically!”

Wang Changli glared, sternly rebuking them. “Go read in the Scripture Depository, you say? How many of you actually have? We must remember our past hardships to appreciate our present prosperity. Without our ancestors' painstaking efforts and their willingness to sacrifice their lives, our clan would not be what it is today. All of you listen carefully: Ancestor Wang Tiangang single-handedly established our clan. Back then, the clan…”

The children listened intently as Wang Changli spoke of their ancestors, who had fought fiercely, risking life and limb to secure cultivation resources. Their blood boiled with excitement, and they were filled with deep admiration for their forebears.

Two hours later, the lecture concluded, and the children gradually left the Lecture Hall.

“I never knew our clan had such a difficult period in its history, where a clan uncle was killed, and we had to endure it silently,” one child remarked.

“That was because the clan wasn’t strong enough back then,” another chimed in. “But who would dare provoke our Wang clan today? Last time, when I went with my mother to celebrate Grandma’s birthday, the other guests were incredibly envious when they learned I was from the Wang clan of Green Lotus Villa.”

“Exactly,” another added. “I’m already at the second level of Qi Condensation and receive two spirit stones and ten catties of low-grade, first-tier spirit rice every month. Children from smaller clans only get ten catties of spirit rice. Our benefits are far better! As the saying goes, 'ancestors plant trees, and descendants enjoy the shade.' Without our ancestors’ sacrifices, we wouldn’t be living so well today.”

“Today is the clan competition day, let’s hurry and watch!” exclaimed another. “I wonder who will be selected as one of the Four Prodigies. If you can make it, reaching Foundation Establishment is practically guaranteed!”

“Yes, let’s go quickly! I heard many guests are attending,” another agreed.

At the Combat Arena, ten Wang clan disciples were currently competing on the elevated platforms.

On the main platform, Wang Qingkai occupied the central seat, flanked by numerous guests. Following the great war between righteous and demonic cultivators, the Wang clan had acquired vast amounts of wealth. This allowed Wang Qingkai to wholeheartedly focus on nurturing talented clan members.

Inspired by the training methods of immortal cultivation sects, Wang Qingjun proposed a talent hierarchy: 'One Paragon, Two Champions, Three Elites, and Four Prodigies.' Wang Qingshan was the Paragon; Wang Qingjun and Zhao Zheng were the Two Champions; Wang Ruyan, Mo Caiyun, and Wang Qiuling were the Three Elites. The Four Prodigies had yet to be chosen.

In Wang Qingkai's vision, the Four Prodigies would be Qi Condensation cultivators. The Wang clan held minor competitions every three years and major ones every ten. The top four participants in the major competition would be selected as the Four Prodigies, receiving intensive clan support to help them reach Foundation Establishment. The Paragon, Two Champions, and Three Elites also received significant resources. This system was designed to motivate clan members to cultivate diligently and contribute to the clan's prosperity.

With the 'Qing' generation aging, the 'Tian' and 'You' generations now formed the clan’s primary strength.

A Foundation Establishment cultivator oversaw each platform, judging the outcome of every match. Excluding clan members who had joined immortal cultivation sects, the Wang clan now boasted thirty-five Foundation Establishment cultivators and a total of one thousand one hundred and twenty-three cultivators.

During the great war between humans and demons, countless cultivators perished, and the cultivation clans in the State of Wu suffered devastating losses. Many smaller clans were annihilated, leading to a flood of Foundation Establishment spiritual items onto the market and a significant increase in the number of rogue Foundation Establishment cultivators. Taking Wang Qiuhong's advice, Wang Qingshan used Foundation Establishment Pills as an enticement, successfully recruiting over a hundred cultivators, including two minor clans.

These Foundation Establishment Pills, however, were not given away freely. Only talented individuals who pledged allegiance to the Wang clan could obtain them, such as alchemists, artifact refiners, talisman masters, and formation masters. For example, a second-tier low-grade talisman master whose lifespan was nearing its end, with only four or five years remaining, joined the Wang clan with his three grandchildren, the eldest of whom was only six. He dedicated himself to frantically generating benefits for the Wang clan, accumulating merit points so that his grandchildren could eventually exchange them for Foundation Establishment Pills. By offering a few Foundation Establishment Pills, they could motivate cultivators outside the direct lineage to dedicate themselves to the clan. If these non-Wang cultivators intermarried with clan members, within three generations, they would be fully integrated into the Wang family.

Many young children gathered within the crowd, eagerly watching their clan members engage in cultivation battles. They engaged in combat using spirit artifacts and spells, rather than puppet beasts. With Foundation Establishment cultivators supervising nearby, there was little risk of serious accidents.

Wang Qingkai, having once competed in these very trials and now a fourth-level Foundation Establishment cultivator, might not have found the Qi Condensation matches particularly challenging. Nevertheless, he watched with keen interest. Inviting other cultivation clans to observe the matches served two purposes: it displayed the Wang clan's martial prowess and facilitated inter-clan exchange.

A beautiful maiden in a blue dress, having mastered multiple spells to Grand Completion, was able to cast them instantly. She raised both hands, and a dozen blue water blades flew out, slashing towards a short, stout man. The stout man was protected by two energy shields, but under the blue-robed maiden’s relentless offensive, both shattered in quick succession.

“I concede,” the man declared. With a look of unwillingness, the stout man stepped off the platform.

Elsewhere, a burly man in a yellow shirt, wielding a long yellow staff, repeatedly struck a green-robed woman’s shield. The rapid impacts created a sound like rain pattering on banana leaves.

“Boom!”

With a thunderous crash, the green-robed woman’s shield shattered. The yellow staff halted mere inches from her head.

One after another, cultivators emerged victorious while others suffered defeat.

A short while later, the competition concluded, and the Four Prodigies were successfully chosen.

The chosen Four Prodigies were: Wang Tiansheng, thirty-five years old and at the eighth level of Qi Condensation, who cultivated the body-refining technique 'Five Elements Forging Spirit Art,' enabling cultivation from the first level of Qi Condensation to the sixth level of Foundation Establishment; Wang Tianyao, twenty-seven years old and at the seventh level of Qi Condensation, who had cultivated multiple spells to Grand Completion and possessed exceptionally fast casting speed; Wang Youmin, twenty-eight years old and at the seventh level of Qi Condensation, a first-tier high-grade talisman master; and Wang Youyu, twenty-nine years old and at the seventh level of Qi Condensation, a first-tier high-grade artifact refiner.

These four, the most outstanding Qi Condensation cultivators in the Wang clan, had successfully been chosen as the Four Prodigies.

Wang Qingkai turned to the observing guests and, with a smile, asked, “Fellow Daoists, now that you’ve witnessed the battles, what are your thoughts on our Wang clan disciples?”

“Excellent,” one guest replied. “The Wang clan consistently produces remarkable talents. If only our Li clan had such promising prospects!”

“Indeed! It’s truly enviable, Fellow Daoist Wang,” another echoed.

The observing guests spoke in fawning tones, though their true thoughts remained unknown.

“You flatter them, Fellow Daoists,” Wang Qingkai said with a chuckle. “Too much praise might make them arrogant.” Then, his expression turned serious as he addressed the four selected Prodigies. “Congratulations on being chosen as the Four Prodigies. The clan will now spare no effort in nurturing you and helping you reach Foundation Establishment. You must cultivate diligently, contribute greatly to the clan, and never bring it shame.”

“Yes, Clan Head,” Wang Tiansheng and the other three replied in unison, their expressions filled with excitement.

After a few more words of encouragement, Wang Qingkai dismissed them.