Chapter 619: Wang Changhuan Passes Away

"Great-Uncle Eight, are you feeling any better?" Wang Qiuxin squatted by Wang Changhuan's bedside and asked with concern.

Before his death, Wang Changxing left a will, hoping Wang Changhuan would take good care of Wang Qiuxin. Wang Changhuan kept his promise, treating Wang Qiuxin like his own grandson and personally teaching him artifact refining.

Wang Qiuxin was already married, and Wang Changhuan had personally arranged the wedding.

"Much better," Wang Changhuan replied. "There are two books in the drawer; please get them for me. One contains my insights on artifact refining throughout my life, and the other details the harm Earthly Fiend Qi inflicts upon cultivators. After I die, take these two books to the Scripture Repository. Remind future generations not to use Earthly Fiend Qi for Foundation Establishment unless absolutely necessary. There might be no immediate issues, but as time passes, the fiend qi's damage to a cultivator's physical body becomes more severe."

Following Wang Changhuan's instructions, Wang Qiuxin took out two thick books from the drawer. One yellow book documented Wang Changhuan's suffering from the fiend qi. Just seeing the words filled Wang Qiuxin with dread, imagining the immense pain Wang Changhuan must have endured.

"Great-Uncle Eight, if Earthly Fiend Qi has such significant drawbacks, why did you still use it to achieve Foundation Establishment?"

Wang Changhuan gave a bitter smile and said, "The family used to be very poor; we lived a meager existence. It took many years of hard work just to save enough spirit stones to buy one Foundation Establishment Pill. Back then, simply achieving Foundation Establishment was good enough. I knew about the drawbacks of Earthly Fiend Qi, but I hadn't experienced them firsthand. You all are much luckier than me; taking Foundation Establishment Pills has no side effects. Honestly, seeing you achieve Foundation Establishment using those pills makes me truly happy!"

Wang Changhuan continued to recount the family's past hardships, and Wang Qiuxin listened intently by his bedside.

He had read about the family's history in ancient texts before, but at the time, he hadn't fully grasped the extent of their struggles. Now, hearing Wang Changhuan, a direct witness, speak of it, Wang Qiuxin felt a deep sense of empathy. He thought to himself, "Without the selfless dedication of our ancestors, the family wouldn't be where it is today, and I wouldn't have been able to achieve Foundation Establishment using a Foundation Establishment Pill."

"Qiuxin," Wang Changhuan said with a relieved smile, "the family's future rests on your shoulders. Artifact refining is our family's foundation; this skill must not be lost. You must pass it down. Your Great-Uncle only managed to reach the level of a Class 2 High-grade Artifact Refiner in this life. I hope you can go much further in the path of artifact refining. If you become a Class 3 Artifact Refiner, remember to visit your Great-Uncle's grave and tell me."

"Great-Uncle, don't talk like that! What 'grave'? You'll surely live well. Your grandson still has so much to learn from you! Great-Uncle, you..."

Before Wang Qiuxin could finish his sentence, Wang Changhuan began struggling violently again, his face contorted, and his limbs flailing.

"Oh no! Fourth Uncle, Great-Uncle Eight is having another attack! Come quickly!"

Wang Qiuxin rushed out. When he returned to the room with Wang Qingqi, they found Wang Changhuan had already stopped breathing.

"Eighth Uncle's heart is shattered." Wang Qingqi said, his brows deeply furrowed, his gaze fixed on the red jade pendant on Wang Changhuan's chest. "He was clearly wearing a heart-protecting jade pendant. If he had infused it with spiritual power, it could have, to some extent, prevented the Earthly Fiend Qi from eroding his heart."

It was clear that Wang Changhuan had endured enough of the Earthly Fiend Qi's torment and had allowed it to destroy his heart.

Wang Qiuxin's eyes were red as he sobbed uncontrollably. "It's all my fault! I should have realized why Great-Uncle Eight was giving me his last wishes. How could I have been so foolish? It's all my fault; I killed Great-Uncle Eight!"

"Qiuxin, it's not your fault. Eighth Uncle was determined to pass away. He had been tormented by the Earthly Fiend Qi for decades; for him, this might well be a release."

Truth be told, Wang Qingqi felt the most self-reproach. If his alchemy skills had been higher, perhaps he could have refined a pill to neutralize the Earthly Fiend Qi.

"None of us need to blame ourselves," Wang Qingqi added. "Let's report this to the Patriarch immediately! Arranging Great-Uncle Eight's funeral properly is the most important thing now."

Seven days later, Wang Qingkai held a solemn funeral for Wang Changhuan.

After Wang Changhuan's passing, Wang Changqing was the only Foundation Establishment cultivator left from the "Chang" generation.

Wang Changqing had already cultivated to the third level of Foundation Establishment, while Mo Caiyun was at the eighth level.

Wang Mingjiang's eldest son had failed to reach the Foundation Establishment stage despite taking two Foundation Establishment Pills. He had given up on cultivation and was now responsible for teaching the younger generations, serving as the Elder of Transmission.

A five-story azure pavilion stood, its pillars carved with numerous azure lotus flowers. The plaque above the entrance bore the three characters "Scripture Repository." The pavilion's surface was adorned with intricate carvings, and layers of restrictive formations surrounded it. Two lifelike golden-armored guards stood at the pavilion's entrance.

Pointing to the pavilion, Wang Changyang said with a solemn expression, "This is our Wang family's Scripture Repository. There are many restrictions here. Follow me one by one; don't run around carelessly. If you trigger a restriction, I won't be able to save you. Understand?" Behind him stood over twenty children, aged six or seven.

Spiritual roots could be detected at five years old. Children with spiritual roots were sent to the Discourse Hall to learn theoretical knowledge, and a year later, they began selecting cultivation techniques.

Today was the day for selecting cultivation techniques.

"Qiuyong, you come with me into the Scripture Repository to choose a cultivation technique. The rest of you stay here and don't run around, understood?"

Wang Changyang walked towards the Scripture Repository with a six-year-old boy, his grandson Wang Qiuyong. They stopped about thirty zhang away from the Scripture Repository. Wang Changyang took out an azure token. An azure lotus lit up on its surface, and a beam of azure light shot out, swiftly vanishing into the left eye of one of the golden-armored guards. From the mouths of both golden-armored guards, large swaths of golden light burst forth, forming a golden cloud ladder that descended before Wang Changyang.

Wang Changyang picked up Wang Qiuyong and stepped onto the golden cloud ladder. The ladder then enveloped them and ascended into the Scripture Repository.

The Scripture Repository's main hall was very spacious. In the corners stood over a dozen puppet beasts. To the left, there was an azure counter behind which sat a pale-faced middle-aged man, engrossed in reading an ancient text.

The hall contained more than a dozen tall wooden bookshelves, each laden with numerous ancient texts, jade slips, and bamboo scrolls. The sheer quantity brought an expression of surprise to Wang Qiuyong's young face. Each bookshelf had a plaque hanging from it, labeled with categories such as "Pills," "Planting," "Puppets," "Formations," "Talismans," "Artifact Refining," and "Cultivation Techniques."

"Grandfather, so many texts! How will I ever choose?"

Wang Changyang smiled faintly and said, "These are texts collected by generations of our ancestors. You are here to choose a cultivation technique, so just go to the bookshelf where they are kept. You must strive hard. In the future, you can enter the second floor of the Scripture Repository; only Foundation Establishment cultivators are permitted on the second floor."

The bookshelves displayed a vast number of cultivation technique texts, including *Golden Cloud Art*, *Blazing Tiger Technique*, *Azure Origin Grand Law*, and many more. Wang Qiuyong was dazzled; there were too many cultivation techniques for him to possibly look through them all.

"All right, I've found one," Wang Changyang said. "This *Mad Sand Technique* is good. It matches your spiritual root attribute, and its cultivation speed isn't slow."

Wang Changyang chose an Earth-attribute cultivation technique. Wang Qiuyong, understanding little, didn't ask further questions, trusting that Wang Changyang wouldn't harm him.

After copying the cultivation technique, Wang Changyang left with Wang Qiuyong.

"Grandfather, was that the pavilion guardian you mentioned?"

"That's right," Wang Changyang replied, gently stroking Wang Qiuyong's small head and earnestly admonishing him. "They reside in the Scripture Repository year-round and can consult all the texts. Unless they achieve great success in cultivation, they won't leave the Repository even a single step. You must cultivate diligently, bring honor to your grandfather, and reach the Foundation Establishment stage. Don't let anyone look down on you."

"I understand, Grandfather. Your grandson will cultivate diligently."