Chapter 92: Five Years

Time flew by; five years passed in the blink of an eye.

Inside a tranquil courtyard, Wang Changsheng was refining puppet beasts in a room. Three clan members sat nearby, watching intently, holding their breath lest they miss a single detail.

After five years of dedicated study, three clan members had distinguished themselves, demonstrating a particular talent for puppet crafting. These were Wang Mingmei, Wang Mingzhong, and Wang Changbin. Wang Mingmei, in particular, could already refine low-grade puppet beasts, though her success rate was still low, meaning she was operating at a loss.

In contrast, Wang Changsheng now boasted a very high success rate in refining low-grade puppet beasts, capable of producing a first-tier low-grade puppet beast in just two and a half days. Once the essence soul of a demonic beast flew into the puppet beast's glabella, a first-tier low-grade puppet beast was successfully refined.

“Fifth Aunt,” Wang Changsheng asked with a smile, “Is there anything you still don’t understand? I can explain it to you in detail.”

Wang Mingmei and the two others took turns asking questions, and Wang Changsheng answered each one thoroughly, explaining everything in great detail.

“That concludes our session for today,” he said. “When you go back, make sure to practice diligently; perseverance can overcome any shortcomings.”

Wang Mingmei and the other two departed one by one, while Wang Changsheng remained to tidy up the materials.

“Brother, Mother sent me with your meal,” a childish voice piped up.

Wang Changsheng smiled faintly and turned to look. A five-year-old girl, holding a food box in both hands, slowly walked towards him. The girl was dressed in a cyan lotus dress. Her features were delicate and pretty, with a pair of sparkling, large black eyes. Her round cheeks were rosy, like ripe red apples, and a lotus-shaped cyan jade pendant hung on her chest.

The girl was Wang Changsheng’s five-year-old sister, Wang Changyue. Wang Changyue possessed Wood, Water, and Earth spiritual roots. Her Wood spiritual root sensitivity was seventy, slightly less than Wang Changfeng’s but better than Wang Changsheng’s.

“You haven’t eaten yet, have you? Come, eat with your brother!” Wang Changsheng said. He took the food box and removed its contents. It contained two bowls of rice, a dish of tofu, a dish of greens, and a dish of scrambled eggs.

Wang Changyue adored her brother, Wang Changsheng. She always ate breakfast and dinner with him, and whenever she had free time, she would seek him out to play.

“Here, have some scrambled eggs, eat plenty,” Wang Changsheng said, placing two pieces of scrambled egg in her bowl with concern.

“Brother,” Wang Changyue asked, after taking two small bites of rice, her face full of anticipation, “Can Lin’er come out to play with me?” The ‘Lin’er’ she mentioned was the Azure-Scaled Horse. Wang Changsheng regularly fed the Azure-Scaled Horse first-tier spirit herbs, and it had already advanced to a mid-grade first-tier creature.

“You can play after you finish your meal,” Wang Changsheng said sternly. “No playing if you don’t eat all your food.”

“There’s so much rice, I can’t finish it,” Wang Changyue pouted. “I just ate some purple yam cake. How about half a bowl?” Her big, dark eyes stared intently at Wang Changsheng, and her childish face was full of anticipation. She loved snacks and rarely ate full meals.

Wang Changsheng remained unmoved. “I don’t care about that,” he said. “If you want to play with Lin’er, you must finish one bowl of spiritual rice. You’d better hurry, or I’ll go back to my room to cultivate.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Changyue immediately pouted, her face falling into a grimace. Seeing the serious expression on Wang Changsheng’s face, she somewhat reluctantly finished the bowl of spiritual rice.

“I’ve finished eating! Can Lin’er come out to play with me now?” Wang Changyue asked, setting down her bowl and chopsticks with delight.

Wang Changsheng smiled faintly and released the Azure-Scaled Horse.

“Lin’er,” Wang Changyue said in a childish voice, affectionately stroking the Azure-Scaled Horse’s head, “I haven’t seen you all day! Did you miss me?” She took out a purple radish, about a foot long, and offered it to the Azure-Scaled Horse. “I know you love purple jade radishes,” she said. “I pestered Mother for ages before she finally gave me one.”

The Azure-Scaled Horse wasted no time, devouring the purple jade radish in just a few bites. After finishing the radish, the Azure-Scaled Horse snorted, and its tail wagged back and forth, appearing immensely pleased.

“Brother,” Wang Changyue pleaded, hugging Wang Changsheng’s arm, “Can the Azure-Scaled Horse take me for a flight? Just once, please?”

“What did you learn today at the Lecture Hall?” Wang Changsheng asked.

Wang Changyue thought for a moment before replying, “Eighth Uncle taught about cultivation techniques today. They are divided into spells and spiritual arts. Spells have elementary, intermediate, and advanced levels, and spiritual arts also have elementary, intermediate, and advanced levels. However, spiritual arts are immensely powerful, capable of overturning rivers and seas. Only cultivators at the Core Formation stage and above can learn spiritual arts. The drawback of spiritual arts is their massive consumption of spiritual power, and also…”

Wang Changsheng nodded with satisfaction. “Hmm, not bad,” he said. “Given how diligently you’ve studied, I’ll take you for a short flight. But when we get back, make sure to diligently review what Eighth Uncle taught, alright?”

“I know, I know!” Wang Changyue quickly agreed, urging him, “Hurry, take me flying!”

Wang Changsheng led the Azure-Scaled Horse into the courtyard, picked up Wang Changyue, placed her on the horse’s back, and then swiftly mounted it himself.

“Lin’er, fly!” Wang Changsheng gently nudged the Azure-Scaled Horse’s flank with his right foot. The horse spread its wings, whipping up a strong gust of wind, and soared into the sky.

“Wow, Lin’er is amazing!” Wang Changyue exclaimed, her little face flushed with excitement. “Fly a little higher, even higher!”

Half a *ke* (approximately 7.5 minutes) later, the Azure-Scaled Horse slowly descended into the courtyard. Wang Changyue looked as if she hadn’t had enough.

“Brother, let’s fly a little longer!” she protested. “We came down so quickly, I haven’t had enough fun yet!” Wang Changyue hugged the Azure-Scaled Horse’s neck with both hands, refusing to get off.

Wang Changsheng gave a wry smile, just as he was about to speak, when a boy and a girl came running over. The boy was Wang Minglong and the girl was Wang Mingfeng. By seniority, Wang Changsheng had to address them as Thirty-fifth Uncle and Thirty-sixth Aunt.

“Changsheng, take my sister and me for a short flight,” Wang Minglong said in a remarkably mature tone. Both Wang Minglong and Wang Mingfeng possessed three spiritual roots, with Wang Minglong’s aptitude being slightly superior. Wang Yaolong would bring back various items for them periodically.

Wang Changsheng wryly agreed, picked up Wang Minglong and Wang Mingfeng, placed them on the horse’s back, and flew with the three children for half a *ke*. Only then were they willing to dismount.

He first escorted Wang Minglong and Wang Mingfeng back to Twenty-fifth Uncle’s residence, then took Wang Changyue to Liu Qing’er. Finally, he went to the study to report to Wang Mingyuan on the clan members’ progress in learning to refine puppet beasts.

“Son, you’ve worked hard,” Wang Mingyuan said. “Once Fifth Sister and the others become official puppet masters, you won’t have to be so tired.”

Wang Changsheng hesitated for a moment, then spoke solemnly, “Father, I am now at the ninth level of Qi Refining. I wish to enter seclusion and attempt to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.” He had spent five years advancing from the eighth to the ninth level of Qi Refining, and he felt it was time to attempt the breakthrough to Foundation Establishment.

Wang Mingyuan frowned. “Going into seclusion to attempt Foundation Establishment?” he questioned. “Without the aid of Foundation Establishment spiritual items, the success rate is extremely low! You should be patient for a while longer. Your elder brother reached the ninth level of Qi Refining a long time ago, and without such spiritual items, he hasn’t attempted the breakthrough either.”

“Father,” Wang Changsheng said, his gaze firm, “I’ve acquired some Earth Fiend Qi. I intend to use it to attempt the Foundation Establishment breakthrough. I’ve already studied our ancestors’ experiences with using Earth Fiend Qi for breakthroughs, and I’ve also purchased a bottle of Vein-Nourishing Pills. Father, I am fully prepared.”

Wang Mingyuan was surprised; he hadn't expected Wang Changsheng to have acquired both Earth Fiend Qi and a bottle of Vein-Nourishing Pills. “If I’m not mistaken,” Wang Mingyuan said, “you obtained the Earth Fiend Qi when you ventured into the Hundred Beast Mountains, didn’t you? Its attributes don’t conflict with your cultivation method, do they?”

“No, Father,” Wang Changsheng replied, “What I obtained is the Kuiyuan True Fiend, which can gradually improve a cultivator’s physique.” Wang Changsheng didn’t conceal anything; at this juncture, there was no need to. Currently, few clan members had reached the ninth level of Qi Refining. Among those who were at the ninth level, under sixty years old, and cultivated water-attribute techniques, Wang Changsheng was the sole individual.