Chapter 961: The Invitation from Taiyi Immortal Sect

From a struggling member of a minor family to today's Nascent Soul True Person, only Wang Ruyan truly understood the immense hardships of this journey.

During his Qi Refinement phase, Wang Changsheng lived frugally, rarely having access to elixirs. To form his Gold Core, he amassed a huge debt. Wang Ruyan returned to her maiden family to borrow spirit stones, and Wang Changxue sought loans from every Foundation Establishment cultivator in the Hundred Spirits Sect. The entire clan economized, and it took several years to gradually repay their debts.

Wang Changsheng's cultivation journey mirrored the family's development. He recalled how, in those early years, the clan couldn't even afford Foundation Establishment Elixirs. Instead, they had to acquire Earth Fiend Qi to attempt breakthroughs to the Foundation Establishment stage. Wang Changhuan, for instance, was tormented beyond recognition by the Earth Fiend Qi for the rest of his life, eventually dying a miserable death under its torture.

Wang Mingjiang's greed caused trouble, laying the seeds of disaster and forcing Wang Changsheng to risk an attempt at the Gold Core stage. Had he not, his fate might not have been much better than Wang Changhuan's.

In Wang Changsheng's era, few clan members could afford to purchase many elixirs for consumption. Now, however, first and second-tier elixirs are plentiful. Clan elders once risked hunting demonic beasts for Foundation Establishment Elixirs, often perishing in their stomachs. Today, the Wang family can even refine Foundation Establishment Elixirs themselves.

By taking in Ye Lin and leveraging his exceptional array formation skills, the number of Gold Core cultivators in the Wang family steadily increased. Opportunities and challenges coexisted: forces suspected to be from the Nine Nether Sect attacked, destroying three Wang family strongholds. Wang Changsheng's son and nephew perished in that catastrophe. Fortunately, Wang Changsheng had a contingency plan, having established a branch in the Red Moon Sea region. Almost a century later, the Wang family not only recovered its vitality but also more than doubled its previous strength.

Wang Ruyan was filled with emotion. She recalled how, in her youth, she had been a carefree maiden, pampered by her parents and never having to worry about cultivation resources. Later, she met Wang Changsheng, who ardently pursued her. After marrying him, she bore children, supported her husband, and raised their family. The couple supported each other every step of the way, making their journey to this point exceptionally difficult.

If Wang Huashan's spirit watched from above, he likely never would have imagined Wang Ruyan reaching such a stage.

Not only Wang Huashan, but Wang Ruyan herself couldn't have imagined reaching this point; the past was vivid in her memory.

She even had a fleeting thought, wondering if she was dreaming. Before they formed their Nascent Souls, the couple had been relatively unknown, only having a minor reputation in the Red Moon Sea region. Yet, after achieving Nascent Soul, so many major powers had come to offer congratulations.

Wang Changsheng had originally intended to maintain a low profile, endure hardships, and steadily accumulate strength to eventually rebuild Qinglian Villa. However, he hadn't anticipated that the unusual phenomena accompanying their Nascent Soul formation would draw so many forces to offer congratulations. While excited, he also felt a degree of confusion.

Unsolicited hospitality often hides ulterior motives. The congratulatory gifts from the Myriad Swords Sect and Myriad Beasts Island were neither exceptionally precious nor entirely common. However, the gift from the Taiyi Immortal Sect was considerably more valuable: a Three-Essence Heart Protecting Elixir, a treasure that couldn't necessarily be acquired even with an abundance of spirit stones at auction.

"Thank you, fellow Daoists and young friends, for attending our Nascent Soul formation ceremony. With such a large number of guests, please forgive any shortcomings in our hospitality. This cup of wine, we toast to all of you."

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan raised their wine cups and drank them dry.

Everyone reciprocated the toast without delay or disrespect.

The guests exchanged toasts, chatted, and mingled congenially. Wang Qiuhong, the family head, received many toasts. Overjoyed that his grandparents had formed their Nascent Souls, he accepted every drink, consuming so much spirit wine that his face turned bright red.

After more than an hour, the Nascent Soul formation ceremony concluded, and most guests gradually departed. However, representatives from Myriad Beasts Island, Myriad Swords Sect, and the Taiyi Immortal Sect remained, clearly indicating important matters for discussion.

Wang Changsheng instructed Wang Qingling to arrange accommodations for them, ensuring they were settled first.

"My dear wife, I will go entertain Daoist Meng. You, meanwhile, should preside over the clan meeting to select a new family head. Once that is done, we will both go to entertain Daoist Li and Daoist Gongsun to learn what matters they wish to discuss."

After achieving Nascent Soul, the Wang family faced numerous tasks. The first priority was the selection of a new family head. The family head serves as the public face of a cultivation clan, and with Nascent Soul cultivators now present, it was no longer appropriate for a Foundation Establishment cultivator to hold the position.

Wang Qiuhong's lifespan was nearing its end. He had started as an errand runner at the lowest level, gradually rising to the position of family head, having toiled for the clan for the better part of his life. It was time for him to enjoy some well-deserved peace. Moreover, if he continued to command the Gold Core clan elders, they might not feel comfortable. Some of these Gold Core elders were from lower generations, making it difficult for them to unconditionally obey Wang Qiuhong, a Foundation Establishment family head.

With the increasing number of cultivators in the Wang family, the clan's rules and official positions needed to be revised; otherwise, management would become difficult.

Wang Ruyan nodded in agreement.

Soon after, Wang Changsheng appeared in a secluded courtyard.

In the center of the courtyard lay a large lake, with a blue stone pavilion situated in its middle and a vast expanse of blue lotus flowers blooming across its surface.

Wang Qingling had arranged for Meng Tianzheng to stay here, subtly conveying to him that the Wang family had not forgotten their roots.

Meng Tianzheng was seated in the stone pavilion, drinking tea. Wang Mingren and Ximen Feng stood respectfully behind him.

"Daoist Meng, I didn't get enough to drink earlier. Let's have a few more cups together," Wang Changsheng said with a smile, producing an exquisite wine pot.

"Haha, I was just thinking the same thing," Meng Tianzheng chuckled. Without further prompting, Wang Mingren automatically stepped forward, took the wine pot from Wang Changsheng, and poured wine for both Wang Changsheng and Meng Tianzheng.

"Uncle Mingren, long time no see. You've already reached the seventh layer of the Gold Core stage," Wang Changsheng said warmly. The family's development in the Northern Frontier relied heavily on Wang Mingren's assistance.

"How can I compare to you, Changsheng?" Wang Mingren replied, his tone now much more familiar than before. He gestured towards Ximen Feng. "Let me introduce you: this is Ximen Feng, my dual cultivation partner. We haven't formally married yet."

"Junior Ximen Feng greets Senior Wang," Ximen Feng immediately stepped forward and bowed. As she and Wang Mingren were not yet married, according to the customs of the cultivation world, she had to show such deference to Wang Changsheng.

"Little friend Ximen, there's no need to be so polite," Wang Changsheng said with a smile. "When you two marry, we will certainly be there to celebrate." Wang Changsheng smiled and spoke, though he muttered inwardly: "Isn't Uncle Mingren's dual cultivation partner Chen Xianger? The Chen family has considerable influence within the Taiyi Immortal Sect. What exactly is Uncle Mingren doing?" Given Meng Tianzheng's presence, Wang Changsheng found it inconvenient to inquire further.

Meng Tianzheng took a sip of the spirit wine and remarked, "Not bad, but this wine pales in comparison to our Taiyi Immortal Sect's unique spirit wine, the Red Dust Brew. Daoist Wang, please have a taste of the Red Dust Brew."

He produced a small golden gourd and poured out some pale golden wine. A rich, unusual fragrance immediately diffused into the air. Wang Changsheng took a light sniff and felt his spirit instantly invigorated.

He raised the wine cup and took a sip. Initially, it was tasteless, but soon, four distinct flavors—sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy—emerged in succession, culminating in a strong, peculiar floral scent. A powerful surge of spiritual energy rose within his abdomen, coursing wildly before slowly converging towards the Nascent Soul in his Dantian under his guidance.

He felt his magic power increase slightly, a very small amount, yet it was enough to demonstrate the immense value of the Red Dust Brew.

"Excellent, truly fine wine," Wang Changsheng praised, draining his cup.

"Daoist Wang, have you ever considered returning to the Eastern Desolation to develop?" Meng Tianzheng asked. "Our Taiyi Immortal Sect can grant you a territory for your development." Meng Tianzheng then broached the main topic, his tone filled with temptation.

"Return to the Eastern Desolation? Daoist Meng must know that our Wang family already has a branch there. The spiritual vein of Qinglian Villa is only third-tier; it cannot advance to a fourth-tier spiritual vein without a millennium. Without a fourth-tier spiritual vein, we might as well remain in the South Sea." Wang Changsheng shook his head. It wasn't that he didn't wish to return. Firstly, the Wang family's strength was not yet sufficient. Secondly, there were no fourth-tier spiritual veins in the Eastern Desolation; attacking a force possessing one would be tantamount to challenging the authority of the Seven Great Immortal Sects. Thirdly, and most crucially, the South Sea offered abundant cultivation resources. Wang Changsheng intended to search for the ruins of the Zhenhai Sect with Fairy Ziyue; wouldn't cultivating on a fifth-tier spiritual vein be far more appealing? Currently, Qinglian Villa served more as a commemorative site, while the Wang family's true base of operations was Silver Serpent Island.

"As long as you are willing to return and develop, we can grant you a fourth-tier spiritual vein, and even a territory the size of a country," Meng Tianzheng said meaningfully. "The condition is that you must contribute significantly, achieve great merits, and exchange them for these rewards." Meng Tianzheng spoke meaningfully. The Seven Great Immortal Sects were preparing to move against the demon race in the Eastern Desolation, and this was no minor skirmish like before; the scale would be unprecedented. The Taiyi Immortal Sect needed to deploy a large number of high-level cultivators. As Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan were originally from the Eastern Desolation, and the Taiyi Immortal Sect had never treated the Wang family unfairly, the sect wished to invite them to return to the Eastern Desolation for development. Their Nascent Soul formation had triggered such powerful phenomena that, within the Taiyi Immortal Sect, only the Four Seasons Sword Venerable had displayed anything comparable upon his own breakthrough. To entice Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan back to the Eastern Desolation for development, the Taiyi Immortal Sect had invested heavily this time. There was also keen competition among the Seven Great Immortal Sects, as the faction that contributed the most would secure greater territory.