Born with immortal seed

Chapter 16 Competition for Spots
The Liang Kingdom was divided into five prefectures and seventy-two counties.

Mizhou, located in the northern region, has always been regarded as a poor and desolate place with few spiritual veins and rare blessed lands.

Because it is located near the Black Mountain Range, Black Mountain County has relatively abundant resources, but most of its spiritual lands are located deep within the mountains, making them difficult to utilize and limiting the number of cultivators it can support.

"Who would have thought that the sky above all the immortal cultivation families and rogue cultivators in Black Mountain County would be just an ordinary sect in Liang Kingdom, nothing special."

Bai Zichen closed the book and let out a long sigh.

read more, walk more.

Over the years, he has almost finished reading all the books in the academy and has gained some basic understanding of the world outside of Black Mountain County.

The Liang Kingdom's seventy-two prefectures are vast; even traveling smoothly from its southernmost point to its northern border would take more than ten years. Not to mention the bandits, robbers, and various natural disasters encountered along the way. Only cultivators could possibly leave their mark across the entire country.

Not to mention that beyond Liang, there are boundless lands, such as the desolate and cold land where Naihe Sect is located, which is separated from Liang by four or five other kingdoms.

"I really want to go out and see this magnificent world... but I'd better not. Cross-border travel is probably dangerous even for Foundation Establishment cultivators. Only those at the Core Formation level have the ability to protect themselves."

Bai Zichen expressed his longing for it briefly, then immediately pulled himself back from his feelings.

Next month is the time when the Five Sacred Mountains Temple Inheritance Stele will be opened, so today the elders will decide which two people can represent the Bai family and obtain this precious spot.

The Qingfeng Sect has already issued a clear statement that whatever a family cultivator obtains under the inheritance stele is a personal opportunity, and the sect will never seize it.

However, if it is a type of cultivation technique that can be shared, as long as the Qingfeng Sect does not have it and is willing to offer it, they will definitely compensate the corresponding family according to the market value, with no upper limit.

Even the Foundation Establishment Pill was included.

This news ignited the entire cultivation world of Black Mountain County.

The preciousness of Foundation Establishment Pills lies not only in their price—of course, tens of thousands of spirit stones per pill is indeed quite expensive—but also in the channels through which they can be purchased.

Not to mention that the raw materials for alchemy are monopolized by the Qingfeng Sect, even if materials were collected and purchased from other counties, it would be impossible to find the corresponding alchemists. Many second-tier alchemists have no experience in refining Foundation Establishment Pills. Who would dare to send a batch of alchemy materials, which cost tens of thousands of spirit stones, to an alchemist who has no practical experience in refining Foundation Establishment Pills?

As for purchasing or having someone refine elixirs in other counties, the risks and uncertainties involved are even greater.

A single Foundation Establishment Pill is enough to transform a normally kind and benevolent righteous cultivator into a ruthless cultivator willing to pay any price.

This was not unprecedented. At its peak, the Zeng family, one of the top five families, had three Foundation Establishment cultivators and over a thousand members, making it unparalleled in power and influence. However, in order to enable a talented member of their clan to achieve Foundation Establishment, two Foundation Establishment cultivators personally went to an auction in another prefecture to purchase Foundation Establishment Pills, and ultimately succeeded in winning the bid.

However, on the way back, word got out and they were targeted by a group of vicious bandits.

Two Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Zeng family were killed and injured, and they also lost the Foundation Establishment Pills they had acquired.

This immediately dealt a severe blow to the Zeng family, causing them to fall to the bottom of the top five families.

Therefore, the opportunity to comprehend and inherit the stone tablet has become even more coveted, and has risen from a personal opportunity for participants to a major event concerning the entire family.

Last week, the clan posted a notice asking all eligible clan cultivators to register.

Almost all the family members under the age of twenty seized this opportunity and submitted their applications, hoping to be selected.

However, after a round of selection, the elders only kept a list of four people.

Bai Zichen strode confidently toward the family hall, determined to secure this spot.

……

The family has not added any new elders in recent years, so there are still three elders in charge.

A first-tier mid-grade array master, the second elder at the ninth level of Qi Refining, who should now be called the first elder;

A first-tier superior-grade spiritual plant master, the fourth elder at the ninth level of Qi Refining, now the second elder;
Elder Hong Gu, a first-tier superior talisman master and the eighth level of Qi Refining, ranks third.

Besides the three elders, there were several clansmen in the late stage of Qi Refining standing in the main hall. Bai Jiu'an stood on the right, not standing out.

These people can be considered the backbone of the Bai family, apart from the elders. This matter of the inheritance stone tablet is related to the future of the family, so they attach great importance to it and their presence is also a way of showing their attitude.

Of course, the real decision-makers were the three elders. The clan leader, Bai Xianzong, was cultivating a spell and had reached a critical moment, so he was in seclusion and could not show himself.

Besides the unsurprising siblings Bai Ling and Bai Wei, another member of the clan named Bai Chongwu was shortlisted alongside Bai Zichen.

Bai Chongwu was already nineteen years old, just a few months shy of the age limit of twenty. His cultivation level of the fourth level of Qi Refining was his greatest source of confidence in standing here.

"Now that everyone is here, let's discuss this and settle this matter together." When the First Elder was defending Hanxiu Peak, he was almost driven to the brink of death by the Four Symbols Heavenly Origin Array, which damaged his foundation. In addition, he was old and had no hope of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, so he devoted all his energy to array formations, hoping to become a first-grade high-level array master before he passed away, so that his life's efforts would not have been in vain.

But he has been focusing on studying formations, and it's clear that his energy is waning.

Among the various arts of cultivation, the art of formations demands the most talent; without it, spending any amount of time is a waste of effort.

After all, the arrangement of formations involves the use of divine sense, which is the exclusive domain of Foundation Establishment cultivators.

The mental strain on a Qi Refining cultivator practicing array formations is considerable.

"These two spots will naturally go to the siblings Bai Ling and Bai Wei. They are both gifted with dual spiritual roots and are exceptionally intelligent. Bai Ling has already reached the third level of Qi Refining at a young age, and Bai Wei has also reached the second level of Qi Refining. In addition, the two are siblings who are of one mind and will be even more powerful when they join forces to fight enemies in the future."

Since entering the clan's territory, Bai Ling and Bai Wei have been growing up by Elder Hong Gu's side, receiving her careful guidance and being regarded as her successors.

Moreover, no one can find fault with this nomination; both of them are indeed exceptionally talented.

Although it has only been a few years, the fact that he was able to cultivate to this level must be because Elder Hong Gu secretly provided him with elixirs; otherwise, his dual spiritual root aptitude would not have developed so quickly.

"Hmm, Bai Ling and Bai Wei are indeed quite good. What do the others think?"

"I think Bai Zichen is quite good. He reached the third level of Qi Refining half a year ago. Moreover, he showed composure and competence on Hanxiu Peak. He is a promising talent!"

The Second Elder, who had been squinting like a true farmer, suddenly spoke up and nominated Bai Zichen.

The First Elder perked up a bit. The bloody battle with Han Xiufeng was an indelible pain for every member of the Bai family who had participated: "He was a child who had experienced the family's calamity. It wasn't easy for him."

A hint of surprise flashed in Bai Zichen's eyes. He hadn't expected the Second Elder to support him so openly. Surely it wasn't because of their brief encounter in the warehouse years ago?

When he saw Bai Jiu'an shift his gaze away from the Second Elder, he suddenly realized what was going on.

'It seems my eldest uncle pulled the strings; I never imagined he had such a close relationship with the Second Elder…'

The two elders spoke first, followed by several late-stage Qi Refining elders. Most of them supported Bai Ling and Bai Wei, while only one or two supported Bai Zichen.

The most pitiful one was Bai Chongwu, who seemed to have been forgotten. No one mentioned him, causing his face to turn pale and then red with shame.

The people in the main hall understood that if the other three cultivated to the age of Bai Chongwu, they could easily reach the fourth level of Qi Refining. This advantage in cultivation level could not cover up the huge disadvantage of age when competing for the inheritance stone tablet.

The situation is gradually tilting in Bai Ling's favor, mainly because Elder Hong Gu wisely tied the two together, creating a concept of working together.

Otherwise, Bai Wei is the same age as Bai Zichen, has an advantage in spiritual roots, but is a level lower in cultivation. It can only be said that each has its own strengths.

"Since everyone has discussed it to the point, I think it's settled then that we'll participate in the inheritance of the stone tablet." Elder Hong Gu stood up and took back the floor. "Bai Zichen, you're still young. Go back and cultivate diligently. You'll have other opportunities in the future."

(End of this chapter)