Family Cultivation: Evergreen of the Song Family

"Speak, what is it?"

Before the Blood-Eyed Raven, Soul Fiend regained his authority as the sect leader.

"Master, it's good news. It's from the Golden-Eyed Demon Kingdom."

Just a few days ago, the Southwest Alliance launched a hunting operation against the demon kings of the six major demon kingdoms, killing thirteen demon kings, including the Howling Sky Demon King, a descendant of the Golden-Eyed Demon Lord.

"Now that the six demon lords are enraged and want to start a war with the Southwest Alliance ahead of schedule, and are willing to do anything to eliminate Song Changsheng, they have invited you to come and negotiate in person. It is highly likely that they are preparing to agree to your previous conditions." Blood-Eyed Raven's tone was full of excitement.

"Is that really the case?" Hun Sha's eyes lit up.

She stood up and paced back and forth in the desolate palace, the crisp sound of her heels echoing in the distance. Without much hesitation, she immediately made a decision: "There is no time to lose. I shall set off for the Golden-Eyed Demon Kingdom for negotiations now."

During this period, all internal and external activities of the church must cease completely, and the Southwest Alliance must not detect any clues.

At this point, she suddenly lowered her voice and said, "In addition, I have another task for you."

"Please give your instructions, Master."

Soul Sha said in a deep voice, "During my absence, you will be responsible for monitoring Yu Fu around the clock."

"Does the sect leader suspect that Jade Lotus Branch Leader is disloyal? Then why did he allow her to access the sect's secrets?" Blood-Eyed Raven asked, puzzled.

"After all, she is one of Jin's people. The Demon Seed is not in my hands, and she has been independent for so long. No one can say for sure how much loyalty she still has to the Holy Church. We still need to rely on her now, so there are many secrets that we have to let her know."

In this situation, if she harbors ulterior motives, it would be a devastating blow to the Holy Church, and we must be wary of it.

However, don't go too far, understand?

"Your subordinate obeys. May the sect leader's journey be successful."

Soul Demon nodded slightly, then opened a hidden door in the corner of the palace and quietly left, heading alone to the Golden-Eyed Demon Kingdom...

"Uncle, the rest are all babies. Do you still want to see them?"

Within the vast and boundless small world, Song Qingxi, referring to the list, offered a reminder.

"The baby must also be seen, and their parents must be brought along as well," Song Changsheng said with certainty.

"I'll pass the word down right away." After making the arrangements as instructed, Song Qingxi hesitated for a moment before finally asking the question that had been lingering in her mind for a long time: "Uncle, there are so many people on the list, why are you so fixated on this person named 'Song Yuan'? Have you deduced something?"

She knew that Song Changsheng was studying the art of astrological deduction, hence her question.

"It wasn't a deduction; it just appeared in my mind on its own. Actually, I don't know who he is or what kind of impact he will have on the family. I just have a feeling that I must find him." Song Changsheng sighed softly.

As before, the closer he got to the truth, the more blurred that part of his memory became.

Apart from the name "Song Xingyuan," most of the other scenes seen during the inner demon tribulation have disappeared.

He didn't know why, but he knew that since the name hadn't faded from memory, his search for this person was within the bounds of the Heavenly Dao's rules.

"I understand." Song Qingxi nodded slightly. She unconditionally trusted Song Changsheng's judgment. Since this person was important, they should find and protect him at all costs.

If all else fails, then monitor all those called "Song and Yuan"; one day we'll make a discovery.

Soon, couples arrived at the city lord's mansion with their newborn children. They lined up in an orderly fashion and entered to pay their respects.

Everyone was very excited to learn that they would be personally summoned by Song Changsheng.

Song Changsheng also perked up and conducted a very detailed examination of each baby, focusing on aspects such as spiritual roots, bloodlines, and special constitutions.

These babies were only a few months old when they were born. At this time, most of their spiritual roots were not yet fully formed, and their bloodlines and physiques might not have been activated. He could only judge them by the Dao aura on their bodies, and he dared not say that his examination results were 100% accurate.

The previous few were all mortals without spiritual roots, and the infants' Dao aura was extremely weak. Song Changsheng didn't let them leave empty-handed, and gave each infant a protective talisman as a greeting gift.

With these amulets, protecting them during their short lives as mortals shouldn't be a problem.

Just then, Song Ze and his wife, along with their newborn son Song Yuan, arrived with trepidation to pay their respects.

"No need for formalities." Song Changsheng smiled kindly, but his attention was not on Song Yuan in the swaddling clothes, but on Song Ze who was holding him.

"Since you possess three spiritual roots, why haven't you cultivated them?"

Although choosing to cultivate is now entirely voluntary, it is no exaggeration to say that cultivators with three spiritual roots who choose to give up cultivation are extremely rare.

With a mix of trepidation and anticipation, Song Ze replied, "My parents are bedridden, and as their only son, I dare not leave them."

"Are you an only child?" Song Changsheng was somewhat surprised to hear this. The Song family had been encouraging childbirth for almost two hundred years. Because there was no pressure to raise children, it was very common for a couple to have five or six children. Only children were extremely rare. Under such circumstances, it was no wonder that the person in front of him would choose to give up on the path to immortality.

"You are a filial son. Among your direct relatives three generations back, are there any cultivators? If you were to cultivate, which generation would you be ranked in the family?"

"Reporting to the clan leader, those three generations and above are all mortals, and none of them have ventured into the path of immortality. According to their age, they should be of the Ming generation."

“The Ming generation?” Song Changsheng’s heart stirred slightly. If that were the case, wouldn’t his son be of the “Xing” generation if he had spiritual roots?
He quickly took the sleeping Song Yuan from Song Ze's arms, and with a sweep of his divine sense, he immediately discovered that Song Yuan possessed extraordinary Daoist aura.

"The Five Elements Daoist Rhyme is perfected; it seems he is a cultivator with five spiritual roots." Song Changsheng frowned slightly.

Five spiritual roots are a very peculiar existence. The probability of their birth is even lower than that of four spiritual roots. It is a spiritual root with an extremely high upper limit and an extremely low lower limit.

Its advantage lies in the perfect harmony of the Five Elements Dao, the wide range of cultivation methods to choose from, and the fact that it will not need to refine the Five Elements spiritual objects when breaking through to the Golden Core stage in the future, thus saving a lot of time compared to others.

The disadvantages are also obvious. When absorbing the same amount of spiritual energy, a cultivator with a single spiritual root only needs to convert it into one type of spiritual power, while he needs five types, which is almost five times the difference, resulting in an extremely slow growth rate.

This can be considered a distinct feature of the changing times. In ancient times, the status of cultivators with single and five spiritual roots would have to be reversed. That was the golden age for cultivators with five spiritual roots.

Of course, things aren't bad now. As long as the five spiritual roots are balanced enough, there's still a lot of potential for development, especially in a family like the Song clan with ample resources, where growth is much faster. If there's the right opportunity, they might even develop a special physique.

However, Song Yuan is still too young, and his spiritual root still has room to develop and grow, so the final result is not yet clear.

However, his Dao aura is very strong. For a baby less than two months old, the Dao aura contained within him is stronger than that of most Qi Refining cultivators, so he still has great potential.

He has spiritual roots, his seniority is correct, and his Daoist aura is strong enough, making him one of the most likely candidates at present.

Moreover, he had a vague feeling that he had found the right answer.

As usual, Song Changsheng took out a protective talisman and placed it together with Song Yuan, who was exuding a milky fragrance. He instructed Song Ze and his wife, "Nurture him well; this child will surely become a pillar of the family in the future."

"Please rest assured, clan leader. My husband and I decided when Yuan'er was born that as long as he was fortunate enough to possess spiritual roots, we would send him on the path of immortality to serve the clan and repay the clan's kindness in supporting him over the years."

"Okay, go ahead."

Watching the family of three leave, Song Changsheng looked at Song Qingxi behind him and said, "Keep a close eye on this family; the possibility of this child is extremely high."

"Yes, sir." Song Qingxi readily agreed, then said with emotion, "I just checked Song Ze's file and found that he had excellent conditions back then. He had three spiritual roots: wood, fire, and earth, with his fire spiritual root reaching nine inches. He had a very high affinity for fire attributes and was a top-notch candidate for alchemy or weapon crafting."

He himself also harbored the desire to serve his family, and had it not been for the unforeseen circumstances within the family, he had a great potential.

"It is indeed a pity. I observe that this person's character and awareness are extremely good. As long as his comprehension is not too bad, he still has a chance to compete for the family's Purple Mansion Seed."

"I just did some research and found that there are quite a few cultivators like him in the mortal world, but his talent is just more outstanding."

These people are different from those who fear the path to immortality. They yearn to embark on the path of immortality, but for various reasons, they have not been able to achieve it. Now that their predicament has been resolved, they have also passed the best age for cultivation, which is truly a pity.

I've just been thinking about it, and I'm wondering if we could change the family's policy to better suit this type of cultivator.

Song Changsheng nodded in deep agreement: "Tell me your thoughts."

"Most of these people chose to give up because they had reasons for not being able to leave home. In that case, why not train them to be guardian cultivators of various mortal cities?"
The mortal realm needs a large number of cultivators to cultivate spirit rice, assist in childbirth, and mine minerals. These tasks can be completed by low-level cultivators, even if they have missed the best age for cultivation.

By training these people, most of the existing town guards can be replaced and transferred to other positions that require more manpower.

Even if they weren't forced to give up, I think the family should give them a chance to choose for themselves, since the first choice is often made by their parents.

Training them doesn't cost the family too many resources, but it lets everyone see the family's attitude.

Moreover, the cultivation world is not without examples of late bloomers. It is said that the Ten Thousand Longevity True Monarch only began cultivating after the age of fifty. If even a few Foundation Establishment cultivators emerged from among these people, the family's investment would have been worthwhile.

“That makes sense. It’s a real shame about Song Ze. You should make some arrangements when you have time.”

"Received. Do we still need to meet with the remaining ones?"

Song Changsheng nodded and said, "Since we've invited everyone, we should see them all. Let's continue."

……

Meanwhile, the East China Sea was not peaceful either, as two of the Merfolk royal families, who had always ruled independently, unexpectedly gathered together.

"Your Majesty, the Third Master has arrived."

A warrior quietly entered the cave and whispered a reminder from the side.

The long-awaited reinforcements finally arrived, but Kong Sang Li Feng felt little joy. He nodded indifferently and said, "Understood. Inform the madam to bring the children and accompany me to welcome them."

As the group arrived outside the palace gate, his face immediately broke into a smile, and he began to bow from a distance: "Third brother has come from afar, and I have not been able to greet you properly. Please forgive me."

Kongsang Baijue sat atop a giant seven-colored fish, with ten generals lined up behind him, holding bronze whips and looking down at him. They looked at Kongsang Lifeng with a hint of mockery and said, "My brother, what is it that requires me to make this trip in person? Is the Myriad Manifestations Palace really that troublesome?"

"It is indeed a tricky situation, otherwise I wouldn't have asked my brother for help."

"Back then, Father left Wanxiang Palace to you as an easy target, hoping that you would make achievements and gain the Emperor's favor. Over the years, not only have you not achieved any notable results, but you have also allowed Wanxiang Palace to continue to grow, leading to your current predicament."

My brother, you really are getting worse as you get older.

"Your father loved you so much, and this is how you repay him?" Kong Sang Bai Jue's tone was undisguisedly sarcastic, showing no trace of the intimacy that should exist between brothers.

Kong Sang Li Feng endured his sarcasm and said in a deep voice, "It is my incompetence that has disappointed Father and my elder brother."

Seeing him bow his head to him so easily, Kong Sang Bai Jue was somewhat surprised. It seemed that he had really been forced into a desperate situation.

"Let's not beat around the bush. Out of brotherhood, I can help you deal with the Myriad Manifestations Palace. However, my soldiers will not shed blood in vain. You will provide for all the expenses in this battle, and all the spoils will be mine. Moreover, you must hand over the [Mysterious Origin Sea-Stabilizing Pearl] left by my late father."

Upon hearing the last condition, Kong Sang Li Feng subconsciously clenched her fists, suppressing her anger as she nodded and said, "Okay, but I also have one condition."

Seeing that he agreed, Kongsang Baijue revealed a victor's smile and said leisurely, "Tell me about it."

"I want you to go all out and crush the Myriad Palaces."

"Impossible. The humans in the Azure Sky Cultivation Realm have been restless lately. At most, I can mobilize another Demon Lord to help. Don't you have a human ally? With him, it's more than enough to deal with the Myriad Manifestations Palace."

At this point, Kongsang Baijue looked at him suspiciously and said, "What, are you really scared out of your wits by that Myriad Manifestations Palace?"

"The Myriad Palaces have such a rich history; they are not so easy to deal with. Don't underestimate them."

"Ha, what a joke. They have a strong foundation, but I don't."
Not everyone is like you, having accomplished nothing over hundreds of years.

As soon as he finished speaking, Kongsang Baijue rode his giant fish into the palace gate as if no one else was there, showing no regard whatsoever for Kongsang Lifeng, the newly appointed ruler...

...(End of this chapter)