Family Cultivation: Evergreen of the Song Family

"Cough cough cough..."

In the snow-covered Tianshan Mountains, Zhuang Yuechan struggled to open her eyes. She could feel a thick layer of snow covering her body, which was almost frozen stiff, and her heartbeat was nearly stopped.

They can only survive by relying on the faint heat emitted by the heat source next to them.

"You're finally awake." The Jade Sword trembled slightly, and the nameless voice revealed a deep weariness.

Having been seriously injured and recuperating for many years, it didn't have much magic power left. In the years it had traveled around with Zhuang Yuechan, it had exhausted itself greatly. After Zhuang Yuechan collapsed from exhaustion, it had been using its magic power to generate heat to sustain her life.

The extreme cold of the Tianshan Mountains is no joke. After a year, its remaining magical power is almost exhausted, and even the heat it emits has become extremely weak.

If Zhuang Yuechan doesn't wake up in at most another month, then they will be buried under the ice and snow forever.

"Cough cough... How long have I been unconscious?" Zhuang Yuechan felt her mind was a bit stiff and her thoughts were not clear.

"It's been about a year." Wuming wasn't entirely sure. At first, he could judge based on the alternation of day and night, but it became less accurate after being covered by ice and snow.

"A year? Cough cough cough, it seems we made the right bet." Zhuang Yuechan circulated her magic power to slowly dispel the chill from her body, and her mind became much sharper than before.

“Yes, you made the right bet. You’re just as bold as her; she’s the Demon King.” Wuming said in a complicated tone.

The story goes back to the day Zhuang Yuechan encountered the snow python.

The snow python, seemingly possessed by a demon, relentlessly pursued them from behind. Not only was Zhuang Yuechan unable to shake it off, but she was also nearly caught in the turbulent northerly winds.

At that time, she still had a sword talisman that Song Changsheng had made for her, but the snow python had completely lost its mind. If she couldn't kill it with one blow, it would only provoke it and bite her even harder.

Left with no other choice, she had to take a risky approach and try to use music to exorcise the snow python. Given her current skill in music, this was entirely possible.

All you need to do is awaken its senses and take out Song Changsheng's sword talisman; it will likely retreat if it senses a threat.

After all, they had no enmity between them. In a way, Zhuang Yuechan's awakening of it saved its life. As a demon king, it wouldn't have stayed to fight to the death unless it lost its mind.

In the harsh environment of the Tianshan Mountains, even a demon king would face death if it suffered a serious injury. The disadvantages of fighting Zhuang Yuechan to the death far outweighed the benefits.

She was gambling on this sliver of hope.

Unfortunately, playing the "Demon Suppression Melody," which has the effect of exorcising demons and purifying the mind, in the extremely cold weather of the Tianshan Mountains consumed too much of her magical power. After more than ten hours, she had almost exhausted her magical power and spiritual power.

Fortunately, this also temporarily brought the snow python to its senses. Using the sword talisman left by Song Changsheng as a deterrent, she successfully forced it to retreat.

However, she also fell into a coma due to exhaustion of her magic and mental energy.

It's just unexpected that she fell into a coma for a whole year, and it's a miracle that she's still alive.

"The snow python didn't come back after it retreated, otherwise we would be inside its belly by now. Of course, at worst, we could take it down with us." Wuming's tone was full of confidence.

The self-destruction power of the Jade Sword is greater than that of an ordinary Golden Core cultivator's self-destruction. Even if the snow python is a demon king, it cannot avoid it unless it is proficient in the laws of space. In the end, it can only perish together with them.

Even if it were lucky enough to survive, the north wind stirred up by the self-destruction would still blow it to dust.

"You've worked hard these past few days, take a good rest. We'll set off again in a few days," Zhuang Yuechan said, looking at the Jade Sword.

She could sense that Wuming was currently in a very weak state.

“You are similar to her, but not quite. She would never say something like that.”

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Yuechan said calmly, "Because she is her and I am me, we should not be confused."

After a few days of recuperation, Zhuang Yuechan set off again with the Jade Sword. With only about six months left before the Grand Competition, she had to cross the Tianshan Mountains as soon as possible to fulfill her promise to Song Changsheng!
Shortly after she left, a figure in a white dress appeared on the snow-capped peak where they had previously stopped. Watching her departing figure, she hesitated for a moment before finally following her...

"Clan leader, why not take Youfu with you on this trip? I think he also wants to visit the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty." On the way to the Myriad Manifestations Palace, Song Youlin finally voiced his question.

“If you all leave, what will happen to the Twin Islands? Someone has to take the lead. You’ve done a good job these past few years. Consider this a break. Also, take care of these little ones for me.”

While Song Changsheng said this, he actually wanted Song Youfu to continue to use his "lucky charm" attribute to see if he could play a role in the search for the ruins of the Treasure Bottle Sect.

In addition, it was also because they didn't want him to be too idle. Taking Song Youlin away was to add more responsibility to him. He was a good candidate for the position, but he was too lazy and lacked ambition.

He didn't learn any of Song Youlin's good qualities.

If he himself is unwilling to put in the effort, then only he can help him put in the effort, so as not to waste such a good piece of material.

"Master, is the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty particularly far away and particularly prosperous?" Xu Miaoyin asked expectantly.

“Of course, that’s a powerful immortal dynasty that ranks among the top in the entire Southern Continent. Even the Myriad Manifestations Palace is far inferior to it. Let’s go and broaden our horizons together this time,” Song Changsheng said with a slight smile.

"What is the Myriad Manifestations Palace like? Is it really as powerful as Senior Brother said?" Xu Miaoyin asked, her eyes sparkling as she cupped her face in her hands.

"You'll soon find out what the Palace of Ten Thousand Images is like. Look, we've arrived."

Song Changsheng slowed down the flying boat and landed at the foot of Wanxiang Mountain. He smiled and cupped his hands in greeting to a beautiful figure in front of him, saying, "Thank you for waiting for me, Fellow Daoist Jianxin."

He then looked at Song Jingxiao and the others and said, "This is the Sword Heart Immortal of the Myriad Manifestations Palace. Why don't you all pay your respects?"

"We pay our respects to Master Jianxin!"

"No need for formalities." Sword Heart Master nodded slightly, looked Song Changsheng up and down, and said with a hint of surprise in his eyes, "Fellow Daoist has actually broken through to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm?"

"I've made some progress during this period of seclusion, mainly thanks to the resources that you exchanged for me. Otherwise, my progress wouldn't have been so rapid." Song Changsheng took the opportunity to attribute the credit to those resources. He knew very well that a pill with such heaven-defying effects as the Enlightenment Pill could never be revealed in front of the Myriad Manifestations Palace.

Putting everything else aside, the first person we'll offend is definitely Ji Shinian.

You see, the reason he went there was to find a treasure that would help him break through to the Nascent Soul stage, and the Enlightenment Pill just happens to have that effect.

For a narrow-minded person, this is an act of obstruction, and it is not too much to fight to the death.

"The Palace Master was right about you. Fellow Daoist is indeed a genius, one in a thousand years. This time, our Palace's chances of winning the top three have increased even more." Jian Xin did not hold back his praise. "Fellow Daoist is too kind."

Why is it so lively on the mountain? Is some kind of ceremony being held? Song Changsheng looked towards the mountainside of Wanxiang Mountain, where it was unusually noisy.

"It's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early. The sect competition, which takes place once every ten years, is currently being held on the mountain. It has just begun. If you are interested, you may go and take a look."

Song Changsheng's eyes lit up immediately. This was a rare opportunity that he couldn't miss. He quickly agreed, saying, "If it's convenient, then I'd appreciate it if you could arrange a place for me and these juniors to watch."

"It's a semi-public event anyway, so there's nothing inconvenient about it. Many forces from the Great Qian cultivation world and the surrounding cultivation worlds have sent representatives to observe. Oh, and the [Splendid Banner] also has people here," Jianxin reminded them.

Song Changsheng smiled faintly and said, "Is that so? Then I must go and take a look. Thank you for making the arrangements, fellow Daoist."

Jianxin understood immediately and nodded, saying, "In that case, let's go and watch the competition first. You've arrived early, so it's not time yet."

"Is there some other preparation in the palace?" Song Changsheng asked knowingly.

"That's natural. After all, we're facing elites carefully trained by various academies in this battle, so we naturally have to go all out."

"I originally intended to use this opportunity to help you break through to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, but now that you've already done so, the effect will only be better." Jianxin blinked, but only finished speaking.

The group arrived at the mountainside, where a huge martial arts arena had been built, with several pitch-black arenas arranged in a regular pattern.

The stands were arranged in a tiered fashion, and there were at least tens of thousands of people present, including many Golden Core cultivators, but most of them were young cultivators from the Myriad Manifestations Palace and various sects.

Following Song Changsheng's suggestion, Sword Heart Master arranged their positions next to the Embroidered Banner.

At first, the members of the [Jinxiuqi] group didn't pay much attention, but when the leading elder saw Song Changsheng, he was like a mouse seeing a cat, almost jumping up from his seat.

Song Changsheng, however, seemed not to notice them and led Song Youlin and the others to their seats.

Although they didn't say a word, the cultivators of the [Jinxiuqi] group felt extremely uneasy, as if sitting on pins and needles, and their attention could no longer be focused on the arena.

Sitting next to the family's number one enemy, the pressure was indescribable.

"What is currently taking place is the competition for Foundation Establishment stage disciples, which is nearing its end. Next up will be the competition for Purple Mansion stage disciples."

All the Purple Mansion cultivators participating in the competition were under 150 years old. "Ignoring the awkward situation of the [Embroidered Banner], Jian Xin patiently explained from the side.

Song Changsheng's heart skipped a beat, and he raised an eyebrow, saying, "Under one hundred and fifty years old, could it be..."

"That's right. The candidates for the Purple Mansion stage cultivators who will go to the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty will be decided in this competition. To be precise, only a portion will be decided, and a few spots will be reserved for the academy."

"Isn't it a bit late to start making selections now?"

"Of course not. More than a decade ago, the palace allocated them with the best cultivation resources. Theoretically speaking, each of them should be qualified to go to the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty to participate in the competition."

"All we have to do now is select the best of the best." Kenshin said calmly, as if he were talking about something trivial.

But what Song Changsheng saw was the profound heritage of the Wanxiang Palace.

The Song family's resources have improved many times over compared to the past, but in the face of this situation, they often first select suitable talents and then focus on cultivating them, because resources are limited and precise cultivation is necessary.

The Myriad Palace, on the other hand, uses a method of raising Gu. As long as the age and cultivation level are suitable, they are provided with top-notch resources to compete with each other, and finally a "Gu King" is chosen for the final sprint.

Comparing the two, a judgment is made.

"I wonder how many people will be going to this competition?"

"Ten people are at the Purple Mansion stage, and five are at the Golden Core stage. However, to be on the safe side, we usually arrange for a few more people to go together."

Fellow Daoist, there's no need to worry. The Golden Core cultivators have already been chosen, and we will arrange a meeting for you after the competition concludes.

With everything arranged by Ting Jianxin, Song Changsheng felt relieved and focused his attention on the arena, while also instructing Xu Miaoyin and the others to observe carefully.

It must be said that the Wanxiang Palace team is very young. Most of the cultivators participating in the competition below are about the same age as Song Jingxiao, but they are already Foundation Establishment cultivators. Those Foundation Establishment Great Perfection cultivators are basically only in their thirties or forties.

They had a head start from the very beginning. They had plenty of time to mature and develop. Breaking through to the Purple Mansion realm at around a hundred years old would be a rare feat for any Golden Core cultivation sect.

However, at the Vientiane Palace, this has probably become the norm.

Within the Myriad Manifestations Palace, only those who break through to the Purple Mansion stage within a 60-year cycle can be considered part of the top tier and are thus hailed as geniuses.

As for how many such geniuses they possess, it has always been a mystery to the outside world, but we will soon find out.

"Can you see anything special about it?" Song Changsheng asked Song Youlin beside him.

"Although young, his moves are fierce, and his combat experience is very mature. Every move is aimed at vital points. I estimate that there are few cultivators of the same age in the clan who can compare to him," Song Youlin said solemnly.

In the conventional wisdom, disciples of powerful factions are like flowers in a greenhouse, possessing great cultivation but unable to withstand the storms of life.

Such an impression is not wrong, but it can only be applied to emerging forces. Forces like the Myriad Palace, which have been refined over the years, have long since developed a complete training system.

Every disciple needs to undergo the tempering of blood and fire.

Don't be fooled by their young age; the blood on their hands may be just as much as that of rogue cultivators who spend years licking blood from the edge of a knife.

The Song family's current situation falls into the former category. If they cannot quickly transform into the Wanxiang Palace's training system, their current glory will only be a flash in the pan.

“It’s normal that we can’t compare to them, so we should learn a lot from them. There’s still a lot our family needs to learn,” Song Changsheng said calmly.

At this moment, Master Jianxin suddenly interrupted them, saying, "After the competition, there will be an exchange meeting where young disciples from various forces will participate. Would you young friends be interested?"

...(End of chapter)