Family Cultivation: Evergreen of the Song Family

The group of more than ten people that Song Changsheng brought this time, apart from Chi Li, were all outstanding members of the younger generation of the Song family, ranging from Qi Refining to Purple Mansion, making them a perfect fit for the exchange meeting.

The most important thing is to make them realize the gap between themselves and the elite disciples of ancient and great sects like Wanxiang Palace. In recent years, the Song family has been going too smoothly, and the situation is relatively stable.

These young monks were born in the best of times, with silver spoons in their mouths, and most of them had never experienced any setbacks.

The previous battle in the Twin Islands could barely be considered a test, but it was far different from what the cultivators of the "Lu," "Chang," and even "Qing" generations had experienced.

A conversation would help them recognize the gap between themselves and the disciples of major sects, lest they become arrogant and complacent, and look down on the world's geniuses.

Just as jade cannot become a work of art without being carved, they will never truly understand the family spirit that the Song family has inherited for six hundred years without experiencing setbacks.

"Then I'll have to trouble Fellow Daoist Jianxin to make the arrangements," Song Changsheng readily agreed.

He then looked at Song Jingxiao and the others and said, "You have all heard what Master Jianxin said. There will be an exchange meeting later. You all need to prepare well and not slack off."

"I'll obey!"

Song Jingyuan and the others were all eager to fight, completely unaware of what was about to happen.

Song Changsheng took in their behavior without saying a word.

He had warned them before that if they underestimated their enemy and were careless, they would be the ones who suffered in the end.

Compared to the hundreds of Foundation Establishment stage cultivators in the competition, there were far fewer Purple Mansion stage cultivators, only a few dozen.

But this is still a rather terrifying number. Dozens of Purple Mansion cultivators under the age of 150—who knows how many Golden Core cultivators will emerge from among them in the future?
"What a terrifying talent pool!" Song Changsheng thought to himself.

No wonder Jianxin was confident that each of them was qualified to represent the Myriad Manifestations Palace in the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty competition. Among these individuals, the lowest cultivation level was at the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion realm, and their strength was in no way inferior to that of a late-stage Purple Mansion cultivator from an ordinary force.

Among them, several even reached the Great Perfection of the Purple Mansion realm.

Logically speaking, they should have been the best candidates to go to the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty, but the profound foundation of the Myriad Manifestations Palace once again taught everyone a vivid lesson: sometimes, realm doesn't mean anything.

"Boom..."

As a powerful figure was knocked out of the ring, the entire arena erupted in incredulous gasps.

A cultivator at the Great Perfection of the Purple Mansion realm was defeated by a cultivator at the late stage of the Purple Mansion realm, and the defeat was swift and decisive.

Even Song Changsheng was surprised by his performance and couldn't help but look at the indifferent Sword Heart Master beside him and say, "Fellow Daoist Sword Heart doesn't seem to be surprised by this young friend's performance?"

"Fellow Daoist Zixu may not know this, but this child is named Jun Tianli. He possesses the innate [Fire Virtue Body] and has shown extraordinary potential within the palace since childhood. He was taken in by the palace's protectors and received intensive training."

He broke through to the Purple Mansion Realm at the age of forty, only slightly behind you, fellow Daoist.

Even at the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion realm, he could fight to a draw with a Purple Mansion Grand Perfection cultivator in the palace.

"It's a pity he was born at the wrong time; there's no more time for him to grow. If he had been born a few decades earlier, our palace's chances of success on this trip would have been much greater." Jian Xin sighed softly, then changed the subject, saying, "His master is also someone I know."

Song Changsheng's heart skipped a beat, and he said, "Could it be Fellow Daoist Ji Shinian?"

"good."

"A naturally gifted [Fire Virtue Body], Fellow Daoist Ji truly has a fine disciple," Song Changsheng exclaimed sincerely.

Among the many spirits in the world, the Five Virtues Spirit is one of the spirits that improves the fastest in the early stages.

The Five Virtues correspond to the Five Elements, which is also the origin of the [Fire Virtue Body]. Before breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, one generally will not encounter major bottlenecks because one is naturally compatible with the [Law of Fire].

Without deliberate suppression and with ample resource supply, the Five Virtues Spirit Body can break through to the Golden Core stage within a hundred years at the fastest, and there are more than a few such records.

Jun Tianli should be around a hundred years old now, and his current cultivation level is already quite low. Without a doubt, it must have been deliberately suppressed.

He broke through to the Purple Mansion stage at the age of forty, which seemed to be a few years later than others, but in reality, he could no longer suppress it.

It was evident from their previous duels that his foundation was incredibly solid, and he pushed every step to its absolute limit.

He is not only a genius in the Great Qian cultivation world, but also ranks among the top tier in the entire human cultivation world.

If he were given another ten years, his cultivation level would advance even further, and entering the top three would be a certainty. But now he is clearly still a little short, which is why Master Jianxin feels regret.

However, it seems that Wanxiang Palace is not placing all its hopes on Jun Tianli.

Otherwise, with the resources of the Myriad Manifestations Palace, they could have used them to push him to the Great Perfection of the Purple Mansion realm, but they didn't. They still let Jun Tianli focus on consolidating his own foundation and did not forcibly change it just because he wanted to participate in the competition.

Clearly, they have another trump card up their sleeve.

After observing the candidates, Song Changsheng had a few general candidates in mind and couldn't help but ask:
"Now that things have come to this point, you should have a clear idea of ​​who to choose, right?"
"We need at least one player to finish in the top three in the Purple Mansion Battlefield. I wonder which young friend will be the main force in this battle. Although Jun Tianli is strong, he's not quite there yet."

“There is indeed a promising talent on this trip who is capable of winning the championship, but unfortunately he is not currently in the palace and cannot be introduced to you for the time being.” Jianxin revealed a mysterious smile.

"Could it be within the academy?"

"That's right. He's currently making his final push at the academy. I'll introduce him to you on the day he sets off."

"As expected of the only Nascent Soul level power in the southwest of Tianshan, the Myriad Manifestations Palace's foundation is truly unfathomable." Song Changsheng's envy intensified.

They thought that what was on the field was all of Wanxiang Palace's trump cards, but little did they know that the real trump cards were not there at all.

His previous guess was obviously wrong; Jun Tianli might not even be in the top five now.

This shows that Wanxiang Palace has indeed gone all out, and all the hidden geniuses have been awakened.

"If the competition at the Purple Mansion stage is this fierce, what must it be like at the Golden Core stage?" Song Youlin, standing to the side, couldn't help but look on with longing.

He possessed a Heavenly Spiritual Root, so his aptitude was naturally excellent. He did not rush into cultivation but constantly strengthened his foundation. Among the younger generation of cultivators in the Song Clan, he was undoubtedly the leader.

Among the cultivators of his age that he usually encounters, very few are capable of fighting him.

But here, his mid-stage Purple Mansion cultivation level was barely enough to qualify him for the competition.

It's not that everyone here is more qualified than him; the main difference is in the resources they receive.

He was born in a relatively fortunate era; a few decades earlier, he would probably still be lingering in the Foundation Establishment stage. The final selection of participants for the competition wasn't finalized until dawn the following day.

Despite possessing the [Fire Virtue Body], Jun Tianli's cultivation level was at a disadvantage. Although he defeated a cultivator at the Great Perfection of the Purple Mansion realm, he could only stop at sixth place. However, he did not show much frustration on his face. After all, he was the youngest among all the cultivators participating in the competition, and all he lacked was a little time.

This competition selected eight people in total, including six cultivators at the Great Perfection of the Purple Mansion realm and two cultivators at the late stage of the Purple Mansion realm.

Both of them advanced by defeating a cultivator at the Great Perfection of the Purple Mansion realm, which is well-deserved.

Eight will be selected here, and the college will likely select another four or five, just in case.

At this moment, a steward dressed in the attire of the Vientiane Palace walked over, carrying a stack of ivory and white jade plaques.

Sword Heart Master stood up and said, "Fellow Daoist Zixu, the exchange meeting is about to begin. Those who wish to participate should collect their number plates from this steward and then go with him to prepare."

However, we don't have time to observe. We just received news that all the participants have arrived, and the Palace Master has summoned us to go there.

"Alright, let me give them a few words of advice."

Song Changsheng called Song Jingxiao and the others together and said, "All the major forces present at the exchange meeting will participate, so you must not underestimate the enemy."

Furthermore, this exchange meeting is primarily for mutual understanding. You are facing like-minded individuals, not enemies. You must strictly adhere to the rules of the Myriad Palace. Victory should not lead to arrogance, nor should defeat result in unreasonable behavior. The difference in skill must be acknowledged. Do you understand?

"We understand." Everyone responded seriously, knowing the gravity of the situation.

After all, this was their first time participating in such a large-scale exchange meeting, and Song Changsheng was still a little worried. He looked at Chi Li and Song Youlin and said, "I'm going to meet the True Lord next, so I'll leave this to you. Don't make any mistakes."

"Please rest assured, clan leader/master, we will strictly discipline them and there will be no mistakes."

After making his promise, Song Youlin hesitated for a moment and then transmitted his voice to Song Changsheng, "Clan leader, is Miaoyin also going to participate? Won't that give people away?"

Song Changsheng knew he was referring to the item in Xu Miaoyin's sea of ​​consciousness, and shook his head slightly, saying, "It's alright. There are restrictions I set up in her sea of ​​consciousness. Unless a True Monarch takes action, ordinary people shouldn't be able to see it."

Judging from the current situation, the magical artifact in Xu Miaoyin's sea of ​​consciousness should be triggered passively. An exchange meeting should not be so desperate as to lead to a life-or-death situation.

However, just to be on the safe side, he gave Song Youlin a few more instructions: "If things don't go well, you admit defeat for her."

"Grandson obeys."

After giving his instructions, Song Changsheng followed Sword Heart Master and left the stands.

After he left, the tense nerves of the cultivators from the Brocade Banner group finally relaxed. The pressure that Song Changsheng had exerted on them was simply too great.

Seeing Song Jingxiao and the others receiving their number plates, a cultivator from the [Splendid Banner] sect couldn't help but transmit his voice to Song Zhemin, who was leading the group, saying, "Elder, it seems they are also going to participate in the exchange meeting."

After Song Changsheng left, Song Zhemin's courage swelled a bit, and he sneered, "To actually share the stage with such a person is truly a disgrace!"

"It seems they decided to participate at the last minute, and their cultivation levels vary greatly. Should we..." The cultivator subtly made a throat-slitting gesture.

A glint of light flashed in Song Zhemin's eyes. The last gambling match between the [Jinxiuqi] side was a crushing defeat, a disgrace they had been trying to wash away. This was a good opportunity to strike at the Wangyue Song Clan.

If he can turn the tide, he can probably move his butt up a bit more.

"On the arena, swords have no eyes. If you encounter someone from the Song Clan of Wangyue during the competition, don't hold back. As long as you don't kill them, the Myriad Manifestations Palace won't bother us."

"As long as you win, you will be heroes of the clan, and we will recommend you for merit after you return to the clan!" Song Zhemin said in a cold tone.

Upon hearing this, the members of the [Jinxiuqi] group were all eager to fight, and their gazes towards Song Jingxiao and the others changed.

Song Youlin glanced at them knowingly, and after a moment's thought, he understood what was going on. He then instructed everyone, "Be careful when you go on stage. If you encounter the [Brocade Banner], treat them as enemies. If they dare to use any ruthless tactics, cripple them!"
The clan leader will soon represent the Myriad Elephants Palace in the competition. You need not worry, except for those of the [Embroidered Banner], understand?

"Don't worry, Uncle. If these people dare to use underhanded tricks, I'll make them regret it!" Song Jingyuan said with a sneer.

"Be careful in everything, everyone go and prepare." Song Youlin nodded slightly.

……

“Fellow Daoist Zixu, the Palace Master is currently inside the hall. You may enter on your own,” said True Person Jianxin, pointing to a large hall ahead.

"Thank you, fellow Taoist."

Song Changsheng bowed to him in farewell, then pushed open the door and entered.

Behind the door was a teleportation portal. He felt a flash of colorful light before his eyes, and then he stepped into a fantastical space. The first thing he saw was a towering iron tower, with several figures standing in front of it, including Yi Tianzheng.

"Greetings, Celestial Phenomenon True Lord!"

Song Changsheng hurriedly went over to pay his respects.

Yi Tianzheng turned around, nodded slightly at him, and said, "Mid-stage Golden Core, not bad, you are even more outstanding than I expected."

After saying that, he pointed to the people beside him and said, "These are the people who will accompany you to the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty. Get to know each other."

There were five people present, three men and two women, making six including Song Changsheng. One of them was likely a substitute, and all of them had at least a mid-stage Golden Core cultivation level, far exceeding his expectations.

He originally thought that the majority of them would be in the early stage of Golden Core, but he underestimated the strength of the Myriad Manifestations Palace.

He's been getting promoted all these years, and everyone else has been busy too.

One of them was imposing and handsome, with bright, sparkling eyes. He wore a long robe with gilded clouds and his long hair was casually draped over his shoulders. Just by standing there quietly, he exuded an invisible sense of oppression.

He was clearly the leader of the five.

"Late stage of Golden Core." Song Changsheng clicked his tongue in amazement. Sure enough, a powerhouse at the late stage of Golden Core had appeared.

“Although I have not been in the palace these past years, I have often heard people mention Fellow Daoist Zixu. My name is Ling Xiao, and Ji Shinian is my senior brother.” Ling Xiao took the initiative to speak, his attitude very friendly.

Before Song Changsheng could respond, a cultivator in a black robe standing behind Ling Xiao suddenly stepped forward and said in an unfriendly tone, "I thought you were someone important, but it turns out you're the one who took my spot?"

...(End of chapter)