Family Cultivation: Evergreen of the Song Family

"Judging by the time, my uncles should be setting off soon, right?"

On the turbulent sea, a large ocean warship flying the flag of the "Wangyue Song Clan" is speeding across the waves.

Song Youfu lay on a deck chair on the deck, basking in the warm sunlight, and said lazily.

"I've heard that Dazhen is an even more powerful immortal dynasty than Wanxiang Palace. The strength of Wanxiang Palace is already unimaginable, so what must the even stronger Dazhen Immortal Dynasty be like?"

"The Five Academies Assembly—just thinking about it fills me with longing. I never imagined that our clan would be fortunate enough to participate," Song Youping said, gazing at the surging sea in the distance.

Upon hearing this, Song Youfu said dismissively, "A bunch of monsters fighting tooth and nail over a few fruits, what's so interesting about that? Those big powers have a lot of rules, and they might even be restricted in their actions if they go there. How can they compare to our carefree life?"

Besides.

Reaching into the fruit plate beside him, he took a grape and popped it into his mouth, saying indifferently, "Your great-uncle specifically asked you to go before, but you refused. What's the use of saying all this now? It's too late to regret it."

Song Youping shook his head slightly and said, "I certainly want to go to the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty, but I have more important things to do. As long as I successfully cultivate this [Bloodline Worm], the family's spirit fish farming industry will surely usher in a huge leap in production."

This is the first time, but I believe it will definitely not be the last.

"We can go to the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty anytime, but if we miss this opportunity to capture the Insect King, we don't know when the next chance will come."

"That's true. Now that my great-uncle has gotten in touch with the Wanxiang Palace, there will be plenty of opportunities to go there in the future."

"Speaking of which, why didn't your brother go? Isn't the clan leader the one who dotes on you the most?" Song Youping asked curiously.

Song Youfu's expression immediately became somewhat unnatural. He coughed lightly and said, "The Dharma Protector Elder and Uncle Changxuan are both in seclusion, and Xiao Linzi has gone with them. If I go with them too, how will Aunt Xia manage so many affairs by herself?"

"We younger generations should sometimes think about our elders, shouldn't we?"

“Brother is right, we should indeed share the burden with the elders. So, what are we doing now…”

"We're about to do something very important. Have you heard of the [Void Crystal]?" Song Youfu said in a low voice, sounding mysterious.

"【Void Magic Crystal】? That seems to be a controlled item of the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty. Does Brother have access to it?"

"There is a channel, but it belongs to a family. The transaction is only once a year. It is said that it was opened a few years ago, and the family has accumulated quite a lot. The latest batch of [Thunderbolt] was made from this stuff, and it is said to be incredibly powerful."

"We're going to meet with people from the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty. Xiao Linzi has been in charge of this before, so this is my first time going. You'll have to keep an eye on things for me when we get there." Song Youfu finally revealed the purpose of their trip.

Song Youping, with great tact, said, "This is a family secret. It's not appropriate for my brother to bring me along, is it?"

"Don't worry, I know the family rules. I've already consulted with the Dharma Protector Elder, otherwise I wouldn't have the guts."

Now that you have broken through to the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, and the clan has bestowed upon you the [Amethyst Jade Marrow], with the right timing, location, and people, breaking through to the Purple Mansion stage is only a matter of time.

I told the Dharma Protector Elder that once you break through to the Purple Mansion stage, I'll entrust this task to you, as a way for you to familiarize yourself with the work beforehand.

"You call me brother, so naturally I have to find you a good job, right?" Song Youfu said with a grin.

Song Youping felt a little helpless upon hearing this. He was clearly just being lazy, but he still had to find an excuse.

Suddenly, his expression turned serious, and he pointed into the distance, saying, "Brother, look quickly."

"What's wrong?" Song Youfu sprang to the bow of the ship. Following the direction he was pointing, he saw a large patch of dark clouds covering the distant sea. To be precise, it was a cloud of demonic energy, formed by the convergence of countless demonic energies.

How many sea monsters must gather together to form such a broad and thick cloud of demons?

"My goodness, are the sirens having a gathering here?" Song Youfu thought to himself, and immediately ordered the warship to stop.

"If I remember correctly, the closest sea area to here should be the sea area belonging to Ghost King Valley. With so many sea monsters gathered here, could it be that they are about to start a war with Ghost King Sect?"

Song Youfu replied in a deep voice, "I'm afraid so, it really is a strange thing."

Ghost King Valley is the strongest force under the Myriad Manifestations Palace in the Great Qian Cultivation World. It has seven Golden Core True Persons on the surface. After tens of thousands of years of ups and downs, its foundation is unfathomable.

They were one of the earliest forces to expand into the East China Sea with the Wanxiang Palace, and also one of the earliest to stop their expansion.

Because they have always believed in the principle that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, rather than spreading their manpower to maintain that vast and leaky sea area, they prefer to keep their existing territory firmly in their hands.

Blind expansion will only lead to endless fighting and struggle with the sea creatures, just like the [Brocade Banner].

Adhering to this philosophy, over the years, the sea area where Ghost King Valley is located has long been transformed into an impenetrable barrier, so much so that even the sea creatures are unwilling to gnaw on this tough nut.

It seemed that the two sides had reached some kind of tacit understanding: Ghost King Valley would no longer expand, and the sea tribes would not go to war with them.

Therefore, the sea area around Ghost King Valley is exceptionally tranquil, which is why Song Youfu chose this route.

Now, contrary to their usual behavior, they are acting as if they are about to launch a major attack, which is really puzzling.

"The Cai Lin clan mentioned it in a veiled way when they migrated, that they might be planning something big recently. Could this be what they're referring to?" Song Youping said in a low voice.

Upon hearing this, Song Youfu sighed and said softly, "If that's all there is to it, then it's fine and has nothing to do with us. What I'm afraid is that this is just the beginning."

"Brother, do you mean the sea creatures are preparing for a full-scale counterattack?" Song Youping frowned. If that were the case, they would definitely be dragged into it as well.

“In the past, the surrounding sea creatures were a disorganized bunch, each fighting their own battles. But now, a mermaid royal has appeared out of nowhere, and these sea creatures are acting with much more order than before. I guess they're planning something big.”

Although Song Youfu was usually lazy, he was very familiar with the surrounding situation and various intelligence, and he made a lot of connections in a short time.

"Do they intend to start a war with the Palace of Ten Thousand Elephants?" Song Youping was somewhat shocked.

"That's hard to say. With the Five Academies Conference approaching, it will inevitably take up a lot of Wanxiang Palace's energy. What if they're planning to take advantage of the situation?" Song Youfu stroked his chin, his eyes gleaming.

"In that case, we should send the message back as soon as possible."

“You’re right. Use your communication sword to inform the Dharma Protector Elder of this message immediately.”

"So, what about us? Should we turn back?"

Song Youfu rolled his eyes and said, "Of course we'll go around to continue trading with the people of the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty. This channel wasn't easy to establish, and if we don't go this time, we might not get a chance next time. Moreover, the more critical the situation, the more we need this powerful tool to stabilize the situation."

Let's keep going, let's go around, and remember to make the circle quite wide.

……

Inside the "Mirror Space," Song Changsheng let out a soft shout, and a small, golden dagger slashed forward from between his eyebrows.

Opposite him was a mirror image of himself, not only in appearance and temperament, but also in the power of the supernatural abilities he used. If it weren't for the fact that he didn't have a real flesh and blood body, he could almost be mistaken for the real person.

They fought back and forth, exchanging blows several times, with the battle lasting from several days to more than ten days, and neither could gain the upper hand.

This wasn't Song Changsheng's strongest opponent, but it was definitely the most difficult to defeat. It was like playing rock-paper-scissors in front of a mirror; every move was exactly the same, and there was no other possible outcome but a draw.

In this situation, he was truly powerless, which was even more despairing than facing two demon kings at the Great Perfection level at the same time.

Surpassing oneself and breaking through personal limitations sounds simple, but you'll only realize how difficult it is when you actually do it.

But Song Changsheng did not give up. He firmly believed that there must be a way to break the deadlock.

So after observing and summarizing, he used this long-unused minor supernatural power right from the start—[Soul-Slaying Golden Blade]!
This is a minor divine ability that Song Xianming comprehended after breaking through to the Purple Mansion stage. As a rare soul skill, it can often achieve unexpected results when used in conjunction with the Yin-Yang Spirit-Slaying Gourd, which also directly damages the soul.

With this trump card, Song Changsheng defeated many powerful enemies.

But in the end, just like the [Mountain-Turning Seal], he was gradually marginalized due to his rapid improvement in cultivation, and eventually had no place to use his skills.

He never expected that the next time he would have to use it would be at this moment.

"【Soul-Slaying Golden Blade】? I can do that too."

The "Song Changsheng" opposite him smiled, and a golden, gleaming Soul-Slaying Blade shot out from between his brows.

To Song Changsheng's surprise, his "Golden Knife" crumbled instantly despite using the same supernatural power.

The golden blade in the air continued its momentum, cleaving through his sea of ​​consciousness and striking his soul with deadly force.

"How can this be?"

Song Changsheng's smile froze on his face, his eyes revealing shock and confusion. How could he have lost when it was a mirror-image supernatural power?
His body gradually became ethereal, and finally, from bottom to top, it transformed into specks of light, slowly dissipating into this space.

Song Changsheng watched this scene calmly, but felt a little strange. Just now, he had "killed" himself.

Although he knew he was facing a mirror image of an opponent who did not possess true consciousness, he still wanted to answer his questions.

Past, present, and future.

You are like my past self, and I am my present self. My present self is stronger than my past self, so I defeated you, just as my future self is destined to defeat my present self.

Rather than saying that the original intention of building the mirror space was to surpass oneself, it is more accurate to say that it is to surpass the weaker version of oneself from yesterday today, and to surpass the version of oneself from today tomorrow.

During the time we fought, my strength kept improving. After each fight, I became stronger, while you remained stagnant. That's why I was able to suppress you at the beginning.

But thanks to your special ability to mirror, you 'absorbed' my progress and are now evenly matched with me again.

And this is simply because my improvement hasn't been significant enough. Once I become powerful enough to directly defeat my past self, without giving you a chance to mirror yourself, then you will undoubtedly be defeated!

As he finished speaking, his "image" completely vanished.

This matter is actually quite simple when you put it into words.

What he was facing was actually a "mirror" that could imitate everything about him; he produced stones, and the mirror produced stones in return.

He used the [Soul-Slaying Golden Blade], and his opponent also used the [Soul-Slaying Golden Blade].

The Soul-Slaying Golden Blade was originally just a minor supernatural power. He drew on the successful experience of the Mountain-Turning Seal and incorporated the Daoist principles of the Divine Soul Law into it, elevating its power to the level of a major supernatural power.

This is equivalent to him punching a mirror, and the mirror also reflects a fist, but what he didn't expect was that Song Changsheng's punch landed directly on him.

You could say he took a shortcut, but everyone's understanding is different.

Song Changsheng's understanding of surpassing himself is that the present me surpasses the past me, and the future me surpasses the present me. Therefore, constantly making himself stronger is constantly surpassing himself.

This is his understanding.

"Om..."

With a slight rumbling sound, the space around him continued to distort, and he was eventually teleported out of the "Mirror Space". Amidst the flashing of colorful light, he arrived in an unfamiliar hall. Yi Tian was sitting in the head seat, and Ling Xiao, Liu Yunxuan and others were all present.

But apart from Ling Xiao and Baili Yuntu, the others didn't seem to be in a good mood.

"It's somewhat beyond my expectations that three people were able to pass the test of the Mirror Space," Yi Tianzheng said with a smile, then gestured for Song Changsheng to sit down to his right.

Looking at the expressions on everyone's faces, Song Changsheng already knew who the three people he was talking about were.

Ling Xiao wasn't surprised, but the taciturn Baili Yuntu's performance was somewhat unexpected.

"I have seen your efforts over the past six months. I should have let you rest and recuperate before setting off again, but the Five Academies Conference is about to open and the journey is long. We still need to go to Wanxiang Academy to meet up with the others."

There's not much time left, so we must get on the road as soon as possible.

"If you have anything else that needs to be dealt with or explained, you can bring it up now, and the Myriad Manifestations Palace will send someone to handle it for you," Yi Tianzheng said solemnly.

Those who are able to come here have already made arrangements for what they need to do, so naturally they wouldn't have waited until now.

"May I ask, True Lord, where are the younger generation of my clan currently? I would like to take them along to broaden their horizons."

...(End of chapter)