Family Cultivation: Evergreen of the Song Family

"It's good that you understand. Focus on your cultivation. When that day comes, we'll need you to clean up the mess," Song Changsheng said earnestly.

For him, Song Yuqing's greatest value was not his outstanding talent, but his special status and high reputation in the Embroidered Banner.

The annexation of the Embroidered Banner is destined to be a long process. While forceful measures may yield quick results in the short term, they will leave endless troubles.

He still prefers a combination of firmness and gentleness, a slow and gradual approach, to accomplish and facilitate all of this in a relatively mild way.

To achieve this, someone needed to mediate, and Song Yuqing was the person he chose.

Of course, although Song Yuqing has stayed in the Twin Islands for so many years, it does not mean that he stands on the side of the Wangyue Song Clan. His previous attitude has already explained everything. He is loyal to his family and to the bloodline in his body.

The reason he seems to be on their side now is simply the best choice after weighing the pros and cons, because he sees no hope in this war, and he is disgusted by the actions of Song Daoling's faction over the years.

【The Embroidered Banner】I am not afraid of bloodshed, but it is not worth shedding blood for these people.

They are the cancerous growths on this giant called "Family," and even though the process will be extremely painful, they must be removed, otherwise the consequences will be endless.

If the Brocade Banner were truly defeated, submitting to the Wangyue Song Clan, who shared the same bloodline, would be far more acceptable than the extinction of the clan.

As for whether it's a minor sect or a major sect, they're all the same to him.

Is it because of bloodline that they are able to lead so many branches?

No, it's strength.

If the Song family of Mochizuki has a bigger fist than them, they can still submit. That's how the game works in this world.

"Have you seen all the recent intelligence regarding the [Brocade Banner]?" Song Changsheng asked casually, flipping through the jade slips on the table.

When he left the Twin Islands, he instructed Song Youfu and the others to send a copy of all the information related to the [Brocade Banner] to Song Yuqing. Some time has passed, and he is eager to know what she thinks after reading it.

"I've seen them all." Song Yuqing's tone was somewhat heavy.

He never expected that after he left the [Jinxiuqi], the family would become so chaotic.

After Song Wuji stepped down, the newly appointed Song Jiyuan was even worse. The first thing he did after taking office was to carry out a large-scale purge of Song Wuji's old clique.

Suppressing dissidents and promoting one's own people to power is a very normal practice, and no one can object to it.

However, Song Jiyuan's crackdown was far too broad. Anyone who was involved with Song Wuji was purged. The list of those punished left him speechless. Even an elder like Song Zhexuan, who was dedicated to public service, was placed under house arrest.

Although Song Wuji had done similar things before, he was restrained by the elders above him and didn't dare to go too far.

Currently, Song Minghuang is in seclusion, while Song Tianyuan and Song Daoling are both in seclusion recuperating from their injuries, oblivious to everything happening around them.

Song Jiyuan was practically all-powerful within the clan. The two elders who could restrain the clan leader, the Grand Elder and the Guardian Elder, were both his men.

【The Embroidered Banner】With a family history spanning nearly ten thousand years and no fewer than a hundred clan leaders, Song Jiyuan's power is enough to rank him among the top three in history.

In a way, he is very similar to Song Changsheng; he can make decisions on all matters, big and small, within the clan with a single word.

But unlike others, he doesn't have as much selfishness and knows how to delegate authority better.

He would love to delegate all his power to the elders of the family, so that he could have more free time.

Song Jiyuan was the complete opposite of him; he wanted to seize all power to satisfy his own desires.

What attracted him was not power, but desire; power was merely a tool for him to satisfy his desires.

With his current achievements and status, he only seeks two things: first, to break through to the Golden Core stage; and second, for the sake of his descendants.

According to the information leaked to the Song family by Song Shouhe and others, cultivators of the Song Jiyuan lineage who reach the Purple Mansion stage will be promoted to the Elder Council, and those who reach the Foundation Establishment stage will at least become managers.

Furthermore, he abused his authority to delegate many of the Purple Mansion Seed quotas that originally required a trial process to determine.

Logically, many members of the elders should have stood up to resist this behavior that undermines the family system, since the family system protects the interests of the vast majority.

However, Song Jiyuan was able to overtake others and succeed as clan leader, so his own abilities are beyond doubt. Dividing and disintegrating is his specialty.

The vast majority of the elders were beneficiaries of his disruption of the system; having received his favors, they naturally became his vassals.

Among them, elders from collateral branches account for the largest proportion.

He won over almost all the elders of the collateral branches, with Song Shouhe as the main figure, and gained an overwhelming advantage over the opposition.

Of course, the efforts of the Song family of Wangyue played a significant role in this.

After all, Song Shouhe and others had submitted their pledge of allegiance to Song Changsheng long ago.

Supporting Song Jiyuan was also at his secret behest.

The goal is to allow the other side's power to expand, enabling them to dominate the clan and exacerbate internal conflicts.

When the conflict is fully escalated, that is the best time for them to take action.

As the saying goes, the authorities are confused, but those who watch are clear.

As an outsider, Song Yuqing could discern many truths from between the lines, but he was unable to convey these truths or awaken them. He could only watch helplessly as his family succumbed to the hands of these people.

Song Wuji felt the same way, and so did Song Jiyuan; they both loathed the corrupt system and filthy atmosphere of the [Jinxiu Banner].

To change these things, we must first break them all down, then sweep them all into the dustbin of history, and finally establish a new order from the ruins!

And this is the mission he himself has given himself.

He didn't see himself as a savior; he simply wanted to pull this giant, who had already reached the edge of the abyss, back to safety.

“I will change all of this myself,” Song Yuqing said solemnly.

Song Changsheng smiled slightly. This was the thing he admired most about Song Yuqing: she was pragmatic and intelligent.

Communicating with smart people is often less tiring.

He wasn't a good person, but he wasn't a bloodthirsty executioner either. His real intention in doing this was to reduce unnecessary bloodshed and sacrifice.

"Cultivate diligently and break through to the Golden Core stage as soon as possible, then you will have a chance to realize all of this."

He reached out and patted Song Yuqing on the shoulder, offering him encouragement and reassuring him.

Song Changsheng stayed in the Twin Islands for several days, but instead of waiting for Xu Miaoyin and the others to break through, he was greeted by envoys from the Myriad Phenomena Palace.

The visitor was none other than the old acquaintance, Master Jianxin.

"It's been a long time. Fellow Daoist Jianxin's sword intent has improved again."

The moment they met, the sword intent emanating from the other person gave him a striking impression. Sword Heart Master cultivated the extremely special "Sword of the Heart," whose sword intent couldn't be improved through ordinary arduous training or seclusion.

Its upper limit is extremely high, and its lower limit is extremely low.

But once you break through, your strength will undergo a dramatic change.

Although Song Changsheng didn't know what level Jianxin Zhenren's [Sword Intent of the Heart] had reached before, he was certain that the other party had made a major breakthrough recently.

Perhaps in the near future, the Vientiane Palace will have a new guardian deity.

"Fellow Daoist, you actually came in person. Have you not been in seclusion recently?"

Song Changsheng raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "What, could it be that Fellow Daoist Lingxiao and the others have gone into seclusion?"

"Of the few who returned from the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty, all of you are in seclusion."

"Haha, in that case, it seems that I, Song, am a bit out of place. But this is not my fault. The key to my seclusion is still in your hands, fellow Daoist." Song Changsheng pointed to the jade box in Jianxin Zhenren's hand.

Upon hearing this, Master Jianxin directly handed him a jade box about one foot square and said, "One batch of [Golden Elixir], refined by Master Qianheyuan, will eventually yield six pills."

One batch of [Heavenly Purity Jade Marrow Pills] was refined by Master Li Chengxiang, ultimately yielding eight pills.

One batch of [Shangqing Body Shaping Pills] was refined by Master Liu Yuxiao, ultimately yielding five pills.

There are a total of nineteen bottles. Fellow Daoist, you can count them in person. Once you've confirmed everything is correct, Jianxin can return to the palace to report.

It was precisely because Song Changsheng urgently needed this batch of pills that the Myriad Manifestations Palace directly invited three top-grade fourth-level alchemy masters to refine them for him, which is why three batches of pills were refined in just one year.

Song Changsheng opened the jade box and found twenty porcelain bottles arranged neatly in a row and column.

His original expectation was that each batch of pills would yield at least five pills, but unexpectedly, apart from the [Shangqing Body Shaping Pill], the other two batches of pills exceeded his expectations.

The number of [Tianqing Jade Marrow Pills] reached an astonishing eight.

You have to understand, this is a top-grade fourth-tier pill. To achieve such a success rate is truly astonishing, making him a master among masters.

It is clear that the Vientiane Palace did not hold back at all.

It's a pity that the Golden Elixir wasn't refined by this master.

However, the success rate of six pills is still quite good; each additional pill represents a chance to break through to the Golden Core stage.

This also reveals the operating style of the Myriad Phenomena Palace. In the alchemy world, this extra portion has always been tacitly agreed to belong to the alchemists. The alchemists of the Myriad Phenomena Palace have obviously given up the benefits that the "unspoken rules" brought them.

What puzzled him was that there were twenty porcelain bottles in the jade box when there were only nineteen pills.

As if he had anticipated Song Changsheng's doubts, Sword Heart Master patiently explained, "The extra bottle is a [Hundred Treasures Body Shaping Pill] that Master Liu Yuxiao refined using the remaining fragments of the [Heavenly Snow Lotus] after refining the [Shangqing Body Shaping Pill]."

Song Changsheng suddenly realized that it was an additional service.

This Master Liu is far too straightforward; he didn't waste any of the leftover scraps and even specially prepared a new batch for him.

But he quickly realized that even the fastest fourth-level alchemist couldn't possibly refine two batches of fourth-level pills in just one year.

The only possibility is that these two elixirs were refined at the same time.

This shows that Master Liu is also highly skilled.

"Please convey my thanks to the three masters on my behalf. I will certainly pay them a visit in person when I have the opportunity in the future," Song Changsheng said sincerely as he closed the jade box.

"I will, Fellow Daoist Zixu. I'll take my leave now."

"Thank you for making this trip in person, fellow Daoist. Have a safe journey."

"I hope that when we meet again, you will be a late-stage Golden Core cultivator."

Song Changsheng cupped his hands and smiled, "It will certainly be as you wish, fellow Daoist!"

After seeing off Master Jianxin, he finally had the opportunity to properly examine the pills in the jade box.

It must be said that the alchemy masters from the Wanxiang Palace are undoubtedly skilled in this area.

Both the [Golden Elixir] and the [Hundred Treasures Body Shaping Elixir] are of extremely high quality, far exceeding the batch obtained from the Jade Cleansing True Lord's treasure vault.

Even though eight [Shangqing Jade Marrow Pills] are made at once, the quality does not decrease in the slightest.

However, the appearance of the pill seemed somewhat different from what he had imagined.

According to the records in the ancient books, the [Shangqing Jade Marrow Pill] is made by collecting the pure air rising from rivers and lakes before sunrise and refining it together with spiritual materials. The pill should be bluish-white in color, without any exceptions. However, the batch he obtained had a faint reddish tinge.

"Could it be caused by the Jade Marrow Spirit Fruit?"

The origin of his Jade Marrow Spirit Fruit was extraordinary, and it was also deeply connected with the snow python that claimed to be immortal, so it's possible that some unknown mutations occurred.

Since Master Jianxin didn't specifically remind him, it seems that Master Li didn't see any problem with the pills.

After all, being an alchemist is not just about accepting commissions to refine pills. If there is a problem with the pills you refine, it will ruin your reputation and damage your brand.

Apart from those low-level alchemists who came from humble backgrounds, most alchemists cherish their reputation very much.

Moreover, Song Changsheng is a figure favored by the three Nascent Soul True Monarchs and many Golden Core True Persons of the Myriad Manifestations Palace. He is a meritorious official, so we need to be even more careful in this regard.

For professional matters, one should naturally trust the professionals, and Song Changsheng quickly put his doubts aside.

To be honest, he was quite looking forward to seeing what kind of surprise this unique [Shangqing Jade Marrow Pill] would bring him.

However, it's not the right time yet...

About half a month later, a vortex of spiritual energy suddenly gathered in the sky above the Twin Islands, frantically absorbing the spiritual energy of the islands, and its diameter expanded from a few feet to nearly a hundred feet at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Surprisingly, there were also dazzling bolts of lightning flashing within the vortex of spiritual energy, which was quite strange.

Sensing something, Song Changsheng flashed to the sky above White Dragon Island and, with a sweep of his divine sense, confirmed that the person who had broken through was Song Jingxiao.

Song Jingxiao went into seclusion later than Xu Miaoyin, but unexpectedly he has surpassed her.

Song Changsheng wasn't really worried about him. Song Jingxiao's cultivation was always steady and reliable, and he also had the aptitude of a different spiritual root. Breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage wouldn't be difficult for him; it was just a small hurdle in his life.

In comparison, he was more worried about Xu Miaoyin. It wasn't that she had problems with her cultivation or that she lacked talent, but rather that there was an unstable factor in her mind...

...(End of chapter)