Family Cultivation: Evergreen of the Song Family

The five spiritual objects of heaven and earth each represent one of the five elements belonging to the Yang category.

These are [Jia Wood Tree Heart], [Bing Fire Flame Essence], [Wu Earth Heavenly Saltpeter], [Geng Metal Flowing Splendor], and [Ren Water Mysterious Spirit], all of which are extremely rare and of the highest quality.

Under normal circumstances, these spiritual treasures of heaven and earth are sufficient to help a cultivator with dual or triple spiritual roots at the Great Perfection of the Purple Mansion realm complete their Dao essence.

Even for a organization as well-established as the [Brocade Banner], it would still be painful to part with such a complete set, since these rare treasures of heaven and earth cannot be bought with spirit stones alone; it would take an unknown amount of time to collect them.

Perhaps when Song Changsheng left the Embroidered Banner, the hearts of two Embroidered Banner elders were quietly broken. This was not just a simple compensation, but also a way of weakening the future development potential of the Embroidered Banner.

"Wood governs the liver, fire governs the heart, earth governs the spleen, metal governs the lungs, and water governs the kidneys."

"The Five Elements, a masterpiece of nature, gather!" As Song Changsheng finished speaking, surging vitality and the power of the [Law of Creation] burst forth from his fingertips. The five kinds of spiritual treasures of heaven and earth merged into the corresponding internal organs, triggering the [Shangqing Body Shaping Pill] that had been integrated beforehand, and a strange power suddenly erupted.

The purpose of the spiritual objects of heaven and earth is to complete the five elements of Wu Jie's body and, with the blessing of the power of creation, to reshape his five internal organs. This is the most important and indispensable step in reshaping the physical body.

It is also the one that tests one's foundation the most.

Reconstructing the physical body is far more complex than it sounds, and it's nothing like Xu Yunhe's reconstruction of his arm; it's about creating something from nothing.

Leaving aside how rare the Tianshan Snow Lotus is for refining the Shangqing Body Shaping Pill, the investment of the remaining resources is beyond the reach of ordinary forces.

If it weren't for the money he got from the Embroidered Banner, Wu Jie's desire to rebuild his physical body would probably have been delayed for a while longer.

Having resources alone is not enough. To reshape the physical body, the most important thing is the power of creation. Flesh, bones, meridians, and internal organs cannot grow out of thin air from a pile of spiritual materials.

The key to all of this is the [Law of Creation].

Everything in the world is created by "creation". Creating a physical body from nothing is not so simple; it requires the participation of creation and the power of life.

In other words, the [Shangqing Body Shaping Pill] is not actually necessary; it is sufficient as long as a cultivator proficient in the [Law of Creation] and [Law of Life] participates in the body shaping process.

Song Changsheng was proficient in the [Law of Life] and the [Law of Creation], which were the most frequently used laws when the world of laws was first created and which permeated the entire process. Naturally, he was not unfamiliar with them, but he could not be called proficient in them.

Its cultivation difficulty is no less than that of laws such as "luck" and "cause and effect," and Song Changsheng did not want to spend too much energy on it.

That's why he needs the [Shangqing Body Shaping Pill] as an aid.

It contains the power of creation and the power of life, which is the key to body shaping and can increase the success rate of body shaping to 50%. With the help of the laws of creation and life that Song Changsheng controls, the success rate can be increased to 80%, which is a very considerable success rate.

With the blessing of the two great laws, the internal organs and meridians were shaped in just two months, thus completing the second step.

The third step, which is also the final step that requires Song Changsheng's participation, is the last one.

He pricked his fingertip, forcing out a drop of crystal-clear blood, which he flicked into the spirit pool, instantly turning the entire pool crimson.

These crimson colors were rapidly absorbed by Wu Jie's still-developing body within the Spirit Pool.

With a "thump," Wu Jie's body completed its first heartbeat.

"Boom..."

"Dong dong..."

The powerful and rhythmic beating of the heart, each time pumping fresh blood, quickly filled the atria and blood vessels, the bone marrow filled the medullary cavity, and the internal organs gained vitality, with the liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys and other organs beginning to perform their functions one after another.

A breath of fresh air filled my lungs, and my chest rose and fell slightly, making me look more like a living person.

Watching the blood flow through his body, Song Changsheng couldn't help but touch his nose. He felt something was off. After Wu Jie reshaped his body using the essence blood in his body as a guide, wouldn't the blood flowing through his body be... his blood?

It wasn't that he deliberately wanted to take advantage of Wu Jie.

In fact, the normal procedure would require finding a living person to sacrifice and extract their essence and blood.

But how could those who died unjustly not harbor resentment? Resentment breeds malevolence, and malevolent energy fills the air.

For Wu Jie, reshaping his physical body was a rebirth, a newborn, immaculate form. Now, tainted by malevolent energy, it brought him nothing but harm.

His blood could prevent this situation, and he possesses the acquired [Star Bloodline], which is incomparable to ordinary bloodlines. For Wu Jie, it would only bring benefits and no harm.

Next comes the final and most important step: introducing the first wisp of spiritual energy into the body.

"Om..."

Song Changsheng reached out and gently clenched his fist in the air. When he opened his hand again, a trace of extremely pure spiritual energy was already coiled in his palm.

He slapped Wu Jie's head with his palm, and a vortex suddenly formed, absorbing all the spiritual energy. The energy then flowed through the meridians in his body to his limbs and bones, eventually converging in his lower abdomen.

Then, large and small vortexes appeared on Wu Jie's body. These were the most important acupoints for cultivation. Once the acupoints were formed, the body could autonomously absorb the free spiritual energy in the air and gradually expand the lower dantian.

Once the spiritual energy in the lower dantian has accumulated to a certain level, the middle dantian can be opened. As long as the body shaping is successful, Wu Jie will have the cultivation level of the Purple Mansion stage.

"You'll have to walk the road ahead on your own from now on."

As soon as he finished speaking, Song Changsheng channeled a wisp of magical power into the altar beneath his feet, and a barrier firmly covered the spirit pool.

"How long will it take for Master Wujie to be completely rebuilt?" Song Qingxi, who had witnessed the whole process, asked curiously.

"It could take three to five years, or even several decades, depending on his own fate. During this time, this area should be sealed off to prevent his clansmen from getting close."

"understood."

"Is there anything within the clan that I need to handle during this time?"

"Everything is normal within the clan. All the forces in various prefectures and counties are making great efforts to prepare for war in accordance with your instructions. Recently, cultivators from families such as Wang Qianqian of Wutong Wang Clan, Yu Xueqian of Jiangzhou Yu Clan, Chu Clan of Qianyang County, Shangguan Clan of Kunyue County, and Bai Clan of Tianxing County have broken through to the Purple Mansion stage in seclusion."

The situation in the Golden-Eyed Demon Kingdom is relatively calm.

There hasn't been any particularly noteworthy news coming back from the East Sea lately; it's mostly been about trivial matters within the [Brocade Banner].

One noteworthy point is that Song Tianyuan convened a large clan council some time ago, where he strongly criticized Song Jiyuan's absurd behavior over the years and then proposed to abolish Song Jiyuan's position as clan leader.

And it was decided that Song Zhexuan would succeed as clan leader. Under your instruction, Song Shouhe and other elders from the collateral branches fully supported Song Tianyuan, and the number of votes overwhelmingly surpassed that of Song Daoling's faction.

However, Song Daoling unilaterally rejected the result on the grounds that Song Zhexuan was not qualified enough. Some people even publicly humiliated Song Zhexuan, saying that the "Jinxiu Banner" had no clan leader who would kneel to the enemy.

Because of this incident, Song Tianyuan and Song Daoling completely broke ties. In the latter half of the clan council, they spoke almost without restraint, with the two factions attacking each other and completely tearing off their masks.

The final result was that Song Jiyuan retained his position as clan leader, while Song Zhexuan became the executive deputy clan leader. During this period, the open and covert struggles never stopped.

Song Tianyuan, Song Zhexuan, and others were determined to reform the organization and reverse the corrupt practices within the [Jinxiu Banner]. From elders to deacons, they investigated and punished over a hundred people in just a few months, most of whom belonged to Song Daoling's faction.

Song Jiyuan's counterattack was equally fierce, consisting of almost indiscriminate purges and attacks.

"The Embroidered Banner is now in complete chaos. Your initial strategy has been largely successful."

Upon hearing this, Song Changsheng raised an eyebrow slightly. Although he had done his best to make all of this happen, he was still somewhat surprised that it had come to this point.

His plan was not particularly clever; in fact, it was rather crude. A smart person would understand it without much thought.

Do you think Song Daoling and Song Tianyuan wouldn't understand?

I think I understand.

Who among those who can cultivate to the Golden Core stage is truly a fool?

In particular, Song Tianyuan, who had always been very restrained in his early years, saw through this and did not want to go against his wishes, so he first united his forces to fight against external forces.

That's why he always yielded.

But now they've fallen headlong into this trap. There's only one possibility: the [Jinxiu Banner] is indeed deeply entrenched in its problems, rotten to the core, and has to undergo a purge and reform. That's why Song Tianyuan has been so assertive lately.

Moreover, he was very anxious because his own cultivation and prestige were not as good as Song Daoling's.

Therefore, he must take advantage of the time when Song Daoling was severely injured by Song Changsheng to complete the reforms.

The Jinxiu Banner is a large family with a history of nearly 10,000 years. It has a large population and numerous industries, and its internal affairs cannot be explained in just a few words.

If Song Tianyuan could control everything within the clan, it would be fine; reforms from top to bottom would be very easy, because no one would dare to defy his authority.

But he was not one of them; in fact, he was the one with the lowest cultivation and the least prestige among the three Golden Core cultivators.

This makes the reform seem less than easy.

Because he would face resistance from all sides, it is no exaggeration to say that if it weren't for Song Changsheng's secret instructions, Song Tianyuan would have had a hard time even winning over the power of the collateral elders.

Now, his approach is like rowing against the current; moving forward requires defying the mighty forces of nature, while retreating means certain death.

When he chose to embark on the path of reform—namely, pacifying the country before resisting external threats—his path was destined to be fraught with difficulties.

Song Changsheng still held some admiration for Song Tianyuan, and thought that perhaps he could really change everything in his time. Unfortunately, he didn't have that opportunity.

What Song Changsheng needed was a broken, spineless "Brocade Banner"—only then could he swallow it whole.

The Song family's development time is too short, and its rise to power is even shorter. If it wants to maintain its vast territory and obtain more resources and channels, it is imperative to annex the [Jinxiuqi].

"Don't disturb him for now. Wait until the crucial moment of his reforms, then let the East China Sea Alliance put pressure on the waters of the [Jinxiuqi].

"Are you planning to divert Song Tianyuan's attention to the East China Sea?" Song Qingxi instantly understood his intention.

"That's right. Song Minghuang is in seclusion and Song Daoling is severely injured. Once we put pressure on the East China Sea, Song Tianyuan will be forced to go to Tenglong Islands to take charge. At that time, Song Zhexuan will be unable to support the situation alone, and the pace of reform will inevitably be forced to slow down. The suppressed Song Jiyuan faction can take the opportunity to launch a counterattack."

And this is the final step to destroy the [Splendid Banner]! Song Changsheng suddenly clenched his right hand, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"But what if Song Tianyuan chooses a strategy of contraction and defense?"

"If he chooses to consolidate his defenses, we will seize the opportunity to encroach on his territories and then deliver the final blow. No matter what he chooses, he will always have to pay a price!"

Song Qingxi nodded slightly and said, "In that case, the only variable we face is Song Minghuang."

"Song Shouhe had already found out that Song Minghuang was in seclusion in a secret realm of a small world. Although he did not need to undergo the tribulation of lightning, there would still be strange phenomena when he broke through. It would not be too late to make a move then."

"I've figured out the workings of the mountain-protecting formation, and I'll be able to break it even faster next time. Without the intervention of the Myriad Manifestations Palace, Song Minghuang won't be able to cause any trouble," Song Changsheng said decisively.

He now has complete control and plenty of time to prepare this feast.

In fact, for both sides, it would have been the best outcome if Song Minghuang had simply died in that small world, as this would have saved them from a lot of unnecessary conflict.

"I will be going into seclusion for the next period of time. The exact time is uncertain, but I will open the gates once every ten years. During this period, you will be in charge of the clan. You will have the highest decision-making power over clan affairs."

"For matters outside the family, if you are unsure about anything, you can seek help from the City Lord. If even Master cannot resolve it, then simply use this bell to awaken me." Song Changsheng handed over the copper bell that had been prepared in advance.

The copper bell contains his soul imprint, so even if he is in seclusion, it can awaken him in a relatively gentle way, so that nothing goes wrong during his cultivation.

The method for refining this item was compiled by him from the inheritance of the Chen family of Dongtian, and it is highly practical.

"Qingxi obeys."

After watching Song Qingxi leave, Song Changsheng suddenly felt that it was necessary to reconsider the reinstatement of the position of Grand Elder or even Deputy Clan Chief.

Previously, he divided the powers of the elders to reduce resistance during his reforms. Now that his prestige is sufficient and his seclusion period is getting longer, the family needs someone who can lead the family forward while he is in seclusion.

Although Song Qingxi had always acted as the clan leader, the power of the general affairs elder was not as great as that of the grand elder. There were several other elders of the same rank as her, and her authority was not legitimate.

Her status and power must be elevated.

When he steps down from his position as clan leader, she can naturally succeed him.

After thinking for a moment, he stretched out his hand and wrote a decree in the air: "Promote Song Qingxi, the elder of the General Affairs Hall, as the deputy clan head of the family, and act as the clan head!"

...(End of chapter)