Family Cultivation: Evergreen of the Song Family

For Song Changsheng, ten years might have been just a fleeting dream.

However, for the Song clan of Wangyue, the pain they experienced in these ten years was greater than the combined pain of their nearly six hundred years of existence.

They never imagined that they would face such a situation during a peaceful period of family prosperity.

On a sleepless night with a bright moon and few stars, in the main hall of the family's general affairs, Song Qingxi, who had been promoted to the executive vice patriarch of the family, held a cinnabar jade pen and wrote a reply on the last jade slip on the table. He then casually placed it in a wooden basket next to him, where jade slips had long been piled up like a mountain.

For the past ten years, or even several decades before that, since she took over as the family's general affairs elder, she has been living like this almost every day. This amount of work is nothing for her as a Purple Mansion cultivator, but the fact that her workload is increasing day by day is undeniable.

The Song family has grown too fast in recent years. Encouraged by the birth policy, the population base of the Song family has multiplied again and again, and the number of lucky people in the annual Ascension Conference has increased from a dozen or twenty people to more than one hundred people.

In the past decade, more than a thousand new cultivators have joined the Song family, and the total number of Song family cultivators is about to exceed ten thousand.

It took less than two hundred years for the population to grow from seven hundred to ten thousand, a more than tenfold increase.

Besides the addition of Song Yulong and others, there were two other main reasons during this period.

One reason is the pro-natalist policy implemented by Song Changsheng. Over the years, the population of the Song clan's mortal realm has grown from 800,000 to over 7.5 million.

Secondly, female cultivators of the Song clan generally do not marry outside the clan; most of them either marry into the family through marriage or marry into the same clan from five generations away. In addition, there are normal marriages and intermarriages among male cultivators, resulting in a large number of cultivators of different surnames within the Song clan.

Currently, hundreds of thousands of children aged eight to twelve participate in the Ascension Conference every year. This is actually a very alarming number, because the Song family has always adhered to the principle that any member of the Song family, as long as they have spiritual roots, can embark on the path of cultivation with their consent, without any selection process.

The difference between a sect and a family is very obvious in this respect.

For a sect disciple to join, unless your parents or elders are members of the sect, there are thresholds for others to become an apprentice, especially for major forces at the Golden Core level, where even menial disciples have requirements.

Taking the Golden Crow Sect as an example, it has tens of thousands of disciples, the vast majority of whom are outer disciples and miscellaneous disciples.

These people are generally cultivators with five or even three spiritual roots, while those with four spiritual roots are very rare.

Although cultivators with five spiritual roots cultivate slowly, their five elements are balanced, and with the right cultivation method, their cultivation speed is faster than that of cultivators with four spiritual roots.

Once a cultivator with five spiritual roots breaks through to the Purple Mansion stage, the cultivation cost will actually be lower than that of a cultivator with four or even three spiritual roots, because breaking through to the Golden Core stage does not require refining spiritual objects from heaven and earth to replenish one's own Dao essence.

This is also the main reason why the four spiritual roots are called mixed spiritual roots, but the five spiritual roots are not.

Therefore, any powerful force with a certain foundation will almost never recruit cultivators with four spiritual roots, not even menial disciples.

In the Ascension Ceremony, those with the four spiritual roots account for the largest proportion. Among the nearly ten thousand cultivators of the Song Clan, those with the four spiritual roots account for nearly 60%, and the vast majority of them have no possibility of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

In factions like the Golden Crow Sect and Falling Cloud City, they would almost always be eliminated, for a very simple reason: they would waste resources.

In peacetime, even cultivators with five spiritual roots are rarely recruited.

To put it bluntly, cultivators with four, five, or even some three spiritual roots are essentially tools and cannon fodder. In a saturated market with no large-scale wars, they have no value whatsoever.

Given the current state of the Song family, it can only be described as terrible. If this were the case for forces like the Golden Crow Sect, their economy would have collapsed long ago.

The reason why the Song family can still maintain stability is mainly because the Song family has expanded rapidly, there are a lot of gaps in the family business, and most of the positions do not have any special requirements, which can be filled by Qi Refining cultivators.

Even if we send in nearly 10,000 people, it won't be enough to fill the space, so we still need to hire a large number of non-traditional cultivators.

However, as the Song family's base population expands, the number of cultivators with spiritual roots will only increase each year, and this proportion will only grow larger.

No matter how many businesses the Song family has, they will eventually be filled up, and the extra assets will become a burden on the family's development.

Their fate was either to become rogue cultivators or to be consumed as expendable resources in the war.

The Song family couldn't be that ruthless. Rather than letting them be used as cannon fodder, it was better for them to live a carefree life as mortals in the mortal world.

So Song Qingxi wondered if these ancestral rules should be changed.

Each of the Song family's elders has their own responsibilities, and Song Xianyun single-handedly shouldered the burden of the entire family after Song Xianming was severely injured.

During her tenure as the Grand Elder, Song Luyun devoted herself to finding a way out for the Song clan. The concept of "a cunning rabbit has three burrows" originated from that time. Now, the Cangmang Small World has become the safest cradle for the Song clan, nurturing nearly eight million mortal clansmen.

The Song family is currently at a historical turning point and needs a reformer.

In the past, Song Changsheng, as the clan leader, always took the lead in clan reforms. Now that Song Changsheng is in seclusion, perhaps she, as the executive vice clan leader, should shoulder this responsibility.

However, throughout history, reform has always been accompanied by bloodshed and growing pains.

This reform does not affect the interests of a small number of people, but the common interests of eight million people. If this reform is implemented, it means that the vast majority of people with the four spiritual roots will lose the opportunity to cultivate in the future.

He didn't touch the interests of those in power, but he affected the collective interests of the general public. These people might not be able to do anything to Song Qingxi, but their words and curses would be enough to drown her.

In most people's minds, embarking on the path of immortality is a lifelong pursuit, a matter of bringing glory to one's ancestors. Cutting off this path would mean being criticized behind one's back.

This is a very difficult decision.

However, those in positions of authority must fulfill their responsibilities.

Now that I'm in this position, there are some things I have to do.

She stood up, pushed open the door of the General Affairs Hall, and a cool breeze brushed against her face, ruffling the black hair at her temples. The cold moonlight illuminated her path.

At this moment, white banners can be seen hanging everywhere on Cangmang Peak, and the faint sound of weeping can be heard carried by the wind.

In ten years, the Song family achieved much, but also lost much.

Walking along the gravel path to Wangyue Cliff, looking at the rolling mountains in the distance, I murmured, "In the end, I still hesitated."

If you were here, I would have made up my mind long ago.

I hope you take that step soon, otherwise the family will fall far behind them.

Just then, the jade pendant of her identity trembled slightly, and as soon as her fingers touched it, a gentle voice entered her mind: "Come to the Wutong Small World to see me."

……

"Qingxi greets Uncle. You... have broken through to the late stage of the Golden Core realm?"

Beneath the Star Fruit Tree, Song Qingxi asked with a look of delight.

"That's right. My original intention was to sort out the power of laws within the Wutong Small World, but things went wrong one after another. I gained quite a lot of unexpected benefits. Not only did I break through to the late stage of the Golden Core realm, but I also successfully entered the Dao realm. I have already completed a little over half of my predetermined goal."

At this point, Song Changsheng paused slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Has there been any turmoil in the Great Qi during this period?"

"I was just about to tell you this. During your seclusion, the situation in the cultivation world of the Great Qi has undergone earth-shattering changes."

Upon hearing this, Song Changsheng's expression suddenly turned serious, and he frowned, saying, "Could it be that Chen Zhongfang has broken through to the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage?"

"It wasn't Tiangang Zhenren who broke through, but Su Ye, a descendant of Su Ding Zhenren."

Four years ago, he broke through to the Golden Core stage, becoming the third Golden Core True Person of the Golden Crow Sect.

"It's so..."

He had dealt with Su Ye quite a bit in the past, and he knew that the other party definitely had the potential to break through to the Golden Core stage. Breaking through at this critical juncture would be a great help in resisting the invasion of the Golden-Eyed Demon Kingdom.

But everything has two sides.

Rather than saying that Su Ye's breakthrough enhanced the overall strength of the Great Qi cultivation world, it would be more accurate to say that it was a pillar for the Golden Crow Sect to regain its position as the number one overlord of the Great Qi cultivation world.

Su Ye alone is indeed not enough for the Golden Crow Sect to decisively suppress the current Heavenly Vein Sect, but don't forget that the Golden Crow Sect also has Chen Zhongfang, who has been in seclusion for many years.

Once he breaks through to the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage, the overall strength of the Golden Crow Sect will once again surpass that of the Heavenly Vein Sect, unless the Heavenly Vein Sect also produces another Golden Core True Person.

Strength will lead to a reshuffling of the power structure in the cultivation world of the Great Qi, involving interests, and inevitably there will be open and covert struggles.

Fortunately, with the Golden-Eyed Demon Kingdom as a powerful external enemy, the two sects will not have a major conflict on the surface, no matter how they compete.

The Song family was actually the most affected.

According to Song Changsheng's original plan, once he broke through to the late stage of the Golden Core realm, any one of Song Qingxing, Zhuang Yuechan, or Song Xianming would also break through to the Golden Core realm, and together with Luoxia City, they would be able to exert absolute suppression over the two sects.

In this situation, he could only maintain absolute control over the alliance by bringing the Golden Crow Sect and the Heavenly Vein Sect into the East Sea Alliance, but that's difficult now.

The East China Sea Alliance desperately needed fresh blood, but now it needs to be reconsidered.

"What's the reaction from the Heavenly Vein Sect?"

"The reaction was rather muted, perhaps because it was expected. Both sides were very restrained, and no obvious conflict has occurred so far."

"Hmm... Has the [Brocade Banner] made any unusual moves lately?"

"According to the intelligence sent back by Elder Song Shouhe and the information gathered by the East China Sea branch of the Wind Whisper Hall, after Song Daoling went into seclusion due to injury, Song Zhexuan gained an absolute advantage, and the Song Jiyuan faction was severely suppressed."

In desperation, Song Jiyuan released Song Wuji, but with Song Tianyuan in charge, they couldn't cause any trouble.

As per your previous instructions, the Alliance dispatched a fleet to approach the Tenglong Islands. Under pressure, the [Jinxiuqi] faction sent several urgent messages requesting assistance.

Forced by circumstances, Song Tianyuan had no choice but to go to the Tenglong Islands to take charge.

After his departure, Song Zhexuan lost his support and could no longer completely suppress Song Jiyuan and Song Wuji. Currently, the two sides are roughly on the same level. It is worth mentioning that Song Shouhe actually instructed some of the branch elders to feign allegiance to Song Wuji.

Otherwise, Song Zhexuan would have had the upper hand.

So far, the two sides have roughly equal influence in the Elders' Council, and the conflict is intense.

Under these circumstances, everyone in the [Jinxiuqi] was in a state of fear. Thousand Blade City and Hanhai Chamber of Commerce were also launching an external attack. Beset by internal and external troubles, they had completely lost their space for development.

Collapse is imminent.

The current situation has completely spiraled out of Song Jiyuan's or even Song Tianyuan's control. Both sides are now locked in a bloody battle, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they are locked in a life-or-death struggle.

"If you wish, the [Splendid Banner] can settle this in one battle." Song Qingxi clenched her fists and said confidently.

Song Changsheng shook his head slightly and said, "No rush. Once the lower-level cultivators have completely lost faith in the upper levels, we can conquer them at the lowest cost."

Song Shouhe did a good job. Tell him that he will receive the greatest credit after the matter is accomplished.

"By the way, Master Jianxin of Wanxiang Palace has replied to you. It's about Uncle Xu's wife. Based on the information you provided, Zhulu Academy has consulted many classic texts and finally summarized some potentially feasible methods. Please take a look, Uncle."

As she spoke, Song Qingxi took out a jade slip and handed it over.

Looking at the jade slip in front of him, Song Changsheng sighed softly and said, "It's a bit late after all. Yunhe couldn't wait any longer. Keep it safe and give it to Yunhe if you have the chance."

After the Five Academies Grand Competition concluded, he consulted the Zhulu Academy about this issue through the then-guiding elder, Shu Qi.

Xia Wanyun's condition was so rare that even a well-established institution like Zhulu Academy took so long to respond.

It's no wonder Xu Yunhe was anxious; Xia Wanyun really didn't have any more time to waste.

Now, we can only place our hopes on the wandering healer he mentioned.

Song Qingxi put away the jade slip in her hand, hesitated for a moment, and said, "After Uncle Xu and the others left, Miaoyin has been wanting to see you. What do you think..."

"I won't see her. Tell her for me to focus on her cultivation and not to overthink things," Song Changsheng refused outright.

Children who leave their parents must learn to be strong and independent. At this time, they need to harden their hearts. Flowers that can withstand storms cannot bloom in a greenhouse.

"Is this really okay?" Song Qingxi frowned. In her eyes, Xu Miaoyin was still just a child.

"Just do as I say and continue. Is there any news worth noting during this period?" Song Changsheng was unwilling to explain further.

"Five years ago, the Tianxiao Sect and Qingyang Palace went to war over the matter of Tianyu Zhenjun. More than one battle at the level of Golden Core True Person broke out, and the entire cultivation world of Da Yu was in chaos. The Wanlong Chamber of Commerce intervened to mediate, but the effect was not obvious."

There had been signs of war between the two factions long ago, so he wasn't surprised by the news, but he didn't expect them to choose this time to start a war.

Instability at the rear will also have a certain impact on the cultivation world of the Great Qi.

"The Heavenly Firmament Sect currently has three Golden Core cultivators, which is more numerous than the Azure Sun Palace. However, the Azure Sun Palace's Xuan Yang True Person is a late-stage Golden Core cultivator. The Heavenly Firmament Sect must have suffered quite a bit of losses, right?"

Upon hearing this, Song Qingxi nodded and said, "Tianxiao Sect is generally at a disadvantage, but their attitude is very firm. Perhaps they have obtained some unknown secrets. Wanlong Chamber of Commerce seems to be very interested in this."

I contacted Ms. Peng Siying, and she probably felt the same way.

"It's not surprising that the Wanlong Chamber of Commerce would choose to intervene, given that it involves the secrets of a Nascent Soul True Monarch."

Looking across the entire border region, under the Wanxiang Palace, in terms of overall strength, there are really no two that are stronger than the Wanlong Chamber of Commerce, both of which have very strong human and financial resources.

If we were to discuss who is most likely to become the second Nascent Soul power in the borderlands, the Wanlong Chamber of Commerce would undoubtedly be the top choice.

However, the ideal is often far from reality, and the Bandung Chamber of Commerce has struggled for generations without achieving this goal.

He wouldn't have gained Peng Zhengxiong's favor if he hadn't voluntarily given up a portion of Yu Shu Zhenjun's inheritance.

However, it is clear that the inheritance of Jade Dew True Monarch did not lead the Wanlong Chamber of Commerce to take that step. For them, Heavenly Imperial True Monarch was undoubtedly a new possibility.

However, this would involve both the Great Yu cultivation world and the Gusu cultivation world. If things could be calmed down in a short time, that would be fine, but if it dragged on for too long, it would be very disadvantageous for them. After all, the threat from the Golden-Eyed Demon Kingdom was right in front of them, and with their rear unstable, they had no confidence.

"If no conclusion is reached within ten years, you should, in my name, ask Master and the Golden Core cultivators of both sects to participate in the mediation. With a formidable enemy at hand, now is not the time for internal strife."

"Qingxi obeys."

After the conversation ended, both sides fell silent.

It wasn't that they had nothing to say, but rather that they both understood that the conversation was about to become very heavy.

After a long pause, Song Changsheng broke the deadlock by saying, "Now that we've finished talking about things outside the clan, let's talk about things within the clan."

Song Qingxi pursed her red lips and said softly, "The elders in the clan have basically finished their seclusion."

This is the detailed list; please take a look.

Looking at the list so close at hand, Song Changsheng reached out his hand, but it remained suspended in the air, unable to fall.

Although he had already prepared himself mentally, he was still a little uneasy when the answer was finally revealed.

Every name on this list is a contributor to the rise of the family, and also his uncles, brothers, sisters, nephews and nieces. No matter who it is, they are all indispensable to the Song family at that moment.

When he opens the list in front of him, some of the people may only exist in his memory forever.

Separation and death are inevitable in life, but he had to experience far more than the average person.

His tears had long since dried up, but his heart remained burning hot, never truly numb.

At this moment, he desperately hoped that a miracle would happen, that when he opened the list, everyone would be neatly arranged and have successfully broken through.

But... that's impossible.

With a heavy heart, I unfolded the jade slip.

Song Luzhou successfully broke through to the Purple Mansion stage five years ago.

Song Chang'an successfully broke through to the Purple Mansion stage four years ago.

Song Changrong successfully broke through to the Purple Mansion stage four years ago.

Song Youping successfully broke through to the Purple Mansion stage four years ago.

Eleven people, including Song Changxue, Song Qingqing, Song Qingqian, Song Qinghong, Song Qingyu, Song Qingluo, and Song Yulong, successfully broke through to the Purple Mansion stage.

Looking at these vivid names, Song Changsheng felt both fortunate and sorrowful. Back then, there were far more than eleven cultivators who broke through to the Purple Mansion stage during their seclusion.

Their success means the failure of others.

At that moment, he almost didn't have the courage to look any further.

As he unfolded the remaining part of the jade slip, his hands trembled slightly.

Song Changxuan, an elder of the East Sea Garrison, failed to break through to the Great Dao six years ago and died.

Song Changxiu, the chief elder of the Foreign Affairs Hall, failed to break through five years ago and died.

Five years ago, Song Qingshi, the chief elder of the Wind Whisper Hall, failed in his breakthrough, went mad, and was sealed in the Cold Pool.

Song Qingming, the head of the General Affairs Hall, failed to break through to the next level four years ago and died.

Song Youqing, the head of the Dharma Protector Hall, failed to break through to the next level four years ago and died.

Song Yudie, the head of the Dharma Protector Hall, failed to break through three years ago and died.

Song Qingdian, Song Qingyan, and Song Qingcheng failed to break through their limits and are now plagued by inner demons!
"Snapped"

The jade slip in his hand rolled to Song Changsheng's feet.

He tried to pick it up, but felt a piercing pain in his heart that almost made it hard to breathe.

Five people died, and four of them became demons.

And this is only the loss caused by breaking through to the Purple Mansion stage. The loss of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage is even greater, with nearly two hundred people affected!

Since its founding, the Song clan has never experienced such heavy casualties.

Song Qingxi's eyes reddened; she could completely understand Song Changsheng's feelings.

This world is far too cruel to them...

……

P.S.: I didn't expect to write to this point. I'm sorry to have kept you all waiting. This chapter has 5,600 words, so I can finally pay off my debt. This chapter is mainly for transition.

Next, besides the regular updates, there will be an extra 10,000 words. I'll bring it to you all as soon as I've adjusted my schedule. Goodnight, muah~ (End of this chapter)