Family Cultivation: Evergreen of the Song Family

The ninth bolt of heavenly lightning has ended.

Zhuang Yuechan sat cross-legged atop the vast peak, calming her mind and receiving the nourishing rain, which bathed her in a layer of dazzling seven-colored light.

The Purple Mansion Furnace within the middle dantian frantically absorbed the remaining laws and Dao essence after the tribulation clouds dissipated, and began to refine the golden elixir.

The Jade Cleansing Sword hovered behind her, greedily devouring the raindrops falling from the sky. The spiritual energy that had been damaged while resisting the heavenly tribulation was now restored, and she even gained many benefits.

Seeing this, Song Changsheng silently manifested his Law Tree, and the power of the laws of heaven and earth surged in, which he pushed into Zhuang Yuechan's body.

As the rain subsided, the refining of the Golden Core gradually came to an end. The first cyclone quietly emerged, followed by the second, the third... the eighth, and the ninth cyclone had just begun to take shape when it became somewhat weak and collapsed and disappeared.

The golden core should have formed at this time. At this moment, a bit of emerald green spiritual light emerged from her Niwan Palace and entered the golden core, giving the originally brilliant gold a touch of blue glow.

Zhuang Yuechan knew in her heart that this would be the last gift that Jade Emperor would give her.

He silently thanked her in his heart, and then completely refined the golden elixir.

then.

The golden elixir is formed, the calamity dissipates, and the thunderclouds vanish.

The bright sunshine shone again on the ravaged land, and the desolate scorched earth was revitalized. The vegetation grew at a visible speed, and even the Cangmang Peak benefited from it, with its spiritual veins growing stronger, its spiritual energy abundant, and its spiritual charm full.

The overwhelming pressure swept in all directions, and the Song Clan cultivators watching erupted in thunderous cheers. The crowd was huge and they were overjoyed.

"We pay our respects to the True Master and wish him a long and prosperous life, and that his pursuit of the Dao will be everlasting!"

May the True Man enjoy eternal prosperity and everlasting success in his pursuit of the Dao!

The shouts were like ocean waves, one higher than the next, a roar that shook the clouds in the sky.

Everyone was celebrating the birth of the family's second Golden Core cultivator.

As Song Yuqing found himself amidst the vibrant atmosphere, the warmth of it melted his long-frozen heart, a feeling he hadn't experienced in a long time.

He was certain that this was the kind of family atmosphere he wanted.

Among the crowd, Yin Shang and Niu Dazhuang, who had come specifically for this occasion, were also moved to tears. Their junior sister no longer needed any protection; she herself was a towering tree.

“From today onwards, we will have one more comrade among us.”

"The Song family is second, and Luoxia City is third. Their fortunes have truly flourished these past few years. The already strong relationship between the two families is now as solid as a rock," Su Ye said with emotion.

Zhuang Yuechan's breakthrough was definitely not just as simple as adding a Golden Core cultivator.

If the master-disciple relationship between Song Changsheng and Mu Guibai is the first layer of bond, then the relationship between Song Changsheng and Zhuang Yuechan is the second layer.

In this world, the first layer is already strong enough, let alone the second layer.

It is no exaggeration to say that as long as Zhuang Yuechan is alive, the alliance between Luoxia City and the Song family will be as solid as a rock.

Such a powerful and unbreakable alliance dominates the southwest region, and on paper, its strength surpasses that of either the Golden Crow Sect or the Heavenly Vein Sect. This is not good news.

Bai Yan stood with his hands behind his back and said, "Song Zixu's rise to power is a foregone conclusion, and no one can change it. The previous pattern will eventually be broken."

Whoever breaks through to the Nascent Soul stage first will be the future leader of the Great Qi Dynasty. Who do you think that person will be?

Upon hearing this, Su Ye did not reply, but he was not at ease inside.

Among the few people in Daqi who have a chance to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, Shi Potian is undoubtedly the closest to the Nascent Soul stage in terms of cultivation, while Song Changsheng and Mu Guibai are far superior to the others in terms of aptitude.

Chen Zhongfang was not only lagging behind in cultivation, but also lacked outstanding aptitude, putting them in a very unfavorable position.

In the long run, Bai Zimo has a greater chance of breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage than Chen Zhongfang.

Zhuang Yuechan slowly restrained her aura, first bowing to Su Ye, Bai Yan, Yin Shang, Xia Yunxue and other family and sect elders, then focusing her energy in her dantian and amplifying her voice in all directions, saying, "Thank you all for coming to protect Yuechan."

On the seventh day of the eighth lunar month, at the summit of Cangmang, a banquet will be held to entertain friends and neighbors. A cup of wine will be offered to express our sincere feelings. All righteous cultivators from all corners of the world are welcome to attend.

At this moment, Song Changsheng appeared beside her and said, "My clan is in a rather inconvenient situation today, so we will not invite you fellow Daoists up the mountain. We will discuss the Dao with you all during my wife's Golden Core ceremony. Please forgive us."

Upon hearing this, the onlookers wisely dispersed, knowing that the Song family was in no mood to entertain guests at this crucial time.

Fortunately, I found out the exact time of the Golden Core Ceremony, so the trip wasn't in vain.

The Golden Core Ceremony is arguably the most anticipated event for lower-level cultivators.

Not to mention the rare and spiritually rich food, the opportunity to hear a Golden Core cultivator discuss the Dao is a rare one. Many people spend their entire lives without ever hearing a Golden Core cultivator preach the Dao. The threshold is frighteningly high.

At the Golden Core Ceremony, everyone can listen in, and there are far more than one Golden Core cultivators giving lectures. Even if they can only understand a few words, it is a great opportunity for lower-level cultivators, and they may even have the chance to change their lives.

Song had a wide circle of friends. At Song Changsheng's Golden Elixir Ceremony, dozens of Golden Elixir Real Persons attended and discussed the Dao for several months. Even after decades, it is still fresh in people's minds.

With the development over the years, this Golden Elixir Ceremony will only be grander in scale.

After the crowd dispersed, Bai Yan cupped his hands in greeting from afar and said, "Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Zhuang, on attaining the Golden Core stage. I will definitely come to celebrate with a cup of wine on the seventh day of the eighth month."

"Thank you for coming all this way, Fellow Daoist Bai and Fellow Daoist Su. We have been a little neglectful of you today. Please convey our regards to you fellow Daoists on behalf of my wife and me."

"must."

Bai Yan stopped there, said hello, and then turned and left.

Su Ye followed closely behind, remaining silent throughout.

It wasn't that he had any complaints about the two of them, he just didn't want to face Song Changsheng.

He learned about those events from the letters Su Ding left behind after Su Ding's death.

The contents of the document horrified him. If Song Changsheng were to pursue the matter further, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it would be a fight to the death.

He had also acted as an intermediary for Su Ding once. Although he was unaware of the truth, he always felt somewhat guilty in front of Song Changsheng.

"Aren't you and Su Ye comrades-in-arms? Why does he seem a little reluctant to face you?" Zhuang Yuechan said, watching the two figures leave.

Song Changsheng's eyes were deep as he replied calmly, "Perhaps they've found out something. It's normal for them to feel guilty. Let's go see our senior brothers."

Seeing the two approaching hand in hand, Yin Shang smiled slightly and said, "Congratulations, Junior Sister, on attaining the Golden Core Dao. If Master knew, he would be very proud of you."

"I never expected that my junior sister would surpass us senior brothers."

"Speaking of which, you must be the youngest Golden Core cultivator in recent years, besides Changsheng, right?" Niu Dazhuang's tone was filled with undisguised envy.

Zhuang Yuechan is one year younger than Song Changsheng, and is not yet two hundred years old this year. Not to mention the cultivation world of Daqi, she can be considered top in the entire border region. The selection criteria for the Golden Core instructors participating in the Five Academies Grand Competition was only two hundred and fifty years old.

Looking at the nearly five thousand years of history of the Great Qi Dynasty, it is a rare achievement.

In the past, this would have caused a huge sensation. Unfortunately, Song Changsheng, who broke through to the Golden Core stage at just over a hundred years old, was simply too monstrous. To this day, no one has been able to challenge her, and she has completely overshadowed her.

Zhuang Yuechan didn't think much of it; she wasn't one to seek the limelight.

Song Changsheng smiled and said, "Our eldest brother has finally returned, and it just so happens to be a joyous occasion. We brothers should get together. I have already ordered a banquet to be prepared. Please, brothers."

……

Late at night, after finishing their gathering with Yin Shang and the others, the couple returned to the courtyard. Song Changsheng waved his hand and set up a restriction, his expression somewhat solemn as he said, "I observe that there seems to be something unusual about Madam's golden core."

Zhuang Yuechan remained silent, but simply formed hand seals, causing the golden elixir to manifest externally.

But all that could be seen was a layer of blue light emanating from her golden core.

According to common knowledge in the cultivation world, Golden Cores of the ninth rank and below should exhibit a brilliant golden color.

The tenth grade, which is the highest grade or perfect golden elixir in popular understanding, is purplish-gold in color.

Song Changsheng condensed the [Great Dao Golden Elixir], which corresponds to the [Yin-Yang Dao], hence its black and white appearance.

Therefore, it can be seen that under the [Great Dao Golden Elixir], the color of the Golden Elixir is fixed, which is a rule of the Heavenly Dao.

However, the golden core before them suddenly gained a touch of azure light, and it was only an eighth-grade golden core, not the [Great Dao Golden Core] with twelve qi vortexes, which was somewhat puzzling.

"Perhaps it's related to the Nascent Soul of True Monarch Yu Shu." Zhuang Yuechan recounted the scene in detail.

Song Changsheng narrowed his eyes slightly, seemingly lost in thought.

Zhuang Yuechan merged everything about Yu Shu Zhenjun, including his nascent soul and the remaining part of his true spirit.

Her true spirit had completely dissipated as she resolved her inner demon tribulation; only her nascent soul remained in her Niwan Palace.

This Nascent Soul is extraordinary; it is the key to Zhuang Yuechan's future breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage.

Theoretically speaking, she has a greater chance of breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage than Song Changsheng.

Song Changsheng could sense an extremely powerful Daoist aura emanating from the golden core before him, far exceeding the level expected of an eighth-grade golden core. This was evident from the core's size.

The higher the grade of the Golden Elixir, the larger its size.

Although this golden core only has eight vortexes, its volume is larger than that of a ninth-grade golden core.

The energy vortex of the Golden Core determines the upper limit of a cultivator's absorption of spiritual energy and output of mana. It is unknown what extraordinary features this unique Golden Core possesses.

Song Changsheng gently comforted him, "It can't be anything bad. An eighth-grade Golden Core is an achievement that ordinary people can only dream of. Master would be very happy if he knew."

The eighth-grade Golden Elixir is ranked among the top-grade and is already in the first tier.

It should be understood that the vast majority of Golden Core cultivators in this world refine mid-grade or even low-grade Golden Cores; only a handful out of a hundred can refine high-grade Golden Cores.

In the original Five Academies Grand Competition, dozens of carefully selected genius cultivators from the Five Academies participated, mainly mid-grade Golden Core cultivators; high-grade Golden Core cultivators were not so easy to obtain.

Mu Guibai reached the Purple Mansion Realm at the age of one hundred, and then spent more than three hundred years accumulating before finally condensing a ninth-grade golden elixir.

An eighth-grade Golden Core is eight times better than the worst first-grade Golden Core.

However, the probability of obtaining a Grade 1 Golden Core is probably even lower than that of a Grade 2 Golden Core. As long as a cultivator breaks through to the Golden Core stage normally, the lowest possible Golden Core is a Grade 3 Golden Core.

Zhuang Yuechan squeezed Song Changsheng's hand and smiled slightly, saying, "I am already very content with what I have achieved at my age. You don't need to comfort me."

"I know what my wife is thinking, I'm just sharing my opinion. There are still six months until your Golden Core Ceremony, so you should focus on consolidating your cultivation."

[Jade Cleansing Sword] I have benefited greatly from sharing the sweet rain with you, so I will refine it for you again.

After the ceremony concludes, we will ascend Tianlong Peak together to end the century-long feud between our two clans.

……

The news of Zhuang Yuechan's breakthrough to the Golden Core stage quickly spread far and wide along with the invitation to the Golden Core Ceremony.

Both the Song family and Luoxia City are influential forces with extensive connections, so this news caused quite a stir.

Although the [Brocade Banner] was far away in the East China Sea, it received firsthand information, which was like a heavy hammer blow that left the two factions, who had been fighting fiercely, dizzy and disoriented. For a time, the [Brocade Banner], which had been in turmoil for many years, ushered in a rare period of peace.

If the news of Song Changsheng breaking through to the late stage of the Golden Core realm almost crushed them, then this news was the final straw that broke the camel's back.

At this moment, no amount of self-deception will help; they are now standing at a crossroads of fate.

But neither Song Zhexuan nor Song Jiyuan had the right to make a choice.

In order to prevent the family, already riddled with problems due to internal strife, from collapsing completely, the two, unusually in sync, tightly guarded the news, not daring to reveal the slightest bit.

"Vice Clan Chief, you'd better come up with a plan quickly, this can't go on."

There are quite a few forces in the East Sea that have connections with Master Zixu, and they will definitely receive invitations to attend the ceremony. We can't hide it from them anymore; I think it's time for our clansmen to make their choice.”

Inside the General Affairs Hall, Song Shouhe barged in with a group of elders from collateral branches, seemingly to solicit opinions, but in reality, it was more like a coup attempt.

Over the years of fighting, Song Zhexuan had aged considerably and had long since seen through their hidden schemes. Upon hearing this, he couldn't help but laugh self-deprecatingly and said, "Choice? What choice? Betray a group of clansmen and then bow down and submit?"

Song Shouhe's eyes flickered, and he said bluntly, "We are still of the same clan. It's better than the clan being destroyed. You know better than us what the clan is like now."

"Heh, the truth is more jarring than slander. Tell me, when did you start colluding?"

"That's not important. If you really want to know, you can ask Song Jiyuan."

Song Zhexuan was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, a somewhat manic laugh, with tears welling up in his eyes.

This family is truly rotten to the core.

Seeing this, Song Shouhe felt a little sorry for him and didn't want to push him too hard. He sighed and said, "If you don't know what to do, you might as well ask Ancestor Tianyuan. People still listen to his words."

Upon hearing this, a glimmer of light returned to Song Zhexuan's eyes.

Just as he was about to order someone to send a message, a figure staggered into the General Affairs Hall, pushed through the crowd, and knelt down in front of Song Zhexuan, saying, "Reporting to the Vice Clan Chief, an urgent message from Ancestor Tianyuan: the Black Scale Clan has launched a large-scale invasion, a Demon King has crossed the border, and the Tenglong Islands are on the verge of collapse. We request your assistance!"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall was immediately shocked, and Song Zhexuan even slumped into his bronze chair...

……

P.S.: Sorry to keep you all waiting. I discussed the shift change with my supervisor today, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, the update schedule will return to normal.

I need to catch up on some sleep; I should be able to add another chapter tonight, mwah~ (End of Chapter)