Family Cultivation: Evergreen of the Song Family

"We meet again, Sect Master Qingtian. Every time I see you, I feel a sense of familiarity, as if you are an old friend of mine. I must say, it is a kind of fate."

Song Changsheng wore an ambiguous smile.

"Is that so? That would be my good fortune. I wonder if I would have the chance to meet this old friend of yours?"

"I'm afraid there's no chance anymore, she's already dead."

"Is that so? That's a real shame." Qingtian downed the wine in his glass in one gulp, concealing the cold glint in his eyes.

She could certainly hear the probing and suspicion in Song Changsheng's words, but she didn't care; otherwise, she wouldn't have taken the initiative to approach him.

The suspicion against her has been going on for a while now. As long as the other party doesn't have concrete evidence, the suspicion is just that—suspicion—and nothing more can be done.

This is what she likes and dislikes most about righteous cultivators: they insist on having so-called evidence for everything. If it were her, she would never allow the seeds of doubt to continue to grow.

However, she also used this to her advantage, staging a clever escape.

Officially, Lingmou is dead, the victory celebration is over, and no matter what, she is still the sect leader of Qingtian Sect.

Zhuang Yuechan walked up to the two of them and familiarly took Qingtian's hand, saying, "I heard that under your governance in Bingzhou these past few years, the situation has greatly improved, and you have also sheltered a large number of rogue cultivators."

This should have been a good thing for the Great Qi, but I still want to remind you, fellow Daoist, that there are many remnants of the Haoran Alliance among the rogue cultivators. It's always good to be cautious.

While seemingly showing concern, he actually took this opportunity to inject a trace of the power of law into the other person's body.

"Thank you for the reminder, Master. I will be careful." The Sect Master of Qingtian subtly withdrew his hand and then made an excuse to leave.

"Did you find anything?"

Zhuang Yuechan shook her head slightly and said, "No golden core was found in her body, nor were there any other obvious abnormalities. The only suspicious thing is that her magic power far exceeds that of an ordinary Grand Perfection cultivator of the Purple Mansion."

"I still feel that this person is not so simple. After the ceremony, I will order people to further strengthen the surveillance of the Qingtian Sect."

"If you're really worried, perhaps we can..." Zhuang Yuechan's tone was tinged with murderous intent.

“No, that’s not a good idea.” Song Changsheng shook his head and rejected the suggestion: “If Lingmou is really still alive, it means that she must have mastered a wonderful technique of creating an avatar. Who knows if the one in front of us is another avatar of hers? It’s better not to alert her.”

Moreover, the other party was, after all, a meritorious contributor to the expedition, and had also submitted to the Golden Crow Sect.

If our guess is wrong and we mistakenly kill our comrades, the consequences could be irreversible.

"understood."

Song Changsheng walked to the edge of the training ground with his hands behind his back. Looking down, he saw that the foot of the mountain was brightly lit, and cultivators from all directions were arriving in an endless stream, most of whom had already broken through the million mark.

To be honest, this was the first time he had ever seen so many cultivators together in one frame.

Even during the great war between the Great Qian cultivation world and the sea race, there weren't this many people.

Great Qi, Great Yu, Lu, Gusu... and even cultivators from further cultivation worlds, all attracted by the Song family's last Golden Core Ceremony, came here seeking a glimmer of opportunity.

Hundreds of Golden Core cultivators attended the banquet, and even Nascent Soul True Monarchs were present. This Dao Discussion Conference was bound to be even grander than the last one.

Even if they can only understand a few words, it is a very rare opportunity for them who come from humble backgrounds.

If one could gain the favor of a Golden Core cultivator, their life might be completely rewritten.

"The allure of Nascent Soul True Monarchs is still too great." Looking at the cultivators in the distance, weary from their journey under the stars and moon, Song Changsheng sighed softly.

According to his original estimate, there would be at most one million people at this Golden Core Ceremony. However, he did not expect that True Monarch Dragon Elephant would choose such a high-profile way of making an appearance, which attracted a large number of people to come.

To this day, it is still unknown how many people are still on their way.

If someone harbors ill intentions at this time, he may not even have time to stop them.

However, while a large number of people presents risks, it also contains opportunities.

In the cultivation world, population is also an important resource.

The cultivation world of the Great Qi is resource-poor and cannot support too many cultivators. With a small base of cultivators, the chances of producing geniuses are naturally much lower. This is the main reason why the Great Qi has been unable to truly rise to prominence.

This was especially true for the Song family.

After subjugating the [Brocade Banner], the East Sea Alliance and the [Brocade Banner]'s sea areas were completely connected, and the vast sea territory contained endless resources waiting for them to explore.

However, manpower remains a major problem, as their development speed cannot keep up with their expansion speed.

If all these independent cultivators could be sent to the East China Sea and brought under the rule of the East China Sea Alliance, it would undoubtedly greatly increase the speed of development. Once they have settled down, the consumer market will also expand, strengthening the domestic circulation and reducing dependence on exports.

It's quite feasible.

For these independent cultivators, they don't really care where they develop. They are driven by profit. As long as they realize the benefits of the East Sea, they will naturally flock to it, just like this Golden Core Ceremony.

Seemingly sensing Song Changsheng's thoughts, Zhuang Yuechan smiled slightly and said, "Seeing this scene, I've come up with a good way to continuously expand the family's and even the Great Qi's influence."

"Oh?"

"Whether it's the Boundless Great Dao you cultivate or the Dao of Music I cultivate, working in isolation and burying oneself in arduous practice won't work. We need to communicate more with fellow practitioners. In that case, why don't we emulate the Hundred Herbs Hall's Pill Appraisal Conference and hold a Dao Discussion Conference, inviting fellow practitioners from all cultivation circles to discuss the Dao at regular intervals, just like we are doing today?"
Looking across the entire border region, your understanding of the 'Tao' is second only to the True Lords of the Myriad Manifestations Palace. Coupled with your current reputation, you should receive a lot of responses if you spread the word.

Once we've done a good job the first time, we'll naturally attract more cultivators to join us in the future.

Each discussion of the Dao attracts a large number of independent cultivators.

This will not only expand the consumer market of the Great Qi, but also continuously attract talented individuals from the independent cultivators, enhancing the Great Qi's influence in the border regions. It's a win-win situation. What do you think, my husband?

Upon hearing this, Song Changsheng suddenly felt enlightened.

He had a similar outline in his mind earlier, but he hadn't had time to refine it. Zhuang Yuechan's plan really hit the nail on the head.

In the cultivation world, the kindness of imparting knowledge and skills is no less than that of parents who give birth to and raise children. Listening to a lecture makes one a half-disciple, which reduces the barriers between them.

Those with good qualifications and character can be married into the family, which can also enrich sparsely populated areas like Jiangzhou or Donghai.

He even thought that it could be held jointly with forces such as the Golden Crow Sect and Luoxia City to increase the significance of the Dao Discussion Conference.

They can also select disciples from among them to enter the outer sect, in order to improve the overall strength of the entire Great Qi cultivation world.

Without these exceptionally talented cultivators, the independent cultivator group would cease to exist, which would significantly contribute to maintaining regional stability.

It won't lead to the creation of another Haoran Alliance.

“My wife’s words are exactly what I’m thinking. It’s getting late, let’s go back first and discuss this further after the ceremony.”

The following morning, after the banquet ended and a short rest was taken, the much-anticipated discussion began.

Hundreds of Golden Core cultivators sat in an arc atop Cangmang Peak. The sheer power they generated, simply by sitting there, intimidated everyone on and off the peak.

The last discussion lasted for several months, and this time there are even more participants, so it will only last longer.

At this moment, Song Changsheng stood up and said, "Before the formal commencement of the Dao discussion, there is a rather special apprenticeship ceremony. I would like to ask all fellow Daoists to witness it."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone began to whisper among themselves, discussing his intentions.

The cultivators below the mountain couldn't help but feel a pang of envy.

"I wonder what kind of genius he is, that he could win the favor of Master Zixu and have so many powerful people present witness it."

Just as everyone was discussing, Dragon Elephant True Lord stood up under everyone's gaze, with Hua Yan, who was somewhat frail, by his side.

Dragon Elephant True Lord pointed to Hua Yan beside him and said, "This disciple of mine has a congenital illness. He almost perished under the Golden Core Tribulation. He can only be cured by harmonizing the Yin and Yang principles."

Looking across the four directions, south of the Tianshan Mountains, no one can surpass Song Zixu in the art of Yin and Yang.

Therefore, I intend to have my disciple become a disciple of Song Zixu. Since this celebration is taking place, I have all of you present as witnesses.

Upon hearing this, an eerie silence fell over the entire Cangmang Peak, followed by a profound ripple effect, as if a stone had been thrown into a still lake.

Even Liu Yunxuan and the others were taken aback, as they were completely unaware of this matter beforehand.

"This...this...this would mess up the seniority system!" After stammering for a long time, he finally managed to squeeze out this sentence.

Of the group, only Ling Xiao remained relatively calm, clearly having been mentally prepared.

If they were like this, then the other cultivators present were even more out of control, their heads were buzzing, and they even wondered if there was something wrong with their ears.

The disciple of the Dragon Elephant True Lord wants to become Song Changsheng's disciple?

They heard each word clearly, but when put together, they were a little confused.

This is something I've never heard of before.

Saying this here is no different from announcing it to the world; clearly, this is not a joke.

Vientiane Palace is serious.

Could it be that Song Changsheng is really that powerful that even a Nascent Soul True Monarch would willingly lower himself to his level?

"I am honored by the True Lord's high regard, and I will certainly do my utmost." Song Changsheng understood that the Dragon Elephant True Lord was deliberately building momentum for him, so he answered without hesitation.

"Yan'er, why aren't you serving tea to your master?"

Hua Yan knelt respectfully on the prayer mat in front of Song Changsheng, bowing three times and kowtowing nine times. Then she accepted the spiritual tea offered by the steward and said softly, "Disciple Hua Yan greets Master."

At this moment, the surrounding area was shaken, and everyone's eyes fell on Song Changsheng.

After today, the Song family's influence will surely reach a whole new level, and no one will be able to underestimate them anymore!

……

P.S.: I'll update 3,000 words first, then conserve my energy. There will be an extra update during the day. (End of Chapter)