Family Cultivation: Evergreen of the Song Family

Since the battle at Tenglong Islands, in which Song Changsheng forcefully killed three Black Scale Clan demon kings, the coastal waters of the entire Great Qian cultivation world have become exceptionally quiet, as if someone had pressed the mute button.

On the turbulent blue sea, a uniquely shaped silver-white warship is speeding across the surface, and it is very different from the mainstream warships in the Daqian Sea.

The current mainstream warships of the Great Qian are all "wide-set and heavy-bodied," with very wide sides and thick walls. Their massive size represents strong resistance to attacks and stability against storms.

This warship, however, has a long and narrow streamlined shape.

While its survivability is certainly inferior to that of mainstream ocean-going warships, its speed is many times greater, allowing it to speed across the sea like a silver arrow skimming the surface.

From a design perspective, this is undoubtedly an extremely extreme warship, with almost every aspect being a weakness except for speed.

But sometimes, one advantage is enough.

This warship's speed in the ocean has surpassed that of aerospace warships, reducing a month's journey to half a month, making it comparable to a cultivator at the Purple Mansion level.

Even the most powerful sea monsters are rarely able to catch up with it.

It may not be suitable for direct combat, but its speed gives it a natural advantage in transporting personnel and supplies.

It is particularly suitable for people to travel between the various islands in the inner sea of ​​the archipelago.

The construction, use, and maintenance costs of space teleportation arrays are all fixed, and their speed, comparable to that of a cultivator at the Purple Mansion level, is naturally the best alternative.

Zhuang Yuechan stood at the bow of the ship, watching the scenery on both sides rush past in the distance, and said with satisfaction: "This warship newly built by Tiangong Hall has many merits. If we can make up for some of the shortcomings in defense and firepower, it may well shine on the front line in the future."

"While constructing the Sky Ship, you've also designed new warships, achieving remarkable success in both. The Heavenly Crafts Hall truly deserves its reputation as the pillar of the family. I will personally convey this message to the family to commend you all for your achievements."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuxiu humbly replied, "You flatter me, Madam. Receiving a family stipend is what we should do."

"Where has the construction of the fourth-tier spaceship progressed?"

"We have completed the integration of the classics we obtained from the [Brocade Banner], and the harvest is quite abundant. However, with the current capabilities of the Heavenly Crafts Hall, it is still very difficult to build it. We can only rely on the Heavenly Craftsmen brought back from the Tenglong Islands, and it will take at least another ten years to complete it," Lu Yuxiu said with some shame.

Zhuang Yuechan revealed a gentle smile: "Everything takes time. The art of craftsmanship is complex and profound. How can it be accomplished overnight?"

If ten years isn't enough, then fifty; if fifty years isn't enough, then a hundred. If one generation can't solve it, then there's always the next generation.

I heard that Li Ban has been tinkering with some new gadgets lately and successfully persuaded You Lin to approve a substantial amount of funding for him?

Mentioning her eldest son, Lu Yuxiu couldn't help but smile and nodded, saying, "I'm sorry to have troubled you, Madam. Ban'er has indeed come up with some clever ideas recently, but they've only just begun to be tested, and their feasibility still needs to be verified."

"My husband once said that Li Ban has a free-thinking mind. In the field of craftsmanship, he often has some imaginative ideas and has the ability to put these ideas into practice. He said that this is an extremely rare creative mind and praised Li Ban as a treasure of the family."

The single-person flying artifact 'Paper Kite' that he perfected and improved a few years ago was praised by the Myriad Manifestations Palace. Since he was able to persuade Youlin, he must have already started to put it into practice, but it has not yet reached the ideal state in his mind.

As the saying goes, "The student surpasses the master," with Li Ban's talent, he might very well surpass you all in the future and become the first fourth-tier Celestial Craftsman in the Great Qi cultivation world.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuxiu was somewhat surprised. She never expected that Zhuang Yuechan and her husband would have such a high opinion of Li Ban. For a moment, she was overjoyed but also worried that Li Ban would disappoint them.

Fourth-tier Celestial Craftsmen are few and far between in the entire border region, and two of them are concentrated in the Myriad Manifestations Palace, both of whom are renowned Golden Core True Persons.

Li Ban, their son, can he really reach that level?

"Mistress, the Tenglong Islands are just ahead."

At this moment, a deacon stepped forward and said respectfully.

Zhuang Yuechan looked up and saw that she could already vaguely see the outline of the islands.

The outer perimeter of the archipelago is an arc-shaped island chain consisting of hundreds of islands of varying sizes, which acts like a natural sea barrier, protecting the core island with Tenglong Island as its main island. Many ocean-going warships can be seen shuttling back and forth in it.

In terms of the number of islands and the area they occupy, the Twin Islands are far inferior to it. After all, this is a super archipelago that ranks among the top in the entire Great Qian Cultivation World.

There are two fourth-order spiritual veins, one located on Tenglong Island, where the main island is located, and the other located at the bottom of the sea.

The existence of two fourth-order spiritual veins not only makes the Tenglong Islands abundant in spiritual energy, but also rich in resources. The [Jinxiuqi] clan has been established for nearly ten thousand years, and the resources of Tianlong Peak and its surrounding areas have long been depleted. In recent years, they have relied on the resources of the Tenglong Islands to maintain their development.

When the East China Sea Fleet was completely wiped out, the [Jinxiuqi] drastically reduced its defenses, giving up all maritime resource points except for the Tenglong Islands.

Under these circumstances, the Splendid Banner, relying on the resources of the Tenglong Islands, rebuilt a fleet in a very short time.

By acquiring the Tenglong Islands, the Song family essentially gained a continuous source of resources.

Although Song Changsheng promised to give the Jinxiu Banner the greatest autonomy, the Jinxiu Banner itself was already part of the Song family's territory, not to mention these resources.

We're not using them now because it's not the right time yet. When there's a real need, they'll all be supply depots.

That's why Zhuang Yuechan had to come to Tenglong Islands to personally oversee things.

This was both to intimidate the surrounding forces and to firmly control the Tenglong Islands within the family's grasp.

"Have Chi Li and Miao Yin been training in the waters around the Tenglong Islands recently?" Zhuang Yuechan suddenly remembered that she still had something to tell Chi Li.

Lu Yuxiu quickly replied, "That's right. After returning from your Golden Core Ceremony, they have been staying on Tenglong Islands. The previous battle caused too many deaths and injuries. Although the corpses of both races have been collected, the blood cannot be cleaned up, which has attracted many low-level sea monsters to come and feed."

During this time, Chi Li and his group were hunting these demonic beasts.

"Yes, have them return to the General Affairs Hall of Tenglong Islands as soon as possible. I want to see them."

As soon as the words were spoken, the warship had already entered the outer island chain of the Tenglong Islands...

"laugh"

A sharp, cold glint flashed and disappeared in an instant. The crab demon's enormous pincers fell into the crimson seawater with a "plop." Immediately afterwards, two more sharp sword energies cleaved the sea demon, which had just entered the second level, into eight pieces.

On the other side, a burly cultivator gripped two thick lightning spears tightly in his hands, dashing through a group of sea monsters. Each swing of his lightning spears created several charred corpses.

With their close cooperation, the group of sea monsters was quickly wiped out.

Chi Li, who was protecting the two from the side, nodded in satisfaction and said, "Not bad, you've improved a lot compared to before, and your teamwork has also improved. You actually completed the set goal in just half an hour." "They're just a group of minor demons, and there are only three second-tier demonic beasts."

Xu Miaoyin and Song Jingxiao were not complacent at all. They had killed so many low-level demonic beasts over the years that they were no longer bothered by them.

“In that case, let’s rest for a bit and then head to another place. There’s another second-tier demon beast there, but its cultivation has reached the upper tier of second tier. This is quite a challenge for you. Are you confident?” Chi Li said with a slight smile.

"Second-tier high-grade? Although it's a bit difficult, the two of us working together should be fine. Let's rest and recover our mana."

Just then, a streak of light flew in from afar, transforming into a small jade sword that hovered in front of Chi Li.

"Is this a message from within the clan?"

Looking at the signature below the jade sword, Chi Li couldn't help but feel a little puzzled. After crushing it and reading the message it contained, he couldn't help but beam with joy and said, "Jinghua sent a message that Master's wife has come to Tenglong Islands to take charge and specifically asked to see us."

"Mother is here." A look of surprise appeared on Xu Miaoyin's face.

"Well, since Master's wife has summoned us, let's return to Tenglong Island as soon as possible. Let the Third Fleet deal with those sea monsters."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chi Li took out a small flying boat and prepared to return. Standing at the bow, a sense of anticipation welled up in his heart. He had a feeling that this summons might be the opportunity he had been waiting for all along!

In the blink of an eye, the flying boat landed on Tenglong Island, and the three of them immediately headed to the main hall where Zhuang Yuechan was.

"Disciple Chi Li/Xu Miaoyin".

"Junior Song Jingxiao."

"Greetings to the mistress/mistress."

Chi Li bowed with a mixture of excitement and trepidation.

Zhuang Yuechan walked up to the three of them, took Xu Miaoyin's hand, and looked her over carefully. She smiled and said, "It seems you've suffered a lot these past few days; you've lost weight."

"Mother, are you all alone, Father..."

"Didn't your father recently take on a new disciple? The disciple possesses the rare [Nine Yin Body]. Due to the accumulation of Yin energy, it has become an obstacle to his future cultivation, and he needs to use the power of Yin and Yang to harmonize it."

Therefore, True Lord Dragon Elephant specifically entrusted him to your father's instruction. He has been troubled by this matter for some time now, and unless the situation here changes, he probably won't be coming to the East Sea again for quite some time.

Upon hearing this, Xu Miaoyin subconsciously looked at Chi Li beside her.

Chi Li appeared calm, but a hint of envy inevitably crept into her heart.

His master had never cared for him so much.

However, given that the other party possesses the "Nine Yin Body" and has a Nascent Soul True Monarch as a backer, it's quite normal for them to receive different treatment.

Zhuang Yuechan was perceptive and could not hide Chi Li's thoughts from her. She said softly, "Li'er, the reason I summoned you this time is because your master asked me to convey a message to you."

Upon hearing this, Chi Li's eyes suddenly lit up.

"He told you to set off back to Cangmang Peak immediately after receiving the message, because he wants to see you."

"Does Master want to see me?"

"Good, prepare well and seize this rare opportunity. He shouldn't be going into seclusion anytime soon."

At this point, she softened her tone and said earnestly, "Li'er, I know you have grievances in your heart, but your master did not intentionally ignore you. Over the years, he has shouldered heavy responsibilities and dared not stop for a moment. Sometimes, it is difficult for him to take care of everything. This is not his intention."

You are his chief disciple, and in his heart, you have always held a special place in his heart. He has always thought of you, and this time he has a rare period of free time. You should prepare to return to your clan.”

After saying that, she turned her gaze to Xu Miaoyin, who was full of anticipation, and said, "Yin'er and Jingxiao, stay by my side to cultivate. Don't bother your senior brother during this time."

Upon hearing this, the light in Xu Miaoyin's eyes immediately dimmed, and she nodded listlessly.

"What, do you not want to stay by your mother's side?"

"No, it's just... I haven't seen Father for too long." Xu Miaoyin's tone was full of disappointment. Ever since Xu Yunhe and his wife left Cangmang Peak, Song Changsheng had never seen her again, only constantly urging her to cultivate diligently.

Even during Zhuang Yuechan's Golden Core Ceremony, she could only watch from afar on the mountainside and did not see her until the ceremony ended.

"Your father has his reasons for not seeing you. You must believe that he loves you just like your mother. When the time is right, he will naturally see you."

"Mother, have you heard anything from Mother and Father?"

Zhuang Yuechan reached out and pulled Xu Miaoyin into her arms, gently patting her back and saying, "Not yet, but their soul lamps are in good condition, so they are definitely safe. Once your mother's old ailment is cured, they will naturally come back to see you."

"Mmm." Xu Miaoyin snuggled gently against her like a docile kitten.

Chi Li and Song Jingxiao exchanged a glance, bowed silently, and then quietly left the main hall.

Upon arriving outside the palace, looking at the leisurely drifting white clouds in the sky, Chi Li couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.

For him, Zhuang Yuechan's words just now contained a tremendous amount of information, and his previous premonition seemed to be coming true.

“This is a rare opportunity, brother, you should hurry up and return to the clan,” Song Jingxiao said softly.

To outsiders, Chi Li is a venerable Golden Core disciple, a lucky one among ten thousand, but only those close to him know the hardships he has endured.

Within the Song family, he was more like a transparent person. Although he never lacked food, clothing, daily necessities, or cultivation resources, he rarely had the opportunity to spend time with Song Changsheng.

Otherwise, he, a true disciple of the Golden Core stage, wouldn't spend his days in the East Sea hunting sea monsters to hone his skills.

Now, we've finally made it through the tough times.

For a moment, Chi Li's eyes welled up with tears...

...(End of chapter)