Family Rise: Beginning with Grandfather.

Chapter 782 Azure Sword

"So sharp!"

Yang Zhengshan asked in surprise.

With a slight thought, the small sword emerged from the hole in the rock and then, under his control, flew rapidly through the mountains.

The small sword moved back and forth like a streak of light, its speed surprising even Yang Zhengshan.

"This speed can go even faster!"

"No, my spiritual sense can't keep up!"

"Damn it, I can't even unleash its full power!"

Yang Zhengshan was both surprised and delighted.

Xiao Jian could go even faster, but his spiritual sense had already reached its limit.

Even so, the speed of this small sword was already at its limit.

"Is this a magic weapon?"

"It doesn't seem so. According to the descriptions on those bamboo slips, magical artifacts should have greater power and consume more magical energy."

"This small sword is only fast; its attack power is actually not strong, and it doesn't consume as much mana as you might imagine!"

"This should be a top-grade magic artifact!"

As Yang Zhengshan maneuvered the small sword back and forth, he pondered in his mind.

To say that the little sword's attack power is that strong is not entirely true; its attack power is only slightly stronger than that of the Radiant Mirror.

However, the attack of the Radiant Mirror lacks penetrating power, while the small sword has stronger penetrating power and a strong armor-piercing ability.

Most importantly, the little sword is extremely fast; even with Yang Zhengshan's spiritual strength, he cannot unleash its full potential.

There's no need to be caught off guard. Even if someone is prepared, probably not many Heavenly Gang stage martial artists could withstand Xiao Jian's attack.

Yang Zhengshan sheathed the small sword. The one-foot-long sword was a single, solid piece, its entire body bluish-white. When activated, it emitted a bluish sword light. Without the Ruyi Formation, it would neither grow larger nor smaller.

When it flies, it looks like a streak of blue light, which is difficult to catch with the naked eye.

"From now on, you shall be called Azure Sword!"

This magical artifact is indeed powerful, but it is not an easy task to control the Azure Sword in battle, especially when controlling the Azure Sword and the Black Shield at the same time. Yang Zhengshan needs to be able to multitask.

"It seems I'll have to practice more in the future. But in that case, the Radiant Mirror seems a bit useless!"

Yang Zhengshan thought to himself.

With the Azure Sword, the Radiant Mirror was no longer of much use to him.

The Azure Sword's attacks are faster and more agile, far surpassing the Radiant Mirror.

However, after thinking about it, Yang Zhengshan still put the Radiant Mirror on his body.

Now, apart from him, no one else in the Spirit Source Land can use these magical artifacts. Rather than letting them gather dust at home, he might as well carry them with him, just in case they come in handy.

With the three magical artifacts in his possession, Yang Zhengshan was in high spirits. After practicing for a few more days, he arrived at Qinglang Mountain.

Green Wolf Mountain is the mountain where the green wolves live.

Don't assume that the wolf den is a mess; today, Qinglang Mountain is a beautiful place with clear waters and lush mountains.

A babbling brook flows down from the mountain, with stone caves nestled halfway up the mountainside. Wind Spirit Fruit trees grow luxuriantly, and when a gentle breeze blows, the emerald green branches sway, creating a scene like a green ocean.

In the valley, many cattle and sheep leisurely graze on the tender grass and trees.

The only downside was that a few blue wolves were drooling over the cattle and sheep.

In seven years, the wolf pack only produced three cubs. Yang Zhengshan handed these three cubs over to the beast tamers of the Beast Taming Hall. They were born as exotic beasts and would have the strength of a Heavenly Gang stage martial artist when they grew up. If carefully nurtured, they might even become Martial God-level exotic beasts in the future.

The Azure Wolf is the most powerful and most promising mythical beast in the Land of Spirit Origin.

Yang Zhengshan appeared out of thin air in front of the largest cave on Green Wolf Mountain. As soon as he appeared, a rustling sound came from inside the cave, and the ten-foot-tall Green Wolf King walked out of the cave.

This guy's aura has become increasingly heavy, much stronger than when he was in the ancient ruins.

However, upon seeing Yang Zhengshan, it obediently lay down in front of him.

woohoo~~
Yang Zhengshan reached out and stroked its large head, asking, "When will you be able to break through?"

The reason why the Blue Wolf King wanted to escape the ancient formation was because it dared not break through it.

It should have been able to break through by now in the Land of Spiritual Origin, but more than seven years have passed and it still hasn't broken through.

The Blue Wolf King stretched out its claws and scratched the ground twice.

"Two more years?"

The Blue Wolf King nodded in a human-like manner.

"I see. Do you need me to prepare some spiritual items for you?" Yang Zhengshan asked.

A martial artist needs a matching spiritual object to forge their spiritual foundation. Do exotic beasts also need one?
Yang Zhengshan wasn't quite sure how the exotic beasts advanced, but if needed, he wouldn't mind preparing some spiritual items for the Azure Wolf King.

After several years of getting to know each other, the Blue Wolf King had long since accepted Yang Zhengshan.

Although the Blue Wolf King possesses intelligence comparable to that of humans, its personality is relatively simple. It lacks the cunning and scheming of humans and only believes in the supremacy of strength.

As for whether the Azure Wolf King would betray Yang Zhengshan after becoming a Martial God-level beast, Yang Zhengshan was not worried about it.

The Blue Wolf King may rebel against him and challenge him, but he will not betray him.

Rebellion and betrayal are two different things.

The reason for the rebellion is that Yang Zhengshan is the wolf king. The Blue Wolf King has become stronger and will definitely want to reclaim its position as wolf king, so it will challenge Yang Zhengshan.

But this challenge is not a betrayal. It may kill Yang Zhengshan in the process, but that is the law of survival for wolves.

Strength reigns supreme. If I am strong, I am the wolf king; if you are weak, you are just a lackey.

Of course, Yang Zhengshan was not afraid of its challenge. The Blue Wolf King would definitely break through earlier than him, but that did not mean that the Blue Wolf King could defeat him after breaking through.

His cultivation level is not as high as that of the Azure Wolf King, but his combat power in the Spirit Source Land can definitely suppress the Azure Wolf King.

It's not just because he has the ability to teleport in the Land of Spirits, but also because he is the master of the Land of Spirits.

As he cultivated the "Void Refining Nerve Technique," he was able to grasp a tiny bit of the power of the rules of the Spirit Source Land.

It was only a tiny bit, but it was enough to suppress the Blue Wolf King.

The Blue Wolf King looked thoughtful, trying to understand what the spirit creature Yang Zhengshan was talking about was.

"A martial artist needs a spiritual object to forge their spiritual foundation in order to break through to the Martial God Realm. Do you need one?" Yang Zhengshan asked again.

The Blue Wolf King understood this time, shook its big head, and let out two soft howls.

"No need!" Yang Zhengshan was somewhat surprised. A beast's breakthrough didn't require a spiritual object?
How did that strange beast break through?
Yang Zhengshan was very curious.

"Then I'll come and see you when you break through!"

Since the Blue Wolf King didn't need any spiritual objects, he didn't need to worry about them. After chatting with the Blue Wolf King for a while, he left.

The chat was just Yang Zhengshan rambling on, and the Blue Wolf King was listening. Of course, Yang Zhengshan wasn't just idly chatting with it; it was a way for him to build a relationship with the Blue Wolf King and also to help the Blue Wolf King learn human language.

The Blue Wolf King cannot speak human language, but it can learn to understand human language.

Now Yang Zhengshan no longer needs to use gestures to communicate with it. There are some words it doesn't understand, but as long as Yang Zhengshan explains them in detail, it can understand.

It can also express its meaning through actions.

In fact, Yang Zhengshan is still teaching it to recognize characters, but this is quite difficult, and it is estimated that it will take a long time for it to learn.

……

The next morning.

Yang Zhengshan brought Yu Qingyi to Xuegu Town.

Although this wasn't Yu Qingyi's first time leaving the Spirit Source Land, she hadn't really had a chance to explore the area properly.

After years of arduous cultivation, Yu Qingyi wanted to relax and clear her mind, so Yang Zhengshan brought her out.

Today, Xuegu Town remains largely unchanged, but Yang Family Winery has become the most famous shop in Xuegu Town, and Yang Family's Lingjiu (spirit wine) has become the most famous specialty of Xuegu Town.

The cooperation between the Yang and Ji families was also very pleasant. The Yang family provided the spirit wine, and the Ji family sold it outside. Both families made a fortune from the spirit wine business over the years.

As for the Fan Family Restaurant, it has already been driven out of Xuegu Town by the Ji family.

This was not something Yang Zhengshan asked the Ji family to do; rather, it was something the Ji family did voluntarily.

As the saying goes, "a good deed deserves a good reward," the Ji family shouldn't target the Fan family too much, but they could still manage to drive the Fan family out of Xuegu Town.

The Fan family has behaved very well in recent years and has not shown any intention to target the Yang family winery.

This is not hard to understand. The fact that the Yang family was able to withstand the attack of the Soul-Severing Blade is enough to prove the strength of the Yang family. Neither the Ji family nor the Fan family dared to show any more malice towards the Yang family.

Of course, there are definitely many people secretly coveting the Yang family's spirit wine, but so far no one has dared to provoke the Yang family.

Furthermore, due to the cooperative relationship, the Ji family also regarded the Yang family as their most important ally. The Ji family not only took care of the Yang family's business in many ways in Xuegu Town, but also helped the Yang family ward off the malice from the Hanxiao Sect.

The Yang family now owns two shops in Xuegu Town: a winery and a business that buys and sells various spiritual items.

The Yang family has always been generous in acquiring spiritual items, which has earned them a reputation in Snow Valley Town, and they have also established long-term cooperative relationships with many hunting teams.

Hunting teams are a type of group in Snow Valley Town, consisting of anywhere from three to five people to twenty or thirty people, who go into the mountains to hunt together.

They weren't a stable team; they were just a group of familiar people sticking together for warmth.

However, they weren't solely motivated by hunting; they were also acting in self-defense.

Snow Valley Town has its rules, but once you leave Snow Valley Town, there are no rules, especially after you enter the mountains, where there is no morality to speak of.

Murder for treasure, highway robbery, and even stalking and chasing are all common occurrences.

Snow Valley Town is not a peaceful place; it is filled with all sorts of grudges and conspiracies.

Of course, these things have little to do with the Yang family, because the Yang family only does business and does not go into the mountains to hunt.

"Greetings, Master of the House! Greetings, Mistress!"

When Yang Zhengshan and Yu Qingyi appeared, the shop assistants immediately bowed and paid their respects to them.

"Hmm, where's Luo Zhen?" Yang Zhengshan asked.

"Manager Luo is in his study!" a shop assistant said.

Yang Zhengshan and Yu Qingyi arrived at the study, and Luo Zhen quickly stood up and bowed.

"How's business lately?" Yang Zhengshan asked.

Yu Qingyi sat down next to him and started looking through the account books. She didn't want to check the accounts; she just wanted to see how the shop was doing.

Yang Zhengshan had long since given up on the business here. Luo Zhen was in charge of these businesses, but the Lingyuan Land was overseen by the Foreign Affairs Hall, the goods were supplied by Wanbaotang, and the clan council regularly reviewed them. There was no need for Yang Zhengshan to personally intervene.

"Business is pretty good. The winery made a profit of 6,800 spirit stones last month, and the purchasing agency acquired more than 2,300 spirit items last month! Among them were three cloud tiger cubs!"

Luo Zhen knew very well what Yang Zhengshan was concerned about, so he didn't give a long report, only mentioning the matter of the Yunhuju cub.

Sure enough, Yang Zhengshan became interested. "Cloud Tiger Steed? The kind of Cloud Tiger Steed from the Sun family?"

“That’s right, they’re the same kind from the Sun family. The three cubs are only three months old, which is perfect for raising them!” Luo Zhen said with a smile.

The Cloud Tiger Steed is also a rare and exotic beast. It resembles a horse with a white body and black tail, one horn, tiger teeth and claws, and its sound is like a drum. It can fly through the clouds and is quite fierce in battle.

Moreover, it belongs to the genus Equus and can reproduce with horses.

The land of spiritual origin already has the Crimson Cloud Horse. If these three Cloud Tiger Steeds grow up, they can mate and reproduce with the Crimson Cloud Horse.

Yang Zhengshan had seen the Sun family's Yunhuju horse and was deeply impressed by it, having coveted it for a long time.

Unfortunately, it was a treasure of the Sun family, and the Sun family never sold it to the public.

Unexpectedly, I managed to buy three wild cubs in Snow Valley Town.

"Not bad, I'll give you credit for that!" Yang Zhengshan said with a smile.

"This is my duty, and I dare not claim credit for it. Moreover, this deal was negotiated by Qu Chengliu, and I cannot take credit for it!" Luo Zhen said.

Qu Chengliu is Yang Wanqing's second son. He just turned forty this year. He broke through to the Innate Realm three years ago and has been working in the Ministry of Commerce. Now, as Luo Zhen's deputy, he is mainly responsible for the acquisition business.

“They all deserve credit! Let’s all be credited!” Yang Zhengshan said with a smile, naturally not stingy with his praise.

The salary and rewards in the Foreign Affairs Hall are the highest among the six halls of Lingyuan, especially for those who serve in Lingyuan, such as Luo Zhen and Qu Chengliu, whose salaries are twice that of their counterparts in other halls.

The positions in the six halls of the clan hall can be roughly divided into ten levels: hall master, deputy hall master, minister, deputy minister, third-class steward, and third-level hall attendant.

The titles of some positions may differ, but generally they are divided into these ten levels.

Salaries are also distributed according to these ten levels.

The reason why the salaries and rewards of the Foreign Affairs Office were high was because they had to work outside.

Don't think that working outside is a good thing. The concentration of spiritual energy outside is not as high as that of the spiritual source land. If they stay outside to do business, it will definitely delay their cultivation. Moreover, they cannot reunite with their families at any time. This is considered to be a business trip, so the salary and rewards will be higher.

Although the Spirit Source Land now has two grotto-heavens, using them requires consuming spiritual energy, and the clan council has made strict regulations regarding their use.

Therefore, Luo Zhen and others cannot return to the Spirit Source Land at any time. Except in special circumstances, those who are on duty outside can only return to the Spirit Source Land after the end of their term.

For example, Luo Zhen's term of office is five years. After his five-year term ends, he can be transferred back to the Spirit Source Land and let someone else take over his position.

(End of this chapter)