Starting as a spiritual plant master, may I eventually become the master of all lands.

The aunt explained to Song Chuan:

"This was indeed a great thing, but the family must first follow the arrangements of the Hanging Gourd Pavilion. The patriarch has already asked the steward of the Hanging Gourd Pavilion, but the steward told us to handle it ourselves."

After all, the family had already received the tokens. They didn't want to offend Teng Hua Valley, let alone Xuan Hu Hall, so they had no choice but to choose a disciple with average aptitude as a token gesture.

If we send our best candidates there, and the Suspended Gourd Pavilion finds out, it will be very detrimental to the family's future development.

After saying that, the aunt looked at Song Chuan with a bitter smile.

Song Chuan remained silent. So that's how it is. He sighed inwardly.

Although her great-aunt didn't say it explicitly, she was essentially a "family outcast."

Moreover, Song Chuan is no naive young man; having lived two lives, his thoughts are naturally much more profound.

He believed that even if someone of average ability were chosen, he wouldn't actually be selected.

Of the six spiritual plant masters in the family, why would they choose someone like me, who has no one to rely on, if they had chosen the best among them?

Going to the Vine Flower Valley to cultivate is definitely not a good thing; it might even be extremely dangerous.

My great-aunt either didn't tell the whole truth, or she herself didn't know, and in the end, the clan leader directly chose me.

Unfortunately, I arrived too late and wasn't at the meeting, so I don't know the specifics of what happened.

That damned Song Jun!

"Grandma, can I refuse?" Song Chuan asked cautiously.

His great-aunt looked at him with some heartache and said, "If your parents were still here, there would be room for discussion. But now, the clan leader has made his decision and won't change his mind."

Song Chuan nodded; he had only asked the question offhand.

As a mere Qi Refining Level 3 cultivator, I have absolutely no way to resist such family decisions.

The aunt took out a light green token and handed it to Song Chuan.

The front of the token features a green sprout breaking through the soil, while the back is engraved with the words "Spring Sprout".

"You don't need to be attached to the family. Staying here is just like sitting in a well and looking at the sky. You'll never amount to anything in your life," Auntie said softly.

With his parents gone, Song Chuan murmured to himself, "I really don't have much to hold onto in this life."

Putting the token away, Song Chuan asked, "When will my grand-nephew set off?"

"The clan leader originally wanted you to set off within a month, but I see that you have already reached the third level of Qi Refining. If you cultivate for a few more months, there is a slight chance that you will enter the middle stage of Qi Refining."

I'll talk to the clan chief later, and you can set off again in six months.

After saying that, the great-aunt patted the storage bag and took out a small bottle.

"This is a 'Spirit-Boosting Pill,' a pill for breaking through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining. You can take it. Whether or not you can break through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining in six months, you must set off."

Song Chuan quickly took the medicine bottle, stood up and bowed: "Thank you, Aunt. Then I'll take my leave."

"Remember to come find me again before you leave," Auntie said, waving her hand.

Song Chuan nodded and left the council hall.

Back at the thatched hut in the Spirit Herb Garden, Song Chuan sat cross-legged on the couch, holding the Spring Sprout Token in his hand, his face expressionless.

The events unfolded so suddenly that he is still unable to fully accept them.

A deep sense of powerlessness rose from my heart.

Gou Zai's family plans had fallen through just like that, leaving him speechless.

The Valley of Vine Flowers is high in the mountains and far away. It seems that the family will not send anyone to protect them. They are just sending someone out to deal with this matter.

This Spring Sprout Token is a hot potato. Once it leaves the family, if someone with ulterior motives finds out that it possesses this token, especially a rogue cultivator, wouldn't they fight tooth and nail to seize it?

They didn't care about the Hanging Gourd Pavilion; after all, whoever obtained this token could join the Vine Flower Valley.

For independent cultivators, joining any of the six major sects of Qi is the right path to success.

This is likely one of the reasons why the other plant masters in the family were not chosen. The journey to Vine Valley alone was extremely dangerous.

In other words, for an orphan like myself with four spiritual roots, losing my family is no big deal; I haven't suffered any loss.

I wonder how the other families in Baiquan County reacted to this decree.

What exactly is Teng Hua Valley's intention? Is it raising poisonous insects?

After sitting there for a long time, Song Chuan shook his head and cleared his mind of distractions.

Fortunately, my great-aunt bought me six months. During this time, I need to work hard to improve my cultivation. Every bit of improvement is a bonus.

He took out the cultivation technique he usually practiced, "The Earth-Gathering Technique," from his pocket.

This is an ordinary earth-attribute cultivation technique, consisting of nine levels, each corresponding to one of the nine minor realms of the Qi Refining stage.

In the world of cultivation, the levels of cultivation are divided into Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, and Deity Transformation.

This long path of cultivation has only just begun for Song Chuan.

He opened the cultivation manual, made a hand seal, and began to cultivate.

A moment later, a strange expression suddenly appeared on his face.

He discovered that his absorption of earth-attribute spiritual energy had accelerated, which led to a significant increase in his cultivation speed, at least three times faster than usual.

This speed is at least on par with Song Jun, who has three spiritual roots.

He reached into his robes and pulled out the bead. It became warm as he practiced his cultivation technique.

Not only can it observe the earth's veins, but it can also accelerate cultivation! He was shocked.

Song Chuan hesitated for a moment, then carefully released a wisp of magic power and inserted it into the bead.

A vast amount of earth elemental energy rushed towards him, and then he regained that peculiar perspective he had seen before.

He vaguely observed the various small insects, roots, and intertwined veins in the soil.

He felt his vision was expanding.

Suddenly, he heard a rustling sound in the soil.

This bead can not only see things in the soil, but also transmit sound through the earth's veins!

This surprised him even more, but he was already starting to feel dizzy.

But he couldn't care less about the loss of his magic power, because he vaguely heard a human voice.

He listened for a few more breaths until his magical power was almost at its limit before he stopped.

At this moment, his face turned deathly pale due to the depletion of his magical power.

He frowned. Although the vision and sound he received through the bead were very blurry and not far away, he still managed to hear two sentences of conversation that horrified him.

"Fourth brother, keep a close eye on Song Chuan. Once he leaves the clan, intercept and kill him at Yanshi Ridge."

"The deaths of my second brother and sister-in-law, but..."

Someone actually tried to ambush me!

The "second brother" and "second sister-in-law" mentioned by the person behind them are clearly referring to their parents.

His father was the second oldest in his generation; the eldest was the clan chief. Below him were four sons and one daughter.

They are all descendants of the Foundation Establishment Ancestor.

As for whether this "fourth brother" was his father's biological fourth brother or someone from another branch of the family, he had no idea.

But it is most likely his fourth uncle, because among the people who went with his parents to carry out the family mission at that time, there were his third uncle, fourth uncle, and aunt.

These three are all from the lineage of the Foundation Establishment Ancestor.

Song Chuan felt a chill in his heart. His parents' deaths had a hidden story. They were not killed by monsters as they had claimed, but murdered by humans!

The reason these people didn't touch him is probably because they knew he would never find out.

Furthermore, he possesses four spiritual roots and manages the herb garden within the family, posing no threat whatsoever.

The reason they're trying to kill me now is because they're worried that if I go to Vine Flower Valley and succeed in my cultivation, they might have something to worry about.

"Valley of Wisteria..." Song Chuan murmured, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

He suppressed his emotions, tucked the bead into his robes, and began to cultivate.