Yunmeng Immortal Clan

"Dao Xuan, please accept this gift. After all, you established your foundation on your own, and the family has not bestowed upon you a single Foundation Establishment Pill. Consider this a gift from the family, and we hope you will contribute more to the family's great cause!" Third Uncle Song Zhiming earnestly advised.

Song Daoxuan looked somewhat helpless. He had no choice but to accept the bottle of Wood Essence Pills, which were indeed exactly what Song Daoxuan needed at the moment.

Although he has now reached the Foundation Establishment stage, his cultivation level is not yet stable. These Wood Essence Pills are enough for him to stabilize his level.

During the assembly, Song Daoxuan transmitted his thoughts to the patriarch, Song Zhichu, explaining that Zhou Yunlan was a recruitable Foundation Establishment cultivator and also a second-tier talisman master.

Song Zhichu tacitly approved Song Daoxuan's plan to recruit him as a guest elder, and then mentioned this matter to Zhou Yunlan at the Foundation Establishment Ceremony.

However, Zhou Yunlan still refused the offer.

"Let's just forget about this. I, Zhou Yunlan, am a wandering cultivator in the martial world, and I have no desire to be bound by the rules and regulations of any powerful force!"

"However, I, Zhou Yunlan, have some connections with young friend Dao Xuan. If the noble family thinks highly of me, I am willing to select one of your descendants who has some talent in the art of talisman making and cultivate him/her!"

Just as Zhou Yunlan refused to join the Song Clan of Qinglian Island, Song Daoxuan and several Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Song Clan looked somewhat disappointed.

However, just as Zhou Yunlan was willing to select a talented cultivator from the Song clan to cultivate in the art of talisman making, Song Zhichu stared at Song Hongshu with an excited expression.

"Hong Shu, aren't you facing a bottleneck in your talisman-making skills? This Fellow Daoist Zhou is a second-tier talisman master. Would you be willing to follow him to comprehend the Dao of talismans?"

Song Hongshu, dressed in a red dress, walked out with a smile and gave Zhou Yunlan a slight bow:

"Song Hongshu greets Senior. I have some talent in talisman making, but I have been unable to break through to the second-tier talisman maker. I hope Senior will give me some pointers. If Senior finds me satisfactory, I am willing to become your disciple!"

Zhou Yunlan shook his head: "Fellow Daoist is also at the Foundation Establishment stage, so you can't be considered a senior. However, if you are willing to learn, I will certainly teach you selflessly out of respect for Brother Dao Xuan!"

"Hong Shu greets Master!" Song Hong Shu, dressed in a red dress, still bowed to Zhou Yunlan as a disciple.

"Alright, then I'll accept you as my apprentice!"

Thus, Song Hongshu and Zhou Yunlan's apprenticeship ceremony was completed, and the difference between the two in terms of cultivation level was not obvious.

However, Zhou Yunlan was clearly more proficient in the art of talisman making. As the saying goes, there is a sequence to learning the Dao and each profession has its own expertise. Song Hongshu became his disciple, and none of the Song clan cultivators present had any other opinions.

During the banquet, Song Daoxuan and Zhou Yunlan drank some more wine. He then told Zhou Yunlan about the more difficult and tortuous things that had happened on his journey to seek the Dao over the years, which made all the cultivators present sigh and say how difficult it was to seek the Dao.

Only after the entire Foundation Establishment Ceremony concluded did Song Daoxuan return to his cave dwelling alone, finally having time to tally up his gains over this period.

The unique features of that ancient, mysterious green-fuzzy copper piece remain undiscovered.

The silk cocoon of the black poison wolf spider, which Song Daoxuan had also obtained unintentionally from the cave of Yuan Qing Sanren, actually showed a slight movement, which surprised and delighted Song Daoxuan.

There were about a dozen cocoons, but nine of them had lost their vitality due to improper storage, leaving only four or five barely clinging to life.

"Now that I've reached the Foundation Establishment stage, I have more resources. Perhaps I'll have the energy to cultivate these Ink Poison Wolf Spiders. If I can save two or three of them, they might become a significant asset in the future!"

Song Daoxuan used his magic sword to carve out a square stone chamber inside the cave, and placed the silk cocoons inside, naming it the Ink Poison Wolf Spider Cultivation Dish.

Song Daoxuan naturally couldn't expect these black venomous wolf spiders to hatch in a short period of time.

Even if it does hatch, it will probably only be the lowest form of the Ink Poison Wolf Spider. Who knows when it will grow to the point where it can provide significant assistance when fighting against other cultivators.

As for the Azure Moon Wolf King, Song Daoxuan released it from the spirit beast pouch and allowed its pack to reunite when he set foot on the Azure Lotus Islands.

The Ten Longevity Green Peach Tree on Qingfeng Lake stands outside Song Daoxuan's cave.

This tree is not tall, but it is tenacious and unyielding, remaining steadfast despite wind and rain. When Song Daoxuan transplanted this tree, he paid a great price to do so.

"I still have two Mystic Ice Flowers and one Foundation Establishment Pill left from refining Foundation Establishment Pills. I'll try again to see if I can refine another batch!"

"The Mystic Ice Flower is something I can only encounter by chance, not something I can obtain! I must make the most of it!"

Thinking of this, Song Daoxuan started refining Foundation Establishment Pills. Song Daoxuan was quite lucky, and one batch of pills was successfully refined in two batches. Including the Foundation Establishment Pill that he hadn't used up, he now had a total of four Foundation Establishment Pills in his hands.

"The Foundation Establishment Pill definitely needs to be given to Father; after all, blood is thicker than water..."

If a Qi Refining cultivator reaches the tenth level of Great Perfection but does not quickly establish a foundation, their spiritual energy will gradually regress to the ninth level of Qi Refining. This is called "when the water is full, it overflows."

Therefore, many elderly cultivators at the ninth level of Qi Refining in the cultivation world do not lack the desire to cultivate to the tenth level. Rather, once they reach the tenth level, they have no confidence in achieving the so-called Foundation Establishment, so they simply give up cultivation and remain stuck at the Qi Refining stage for their entire lives.

Song Daoxuan's father was a person with three spiritual roots. He had once received a Foundation Establishment Pill from his family. After failing to establish his foundation, he never thought of doing so again.

Then, without seeking improvement in cultivation, his cultivation level remained at the ninth level of the Qi Refining stage.

There are other cultivators in the family who have reached the ninth to tenth level of Qi Refining, but Song Daoxuan has always been a selfish immortal who prioritizes his own interests over those of his family.

"The so-called family is nothing more than a psychological crutch for me. I have never placed all my hopes for cultivation on the so-called family..."

"Only by satisfying my own selfish desires can I have a chance to protect my family. This is my bottom line!"

After refining the Foundation Establishment Pill, Song Daoxuan secretly went to see his father, Song Honghu, and secretly handed the pills to him.

"Father, how you use these Foundation Establishment Pills is entirely up to you. If you're not absolutely certain you can establish your foundation, it's best not to proceed. After all, if you're careless during your second Foundation Establishment attempt, you'll face certain death!"

Since his son had already established his foundation, Song Honghu naturally had no reason to refuse the Foundation Establishment Pill.

"If I still can't establish my foundation with four Foundation Establishment Pills, I, Song Honghu, might as well die, because that would be a tremendous disgrace!" Song Honghu said with a furrowed brow.

"After all, it hasn't reached 99%, and there's still a risk of failing to establish your foundation. Father, you should reconsider!" Song Daoxuan still gazed at Song Honghu with some worry.