Cultivating a family of immortals

Xu Changle opened his eyes and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

As I focused my mind into my body, I felt the spiritual energy within my internal organs, which was indeed much denser than when I was at the fifth level.

After the initial excitement subsided, Xu Changle lowered his brows and pondered:

"The Five Elements Spirit Guiding Technique is too low-level. The spiritual energy it absorbs is too chaotic. I don't even know what kind of spiritual root I have, so I can't consciously absorb the attribute spiritual energy."

"Although I can barely make progress in my cultivation by consuming Qi-condensing herbs, it's still too slow at this rate."

"Two years ago, Cui Hehuan was a cultivator at the fourth level of Qi Refining. Two years have passed, and his cultivation should have improved again."

"I wonder if the spirit stones I've saved up at home can buy a better cultivation technique. That's secondary. Right now, I need to figure out what kind of spiritual root I have."

Xu Changle stood up, picked up the bucket, and watered the spirit seedlings in the dark room again. Looking at these Qi Condensation Grasses, which were more robust than ordinary spirit seedlings, Xu Changle smiled with satisfaction.

Stepping out of the dark room, Zhou Xingyao whispered, "Keep your voice down, Jingheng is asleep."

Xu Changle smiled and softly called out "Mother" to Li Rongping, then gently came to the bedside and looked at Xu Jingheng, who was fast asleep. He felt a great sense of satisfaction.

"Jingheng will be three years old soon. We'll have his spiritual root tested in a while. If he can develop a spiritual root at three, he can start cultivating early and surpass me sooner or later."

"I actually hope that Jingheng doesn't have spiritual roots, so he can live a happy life."

Zhou Xingyao stroked Xu Jingheng's head and said.

"That's a woman's view. The opportunity to become an immortal is hard to come by. Being born with spiritual roots and then cultivating immortality is something many people dream of, yet you're cursing your own child."

Xu Changle said unhappily.

"What do you mean by 'womanly views'?" Li Rongping glared at him. "Without us women, where would you be?"

Xu Changle was speechless for a moment, and shook his head repeatedly.

The tender moments in the dark room continued, while outside the Xu residence, chaos reigned.

No sooner had Li Rongping entered the dark room than several spiritual plant growers rushed over.

Xu Jingtao hurriedly went out to greet them, and a spirit plant cultivator said in a flustered manner:

"Something terrible has happened! Something's wrong with the spirit field. The spirit seedlings have been infested with spirit-devouring insects, and many seedlings have had their branches and leaves eaten away. It looks like a large number of seedlings are going to die."

Xu Jingtao frowned slightly. At only ten years old, under Xu Wanghe's tutelage, she was remarkably calm and composed. She immediately asked:

"Everything was fine when I left, so how did the Soul-Eating Insects suddenly appear?"

"I didn't know either. I only found out when I went to investigate in the afternoon," Lingzhifu answered honestly.

Xu Jingtao frowned deeply as she pondered:

"I've only heard the patriarch mention the Soul-Devouring Insects, but I've never seen them. Their reproduction rate is incredibly fast; something must be wrong. Could it be the Zheng family causing trouble in secret?"

Thinking of this, Xu Jingtao immediately said crisply:

"You go to the spirit field first, and I will inform the family head."

"yes!"

After everyone left, Xu Jingtao hurriedly went to the back room, but after searching around, she couldn't find Li Rongping.

Arriving at the two side rooms in the back room, Xu Jingtao stood at the door, pondering for a long time, but ultimately didn't dare to go in.

The head of the family made it clear that no one was allowed to approach this place.

After a moment's hesitation, Xu Jingtao decided to go and take a look at the spirit field first, and at the same time, he ordered the local soldiers to go to the town to find the head of the family and bring him back.

Upon arriving at the spirit field, the spirit planters surrounded him as if they had found their pillar of support.

Xu Jingtao's parents were also there.

After bowing to her parents, she squatted down to examine the spirit seedling closely.

The once lush green seedlings are now covered with countless tiny insects, and the branches and leaves have been eaten away, leaving many small holes.

Just as he was about to reach out and pinch it, the spirit plant grower beside him immediately shouted:

"Watch out, those bugs can bite!"

Xu Jingtao did not stop, but secretly filled her hands with spiritual energy and pinched an insect on a leaf.

A series of "puff puff puff" sounds rang out.

A cluster of insects was instantly crushed.

But the remaining insects, as if provoked, visibly opened their sharp teeth and frantically bit at the leaves.

The plant growers were amazed that Xu Jingtao was unharmed after touching the insect, but Xu Jingtao was also shocked.

These soul-devouring insects are extremely vicious.

Looking around, all the spirit seedlings in the spirit field were withered and drooping, their leaves drooping, and one could vaguely see that they were covered with these spirit-devouring insects.

This is a very bad situation.

If the spirit-devouring insects are allowed to continue eating away at these seedlings, they will perish sooner or later.

She turned to Lingzhifu beside her and said, "Quickly, send another nimble person on horseback to the town to find the head of the family and tell him what happened here."

"I've already sent someone..."

"Let's go again!"

"yes!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a spirit boat appeared in the sky.

"The patriarch is back?" The people in the fields looked up and shouted excitedly.

Xu Jingtao shook her head.

This spirit boat did not belong to Fang Shouzhuo.

The spirit boat slowly landed in the field, and a woman dressed in light gauze and a young man got off the spirit boat.

"Brother Guan..." Xu Jingtao's eyes lit up.

The visitors were Lin Wan and Xu Guanyi.

Xu Guan smiled and looked at Xu Jingtao, whom he hadn't seen for almost two years, and reached out his hand, calling out, "Your brother is back."

Hearing the familiar voice, Xu Jingtao shyly walked to his side.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Xu Jingtao told him about the spirit field.

"Spirit-devouring worms?" Xu Guan asked in surprise, then squatted down to examine the spirit seedlings closely.

"How could so many have been born?"

Xu Guanyi frowned. He was already 16 years old this year. His cheeks were sharp like a knife. He looked a bit like Xu Changle, but even more handsome.

Xu Jingtao blushed as she watched from the side.

"Where did Father go?" Xu Guanyi asked.

"Ah, the head of the family has gone to town," Xu Jingtao said quickly, snapping out of her daze.

"No, this matter must be handled by Father personally. I have never seen so many Soul-Devouring Insects before."

As they spoke, Xu Guanyi and Lin Wan leaped onto the spirit boat, instructing Xu Jingtao not to touch the spirit seedlings for now, and to personally go and fetch Xu Wanghe.

About three incense sticks' worth of time passed before the two spirit boats arrived together.

Xu Wanghe hurriedly disembarked from the spirit boat, only squatted down for a glance, and then roared in fury:

"Who recently administered Qingmu Powder to Lingmiao?"

From the crowd, a figure rushed out in a panic and knelt down on the ground.

"Stationing here is my job..."

Xu Wanghe squinted at the man. In his memory, the man was a villager from the west side of the village entrance, and his name seemed to be Ma Chunwang.

He sneered and said, "Do you know your crime?"

Ma Chunwang lowered his head, his body trembling slightly.

"I don't know what I did wrong by being stationed here..."

Xu Wanghe was about to rebuke them angrily, but after glancing back at the onlookers, he held back.

"Master Fang, please tie this man up and throw him onto the spirit boat. I need to deal with things here first!"

Fang Shouzhou nodded, made a hand gesture, and a surge of spiritual energy emanated from his hand, binding the object before casually tossing it onto the spirit boat.

Xu Wanghe remained outwardly calm, but in reality, he was extremely anxious.

He had cultivated spirit seedlings his whole life, but he had never seen such a spirit field produce so many spirit-devouring insects.

If the Spirit-Devouring Insects destroy this spiritual field, the Xu family will have to pay countless spirit stones to the Immortal Sect to settle the matter.

Having painstakingly saved up spirit stones for over two years, they are about to be completely wiped out today because of Ma Chunwang's reckless behavior.