This Dao Ancestor is too young.

As the boy left, only Jiang Chuyu remained in the side hall, slowly sipping her tea.

He drank cup after cup until the teapot was empty, then slowly rose to his feet.

"As expected, it wasn't that Dao Ancestor. His heart is still too soft."

According to that memory related to the future, although the Dao Ancestor always repays kindness, there must be a debt of gratitude involved. He would not put himself in danger for the sake of some unrelated people.

......

Meanwhile, in the inner city, at the city lord's mansion.

The three major families of Shang, Tao, and Qian gathered together.

They sat upright below, gazing at the middle-aged man in a blue official robe above.

Although no powerful forces have settled in this chaotic land, it is located at the border of the Yuan and Qian kingdoms. Its city lord is appointed by both countries and is nominally subject to the royal families of both countries.

The man in the official robes had a beard, a refined face, and a gentle smile. He looked at the elderly man sitting to his right, whose hair was almost completely gone.

"Senior Shang, I understand your request."

He paused, picked up the teacup on the table, and took a small sip:

"The rioters outside the city took advantage of the city lord's act of distributing porridge to sneak into the city and committed murder in the inner city, killing Shang Lian and severely injuring the head of the Shang family. Their crimes are heinous and they should be killed immediately."

"good!"

"Lord Liu is indeed an official who cares for the people. My Shang family is willing to donate three thousand taels of silver and ten low-grade spirit stones to help with the disaster relief."

Shang Yuansi, supporting himself on the armrest, rose shakily and clasped his hands in thanks.

Then, his gaze swept over the Tao and Qian families:

"The Shang, Qian, and Tao families have always been closely connected. Now that the mob is fierce, they hope to join forces again to kill the wicked and restore peace to the city."

Such a move to eliminate an enemy naturally required the other two major families to share the losses.

The elderly man from the Qian family, dressed in a red robe, and the middle-aged man, draped in a black cloak, exchanged a glance.

The elderly man from the Qian family gently tapped his forehead:

"Brother Shang is absolutely right. My Qian family is willing to lend a hand."

During this time, the Qian family had roughly figured out the details of the young man. He was just a beggar from outside the city with no powerful backing.

The man from the Tao family, wearing a black cloak, nodded and then shook his head.

He spoke under the questioning gazes of the two old men:

"The Tao family is willing to help, but we'll have to wait five days."

"A junior member of my family is breaking through to the Qi Refining Realm and needs protection, so I can't spare the time to help him."

Upon hearing this, a hint of hesitation flashed in the eyes of the elder of the Shang family, but he still nodded:

"Alright, then let's make our move together in five days."

At this moment, Lord Liu, who had remained silent all along, patted his palm together, his eyes filled with admiration:

"With the city united as one, success is assured. In five days, the city lord's mansion will personally dispatch armored soldiers to surround and kill the rioters."

After saying this, Shang Yuansi nodded in satisfaction.

He got the answer he wanted.

At this moment, the other two heads of prominent families stood up one after another and bowed to express their gratitude.

"The prosperity of the city must not be destroyed; the bandits should be killed."

After the conversation, it seemed that everyone in the hall had obtained the results they wanted.

Subsequently, the leaders of the three major families all departed.

On the way, Shang Yuansi thanked the other two one by one.

"Thank you both this time. Otherwise, the Shang family alone might not have been able to force the city lord to agree to this matter."

"Brother Shang, you're too kind. The three families are closely related and should naturally support each other."

The elderly man from the Qian family, dressed in a red robe, waved his hand.

"He's just an ignorant thug; it won't be long before he's beheaded."

The old man from the Shang family nodded.

Then, he spoke to the middle-aged man beside him, who was wearing a black cloak and had a pale face:

"Tao Qian, it's you! I wonder what your father is like..."

"Sigh~"

The man sighed softly, his face filled with sorrow, and whispered:

"My father failed to break through the barrier and has passed away."

"Tao Cai is still unwilling to admit he's getting old; even at the age of one hundred, he still wants to challenge the pass."

A hint of joy flashed in Shang Yuansi's eyes, but he quickly concealed it, his face turning sorrowful.

Afterwards, the three exchanged words for a while in front of the city lord's mansion before leaving to prepare for the upcoming battle.

About half an hour later, a dark figure concealed itself and quickly arrived deep inside the city lord's mansion.

Inside the main hall, a middle-aged man in an official robe maintained his refined smile, unchanged, his gaze lowered.

What did you talk about with those people?

At the foot of the steps, Tao Qian stood bowing respectfully.

"It's nothing more than supporting each other and jointly hunting down the thieves."

After a pause, Tao Qian slowly raised his head, revealing a calm, even indifferent face, and whispered:

"Father, do not worry, five days is enough."

Lord Liu's mouth gaped open, his face torn open, revealing gaps in his skin, and his hoarse laughter echoed through the hall:

"Yes, there's enough time!"

......

The outer city, inside the courtyard.

Beside the spring, the boy sat cross-legged, with a jade slip, a magic sword, and a dark wooden stake in front of him.

Zhang Yuanzhu lowered his gaze, scanning the purchased spiritual items one by one. With a flick of his sleeve, he first put away the jade slip.

The "Nine Netherworlds Scripture" is a scripture for those in the Qi Refining stage, and it is not yet time for them to cultivate it.

He extended his palm, lightly gripped the magic sword, and the energy within his dantian circulated rapidly, surging forth.

hum~

The blue crystal sword hummed softly, and bursts of sword energy erupted, accompanied by a sharp sound as if tearing through the air.

The boy remained expressionless, focusing all his energy on refining the sword.

A cup of tea!

One stick of incense!

One hour!!!

"clank!"

The magic sword trembled and soared into the air, its dark blue sword light scattering in all directions, leaving sword marks on the ground.

Zhang Yuanzhu stretched out his palm, feeling the sharpness of the falling sword light, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

With a thought, the Blue Crystal Sword descended and rested flat on his knees.

Then, he turned his gaze to the dark spirit wood, which was the scabbard he had prepared for the Blue Crystal Sword.

Magical artifacts are precious, especially swords and other magical artifacts, which require constant maintenance and upkeep. If they could be placed in a scabbard made of spirit wood, the effect would likely be quite good.

He raised his arm, his five fingers joined together, and a faint blue light shone forth, covering his palm.

With a swing of his palm, wood chips flew everywhere.

In less than a moment, a dark black scabbard appeared, its surface engraved with simple patterns.

Clang!

The magic sword was sheathed and slung at his waist.

Zhang Yuanzhu stood up, casually resting his arm on the hilt of his sword, gazing at the crystal-clear spring water, and planning his future path.

The second essence blood pill has been one-third digested. It will be fully digested in six days at most, at which time the cultivation level will definitely increase.

His magic and swordsmanship are constantly improving, and it won't be long before he can overpower all the forces in the city.

"I need time to grow!"

Zhang Yuanzhu whispered.

He was absolutely certain of the power that would inevitably come in the future, but for now he needed time to hone himself.

After some thought, the young man closed his eyes and began to circulate his internal energy.

Breathe in

With each breath, the Qi in the Dantian circulates throughout the body, and spiritual Qi and water Qi rush in, flowing into the kidneys and then converging into the Dantian.

Strands of crimson essence also appeared within his body, transforming into breath and surging into his dantian.

The boy once again immersed himself in cultivation, sensing the continuous increase in his power.

.......

Five days later, at night, the bright moon hung high in the sky.

The outer city, in a courtyard near the river.

Zhang Yuanzhu stood in the center of the spring, bathed in moonlight, his robes fluttering, ethereal like a fairy.

He slowly raised his palm, spread his five fingers, and a ray of brilliant light shone forth, intense and dazzling.

"This is the divine dawn born from flesh and blood."