Beast Taming Immortal Clan

Using Zhou Chun's status as a Nascent Soul cultivator to interrogate the minds of some mid-to-low-level cultivators at the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages is indeed like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

However, this method is indeed the most efficient and yields the most obvious results.

At that time, few of the cultivators pointed out by Zhou Chun could maintain their composure under the angry gazes of the thousands of Zhou family cultivators in the ancestral hall.

Without Zhou Chun needing to use any further methods to coerce them, most people immediately knelt down, weeping and pleading for mercy as they recounted their crimes.

Naturally, most of those who are willing to truthfully recount their crimes have not truly betrayed their families, or have done anything that deeply betrays their families.

It was merely a serious violation of clan rules, or someone who had been tempted and bribed to pass on messages.

Although such crimes are bound to be punished according to clan rules, they are not punishable by death, and there is still an opportunity for redemption.

Even so, after listening to these people's words, Zhou Daoyi decided to conduct another investigation on them afterward to ensure that they were not deliberately using minor crimes to cover up major crimes in order to escape trial!

In contrast to these people, there were the remaining few who offered blatant excuses.

They also knelt on the ground, wailing and crying to defend themselves, claiming that they were just too shocked by the fact that Zhou Baisheng was a traitor to their family, which caused their abnormal heartbeat and breathing.

But they themselves knew that such sophistry was not enough to convince a Nascent Soul stage cultivator!

Those Zhou family cultivators who were truly loyal to the family would certainly not believe such words.

How could a Nascent Soul stage cultivator wrongly accuse a few Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators?

Why were we not marked, but you guys were?

On one side was Zhou Chun, the patriarch representing the family's authority, a high-ranking Nascent Soul cultivator; on the other side were just a few Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators.

It goes without saying who bystanders should believe!

At this point, Zhou Chun no longer needed to use any forceful means to make them confess and submit to the law in person. He could simply have Zhou Daoyi come forward and detain them for investigation on the grounds that he suspected them of betraying their family interests.

After swiftly eliminating a group of corrupt elements within the family, Zhou Chun naturally wanted to use this as a lesson to educate and guide the other Zhou family cultivators present.

"As you all just witnessed, even though the family has provided these people with various conveniences for cultivation, they are still insatiable, sacrificing the family's greater interests for their own petty gains!"

"But as you have just witnessed, even if you think you are innocent and your mistake is flawless, the long arm of the law will eventually catch up with you!"

"For the sake of short-term gains, one may seem to have an advantage over others in cultivation, but in reality, one has ruined one's long-term path and destroyed one's future and even one's life!"

At this point, Zhou Chun couldn't help but raise his arms and shout, "You all need to understand that the Zhou family today is actually the most powerful force in Jing Kingdom. We can provide all Zhou family cultivators with high-end cultivation resources that any major power could provide. You should cherish this hard-won opportunity and seize it to rise together with the family!"

After saying this, he waved his hand emphatically and said, "To be greedy for short-term gains and ruin one's entire life is something a wise person would not do!"

These words were truly thought-provoking and struck a chord with the cultivators present.

Even the most absent-minded person during a meeting would be moved by these resounding words.

Of course, this effect is only limited to the present.

Once they leave this ancestral hall, whether these people can truly hold onto their principles and resist temptation when they encounter the small benefits Zhou Chun mentioned again is anyone's guess.

Zhou Chun's intention was simply to help them broaden their thinking, expand their horizons, and recognize what long-term benefits are and what petty gains are.

Just like Zhou Baisheng, who chose to betray his family for a few Foundation Establishment Pills, it was undoubtedly a foolish act.

Because as long as he is willing to work hard and strive, he has a good chance of applying to exchange for this item in the Zhou family, so there is no need to take the risk.

In reality, he was only a little over a hundred years old when he died, which is less than the lifespan of a Qi Refining cultivator!

Clan cultivators are not like those barefoot rogue cultivators; if they don't seize the opportunity now, they will never have another chance in their lives.

A cultivator from the Zhou family should know that his life cannot be taken away by a mere one or two Foundation Establishment Pills!

They should understand that the long-term benefits brought to them by the blood flowing in their veins and their own surname far outweigh any seemingly attractive but ultimately undesirable illicit gains!

In addition to internal education and supervision, Zhou Chun also needs to take strong measures against external threats.

After the Zhou family cultivators in the ancestral hall had digested his resounding words for a while, he looked at everyone with a serious expression and said, "From now on, if any of you encounter anyone trying to recruit or tempt you, feel free to report it to the family. The family will reward you according to the circumstances and announce the commendation to the entire clan!"

His words were directed not only at the Zhou family members here, but also as a warning to external forces.

If any external forces or cultivators attempt to lure Zhou family members into betraying the family in the future, the Zhou family will definitely launch a fierce counterattack and will never tolerate it!

After this internal review and education session, Zhou Chun no longer participated in the remaining matters and handed them over to Zhou Daoyi.

Another six months passed, and Luo Qingni finally digested the gains after reaching the Nascent Soul stage, and sent a message to invite Zhou Chun back to his own cave.

"How was it? Are you satisfied with the glory of reaching the Nascent Soul stage, Qingni?"

Inside the cave, after Zhou Chun and Luo Qingni met again, Zhou Chun looked at the beautiful woman in front of him with a smile and teased her.

It must be true that after forming the Nascent Soul stage, she washed away all worldly impurities. At this time, although Luo Qingni's appearance had not changed much, her temperament had become even more attractive and more stunning.

Sitting opposite such a stunningly beautiful woman is a uniquely pleasing experience.

Faced with Zhou Chun's teasing, Luo Qingni sighed with emotion, "The Nascent Soul and Golden Core realms are indeed worlds apart. Without entering this realm, one truly cannot know the taste and mysteries within!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chun nodded and said, "That's natural. Otherwise, why are there so few Nascent Soul cultivators in the cultivation world? Why is it that only by forming a Nascent Soul can one be considered to have attained enlightenment?"

"Indeed! The path to refining the core and forming the nascent soul is incredibly difficult!"

Luo Qingni nodded slightly, looking at Zhou Chun with gratitude, and said, "Qingni was able to form a Nascent Soul and attain enlightenment this time entirely thanks to Fellow Daoist Zhou's great help and selfless support. Qingni truly has no way to repay such a great kindness!"

"Qingni, you're too kind. You were originally a carefree cultivator, yet you were willing to travel thousands of miles to a remote place like Jingguo for my sake, to serve and cultivate in a rising power like the Zhou family. This is already a great honor for me."

Zhou Chun waved his hands repeatedly, looking at him sincerely and saying, "As for your successful formation of the Nascent Soul stage, although I, Zhou, have contributed a little, it is mainly due to your own profound good fortune and extraordinary character. I, Zhou, dare not accept this credit that belongs to Heaven!"

Zhou Chun has always practiced not to take credit for his achievements.

In most cases, he would choose to help someone not because he coveted the other person's future repayment, but simply because he believed that the other person deserved his help.

Just like lending money, when you actually lend money out, you are often already prepared in your heart that you may not be able to get it back.

If the person who received help knows how to repay the kindness and takes the initiative to give back, then Zhou Chun will naturally be happy from the bottom of his heart and will gladly accept it.

However, if he misjudged people and helped the wrong person, Zhou Chun would only take it as a lesson learned.

In fact, when encountering truly grateful people, Zhou Chun's humble and unassuming behavior often brings him extraordinary rewards.

Because such people are usually very clear about what they have learned and know how much help they received at the time, and they will have a desire to repay even more after they succeed.

Luo Qingni had already seen through Zhou Chun's previous interactions with her that this was the kind of person she was.

So after hearing his words, Luo Qingni's goodwill towards him increased even more.

She couldn't help but exclaim, "To have a close friend like Fellow Daoist Zhou is truly the greatest honor of my life!"

She then stopped talking about repaying the debt and simply waved her hand to take out the [Purifying Heaven and Earth Divine Jar] and the other magical treasures that Zhou Chun had given her before, returning them to their rightful owners.

Of course, this does not include the top-grade magic weapon, the Azure Profound Seal.

After Luo Qingni completed her tribulation, this treasure was returned to the core of the [Heavenly Azure Dragon Formation] to suppress the great formation.

After Zhou Chun calmly put all the treasures back into his storage bag, he looked at her with curiosity and asked, "In Fellow Daoist Luo's opinion, does the [Mind Cleansing Water] really have an effect on the 'Heart Demon Tribulation'?"

"It certainly works. It was with the help of this spiritual water that Qingni cleansed her mind and purified her soul, thus weakening the power of the 'Inner Demon Tribulation' and ultimately successfully overcoming this greatest tribulation to achieve enlightenment!"

Luo Qingni nodded solemnly, affirming this point with unwavering conviction.

This answer completely put Zhou Chun at ease, and a genuine, radiant smile appeared on her face.

Luo Qingni may not know what this means.

But for Zhou Chun, this was of immense significance!

This means that the Zhou family will directly control a kind of auxiliary Nascent Soul Spiritual Object with a near-infinite production capacity, which is also a Spiritual Object that many cultivators dream of to weaken the "Heart Demon Tribulation"!

In this way, as long as the Zhou family can obtain one or even two Nascent Soul Pills every few hundred or thousand years, just like the Moon Wheel Sect, and as long as their luck isn't too bad, the lineage of Nascent Soul cultivators will almost never be interrupted!

This is a foundation that only the truly top-tier forces in the cultivation world can possess!

Top powers like those in the Great Zhou Kingdom, or powerful forces like the Moon Wheel Sect that dominate the country, have a continuous lineage of Nascent Soul cultivators, ensuring that at least one Nascent Soul cultivator is always present at their sect.

At the same time, their sects all possess trump cards sufficient to resist late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, ensuring that even in their most destitute moments, their sects will not be easily wiped out by outsiders.

Only after Zhou Chun successfully formed his Nascent Soul could the Zhou family be considered to have joined the ranks of major powers.

But now it is almost as powerful as a top-tier force.

If this gets out, it will truly shock the entire cultivation world!

Zhou Chun was also filled with surging emotions, and it took her a while to calm down her joy.

Then, with piercing eyes, he looked at Luo Qingni again and asked, "Qingni, now that you have successfully formed your Nascent Soul, what are your plans for the future? When do you plan to hold your Nascent Soul Ceremony? Have you decided on your Daoist title yet?"

"Qingni's successful Nascent Soul formation is entirely due to Fellow Daoist Zhou's guidance and assistance. Naturally, she will continue to cultivate within the Zhou family to repay this kindness!"

Luo Qingni understood what Zhou Chun meant and immediately gave the clearest answer.

Sure enough, upon hearing her answer, Zhou Chun couldn't help but break into a bright smile.

She quickly continued, "As for the Nascent Soul Ceremony, Qingni didn't originally intend to hold a grand celebration. After all, Qingni doesn't know many people in Jing Kingdom, and she's never liked crowds!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chun immediately agreed readily, saying, "Since Qingni, you don't like crowds, then this Nascent Soul Ceremony can simply be held within my Zhou family. Anyway, the whole country already knows that you successfully formed your Nascent Soul!"

Luo Qingni nodded slightly, indicating her approval of the decision.

She then added, "As for choosing a Daoist title, Qingni hasn't thought about it yet; she needs to consider it carefully before making a decision!"

"The Daoist name is a matter of great importance and requires careful consideration. Let's wait until Qingni has made up her mind before informing Zhou."

Zhou Chun nodded, not in a hurry about this.

Next, he discussed with Luo Qingni the things that newly promoted Nascent Soul stage cultivators should pay attention to, and shared some of his own experiences and insights with her.

Luo Qingni was deeply grateful for his selfless sharing and thanked him repeatedly.

Afterwards, she repeatedly refused Zhou Chun's offer to stay, and took the initiative to return the cave to Zhou Chun, returning to her original cave to cultivate.

After returning to his cave to cultivate, Zhou Chun discovered that with the help of the Spirit Eye Tree, his cultivation efficiency had increased by more than 10%.

Such obvious benefits finally made him understand why those Nascent Soul stage cultivators were so eager for spiritual eye items, and could never have enough!

Unfortunately, these spiritual objects are not only rare, but they are also kept only in the caves of Nascent Soul stage cultivators.

Even if he had the strength to kill a Nascent Soul cultivator, unless he could raid the other party's cave, it would be extremely difficult to obtain such a spiritual item.

That is, a month after Zhou Chun moved back to his cave, Su Yuzhen, having learned the news, also rushed to Qinglian Peak from the Su family.

"Sister Luo is truly amazing. She's only a little over a hundred years older than me, yet she has already successfully formed her Nascent Soul and become the first Jurchen in the Jing Kingdom's thousand-year history. She's the envy of countless people!"

"Compared to her, I am truly dull and useless, having wasted the elixir you gave me, my husband, unable even to break through the barrier of the late-stage Golden Core realm!"

Inside Zhou Chun's cave, after visiting Luo Qingni's residence to congratulate her on her return, Su Yuzhen, filled with disappointment and inferiority, couldn't help but confide her inner turmoil to her Daoist partner.

Her own failure is certainly painful.

But other people's success made her feel even more inferior!

In particular, she also knew that Luo Qingni had successfully broken through to the late stage of the Golden Core realm by taking only one [Four Spirits Breakthrough Pill].

The contrast between the two filled her with indescribable bitterness.

This kind of distress and inferiority is not something that can be easily confided in or expressed to outsiders; it can only be shared with one's spouse.

After listening to her story, Zhou Chun didn't say much. He simply hugged his Daoist partner and gently patted her shoulder, saying, "My lady, there's no need to feel inferior. You have your own strengths. The breakthrough wasn't successful this time; it's just that your time hasn't come yet. Next time, I'll find you some spiritual objects so you can try again."

This thoughtful comfort deeply moved Su Yuzhen, easing her inner turmoil considerably.

She couldn't help but hug her Daoist partner tightly and said, "My husband, you are so good to me. I only regret that I am useless and have failed your trust!"

Seeing that she was still somewhat bothered by her failed breakthrough, Zhou Chun looked at her with a teasing smile and said, "Hehehe, do you think I don't know whether you're useful or not, my wife?"

As he spoke, he casually brushed aside and helped her remove her clothes.

This obvious signal made her forget all her sentimentality, and she immediately blushed as she helped her Daoist partner take off his robe.

In the following days, with Zhou Chun's in-depth guidance, Su Yuzhen gradually emerged from her emotional slump and stopped dwelling on her failure to break through.

Just as she herself said, it doesn't really matter whether she is at the mid-stage or late-stage of the Golden Core realm.

As long as she remains Chun Jun Zhenren's Daoist partner, her status will not change.

Even a late-stage Golden Core cultivator would have to obediently show her the respect due to a junior when she met her!

Another year passed, and Luo Qingni's Nascent Soul Ceremony was held quietly on Qinglian Peak, with only Zhou family-related cultivators in attendance.

It was also during the Nascent Soul Ceremony that her Daoist name was spread by the Zhou family cultivators.

Soon after, all the cultivators in the Jing Kingdom learned that the newly promoted Nascent Soul cultivator of the Zhou family was a rare female True Person, known as "Qingmei True Person".

Plum blossoms are elegant and proud, unlike ordinary flowers that bloom in spring and summer, they bloom alone in the cold winter.

The Taoist name Luo Qingni chose for herself clearly carries some hidden meaning.

Zhou Chun didn't ask why, but after praising it highly, he helped spread the word.

After the Nascent Soul Ceremony, the two Nascent Soul cultivators from the Zhou family resumed their secluded lives, just like most Nascent Soul cultivators, usually cultivating behind closed doors in their caves and rarely meeting outsiders.

This surprised some external forces who thought the Zhou family would make some big moves.

After all, Zhou Chun's previous actions didn't give the impression that he was someone who wanted to be law-abiding.

Previously, even when he was alone and the protective mountain formation was not yet in place, he dared to directly fight against a veteran Nascent Soul cultivator like Master Ziyang, who possessed spiritual treasures.

Now that he clearly possesses two demon king spirit pets, a fifth-tier dragon and a fifth-tier fire phoenix, and has gained a new Nascent Soul stage cultivator to assist him, he is fully capable of making a big splash. So why is he being so low-key?

For a time, all sorts of speculations circulated among various factions, with many wondering what Zhou Chun was up to.

However, very few people were able to get in touch with Zhou Chun, and because of his strained relationship with the other two factions in Jingguo, even though Master Yinyue was very curious about Zhou Chun's thoughts, he was unable to visit him to test him.

It seems the only thing we can do is wait and see.

Under these circumstances, the Zhou family's first special elders' meeting regarding the application and allocation of Core Formation spiritual objects was quietly held on Qinglian Peak.

Given the importance of this meeting, the Supreme Elder Zhou Daoyi personally presided over it, and four elders, including Lin Hongyu, Zhou Zhiying, Xu Fu, and Zhou Xinyan who had returned from his travels, were all present.

There were more than a dozen other members of the Purple Mansion stage who were present as observers.

"This review concerns the applications for the qualification to exchange for Core Formation spiritual items. Currently, there are two late-stage Purple Mansion cultivators in the clan who meet the application requirements: Zhou Zhiqian and Zhou Zhixiong. Only one of them will be eligible for the exchange. Their information is now in the hands of the elders. Please read it carefully and vote prudently."

Sitting in the main seat, Zhou Daoyi scanned the elders and core clansmen with a serious expression, and then solemnly announced the topic of the day.

After he finished speaking, the Golden Core elders calmly picked up the documents and began to read them.

At this moment, the two late-stage Purple Mansion cultivators standing below were on edge, looking at the elders with trepidation.

To be honest, these two are both extremely outstanding among the core members of the Zhou family.

Zhou Zhigan needs no introduction. Back when he was in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, he dared to travel far from Jingguo and, after decades of travel, successfully opened his Purple Mansion and returned. This experience is unique among all the core clansmen.

Moreover, he specializes in swordsmanship, and his actual combat strength can be said to be the number one person in the Purple Mansion stage of the Zhou family. He was once highly praised by the clan leader Zhou Zhengchun.

Zhou Zhixiong also became famous at a young age, possessing extremely high talent in talisman making. Not long after entering the Purple Mansion stage, he successfully made a third-order magic talisman and joined the ranks of talisman making masters.

Now that he has reached the late stage of the Purple Mansion realm, he can achieve a success rate of nearly 30% in making third-tier high-grade talismans.

If he can successfully form a golden core, it will be almost a certainty that he can create fourth-order magic talismans in the future!

Therefore, whichever of these two can form a golden core will be of great benefit to the Zhou family.

These two outstanding core clan members are actually well known to all the elders present today; the information provided is merely a formality.

"Zhou Zhixiong is a diligent and pragmatic man with an exceptional talent for talisman making. Over the years, the talismans he has created have saved countless lives of his clansmen. His contributions are immense. I, Xu, vote for him!"

Before long, Xu Fu, the elder from another clan, was the first to cast his vote.

Upon hearing his words, Zhou Zhixiong below immediately cast a grateful glance at him.

Zhou Zhiying glanced at her father, thought for a moment, and then said, "Then I'll also vote for my cousin Zhixiong!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Zhou Zhigan's expression changed drastically, and even his sword heart seemed to be unsettled.

Fortunately, at this moment, Lin Hongyu spoke up to support him.

"I have a higher opinion of Zhou Zhiqian. He originally possessed top-grade spiritual root aptitude, yet he was willing to abandon the cultivation path most beneficial to him for the sake of sword cultivation. This shows the strength of his resolve to pursue the Dao. If he were given a Core Formation artifact, his chances of successfully forming his core would certainly be quite high!"

These words immediately caused Zhou Zhixiong's expression to change drastically.

Wow, I never thought I'd be updating at the last minute!