"Naturally, I won't let you enter at the Foundation Establishment stage," Xu Chuan said with a faint smile. "Over the next two years, I will help you form your Golden Core."
"Two years? Form a Golden Core?" Mei Yun froze, feeling as though he were listening to a pure fantasy.
"What, are you unhappy about it? Don't you want to reach the Golden Core stage as soon as possible to control your condition?"
"Honored Master must be joking. Naturally, this disciple wishes for it, but about that Ancient Battlefield..."
"The matter is decided."
Mei Yun put on a bitter expression, cupped his hands, and bowed. "Yes, Honored Master."
Xu Mingwei and Xu Mingyuan were both slightly surprised, unable to stop themselves from casting a few extra evaluating glances at him.
However, they could not spot anything particularly special about Mei Yun at all.
"We will stop here for today. Mingxian, Ye Fan, you two can just use the excuse that you have returned from a journey. Mei Yun and Mingxuan, stay behind."
The rest of the group cupped their hands and took their leave one after another.
Xu Deling hugged Xu Mingwei's arm and said with a smile, "Father, it has been a long time since I last saw Mother. Is she doing well?"
"She is doing well enough, but..."
Xu Mingwei did not elaborate, simply offering a faint smile. "Let us go. I will take you to see your mother."
"I will come along too," Xu Dezhao added with a laugh. "Mother will definitely be overjoyed to see Deling."
Xu Mingxian also turned to Ye Fan and the others. "You all should go see your mother as well. Chongfei, Yulian, you two come along too."
"Yes, Father."
"Understood, Grandfather."
They departed one by one.
In the blink of an eye, only Xu Mingxuan and Mei Yun remained at the Jade Cold Pool.
A short while later.
Xu Chuan flipped his palm, and a dark yellow crystal appeared resting upon it, radiating a profound and mysterious Dao Rhyme.
Xu Chuan kept treasures of this caliber, such as Connate Spirit Objects, securely stored inside the Xu Clan's Grotto-heaven.
"Is this the Profound Yellow Stone?"
Xu Mingxuan's eyes shone with vibrant colors. Even just looking at it from a close distance, he could feel the earth-element Dao Rhyme stirring his very soul.
Strands of earth-element True Intent surged continuously within his mind.
"Take it. I am lending it to you for the next two years. With only your Foundation Establishment cultivation, you won't be able to completely consume this Profound Yellow Stone. Once your divine ability reaches the introductory level, remember to return it to me."
"Yes, Father."
Xu Chuan patted his shoulder. "Go on. Comprehend it well."
Considering Xu Mingxuan's unique nature, he still decided to bestow upon him the Golden Koi fate talent.
With this addition, coupled with his innate ability to seek fortune and avoid calamity...
Perhaps he would be the one to bring the greatest benefits to the Xu Clan within the Ancient Battlefield.
Xu Mingxuan's body trembled as his soul seemed to undergo a subtle shift. He abruptly raised his head to look at Xu Chuan.
He saw Xu Chuan give a slight nod.
Xu Mingxuan did not say another word. He simply bowed deeply toward him. "Thank you, Father."
Immediately after, he too took his leave.
"This is a bottle of high-grade Origin-Gathering Pills. Given your unique condition, it will be enough for you to reach the late stage of the Ninth-Level Foundation Establishment within a few months. After that, consume this high-grade Void Rushing Pill.
"It should allow you to break through the bottleneck and step into Foundation Establishment Perfection.
"After consolidating your foundation for a month or two, you will begin your breakthrough to the Golden Core stage.
"I have also fully prepared all the necessary pills for the breakthrough."
"Honored Master, you really have laid out my entire path without leaving a single gap," Mei Yun said with a bitter expression.
"Others could beg on their knees and still never receive such an arrangement. If you break through to the Golden Core stage, special changes should occur within your body. When that time comes, there is no need to hide anything from me.
"After all, your providence is bound to my Xu Clan. Only when my Xu Clan prospers can you travel further on your path."
"Yes, Honored Master," Mei Yun said, his expression turning serious as he cupped his hands.
Xu Chuan nodded slightly. "Go choose a bamboo hut to settle into. Until you form your Golden Core, remain here and do not leave casually."
Mei Yun chose the bamboo hut right next to Xu Chuan's.
Half an hour later.
Xu Chuan began to properly organize this medicine garden.
He transplanted the high-tier spirit herbs and demonic fruit trees obtained from the Profound Moon Secret Realm, along with some spirit grass varieties that the Xu Clan's Grotto-heaven lacked.
While at it, he also brought out the Withered Glory Tree and planted it here.
Although he had already comprehended his self-created Withered Glory Divine Ability to perfection, the Withered Glory Tree was of immense use to the Xu Family. Xu Chuan comprehending and cultivating beneath it would be beneficial to the tree's growth.
Furthermore, it was hard to say whether this Dao of Withering and Flourishing was truly at absolute perfection.
Perhaps there was hope to progress even further, achieving an epiphany beneath the Withered Glory Tree to manifest a Greater Divine Ability of the withering and flourishing path.
After all, as a veteran reader in his past life, Xu Chuan knew that in the world of immortal cultivation, laws would generally emerge once one's cultivation reached a profound level.
There were thousands of laws.
And every single one of them could lead to the Great Dao.
The transition of withering and flourishing into the Dao of Life and Death was merely one of these paths.
However, the Dao of Life and Death was far too profound and difficult. Even just comprehending a fragment of it would fall under the category of a Greater Divine Ability.
Meanwhile, the Dao of Withering and Flourishing might require continuous, deep excavation before it could display such profound effects.
A complete Greater Divine Ability was still too early for Xu Chuan, but merely crossing the threshold? He believed that, relying on his unique traits, he had a chance of achieving it during the Golden Core stage.
It was just that the exact timeline was hard to pin down.
At Xu Mingwei's courtyard.
Yang Ronghua watched a few young children from Xu Mingwei's lineage playing on the grass, with several maidservants standing by to supervise them.
These maids were all immortal cultivators or martial artists.
In the present-day Dongxi Xu Clan, at least within the Xu Residence, there were no longer any ordinary mortals.
Even when recruiting servants, the baseline requirement was being a martial artist or an immortal cultivator.
The Xu Family treated everyone equally; they did not discriminate based on whether someone was a martial artist or an immortal cultivator.
The only things that created a distinction were their loyalty, their capability in handling affairs, and their strength.
And of those, raw strength was the least important.
With the current authority and heritage of the Dongxi Xu Clan, the only thing other factions feared was the Xu Family's peak-level power. The guards truly only needed to handle mundane tasks and errands.
"Mother!"
Spotting the familiar figure sitting on the veranda, Xu Deling instantly called out.
Yang Ronghua's ears twitched. Surprised, she turned around to look.
She saw her husband and their son and daughter walking toward her.
A flash of crimson light streaked past.
Xu Deling suddenly appeared right in front of Yang Ronghua, startling her for a moment before she exclaimed in pleasant surprise, "Deling, you've returned from your travels?!"
"Yes, Mother, your daughter has returned. Have you been well at home all these years?"
Yang Ronghua grasped her hands, crystalline tears swimming in her eyes as she nodded repeatedly. "I have been perfectly well. With your father around, there is no need to worry about me.
"It is you I worry about. You must have suffered a lot out there, haven't you?"
"How could I? I am currently the number one cultivator in the family!"
"What number one cultivator? No matter how formidable you are, you can't be more formidable than your father. He is in the Golden Core stage now."
"Mother, the Golden Core stage really doesn't count for much in our Xu Family nowadays."
Xu Mingwei and Xu Dezhao walked over at that moment.
Xu Dezhao chimed in, "Mother, Deling is actually quite a bit stronger than Father now."
Yang Ronghua was mildly surprised, though her expression did not change much.
No matter what heights Xu Deling reached, she was still her daughter.
"Since you have returned, your grandfather, your Fifth Uncle, and the others must have returned as well, right?" Yang Ronghua asked.
Xu Mingwei answered, "Everyone is back."
"Father asked me to lead the entire clan to welcome his emergence from seclusion three days from now. It will serve as a signal to the outside world that his closed-door cultivation has ended."
Xu Mingwei smiled and said, "Wife, chat with Deling for a while, then go pay your respects to Mother. I still have matters to attend to."
"Father, you must be sending people to notify the Guangling branch, right?" Xu Deling suddenly interjected. "The Guangling branch is only a couple of thousand kilometers away from Dongxi. When they come over this time...
"I will give them some specially crafted tokens. With them, we can instantly transmit messages across a distance of fifteen thousand kilometers."
"That would be excellent."
Xu Mingwei gave a slight nod, then swiftly departed.
"Second Sister, you really are incredible now to possess such dharma tools. Fifteen thousand kilometers means we could directly transmit messages all the way to Great Liang.
"With these dharma tools, it will be much easier for our Xu Family's hidden agents stationed outside to pass along information."
"Let us chat as we walk, then head over to pay our respects to your grandmother," Yang Ronghua said with a bright smile.
"I will listen to Mother."
Xu Deling linked arms with Yang Ronghua, and the group chatted and laughed as they walked.
Over on Zhou Zongni's side, seeing Xu Mingxian return left her utterly astonished as well.
But what shocked her even more was learning that Xu Deyue had already married Ye Fan, and that the son they birthed was already married as well.
"Your daughter pays her respects to Mother."
"Ye Fan pays his respects to Mother-in-law."
"Your grandson Xu Chongfei and granddaughter-in-law Chen Yulian pay our respects to Grandmother."
Zhou Zongni smiled faintly and nodded. "Good, very good. Deyue, you have raised a fine child. To reach the Fifth-Layer Foundation Establishment at such a young age is impressive."
"Wife, will you accompany us to see Mother?"
"You all go ahead without me. Mother will certainly be thrilled to see you return."
Xu Mingxian gave a slight nod.
His affection for Zhou Zongni wasn't particularly deep. Both of them were individuals whose hearts were wholly devoted to the Dao.
If the Xu Family had not taken into account her status as Xu Mingxian's wife, and the fact that Xu Mingxian had followed Xu Chuan out into the world to fight for the clan...
Given her Pseudo Spiritual Root aptitude, they would never have assisted her in reaching Foundation Establishment.
At this point, her lifespan was likely nearing its end.
As for Wu Rushan.
When the Origin Martial Realm legacy was passed down, she was already over a hundred years old.
Although she possessed great perseverance on the Martial Dao, her aptitude was poor. Coupled with the fact that her Qi and Blood had long since begun to decline, breaking through was simply impossible for her.
A Grandmaster typically lived to be just over a century old, perhaps surviving past a hundred and ten if they were lucky.
Xu Mingxian and his group went to see Bai Jing, coincidentally bumping into Xu Deling and the others at the courtyard gate.
"Mingxian, you have returned."
"Eldest Sister-in-law."
"Let's go in and see Mother together."
Xu Mingxian gave a slight nod.
Seeing Xu Mingxian and his group, Bai Jing froze for a moment.
It wasn't until Xu Mingxian knelt and said, "Your son greets Mother,"
that Bai Jing finally snapped back to reality.
Xu Deyue, Ye Fan, and Xu Chongfei and his wife followed suit, kneeling as well.
"Your granddaughter, alongside her husband Ye Fan, pays respects to Grandmother."
"Your great-grandson Xu Chongfei, alongside your great-granddaughter-in-law, pays respects to Great-Grandmother."
"Good, good, good. Hurry and get up. You have all finally returned."
"Grandmother, don't forget your Deling."
"You little rascal. Seeing that playful look of yours, I know for a fact you are still single. You aren't nearly as steady and mature as Deyue has become," Bai Jing said with a beaming smile.
"Grandmother, I'm afraid you are remembering wrong. Deyue has always had this kind of temperament. She takes after Fifth Uncle."
"And what about you? Who do you take after? Your aunt?"
Yang Ronghua, Xu Dezhao, and the others all chuckled.
"Alright, let's drop the subject. Everyone sit down, let's talk."
The group took their seats.
Bai Jing looked out the door, seemingly unable to spot the person she most wanted to see. She turned her gaze to Xu Mingxian and asked, "Mingxian, where is your father?"
"Father is cultivating in seclusion at the Jade Cold Pool for three days. Once the two branches and the vassal families have been summoned, he will officially emerge."
Bai Jing nodded slightly. "That is indeed your father's style. Even upon returning, he insists on giving the outside world the illusion that he is only just now finishing his secluded cultivation.
"He even keeps his own clan members in the dark."
"Father simply does not want any unexpected complications to arise."
"Let's not talk about that anymore. Tell me, how was your life on the other side?" Bai Jing asked with a smile.
Xu Mingxian, Xu Deling, and Xu Deyue took turns sharing amusing anecdotes, local customs, and the beautiful scenery of the Heavenly South.
However, Xu Chongfei was the one who spoke the most.
His lively and outgoing personality made him seem quite unlike the rest of Xu Mingxian's lineage.
More than half an hour later.
They finally took their leave from Bai Jing's residence.
At this time.
The news that Xu Chuan was about to end his secluded cultivation had already spread throughout Dongxi. Couriers had also relayed the message to Guangling Commandery and all the vassal families under the Xu Family.
Across all the branches within Dongxi.
Numerous Xu Clan descendants and guards were locked in widespread discussion.
"Have you heard? The Old Ancestor is officially emerging from seclusion in three days!"
"I've never even seen the Old Ancestor since the day I was born," a sixth-generation disciple remarked with a sigh.
"I wonder if the Old Ancestor has broken through to the Golden Core stage?"
"Probably not. We didn't see any Golden Core Formation Celestial Phenomena appear."
"The only ones with a close relationship to the Old Ancestor are those from the first three generations. I wonder if the Old Ancestor cares about juniors like us."
"I heard the Old Ancestor is incredibly easygoing."
Some of the younger generation felt apprehensive, afraid that they wouldn't earn the Old Ancestor's favor.
In an aristocratic clan like theirs, a single word from the Old Ancestor could decide the entire future of a descendant.
Besides them, the common people living in Dongxi were all celebrating the news within their homes.
Their feelings were far purer.
Xu Chuan was essentially their faith, especially for the older generation.
Some of them used to be guards for the Xu Family, but as they grew older, they retired to live out their twilight years peacefully in Dongxi.
Of course, quite a few had already passed away.
In the early years of the Xu Family, not just anyone could break through to the Grandmaster level.
Many who were stuck at the Innate Realm bottleneck only lived to their seventies or eighties.
"Ancestor Xu is the stabilizing pillar of our Dongxi Xu Clan. Is his venerable self finally coming out of seclusion?!"
"Our Dongxi has long been as unshakeable as a mountain! No one dares to offend us. There is absolutely no need for Ancestor Xu to even show himself!"
"This is Heaven blessing our Dongxi Xu Clan!"
At the Guangling branch.
Xu Deheng's entire body trembled when he read the message transmitted from Dongxi.
"Grandfather has returned?!"
"This is wonderful news. However, it also means the Great Tribulation is fast approaching, doesn't it?"
"It is coming much faster than expected!"
Xu Deheng immediately sent down an order, demanding that all Xu Clan descendants from the Guangling branch currently out on missions return at once.
In three days, they would travel back to Dongxi to welcome the Old Ancestor as he emerged from seclusion.
This news was also learned by the Immortal Martial Alliance Headquarters.
"The Grand Elder is finally ending his seclusion?"
Many elders stationed at the headquarters were visibly shaken.
They gathered together to discuss the matter.
"I wonder if the Grand Elder has achieved his breakthrough to the Golden Core stage?" an elder surnamed Liu brought up.
Another elder surnamed Wang replied, "No news has come from Clear River City mentioning the appearance of Golden Core Formation Celestial Phenomena."
"Given the kind of figure the Grand Elder is, do you really think he would openly form a Golden Core in Dongxi if he wanted to keep it hidden?"
"Although we do not know the exact details of his aptitude, given his cultivation speed, it stands to reason that he had a chance of succeeding. Perhaps he has already formed his Golden Core and simply doesn't wish to broadcast it to the world.
"After all, the Xu Family has quite a few enemies.
"If they display too much overwhelming power, it might force Great Liang to form an alliance with Great Wei and Great Jin to jointly oppose the Xu Family."
"That makes sense. But no matter the reason, he is still our Immortal Martial Alliance's Grand Elder. The Xu Family is inextricably linked with our alliance.
"With the Grand Elder emerging from seclusion, our headquarters ought to show some gesture of respect."
"Then in three days, let's dispatch a few elders over to properly convey our regards."
"It's decided then!"
Great Wei.
The Imperial Palace.
Cao Dezhang made his way to the secluded cultivation chamber of the Cao Clan Ancestor, Cao Jiyi.
"Ancestor," he called out, bowing deeply as he stood outside the main hall.
"What is the matter?"
A deep, aged voice echoed from within the hall.
"Spies within the Immortal Martial Alliance have transmitted news," Cao Dezhang reported. "The Xu Family's Ancestor, Xu Chuan, is coming out of seclusion!"
"He is finally emerging?"
"I suspect he might have just hidden somewhere to form his Golden Core before returning."