In the storage room where the annual tributes are counted.

The air was filled with the rich aroma of Spirit Rice, and there were also eight hundred pieces of Lower Grade Spirit Stones.

This was the annual tribute that the Zhang Clan had accumulated over six months, to be personally delivered to the Li Xiao Sect by the Second Elder, and handed over to Zhang Cheng'an.

Zhang Yaozu stood in the center of the storage room, looking at these tributes that embodied the blood and sweat of the entire clan, and sighed softly.

He turned to Chen Sheng and said:

"Ping'Er, come with me to Celestial Capital Peak."

Chen Sheng felt a stir in his heart but remained expressionless as he responded:

"Yes."

He knew that Zhang Yaozu intended to groom him to handle clan affairs—such as offerings, which seemed humiliating but allowed him to understand the survival laws of the Cultivation Realm.

Accompanying them were three clan uncles, each a cultivator at the fifth or sixth level of Qi Cultivation, holding Magical Artifacts, with vigilant expressions.

The mountain path was rugged, the cold wind swept withered leaves over the treetops, making a wailing sound.

Halfway through, they encountered several small family teams, with their leaders bowing to Zhang Yaozu in greeting, their eyes full of envy as they looked at the Zhang family team.

In those small family teams, there were mostly carefully dressed young boys and girls.

The boys wore brocade robes embroidered with cloud patterns, and the girls had twin buns, but their faces showed a fear inconsistent with their age.

When they saw that there were no children in the Zhang family team, their eyes showed even more envy.

Zhang Yaozu reined in his horse, pointed at those children, and said to Chen Sheng:

"Ping'Er, do you see? This is the Cultivation Realm, where power and influence prevail."

His tone carried a hint of relief:

"Thanks to Cheng'an, the Huang Monster only accepts our Spirit Stones, saving us from having to offer children."

He was silent for a moment and then continued:

"I know that these years have been hard on you all; almost all resources are given to Cheng'an. But you must understand the clan's difficulties."

"For a small clan like ours, if we don't concentrate our resources and take a gamble, we will inevitably be annexed."

Chen Sheng nodded:

"I understand."

His future was never tied to the Zhang Clan, so he remained calm.

Moreover, Zhang Yaozu was not the type of person to make others sacrifice; he led by example and was very responsible.

Over the past ten years, Chen Sheng had seen clearly that to support Zhang Cheng'an, Zhang Yaozu had been walking on the edge of life and death. Now, he still appeared slightly pale, evidently carrying hidden injuries.

...

At the foot of Celestial Capital Peak, mist swirled, and the mountain's walls were covered with dark green moss, exuding a damp scent.

Zhang Yaozu instructed Chen Sheng and the others to wait beside a large rock at the foot of the mountain, while he carried a heavy brocade box and ascended the mountain alone.

Chen Sheng watched Zhang Yaozu's silhouette disappear into the mist, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding mountain formations.

The main peak reached up into the clouds, flanked by secondary peaks in an embrace, with the airflow at the mountain's foot carrying a bone-chilling cold, faintly forming a vortex.

"The Land of Three Shadows Returning to Sha."

He mused, his eyes narrowing, and a thought struck him.

This terrain was bone-chilling and cold, a natural place for cultivating corpses.

The three uncles gathered together in low conversation, oblivious to the spell Chen Sheng traced with his fingertips—using faint spiritual power to record the terrain features for future reference.

...

At Celestial Capital Peak, in an affiliated courtyard.

The Huang Monster did not show up, leaving only his first disciple, Hua Yunhe, a cultivator with feminine features, exuding a lascivious aura.

It was said that he was also an object of the Huang Monster's absorption, later winning favor to become a disciple, and now serving as the Huang Monster's chief steward.

Hua Yunhe's attitude towards the small families and the Zhang Clan was evidently different.

Zhang Yaozu remained respectful, not forgetting to slip a gift of Spirit Stones into Hua Yunhe's sleeve along with the offering.

Hua Yunhe displayed a wicked smile:

"Mr. Zhang still understands, it's not in vain that I've spoken well of your Zhang Clan in front of the Elder, exempting you from offering children."

Zhang Yaozu appeared ingratiating with his smile:

"Thank you, Chief Hua!"

Hua Yunhe chuckled softly:

"Go ahead, I wish Mr. Zhang to have his desires fulfilled. If your noble clan member truly becomes a Foundation Establishment Elder, don't forget us old friends."

Zhang Yaozu bowed respectfully:

"I dare not forget the chief's great favor."

...

At the foot of the mountain.

About an hour later, Zhang Yaozu returned. The brocade box was already empty, but his face showed a relieved smile.

"Let's go home."

On the way back, Zhang Yaozu shared with Chen Sheng the details of this offering and the dealings with Hua Yunhe.

Chen Sheng gently nodded.

...

Another year of peach blossoms in full bloom.

On the spirit fields of Peach Wood Peak, pink and white petals lay like a layer of snow.

The clan members began collecting the petals to make peach blossom ointment for sale.

Zhang Yaozu was handling clan affairs in the ancestral hall, frowning at the meager number of spirit stones in the account book.

"Grand Elder! Grand Elder!"

Zhang Zongyuan hurried into the ancestral hall with a jade scroll in hand.

Zhang Yaozu looked up displeased:

"What's the rush?"

"How unseemly!"

Zhang Zongyuan handed over the jade scroll, his voice trembling:

"Chengping... Chengping is missing! This is the jade scroll he left behind!"

Zhang Yaozu's heart tightened, and he quickly took the jade scroll. As his spiritual sense swept over it, his expression gradually grew complicated.

The handwriting on the jade scroll was firm and powerful, saying he encountered a wandering Foundation Establishment elder, who said Chengping had a special physique suitable for inheriting an ancient cultivation technique, thus he decided to follow the elder for cultivation.

At the end of the text, Chengping left behind a method for making "Peach Blossom Spirit Brew," which could possibly turn the peach blossoms of Peach Wood Peak into spirit wine, perhaps helping to improve the Zhang's situation.

"This child..."

Zhang Yaozu held the jade scroll, silent for a long time.

He had planned for Chen Sheng to become Zhang Cheng'an's assistant after Foundation Establishment, but didn't expect the child to leave without a word.

Zhang Zongyuan anxiously said:

"Grand Elder, should we send people to find him?"

Zhang Yaozu shook his head with a bitter smile:

"Find what?"

"Since he left this method, he is determined to go. The clan can't afford his cultivation, so leaving might be good, maybe he can truly forge a new path."

He summoned the Second Elder:

"Try this method. If spirit wine can indeed be brewed, it would be Chengping leaving a thought for the clan."

...

Meanwhile.

In the wild mountains and forests on the border of Zhao Gong Country, Chen Sheng was pushing through waist-high undergrowth, heading toward a nondescript mountain wall.

According to the memory of his third life, a secret mansion was hidden here.

The mountain wall was covered with vines. Chen Sheng placed his hand on a slightly protruding rock, his mana injected into it, causing the rock to slowly recess inward.

With a light "crack," a ten-foot-high stone door appeared on the mountain wall, with faint array patterns carved on it.

As he performed a special spell.

With a "buzz," the stone door slowly opened, revealing a dark passage inside.

At the end of the passage was a stone chamber, ten feet square, with four luminous beads set in the walls, lighting it up like daytime.

In the center of the stone chamber was a storage box half as tall as a person.

Chen Sheng skipped past the storage box, heading to the southeast corner, where he began digging.

After digging ten feet deep, a jade box emerged, containing the resources he left in his third life.

Chen Sheng stepped forward, performing a spell to remove the restriction on the jade box, and took out a storage pouch from within.

Inside the storage pouch, hundreds of bottles of various elixir pills were neatly arranged — for body refining, healing, recovery, enhancing techniques, barrier-breaking, Foundation Establishment... all inclusive.

There were also 200,000 lower grade spirit stones piled like a small mountain, and a set of arrays.

"Enough."

Chen Sheng took a deep breath, his eyes gleaming.

These resources were enough to cultivate to Foundation Establishment, and then he could continue to explore other secret mansions to rapidly increase his strength.

He didn't immediately start cultivating but took out an array disc and array banner to set up an array in the stone chamber.

With fingers forming seals and muttering incantations:

"Heaven and earth positioned, mountain and marsh qi circulate, thunder and wind clash, water and fire do not repel..."

As the incantations were recited, the nine array banners formed positions of the Nine Palaces in the stone chamber, intersecting spirit light into a web, enveloping the chamber within.

"Nine Palace Spirit Gathering Array, complete!"

Chen Sheng clapped his hands, the spirit light on the array banners suddenly increased, and the pile of spirit stones began to take effect, raising the cave's environment to the level of a Tier Two Middle Grade Spirit Vein.

Once more, he set up an array!

At this moment, many insights into array dao surfaced in Chen Sheng's mind.

In his past life, he was stuck at Tier Two Lower Grade, but this life was completely different. The obstacles of the past now seemed like a final barrier, breaking upon a touch.

He murmured in his heart: "This is talent."

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