At the same time,

the Western Border Miasma Forest, the pioneering work has entered its final stages.

At the petition of frontline cultivators and various noble families, a brand new Immortal City is under construction in the heart of the Western Border.

This site is precisely where the lair of the Tier Three White Tiger Demon King is located, with two complete Tier Three Spirit Veins underground, and spiritual energy as rich as that of Fenghua Immortal City.

On the outskirts of the Immortal City, several emerging markets have begun to take shape, with wooden shops lined neatly along the bluestone-paved streets.

Cultivators come and go in an endless stream.

Most are Qi Cultivators participating in the pioneering effort and members of small families, with the air filled with the mixed scent of spiritual materials, elixir pills, and demon beast materials.

In the corner of the market, within a pill shop.

An elderly man with white hair and beard, Chen Yongnian, is standing by the window, watching the spirit light from the distant construction site of the Immortal City, full of emotion on his face:

"Back then, Fenghua Immortal City was the same, slowly built from a barren land, and now the city still stands, but those who built it are long gone!"

A middle-aged cultivator, busy organizing a medicine cabinet, quickly steps forward and lowers his voice to interrupt him:

"Uncle, you must not speak carelessly."

This cultivator is Chen Hanchi, currently at the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer. Years of running around have left his face somewhat sallow, yet the sharpness in his eyes is hard to conceal.

He is now the leader of this branch of the Chen Clan, and over the years, he has barely supported the clan with his Tier One High Grade alchemy skills.

Chen Hanchi helps the old man to sit down and pours him a cup of spirit tea:

"The Sect has been generous enough to our Chen Clan. Our ancestor died in the Western Border, and not only granted us the Profound Water True Crystal, a Core Formation Spiritual Object, but also bestowed a Tier Three Demon Pill."

"In a few years, the clan may truly produce another Fake Pill Great Power."

Just as he finished speaking, a young man in a brocade robe pushed open the door and entered; it was Chen Hanchi's eldest son, Chen Yu.

The young man, just twenty, with a Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer, at the prime of his life, couldn't help but sneer at the conversation:

"Uncle, father, do you still consider us part of the Chen Clan? Our branch was long separated by the main line!"

"Have you ever seen a member of a Fake Pill Family without a proper Spirit Vein Dojo, having to rent a bit of spirit field in the market to absorb spiritual energy?"

Chen Yu's tone carried a trace of resentment:

"A few years ago, when I went with Uncle to visit the Western Border branch, we weren't even let through the door and were directly chased away by the gatekeeper."

"They even mocked us as 'a branch of a branch,' not worthy to step into the main line's mountain gate!"

Chen Hanchi's face darkened, reprimanding sternly:

"What nonsense are you speaking!"

But Chen Yongnian waved his hand, stopping Chen Hanchi, his cloudy eyes filled with sighs:

"Let it be, let the child speak."

"It's the truth anyway. In a few more years, when we old folks are gone, the glory of the Sun-Raising Mountain ancestor will be forgotten by most."

Having said that, he put his hands behind his back, hunched over, and walked step by step toward the inner hall.

The sunset stretched his shadow long, exuding an unspeakable sense of loneliness.

Once upon a time, their branch was also a powerful faction in the Sun-Raising Mountain, with each generation having a Foundation Establishment sitting in power, but now they've fallen to this state.

Chen Hanchi watched his back, pulled his son over, reprimanded him in a low voice, and punished him to handle the newly acquired spirit grass in the back courtyard.

When only he remained in the market, Chen Hanchi leaned back on his chair, heaved a gentle sigh, and past memories surged like a tide.

Since the main line dispersed many branches back then, their branch had begun a life of drifting.

Because they didn't have a Foundation Establishment cultivator, they didn't even get a piece of a formal Spirit Vein Dojo, receiving only compensation of several tens of thousands of lower grade spirit stones.

Over the years, he led the clan members across several markets, first collaborating with an alchemy room, then renting a piece of thin land and having clan members become spirit farmers.

After finally scraping together some family assets through alchemy skills, they were forced to relocate due to market conflicts.

The number of clan members in the Qi Cultivation Realm also decreased from over thirty initially to less than twenty now.

Until a few years ago, when the situation in the Western Border stabilized, he led the few remaining clan members here, taking advantage of the pioneering wave to open a herbal shop, barely making ends meet.

"If only we could have a piece of Spirit Vein foundation, the clan wouldn't have to be this way..."

Chen Hanchi muttered to himself, his eyes filled with longing.

Just then, a hurried sound of footsteps came from outside the door.

A sturdy middle-aged man holding a baby charged in excitedly, it was his sworn brother Bai Yutang.

"Big brother! I heard the Upper Sect is going to issue Pioneer Orders to Qi Cultivators!"

Chen Hanchi looked at Bai Yutang, his gaze softening a bit.

This man was raised by him single-handedly.

Back when Bai Yutang came to Sun-Raising Mountain, he was just a seven or eight-year-old child from the mundane world, discarded by the main line for having a lower grade spiritual root and placed in their branch.

Later, when the branch was dispersed, and clan members drifted apart, Bai Yutang followed all the way. Though not related by blood, they were closer than brothers.

In recent years, Chen Hanchi even personally arranged a marriage for him, marrying a woman from their clan, and now he has two children in three years, thoroughly integrating into this branch.

Chen Hanchi shook his head helplessly:

"Yutang, I've already heard."

"But the Upper Sect has only a preliminary intent, it's not easy to obtain a Pioneer Order."

Although he is only at the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer, he is proficient in magic and artifacts, having slain late-stage Qi Refining tribulation cultivators multiple times, boasting decent strength.

But now that the Western Border's situation is stable and an Immortal City is about to be established.

The Pioneer Orders at this time, though mostly for remote areas, are nonetheless tangible Spirit Vein foundations and have long become a coveted prize for many families.

They couldn't even connect with the Western Border branch of the Chen Clan, how could they obtain a Pioneer Order?

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