Biding One's Time, Secretly Re-cultivating

The dust settled on the matter of Zhou Liang, and the Zhou family gradually returned to a state of calm.

A year passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, the Zhou family grew steadily.

Taking charge of the Zhou family's merchant hall, Zhou Chengqian showed not a hint of unfamiliarity or timidity. Instead, he acted with ruthless decision, thoroughly subduing the older generation who had initially sought to manipulate him. Because he always wore a cheerful and easygoing smile, he earned the moniker "Smiling Tiger" among the merchants.

However, over the past year, the Huang family deliberately squeezed the Zhou, Meng, Wei, and Fang families. They refused to sell a single Green Jade Pill to the four clans. This bred endless resentment among them, yet no one dared voice their anger.

The Zhou family harbored relatively little resentment toward this. They continued to bide their time, diligently nurturing their spirit plants.

Moreover, thanks to the presence of the Purple Gold Vine, the Zhou family cultivated more than just White Marrow Grass. They acquired seeds for several other raw spirit plants required for the Green Jade Pill. By secretly selling these to the Li and Song families in the market, they quietly hoarded a substantial amount of cultivation resources.

Ten zhang beneath Baixi Mountain, a faint glow illuminated a subterranean cavern.

Over a hundred sparkling white stones were embedded into one of the cavern walls, encircling a deeply colored Spirit Origin Stone at the center. Numerous other treasures were arranged in a profound pattern around it, faintly resonating with the natural rhythm of heaven and earth. This formation slowly drew the surrounding Spiritual Qi into the cavern.

The Zhou family had earned the vast majority of these Spirit Stones from the Li and Song families.

Zhou Ping and Zhou Chengyuan sat cross-legged in the center of the cavern, each channeling their Spiritual Power. One gathered Spiritual Qi to accelerate the condensation of the earth vein, while the other drove the essence of jade and stone, guiding strands of Spiritual Qi to slowly permeate the surrounding soil and rock. Given enough time, this earth would transform into spirit-rich material-the embryonic form of Spirit Stones.

Only when the spirit vein completely formed would this earth fully crystallize into true Spirit Stones.

Before long, the two ceased their casting. Even with the Spirit Origin Stone acting as the core, condensing an entire spirit vein remained an agonizingly slow process.

Condensing a spirit vein was not the work of a single day. First, one had to continuously regulate the earth vein until its natural energies flowed smoothly and abundantly.

This natural earth energy was the foundation of Feng Shui. If the energy grew harsh, it would form a sinister and perilous domain, commonly known as barren mountains and vicious waters. Mortals who lingered in such places would suffer damage to their bodies and minds, drastically shortening their lifespans. While cultivators possessed greater fortitude, such a baleful environment would still hinder their cultivation.

Only when an earth vein flowed smoothly and harmoniously could it gather Spiritual Qi and condense a true spirit vein, transforming the area into a celestial mountain and blessed land favored by heaven and earth.

Within those blessed lands, the flora and fauna would soak in the dense Spiritual Qi, eventually mutating into Demon Beasts and spirit plants. This, in turn, elevated the profound mysteries of the spiritual mountain even further.

Zhou Ping sat cross-legged, continuously recovering his Spiritual Qi as he asked, "Chengyuan, how progresses your refinement of the jade seal?"

"Grandfather, I have fully mastered it," Zhou Chengyuan replied in a clear voice. "With me here, you can rest assured. Disperse your cultivation and begin anew."

A year of diligent practice had matured Zhou Chengyuan considerably. Yet, owing to his young age, his stern demeanor made him look like a child playing at being an adult.

Zhou Ping nodded. Although Zhou Chengyuan was only at the first level of Qi Condensation, the Jade Rock Spirit Origin Art elevated his strength a full tier above most cultivators in the same realm.

After all, the vast majority of cultivators practiced low-tier methods like the Mountain Stream Clear Flow. Whether measuring the purity of their Spiritual Qi or the intensity of their Spiritual Power, they fell far short of the Jade Rock Spirit Origin Art, to say nothing of its accompanying techniques.

Armed with three Magical Artifacts, Zhou Chengyuan possessed more than enough strength to contend with a fourth-level Qi Condensation cultivator anywhere within the four southern counties.

It was precisely this assurance that finalized Zhou Ping's decision to begin his re-cultivation this year.

The Huang family currently flourished, while the Zhou family remained hidden and inconspicuous; no one would turn their greedy gaze upon Baixi Mountain right now. The sooner he rebuilt his foundation, the sooner his combat prowess would soar. It would also allow him to dispatch Chengyuan to the Baishan Sect ahead of schedule to seek the legacies their family desperately needed, adding another layer of security for their future.

Leaving the cavern, Zhou Ping returned to the mountaintop. Although the subterranean Spiritual Qi had already surpassed the peak's concentration, absorbing it would disrupt the birth of the spirit vein. Naturally, he would not perform his re-cultivation down there.

Girls always matured a bit faster. In the span of a single year, Zhou Qianling had blossomed into a graceful young maiden. She sat by the small pond, feeding the koi fish, her laughter ringing out like silver bells.

Her subtle demon bloodline naturally drew the fish toward her; she had even overfed one or two until they resembled swimming pigs. The Purple Gold Vine had also spread its majestic canopy, its vibrant purple leaves thickening the mountaintop's Spiritual Qi to more than double what it had been a year prior.

"Great-Uncle."

"Keep feeding them, Qianling. I am merely passing through." Zhou Ping smiled warmly and continued toward the stone chamber.

Inside the secluded chamber sat Qi-Enhancing Pills, the Jade Rock Spirit Origin Art manual, healing salves refined from the Golden Border Earth Centipede, and a few precious drops of spirit liquid condensed from the burgeoning spirit vein. His preparations were absolute.

Zhou Ping cycled his energy several times, forcing his mind into absolute tranquility. Then, without hesitation, he shattered the three energy origins within his body. They collapsed one by one, erupting into a dense tide of Spiritual Qi that flooded the stone chamber!

The next moment, his spiritual aperture violently shattered. Zhou Ping coughed up blood, suffering a severe internal blow. His physical form deteriorated at a visible rate, instantly aging him into the appearance of a forty-year-old mortal.

Enduring the agony, Zhou Ping swallowed a drop of the spirit liquid. Relying on his past cultivation experience and his exceptional three-cun, five-fen spiritual light, he achieved spirit sensing in an instant, aggressively drawing the scattered Spiritual Qi back into his meridians.

Outside, Zhou Qianling sensed the violent fluctuations in the air and looked worriedly toward the closed stone doors. Meanwhile, Zhou Chengyuan had already taken a position atop the tree canopy, silently standing guard over Zhou Ping. He had deliberately kept Zhou Minghu and the others in the dark regarding the Patriarch's decision to disperse his cultivation, fearing they would panic.

"Grandfather, it is my turn to protect you," Zhou Chengyuan murmured.

He gazed at the stone chamber with unyielding resolve. The memory of Jin Yuanfeng and his thugs attacking their mountain four years ago still burned in his heart. He might be cheerful and optimistic by nature, but he was far from naive. He cultivated with such desperate diligence precisely because he wanted to emulate his grandfather-to stand as an unshakable pillar that protected their family and safeguarded their loved ones.

When Zhou Ping finally emerged from the stone chamber hours later, he truly looked the part of an aging grandfather.

Seeing that Zhou Ping had aged more than ten years in a single session, Zhou Chengyuan leaped down from the tree in an instant, his voice laced with concern. "Grandfather, are you alright?"

Zhou Qianling hurried forward to support Zhou Ping's arm. For as long as she could remember, Zhou Ping had always been a figure of imposing dignity. Now that his face bore deep lines and a grandfatherly softness, she felt a sharp pang of worry for his health.

"Haha, it is nothing serious," Zhou Ping reassured them. "Give me another year or so of cultivation, and I shall return to the Qi Condensation realm."

The higher one's innate talent, the faster their cultivation speed. Combined with their current abundance of resources, Zhou Ping would naturally not need three to five years to claw his way back to the peak as he had in the past.

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