Earth-Turning Earthworm (Please Bookmark, Please Vote)

It was said that Second Elder Ling Ruxian was a sword cultivator who had learned a sword formation. He had once slain over a hundred cultivators with it, and even with the cultivation of Qi Training Ninth Layer, he had fought three Qi Training Completion cultivators head-on.

His severed arm had been lost during the decades he spent traveling and training outside. It was said that after killing the descendant of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, he had enraged that cultivator and had his arm cut off.

After standing there dumbfounded for a moment, Ling Pengyun finally came back to his senses and solemnly accepted the two manuals floating in the air before him.

The Azure Water Art was Ling Pengyun's primary cultivation technique. It could be considered an excellent Qi Training technique, and it was also one of the required techniques for the Ling Clan's Spirit Plant Farmers. It had been refined over more than two hundred years by generations of Ling Clan cultivators, and it even contained cultivation notes left behind by many predecessors.

As for the Lingxiao Ripening Technique, it was a Spirit Plant Secret Method that could accelerate the growth of spirit plants. It had been gradually improved by dozens of Spirit Plant Farmers from the Ling Clan's generations, based on the commonplace Spirit Plant Secret Method known as the "Ripening Technique," and its effects were far stronger.

These two manuals could both be called vital components of the Ling Clan. If they were leaked, the efforts of the Ling Clan's generations of predecessors would flow east like water, all in vain. Ling Pengyun naturally understood the gravity of such a matter.

"Thirteenth Grandfather, this junior will certainly never spread these items. I, Ling Pengyun, am willing to swear a Heavenly Dao Oath: if I ever divulge the Azure Water Art or the Lingxiao Ripening Technique, my cultivation will never advance another inch for the rest of my life!" To put the upper echelons of the clan at ease, Ling Pengyun decisively swore a Heavenly Dao Oath.

For cultivators with hearts devoted to the Dao and decent potential, a Heavenly Dao Oath was extremely binding. Breaking one would give rise to inner demons, and might even bring the suppression of the Heavenly Dao itself, slowing one's cultivation progress.

As for cultivation truly becoming unable to advance another inch after breaking the oath, that was merely an exaggeration.

Ling Pengyun's actions also earned Ling Ruxian's approval. He spoke coldly once more. "Your temperament is not bad. I heard that your divine sense far surpasses that of cultivators at the same level. Once you break through to Qi Training Late Stage, come find me at the Technique Pavilion. I have a fortunate opportunity to give you!"

Joy surged in Ling Pengyun's heart, and he secretly thought, Could it be the sword formation that Fifteenth Great Grandfather knows?

When Ling Ruxian had traveled outside in his youth, he had obtained a sword formation. The requirements for cultivating it were exceedingly high, but its power was also formidable. In the entire Ling Clan, only three people had cultivated this sword formation: Ling Ruxian himself, Clan Head Ling Yunhong, and Ling Pengxing, the greatest genius of the Peng Generation.

Three years ago, Clan Head Ling Yunhong, then at Foundation Establishment Third Layer, had relied on this sword formation to destroy the Foundation Establishment wolf king of the Gale Wolf Pack that occupied Lingxiao Mountain.

Ling Pengyun naturally held anything that could strengthen his power in the highest regard. The ability to wave a hand and unleash dozens, hundreds, even thousands of sword radiances at once was also something this former fan of immortal-hero novels had dreamed of day and night.

Other than that sword formation, there was nothing else on Ling Ruxian that could be called a fortunate opportunity.

Beyond that, Ling Pengyun had never heard that Ling Ruxian possessed any other skills or legends.

Upon hearing Ling Ruxian's words, Ling Yunhong, seated in the place of honor, showed a slight change in expression. However, he did not interfere. He merely dismissed Ling Pengyun. "All right, Peng Yun. You may leave first. We still have important matters to discuss. Tomorrow, collect the Control Array Disk for Azure Stone Mountain's Mountain Protection Formation from the General Affairs Hall, then follow the Spirit Vein Distribution Map and head to the place you are to guard."

Having received the signal, Ling Pengyun naturally did not dare linger. He hurried down the small path by which he had come. On the way, he ran into Ling Ruda.

"Eleventh Great Grandfather!" Ling Pengyun greeted him.

Ling Ruda had just gone to see someone off the mountain and had not been in the Council Hall, so he had not heard what Ling Pengyun had said there. To keep Ling Pengyun from harboring misgivings about the clan's arrangements, he explained again.

"Peng Yun, the clan had no choice this time. The clan flourishes in the path of spirit plants, and among the current clan members, your talent in that path is the strongest. The Clan Head's decision to send you out this time is actually meant to cultivate you as well. My position...!"

At that point, Ling Ruda stopped speaking and did not finish his sentence.

However, it was not difficult for Ling Pengyun to guess what Ling Ruda meant. Excitement immediately rose in his heart. Ling Ruda's position was that of the clan's Grand Elder, the most powerful person beneath the Clan Head. Becoming one of the clan's upper echelon was the small dream of every clan cultivator; their great dream was Foundation Establishment.

Ling Pengyun's dream was naturally the same.

"This great-grandson has no other thoughts. Serving the clan is our duty!" Ling Pengyun said.

"You brat, still playing this official talk with me? This Beast Taming Pouch contains three Earth-Turning Earthworms at Innate Perfection. I took them from the high-grade spirit field area at the mountaintop. Consider them an extra pair of hands for you when you tend that First Grade Middle Rank Spirit Vein outside in the future!" Though Ling Ruda was quite satisfied with Ling Pengyun's words, he still laughed and scolded him. Taking a Beast Taming Pouch from his robes, he handed it to Ling Pengyun.

Ever since the clan had discovered Ling Pengyun's talent in spirit plants, Ling Ruda had kept him by his side and taught him the path of spirit plants. The two were therefore very familiar with one another, and their relationship was closer than most.

"Earth-Turning Earthworms?" Ling Pengyun stared at the Beast Taming Pouch in his hand in disbelief.

"That is right. I carefully selected these three for you. Their aptitudes are all quite good, and they have a chance to break through into the Qi Training realm. All right, I still need to return to the Council Hall for discussions. During your time away from the Clan Mountain, do not forget to read the clan's Lingxiao Spirit Plant Scripture every day. When you return in five years, I will test you!" After saying this, Ling Ruda swiftly departed.

Ling Pengyun watched Ling Ruda's departing figure vanish from sight before lowering his head to look at the Storage Bag in his hand. A faint joy appeared on his face as he thought of another implication.

"Earth-Turning Earthworms have always been precious. Even after the clan's inheritance of more than two hundred years, it has bred only a little over a hundred of them. They are incomparably valuable and have always been kept for the clan's own use. Now that Eleventh Great Grandfather has given me three Earth-Turning Earthworms at Innate Perfection, he must have received the Clan Head's tacit approval!"

Inside the Council Hall.

Seeing Ling Ruda return after seeing someone off, Ling Yunhong, seated in the place of honor, spoke with a grave expression. "Everyone, now that our Ling Clan has become a Foundation Establishment Family, the number of spirit veins we occupy has increased more than tenfold. If we continue living solely by planting spirit plants as we did when we were a Qi Training family, it will be difficult to support the clan's growth! At most, it can keep the Ling Clan clothed and fed, but our clan will also be unable to move forward!"

"There are now two paths before our Ling Clan. The first is to rely on our original trade, the path of cultivation, to plant Sword Star Grass, advance the Spirit Talisman path at which our Ling Clan already excels, increase our efforts to cultivate Spirit Talisman Masters within the clan, and search for a Second-Order Talisman Crafter Inheritance. We would make our living through spirit talismans, and after a hundred years, earn the name of a Spirit Talisman Family!"

"The second is to plant Qi Training Grass, Yellow Sprout Grass, Azure Spirit Grass, and other main ingredients for refining pills; seek out alchemy inheritances; and cultivate alchemists! After a hundred years, we would earn the name of an Alchemy Family!"

"Everyone, you all understand the advantages and disadvantages of these two paths!"

"As for the Spirit Talisman path, among the five great Foundation Establishment Families of Huai River County, there is already a Spirit Talisman Family. That Spirit Talisman Family is considerably stronger than our Ling Clan. If the Ling Clan also focuses on spirit talismans, conflict with them will certainly arise! Moreover, the spirit talismans our Ling Clan produces in the future may not even compare with those of that Spirit Talisman Family, which has a Second-Order Talisman Crafter overseeing it!"

"As for the path of alchemy, although it earns many spirit stones, none of the five great Foundation Establishment Families of Huai River County focus on it. Yet the problem is that the Ling Clan possesses only low- and middle-grade first-order alchemy inheritances! With such inheritances, it will be impossible to develop our Ling Clan's alchemists, let alone become an Alchemy Family centered on alchemy."

"Everyone, how do you think we should choose between these two paths?"

Ling Yunhong had laid out the advantages and disadvantages of both paths with perfect clarity. It was not only him who did not know which to choose; the other three elders present also hesitated for a time. Both paths had their gains and losses, and they furrowed their brows as they considered them carefully.

The Council Hall remained immersed in silence for the time it took to drink half a cup of tea. Then Ling Ruda, the Grand Elder who usually managed the clan's miscellaneous affairs and resource allocation, suddenly spoke with unwavering resolve.

"I have an idea. We can seek out the Pingyun Mountain Yang Family, an Alchemy Family in Cloudwater County that is related to our Ling Clan, and purchase a Second-Order Alchemist Inheritance from them. At the same time, we can increase the clan's cultivation of Spirit Talisman Masters!"

"Develop both paths at once!"

"That would consume no small amount of clan resources!" Fifth Elder Ling Yunxi was the first to object.

"For the paths of alchemy and talisman crafting, the main ingredients and Talisman Crafting Grass required can be planted by the clan itself. We have planted them in previous years, and quite a bit of last year's year-end harvest remains unsold!"

"As for the Talisman Ink required for talisman crafting, the clan can form a Monster Hunting Team to hunt demon beasts outside and refine it from their blood! The auxiliary ingredients needed for refining pills can be bought with a small amount of spirit stones!"

"The clan merely needs to spend more spirit stones on Alchemy Furnaces and talisman brushes. That will be enough!" Ling Ruxian, who had controlled the clan's finances for many years, had long possessed a countermeasure and spoke up.

"It is feasible. We shall do it this way!" After considering the matter, Clan Head Ling Yunhong approved of Ling Ruda's proposal.

With the Clan Head in agreement, no one dared voice any opposition.

The latter half of the meeting then began a detailed discussion over which clan members should be prioritized for cultivation in the paths of spirit talismans and alchemy.