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Yun Long knew what he was doing. Wealth "borrowed" this way was never a long-term solution.

He kept a proper sense of proportion. Once he had amassed enough wealth to settle down and make a living, he quietly stopped.

At night, he no longer went out.

The journey was exhausting, and during the day, everyone mostly traveled in silence.

Whenever they rested, Yun Long would often take a yellowed, ancient booklet from his robes.

It was a cultivation technique he had obtained from a hidden compartment in that residence in Dongyun City.

He read it with rapt attention, his brows sometimes drawn tight, sometimes easing apart.

This Qi Refining Stage technique, Qingxuan Gengjin Qi, answered many of his questions.

Cultivating this technique required a Spiritual Root containing the gold attribute. The more singular the attribute, the purer the Qingxuan Gengjin Qi one cultivated would be.

The stronger the Spiritual Root, the faster the cultivation speed. More importantly, the stronger the Spiritual Root, the higher the quality of the Qingxuan Gengjin Qi produced. At its highest, it could reach the ultimate lower grade, three inches in length.

Yun Long understood somewhat.

The quality of one's Spiritual Root was related to the quality of the Qi one cultivated. The higher the Spiritual Root's quality, the higher the quality of one's Qi, provided other limiting conditions were disregarded.

That so-called three-inch length was the manifestation of Qi quality.

The Vajra Primordial Qi he cultivated was seven inches long. According to Elder Mu, it was Mid-Grade Qi Refining.

"It probably isn't that simple. Elder Mu doesn't know the true length of my Qi," Yun Long muttered.

Elder Mu had merely guessed based on the power Yun Long displayed!

The Lineage sorely lacked basic common knowledge about the Cultivation World. They had to find every possible way to make up for it as soon as possible.

Though the inheritance obtained from the Family Genealogy was complete, it lacked even the most basic common knowledge.

Li Lingyue possessed water, wood, and earth attributes, while Shi Chen possessed the Gold-Water Dual Attribute.

Shi Chen did have a gold attribute, meaning he could use this technique, but Yun Long did not intend to let him cultivate it.

The two from the Shi family could be nurtured as trusted confidants. It would be far too wasteful for Shi Chen's mid-grade Spiritual Root to cultivate the lower-grade Qingxuan Gengjin Qi.

After several more days of jolting travel, they were worn out from the journey.

At dusk that day, the group stopped at a post station to rest.

Yun Ji looked at the somewhat weary crowd, especially Shi Chen's sleepy little face, and said, "Long'er, we can't keep drifting like this forever."

Li Pinghu also nodded in agreement. "Yes, we need to find somewhere to settle down. The children need a stable environment."

Shi Tie held Shi Chen in his arms, his eyes full of expectation.

Yun Long's gaze swept over everyone. Their borrowed money was sufficient, and he had not caused trouble in the last few cities. No one should suspect them.

Yun Long said in a deep voice, "Father, Uncle Li, Uncle Shi, you're right. It's time we found a place to put down roots."

He spread out a crude map, a partial map of the Great Xia Dynasty's prefectures and counties that he had bought from a traveling merchant. He had prepared for this long ago.

"The Great Xia Dynasty is vast and rich in resources. Let's travel farther inland and find a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters, somewhere relatively peaceful."

Everyone gathered around to look.

Li Lingyue pointed at a spot on the map. "Brother Long, look here. Sanshui County. There's Wanfang Lake beside it, nestled against the mountains and beside the water. It seems like a fine place."

Yun Long examined it carefully and nodded. "Sanshui County, Wanfang Lake... It certainly sounds like a good destination."

He looked at Yun Ji. "Father, what do you think?"

Yun Ji pondered for a moment. "Let's go take a look. It isn't far from here, so it won't be much trouble. If it truly is a good place, we'll settle there."

After another day of arduous travel, the group finally arrived at Sanshui County, in the heartland of the Great Xia Dynasty.

Wanfang Lake truly lived up to its reputation. Its surface stretched wide and vast, emerald waves rippling across it. Mountains rose and fell along its shores, lush with grass and trees.

After making inquiries and carefully choosing, Yun Long spent a large portion of the wealth "borrowed" from Dongyun City and afterward to buy a secluded small valley beside Wanfang Lake.

The valley was not large. The rear mountain was thick with verdant trees, a stream ran through it, and the land was fairly fertile.

Along with the valley, they had also purchased a stretch of forest behind it and vast tracts of fertile fields outside the valley.

From that day onward, they had their own foundation in the Great Xia Dynasty.

The life-and-death crisis deep within the Jingyang Mountain Range, and the dust-covered, jolting flight all along the way, were like a raging fire tempering steel, burning away every trace of Yun Long's immaturity.

His steady gaze swept over the weary yet hopeful faces before him. A weighty sense of responsibility pressed upon his heart, yet it also stirred strength unlike anything he had ever known.

He already possessed something of the bearing of a head of household.

Yun Ji silently watched all of this. In his heart, there was both comfort and a faint sense of loss.

The child who had once needed him to shield him from wind and rain could now stand alone and hold up a patch of sky.

Yun Ji quietly stepped back, handing all authority to his son. He chose trust. He chose to let go.

Unless Yun Long committed some grave mistake capable of overturning the Yun Clan, he would not interfere lightly.

The facts proved that Yun Ji's worries were entirely unnecessary.

Yun Long was meticulous in thought and thorough in action, every step he took exceptionally steady.

Gazing at the vibrant valley before him, Yun Long drew a deep breath of fresh air scented with earth, and a heroic spirit slowly rose in his heart.

After pondering briefly, he solemnly announced, "This valley shall be named Evergreen. May our Yun Clan take root here, with spring lasting through all four seasons."

Evergreen Valley!

From then on, there was no longer that tiny hunter household struggling to survive beside the Jingyang Mountain Range.

In its place would rise a newly prosperous household by Wanfang Lake in the Great Xia Dynasty, one with firm foundations and one foot already across the threshold of cultivation—the Yun Clan of Evergreen Valley!

The new home had only just been established, and countless tasks awaited.

Yun Long assigned tasks with clear order and logic. His voice was not loud, but it carried an authority that brooked no doubt.

"Father, there are many fertile fields outside the valley. I'll need you to look for some reliable tenant farmers nearby and get the land planted as soon as possible."

Yun Ji nodded in acceptance. Looking at his son's steady profile, his eyes were full of pride.

"Uncle Shi, Uncle Li, the construction of the valley residences will be entrusted to you two. You're both experienced, so be sure to build them sturdy and comfortable."

Shi Tie and Li Pinghu exchanged a glance, then answered in unison, brimming with vigor. They knew well that they were not merely building houses—they were constructing hope for the future.

As for Yun Long himself, he bore the most crucial and most perilous task.

He had to quickly ascertain the distribution of cultivation forces around Wanfang Lake, and he had to find a way to obtain common-sense Classics of the Cultivation World to make up for the enormous shortcomings in the Lineage's inheritance.

Throughout the entire process, he had to tread as if on thin ice, completely concealing his cultivation and origins.

In this unfamiliar region, the slightest oversight could bring calamity that would wipe them out.

He could not allow the hope that had only just ignited to be extinguished in the blink of an eye.

Wanfang Lake was boundless and vast. Though it was said to encompass ten thousand directions, its emerald waters stretched far beyond ten thousand qing.

The Great Xia Dynasty had always been known for its fierce, martial folkways, and the Wanfang Lake region was even more steeped in the customs of Martial Dao.

Countless martial Aristocratic Clans were entrenched here. Even among ordinary farming households, if there were not one or two Body Tempering Realm martial artists holding down the household, they would seem a head shorter than others among their neighbors, and their words would lack a measure of confidence.

Yun Long knew this place was complicated and did not dare let down his guard in the slightest.

He returned to his room and carefully disguised himself.

In the mirror, his originally refined face gradually became ordinary, even taking on a few traces of hardship and weathering.

He changed into a silk robe of fine but unremarkable material, adjusted his gait and gaze, and made himself look like a cautious traveling merchant with a modest amount of family wealth.

Finally, he formed a hand seal with his fingers, and an almost imperceptible spiritual gleam entered his body.

This was a minor Breath Concealment Technique that could reduce his sense of presence to the greatest extent and prevent unnecessary attention.

Once prepared, Yun Long quietly left Evergreen Valley and headed for Donghu City—the largest city on the eastern shore of Wanfang Lake.