Cold Pond Jade Marrow, Heavenly Spiritual Root, News of the Zhang Family Old Ancestor

In just a few words, Zhang Mingze dissolved the somewhat stiff atmosphere in the room.

It had to be said that this man truly had a knack for dealing with people.

Even the congratulatory gift he had presented was something Ji Haoyuan found difficult to refuse.

It was something that could genuinely improve the quality of a fire-attributed Second Order spiritual artifact.

Under normal circumstances, even if one wanted to buy it, one might not be able to.

This showed that

the Zhang brothers had not come intending to openly clash with the Ji Family.

At least, not for now.

And the Ji Family likewise needed this period of breathing room.

Therefore,

after Zhang Mingze took out the Blazing Gold Red Iron, Ji Haoyuan did not refuse it. Instead, he accepted it with a smile and voiced his thanks.

Seeing this, Liu Hongyu did not continue the previous topic. Smiling as well, she took out a Jade Bottle and handed it to Ji Haoyuan.

"Daoist Friend Haoyuan, please forgive any offense I may have caused just now.

"This is a congratulatory gift I specially prepared for you. It is Pure Spirit Jade Marrow produced deep beneath a cold pond. It can greatly replenish a cultivator's vitality and restore the vital essence lost in the past."

"Cold Pond Jade Marrow?"

Upon seeing what Liu Hongyu had produced, not only Ji Haoyuan and Ji Bochang, but even the Zhang brothers at the side were slightly taken aback.

Just as Liu Hongyu had said, this item's greatest use was replenishing a cultivator's vitality and restoring vital essence lost in the past.

To put it plainly, it could increase one's Lifespan.

Moreover, it belonged to the category of Natural Spiritual Items.

Such spiritual items could be called extremely precious treasures no matter where they were found.

Most importantly, this sort of thing was useful even to Liu Hongyu herself.

Yet she had been willing to take it out.

Either she truly wished to use this item to befriend Ji Haoyuan and had faith in his future,

or she had already consumed it herself, and it no longer had any effect on her.

For no spiritual item capable of extending one's lifespan was effective beyond the first consumption.

That was the law of this world. No one could defy it.

Taking the Jade Bottle containing the Cold Pond Jade Marrow from Liu Hongyu, Ji Haoyuan sincerely thanked her.

"Many thanks to Fellow Daoist Liu for this congratulatory gift. This item is indeed extremely important to me."

As he spoke, he did not forget to cup his fists toward Liu Hongyu.

"Hehe, it is enough that Daoist Friend Haoyuan does not blame me for my careless words just now."

Liu Hongyu smiled and shook her head.

Although he did not know why Liu Hongyu had deliberately said those things just now,

or what her true purpose had been,

it was likely nothing more than that.

But at this moment, those matters were no longer so important.

The fact that she had been willing to take out the Cold Pond Jade Marrow was enough for Ji Haoyuan and the others to stop dwelling on them.

A short while later,

the Zhang brothers were the first to leave.

Seeing this, Liu Hongyu did not intend to remain any longer either.

However, before leaving, she seemed to suddenly recall something and turned to Ji Haoyuan and Ji Bochang.

"Gentlemen, I heard that among the Zhang Family's younger generation, a disciple with a Heavenly Spiritual Root seems to have emerged. He has now been sent to the Crimson Cloud Sect and taken as a disciple by some Golden Core True Person.

"Furthermore, the Zhang Family's Old Ancestor, whom no one has seen for many years, does not seem to have passed away in meditation.

"On the contrary, their Old Ancestor may very well advance further."

"What?"

Hearing this news from Liu Hongyu, Ji Haoyuan and Ji Bochang were both startled.

Over these past years, the Ji Family had devoted nearly all their energy to self-preservation and seeking a way out.

As a result, their intelligence concerning other matters had inevitably lagged behind.

Who would have thought that the Zhang Family had quietly produced such an outstanding descendant?

A Heavenly Spiritual Root—he was undoubtedly a Golden Core Seed.

The only thing that surprised them was that the Zhang Family had actually been willing to send such an exceptional descendant into the Crimson Cloud Sect.

One had to know that once a family descendant entered a sect, the bonds between him and his family would be invisibly severed to a great extent.

After all, once you entered a sect, your identity was no longer that of a descendant of some family, but a disciple of that sect.

From then on, everything had to place the interests of your sect first.

Yet even so, the connection between that person and his original family would not truly disappear entirely.

Especially after he gained a certain position and influence within the sect, even if he did nothing and said nothing, there would still be people seeking to curry favor with him because of it.

Should he one day truly achieve Golden Core,

there would be even less need to say anything.

He could fully recruit members of his original family into the sect and establish a family branch that belonged exclusively to him within it.

Moreover, the news Liu Hongyu had revealed this time was not limited to that alone.

If Ji Haoyuan and the others remembered correctly, the Zhang Family's oldest Old Ancestor seemed to be nearly two hundred years old by now.

The Lifespan of a Foundation Establishment cultivator was generally around two hundred and forty years.

Subtracting the vitality lost through injuries along the way, as well as the lifespan consumed by various accidents,

a Foundation Establishment cultivator's approximate lifespan was basically around two hundred and twenty years.

At such an advanced age, that man still had hope of advancing further.

For the Ji Family, and even the Liu Family, that truly was not good news.

For they all knew that before the Zhang Family's Old Ancestor had gone into seclusion, his cultivation had already reached the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.

If he advanced further this time, he would undoubtedly reach the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.

If the gap between the Foundation Establishment Early Stage and the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage could still be narrowed through one's cultivation technique, treasures, spells, and the like,

then the gap with the Foundation Establishment Late Stage was difficult to make up through ordinary means.

Even the weakest Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivator could, at certain times, utterly crush Foundation Establishment Middle Stage and Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivators.

Thus, in a Golden Core Sect like the Crimson Cloud Sect,

any cultivator whose cultivation reached the Foundation Establishment Late Stage would be given a position with real authority, and in terms of status, would also be granted the title of Elder.

At this thought, Ji Haoyuan and Ji Bochang finally understood why Liu Hongyu had behaved as she had earlier.

"Oh, right..."

Liu Hongyu continued, "A year from now, there will be a trade fair among Foundation Establishment cultivators at Mingxia Market.

"If the two of you are interested, we can attend it together."

"A trade fair among Foundation Establishment cultivators?"

Ji Haoyuan and Ji Bochang pondered briefly before Ji Haoyuan said,

"If I have the time then, I will contact Fellow Daoist Liu."

He knew that the Mingxia Market Liu Hongyu mentioned was a market under the jurisdiction of the Crimson Cloud Sect.

If the trade fair was held there, there would basically be no major concerns regarding safety.

"Very well. Then I shall wait for news from you two."

Liu Hongyu answered with a smile, then took her leave.

Elsewhere,

Zhang Mingze and Zhang Mingyuan, who had left first, both wore rather unpleasant expressions.

Zhang Mingyuan in particular.

His gaze was dark and gloomy as he turned to Zhang Mingze beside him.

"Brother, what exactly did that bitch surnamed Liu mean earlier? Did she really think we were all fools who could see nothing?"

At this, Zhang Mingze waved his hand.

His expression had already returned to calm.

He said indifferently, "Whatever her intentions are, they are not important.

"When our grandfather leaves seclusion and Zhilong grows up, this Nanning Prefecture will sooner or later belong to you and me.

"They do not wish to tear all pretenses apart with our Zhang Family right now and want to buy as much time as possible. Little do they know that our Zhang Family likewise needs time..."

Having said this, Zhang Mingze spoke no further. He immediately returned with Zhang Mingyuan toward Dongming Mountain, where their Zhang Family resided.