Clan Uncle Bohai Breaks Through

After Meng Haoran finished speaking, Meng Jingshan slowly closed his eyes.

As a man of a hundred years and a Half-step Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, he naturally understood the difficulty of breaking through from the Tenth Layer of Qi Refining to the Half-step Foundation Establishment Realm.

What was "Foundation Establishment"?

In common terms, it was called laying a foundation—building the groundwork.

Among the Ten Cultivation Realms, "Foundation Establishment" was the first barrier cultivators encountered, and it also laid the groundwork for their future achievements on the path of cultivation.

Only after completing "Foundation Establishment" could one be considered to have truly stepped onto the path of cultivation.

Before it lay the Qi Refining Realm; after it lay the Golden Core Realm.

And between them lay the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Every cultivator underwent a different cultivation process during the Qi Refining Realm.

Likewise, the "Dao Foundation" each cultivator built in the Foundation Establishment Realm was different.

Generally speaking, the more solid and profound a cultivator's cultivation was in the Qi Refining Realm, the higher the quality of the "Dao Foundation" he would construct in the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Generally, Foundation Establishment was divided into five grades: One-Day Foundation Establishment, Ten-Day Foundation Establishment, Hundred-Day Foundation Establishment, Thousand-Day Foundation Establishment, and Ten-Thousand-Day Foundation Establishment.

When most cultivators in the world underwent Foundation Establishment, they were almost always of the latter two kinds: Thousand-Day Foundation Establishment and Ten-Thousand-Day Foundation Establishment.

For example, Meng Jingshan himself possessed the very last grade of Foundation Establishment: Ten-Thousand-Day Foundation Establishment.

At that thought, Meng Jingshan slowly opened his eyes and said with a bitter smile, "Back then, your Clan Elder Meng Jinghe, your father Meng Liuhai, and I were the peak fighting strength of our Meng Family. We wanted to point our swords at Qingyang County Town and wrestle with those seven Ninth-Rank Cultivation Families. Yet who would have thought that, of the three Half-step Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators, only this old man remains today!"

Meng Haoran reached out and tightly held Meng Jingshan's aged hand, comforting him. "Clan Leader Jingshan, although Clan Elder Jinghe and my father have both passed away, you must remember that they were able to become Half-step Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators amid the hardship of ten years ago, relying on the few cultivation resources our Lineage possessed. But I believe that today, ten years later, with our Meng Family in such a favorable position, one, ten, even hundreds of Half-step Foundation Establishment Realm clansmen will surely emerge!"

Upon hearing this, the sorrow in Meng Jingshan's eyes gradually faded away.

Meng Haoran continued, "Right now, you are the highest-cultivated member of our Meng Family. If our Meng Family wishes to enter Qingyang County Town in a short time and wrestle with those seven Ninth-Rank Cultivation Families, then we must make you a true Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator. Once you cast off the words 'half-step' and become a genuine Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, those seven Ninth-Rank Cultivation Families will have to weigh carefully the weight of a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator before they dare humiliate our Meng Family!"

Meng Jingshan's clouded eyes gradually brightened.

"As long as Clan Leader Jingshan becomes a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, our Meng Family entering Qingyang County Town will no longer be a dream!"

Meng Haoran gently tightened his grip on Meng Jingshan's hand. "When that happens, the efforts of our Xinghua Village Meng Family over several hundred years will become true glory in your hands!"

Meng Jingshan said softly, "Good! Then I shall wait for Bohai to successfully emerge from seclusion!"

As he spoke, Meng Jingshan turned to Meng Haoran and smiled. "Your father's death was greatly related to me as well. If I had tried to persuade your father a little more back then, perhaps you would not have remained alone until today."

Meng Jingshan gently patted Meng Haoran's hand and said, "Your mother died in an accident during a difficult childbirth when she gave birth to you, leaving only you and your father to rely on each other. But who could have known that your father would sacrifice himself for our Meng Family as well? Though I am the clan leader of the Meng Family, I know the sorrow in your heart."

Meng Haoran shook his head. "Clan Leader Jingshan, I'm fine. I've made it through all these years."

"Haoran, you are very impressive. After your father passed away, I thought you would sink into despair. I never expected you to bring such a tremendous surprise to me—to our Meng Family!"

Meng Jingshan nodded. "First, you cultivated those Six-Pattern Wheat seedlings outside the county town. Then you planted a full five mu and more than five thousand jin of Six-Pattern Wheat in the Meng Family's backyard. After that, at Xinghua Meng Pavilion, you used the new Spirit Taming Talisman to crush the Lin Family's Five Elements Defensive Talisman in one stroke. Then came the recent Spirit Beast trade, which not only enhanced our Meng Family's overall strength but also struck at the Lin Family's path to rise."

Meng Haoran cupped his fists. "It was all thanks to the elders of the clan and Xiao Ran's help. Relying on myself alone, I could never have accomplished these things."

Meng Jingshan waved a hand. "Haoran, do not decline the credit any longer. Though I have lived deep within the Meng Family's Spirit Spring for a long time, I have watched everything you have done for the Meng Family. You have truly worked hard during this time."

Meng Haoran smiled. "As a member of the Meng Family, these are all duties I cannot refuse."

Hearing this, Meng Jingshan raised his head and looked into the distance, speaking softly. "Haoran, your talent was something I never expected. Back then, I thought our Meng Family producing a genius like your father was already a blessing accumulated by our ancestors. But I never imagined that your talent would be so high as well!"

Meng Haoran's brow twitched slightly. He guessed that Clan Leader Meng Jingshan's words carried another meaning.

Then Meng Jingshan continued, "I am an old and decaying man, and your clan uncle Meng Bohai's cultivation talent falls far short of yours. Therefore, I have prepared an extremely precious gift for you."

Meng Haoran frowned tightly and asked, "A gift? May I ask, Clan Leader Jingshan, what precious gift is it?"

Meng Jingshan explained with a faintly mysterious smile, "A gift that can help you establish your foundation quickly!"

Hearing this, Meng Haoran secretly grew excited. "Establish my foundation quickly?"

Meng Jingshan answered, "A cultivator's Foundation Establishment is divided into five kinds. In the future, when you cultivate to the Tenth Layer of Qi Refining and must break through to the Half-step Foundation Establishment Realm, I will naturally place that gift in your hands."

Seeing Meng Jingshan's solemn expression, Meng Haoran pressed on, "Clan Leader Jingshan, what kind of gift is it exactly? If it is so precious, what qualifications do I have to receive it?"

"A clansman without heaven-bestowed talent can never inherit this gift. Neither I, nor your father Meng Liuhai, nor the generations of Meng Family clan leaders before us possessed the qualifications to inherit it."

Meng Jingshan patted his shoulder. "You alone can inherit this gift! It has waited for you for several hundred years!"

Upon hearing this, Meng Haoran stopped asking.

He knew that even if he insisted on questioning him, Meng Jingshan would not tell him about that gift.

What kind of gift could it be? It has supposedly waited for me for several hundred years!

Just as Meng Haoran was lost in speculation, a strange sound suddenly came from behind him.

Meng Haoran and Meng Jingshan both started, then turned back.

The door before them slowly opened, and someone walked out.

It was none other than Meng Bohai!

"It's Clan Uncle Bohai!"

"Bohai! How did it go?"