Joy and Sorrow, Two Heavens

Canglan Continent, Huangzhou, Luling Prefecture, on the edge of the Wolong Mountain Range, Green Bamboo Peak.

This is the location of the Lu Family, a clan of Rogue Cultivators, settled here because of a second-tier low-grade spiritual vein.

Ten years ago, the head of the Lu Family, Lu Hu, discovered the spiritual vein here and subsequently moved his entire family to reside in this place.

Halfway up Green Bamboo Peak lies the spiritual farmland cultivated by the Lu Family, consisting of fifteen mu of low-grade middle-tier spiritual fields and ten mu of low-grade first-tier spiritual fields.

In the fields, a sturdy man is swinging a Spirit Hoe incessantly, sweating like rain. His name is Lu Yuan, the eldest son of Lu Hu. He is twenty years old, possesses a Mixed Spiritual Root, and is at Qi Refining Level 1.

Today, he wants to reclaim another mu or two of spiritual fields nearby, but spiritual fields are not so easily reclaimed. At the start, the wasteland is overgrown with weeds and littered with stones; turning it into fertile spiritual soil is no easy task.

If it weren't for his tall, robust physique and his youth, he would have collapsed from exhaustion long ago.

Looking at the lush green spirit rice nearby, his heart fills with a sense of accomplishment. Although his talent and strength are mediocre, he is still able to do something for the family; the planting and management of this spirit rice are basically handled by him alone.

Thinking of his newlywed wife, Lu Yuan is suddenly filled with renewed vigor, and he swings his hoe down with force.

He suddenly feels something flicker deep within his mind, only for it to vanish instantly.

He immediately lifts his head to gaze at the distant spiritual fields, and the thing that had just vanished reappears.

He sees two sets of framed prompts floating above the spiritual fields:

[Name]: Yellow Bud Spirit Rice [Entry]: 10x Magical Power Amplification (Planting Successful)

[Name]: Black Wheat Spirit Grass [Entry]: A Strand of Spiritual Qi (100% Maturity, Harvestable)

Faced with this sudden anomaly, Lu Yuan quickly raises his head and shakes it, feeling as though this is somewhat unreal.

He stares at the golden characters before him, which are emitting a mysterious, brilliant light.

He suddenly realizes the truth and is overcome with ecstasy; this must be his Golden Finger—Entries.

It is precisely because his cultivation aptitude is abysmal—stuck at Qi Refining Level 1 at his current age—that he has settled into being a spirit farmer, playing in the mud here.

If one had the ability, what man wouldn't have a restless heart? He isn't stupid, after all!

Now that he has a Golden Finger, his mindset must certainly change.

As the name implies, this "10x Magical Power Amplification" must mean that the power of any spell cast will be ten times greater than its original potency.

Perhaps a tiny spark, once this entry is applied, could transform into a massive fire dragon.

"A Strand of Spiritual Qi" might be similar to those cultivation pills, capable of condensing spiritual qi or magical power, possessing effects that promote cultivation.

However, all these things require careful verification before he can know their specific functions.

Thinking of this, Lu Yuan immediately uses his intent to store these two entries away.

He sees a green glow and a white glow, which then transform into two leaves of different colors, appearing quietly within the sea of consciousness in his Purple Mansion.

The green leaf carries the "10x Magical Power Amplification" entry.

The white leaf carries the "A Strand of Spiritual Qi" entry.

It seems that for the entries stored in this Purple Mansion, when he needs to use them, he likely only needs a single thought to activate them immediately, which is extremely convenient.

Of course, it is also very safe; after all, no one can find these entries within his mind, and even if they did, they would likely be unable to discover them.

Just as he prepares to use an entry to test the effects, a voice suddenly calls out.

"Eldest Brother! Father wants you to return immediately to discuss something!"

Following the voice, his second brother, Lu He, runs up to him, panting heavily.

Lu Yuan has four siblings, three boys and one girl.

He is the eldest, Lu He is the second brother, seventeen years old, at Qi Refining Level 2.

There is also a third brother, Lu Shan, sixteen years old, at Qi Refining Level 1.

The youngest is his younger sister, Lu Ting, fourteen years old, at Qi Refining Level 1.

"Did Father say what it was about?"

Hearing this, he has no choice but to stop his exploration.

"Not yet, he just shouted for me to come and get you. Father is waiting for you in the main hall now, it seems quite urgent!"

Lu Shan wipes the sweat from his forehead repeatedly, gasping for air as he speaks.

Seeing this, Lu Yuan stops immediately, puts his Spirit Hoe into his Storage Bag, and turns to run toward the summit.

Before long, he arrives at the main hall and sees two people inside: one is his father, Lu Hu, a man with a ruddy complexion and a powerful, muscular build.

The other is Lu Hu's second wife, Ouyang Tingting, who is dressed provocatively, her two jade rabbits nearly bursting out from her chest.

Lu Hu sits upright in the seat of honor, sipping a cup of clear tea, lost in thought.

Meanwhile, Ouyang Tingting snuggles up to Lu Hu, pressing against him and constantly rubbing her proud bosom against him.

Seeing Lu Yuan's arrival, Ouyang Tingting finally stands up, adjusts her clothing, and stands to the side.

Yet, the proud, looming curves of her chest remain visible, truly enough to make one's imagination run wild.

"Father, Aunt!"

Lu Yuan walks forward and greets them respectfully.

Although he felt ten million reasons to refuse, for the sake of his father's face, he still begrudgingly offered a greeting to the slut beside him.

He had no idea where Lu Hu had picked up this woman a year ago; it was rumored she was a widow who still had a whole family of dependents trailing behind her from elsewhere.

Lu Hu had not disclosed the specific details to him.

Ever since this woman arrived at Green Bamboo Peak, however, Lu Hu's attention had shifted away from his own children.

Instead, he was entirely focused on her, basically obeying her every word.

Lu Yuan could do nothing about such a situation; after all, his old man was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and it was quite normal for such a man to have three wives and four concubines. Who told him to be born into a world where strength was the only thing that mattered?

Besides, Ouyang Tingting's cultivation was far higher than his own, having reached the Qi Refining Layer 9, so he dared not act recklessly. He still wanted to live a few more years.

With his current strength at Qi Refining Layer One, he wasn't even enough to fill the gaps in her teeth, so naturally, it was better to keep a low profile.

"Hmm!" Lu Hu responded with a grunt.

"Oh my, Yuan'er is here. You two father and son have a good chat; I have some things to attend to first!"

Ouyang Tingting glanced at them, spoke to Lu Yuan with feigned enthusiasm, then wiggled her hips and turned to leave the hall.

Yet, as she left, she didn't forget to cast a flirtatious wink at Lu Hu.

The atmosphere in the hall stalled for a moment before Lu Yuan cautiously asked, "Father, what did you want to see me for?"

Lu Hu looked at his tall, sturdy eldest son, unsure of where to begin, but remembering his promise to Ouyang Tingting, he steeled himself.

After a moment of hesitation, he spoke ruthlessly: "I originally intended to call your Cultivation Partner over to discuss this together, but since you are here first, I might as well tell you directly!"

"In a while, your younger brother and his family will also be coming to Green Bamboo Peak to cultivate!"

"My younger brother? Aren't they already here at Green Bamboo Peak?"

Lu Yuan couldn't wrap his head around it for a moment; Lu Shan and Lu He had always been at Green Bamboo Peak!

Lu Hu glanced at Lu Yuan and explained with some dissatisfaction: "That is the family under your Concubine Ouyang's name, about twenty people or so!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan understood exactly what was going on.

Although the conditions at Green Bamboo Peak weren't great, it at least possessed a Second-tier spirit vein and had a Foundation Establishment Cultivator presiding over it, ensuring safety.

That group of people was coming here to cultivate to save themselves a lot of trouble, and they would certainly end up seizing the cultivation resources that originally belonged to them.

The essence of cultivation was the seizing of resources; those with resources naturally had a much smoother path.

Now that these people were coming, there was no need to think twice—the resources originally belonging to the Lu Family would likely have to be partially surrendered, or worse, entirely snatched away. If they were to be driven out of their own nest, what would be the point of cultivating?

Thinking of this, he asked excitedly: "Father, Green Bamboo Peak has reached its current state today..."

"That was only achieved after you and Mother went through countless hardships. I have known about these experiences since I was a child; it was not easy at all."

"Now that there is a harvest, it is not right for you to let outsiders in, is it?"

"What outsiders? Is that how you should speak?"

"Those are your Concubine Ouyang's descendants; your concubine's people are my people!"

"Are we not one family? Why must you draw such a clear line?"

Lu Hu glared at him fiercely.

"One family?! Are you sure? Then what is their surname? Is it Lu?"

"Hmph, I said it is, so it is! Green Bamboo Peak is still under my, Lu Hu's, command. Whoever I want to come in, comes in!"

Seeing Lu Yuan's intense reaction, Lu Hu flew into a rage, stood up, and glared at him. He had already promised Ouyang Tingting last night that he would separate the eldest son and his family.

He could not break his word to her, or he wouldn't even be allowed into the bed tonight!

Seeing the other man's attitude, Lu Yuan knew for certain that this was Ouyang Tingting's doing.

The problem was that there was no way to stop this now; after all, his father, Lu Hu, was basically at the beck and call of this woman and wouldn't give him a single chance to argue.

Otherwise, the man wouldn't have spoken of it this way; they had likely decided this long ago and were merely informing him now.

Realizing this, Lu Yuan stopped struggling.

"Since you have already decided, then do as you please. I hope you won't regret it in the future!"

Having said that, Lu Yuan was furious, turned on his heel, and prepared to leave without looking back.

"Stop right there! I haven't finished yet!"

Seeing Lu Yuan about to leave, Lu Hu hurriedly stopped him.

At these words, Lu Yuan's face darkened, his heart filled with resentment. He stopped and turned his head, staring at the man to see what else he could possibly want.

"As the saying goes, a tree grows branches and a man splits his household. You are twenty years old this year and married; you can be considered to have established a family and a career!"

Hearing this, Lu Yuan's heart sank, a sense of foreboding washing over him, yet Lu Hu acted as if he hadn't noticed Lu Yuan's reaction.

Instead, he continued: "You also know that Green Bamboo Peak only has a Second-tier Low-grade spirit vein, which could drop in grade at any time. It is already a struggle to supply even me alone."

"Let alone supplying a whole family's cultivation; the spiritual energy is severely insufficient, which drags down everyone's progress."

"In view of this, to lighten the family's burden, I have decided to split the household. You and your Cultivation Partner will move to Dragon Cliff Ridge. There are a few acres of spirit fields there; consider them your parting gift."

Hearing this, Lu Yuan exploded: "If the spiritual energy is insufficient, why let outsiders onto the mountain! Why must it be me who leaves Green Bamboo Peak? This is the spirit mountain Mother left for us; I am not going anywhere!"

Nonsense, this Green Bamboo Peak at least possesses a Tier 2 spirit vein now; it is a place of cultivation that many people dream of.

He is not stupid, so why would he leave so easily?

Dragon Cliff Ridge is about 400 miles away from this Green Bamboo Peak, and the key is that it is extremely treacherous and dangerous. Being close to the Savage Land, going there with his current strength is basically waiting for death.

After all, such places not only have numerous Demonic Beasts, but also many Robber Cultivators; incidents of robbery and murder are frequent on this fringe of the Savage Land.

If he were to leave, he would be nothing more than a Rogue Cultivator. Rogue Cultivators are like duckweed without roots, especially in this Cultivation World; without a shred of strength, one wouldn't even know how they died in the end.

"You rebellious son, you won't even listen to Old Man's words anymore? This is simply turning the world upside down!"