Canglan Continent, Huangzhou, Luling Prefecture, on the edge of the Wolong Mountain Range, Green Bamboo Peak.
The Lu Family, a clan of rogue cultivators, lived here because there was a Second-tier Low-grade Spirit Vein.
Ten years ago, the Lu Family patriarch, Lu Hu, discovered the Spirit Vein here. He later brought his entire family to settle in this place.
Halfway up Green Bamboo Peak lay the Spirit Fields the Lu Family had reclaimed: fifteen mu of Low-grade Middle Tier Spirit Fields and ten mu of Low-grade Spirit Fields.
In the fields, a sturdy man swung a Spirit Hoe without pause, sweating like rain. His name was Lu Yuan, Lu Hu's eldest son. He was twenty years old, had a Mixed Spiritual Root, and was at Qi Refining Level 1.
Today, he wanted to reclaim another one or two mu of Spirit Fields nearby. But reclaiming Spirit Fields was no easy task. At first, the wild soil had been overgrown with weeds and strewn with rocks. Turning it into fertile Spirit Fields was no simple matter.
If he hadn't been tall and strong, and in the prime of his youth, he would have collapsed from exhaustion long ago.
Looking at the lush green Spirit Rice beside him filled him with a sense of accomplishment. Though his talent and strength were nothing special, he could still do something for the family. He had handled almost all the planting and tending of this Spirit Rice by himself.
Thinking of his lovely young wife, whom he had married not long ago, Lu Yuan was suddenly filled with renewed energy. He swung the hoe with all his might and brought it down.
He suddenly felt something flash through the depths of his mind, then vanish at once.
He lifted his head and looked toward the Spirit Fields in the distance. The thing that had just disappeared appeared again.
Above the Spirit Fields, two lines of framed text came into view:
[Name]: Yellow Bud Spirit Rice [Entry]: 10x Magical Power Amplification (successfully planted) [Name]: Black Wheat Spirit Grass [Entry]: Strand of Spiritual Qi (100% mature, ready to harvest)
Faced with this sudden, strange sight, Lu Yuan quickly raised his head and shook it, feeling as though it couldn't be real.
He stared at the golden characters before him, which shimmered with a mysterious radiance.
Then, he suddenly understood. He was overjoyed. This thing had to be his Golden Finger—Entries.
It was precisely because his cultivation aptitude was so poor that, even at his current age, he was still at Qi Refining Level 1. That was why he had settled for being a Spirit Farmer, playing in the dirt here.
If he had the ability, what man wouldn't have a restless heart? He wasn't a fool!
Now that he had a Golden Finger, his plans would surely have to change.
As the name suggested, "10x Magical Power Amplification" must mean that the power of his spells could be increased tenfold.
Perhaps a tiny flame he cast could turn into a great fire dragon after he used this Entry.
"Strand of Spiritual Qi" might work like those cultivation pills, gathering spiritual energy or magical power and helping him cultivate.
But he would have to test these things carefully to learn what they actually did.
At that thought, Lu Yuan immediately focused his mind and stored the two Entries away.
A green glow and a white glow appeared, then transformed into two differently colored leaves that quietly settled in the sea of consciousness within his Purple Mansion.
The green leaf bore the Entry "10x Magical Power Amplification."
The white leaf bore the Entry "Strand of Spiritual Qi."
It seemed that when he wanted to use an Entry stored in his Purple Mansion, he would only need to will it, and it would take effect immediately. It was incredibly convenient.
It was safe, too. No one could find these Entries inside his mind, and even if someone did, they probably wouldn't notice them.
Just as he was about to try an Entry and see what it did, a voice suddenly called out.
"Eldest Brother! Father wants you to come back right away to discuss something!"
Following the voice, his second younger brother, Lu He, came running over, panting.
Lu Yuan had three brothers and sisters: three boys and one girl.
He was the eldest, and Lu He was his second younger brother. He was seventeen and at Qi Refining Level 2.
Then there was his third younger brother, Lu Shan, who was sixteen and at Qi Refining Level 1.
The youngest was his younger sister, Lu Ting, who was fourteen and at Qi Refining Level 1.
"Did Father say what it was about?"
Hearing this, he had no choice but to stop exploring.
"No. He just told me to come get you. Father's waiting for you in the main hall. It seems pretty urgent!"
Lu Shan kept wiping the beads of sweat from his forehead as he spoke, panting hard.
Seeing this, Lu Yuan stopped at once, put his Spirit Hoe into his Storage Bag, then turned and ran toward the mountaintop.
Before long, he reached the main hall and saw two people inside. One was his father, Lu Hu; the other was a ruddy-faced man with a powerfully built frame.
The other was Lu Hu's second wife, Concubine Ouyang, who was dressed provocatively, her two jade-white breasts seeming about to spill out.
Lu Hu sat at the head of the hall, sipping tea. No one knew what he was thinking.
Concubine Ouyang leaned against Lu Hu, pressing herself to him and constantly rubbing her proud bosom against his body.
Only after seeing Lu Yuan arrive did Concubine Ouyang stand up, straighten her clothes, and move to the side.
But her proud figure, glimpsed through the gaps in her clothing, was enough to set anyone's imagination running wild.
"Father, Concubine Ouyang!"
Lu Yuan stepped forward and greeted them respectfully.
Though he was inwardly a million times unwilling to greet the wanton woman beside him, he did it reluctantly for his father's sake.
A year ago, Lu Hu had somehow hooked up with this woman. It was said that she was a widow and had a family of her own elsewhere.
Lu Hu had never told him much about the details.
But ever since this woman came to Green Bamboo Peak, Lu Hu's attention had turned away from his children.
Instead, he focused on this woman, practically obeying her every word.
Lu Yuan could do nothing about it. His father was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and it was perfectly normal for him to have several wives and concubines. After all, this was a world where strength ruled.
Besides, Concubine Ouyang's cultivation was far higher than his, at Qi Refining Layer 9. He didn't dare act recklessly. He wanted to live a few more days.
With his current strength at Qi Refining Level 1, he wasn't even enough to get stuck between her teeth. It was best to keep a low profile.
"Mm," Lu Hu replied.
"Oh, Yuan'er's here. You two father and son have a good talk. I have something to take care of, so I'll be off!"
Concubine Ouyang glanced at him and spoke warmly, then swayed her hips and left the main hall.
As she left, she didn't forget to toss Lu Hu a flirtatious glance.
The atmosphere in the hall paused for a moment. Lu Yuan asked cautiously, "Father, what did you want me for?"
Lu Hu looked at his tall, strapping eldest son, unsure how to begin. But then he remembered what he had promised Concubine Ouyang.
After hesitating for a moment, he steeled himself and said, "I was going to call your Cultivation Partner over so we could discuss this together. But since you're here first, I'll tell you directly."
"Your younger brother's family will be coming to Green Bamboo Peak to cultivate before long, too!"
"My younger brother? Aren't they already here at Green Bamboo Peak?"
Lu Yuan was momentarily thrown off. Lu Shan and Lu He had always been at Green Bamboo Peak!
Lu Hu glanced at Lu Yuan and explained, a little displeased, "I mean your Concubine Ouyang's family. There are about twenty of them."
Hearing that, Lu Yuan understood at once.
Green Bamboo Peak might not have the best conditions, but it did have a Second-tier Spirit Vein and a Foundation Establishment cultivator to keep it safe.
So that group of people was coming here to cultivate and save themselves a lot of trouble. When they arrived, they would surely seize the cultivation resources that had originally belonged to the Lu Family.
At its core, cultivation was about fighting over resources. With resources, of course, cultivation went much more smoothly.
Now that other people were coming here, there was no need to think twice: the Lu Family would have to give up some of its resources. They might even lose everything to those people, who would occupy the nest and drive out the original occupants. What the hell would be the point of cultivating then?
At this thought, he asked agitatedly, "Father, this is how Green Bamboo Peak came to be what it is today."
"You and Mother went through countless hardships to build this place. I've known about those struggles since I was a child. It wasn't easy."
"Now that we're finally seeing the fruits of your labor, you're letting outsiders in. Isn't that wrong?"
"What outsiders? How dare you say such a thing?"
"They're your Concubine Ouyang's descendants. Her people are my people!"
"Aren't we all one family? Why draw such a clear line between us?"
Lu Hu immediately glared at him.
"One family? Are you sure? What surname do they have—Lu?"
"Hmph, I said they're family, so they're family. I, Lu Hu, am still the one who decides what happens on Green Bamboo Peak. I'll let in whoever I want!"
Seeing Lu Yuan's fierce reaction, Lu Hu flew into a rage and stood up, glaring at him. The previous night, he had already promised to separate his eldest son's family from the others.
He couldn't go back on his word to Concubine Ouyang. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to get into bed that night!
Seeing Lu Hu's attitude, Lu Yuan knew Concubine Ouyang had to be behind this.
But there was nothing he could do to stop it. His father, Lu Hu, now obeyed that woman in everything and wouldn't give him the slightest chance.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have put it this way. He was probably only informing Lu Yuan now; the decision had surely been made long ago.
After thinking it all through, Lu Yuan stopped arguing.
"Since you've decided, do whatever you want. I hope you don't regret it one day!"
With that, Lu Yuan was so angry that he turned and started to leave without looking back.
"Stop! I'm not finished!"
Seeing Lu Yuan leave, Lu Hu hurriedly stopped him.
At that, Lu Yuan's face darkened. His heart seethed with resentment as he stopped and turned around, watching to see what else his father wanted.
"As the saying goes, when a tree grows tall, its branches spread; when children grow up, they start their own households. You're twenty this year, and you're married. You've already started your own family and career!"
At those words, Lu Yuan's heart sank, and he sensed trouble. Lu Hu acted as though he hadn't noticed his reaction.
Instead, he continued, "You know Green Bamboo Peak has only a Second-tier Low-grade Spirit Vein. Its grade could drop at any time. Even supplying me alone is barely enough."
"What's more, it has to supply an entire family with the spiritual energy they need to cultivate. There's a serious shortage, which is holding back everyone's progress."
"To ease the burden on the family, I've decided to split the household. You and your Cultivation Partner will go to Dragon Cliff Ridge. There are a few mu of Spirit Fields over there, so you can have them as your share of the family property."
At that, Lu Yuan exploded. "If spiritual energy is in short supply, why are you letting outsiders onto the mountain? Why am I the one who has to leave Green Bamboo Peak? This Spirit Mountain was left to us by Mother. I'm not going anywhere!"
Nonsense. Green Bamboo Peak still had a Second-tier Spirit Vein, a cultivation ground many people dreamed of.
He wasn't stupid. He wouldn't leave so easily.
Dragon Cliff Ridge was more than four hundred li from Green Bamboo Peak. The key was that it was extremely dangerous, close to the Savage Land. With his current strength, going there would be tantamount to suicide.
After all, the place was full of Demonic Beasts, and there were plenty of Robber Cultivators, too. Such attacks were common along the Savage Land's border.
If he left, he would become a rogue cultivator, drifting like duckweed without roots. Especially in this Cultivation World, without any strength, he wouldn't even know how he had died.
"You unfilial son! You won't even listen to your old man now? You're turning the whole world upside down!"
Before you continue