Ding Family Crisis

Qingyun Sect has finally announced to the public that it is willing to offer ten Foundation Establishment Pills to recruit rogue cultivators for wilderness reclamation.

Upon hearing that Wilderness Reclamation Merits could be exchanged for Foundation Establishment Pills, many rogue cultivators grew excited, and the number of applicants exceeded that of previous years.

The prices of cultivation spirit items such as Spirit Pills, Talismans, and Magic Artifacts have been steadily rising.

Shen Xuan, however, vaguely sensed that Qinglong Bay Market seemed to show signs of instability.

Shopkeeper Ding would never tell him about such matters.

Shen Xuan went to Zhao Chunsheng to inquire.

"The Ding Family Old Ancestor is advanced in years, with little lifespan remaining. And among the Ding Family Two Hundred Cultivators, no new Foundation Establishment Cultivator has emerged yet."

Zhao Chunsheng did not continue.

Shen Xuan understood instantly.

The Ding Family had no successor.

If something happened to the Ding Family Old Ancestor, the Qinglong Bay Spirit Land that the Ding Family occupied would be difficult to hold onto.

In the cultivation world, strength reigns supreme.

There were quite a few cultivation families in the surrounding area, watching covetously.

"How many more years does the Ding Family Old Ancestor have left?"

"Who can say for sure! Maybe twenty or thirty years, maybe tomorrow."

"Who is most likely to take advantage of the situation?"

"Zifeng Mountain Zhao Family, Wohu Ridge He Family, and Wanzhu Forest Tao Family. These three families are all Foundation Establishment families, each with two or more Foundation Establishment Grand Cultivators."

Seeing Shen Xuan's face full of worry, Zhao Chunsheng comforted him, saying, "Talisman Master Shen need not worry too much. You are not a Ding Family member, and you are a Mid-grade Talisman Master."

"No matter which family takes over Qinglong Bay, they will treat a talent like you well."

Shen Xuan sighed and said, "I hope so."

In his heart, the Ding Family was still decent.

Having stayed in Qinglong Bay for over forty years, he had grown accustomed to life here.

If another cultivation family moved in, it was hard to predict how things would turn out.

After all, he had married a Ding Family Mortal Woman.

"I must improve my own strength as quickly as possible to protect myself!"

As long as the Ding Family Old Ancestor was still alive, Qinglong Bay would remain safe.

In the cultivation world, the strength of a high-ranking cultivator determined the strength of their family.

A single Foundation Establishment Grand Cultivator was more intimidating than ten at Qi Refining Perfection.

Still, Shen Xuan had to prepare for the future.

If the Ding Family Old Ancestor suddenly fell, he would certainly have to move away from Qinglong Bay Market.

He himself would be fine.

He could conceal his breath, turn invisible, and had a Water Control Talent.

All he had to do was jump into the Longze River outside Qinglong Bay Market to escape.

But his wife, Ding Yuyao, was merely a mortal body.

Even if she cultivated Internal Force and internal energy to become a second-rate martial artist, she would still be helpless against cultivators.

"If the situation changes, I'll have my wife retreat to the mortal world first."

That was also a solution.

Qingyun Sect had decreed that wars between cultivation families must not spill over into the mortal world.

This was also a universal rule of the Xuan Yuan Continent.

Ding Yuyao, being a mortal, was not truly considered a Ding Family member.

That very evening.

Shen Xuan registered his identity alone and walked out of Qinglong Bay Market.

Not far from the market was a port.

A great river, winding for thousands of miles, flowed eastward all the way to the East Sea.

This was the Longze River.

Shen Xuan walked alone along the embankment of the Longze River.

Soon, his figure vanished into the night.

[Breath Concealment Technique]!

[Invisibility Technique]!

Shen Xuan gazed at the Longze River before him and slowly walked toward it.

This was his first time going underwater.

A dozen breaths later, Shen Xuan's entire body had sunk beneath the river's surface.

[Water Control Technique]!

At that moment, an indescribable sense of familiarity and closeness spread through him, giving him the illusion of being like a fish in water.

Shen Xuan felt as though he had transformed into a Green Feather Fish.

The pressure and resistance of the river diminished to the point of being negligible.

Not only that.

The water currents within three zhang of his surroundings yielded to his command, shifting according to his will.

He could both part a path through the water and converge to squeeze in on all sides.

Moreover, in the river, the influence on his Spiritual Sense was relatively minor.

His perception range shrank from thirty zhang to ten zhang.

Within ten zhang, he could sense the movement of every living being.

"The Green Feather Fish's speed is a thousand li per hour. I wonder how much I can achieve."

Shen Xuan took a deep breath, and the [Divine Treasure Canghai Technique] within him began to circulate.

The next instant, like an arrow loosed from a bowstring, he left a trail of afterimages deep in the river, racing over a hundred zhang away.

"The Green Feather Fish's speed is over one hundred thirty meters per second. As I am now, I only have thirty percent of that."

Shen Xuan mused to himself.

Forty meters per second—this speed was four times that of a sprint champion from his previous life!

It was even a bit faster than a Late Qi Refining Stage cultivator flying through the air on a sword!

"Let me try the [Water Condensation Edge Shaping Art]!"

Shen Xuan mobilized his Spiritual Sense, and soon a crescent-shaped Ice Blade coalesced in his hand, cold and menacing, transparent as if it had no substance, shooting out in an instant.

"Excellent. Even deep in the river, it still has lethal power within three zhang!"

And this was underwater.

A rifle with a range of four hundred meters had an effective lethal range of only one or two meters in water.

Half an hour later.

Shen Xuan emerged from the Longze River.

Not a single water stain could be seen on his clothes.

"As long as I escape the market and jump into the Longze River, I can leave safely."

With the four talents of [Water Control], [Breath Concealment], [Invisibility], and [Self-Healing] protecting him, combined with the [Water Condensation Edge Shaping Art], Shen Xuan's combat power in the water was explosive. Ordinary Qi Refining Cultivators were no match for him.

Even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator would have no way to deal with him in the Longze River.

Shen Xuan had no deep ties to the Ding Family.

He would not tie his own life to theirs.

The path of immortality was treacherous.

Shen Xuan only believed in himself!

After planning his retreat route, he continued his cultivation.

Zhao Chunsheng brought him Mantis Shrimp.

Eight or nine jin at a time.

"This stuff is cheap. One jin only costs two Spirit Stones!"

"Troubling Fellow Daoist Zhao."

In the training room, Shen Xuan used the Mysterious Jade Talisman to plunder the Bloodline Talent of the Mantis Shrimp.

[Plunderable Talents: Water Control, Iron Fist, Critical Strike]

Shen Xuan chose the [Critical Strike] talent.

[Talent: Critical Strike (16/100)]

[Dao Rhyme: 10]

"It seems this Critical Strike talent is relatively easy to plunder, and the Dao Rhyme is average."

Shen Xuan's main purpose in plundering the Mantis Shrimp's talents was to improve his Spirit Root Aptitude, gain Dao Rhyme, and increase his Spell Technique attack power, without needing to develop new talismans for new talents.

"This way, I can speed things up a bit."

Afterward, Shen Xuan had Zhao Chunsheng increase the procurement of Mantis Shrimp.

Relying on making [Spring Return Talismans], he had a surplus of over sixty Spirit Stones per month, all of which he poured into plundering the talents of the Mantis Shrimp.

At this point, he could no longer afford to care about the rest.

Fortunately, the mantis shrimp was a common water beast.

Given Zhao Chunsheng's status as a Late Qi Refining Stage monster hunter, purchasing some First-Order Middle Grade demon shrimp did not draw any attention.

While Shen Xuan was in seclusion, cultivating behind closed doors.

The Ding Family's upper echelons were in a state of frantic disarray.

The Ding Family Old Ancestor had little lifespan left, and the surrounding Foundation Establishment forces were growing restless, beginning to probe.

"We must assist the Ding Family Foundation Establishment Seed in establishing their foundation as quickly as possible!"

At the Ding Family Elder Meeting, this tone was set.

To obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill, the Ding Family intensified their conscription of rogue cultivators for pioneering within their territory.

The merit points these rogue cultivators earned during pioneering were credited to the Ding Family.

Rewards were also issued first to the Ding Family, who then distributed them according to contributions.

"Increase the intensity of corvée labor conscription!"

"The substitute labor tax must not be overdue! Anyone who neither pays the substitute labor tax nor answers the corvée labor summons shall be suppressed!"