"Qingxue, now that you've married into the Zhang Family, you're one of us."
"You needn't worry about the Cold Poison. Even if I have to swallow my pride and beg those old friends of mine, I'll find a way to get you an antidote."
Lin Qingxue felt warmth bloom in her heart, and her eyes reddened. "Thank you for your concern, Ancestor."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Zhang Chen suddenly spoke up. "Qingxue, go have some tea in the side hall. I have a few important matters concerning the family that I'd like to report to Ancestor in private."
Lin Qingxue was an exceptionally clever woman. At his words, she immediately rose to take her leave, without a word of unnecessary chatter.
Once the stone door had closed again, only an old man and a young one remained in the Cave Mansion.
The smile on Zhang Tianzheng's face gradually faded, and his gaze sharpened. "Chen'er, what is it you want to tell me? Has something happened with the inheritance?"
Zhang Chen said nothing. He simply took a deep breath and stopped suppressing the aura within him.
BOOM—!
A powerful, pure wave of Spiritual Power burst from his body in an instant.
The aura was so strong that it whipped up a small whirlwind in the hall.
The lamps from West Zhou flickered in the gusting wind.
Zhang Tianzheng's stern expression changed dramatically!
His eyes widened as he stared at Zhang Chen.
As though he'd seen a ghost.
"Qi Refining... Great Perfection?!"
The Ancestor's voice had gone completely off-key, thick with disbelief.
Just yesterday, this kid had been at the Third Layer of Qi Refining. He'd slept, married a wife, and suddenly reached Great Perfection?
Such a rate of cultivation was unheard of—not just in the Southern Domain, but across the entire Cultivation World!
"Is this the power of that inheritance?"
Zhang Tianzheng asked in a trembling voice.
"Exactly."
Zhang Chen nodded solemnly and began the lie he'd carefully prepared earlier. "Last night, after I married Qingxue, I sensed the first awakening of my bloodline power."
"This cultivation at Qi Refining Great Perfection is the first gift bestowed by my bloodline."
"Truly... terrifying!"
Zhang Tianzheng drew in a sharp breath, his beard trembling with excitement.
Immediate results!
It really had worked at once!
He'd originally thought they would have to wait ten months, until an heir was born, before seeing any effect. He hadn't expected that simply getting married could bring such an enormous reward.
"That's not all."
Looking at the excited Ancestor, Zhang Chen dropped his second bombshell.
"Along with this bloodline awakening and the increase in my cultivation, a secret technique has appeared in my mind."
"What secret technique?"
"The Spirit Ascension Technique."
Zhang Chen slowly spoke the three words. "It's an ancient bloodline art. By consuming the family's fortune and my Essence Blood, it can forcibly raise the grade of a Spiritual Vein. The cost is considerable, but the results... can defy heaven."
"Raise the grade of a Spiritual Vein?!"
Zhang Tianzheng sprang to his feet. This time, he truly couldn't sit still.
A Spiritual Vein was the foundation of a cultivating family.
The reason the Zhang Family ranked among the very best in the East Mountain Islands was that it possessed a Second-Grade Mid-Rank main Spiritual Vein and two Second-Grade Low-Rank auxiliary veins.
Even a small increase in a Spiritual Vein's grade brought a tremendous boost to the cultivation speed of the family's cultivators.
But Spiritual Veins were formed by heaven and earth!
Human ability had its limits. Aside from the legendary Spirit Transmutation Great Powers, who could move mountains and fill seas, who would dare claim they could raise a Spiritual Vein's grade?
"Chen'er, is this true? This isn't something you can joke about!"
Zhang Tianzheng rose and seized Zhang Chen by the shoulders, gripping so hard he nearly crushed his bones.
"I'm willing to stake my life on it."
Zhang Chen met the Ancestor's eyes, his gaze unwavering. "If I fail, I'll accept the family's punishment."
Zhang Tianzheng stared at Zhang Chen for a long while before shaking his head. "Chen'er, what nonsense are you saying? We're family. What's all this talk of punishment?"
"Since this inheritance was bestowed by heaven, let's give it a try!"
With a sweep of his wide sleeve, he carried Zhang Chen into a streak of light and shot straight toward the forbidden grounds in the Back Mountain of Dao Seeking Peak.
There lay the core of the Zhang Family's main Spiritual Vein, as well as the formation's eye for the Mountain-Protecting Grand Formation that protected the entire family.
The forbidden grounds in the Back Mountain were shrouded in Spiritual Energy.
A massive Spirit Spring Eye slowly gushed out white Spiritual Mist, though it wasn't particularly dense.
Every so often, the flow even stopped altogether.
This was the Second-Grade Mid-Rank Spiritual Vein on which the Zhang Family relied for survival—the very thing commonly known as an "Earth Vein."
Zhang Tianzheng casually formed several seals, dismissing the hidden sentries guarding the area and sealing off the space.
"Chen'er, it's up to you now."
Zhang Chen nodded and walked to the Spirit Spring.
He silently thought, System, use the Spirit Vein Upgrade Card.
On the outside, he pretended to bite the tip of his tongue and spat out a mouthful of Essence Blood. His hands swiftly formed several seals that meant absolutely nothing but looked complicated, while he muttered an incantation.
"Heaven and earth, profound and yellow; the root of ten thousand energies—ascend!"
With a low shout, an invisible Golden Card instantly merged into the Spirit Spring beneath his feet.
The next moment, a sudden change took place.
A muffled rumbling came from deep beneath the earth, as if a slumbering giant beast were awakening.
Rumble—
All of Dao Seeking Peak began to shake violently. Zhang Tianzheng's face changed; he thought the Spiritual Vein was about to explode.
He was just about to protect Zhang Chen when the sight before him left him stunned.
Before you continue