Parents Urge Childbirth!

Talent determines one's upper limit, and also dictates how smoothly one can cultivate.

If he didn't improve his talent, even if he forcibly built his foundation, he'd likely end up as the weakest kind of Foundation Establishment cultivator, and his path forward would only grow narrower.

"Hope this pill doesn't let me down."

Zhang Chen hesitated no longer, tilting his head back and swallowing the Marrow Cleansing Pill.

The pill dissolved on his tongue, not with the bitter taste he'd imagined, but like a cool, sweet spring sliding down his throat into his stomach.

Then, that coolness instantly transformed into a blazing torrent, roaring through his limbs and bones.

Pain!

A searing agony, as if every bone in his body were being dismantled and reassembled, struck him in an instant.

Zhang Chen grunted, clenching his jaw so hard that cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

But he could feel it—under the pill's medicinal force, the impurities accumulated over years were being stripped away bit by bit, expelled through his pores.

His meridians grew wider and tougher, and his spiritual root, once murky, began to shine with its original luster.

After who knows how long, the excruciating pain gradually faded.

Replaced by an unprecedented lightness and clarity.

Zhang Chen slowly opened his eyes, exhaling a mouthful of turbid breath.

"So this is what it feels like to improve one's talent?"

He clenched his fist, sensing the affinity between the surrounding Spiritual Energy and himself.

If before, absorbing Spiritual Energy was like drinking water through a straw—slow and laborious—

Then now, he felt as if he'd become a small vortex. Spiritual Energy around him didn't need deliberate guidance; it actively burrowed into his body.

His talent rating had jumped from "Mid Yellow Grade" to "Mid Profound Grade."

A leap across an entire major rank!

Though still far from the so-called Earth Grade or Heaven Grade of true prodigies, in a remote place like the East Mountain Islands, Mid Profound Grade talent, as long as resources kept up, meant reaching the Golden Core Stage was practically a certainty.

In fact, Zhang Chen vaguely sensed that the solid barrier between the Qi Refining Stage and Foundation Establishment Realm—one that plagued countless cultivators—now seemed as thin as a cicada's wing before him.

As if, with just a little push, he could step into that brand-new realm.

"No rush."

Zhang Chen suppressed the urge to immediately break through to Foundation Establishment. "The deeper the foundation, the higher the building can rise. With the system here, Foundation Establishment is only a matter of time. Better to steady myself first."

He got up, went to the washroom to rinse off the layer of black, greasy impurities expelled from his body, and changed into a clean Moon-white robe.

Pushing open the door, the sunlight outside was just right, warm on his skin.

Lin Qingxue sat at the stone table in the courtyard, an ancient book in hand.

Hearing the sound, she looked up, a flicker of surprise in her cold, clear eyes.

As a former genius, her perception was razor-sharp.

"Husband, you... seem different somehow."

Lin Qingxue set down the book and stood, studying Zhang Chen with some uncertainty.

His cultivation aura hadn't changed at all, yet the feeling he gave her had shifted.

Purer, more transparent—like a rough jade wiped clean of dust, beginning to emit a gentle luster.

"I had a small insight."

Zhang Chen walked over naturally, taking her slightly cold hand. "Maybe it's thanks to last night's Spirit Rain."

Lin Qingxue nodded thoughtfully, asking no further questions.

Too many miracles had happened around this man; she'd learned to accept rather than doubt.

"Come on, Father and Mother sent someone to call us. They said breakfast is ready and want us to join them."

Zhang Chen said with a smile.

The two walked through the corridor to the main courtyard where the Family Head lived.

As soon as they entered the gate, they heard Zhang Yunshan's hearty laughter from inside.

Ever since breaking through to Late Golden Core Stage, this Family Head had been in a constant state of elation, even finding the crooked tree in the yard strangely pleasing to the eye.

"Oh, my daughter-in-law is here!"

Seeing them enter, Mother Liu Yueru immediately dropped the spirit fruit she was peeling and rushed over with a beaming face.

She completely bypassed her own son, Zhang Chen, and grabbed Lin Qingxue's hand, her eyes burning with the fervor of someone gazing at a rare treasure.

"Come, come, let Mother have a look."

"How have you been resting these past two days? Is the side courtyard comfortable enough? If it's too noisy, move to the Listening Waves Pavilion behind the Main Peak—it's quiet there, and the Spiritual Energy is abundant."

Lin Qingxue was somewhat flattered, her cheeks flushing slightly. "Thank you for your concern, Mother. The side courtyard is quite fine, and my husband treats me well."

"It's only right that he treats you well!"

Liu Yueru shot Zhang Chen a glare, then slipped a jade-green bracelet off her wrist and, without another word, fastened it onto Lin Qingxue's hand.

"This was my dowry back in the day—a Mid-grade defensive magic treasure. It's nothing too rare, but it has a Spirit Gathering Array carved inside. Wearing it will help nourish your body."

"Mother, this is far too precious..."

Lin Qingxue tried to decline.

She meant what she said—after all, this was a genuine magic treasure!