Back from the Brink?

He tottered over to a Purple Nether Grass plant and carefully stroked its thick leaves.

As if he were caressing his lover's skin.

"These veins... this color... This is Eight-Hundred-Year Purple Nether Grass!"

"Heavens above, a single plant is worth a fortune! And here... there are hundreds of them?!"

"And these Heavenly Spirit Fruits... They're top-grade specimens, five hundred years old!"

Another Alchemist wrapped his arms around a tree trunk and wouldn't let go, practically drooling. "Using fruit like this to refine Foundation Establishment Pills would increase the success rate by at least thirty percent! No, fifty percent!"

Though Zhang Yunshan was a Golden Core cultivator and had a little more self-control, his head still buzzed.

He turned to look at Zhang Chen, who stood nearby with an "unruffled" expression.

"Chen'er... what... what's going on?"

Zhang Yunshan's finger trembled as he pointed at the Herb Garden.

Zhang Chen had already prepared his explanation.

He smiled faintly, pointed toward Dao Seeking Peak, and spoke with the utmost reverence. "Father, there's no need to wonder. This must have been the work of our venerable ancestor."

"The ancestor?"

Everyone's gaze instantly turned uncertain.

"Exactly."

Zhang Chen solemnly spouted nonsense. "Last night, I came here to clear my head and happened to run into the ancestor as he emerged from seclusion to inspect the grounds."

"Seeing that the Herb Garden was short on Spiritual Energy and fearing it might jeopardize an important matter for the family, he spared no effort and expended his own source of Spiritual Power to perform an ancient forbidden art passed down through the ages—Withered Wood Meets Spring."

"The ancestor said the spirit herbs in this garden would be enough to help us win the Arena Competition."

"He may not say much, but behind the scenes, he's always been quietly giving everything for the family."

As he reached the most moving part, Zhang Chen even wore a suitably touched expression.

"So it was the ancestor!"

Tears streamed from Zhang Yunshan's eyes as he bowed deeply toward Dao Seeking Peak. "Ancestor! You've truly poured your heart and soul into the Zhang Family! Your grandson has failed you, your grandson has failed you!"

The other elders also fell to their knees, weeping bitterly.

If they had still harbored any doubts about the ancestor's recovery before, facing this undeniable miracle had completely convinced them.

Apart from that unfathomable ancestor, who else possessed such heaven-defying, fate-altering powers?

"Quick! Don't just stand there!"

Zhang Yunshan sprang to his feet and wiped away his tears, a blazing fighting spirit rising in his eyes. "Send the order down: seal off the Back Mountain! Gather every Alchemist in the family and start refining pills immediately!"

"With these spirit herbs, forget about helping those ten boys break through a minor realm. We could probably force-feed several of them all the way to Foundation Establishment Perfection!"

"The Wang Family wants to compete with us in resources? This time, I'll bury them under a mountain of pills!"

Watching the elders spring into action as if they'd been injected with chicken blood, Zhang Chen stood in the morning light, keeping his contribution well hidden.

The ancestor could shoulder the blame, and everyone was happy.

As the spirit herbs produced by "Withered Wood Meets Spring" poured into the Pill Chamber in an unending stream,

the entire Zhang Family Courtyard began operating at a frenzied pace unlike anything seen before.

The Pill Chamber's furnaces burned day and night, and a rich Medicinal Fragrance hung over the family, lingering without end.

If the Clan Protection Array hadn't blocked the scent,

it might have drawn every Sea Beast in the surrounding waters.

Before, if family stewards or disciples wanted to apply for a Second-Grade pill, they had to save up enough family contribution points and then wait in line for ages.

But now, anyone who reached a cultivation bottleneck only had to report it to an elder. Pills that used to be considered precious, like Qi Gathering Pills and Core Condensing Pills, even Second-Grade Low-Rank Foundation Strengthening and Origin Nurturing Liquid, were all available in unlimited quantities!

These nearly extravagant cultivation conditions made every member of the Zhang Family's eyes turn red. They were all fired up, desperate to stretch a day into two, and aside from eating, drinking, and taking care of necessities,

they spent every remaining moment in the training rooms.

Every day, sounds of breakthroughs rang out from inside the Zhang Family's training rooms.

"Hahaha! The bottleneck that plagued me for five years has finally broken!"

"Tenth Layer of Qi Cultivation! I've finally reached the threshold of Foundation Establishment!"

A family steward past fifty rushed out of the room, tears in his eyes.

He bowed deeply toward Dao Seeking Peak.

"Me too! We're eating Second-Grade pills like candy. If I still couldn't break through, I'd want to bash my head against the wall!"

Scenes like this played out in every corner of the Zhang Family.

In just one month, the number of Late Qi Cultivation cultivators in the family surged by thirty percent. Two elders who had already been hovering at the brink of Foundation Establishment even managed to push their cultivation a small step forward with the help of the pills' medicinal power.

Though they hadn't directly broken through to a major realm, their combat strength had genuinely improved.

Outsiders were saying the Zhang Family was merely enjoying one last flash of glory, struggling on the brink of death.

Little did they know that within those high walls and deep courtyards, a terrifying force was taking shape—one powerful enough to overturn the entire East Mountain Islands.

As the mastermind behind it all, Zhang Chen's days were both busy and comfortable.

During the day, he had to coordinate everything, check on the cultivation progress of the family members about to enter the competition, and help the elders keep up the act. Every so often, he also had to show his face at the market.

He put on the airs of a wastrel who had squandered the family fortune, all to mislead the Wang Family's spies.