New Building: "Foundation"

Jiang Fu'an pondered for a while before finally figuring out the effect of the newly added building, "Foundation."

Simply put, if there was no Spiritual Vein beneath a house, this "Foundation" could serve as a First-Rank Lower-Grade Spiritual Vein, making the spiritual energy within the room denser.

If there was already a Spiritual Vein, it could raise the vein's effect by one grade, making the spiritual energy even more abundant.

The grades of Spiritual Veins in this world corresponded to the divisions of cultivators' realms.

First Order, Second Order, and Third Order respectively corresponded to the three major realms of Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, and Core Formation;

Each order was further divided into lower, middle, and upper grades, representing the early, middle, and late stages within each major realm.

Take a First-Rank Lower-Grade Spiritual Vein, for example. It was only sufficient for Qi Refining Early-Stage cultivators to cultivate smoothly.

If someone at the Qi Refining Mid-Stage used it, their cultivation would yield half the result for twice the effort.

The effect of this "Foundation" was simply too practical for Jiang Fu'an, not the slightest bit inferior to the effects of the previous two new buildings.

The most immediate benefit was that he could now enjoy the effects of a Spiritual Vein in his own home, greatly increasing his cultivation speed.

Its ability to raise a Spiritual Vein's grade was even more formidable.

For example, if he occupied a First-Order Upper-Grade Spiritual Vein in the future, one upgrade from it would immediately turn it into a Second-Order Lower-Grade one!

Even Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivators could cultivate there.

The effect was also exceptionally well concealed. It could be activated or removed at any time, making it difficult for outsiders to notice.

Better yet, Jiang Fu'an could personally designate exactly which room in the house would receive the Spiritual Vein's effect.

In other words, he could make only the room he stayed in brim with spiritual energy.

Even if others lived in the same courtyard, as long as they did not suddenly barge into his room, they would never discover anything unusual.

Thinking of this, Jiang Fu'an decided to try it himself.

He turned and returned to the Talisman Room.

Everyone in the family knew that he normally drew talismans there, so they would not casually enter and disturb him.

After closing the door and sliding the bolt into place, he concentrated his thoughts and connected the "Foundation" building in his mind with the foundation beneath the room where he stood.

The next moment, Jiang Fu'an felt a warm, gentle aura seep up through the cracks between the stone slabs beneath his feet.

Before long, the spiritual energy throughout the room became dense.

It was even several degrees stronger than the room he had rented in Melodious Sound City.

He took a deep breath. The abundant spiritual energy flowed into his lungs and viscera, and he immediately felt his limbs and bones grow several degrees lighter.

He narrowed his eyes and savored the feeling for a moment before sitting cross-legged on the spot. He circulated the Eternal Spring Technique, wanting to personally experience just how much faster his cultivation could become.

An hour later, Jiang Fu'an slowly opened his eyes, his gaze full of amazement.

"So this is what it feels like to cultivate atop a Spiritual Vein!"

This speed was practically on par with when he took Qi-Nourishing Pills.

One had to know that this was only because he possessed a Five-Element Spiritual Root, making his efficiency in absorbing spiritual energy from the outside world a fair bit worse than others'.

If it were Stone instead, the effect would probably be even fiercer than taking Qi-Nourishing Pills.

At the mention of Stone, Jiang Fu'an began to hesitate.

Should he let Stone enjoy the Spiritual Vein's effects as well?

Jiang Fu'an was not afraid that Stone's cultivation would surpass his. Mainly, this spiritual energy had appeared too suddenly, and he truly had no idea how to explain it to Stone.

After hesitating for a long while, Jiang Fu'an decided to put it aside for now.

He turned his attention back to the ball of light in his mind.

He had just upgraded the Ancestral Home, yet he had not finished examining its attributes.

"The lifespan reward has gone from fifty years to one hundred years..."

Jiang Fu'an silently calculated. Added to his original sixty-seven years of lifespan, he was nearly catching up to the lifespan of Foundation Establishment cultivators.

He had heard that they could only live a little over two hundred years.

He had gained another chance to copy a Fate or special aptitude.

However, he had no particular target he wanted to copy at the moment, so he could save this chance for later.

Next, he looked at the requirements for upgrading the Ancestral Home to the next level.

Among the Lineage members, there had to be one person at the Qi Refining Late-Stage and three at the Qi Refining Mid-Stage.

The candidate for Qi Refining Late-Stage would naturally be Seedling.

As for the three at Qi Refining Mid-Stage, himself, Stone, and his youngest son, Jiang Xiangqian, would make exactly three.

Although Xiangqian was only two years old and could not begin cultivating until his Spiritual Root matured at the age of seven, he possessed a Three-Element Spiritual Root. His aptitude was good, and he would cultivate quickly, so there was no need to worry too much about that.

But the other condition—possessing one thousand mu of Spiritual Fields—was somewhat troublesome.

Although Jiang Fu'an did not know the exact market price of Spiritual Fields, he knew even with his toes that it would be an astronomical sum.

With his current assets, it was something he could not even dream of.

Still, there was no need to rush this condition.

Even with the Spiritual Vein's assistance, the total amount of spiritual energy needed to reach the Qi Refining Second Layer had doubled compared to before.

Without any other fortunate opportunities, it would probably take around ten years to reach the Qi Refining Mid-Stage.

With such a long period of time, slowly saving money and finding a way to acquire one thousand mu of Spiritual Fields should still be possible.

After calculating everything through, the answer to whether he should immediately let Stone use the Spiritual Vein became clear.

There was no need to rush for now.

That boy had good aptitude anyway, and his cultivation was already faster than Jiang Fu'an's.

He could wait until he found a suitable opportunity in the future before letting Stone enjoy the Spiritual Vein's effects.

When Jiang Fu'an walked out of the Talisman Room again, the sky outside had already darkened.

When Jiang Fu'an pushed open the Talisman Room's door again, the sky outside had already darkened.

Candles were lit in the main hall. His two wives and the children were gathered around the wooden table, eating dinner.

When Su Wanqing looked up and saw him enter, she reminded him,

"Go eat quickly. We saved some for you in the pot..."

But halfway through her sentence, she suddenly stopped. Her eyes stared straight at Jiang Fu'an as though she were seeing him for the first time.

"What is it? Is there something on my face?"

Jiang Fu'an touched his face and asked in surprise.

At that moment, the children and Miao Ruolan also looked over at the sound.

Yue'er's eyes lit up, and she immediately shouted,

"Father, why do you look younger?"

Miao Ruolan also echoed in surprise,

"That's right, Husband. You really do look younger."

Jiang Fu'an's heart stirred, and he immediately understood that this change had been brought about by the fifty years of lifespan he had just gained.

He immediately played dumb and asked in return,

"Really? Could it be the effect of the Eternal Spring Technique Seedling gave me?"

Miao Ruolan nodded and explained,

"That is possible. The Eternal Spring Technique is a wood-element cultivation method. I've heard that practicing it for a long time can increase a cultivator's lifespan."

As she spoke, a trace of envy and loss quietly flickered through her eyes.

She, too, longed for immortality, but unfortunately, she had no Spiritual Root. This path was destined to be beyond her reach.

Upon hearing this, Su Wanqing's expression also dimmed slightly. She lowered her head in silence and stirred the grains of rice in her bowl.

Jiang Fu'an immediately understood what the two women were worried about.

In truth, this was something he himself had never wanted to think too deeply about.

For husband and wife to grow old together had always been one of life's greatest romances;

But if one slowly aged while the other's appearance remained unchanged, it would likely be a torment for them both.

"Forget it. Drink today's wine today. I can still stay with them for several more decades, so why worry about such things now?"

Jiang Fu'an shook his head, throwing off the knot in his heart.

He planned to work hard tonight and have some deep exchanges with both of them.