Pingyang County Town

Twenty-Sixth Uncle was upright by nature. After failing Foundation Establishment, he had probably been wracked with guilt for years.

If he could not steel his Dao heart, he would likely sink into despair.

At that thought, Chen Nianzhi felt regret in his heart, but it was not his place to say anything. He merely asked, "I wonder, Uncle Qing Meng, why did you summon me?"

Chen Qingmeng came back to his senses, his haggard eyes studying Chen Nianzhi once more.

After a long while, he sighed inwardly and drew a thick book from his sleeve.

"Throughout the Chen Clan's hundreds of years, your cultivation talent ranks among the very best. In the future, the Lineage will most likely be placed in your hands."

"I have little else to teach you. These are the alchemy insights of my lifetime. I hope they will be of some use to you."

"Clan Uncle, this..."

Chen Nianzhi hesitated slightly. An alchemist's insights were the lifelong labor of an alchemist, Chen Qingmeng's most precious skill.

Yet by handing this item to him, Chen Qingmeng gave Chen Nianzhi the feeling that he was arranging his final affairs.

"Do not ask further."

Chen Qingmeng placed the alchemy insights in Chen Nianzhi's hands. After looking deeply at him once, he turned and left the hall.

For some reason, Chen Nianzhi could vaguely discern a domineering, resolute air from his departing back.

"Twenty-Sixth Uncle is afraid he intends to attempt Foundation Establishment again!"

The thought flashed through Chen Nianzhi's mind in an instant.

In truth, he had guessed correctly. Unable to bear the guilt and pressure he felt toward the Lineage any longer, Chen Qingmeng had resolved to make another attempt at Foundation Establishment.

Without the aid of a Foundation Establishment Pill, most cultivators had less than a ten percent chance of succeeding in Foundation Establishment. Moreover, failure would usually leave their meridians shattered, resulting in death.

For Chen Qingmeng to challenge the Foundation Establishment realm now was a final gamble with nine deaths and one chance at life. Success would reverse the Lineage's decline; failure would mean his body perished and his Dao vanished.

As for handing his alchemy insights to Chen Nianzhi, it was merely to leave behind a seed of an alchemist for the Lineage.

"Twenty-Sixth Uncle..."

Chen Nianzhi's throat felt dry. He wanted to persuade him otherwise, but no words came out.

Even his own opportunity for Foundation Establishment was still a distant, uncertain prospect. He had even less ability to change anything.

The only thing he could do was pray and wish for Chen Qingmeng's success, that he might become the Lineage's second Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

In the end, only two words left his lips.

"Take care!"

The Sixth Elder's steps paused in the distance. With his back still turned, a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"The Path to Immortality is long, and the way is blocked and arduous. We can only trudge forward alone."

"If I fall, then if you have the ability, go and see the scenery at the end in my stead."

He said nothing more. He merely waved without turning around and continued down the mountain.

After parting from the Sixth Elder, Chen Nianzhi did not immediately descend the mountain. Instead, he waited another five days, only setting off for Pingyang County Town after the New Year had passed.

Pingyang County Town was more than three thousand li from Qingyuan Mountain. Even with Chen Nianzhi's current cultivation, it took him a full two days to arrive.

This city had been built upon the Pingyang Ancient Plain, and its name had come from that.

From far away, Chen Nianzhi could already see Pingyang County Town, for a fiery red orb floated in the void above the city.

This world was different from his previous life. Mortal cities could not simply be built wherever one pleased.

In this world, mortal flesh and blood were great tonics to demonic beasts, while mortal souls were treasures coveted by Demonic Cultivators. Thus, if a city were built in the wilds, it would become the food of evil creatures within a few years.

Therefore, cities in this world were all built atop Spirit Veins. Only with the support of a City-Protecting Array could they barely ensure the safety of mortals.

Pingyang County Town before him, for example, had been built upon a Tier 2 Low-grade Spirit Vein and was equipped with a Tier 2 Mid-grade Blazing Sun Divine Flame Formation.

The fiery red orb above the city was called the Blazing Flame Divine Fire Pearl. It was a Tier 2 Mid-grade Array Instrument Magic Treasure capable of releasing Blazing Sun Divine Flame that burned demons and devils.

With the Great Elder's cultivation at Qi Refinement Great Perfection, when he activated this City-Protecting Array that restrained demons and devils, even demonic creatures in the middle and late stages of Foundation Establishment often gained no advantage.

It was precisely because of this that the Chen Clan's more than one hundred thousand blood descendants could multiply and survive in this cruel world of cultivation.

"Nianzhi, you've finally arrived."

"Come in quickly."

Before Chen Nianzhi entered the city, he heard a hearty laugh.

He looked up and saw a middle-aged man walking toward him with a smile.

After one look, he recognized the man. His name was Chen Nianyang. He was the Great Elder's eldest son, fifty-five years old this year, and ranked first in age among the Nian Generation. Unfortunately, his cultivation aptitude was poor, and he had only reached the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining.

Chen Nianyang stepped forward and examined Chen Nianzhi closely before sighing. "It seems I'll have to call you Elder from now on."

"There is no need for such formality between us."

Chen Nianzhi replied with a smile. As they walked into the city, he asked, "Where is the Great Elder?"

"He asked me to bring you to him."

The two proceeded onward, and Chen Nianzhi soon met the Great Elder, Chen Qingxu.

As the Great Elder of the Chen Clan, Chen Qingxu had just turned seventy-five. However, compared to the one-hundred-and-twenty-year limit of the Qi Refinement Stage, his strength was still at its peak.

The Chen Clan had few cultivators at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining, and Peaceful Sun City also required an experienced, steady old cultivator like him to stand guard. Thus, this burden still had to rest on his shoulders.

However, in another twenty years, Chen Qingxu's True Essence would gradually weaken. After he passed one hundred, his strength would decline sharply, and they would likely need to find a new elder to take over then.

"You're here."

Inside the main hall, the stern-faced Great Elder studied Chen Nianzhi and nodded faintly.

"Since you have arrived, we will begin testing Spirit Roots tomorrow."

Testing Spirit Roots was one of the most important matters for both the Chen Immortal Clan and all Chen Clan descendants throughout Peaceful Sun City.

According to the Chen Immortal Clan's rules, during the first month after each year's end, they would select a day to test the Spirit Roots of the Lineage's children. Every child who had reached the age of six had to attend the Spirit-Testing Assembly.

To ensure that no one was overlooked, every child had one chance each year to have their Spirit Roots tested until they turned nine.

Although the Chen Clan did not possess a Spirit-Sensing Compass and could only have Ninth Layer of Qi Refining cultivators use crude methods to test Spirit Roots, they still had an eighty to ninety percent chance of detecting even indistinct Spirit Roots.

With such a detection rate, if a child with Spirit Roots went undetected three times in a row, it could only be said that their fate was poor and they lacked sufficient immortal affinity.

Even so, Peaceful Sun City had a population of one hundred and twenty thousand, and five to six thousand people needed their Spirit Roots tested every year. This was an enormous workload.

In fact, that did not even include the six surrounding small towns. There were another six small towns around Peaceful Sun City, each with nearly ten thousand residents on average.

"So many people."

At the Spirit-Testing Assembly square, Chen Nianzhi watched the bustling stream of young children who had come to register and could not help but frown slightly.