Three more years passed like this.
Xu Xuan turned eighteen, and Xu Huai'en was now thirteen.
Although this brat possessed a fickle and somewhat mischievous disposition, he did not dare to show the slightest presumption in front of Xu Xuan.
Whenever he provoked Xu Xuan, the light punishment was a beating and scolding, while the heavy punishment was a vicious thrashing.
Yet somehow it never caused any actual injuries, leaving him unable to escape the next day's cultivation.
When it came to cultivation, Xu Xuan showed no leniency whatsoever.
Presently, only Xu Huai'en barely met the standards within the Xu Household to be taught by him.
This cultivation process was inevitably somewhat harsh.
Sometimes, when Xu Chengye saw it, his heart would tremble with terror, feeling only that Xu Xuan's demands were too high.
However, after Xu Huai'en practiced alongside Xu Xuan for three years, he completed the step of Essence Tempering and projected his inner breath outward.
Xu Chengye was so shocked that his jaw dropped.
Not only did he stop talking back, but he even had the instructors raise the training intensity of the other disciples severalfold.
If a half-grown brat could persist, why couldn't the rest of them persist?
Even if they trained themselves into injury, they could still find Xu Xuan to heal them, which was no big deal.
What Xu Chengye did not know was why Xu Huai'en was able to progress so rapidly.
There were actually two reasons.
For one, he truly put in the effort, and Xu Xuan's instruction was adept.
Secondly, Xu Huai'en was born with spiritual roots, so his cultivation was bound to surpass that of ordinary people.
All such matters need not be elaborated further.
Toward Xu Xuan, Xu Mingyuan held only profound admiration in his heart.
He watched all the changes in the eldest son, who gradually grew somewhat transcendent and refined.
And the root of all these changes stemmed from the young man before him.
Eighteen-year-old Xu Xuan had long since shed his youthful awkwardness, his facial features sharp and distinct.
Sitting quietly before the desk, he resembled a horned dragon lurking in the depths of the water, his double pupils like torches, piercing and full of spirit.
Now, Xu Chengye was over a hundred years old, and many matters within the household all fell upon Xu Xuan.
Aside from a few elders who would still call him "Daocheng" or "Little Five" when they saw him,
the rest of the clansmen in the Xu Household Market addressed him by the title of "Young Household Head."
None of this was a secret; once Xu Chengye passed away, the Xu Household would be governed by Xu Xuan.
This day he summoned Xu Mingyuan to a meeting, for there were important matters to impart.
"For the lineage to remain isolated in a corner is ultimately not a long-term plan."
"Our access to information from the outside world is blocked, making us as deaf and mute."
Xu Xuan spoke softly while sipping his tea.
"I intend to have you go out and establish a commercial firm in River Sun Prefecture City."
"Openly manage trade and commerce, while secretly gathering intelligence from all quarters."
"Especially... rumors of immortals, and strange and wondrous occurrences."
"Can you accomplish this?"
Xu Mingyuan was astute and capable, instantly comprehending Xu Xuan's meaning, and spoke in a deep voice following the train of thought:
"River Sun Prefecture City is incomparably prosperous, with smooth communications for travelers coming and going from the south and north, making it an excellent place to gather intelligence."
"Only, Young Household Head, establishing a commercial firm requires no small amount of principal and manpower..."
"The required silver and goods will be provided to you through the lineage's channels."
Xu Xuan put down his teacup.
"As for manpower, first select a few reliable and quick-witted individuals from the lineage to lead to the prefecture city and gain a firm foothold."
As he spoke, he withdrew a stack of silver notes from his sleeve, along with a list.
On the list were the medicinal herbs and grain produced as specialties of the Xu Household Market.
A portion of them had been nourished by him with spiritual power, reaching a higher vehicle quality.
"These will be sufficient for you to open up the situation."
"However, remember to act with low profile, taking the gathering of intelligence as your primary focus."
"If you stir up disasters for no reason, the household will be unable to save you either!"
Xu Xuan's voice grew slightly stern, sounding a warning bell for Xu Mingyuan.
Xu Mingyuan naturally understood, and after receiving the silver notes and the list, he solemnly stated:
"Young Household Head, rest assured, I shall certainly not fail this commission!"
Being entrusted with such a heavy responsibility demonstrated that he was already regarded as a true confidant.
Coupled with his offspring cultivating alongside the Young Household Head, as long as he did not act recklessly, he would eventually secure a high position within the Xu Household.
If it were the past, Xu Mingyuan, who had striven outside, might not have thought much of this rural clan of the Xu Household.
Yet having witnessed Xu Xuan's immortal methods, he never dared to show the slightest disrespect again.
Months later.
The Xu North-South Trading House quietly opened for business in River Sun Prefecture City.
Proprietor Xu Mingyuan, together with several Xu Household youths, managed general merchandise from across the great rivers of the south and north.
Particularly the medicinal herbs and mountain goods they sold, which were of exceptional quality, their reputation gradually rising as they secured a foothold in the prefecture city.
Xu Mingyuan was naturally adept at socializing and fond of befriending people from all walks of life.
Supported by Xu Xuan, he secretly scattered a considerable amount of silver and began weaving an information network belonging to the Xu Household.
As for Xu Xuan, he continued to hold down the fort at the Xu Household Market.
On one hand, he cultivated, lamenting the arduousness of cultivation in this realm.
On the other hand, he received the news transmitted back by Xu Mingyuan through special channels.
After opening the first meridian wheel, the spiritual Qi required for his cultivation to absorb grew increasingly vast.
However, the spiritual Qi of this heaven and earth was thin.
Over these three years of bitter cultivation, Xu Xuan's progress had been quite limited.
He was well aware that if he wished to make further headway and open the second meridian wheel,
the provisions and resources required would definitely not be few.
And this was precisely one of the reasons why he dispatched Xu Mingyuan to the prefecture city.
He needed someone to collect spiritual objects and Spirit Stones on his behalf to assist his cultivation.
If it were not difficult, relying purely on himself to draw Qi into his body, he did not know how many ages it would take to cultivate.
Xu Mingyuan obtained Xu Xuan's tacit instruction,
secretly acquiring items containing spiritual Qi at high prices.
Regardless of whether they were medicinal herbs, ores, or ancient artifacts,
even if there was the slightest anomaly, he would rather execute wrongly than let one go.
At the same time, he also kept watch for any matters related to "immortal masters," "sect masters," and "grotto-heavens and blessed lands."
The household's silver flowed out like water to be spent by Xu Xuan.
Although the Xu Household Market was wealthy, it could not withstand such expenditures.
Certain clan elders within the lineage held considerable objections to this, feeling that Xu Xuan's actions violated ancestral precepts.
Xu Chengye had already retired into seclusion, yet he also sought out Xu Xuan to talk, needing to listen to the opinions of the clan elders.
Xu Xuan grew pensive.
His prestige was still insufficient for him to act arbitrarily and alone.
Furthermore, the household indeed lacked spare silver to support his endeavors.
Driven by necessity, he could only devise methods to generate revenue for the lineage.
Leveraging his own advantages, he spent another two years cultivating and improving rice seeds and medicinal herbs,
enabling the household's grain to yield a high harvest even without the nourishment of spiritual fields.
Afterward, he bestowed these rice seeds and the cultivation methods upon his clansmen.
Large-scale planting was achieved, yields doubled, and the quality of the grain was continuously optimized and enhanced.
Following that, he successively improved farming tools and manufactured new-style looms, greatly increasing the efficiency of the household's textile workshop.
The produced goods were then sold through the Xu North-South Trading House, yielding abundant profits,
which finally caught up with his expenditures.
These changes also accumulated a massive amount of prestige for Xu Xuan.
The elders in the lineage had nothing more to say, and the younger generation placed absolute trust in him.
Over the span of two years, Xu Mingyuan successively sent back quite a bit of intelligence.
For instance:
An "immortal master" manifested holiness in a certain place, praying for rain and healing illnesses,
which was subsequently verified to be merely a pugilistic charlatan engaging in swindling and bluffs.
A certain mountain range emitted a rosy glow at night, suspected to house treasures,
which lured crowds to search, yet yielded nothing.
An ancient tomb had once unearthed a tattered jade slip with bizarre writing, auctioned off at a high price,
only to be bought out entirely by a mysterious person who threw about a thousand pieces of gold.
Such instances were not uncommon,
yet truth and falsehood were hard to distinguish.
Xu Mingyuan had also brought back quite a few objects containing spiritual Qi for Xu Xuan,
such as century-old wild ginseng, a few pieces of superior-quality warm jade, and ancient, weathered copper coins imbued with spiritual nature...
Pity that the spiritual nature was ordinary.
To the present Xu Xuan, it could only be described as a drop in the bucket.
His gaze remained fixed to the south of Heyang Prefecture.
There lay a stretch of Venerable Great Mountains, largely untrodden by human footprints.
Many of the legends regarding immortals had spread outward from this very place.
In the blink of an eye, another year passed.
Xu Xuan was twenty-one years old.
His cultivation realm had been thoroughly stabilized at the Meridian Opening Realm, making it difficult to advance even an inch further.
Above his Dantian, within his chest and abdomen,
that meridian wheel resembled a millstone, continuously pulling the Qi and blood within his body to rotate, tempering his refined blood and nourishing his own physical form.
Xu Huai'en had also reached the peak of Essence Tempering.
His vital breath was brimming, his body strong and robust, already displaying the momentum of a rising prominence.
This year, Xu Chengye contracted a severe illness.
Xu Xuan took action to sustain his life.
However, the old man was advanced in years and could no longer recover his former vigor and spirit.
Xu Xuan sighed slightly.
He knew this was Xu Chengye's lifespan nearing its end, something impossible to alter.
Under the witness of the clansmen, the position of the Xu Household Head once again fell upon Xu Xuan.
Looking at the grandson who grew increasingly numinous, Xu Chengye could no longer speak.
The changes in the household over these years were obvious to all.
His great-grandson Xu Daocheng, just as his name implied, had already blazed a brand-new path for the Xu Household.
Sometimes when Xu Chengye looked at him, he would unconsciously place him alongside the late ancestor Xu Changgeng.
He always felt that in this child, there lingered a few traces of his forebear.
Every word and deed, every single movement bore a certain similarity.
"People grow old like autumn leaves, and there always comes a time when they wither away."
"Daocheng..."
"You have yet to leave behind descendants, and grandfather truly cannot let go..."