"Good. The Foundation Establishment Pill wasn't lost."
A smile appeared on Yun Xiaotian's face, and a trace of cunning flashed through his eyes as he told Yun Bufan, "Although the ancestor was injured, his injuries weren't severe enough to shorten his lifespan."
"A while ago, the Fourth Elder, Sixth Elder, and Seventh Elder each led a team to the surrounding Market Wards. They've already purchased the spirit medicines the ancestor needs to recover. His injuries will heal completely within five years at most."
Yun Bufan's expression brightened. With the Foundation Establishment Ancestor out of danger, his own chances of reaching Foundation Establishment could exceed eighty percent.
But then he felt somewhat puzzled.
Why spread the news that he would definitely reach Foundation Establishment within ten years?
Yun Bufan could understand spreading rumors that the Foundation Establishment Pill had been lost and that the Foundation Establishment Ancestor was gravely injured and nearing the end of his lifespan.
This was probably meant to prepare the way for his successful Foundation Establishment.
The major powers around Mirror Moon Lake each had only one Foundation Establishment Ancestor. They would not sit by and watch the Yun Household have two Foundation Establishment Ancestors alive at once.
Thus, the Yun Household's ancestor had been severely wounded in a sneak attack by the Bai Household of Qiyun Mountain, leaving him near the end of his lifespan, and the Foundation Establishment Pill had been stolen.
This would undoubtedly make those powers lower their guard against the Yun Household.
As for the Bai Household of Qiyun Mountain clarifying that they had not seized the Yun Household's Foundation Establishment Pill, that did not matter.
Those powers would not believe the Yun Household's one-sided account, nor would they believe the Bai Household's attempts to clear its name.
Only after muddying the waters would the Yun Household have hope of having two Foundation Establishment cultivators in one clan.
"Bufan, the ancestor specifically ordered us to spread the news that you would definitely reach Foundation Establishment within ten years."
"Everything has two sides. Falsehood within truth, truth within falsehood-only then can everything go smoothly when you establish your foundation."
Second Elder Yun Zhongbo saw the confusion in Yun Bufan's eyes and invoked the ancestor to reassure him. "What you need to do now is cultivate diligently and reach the peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining as soon as possible."
"Yes. I'll remember."
Yun Bufan replied respectfully, then withdrew from the ancestral hall.
"Household head, I hope your plan succeeds. Once Bufan reaches Foundation Establishment, our Yun Household will have both the ancestor and Bufan, two Foundation Establishment cultivators, backing us. When that time comes..."
Fourth Elder Yun Zhongwei's eyes were filled with longing for the future, as though he could already see a golden age when the Yun Household had three Foundation Establishment cultivators.
"We're old, but you haven't even reached fifty yet, household head. You have a very good chance of reaching Foundation Establishment!"
Time flowed by, and half a year passed.
The setting sun cast its light down, and pale golden mist drifted across the calm lake. With a splash, Chen Jianghe's head emerged from the water, sending ripples spreading outward.
"After half a year of hard practice, my Water Escape Technique has finally reached the limit of the early Qi Refining stage."
With Xiao Hei here, Chen Jianghe no longer needed to feed the Small Blue Fish at all. Moreover, Xiao Hei seemed to have an extraordinary talent for raising fish.
It took only a month to become familiar with the process of raising Small Blue Fish. Under Xiao Hei's care, the fry no longer collided with one another while fighting for food.
They still bit one another at times, but Xiao Hei stopped them promptly, and none went belly-up.
After spending half a year refining his Water Escape Technique, Chen Jianghe could travel two li with a single use. He did not know how talented he was at practicing spells.
But he felt he had done very well.
Over this half year, the Small Blue Fish fry had also undergone some changes in size under Xiao Hei's care.
By Chen Jianghe's preliminary estimate, the fry's average weight should have decreased by around half a jin.
That meant fifty grains of spirit sand were already assured.
"It looks like a Senior Fisher-Farmer earns quite a bit more than a Junior Fisher-Farmer. Over three years, the average-weight rewards alone should come to two spirit stones."
They had lost around half a jin in six months, so over three years, they should lose at least two jin. That meant two spirit stones.
It was equivalent to four years of income for an ordinary Junior Fisher-Farmer.
With luck, if he also raised a Small Blue Fish into a ranked spirit beast, that would be three spirit stones.
"No wonder Old Gao once had ambitions of breaking through to the late Qi Refining stage. So a Senior Fisher-Farmer earns this much."
Suddenly, Chen Jianghe felt the Spiritual Platform in his mind tremble slightly, and the Spirit-Turtle Mark lit up. "Xiao Hei is about to enter the ranks!"
He immediately dove to the bottom of the lake and swam toward Xiao Hei.
Undercurrents stirred up silvery sand and gravel along the lakebed. The ink-black turtle shell was drawing in and releasing spiritual energy, while deep blue runes flowed through the gaps in the shell, startling the fish into flicking their tails and avoiding that invisible vortex.
Xiao Hei's foreclaws sank deep into the mud, yet Xiao Hei remained perfectly still. Only a slight trembling of the neck stirred the water, as all the spiritual energy throughout the body converged on the head, seemingly about to condense the Spirit Core possessed only by spirit beasts.
Whoosh!
With every breath Xiao Hei took, the surrounding spiritual energy gathered on the shell, circulated once along its markings, then was drawn into the mouth like threads being reeled in.
"Xiao Hei is getting bigger?"
Chen Jianghe stood ten zhang away, guarding Xiao Hei, only to discover that the turtle was growing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Before long, Xiao Hei had grown as large as a millstone.
This puzzled Chen Jianghe greatly.
Small Blue Fish used spiritual energy to nourish their bodies and reduce their size, thereby containing their spiritual energy and condensing it into a core.
But Xiao Hei was the opposite. It seemed that the larger the body grew, the faster spiritual energy could be drawn in, allowing all the spiritual energy in the body to gather and condense into a core, entering the ranks as a spirit beast.
At that moment, Chen Jianghe did not know that the Spiritual Platform within Xiao Hei's mind was gradually becoming clearly visible. Dense spiritual energy gathered above it, forming a vortex and beginning to condense a Spirit Core.
The humanoid mark above the Spiritual Platform shone with a dazzling, multicolored halo that flowed into the vortex, seemingly helping Xiao Hei condense the Spirit Core.
"Wooo~ Wooo~" (Two-leg, I'm going to succeed.)
Xiao Hei roared inwardly in exhilaration.
Spiritual energy gathered faster and faster, and the beginnings of a Spirit Core had already formed at the bottom of the vortex above the Spiritual Platform.
Four hours passed.
The spiritual energy condensed into a core. Xiao Hei successfully entered the ranks, transforming into a spirit beast.
Suddenly, cracks spread from the center of the shell, changing its original pattern of two horizontal and two vertical lines. Before long, it had evolved into three horizontal and two vertical lines, intersecting to form twelve sections.
The turtle head that had hung low in shame over its imperfections finally rose, its cloudy eyes reflecting the bright moon in the heavens.
The Spirit Core had condensed.
The Spiritual Platform became solid, and the two-leg's mark upon it was clearly visible, looking exactly like Chen Jianghe.
Xiao Hei's spiritual awareness touched the Spiritual Platform Mark, and a piece of information flooded into Xiao Hei's mind.
[Lifespan: 120 years]
"Wooo~ Wooo~ Wooo~" (I, Turtle Lord, did it!)
In excitement, Xiao Hei's millstone-sized body rolled over on the lakebed, stirring waves that swept up countless grains of sand and gravel.
Seeing the sand and gravel sweeping toward him, Chen Jianghe hurriedly dodged aside, then came before Xiao Hei, his heart filled with joy.
After nearly ten years, Xiao Hei had finally entered the ranks and become a spirit beast.
This meant he now had a true spirit beast, and his "breeding talent" would improve once again.
He might very well be able to raise a Small Blue Fish into a ranked spirit beast.
Of course, all of that was secondary. Most importantly, now that Xiao Hei had become a spirit beast, the upper limit of his lifespan should also increase.
The next moment.
Chen Jianghe sent his divine sense into his Spiritual Platform to touch the fully manifested Spirit-Turtle Mark.
It looked exactly like Xiao Hei did now.
Immediately afterward, the limit of his lifespan appeared as well.
[Lifespan: 360 years]
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