Sun Mao, Family Hero!

[I won't post this as a 3000-word long chapter in paragraphs today.]

Spring goes and autumn comes, seasons change.

Five years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Since Shi Jian's return, the Sun Clan's momentum of growth and expansion has surged once again, and Hongtian City has also undergone earth-shattering changes.

The city wall was extended outwards for another ten miles, with huge, dark blue stones piled up to form a sturdy defensive line more than ten feet high!

The city was filled with shops and bustling crowds.

Within the South City Market, the banners of the Autumn Cry Merchant Alliance were planted all over the main street, attracting Rogue Cultivator and merchants from all nine counties. Even merchants and cultivators from Qingzhou Commandery would stop here to trade.

The main peak of the Sun Clan has undergone a complete transformation.

In just five years, the original second-tier low-grade Spirit Vein was upgraded. The Sun Clan was determined and poured in a large number of Spirit Stone to force it out.

The concentration of second-grade, mid-level Spiritual Qi enveloped the entire mountain in a light mist, adding to its Blessed Land aura. Even the four main and three secondary peaks appeared even more majestic and expansive.

At the mountainside--

There are also large tracts of newly reclaimed spiritual fields, which are growing very well, and the Thunder Pool on the mountaintop has been expanded more than three times its original size!

As the formation operated, silver arcs of electricity flashed intermittently, and the quality of the Lightning Spirit Liquid condensed in the Thunder Pool also improved significantly, enough to condense a deep purple second-tier Lightning Spirit Liquid.

Halfway up the main peak, there is a secret chamber with its stone door tightly closed.

Suddenly, the surrounding Spiritual Qi surged violently, forming a visible funnel that poured back into the secret chamber.

Boom!

The stone gate opened.

An aura of power belonging to the Foundation Establishment Realm suddenly spread out, clearing away all the Fallen Leaf outside the door; the person who Foundation Establishment cultivator.

It was Sun Mao!

Sun Mao strode out, dressed in a blue Daoist robe, his face increasingly resolute; he was now thirty years old.

Now that the Foundation Establishment, he will become the true ruler of the Sun Clan!

A few short wisps of whiskers had appeared on his chin; he was no longer the cowardly child who clung to Shi Jian's feet, crying and whimpering...

He has truly grown up, from a child to a young man, from a young man to the head of the family, and now to a Foundation Establishment cultivator!

Upon entering the Foundation Establishment, everything changes.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Sun Bo'an, who was standing guard outside the door, said "good" three times in a row, tears streaming down his face, and strode forward to pat Sun Mao on the shoulder.

"Our Sun Clan has finally produced three Foundation Establishment!"

Sun Mao took a deep breath to calm the surging spiritual energy within his body.

"Success came by sheer luck."

Looking back on the past five years, Sun Mao still feels deeply moved.

He sold off most of the resources bestowed upon him by his ancestor. To avoid being seen by the eyes and ears of White Cloud Commandery, he personally led a team, disguised, to infiltrate the largest black market in Qingzhou Commandery.

That trip was fraught with danger.

One Foundation Establishment Pill, starting price 10,000 Spirit Stone.

Yet, it was artificially inflated to 15,000 low-grade Spirit Stone!

Sun Mao spent all his savings to barely capture him, and on the way back, he was ambushed three times.

If it weren't for Shi Mo protecting him, he would never have been able to return to Hongtian City.

After three years of seclusion, with a do-or-die spirit, he has finally emerged from his cocoon and ascended to the Foundation Establishment, where he can become a pillar of the Lineage!

"Grandpa Clan Chief, has our Ancestor emerged from seclusion?"

Sun Mao turned his head and looked towards the back of the main peak, his eyes filled with awe.

As a child, I looked up to him with admiration and longing; as a young man, I respected and admired him. Now, he Foundation Establishment his own future, after more than a decade of hard work and perseverance.

He saw things more clearly now, and he saw the essence of everything.

Respect remains, but a sense of awe has also grown. The more one understands, the more one thinks, and the more one fears...

What Sun Mao can do is maintain the status quo.

Unwilling to disrupt this relationship and balance, he didn't want to turn against his ancestor; he only wanted to be the child he was when he was young, nestled beside the bear's paw.

No one wants to be an adult; we're just being pushed forward.

Upon hearing this, Sun Bo'an shook his head.

"The back mountain has been closed for five years, and the thunder grows louder every day, so no one dares to take a single step closer."

"The patriarch doesn't receive guests anymore, and even Lord Rat and the others are in seclusion cultivating; they rarely travel around these days..."

Sun Mao straightened his clothes, faced the back mountain, knelt down solemnly, and kowtowed three times.

Without the resources of the ancestor, and without the Shi Mo bestowed by the ancestor, Sun Mao would never have been able to even touch the threshold of Foundation Establishment in his entire life.

This kindness is heavier than Mount Tai!

After getting up, Sun Mao looked down the mountain, his eyes filled with calm.

"Chieftain, how is the clan doing lately?"

"Great!"

Sun Bo'an stroked his beard, his face beaming. "The eight vassal clans under my rule are all obedient and pay their tribute on time every year."

"The Autumn Cry Merchant Alliance has captured 20% of the low-grade pills, talismans, and Spirit Plant business in the surrounding three prefectures, and it's thriving!"

"The younger generation of the clan, those with the character 'Cheng' in their names, have also grown up one after another."

The third generation of the Sun Clan, belonging to the "Cheng" generation.

This generation marks a complete transformation in the Sun Clan Lineage's atmosphere.

The two walked down the main peak side by side and arrived at the training ground.

A dozen or so children, around five or six years old, were meditating and practicing breathing exercises, using the basic Cultivation Method that Shi Jian had improved years ago.

The speed at which they draw qi into their bodies is more than 30% faster than the older generation.

What's most eye-catching is that, without exception, each of these children has a young spirit beast lying beside them.

There were black and yellow mixed-breed dogs, large gray rats, and several round bears of various species...

"Chengzu, make sure your punches are steady!"

Sun Xing shouted loudly and took on the role of instructor.

The boy named Sun Chengzu threw a punch, and the Little Black next to him stood up and also threw a clumsy paw.

The man and the beast moved in surprisingly unison.

The Sun Clan has been completely branded as a beast-taming Lineage.

The older generation might have been somewhat resistant, but the second generation began to get involved. However, the third generation, whose generation name is Cheng, had been mingling with these spirit beasts since they were toddlers.

We ate and slept together, and cultivated ourselves together.

In their eyes, spirit beasts are not tools, but brothers and sisters.

This deep-seated bond was precisely the purpose behind Shi Jian's move back then.

After watching the martial arts arena, Sun Mao headed straight for the Beast Valley on the outskirts of the back mountain.

Beast Valley covers a vast area, and after several renovations, it has become even more expansive, now firmly enclosed by an array...

This is the forbidden area of the Sun Clan, and also the source of the Sun Clan greatest strength.

After years of breeding and reproduction, Beast Valley has developed into a situation where three major groups coexist, with the bears naturally being the most prominent!

As soon as we stepped into the valley, a burst of barking dogs came from all around.

The Black Hound Clan.

Originating from the five black dogs that Shi Jian Enlightenment back then, more than thirty years have passed, and now hundreds of spirit dogs have been bred.

These spirit dogs are of low rank, mostly low-grade Demon Beast, but they are loyal, alert, and quite powerful in combat.

The Black Hound Clan is clearly divided.

Those with a keen sense of smell are responsible for tracking and exploration, serving as tracking auxiliary spirit beasts; those with strong physiques and amazing bite force serve as war beasts, acting as Dao-Protecting Hound or protectors.

Because of the presence of these spirit dogs, many of the Sun Clan's businesses became impregnable.

Further in, there was a dark, gloomy valley filled with caves.

The territory of the Spirit Rat Race.

Years ago, the Lord Rat received the Blood Sha Treasure bestowed upon him by Shi Jian and went into seclusion to attempt to break through to the Foundation Establishment.

Currently, the Spirit Rat Race is led by four gray-haired rats who have reached the peak of Level 1, their aura comparable to that of Qi Refining Perfection!

The Rat Race is not known for its fighting prowess, but its numbers are terrifying.

Hundreds of thousands, even millions, of rats and low-level spirit rats formed an impenetrable intelligence network...

This network, centered on Hongtian City, covers nine counties and has even penetrated into the borders of Qingzhou Commandery Fenghe Commandery.

Any slightest disturbance would be reported back to Beast Valley within half a day.

In Fenghe Commandery, the Rat Race detected the clan's advances from several cultivation Lineage in secret.

Taking advantage of this, Sun Bo'an set a trap, killing dozens of the enemy's high-level Qi Refining spies and directly severing the enemy's outstretched claws.

After passing through the territory of the Spirit Rat Race, Sun Mao arrived at the deepest part of the Beast Valley.

This is a steep stone forest, filled with intense Geng Metal energy and violent Blood Qi.

Bear Race territory.

The Bear Race clan has the smallest number, totaling no more than 220, but they are the core of the entire Beast Valley's fighting force.

As soon as Sun Mao approached, a giant bear, entirely black and nearly two zhang tall, emerged from behind the stone pillar.

It was Shi Mo.

Five years have passed, Shi Mo has devoured the remains of the Dark Gold Ape and a large amount of metallic ore, making his physique even more terrifying.

Its fur had hardened completely, gleaming with a Dark Gold metallic sheen.

With each step Shi Mo took, the ground trembled.

In five years, Shi Mo, a level 2 Demon Beast, also took this step, becoming the second Foundation Establishment bear demon in the Sun Clan!

Shi Mo let out a low growl and walked up to Sun Mao.

With its enormous head, it nuzzled Sun Mao's shoulder; the bond of an equal contract allowed the human and the beast to understand each other perfectly.

Sun Mao patted Shi Mo's hard neck, his gaze sweeping over Shi Lin.

Hundreds of bears of various species are fighting and training in the stone forest. Some bears do not eat flesh and blood, but only gnaw on ores and metals.

Some cultivate their physical body and vital Blood Qi based on consuming vast amounts of blood and food!

It can be said that the Bear Race's heritage is in no way inferior to the Sun Clan's various traditions, and its diversity is even greater than that of the Sun Clan.

Currently, the genus Ursus has been preliminarily divided into five categories.

The Lightning Bear Line is the leader, followed by the Dark Gold, Frost and Snow and Snow, Boulder, and Primal lineages. The Primordial Line refers to the bears that cultivate purely physical bodies.

The Dark Gold Line refers to the Metal Dao Bear clan under Shi Mo's command.

In the deepest shadows of the stone forest, Sun Mao vaguely sensed an extremely faint yet chilling aura.

He knew that it was Shi Yin.

Within the Frost and Snow Giant Bear Lineage, Shi Yin also reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, becoming the third Foundation Establishment bear demon in the clan!

After its breakthrough, its ability to conceal itself became even more powerful.

Its overall coat color thus changed to a mix of gray and white...

In the past five years, Shi Yin has never stepped out of the Beast Valley, making him the bear demon that the Sun Clan knows the least about.

But Sun Mao had a gut feeling that Shi Yin was no less dangerous than Shi Mo.

The rise of the Sun Clan and the expansion of Beast Valley.

Everything proceeded steadily, step by step, according to the ancestor's plan.

"The Sun Clan's current prosperity is entirely due to our ancestor."

"I will do my best as a junior..."

Sun Mao stood on a high point in the Beast Valley.

Looking down at the mountains, he felt a surge of pride; he would not allow the tragedy of the older generation to happen to the Sun Clan again.

He will be the one to protect the Lineage!