After relocating, the Yang Family had many matters to attend to.
Reclaiming land for farming, trading with the two towns, opening new shops in White Stone Town, establishing inns and taverns—there was no shortage of tasks.
The brothers Yang Feiyun and Yang Xiaolei were practically working without pause every day, unable to stop at all.
Fortunately, the Yang Family now possessed sufficient strength, so negotiations in White Stone Town went relatively smoothly and encountered no major obstacles.
After the initial month of upheaval, the Yang Family's situation gradually stabilized as well.
The Yang Family's new Forbidden Ground was established directly atop the cliff behind them. The terrain there was perilous; ordinary people simply could not climb it unless they were cultivators.
Ever since moving into their new home, Yang Lingrui and the other two had never delayed their cultivation.
Elder Yu oversaw the overall situation outside, while Yang Guanfeng led the three children in cultivation and managed the Four-leaf Spirit-Nesting Grass at the same time.
Yang Lingqing had now opened all twelve Qi Meridians and was in the stage of Condensing Qi Mansion.
Yang Linghu had opened ten as well and was not far from Qi Gathering.
As for Yang Lingrui, the boy's cultivation speed was truly astonishing. In just over two months, he had already approached the peak of the First Level of Qi Gathering.
By the count of days, it was also time for the second drop of spirit liquid to be produced.
Before dawn, Yang Guanfeng was already standing watch in the spirit field. The instant the spirit liquid emerged, he collected it.
After Yang Lingrui consumed the drop of spirit liquid, he entered a meditative state. Yang Guanfeng sensed from his aura that the child intended to break through, so he immediately notified Elder Yu and personally accompanied him into seclusion.
"Ancestor Yu, how long will Ling Rui need to remain in seclusion for this breakthrough?"
Yang Linghu asked with some concern.
"It is hard to say when it comes to breakthroughs. It varies from person to person. Some may succeed after only an hour of seclusion, while others may remain secluded for ten days, or even a month."
Qi Gathering Cultivators could already absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Though they could not entirely go without food, enduring a month without eating or drinking was not a problem.
"So long? I hope everything goes smoothly for Ling Rui," Yang Lingqing said.
Elder Yu comforted the two children. "Rest assured. With Ling Rui's talent, a mere Second Level of Qi Gathering will certainly pose no problem. Besides, the Patriarch is inside with him, so nothing could possibly go wrong. You two, on the other hand, must not let these worries delay your cultivation. Do not forget the tasks the Patriarch assigned you!"
Upon hearing this, the two children hurriedly nodded, turned around, and threw themselves into cultivation.
Before the relocation, Yang Guanfeng had called the two children together for a talk and explained their future responsibilities.
The Yang Family's mine could not possibly hire Willow Leaf Town's troops to guard it forever. The expense was too great, so they needed a sufficiently powerful Qi Gathering Cultivator to hold the fort there.
Then there was White Stone Town. If the Yang Family wanted to gain a firm foothold on someone else's territory, concessions alone would not be enough—they also needed sufficient strength.
Thus, Yang Guanfeng would guard the mine in the future, while Elder Yu would travel back and forth between White Stone Town and the Yang Family village.
Ling Rui needed to focus on cultivation, so the task of staying behind to guard the Yang Family would fall upon the two of them.
That way, outsiders would believe that the Yang Family had only one Qi Gathering cultivator, Yang Lingrui, without knowing that two more Qi Gathering Cultivators were concealed within.
Driven by the sense of duty to protect the Lineage, Yang Linghu and Yang Lingrui had been especially diligent in their cultivation lately.
In the past, they would fool around together for a while after finishing their daily cultivation. Now, they only followed Elder Yu around, asking about every problem they encountered in cultivation.
On the fifth day of Yang Lingrui's seclusion, Yang Lingqing successfully Condensed Qi Mansion and broke through into the Qi Gathering Realm.
Speaking only of Condensing Qi Mansion, Yang Lingqing had spent the same amount of time as Yang Lingrui.
That was because Condensing Qi Mansion was unlike absorbing spiritual energy, where aptitude had such a major influence.
It was more like technical work. Thus, despite having inferior aptitude to Yang Lingrui, Yang Lingqing successfully matched his record through her outstanding comprehension.
Ten days later, Yang Lingrui emerged from seclusion, his cultivation having reached the Second Level of Qi Gathering!
Encouraged by the two successive breakthroughs, Yang Linghu also gritted his teeth and gave it everything he had. A month later, he successfully broke through into Qi Gathering.
Thus, with Chen Yang and the spirit liquid assisting them, the Yang Family had gained three Qi Gathering Cultivators in a mere four months!
That was an utterly astonishing achievement in any of the surrounding towns or Lineages.
They had certainly benefited from a fortuitous opportunity, but opportunities were reserved for those who came prepared.
It was precisely the more than ten years of planning and arrangements by Yang Guanfeng and Elder Yu that had created the Yang Family's present situation, on the verge of flourishing.
"Five Qi Gathering Cultivators in one family! The Yang Family's current strength can finally rank among the surrounding powers."
As the patriarch, Yang Guanfeng felt greatly comforted.
Having reached the Qi Gathering Realm, the next step was to teach them how to use spells.
Based on the three children's temperaments and spiritual energy characteristics, Elder Yu found three spell manuals for them to cultivate.
Yang Linghu cultivated the Brute Force Art, just like patriarch Yang Guanfeng, emphasizing offensive might. It was of Late Qi Gathering quality.
Yang Lingqing had a steady temperament and a sharp mind, so she was assigned the more difficult Mud Dragon Technique, also of Late Qi Gathering quality.
As for Yang Lingrui, after carefully selecting from his own small treasury, Elder Yu took out a spell manual he had treasured for a long time.
"Ling Rui, this Gale Flow Method is a spell of the early Condensing Origin stage. It is one of this old man's most prized treasures."
Yang Lingrui accepted the spell manual with utmost respect. Though it was not very thick, it gave him a heavy, weighty feeling.
He secretly made up his mind. I will definitely master this spell!
The addition of spell cultivation brought a little more enjoyment to the three children's daily training.
Besides sitting in meditation, they could also use their still-unskilled spells to spar with one another.
Each of the three children had different strengths. For example, in spell cultivation, Yang Linghu was currently progressing the fastest.
His temperament and naturally robust physique were a perfect match for the Brute Force Art. In less than half a month, he had already successfully entered the beginner stage.
The power of spells was indeed remarkable. With merely beginner-level mastery, Yang Linghu could now lift a hundred-jin boulder with one hand. With a casual palm strike, he could kill a fierce beast in the mountains.
Seeing that the three children's cultivation had gotten on the right track, Yang Guanfeng and Elder Yu began devoting themselves to Lineage affairs.
From then on, Yang Linghu and Yang Lingqing took turns infusing Chen Yang with spiritual power, activating his Spirit Gathering ability to support the three children's cultivation.
After more than three months of development, the entire Yang Family presented a scene of thriving prosperity.
Yet at such a time, someone set their sights on the Yang Family.
The Wang Family of White Stone Town held a position in White Stone Town similar to the Yang Family's former position in Willow Leaf Town.
Their household had three Qi Gathering Cultivators: one at the Qi Gathering Mid-stage and two at the Qi Gathering Early-stage.
The Yang Family had now established an initial presence in White Stone Town, purchasing three shops, and they had an elderly cultivator at the Qi Gathering Mid-stage stationed there.
To be honest, as White Stone Town's foremost Lineage, they were quite hostile toward such an outside force.
But since the other side had two Qi Gathering Mid-stage cultivators, the two families still maintained an outward appearance of harmony.
Only, in the shadows, the Wang Family was already plotting to stir up trouble for the Yang Family.
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