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With a "crash," the exquisite and ornate glazed vase fell to the ground, scattering fallen petals and water droplets everywhere. A beautiful female cultivator, her eyes brimming with tears, cried out in a mournful voice, "Second Uncle! Are you really trying to force me to my death?!"

"If you keep causing trouble at home, believe me, I'll kill your bastard child right here and now!" Shan Sheng's face was as cold as ice. He pointed a halberd at the female cultivator from a distance and cursed through gritted teeth.

"Shan Xuerong! Your Lineage has raised you all these years. Even a stubborn rock should know to contribute to the Lineage by now! You're a grown woman, how can you still be so ignorant! Do you think you're some wealthy family's precious jewel, a golden branch and jade leaf?"

Throughout the entire Cloud Horn Prefecture, how many families can you find like Chongming Sect, with two people in the Ice Leaf Foundation Establishment still alive?

Zhou Yixiu is now an elder of the Double Brightness, and it's rare that he still respects you. He hasn't abandoned you for someone new, yet you ran away to your parents' home! You brainless idiot!

Shan Xuerong lowered her head, tears streaming down her face, mingling with her snot, and choked out, "Second Uncle... Second Uncle, Xuerong is still a legitimate daughter of the clan, and the Jade Moon Shan Household is Foundation Establishment sect. How could you be so despicable, so... so cruel to Xuerong!"

"Foundation Establishment portal?" Shan Sheng gave a bitter laugh. "If I die in a few years, then you can see whether the Jade Moon Shan Household can still support a Foundation Establishment portal."

Upon hearing this, Shan Xuerong's urgent sobs abruptly ceased. As if finally resigned to her fate, she clenched her teeth, and streaks of crimson blood trickled from the corners of her mouth. Her plump, mature body trembled incessantly, but she remained silent.

Seeing this scene, Shan Sheng angry and pitying, so he turned his head away, closed his eyes, and remained silent.

That evening, Shan Sheng, along with several clansmen including Shan Xuerong, boarded a flying boat and headed towards the Chongming Sect.

It wasn't that such a trivial matter as escorting Shan Xuerong back required Shan Sheng, the Foundation Establishment Head, to personally intervene. Rather, the news that the Sect Leader Kang Da Chongming Sect Zongkang had achieved the Ice Leaf had already spread far and wide and reached Shan Sheng's ears.

Although Kang Dabao had made it clear that he would not hold the Foundation Establishment Ceremony this time, the Jade Moon Shan Household, as relatives by marriage, had no reason not to come and offer their congratulations.

Under the care of the patriarch, the Shan Household disciples piloting the flying boat worked very hard, much faster than usual. When they reached the Little Ring Mountain, they saw that a number of cultivators had already gathered there.

Shan Sheng was curious and sent his disciple to find out.

A short while later, the member of the Shan Household who had been gathering information returned and reported back:

"Master, it is said that Chongming Sect will be recruiting a batch of disciples on the ninth day of this month. The news is that this recruitment is not restricted by social status. As long as they are under the age of seven and have Spirit Root, they can apply and be selected based on merit."

"Many families from the surrounding counties must have come, bringing their disciples to wait here."

Upon hearing this, Shan Sheng glanced around and realized there were probably no fewer than a hundred children present.

At the foot of the mountain, a thatched hut had been built, and several familiar-looking disciples of Double Brightness were guiding the children to move in.

Shan Sheng sighed inwardly, thinking to himself that the Chongming Sect had truly risen to power.

Keep in mind that today is only the second day of the lunar new year, and in the next few days, many more families will likely continue to arrive. Based on this calculation, the number of promising young talents from various counties coming to the Chongming Sect to take the exam will likely exceed two hundred.

Shan Sheng turned his head to look at Shan Xuerong, whose face was ashen, and his brows furrowed even more.

The Shan Household has been established in Jade Moon Valley, Hong County for over five hundred years, and there have been True Cultivator have Foundation Establishment in every generation.

However, it's hard to say whether such a sect could achieve the Chongming Sect if it announced that it would open its doors to recruit disciples from outside the sect.

The Second Tier flying boat of the Shan Household stood out conspicuously when placed alongside the flying boats of the small families who came to learn from them.

A young cultivator, unadorned and of simple appearance, arrived on his magical artifact and announced loudly, "Is it Shan Household who has graced our sect with his presence?"

"Indeed," the Shan Household member who had been sent by Shan Sheng to gather information replied immediately, stepping aside to let Shan Sheng pass. "Our patriarch has come to your sect to congratulate Sect Leader Kang- Foundation Establishment. Please inform him of this."

The young cultivator opposite straightened his clothes and composed himself, bowed to Shan Sheng, and said, "Double Brightness Pei Que greets Senior Shan. My master has already instructed that if Senior Shan comes in person, this junior must personally welcome him up the mountain."

"Thank you for your trouble, young friend." Shan Sheng's anxiety subsided slightly. He turned and instructed two disciples to guard the flying boat, while the rest of the group followed Pei Que towards the Chongming Sect's mountain gate.

The mountain scenery along the way was beautiful, which Zhou Yixiu had painstakingly arranged, but Shan Sheng had no interest in seeing it and kept Swift Movement briskly with Pei Que.

Only the occasional Golden-Feathered Owl appearing overhead would prompt Shan Sheng to examine it for a moment, making the Foundation Establishment patriarch quite impressed, saying that the Chongming Sect truly had a grand scale.

Ordinary Foundation Establishment sects would never tame so many First-Tier Superior-Grade spirit birds, solely for their use in patrolling and hunting.

This alone surpasses 60-70% of the Foundation Establishment forces in Cloud Horn Prefecture.

Little Ring Mountain wasn't particularly steep or precipitous, and after walking for only a short while, the Chongming Sect's archway became clearly visible.

A chess table was set up under the archway, and four people were playing chess.

This chessboard was made by flattening a huge rock; the surface is as smooth as a mirror, as if it had been polished with skillful techniques.

The other half of the boulder lay askew in the distance, with dozens of round holes carved out of its center. The four men then shaped these carved-out stone spheres into a chess set, each one smooth, round, and plump.

"What brings you four fellow Daoists here?" Shan Sheng hadn't expected to see these four here, so he immediately asked Pei Que was leading the way, to wait a moment, stopped, and bowed to ask.

"Oh? You must be Brother Shan? I've heard that your family is allied with and related to the Chongming Sect by marriage. Why are you so late? Even the head of the Zhai Household in Jingnan Prefecture arrived earlier than you." The long-bearded cultivator, who was stroking the old general, said to Shan Sheng with a smile.

Shan Sheng was surprised and asked, "Brother Xu, are there really this many guests who came to offer their congratulations?"

After this question was asked, another cultivator with thick eyebrows replied, "Haha, Brother Shan, what do you think? We four brothers heard that Fellow Daoist Jiang Foundation Establishment, so we came to celebrate. It's just that there are too many guests in the Chongming Sect, so we four brothers specially came out to find some peace and quiet."

The two people watching the game beside the two were dressed in scholar's robes, one with a large belly, and the other in a short robe with a square face. They laughed along with the thick-browed monk who spoke.

Upon hearing this, Shan Sheng gave a wry smile, "I have family matters to attend to. Fellow Daoists, please go ahead with your business. I'll go in and greet the host first, then I'll come out and speak with you all."

After hastily bidding farewell to the four, Shan Sheng was secretly alarmed. This was because the four people sitting around playing chess were all Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators who called themselves the "Four Friends of Cold Mountain" in Hong County. They occupied first and second-grade mid-level Spirit Vein and cultivated freely.

By forming a united guild, these four individuals gained considerable renown among the Rogue Cultivator of Hong County.

After all, even in Hong County, where the immortal path is quite prosperous, many major Foundation Establishment sects could not find four living Foundation Establishment. Moreover, although these four were all Green Leaf Foundation Establishment, their skills were also quite remarkable.

The first to speak was a long-bearded cultivator named Xu Liuxian. He had already reached the Foundation Establishment Late Stage and was skilled in the Bright Yang Fire Art. He was quite famous among the cultivators in Hong County and was considered a first-rate figure besides Lang Yi.

The thick-browed cultivator who spoke up later was the second among the four, named Zhou Zhaoyi. Although he was only at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, he possessed a rare Second-Tier Upper-Grade Spirit Artifact. It was extremely sharp and equally ferocious in combat.

Of the remaining two, the portly one, whose real name is Ji Yunsheng, comes from a fallen sect but has mastered the Thunder Dao Orthodox Method, and his skills are still quite good; the one with a square face is surnamed Lu, whose real name is Xingbei, and he wields six ice crystal spears, and he is also quite capable.

The four were quite capable and arrogant, living like hermits. They looked down on a fallen family like the Jade Moon Shan Household.

If Shan Sheng, the head of the family, hadn't taken the initiative to strike up a conversation, the four of them might not have paid any attention to him.

As for whether the four of them would come to congratulate the Shan Household if they had a happy occasion, that's even more of a question.

Seeing that such important figures had come to offer their congratulations, Shan Sheng's anxiety intensified. He followed Pei Que and quickly entered the newly renovated reception hall of the Chongming Sect.

Pei Que had sent word before he arrived, and before Shan Sheng even reached the door, he saw the smiling Sect Leader Kang Da.

"Congratulations, fellow Daoist!" Shan Sheng's joy was quite genuine. "Haha, I am deeply grateful that you could take time out of your busy schedule to offer your congratulations. Please, let's talk inside the hall." Kang Dabao finished speaking with a smile and gave a wink.

Pei Que understood and led all the Qi Refinement disciples of the Shan Household to another place to rest.

Kang Dabao then pulled Shan Sheng into the hall. As soon as Shan Sheng entered, he was shocked by the scene before him. There were more than a dozen leaders of Foundation Establishment forces gathered here.

Book and Sword Gate in Guo County, Zi Maple Valley in Shen County, Zhai Household in Jingnan Prefecture

Some of them were allies of the Chongming Sect, while others were just neighbors who came to visit.

Now, the Chongming Sect Foundation Establishment has two members who have reached the Foundation Establishment stage. Kang Dabao and Jiang Qing are both young and have already reached the Ice Leaf Foundation Establishment, so their future prospects are truly limitless.

In the eyes of these outsiders, if Chongming Sect were lucky, it wouldn't be impossible for them to produce a fake alchemy master in another hundred or two hundred years.

If that's the case, then these Foundation Establishment forces are naturally happy to come and play a supporting role, and to build a good relationship with the Chongming Sect.

Seeing this scene Shan Sheng, Shan Sheng suddenly sighed that what Xu Liuxian had said was indeed true; he, as a relative by marriage, had indeed arrived too late!

Shan Sheng cursed under his breath in frustration. He thought he had set off early and traveled quickly, but now he realized that he would be lucky if he didn't cause any trouble for the two families, let alone ease the tension between them.

After exchanging greetings with their fellow cultivators, the two sat down side by side. Shan Sheng, they heard Sect Leader Kang Da ask, "I've heard that Shan Household has come all this way specifically to deliver divorce papers to his eldest daughter?"

"What! What are you talking about! How could Sect Leader Kang listen to those villains' slander?! A virtuous woman does not serve two husbands, and the Shan Household has always been known for its simple and honest ways. How could we do such a thing!"

Shan Sheng is now truly panicked. Although he is only 150 years old, his foundation was damaged by fighting in his early years, and he doesn't have many years left to live.

After him, the Shan Household produced no outstanding figures; they couldn't even find a single descendant with the courage to independently attempt to break through to the Foundation Establishment.

Judging from the current situation, if Shan Sheng were to Shan Sheng in a few years, the Jade Moon Shan Household, which has been passed down for over five hundred years, would not know how many more years it would take before they could produce a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator!

It would be strange if his family's wealth didn't attract covetous eyes at that time; they might even face ruin and extermination. It would only be a matter of time before they completely vanished from the cultivation world.

Therefore, Shan Sheng has been keeping a low profile and cultivating good relationships over the years.

He has always disliked teaching younger generations, but in recent years he has even taken the initiative to mentor some promising younger relatives from other families.

What is the purpose of doing all this? Isn't it to leave something behind for future generations?

Unfortunately, Shan Xuerong's temper is truly peculiar and unhelpful. If she were to offend a promising in-law like Chongming Sect, and further estrangement were to arise between the two sides, it would truly be a case of trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice instead!

Sect Leader Kang Da was merely bluffing him, and seeing the Shan Household head's reaction, he was quite satisfied. He then laughed and said, "Haha, it was just a joke, fellow Daoist, don't take it seriously."

If it weren't for Zhou Yixiu's utter infatuation with Shan Xuerong, which led Kang Dabao to repeatedly try to replace her, this newly Chongming Sect would have disagreed.

So today, Kang Dabao might actually have to talk to Shan Sheng about their divorce.

She's just a widowed woman who's been single for a few years and has no talent, yet she thinks she's some noblewoman from the Fei Household?! She tries to learn everything!

Even if she really is that noble lady of the Fei Household, so what? This morning, Sect Leader Kang Da just came out of that Fei Household lady's boudoir.

Shan Sheng hearing this, Shan Sheng breathed a sigh of relief, but then realized something and glanced at Sect Leader Kang Da with a hint of envy. He suddenly realized that as his time was drawing closer, his composure was deteriorating!

If I were still as sharp-witted and perceptive as I was back then, this young man would never be able to fool me now.

Sect Leader Kang Da had other guests to entertain, so he only exchanged a few words with Shan Sheng before he was about to leave when he received a message from Kang Rongquan, who was on duty at the archway.

Kang Dabao gripped the talisman in his hand and scanned it with his Divine Sense. "Have people from Mi Household Stockade come to apologize?"

(Due to space limitations, the monthly votes I didn't thank will have to be added to the next chapter. Thank you again to everyone for your support of this book! Thank you all!)

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