The Farming Master Forms Her Core

Almost a month has passed since the banquet for the eldest son of the Sect Leader Kang Da, and things have been relatively calm around Cloud Horn Prefecture lately.

Just like Ding Prefecture, although it was newly recovered, because the Yue Household and Fei Household successively sent large groups of elite troops to garrison it, under strong pressure, the Hongyi Sect was nowhere to be found and lay dormant, so there was little turmoil.

Pu Prefecture was already poor and weak, and its foundation was even weaker than that of Cloud Horn Prefecture. The Stone Mountain Sect, which was loyal to the Immortal Dynasty, was already powerful, and after Bian Hu achieved the False Core, it became even more stable.

The cultivator from the collateral branch of the Ye Prefecture Yang Household, having failed to find help anywhere, seems to have learned his lesson and publicly claimed to be secluded for ten years, thus avoiding trouble before submitting to the elite forces of the direct line of the Immortal Dynasty.

The cultivators of the Two Instruments Sect remained remarkably calm about this situation, much like those of the Star-Picking Pavilion, simply watching as the power of the Cloud Horn Prefecture Court expanded further, centered on Cloud Horn Prefecture.

Some people who thought they understood clearly said that this was because Yun and Pu were originally remote and barren, with few ordinary people and were mostly spiritual lands. They were also attacked by barbarians, and their Spirit Vein were disordered and difficult to sort out.

This is why the Two Instruments Sect didn't take it seriously and watched as Pu Prefecture returned to the Immortal Dynasty. Although this seemed a bit too rigid and Confucian, it wasn't entirely unexpected.

The Ye Prefecture Yang Household been established for nearly two thousand years. During this time, not only have they produced many Golden Core cultivators, but they have also had old ties with first-rate sects like Five Old Mothers Mountain. Although their strength is far inferior to that of the Two Instruments Sect, they can definitely be considered a local tyrant.

Therefore, for more than a thousand years, the Ye Prefecture Yang Household has only been nominally placed under the jurisdiction of the Star-Picking Pavilion Two Instruments Sect Tower.

But anyone with eyes to see knows that this is just a case of obeying orders but not orders. Even the annual Two Instruments Sect has actually been able to collect very little over the years. Most of the profits that were squeezed out from the immortals and mortals in Ye Prefecture were still escorted to Tengwen Prefecture by the Yang Household without any delay.

On this point, even though the Yang Household family's legitimate and illegitimate children had been fighting each other to the point of causing immense suffering and devastation, the conflict had never slowed down.

In fact, the war between the main and illegitimate branches of the Yang Household family was originally caused by the unfair distribution of resources within the family. However, after decades of fighting, the cultivation resources that each side can obtain are many times less than before the war.

In truth, whichever side wins this scorched land will be making a losing proposition. At their most desperate, they even struggled to scrape together the annual tribute they regularly paid to the Star-Picking Pavilion.

Because of this, the two sides were able to temporarily set aside their grudges and each turned around to collect the offerings that should have been paid from the Storage Bag of their clansmen at the front line.

Although this matter seems ridiculous, it actually happened. Moreover, the annual tributes that needed to be presented to the Star-Picking Pavilion were never skimped on by the direct descendants of the Yang Household family, who had recently pledged allegiance to the Cloud Horn Prefecture Court.

Therefore, the Yang Household family has always held absolute power in Ye Prefecture, and even if it were lost, the cultivators of the Two Instruments Sect wouldn't care much.

Of the surrounding prefectures, only Jingnan Prefecture still has the smoke of war. But ever since Yue Lin and Tie Liuyun arrived at Old Ox Mountain, Yuan Buwen has rarely shown his face.

The battle between the two sides over the past two or three years has not been particularly fierce, and not a single person at the pseudo-Dan Master level has been killed or injured.

It seems that the Yuan Household has not been pressured too much by the Two Instruments Sect. Like the Yue Household and the Tie Household, who have just suffered a major setback, they are just going through the motions and hoping for a change.

During this peaceful time, the Daoist Black Shoes, who had been in seclusion for over two years, finally reappeared in the courtyard of Sect Leader Kang Da.

"Uncle-Master has emerged from seclusion," Kang Dabao said, his eyes lighting up after glancing at the Daoist Black Shoes. "It seems Uncle-Master's cultivation has improved again?"

"There's nothing to it about progress or not. Last time I went to Myriad Treasures Trading Company, I spent a lot of money to buy a Reverse Dust Pill, which allowed me to break through to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage."

The Daoist Black Shoes said this, but the hint of joy between his brows was hard to hide.

Sect Leader Kang Da was slightly startled, and said, "These Breakthrough Pill are not to be taken casually. Those cultivators whose aptitude is limited and who have difficulty making progress should take them, as they are going to fight with all their might anyway."

However, Uncle Black Shoes was not such a person. He must have already perfected his cultivation and only took the pill to reduce the time wasted. This had little impact on his Dao Path; at most, it would only help him spend two or three years.

My uncle has only been at the Foundation Establishment for thirty or forty years, yet his cultivation has already reached the Foundation Establishment Late Stage. This speed of cultivation is truly astonishing. I'm afraid that in another thirty or forty years, he will be able to attempt to Core Formation.

Good heavens! Golden Core cultivator who has just turned one hundred years old—even among the top-tier forces in the world, like the Liaoyuan Gui Household and the Dragon and Tiger Sect, there are probably only a handful.

Kang Dabao's astonishment was not without reason. You must know that although the Daoist Black Shoes came from a small sect, he was in fact no different from Rogue Cultivator.

Even after he completed his Foundation Establishment, he left the Hemu Dao and became a nominal Supreme Elder in the Chongming Sect under the Sect Leader Kang Da. It's hard to say how much resources and assistance the Chongming Sect provided for him.

At most, it would simply save the younger generation from some tedious tasks like searching for low-level spiritual objects and reduce worldly distractions, allowing them to focus more on cultivation once they grow up.

However, Chongming Sect has been in the spotlight quite a bit over the years. Whether the little advantage that the Daoist Black Shoes has gained can be compensated for the effort he has put into the Chongming Sect and Kang Dabao is still up in the air.

In contrast, although Kang Dabao also possessed the aptitude of Four Spirit Roots and broke through to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage Foundation Establishment less than twenty years, he was far from being comparable to the Daoist Black Shoes.

So far, the only use of the Jade Leaf Dao Foundation on his body that he has observed is the ability to extend lifespan by sixty years and live as long as the Pill Master. It has not shown any miraculous effects in terms of cultivation.

The subsequent cultivation stages are increasingly difficult. Although Sect Leader Kang Da has the assistance of three jade pendants, it seems that breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage in less than twenty years is not slow.

However, he figured that if nothing major changed and he continued to cultivate in this way, it would probably take him more than forty years to break through to become a late-stage cultivator.

This is only the achievement of a late-stage cultivator. It is unknown how many years it will take to cultivate to the Foundation Establishment Peak or even to perfect the Core Thesis. Under the circumstances of everything going smoothly, it would probably be considered early to achieve the Golden Core at the age of one hundred or eighty.

The longer Kang Dabao practiced, the more insightful he became.

No wonder there are so few inferior Spirit Root among high-level cultivators. The reason why so many sects and great families in the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty prioritize Spirit Root and aptitude when cultivating disciples and their offspring, and only then consider lineage and kinship, is quite reasonable.

The ideal outcome would be a successor who is both of noble birth and of Higher Vehicle talent.

In this way, the family business can be guaranteed to prosper and continue without any disturbance or abnormality.

However, if the legitimate son is truly incapable of being developed, the heads of powerful families will still not entrust him with much wealth, which gives the sons of illegitimate sons a good opportunity.

Otherwise, how could the Golden Core cultivator from the Yang Household's illegitimate branch, supposedly born to a maidservant, have grown to the point where he could hold his own against two top cultivators from the direct line?

"My two boys would never do that."

This thought had indeed wandered a bit too far. Sect Leader Kang Da quickly snapped back to reality and immediately bowed again, saying, "Congratulations, Uncle-Master, on taking another step forward in your cultivation!"

The smug look on the Daoist Black Shoes's face didn't last long. After hearing Kang Dabao's praise, he returned to his usual unruly and indifferent demeanor.

He only thought to himself:

"The treasure chest is empty, and that External Core won't be usable for much longer after the last one, so I must conserve it. Fortunately, after breaking through to the late-stage cultivator, if I encounter False Core like Yuan Buwen again, I won't be in such a sorry state. As for Yue Lin, I've just advanced, so I probably still won't be able to stop him. As for encountering Golden Core, without using External Core techniques, I'm afraid I still won't be able to survive."

He didn't tell Kang Dabao these words, only saying, "After I left the pass, I first went to Xuanwei City to see Lord Shan before returning."

The latter was taken aback and quickly explained, "I've been preoccupied with worldly affairs lately, so I recently asked Brother Qin to bring me some nourishing herbs. In a few days, I also plan to visit the Fei Household and ask a Second Tier Alchemist to come and examine me."

The Daoist Black Shoes waved his hand and said calmly, "I know your temperament and I don't mean to blame you. Old Master Lord Shan is about to die and can no longer contain the Spiritual Qi energy and essence in his body."

In this situation, even inferior longevity-extending spiritual items would be insufficient to save the patient. Let alone the spiritual herbs you asked Qin to bring back, even if you found Third Tier- or Fourth Tier spirit medicine and sent them, it would likely all be in vain.

Sect Leader Kang Da earnestly replied, "That may be true, but as the Double Brightness Leader of Chongming, I must do my part to honor my late master."

"That's only right. My elder brother and I did indeed receive a lot of selfless help from Lord Shan back then." The Daoist Black Shoes nodded and said this, as if he had already seen through it all, so this time there was no sadness in the Daoist's words.

After he finished speaking, he took out another invitation from his clothes and said, "I met Qi Buxiu on my way back, so I'll give you your invitation as well."

"An invitation?" Sect Leader Kang Da's brow furrowed. He bowed, accepted the invitation, unfolded it, and exclaimed in surprise, "Madam Qi has actually Core Formation?"

After speaking, Kang Dabao realized he had lost his composure. He saw that Master Qi's seal script on the invitation was written clearly and forcefully, so there was no way it could be fake.

The Daoist Black Shoes's reaction was much calmer, only saying softly, "She had a bit of luck involved. This time, Chu Yanran barely managed to become Chu Yanran Golden Core. Back then, she even dreamed of becoming Middle-Grade Golden Core. Only by giving up that dream and working hard can she achieve it in one fell swoop. This is certainly a good thing for her."

Sect Leader Kang Da was already used to his uncle's boastful tone, so he didn't find anything unusual about what the Daoist Black Shoes said.

He continued, "I wonder what scale Madam Qi intends to make for this Core Formation. It's been a long time since such a grand event has occurred in the surrounding provinces. It's sure to be quite a lively affair. I must prepare a generous gift."

Kang Dabao was certain that his idea was correct. He was not familiar with Chu Yanran, but he knew Master Qi's character all too well.

If the gift is too modest, the old man will definitely feel uncomfortable; we must put some thought into it.

The Daoist Black Shoes saw right through Sect Leader Kang Da's thoughts and said softly, "There's no need to prepare a lavish gift; Chu Yanran still owes you a favor."

Seeing Kang Dabao pause for a moment, he continued, "This time, Core Formation Chu Yanran, so she hasn't invited many people. They're probably only big enough to fit around an eight-immortal table. You've already managed to get a seat there, so why would you need to give her a lavish gift?"

"Oh, I seem to have forgotten about this. What Uncle-Master said makes sense." How could Sect Leader Kang Da not be happy to save such a large amount of Spirit Stone?

He thought for a moment, then chuckled again, "This time, not only will I not have to give any gifts, but I might even be able to get something back. Madam Qi is of noble character and doesn't like to take advantage of others; she certainly wouldn't keep owing me, a nobody, any favors."

The Daoist Black Shoes laughed after hearing this, "You lad, you're quite good at reading people's hearts. I could tell from Chu Yanran's words that she did indeed mean that. You might want to make some preparations before you go. As long as your request isn't too outrageous, she should be able to grant it."

Hearing this, Sect Leader Kang Da's smile deepened, and he said, "It's truly a great thing that Madam Qi Core Formation. In that case, wouldn't my Second have gained an Alchemist for nothing?"

At this point, even the Daoist Black Shoes sighed, "Speaking of Qi Buxiu is really lucky. To be honest, with his qualifications, he doesn't even have the right to be Chu Yanran's gigolo, yet now..."

"That's why they say Madam Qi is a rare woman, one that can't be found again in the past five hundred years in Cloud Horn Prefecture." Kang Dabao joked, then carefully observed that the Daoist Black Shoes's complexion was not bad before teasingly saying, "Uncle-Master, I think you and Madam Qi are a better match, otherwise..."

Before he could finish speaking, Sect Leader Kang Da felt a chill run down his spine. He didn't dare wait any longer and turned and ran.

The Daoist Black Shoes had a livid face, but he didn't give chase. After a long while, he smiled slightly and chuckled softly, "That lazy, glib-tongued brat."

But immediately after saying that, he turned his gaze back to the small courtyard of Sect Leader Kang Da.

The latter is sentimental; even after the Chongming Sect undertook several major renovations, this sect leader's courtyard, apart from having a stronger Spiritual Qi, was not much different from when Sect Leader He was there.

After watching for a while, the Daoist Black Shoes's gaze softened. He walked to the banyan tree, gently stroked its trunk, and murmured to himself:

"The banyan tree planted in the middle of the courtyard was bought by a dishonest merchant when my elder brother and I first came to Xuanwei City. Several years later, we realized something was wrong and tried to return it, but the merchant refused to acknowledge it."

The Spirit Stone were obviously not going to be returned. If my elder brother hadn't stopped me, I probably would have gotten a beating from that Late Qi Refinement Refining shopkeeper. Ha, karma is karmic, the entire clan of that Spirit Plant shop perished in the battle with the Niu Household's Pill Master at Kuang Liuting. Otherwise, I would have certainly sought revenge on them.

My sister-in-law has always been in poor health. Under the tree is this blue brick well. Originally, my elder brother wanted to spend some Spirit Stone to build a spirit-gathering array for my sister-in-law.

But that time, because I killed a disciple of the Grass Witch Cult, my elder brother had to ask Chen Ye for help. After spending a large sum of Spirit Stone, it was naturally difficult to make the trip again.

The two waist-high gray stone round tables standing beside the well seem to have been moved back together after we wiped out the evil cultivators of Ox Fern Hollow in the winter of the 382nd year of the Qianfeng reign.

At first, none of us knew anything about it, and we thought that the group of villains had hidden some rare spiritual artifact. We never imagined that the Spiritual Qi on the round table was due to the spiritual soil beneath it, and after more than a month, most of it had dissipated.

However, my elder brother didn't get angry later. He still carved a yellow jade chessboard and inlaid it on it, playing chess with me every day. Haha, his chess skills are truly...

When the Daoist Black Shoes mentioned this, his tone suddenly paused, and the look of reminiscence in his eyes deepened.

After a while, the Daoist Black Shoes withdrew his hand from the tree trunk, turned around and looked at every plant and tree in the courtyard again, and finally sat back down at the gray stone round table inlaid with a yellow jade chessboard.

After a moment of silence, his already faint voice grew even weaker, tinged with bitterness. "Brother, I am indeed cruel and ungrateful, truly cruel and ungrateful."