Elian nodded. "Yes, I had some insights recently and broke through to the eighth level of Qi Refinement."
Hearing the confirmation, the Sixteenth Grand-Uncle's face lit up with excitement.
"Sixteen years old and at the eighth level of Qi Refinement. Could it be that our Chen family is going to produce a Purple Mansion cultivator?"
He was overjoyed, but after a moment, his emotions settled, and he sighed.
"Ah, if this were sixty years ago, during the peak of the Chen family's power, we would have spared no effort to get you another Foundation Establishment Pill."
"But now, the family truly has no means to do so."
The Sixteenth Grand-Uncle shook his head in frustration, his face full of dejection.
Elian listened quietly. Although he wasn't directly involved in the events of sixty years ago, he was familiar with the general history of the Chen family.
Sixty years ago marked the zenith of the Chen family. At that time, they had three Foundation Establishment ancestors, one of whom, from the Dao generation, had reached the ninth level of Foundation Establishment and was on the verge of breaking through to the Purple Mansion stage.
Unfortunately, a beast tide broke out sixty years ago. Even two Purple Mansion ancestors of the great Qingyang Sect in the Chu Kingdom perished in the conflict, and the Chen family could not escape unscathed.
To resist the beast tide, many Chen family cultivators were conscripted. They had terrible luck and encountered a third-tier Purple Mansion demonic beast. The entire force was annihilated, including two of the Foundation Establishment ancestors. Only Chen Changxuan, the clan leader and the weakest at the time, survived while guarding Qingyuan Peak.
The losses from that battle were so severe that the Chen family still hadn't fully recovered after sixty years. Only recently had their situation slightly improved.
But after Chen Qingmeng's failure to establish his foundation, it was another devastating blow. For the foreseeable future, the family wouldn't be able to purchase a Foundation Establishment Pill for Elian.
However, Elian was concerned about something even more troubling. He remembered that the Chu Kingdom faced a beast tide roughly every hundred years. The next one was less than forty years away, and he wondered if the Chen family would survive it.
"Forget it. Let those stronger bear the weight of the heavens. My path is to focus on diligent cultivation," he thought, dismissing the troubling thoughts.
He then led the Sixteenth Grand-Uncle and the other two back to the central island of Linghu Isle.
Upon arriving, the Sixteenth Grand-Uncle noticed the Spirit Peach Tree and the nest of Purple-Striped Goslings. He couldn't hide his amazement.
Knowing it would be impossible to keep the tree and goslings a secret, Elian chose to explain openly.
"I discovered the Spirit Peach Tree by chance and transplanted it here."
"A pair of migrating Purple-Striped Geese arrived recently. After killing them, I found a nest of eggs and managed to hatch them."
As he recounted the story and the timeline of the geese's migration, Chen Nianqian and Chen Nianyuan looked remorseful.
They had spent years on Linghu Isle but hadn't bothered to inspect it thoroughly, missing the opportunity to discover the nest of goslings.
"Ah, such bad luck," they muttered in regret.
Both the Spirit Peach Tree and the goslings, having been discovered outside the family's usual resources, were considered Elian's private property. They couldn't help but think that if they had patrolled Linghu Isle more frequently, they might have claimed these opportunities for themselves.
Elian noticed their expressions and guessed their regretful thoughts. He couldn't help but chuckle quietly.
While the Spirit Peach Tree was out of the question, they might have been able to find a few gosling eggs if they'd patrolled more diligently. However, with their early-stage Qi Refinement cultivation, they might not have been able to handle the mid-stage Purple-Striped Geese.
The Sixteenth Grand-Uncle gently touched the Spirit Peach Tree and the goslings, his voice filled with emotion.
"Elian, you've had extraordinary fortune. With the Spirit Peach Tree and the goslings, you'll earn several hundred spirit stones annually in the future."
"Give it twenty or thirty years, and you'll have saved a considerable amount of spirit stones. By then, with some help from the family, it may still be possible to get you another Foundation Establishment Pill."
"You're still young. Don't rush—your lifespan allows you to take your time."
After his excitement subsided, the Sixteenth Grand-Uncle encouraged Elian before getting down to business.
The group had come to Linghu Isle because the spirit rice was ready for harvest.
Spirit rice stalks were incredibly tough, requiring cultivators to harvest them. The four worked all afternoon and finally finished harvesting the spirit rice.
The total yield was 162 pounds of spirit rice, equivalent to 54 spirit stones—12 pounds more than Elian had estimated.
The Sixteenth Grand-Uncle smiled with satisfaction.
"It seems the water quality of Linghu Isle is indeed excellent, yielding more than the spirit fields on Qingyuan Mountain."
Of the 17 acres of spirit fields on Qingyuan Mountain, seven were dedicated to spirit rice, producing just over 500 pounds annually. The average yield was about 75 pounds per acre, whereas Linghu Isle's fields produced 81 pounds per acre—a noticeable improvement.
After the rice harvest, the Sixteenth Grand-Uncle turned his attention to the Azure Spirit Fish. They managed to catch 17 adult fish.
These fish were destined for the Chen family's restaurant in Yuyang Market, where they were a delicacy for local cultivators hosting banquets. They were always sold out within half a month, generating substantial revenue for the restaurant.
"Focus on your cultivation. You still have time," the Sixteenth Grand-Uncle said, offering words of encouragement before departing that same night with the spirit rice and fish. These items would be sold for spirit stones.
Because the Azure Spirit Fish needed water to survive, transporting them alive over thousands of miles required special measures. The Chen family had rented a Firecloud Horse from the Zhang family, one of the six major cultivation families in Yuyang County.
The Firecloud Horse was a mid-grade first-tier spirit beast capable of short-range flight, ignoring most terrain obstacles. It could travel a thousand miles a day, pulling a cart of live fish to Yuyang Market in just ten days.
The Zhang family's fleet of a dozen Firecloud Horses generated over 300 spirit stones annually through transportation services, making the other families envious.
Watching the majestic Firecloud Horse depart, Elian felt a hint of envy but quickly laughed it off.
The Spirit Peach Tree alone produced spirit peaches worth nearly 300 spirit stones annually. Once the Purple-Striped Geese matured and began laying spirit eggs periodically, they would also generate substantial income.
With hundreds of spirit stones in annual revenue, he would have more than enough resources to support his cultivation up to the Foundation Establishment stage.
Time passed quickly on Linghu Isle.
Elian focused on cultivation, and in the blink of an eye, two years had passed. One day, after completing his morning practice of absorbing the morning glow, he exhaled softly.
"Finally, success," he said with a look of joy.
After fifteen years of cultivation and diligent effort to strengthen his foundation, he had finally broken through to the ninth level of Qi Refinement.
Eighteen years old and at the ninth level of Qi Refinement—a remarkable achievement. In large cultivation sects, this level of talent would be considered outstanding.
In a few more years, after further refining his foundation, he could attempt to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.
Elated, Elian stepped out of his retreat, only to find a messenger hawk waiting for him outside his bamboo hut.