Elian silently handed a Gathering Essence Pill to Chen Nianchuan.
Nianchuan took the pill, bowed deeply, and left. His departing figure exuded a mix of determination and defiance.
Watching him leave, Elian felt an inexplicable heaviness in his heart. He couldn't help but recall how, over twenty years ago, the sixth elder, Chen Qingmeng, had similarly bid him farewell here, leaving behind his alchemy notes.
Even at his peak, and with the aid of the Gathering Essence Pill, Nianchuan's chances of success were no more than twenty percent.
"Nianchuan," Elian called out as he watched his retreating figure.
"With the spirit of your father, you will succeed!"
The distant figure paused, turned back to look at Elian with a faint smile, and replied, "With your blessing, I will establish my foundation."
He then burst into hearty laughter, his confidence renewed, and strode away resolutely.
…
After saying goodbye to the Qingyuan Mountain cultivators, Elian returned to Linghu Isle with the siblings Xianling and Xianyan. Once back, the siblings entered seclusion to attempt their breakthroughs to the Foundation Establishment stage.
Two months passed in the blink of an eye. One day, Elian was startled out of his cultivation by good news—Chen Xianling had successfully broken through to Foundation Establishment, becoming the family's sixth Foundation Establishment cultivator.
His success seemed to inspire his younger sister, and three days later, Chen Xianyan also made the leap, becoming the family's seventh Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Shortly afterward, Qingyuan Mountain sent word with mixed news. Chen Qingyu, despite having a Foundation Establishment Pill, failed to break through. Upon hearing this, the 117-year-old Chen Changming collapsed in despair and passed away days later.
Surprisingly, Chen Nianchuan defied expectations. Carrying the spirit of his late father and with a resolve to face near-certain death, he succeeded in his risky attempt at Foundation Establishment, becoming the family's eighth Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Like Lin Baixi of the Lin family before him, Nianchuan managed to establish his foundation just before the age of fifty. His potential was likely to rival or even exceed that of Xianling and Xianyan, who had broken through in their thirties.
With three new Foundation Establishment cultivators, the family suddenly found itself with abundant manpower, prompting a celebratory feast.
The increase in Foundation Establishment cultivators necessitated new rules. Elian and the old patriarch convened a meeting with the family's Foundation Establishment cultivators to establish a new system.
The key decisions included:
Elder Eligibility: Only Foundation Establishment cultivators could serve as family elders and participate in governance.
Rotational Duties: Foundation Establishment elders would rotate responsibilities, such as guarding the family's spiritual veins.
For example, the Foundation Establishment guards of Black Iron vein and Yuyang Market would rotate every five years. In critical times, multiple elders could replace the old patriarch in overseeing Pingyang City.
New Development: The family began limited development of the fifth second-tier spiritual vein—Yang Yuanqing's cave dwelling in the vast wilderness. A Foundation Establishment cultivator and a few Qi Refinement cultivators were assigned to oversee the planting of spiritual rice in a dozen acres of fields outside the cave.
While spiritual rice wasn't highly valuable, it yielded annual harvests and could be abandoned quickly if the Beast Tide reached the area. The rice fields provided hundreds of spirit stones annually, enough to cover the spiritual energy needs of one Foundation Establishment cultivator and alleviate some of the family's financial burden.
Financial Changes:
With eight Foundation Establishment cultivators, the family's annual expenses rose sharply.
The annual stipend for the six early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators totaled 1,800 spirit stones. Mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators received 400 spirit stones annually. Elian and the old patriarch, as senior leaders, each received 600 spirit stones annually.
In total, these stipends amounted to over 3,000 spirit stones per year, reflecting the importance of supporting the cultivation progress of Foundation Establishment elders.
Additionally, to encourage more advanced Qi Refinement cultivators, the family increased the stipends for all triple-spirit-root cultivators by 50%, with dual-spirit-root cultivators receiving an additional ten spirit stones annually.
Income Growth:
Fortunately, the family's income had grown significantly:
Linghu Isle: Now a mid-grade second-tier spiritual vein, its expanded spiritual fishery and fields brought in over 2,000 spirit stones annually.
Black Iron Mountain: Combined with its spiritual rice fields, this site contributed over 1,000 spirit stones annually.
Yang Yuanqing's Cave Dwelling: Generated several hundred spirit stones annually.
Yuyang Market: Its stable tax revenue provided 1,500 spirit stones annually.
Other Ventures: Trade in five-element essence and miscellaneous income brought the family's total annual revenue to over 6,000 spirit stones.
Even with increased stipends and expanded responsibilities, the family still retained an annual surplus of 1,500–1,600 spirit stones. The Chen family, once impoverished, now ranked among the wealthiest Foundation Establishment clans, with aspirations to ascend to Purple Mansion status.
The flourishing population, thanks to relaxed birth policies, also contributed. Many of the younger generation were now in their twenties and ready to contribute to the family.
With the family stable and thriving, Elian's role shifted to overseeing major decisions rather than handling daily affairs. He spent most of his time cultivating amidst the serene scenery of Linghu Isle.
…
Six years passed swiftly.
This year marked another round of five-element essence trade. Elian no longer needed to spend months traveling back and forth. Chen Qingwan and Chen Qinghao led the delegation to Tianxu Mountain to complete the trade.
One day, as Elian was cultivating and absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, he noticed a sword light approaching. Chen Xianyan descended before him, dismounting from her flying sword.
...
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I need POWAAA! Gimme Power Stones :D