The Water-Fire Gourd in Song Changsheng's hand had already become quite extraordinary after repeated refining, but it still had many shortcomings some parts were even downright impractical.
For example, the gourd could absorb living beings into its belly, where they would be refined into blood by the Bone-Corrosion Formation. While that might sound impressive, it was essentially useless to him. He couldn't use it against cultivators of the same level, and there was no point using it on weaker ones.
So far, he had only used it once during a previous trial and never found another suitable moment to bring it out again. That was one issue.
Another function of the gourd was its ability to release both water and fire energy in battle it could even manifest a localized water or fire domain. For someone like Song Changsheng, who had mastered the Art of Water and Fire Control, this did provide a certain combat enhancement.
However, as his cultivation level continued to rise, this ability became increasingly irrelevant put simply, it lacked the firepower he now required.
He had refined this artifact early in his cultivation journey, at a time when he lacked both the knowledge and experience necessary for good decision-making. As a result, many aspects of its design were naive and short-sighted.
This time, he planned a complete overhaul an all-out transformation. And for that, he had chosen the Soul-Slaying Gourd refinement method.
The Soul-Slaying Gourd had a single, defining trait: as the name implied, it was all about "slaying."
The gourd would nurture a flying blade inside it. In battle, it could unleash soul-slaying blade energy, which ignored the physical body and targeted the soul directly making it extremely difficult to defend against.
If he succeeded in crafting this treasure, it would become another hidden trump card in Song Changsheng's arsenal.
However, the process of refining it was extremely complex. Even with the foundation of the existing gourd, it would still take several months to complete…
....
At Cangmang Peak, inside the Assembly Hall.
Song Xianyun gathered with the clan elders and several respected senior members for the annual family meeting. But this year's meeting felt a little quieter than usual.
Song Xianming was still in closed-door recovery and unable to attend. Fifth Elder Xia Yunxue was stationed in the mortal realm and could not leave her post. Fourth Elder Song Luhua was currently serving as protector while Song Lutong cultivated, so he too was absent.
As a result, only Song Xianyun, Song Luzhou, and Song Luyao were present something that hadn't happened in years.
After Song Xianyun gave a general summary of the family's affairs over the past year, Song Luzhou stepped up to report on the family's finances.
"These past few years, the income from our various businesses has been excellent. This year in particular, we've seen a clear increase compared to the last. With the addition of the resources we seized from the Earthfire Sect and the spirit herbs collected from the Wutong Secret Realm, the family's overall revenue is quite considerable.
After covering daily expenditures and paying clan members their stipends, we still have a surplus of about 20,000 low-grade spirit stones enough to repay the debts we incurred when we borrowed spirit stones from the clan to buy Foundation Establishment Pills."
Beaming with joy, Song Luzhou was finally relieved to see the long-standing debt cleared. From now on, everything would be pure profit, and as the clan's finance elder, he could finally stand tall.
"Excellent," Song Xianyun said with satisfaction. "The clan members generously supported our development our family mustn't let them down. Clearing this debt quickly is the right thing to do."
It was rare to see the usually stingy Song Luzhou being so generous, and that alone pleased him greatly.
Once "Iron Rooster" Luzhou finished his report, Song Luyao took out a jade slip and said coolly, "Everyone, we've received a significant piece of intelligence from our steward in Luoxia City, and we need to make a decision."
"What kind of intelligence?" asked Song Xianyun with a frown.
Song Luyao handed the jade slip to the person next to her, signaling for it to be passed around. Then she said, "Patriarch Xiao of Luoxia City recently refined a batch of Foundation Establishment Pills. Six pills were successfully created. After keeping one for himself, the remaining five will soon be auctioned off."
Everyone was stunned that Luoxia City was going to auction off Foundation Establishment Pills.
An elder immediately shot to his feet, exclaiming excitedly, "This is a golden opportunity! We already bought three Foundation Establishment Pills from the main clan. If we can win just one more at auction, we'll have a decisive edge over the Earthfire Sect in terms of Foundation Establishment cultivators. They won't be able to stir up any trouble for the next hundred years!"
"But auctioning isn't like buying from the main clan. The competition will be fierce. A single pill will fetch at least 40,000 low-grade spirit stones, and the clan can barely scrape together that much even if we squeeze everything dry. Is it worth getting involved?"
Song Luzhou immediately lost his composure and stood up to object. The clan's finances had only just improved, and now they wanted to spend a fortune again. Did they think spirit stones grew on trees?
Most of the elders agreed with him. After all, they had already secured three pills, and Song Lutong was currently in seclusion to break through. Spending a fortune to compete for one more seemed unnecessary.
Another elder stood and said, "I support Luzhou. The clan needs to keep some reserves for emergencies. We can't spend everything."
"Exactly. We still owe spirit stones to some clan members those debts shouldn't be delayed either."
"That's right. We already have three pills. Missing out on this one won't hurt us."
The atmosphere in the room was nearly one-sided most of the attendees were firmly against purchasing the Foundation Establishment Pill.
Song Xianyun understood the consensus and was just about to make a final decision when Song Luyao suddenly spoke up,
"I believe the clan should bid for that Foundation Establishment Pill."
Everyone looked at her in surprise.
Song Luyao gave Song Xianyun a respectful bow and said, "Second Uncle, Changsheng is already at the stage where he needs to establish his foundation. He could use this pill."
The hall fell silent as her words sank in. A moment later, a clan elder stood up and said,
"Didn't we already decide to reserve a pill for him? Once the pills from the main clan arrive, he'll get one."
Song Luzhou cleared his throat and added,
"Uh, Ninth Sister, everyone here knows Changsheng's talent and what he's done for the family. Rest assured, we won't shortchange him. The moment those pills arrive, he'll be first in line there's no need to spend extra on this auction."
Song Luyao shot him a faint glance and asked coldly,
"Then tell me when will the main clan's pills arrive?"
"Uh… well, probably soon?" Song Luzhou replied awkwardly. He honestly couldn't say for sure.
With a touch of sarcasm on her face, Song Luyao said,
"Soon? Do you mean a year, three years, or maybe five or ten?
Changsheng's cultivation path is a race against time. He can't afford to waste even a single day.
The sooner he breaks through to Foundation Establishment, the sooner he'll have a real shot at reaching the Purple Mansion realm. When it comes to facing sects like the Lieyang Sect, it's Purple Mansion cultivators who make the difference. No matter how many Foundation Establishment cultivators we have, it'll all be meaningless without someone at that level."
Her words were like a slap to the face a wake-up call for everyone.
Indeed, while Foundation Establishment cultivators could wield great power in Lingzhou, they meant little in front of Purple Mansion cultivators. Not everyone could be another Song Xianming.
The clan needed a Purple Mansion cultivator, and right now, the one with the most potential was Song Changsheng.
The room fell into silence.
After a long pause, Song Xianyun made his decision and said firmly,
"Luyao is right. From this batch of Foundation Establishment Pills, we must win at least one!"
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