Night.
Zheng Kai walked down the still-bustling street, humming a little tune, his mood quite pleasant.
Recently, after listening to Lin Feng's 'advice', he had pursued Kou Tingting differently than before. While she hadn't immediately fallen head over heels for him like Lin Feng suggested, his myriad of novel tactics had significantly changed her attitude towards him. Coupled with the fact that Young Master Zheng had recently been exceptionally 'well-behaved', keeping away from other women, the beauty's opinion of him had improved dramatically. Take this afternoon, for instance: he'd invited her out for a boat ride to admire the lotuses, and, incredibly, she hadn't brought along Changgong Xiaojing as her usual chaperone! This had delighted Zheng Kai immensely.
Zheng Kai felt that perhaps he would soon win the beauty's heart.
As he approached the main gate of the Zheng Mansion, he saw a servant craning his neck anxiously, peering out. Spotting Zheng Kai, the servant immediately scurried forward.
"Young Master, you're finally back!! The Master ordered you to go to the main hall immediately! The Ancestor has returned!!"
"What's so urgent? Huh? What did you say? What Ancestor is back?" Zheng Kai paused, stunned. Then, realization dawned, his eyes widening in disbelief. "You mean... the Ancestor has returned?!"
"Yes! Yes!! Ancestor has returned from the Celestial Distance Sect! The Master told you to... Eh? Young Master?" The servant spoke excitedly, but suddenly felt a blur before his eyes as a gust of wind swept past—Zheng Kai had vanished.
"The Ancestor is back!! Haha!! The Ancestor has actually returned from the Celestial Distance Sect!!" Zheng Kai swept into the mansion like a whirlwind, sprinting towards the main hall, his heart surging with excitement. "Over two hundred years! If the Ancestor is still alive, his cultivation must be at least Golden Core stage! No! How could an ancestor who's a disciple of the Celestial Distance Sect be so ordinary? His cultivation must be even higher! Haha! The day for my Zheng Family to rise has finally arrived!!"
With these thoughts racing through his mind, Zheng Kai saw the wide-open doors of the main hall. Outside the entrance, all the mansion's servants stood lining both sides, heads bowed low. Each wore an expression of deep reverence, not daring to breathe too loudly. Inside the hall, he could vaguely make out a sizable gathering of people.
Zheng Kai ignored the servants and strode directly into the hall. As he crossed the threshold, he immediately slowed his pace, cautiously looking inside.
Inside the hall, occupying the foremost seats on the left and right were Zheng Kai's Great Uncle and Second Uncle—elders who rarely showed themselves. Beside them sat Zheng Kai's father, Zheng Changqing, along with uncles and other senior relatives. Behind them stood a group of the current generation, Zheng Kai's peers.
Essentially, except for two or three members who were away on business, all the principal members of the Zheng Family were present.
Sitting in the master's seat—usually reserved solely for the family head—was a plainly dressed man in white robes, appearing only about forty years old. He seemed utterly ordinary; Zheng Kai couldn't sense the slightest trace of true essence fluctuation from him. Yet, seated there, he gave off an inexplicable aura, as if the very heavens and earth revolved around him, inspiring an involuntary sense of awe and reverence.
Strangely, Zheng Kai found he couldn't muster the courage to look at this man directly. Heart pounding, he approached Zheng Changqing and whispered timidly, "Father..."
Zheng Changqing frowned slightly. "Why are you only returning now? Quickly pay your respects and kowtow to the Ancestor!"
"Yes."
Zheng Kai responded, then turned to face the middle-aged man on the main seat. He knelt down, prostrating himself respectfully. "Zheng Kai pays his respects to the Ancestor..."
Zheng Xulin looked calmly at Zheng Kai, his expression serene. "Rise. There is no need for such formalities."
"Thank you, Ancestor." Zheng Kai stood up respectfully and then moved to stand behind Zheng Changqing.
Zheng Xulin's gaze shifted away from Zheng Kai, settling on the grey-haired elder seated first on the right. His voice was calm, but a hint of disappointment was barely perceptible. "Are all the juniors of the Zheng Family present now? Is he the only one with a superior spiritual root constitution?"
The grey-haired elder, Zheng Qiuxing, Zheng Kai's grandfather and the most respected elder of the Zheng Family despite being over eighty years old, wore a face full of apprehension and shame. "This unworthy descendant has failed you, Ancestor... We have disappointed you..."
"Enough. Perhaps my expectations were too high. A superior wind spiritual root constitution is, in truth, quite commendable..." Zheng Xulin sighed softly, his eyes returning once more to Zheng Kai.
"Then it is decided. When I depart, I will take him back to the sect. From this day forward, he shall be a disciple of the Celestial Distance Sect."
......
…
Early morning.
Lin Feng concluded his night-long cultivation session, withdrawing his focus and opening his eyes.
"Strange... Why do I feel like last night's cultivation yielded almost no results?"
A trace of confusion flickered in Lin Feng's eyes. He carefully assessed the state of his internal energy, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Maybe I'm just being impatient... It's impossible to see obvious progress every single time..." He sighed to himself. "To venture into the wider cultivation world, this level of strength is truly insufficient! Though I possess many powerful artifacts, they are ultimately external aids. Cultivation base is the true foundation. I must improve my cultivation level as quickly as possible..."
Though anxious, Lin Feng also understood that haste made waste. Shaking off his impatience, he got up to wash up. Everything in his bedroom had been replaced with new items, and the large hole in the roof had been repaired the previous afternoon by Yao Wangtian and Xu Rong.
"This little guy, still sleeping." After washing up, Lin Feng returned to the room and looked at Xiao Qiu, curled up fast asleep on the bed. He murmured inwardly, "Could it be... it needs to hibernate too?"
Leaving Xiao Qiu be, he turned and walked out, intending to call Zhang Fangzhou and the others for breakfast and also to purchase some supplies for their upcoming journey.
"Hummm..."
Unexpectedly, the moment he stepped outside his door, the surrounding air seemed to tremble violently. An immense wave of spiritual energy converged from the void.
"Hmm?" Lin Feng was startled. He turned towards the source of the gathering energy and saw it centered precisely on Zhang Fangzhou's house next door.
"Zhang Fangzhou is starting his Foundation Establishment?"
Delight spread across Lin Feng's face. Without a second thought, he tapped his foot against the ground. Bypassing the main gate entirely, he vaulted directly over the high wall separating the properties.
"Boss Lin!!"
Landing in the neighboring courtyard, he immediately saw Yao Wangtian and Xu Rong. They spotted him too and hurried over.
Lin Feng nodded to them, wasting no time on words. With a flip of his hand, he produced his third-grade Spirit Gathering Array disk. "Go place this at the entrance, activate it, and position spirit stones around the house."
"Got it!!"
Yao Wangtian and Xu Rong's eyes lit up. They took the array disk and immediately set to work.
As the third-grade Spirit Gathering Array activated, the second-grade array that had covered this small area was instantly replaced. Within a thirty-meter radius, the concentration of spiritual energy in the air reached a staggering level.
Lin Feng and the others then sat down on stone stools in a corner of the courtyard to wait. Yao Wangtian and Xu Rong appeared extremely tense. Lin Feng, however, remained relatively calm. He knew Zhang Fangzhou's Foundation Establishment should proceed without a hitch. Prepared with a full four top-grade Foundation Establishment Pills, ample spirit stones, and the aid of a third-grade Spirit Gathering Array – if he failed under such conditions, Zhang Fangzhou might as well give up cultivation altogether.
"Hummm!!"
Sure enough, after a long while, everyone felt the surrounding spiritual energy suddenly shift. Azure-blue light began to manifest in the void, growing increasingly dense. Above the roof of the room where Zhang Fangzhou was, a massive, swirling vortex of blue spiritual energy formed, a truly magnificent sight.
"He's succeeded! He's purifying his spiritual roots now!" A flash of joy lit up Lin Feng's eyes. "And this is... a superior water spiritual root!!"