Upon hearing Ji Haoyuan's words, Ji Haochuan immediately shook his head.
"Don't even think about it.
I've already told you before, a person's fate is predetermined.
Seeing you reach Foundation Establishment now, leading our Ji Family to slowly become stronger, I'm already very content.
As for living another ten or twenty years, I genuinely don't care at all."
From his words, it was not difficult to discern that Ji Haochuan no longer pursued anything on the path of the Immortal Dao.
If it were otherwise, he wouldn't be speaking of so-called fate.
It's well known that we cultivators defy the heavens to fight for that shred of impossible possibility.
If everything were according to fate and the trajectory of destiny, then there wouldn't be any need for cultivation.
Of course.
One can't say that Ji Haochuan's thinking is inherently wrong.
It's unknown how many cultivators' bones have been buried on the path that defies the heavens.
It shows that everything has two sides; it mainly depends on one's choices and mindset.
Ji Haoyuan also felt helpless about this in his heart.
He understood very well his elder brother's current mindset.
But because of this, he felt powerless.
On the contrary, Ji Haochuan himself appeared very composed, even turning around to comfort Ji Haoyuan with a smile.
"Alright, Yuan, you don't need to worry about me.
If you do want to take care of someone in the future, please look after that child Qingfei for me."
Qingfei, whom Ji Haochuan mentioned here, is a direct descendant of his.
Over the years, Ji Haoyuan has been alone.
His brother Ji Haochuan did have a Dao companion and children.
But as time passed, his Dao companion and children, for various reasons, have all passed away.
So far, only Ji Qingfei, his great-grandson, remains.
Fortunately, he has turned out to be quite promising.
Not even thirty years of age, and he already has a Qi Refining fifth-layer cultivation.
With sufficient resources, it is highly hopeful that within twenty years, he will cultivate to Qi Refining Great Perfection.
Then charging for Foundation Establishment wouldn't be impossible.
Upon hearing Ji Haochuan's words, Ji Haoyuan nodded without hesitation.
"Don't worry, big brother, that child Qingfei was watched over by both of us growing up; I will definitely nurture him well."
In fact.
He had already sent some cultivation resources to that child Ji Qingfei before.
He also had someone tell Ji Qingfei that if he ever has any issues or doesn't understand something in cultivation, he could come to find him in the rear mountain.
He also believed that given Ji Qingfei's current status, even without his instructions and care, he would still live well.
No one in the clan would dare to shortchange or deliberately make things difficult for him.
Following this.
The two brothers continued to reminisce for a while.
The next morning.
Ji Haochuan didn't linger much longer, took leave of Ji Haoyuan, and after saying goodbye to Ji Yunfeng and other Yun Family cultivators, he returned to the Ji Family at Qianyang Mountain.
Over here.
After seeing off Ji Haochuan, Ji Haoyuan began to study the Hundred Skills of Cultivation legacies that Ji Haochuan brought him.
His first focus was on matters concerning Arrays and Artifact Refining.
Because these two things were what he currently needed.
The former was related to the safety of the Cloud Iron Ore Vein here.
And the latter was the foundation of the former.
After all, to set up an Array, one must refine related Array Artifacts, Array Flags, Array Plates, and such.
Furthermore, if he wanted to meld the Flame Gold and Red Iron he acquired from the Zhang Family into his Crimson Flame Patterned Spear later, it would also depend on his skill in Artifact Refining.
Thus.
Day by day passed.
Everything seemed to settle down.
Ji Haoyuan was immersed in Arrays and Artifact Refining, and his gains were increasing by the day.
[You have gained substantial insights into the Path of Artifact Refining and Arrays.]
[You have gained substantial insights into the Path of Artifact Refining and Arrays.]
[You have gained substantial insights into the Path of Artifact Refining and Arrays, markedly improving your proficiency.]
[You have become a First-Rank Intermediate Array Master, and a First-Rank Lower Artifact Refiner.]
Soon after.
New notifications came up again.
[Your insights into the Path of Artifact Refining and Arrays have been greatly enhanced again.]
[You have become a First-Rank Superior Array Master and a First-Rank Superior Artifact Refiner.]
In just a few months' time.
Ji Haoyuan nearly completed in a short span what takes most Array Masters and Artifact Refiners a lifetime.
Of course.
During this process, the resources expended by Ji Haoyuan were not few.
After all, be it Arrays or Artifact Refining, those are concrete things that require hands-on practice.
You can't possibly just figure everything out and master everything simply by looking.
But reached this point, for Ji Haoyuan to make further progress wouldn't be that easy.
At least in the short term, he doesn't have the conditions.
This isn't to say his exceptional comprehension isn't strong enough, but there aren't enough second-rank materials for practice.
It's like the saying, "Even the most skilled cook can't make a meal without ingredients."
Over these past few months.
Ji Yunfeng and others have also restored the previously damaged Array.
However, after Ji Haoyuan emerged from his temporary cave abode and examined the restored Array, he had some new insights and immediately identified several drawbacks and deficiencies in the current Array.
Then, he personally intervened.
He made improvements to the Array in front of him.
Immediately, led by Ji Yunfeng, each Ji Family cultivator expressed their astonishment.
Especially Ji Yunfeng.
As the only Ji Family member currently possessing First-Rank Superior Array mastery.
He could see at a glance that the Array improved by Ji Haoyuan had surpassed the previous version both in terms of concealment and defensive strength.
It's no exaggeration to say that as long as there are enough Spirit Stones, it could even withstand several attacks from a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
This is quite a remarkable feat.
At least Ji Yunfeng had never heard of any first-rank Array capable of withstanding a Foundation Establishment cultivator's attack.
Though the defensive power isn't very strong.
Being able to defend is still being able to defend.
Even if it's just a few attacks, that's still something he hadn't heard of before.
The question remained, when did his fifth uncle learn about Arrays?
He had never heard of this before.
It couldn't be possible that this newfound skill came just from studying Arrays and Artifact Refining jade slips during this time, could it?
That would be too far-fetched.
Consider that he spent nearly sixty years researching the path of Arrays to achieve the accomplishments he had today.
Even if his fifth uncle were a prodigy, he shouldn't be that much of an anomaly.
At least Ji Yunfeng found it unbelievable.
It must be that he already had corresponding proficiency beforehand.
Ji Haoyuan clearly had no intention of explaining.
A few months later.
When Ji Haoyuan successfully integrated Flame Gold and Red Iron into his Crimson Flame Patterned Spear, elevating its grade from second-rank low-quality to second-rank intermediate-quality, suddenly a message flew in from afar.
When Ji Haoyuan received the message and looked at its contents, his eyebrows slightly raised.