"Twenty-Sixth Uncle is a righteous man. Since his failure to establish his foundation, he has likely carried guilt for many years."
"If he cannot fortify his Dao Heart, he may succumb to despair."
With this thought, Elian felt a pang of regret but said nothing. Instead, he asked, "Uncle Qingmeng, may I ask why you've sought me out?"
Chen Qingmeng snapped back to reality and gazed at Elian with his weary eyes. After a moment of silence, he sighed inwardly and pulled out a thick book from his sleeve.
"Over the centuries of the Chen family's history, your talent for cultivation is among the best. The family's future will likely rest in your hands."
"I have little else to teach you, but this is my lifetime's knowledge of alchemy. I hope it will be of some use to you."
"Uncle... this…" Elian hesitated. An alchemist's insights were the culmination of a lifetime of effort, making this book one of Chen Qingmeng's most valuable possessions.
Giving it to Elian felt like a final act, as though he were preparing for the worst.
"Don't ask questions," Chen Qingmeng said, placing the alchemical notes firmly in Elian's hands. He looked at him deeply before turning to leave the main hall.
As Elian watched his retreating figure, he couldn't help but sense an air of fierce determination in his uncle's demeanor.
"Twenty-Sixth Uncle… he's preparing to attempt Foundation Establishment again!"
The thought flashed through Elian's mind.
He was correct. Chen Qingmeng, weighed down by guilt and the pressure of his failures, had resolved to make another attempt at Foundation Establishment.
Without the aid of a Foundation Establishment Pill, most cultivators faced less than a 10% chance of success, and failure often meant ruptured meridians and death.
Chen Qingmeng's decision was a desperate, life-or-death gamble. Success could reverse the family's decline, while failure would mean his end.
By giving Elian his alchemical insights, he hoped to leave behind a seed of knowledge for the family, ensuring there would be a future alchemist.
"Twenty-Sixth Uncle…" Elian's throat felt dry. He wanted to persuade him but found himself at a loss for words.
At his current stage, even his own path to Foundation Establishment seemed distant and uncertain. He lacked the means to change anything.
The only thing he could do was pray and wish for his uncle's success, hoping he would become the family's second Foundation Establishment cultivator.
In the end, all he could say was two words:
"Take care."
In the distance, Chen Qingmeng paused briefly. Without turning around, a faint smile played on his lips.
"The path to immortality is long and arduous. We can only walk it alone."
"If I fall, and if you have the strength, look upon the scenery at the end of the path for me."
He said no more, merely raising a hand in farewell before continuing down the mountain.
After parting with the Sixth Elder, Elian didn't leave the mountain immediately. He stayed for five days, waiting until the new year had passed before making his way to Pingyang City.
Pingyang City was over 3,000 miles from Qingyuan Mountain. Even with Elian's current cultivation, the journey took him two days.
The city was built on the ancient Pingyang Plateau, from which it derived its name.
From a distance, Elian could see the city and the fiery red orb floating in the sky above it.
Unlike his previous world, cities in this one couldn't be established just anywhere.
In this world, mortals were prime targets for demonic beasts, who found their flesh a great source of nourishment, and for demonic cultivators, who coveted their souls for refining treasures. Building a city in the wilderness would inevitably result in it becoming a feast for such entities within a few years.
Thus, cities were always constructed atop spiritual veins and protected by defensive formations to safeguard the mortals within.
Pingyang City, for example, was built on a low-grade second-tier spiritual vein and fortified with a mid-grade second-tier formation called the Blazing Sun Divine Fire Array.
The fiery orb in the sky, known as the Blazing Sun Fire Pearl, was a mid-grade second-tier magical artifact that unleashed flames capable of incinerating demons.
With the Great Elder's Qi Refinement Perfection cultivation, activating this demon-suppressing array could repel even mid-to-late Foundation Establishment demons.
Thanks to these defenses, the Chen family's tens of thousands of mortal descendants could thrive in the harsh world of cultivation.
"Elian, you're finally here!"
"Come on in!"
Before Elian even entered the city, he heard a hearty laugh.
Looking up, he saw a middle-aged man approaching with a smile.
Elian recognized him at a glance. This was Chen Nianyang, the eldest son of the Great Elder. At fifty-five years old, he was the eldest of the "Nian" generation but had poor cultivation aptitude, only reaching the sixth level of Qi Refinement.
Chen Nianyang approached and gave Elian a once-over before sighing. "Looks like I'll have to call you Elder from now on."
"There's no need for such formality between us," Elian replied with a smile as they entered the city. Along the way, he asked, "Where is the Great Elder?"
"He's waiting for you," Chen Nianyang replied.
The two continued walking until they reached the Great Elder, Chen Qingxu.
At seventy-five years old, Chen Qingxu was at his peak, given the 120-year lifespan limit of Qi Refinement cultivators.
With his extensive experience and steadiness, he was the ideal person to oversee Pingyang City, a role that was crucial for the family.
However, in twenty years, his spiritual essence would begin to wane, and by the time he reached 100, his strength would rapidly decline. By then, the family would need to find a new elder to take over.
"You're here," Chen Qingxu said solemnly as Elian entered the main hall. He studied him briefly before nodding slightly.
"Since you've arrived, we'll begin testing for spiritual roots tomorrow."
Testing for spiritual roots was a matter of great importance for both the Chen clan and their mortal descendants in Pingyang City.
According to clan rules, spiritual root testing was conducted annually in the month following the new year. All children over six years old were required to participate.
To prevent any oversights, each child could be tested annually until the age of nine.
Though the Chen family lacked a spiritual root detector, they relied on Qi Refinement ninth-level cultivators to use their spiritual energy to sense roots. While this method had an 80–90% accuracy rate, it could only vaguely identify the attributes of the spiritual roots.
If a spiritually gifted child went undetected after three tests, it was simply a matter of poor luck and lack of fate with immortality.
Even so, with Pingyang City's population of 120,000, there were five to six thousand children to test annually—a significant workload.
This figure didn't include the six nearby towns, each with a population of around 10,000.
"So many people," Elian muttered, frowning slightly as he stood in the crowded square where children and their families lined up for the spiritual root testing.