Chen Nianzhi held his Seventh Granduncle's cold hand in silence, murmuring the sixteen ancestral words of the Chen family's lineage.Sixteen simple characters—yet they carried the hopes and legacy of the clan's founding patriarch, a prayer for his descendants to endure.
The funeral was modest, arranged by the Third Elder himself.The old man's sons had long passed—none had spiritual roots—and his grandchildren were all in their seventies, older in years but farther in heart than Chen Nianzhi.After the rites and burial, when the mourning period ended, Chen Nianzhi finally departed Qingyuan Mountain, setting his course for Linghu Isle, five thousand miles away.
Arrival at Linghu Isle
It was a long journey, but Chen Nianzhi was no ordinary youth. Riding the winds through his Wind Control Technique, he could cover a thousand miles a day.Within six days, he reached the great lake that glimmered like molten jade under the sky.
Along the road, he had sorted through the belongings his granduncle had left behind. There wasn't much of great value—only two spirit talismans and a single Greenleaf Sword.The talismans—Crimson Flame and Golden Armor—were top-grade first-rank works, crafted by his granduncle's own hands over a lifetime.
The Crimson Flame Talisman could unleash true scarlet fire, powerful enough to seriously wound a ninth-level Qi Refinement cultivator—a deadly trump card in the right hands.The Golden Armor Talisman conjured a luminous shield, capable of withstanding a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator's full strike, and could be used three times before its energy faded.
The Greenleaf Sword was forged from the leaves of the Greenleaf Bamboo, a mid-grade second-rank spiritual plant whose leaves could produce countless first-rank swords.Light and flexible, such blades were cheap yet potent—but only wood-root cultivators could draw out their full power; others reached merely seventy percent of its strength.
Even so, in the Chu Kingdom, the great Qingyang Sect monopolized the low-grade artifact market thanks to their vast Greenleaf Bamboo groves, earning enormous profit each year.
The sword left to him was a top-grade first-rank artifact, its edge gleaming with emerald light.Chen Nianzhi, being a five-element root cultivator, could wield its full might without loss.
"So this is Linghu Isle..."
Standing before the lake, he couldn't help but marvel. The air was crisp and sweet, the view breathtaking.The vast expanse of Linghu stretched for more than a hundred miles, with a solitary island at its center—a jewel amid rippling blue waves.
Years ago, it had been a barren wilderness.Then, by chance, the patriarch discovered a high-grade first-rank spirit vein beneath the lake. After slaying the spirit beast that guarded it, he claimed the area for the clan.
Over the past decade, the Chen family had laid down a top-grade first-rank formation upon the island and cultivated Azure Spirit Fish in the lake's aura-rich waters.The once-empty land had become a modest yet prosperous outpost of the clan.
As Chen Nianzhi stepped ashore, two cultivators hurried out to greet him.
"The clan finally sent someone!" one exclaimed with visible relief.
They were his kinsmen—Chen Nianqian, his Ninth Brother, and Chen Nianyuan, fourteenth in the "Nian" generation.Nianqian, thirty-two years old, possessed poor talent and had only reached the third level of Qi Refinement—likely the limit of his life.Nianyuan, twenty-five and born with five-element roots, had only just stepped into the first level.
Originally, an elder of the "Chang" generation, a ninth-level cultivator, had guarded Linghu Isle. But when the clan had mobilized all its late-stage experts to defend the Foundation Pill, none had returned alive.
Since then, these two had been left to tend the isle alone—nervous and half-expecting death.Seeing Chen Nianzhi, a late-stage cultivator, they finally allowed themselves to breathe.
"Now that you're here, we can hand things over," Nianqian said with a faint smile.
Because the clan planned to open new spiritual fields and expand the fish ponds, they intended to leave Chen Nianzhi as the sole caretaker.More cultivators meant faster depletion of spiritual energy, and the Chen family simply didn't have the manpower to spare.
In truth, Linghu Isle was still a secondary holding.Its most valuable asset lay in the Azure Spirit Fish—a local species nourished by the lake's aura.Not only were they delicious, but eating them aided cultivation.
There were exactly one hundred and thirty-seven fish in the lake.Each mature specimen was worth five spirit stones, though most were still juveniles and needed years to grow. Once they matured, they would bring the family a steady flow of income.
The Fish King, the largest among them, possessed the aura of a late-stage Qi Refinement beast and was the parent of most of the lake's brood. Gentle and calm, it was the isle's greatest treasure.
After verifying the ledgers and counting the fish, Chen Nianzhi signed the registry.
"All right," he said quietly. "Everything's in order."
The two men looked visibly relieved.Though Linghu Isle was rich in spirit energy and beauty, it was lonely—cut off from the rest of the world.The moment Chen Nianzhi's name was inked, they prepared to leave. Within hours, their flying swords had vanished beyond the clouds.
The Island of Still Waters
Alone, Chen Nianzhi began by inspecting the island's protective formation.
The Twofold Rising Sun Array was a top-grade first-rank defensive array whose twin cores were the Cloudmist Censer and the Sunfire Sword.Drawing on both morning light and water aura, the formation produced remarkable synergy.
The Cloudmist Censer generated an impenetrable fog that concealed the island, even from late-stage cultivators' spiritual senses.The Sunfire Sword, meanwhile, stored the power of dawn and could unleash nine devastating strikes, each as lethal as a late-stage cultivator's full attack—enough to kill a ninth-level Qi Refinement intruder outright.Once expended, however, it required nine full years to recharge, making it a weapon of last resort.
Satisfied, Chen Nianzhi refined the formation token and felt a rare sense of safety.With this array, even three or five late-stage invaders would find it nearly impossible to breach Linghu Isle.
Then he began exploring.
The Azure Spirit Fish required little care—they grazed on the lake's water weeds—but cultivating spiritual fields was a different matter.The isle's high-grade spirit vein could support roughly three acres of farmland, but location was crucial: only where the energy converged could true spiritual soil form.
After an hour's search, Chen Nianzhi found such a place—and was surprised to discover a peach tree growing right at the vein's nexus.
It was early spring. The tree stood in full bloom, a cascade of pink petals glowing faintly with spiritual light.He stepped closer, eyes narrowing.
"A Spirit Peach Tree?"
Joy flickered in his gaze—but quickly tempered with thought.The tree was thriving, nourished by the converging energies, only half a step from transforming into a true spirit root.But it hadn't yet crossed that threshold.
A Spirit Peach Tree bore fruit once a year.Each peach was a treasure to cultivators in the Qi Refinement Realm—more potent than many Qi-Gathering Pills.In the market, even a single fruit sold for five spirit stones.
Chen Nianzhi smiled faintly as the morning breeze carried the scent of peach blossoms.
"Not a bad beginning," he murmured.
The lone cultivator on the tranquil isle gazed upon the flowering tree, feeling the promise of spring—and perhaps, the faint stirrings of destiny.