For the first dozen years of his cultivation, it had always been Chen Changyan who guided Chen Nianzhi, answering his questions and clearing his doubts. The bond between them, though nominally one of clan elder and junior, was in truth no different from that of master and disciple.
Since Chen Changqing had passed away a few years ago, the person Chen Nianzhi was closest to now was precisely this old man of a hundred and thirteen years.
"You still remember those years when I taught you how to cultivate—seems you've got a bit of conscience left after all."
"At that time you were still small, but you were the quietest, and the sharpest one of the lot. I remember the first time I taught you the meridians and acupoints—one lecture, and you memorized everything."
"Back then I told your Seventh Granduncle, this kid is born with spiritual wisdom. Sooner or later the Chen clan's future will rest on his shoulders."
The old man spoke of these trivial memories with a smile, but his eyes were faintly reddened.
Chen Nianzhi sat quietly, listening. When the old man finally finished his rambling, he suddenly smiled and said:
"Granduncle, why don't you stay and live here at Lingzhou Lake?"
"Stay at Lingzhou Lake?" The old man was taken aback.
"Mhm." Chen Nianzhi nodded and gently patted little Xianyan's head. "The mountains and waters here at Lingzhou Lake are beautiful. It's a fine place to spend one's later years."
"You can plant flowers and herbs, fish and read, and by the way, keep an eye on these two little rascals."
Chen Changyan thought it over seriously. His gaze swept across the two children, and then a kindly smile appeared on his face.
"These two little things… I really can't put my mind at ease if I leave them."
"And I don't have many years left anyway. It's about time the clan's inheritance was put into the hands of the 'Qing' generation."
Hearing this, a hint of warmth surfaced in Chen Nianzhi's eyes.
When I was young, you looked after me with care, guided me onto the path of cultivation.
Now that you are old, let me see you through this last stretch.
"..."
Cultivation is a long, long road.
For cultivators, time is like a quietly flowing stream, slipping past unnoticed.
In the blink of an eye, two years had gone by.
Chen Nianzhi was now twenty years old, and this was also his fifth year since coming down the mountain to Lingzhou Lake.
On this day, he sat cross-legged by the lakeside on the heart-island, drawing in the essence of the morning glow. Only when the dawn radiance completely dispersed did he merge the morning glow with the lunar flowers he had absorbed through the night, finally refining a thin wisp of Primordial Purple Qi. Only then did he open his eyes.
"Hu—"
He exhaled a mouthful of mist and slowly finished his cultivation session.
Sensing the cluster of Primordial Purple Qi within his body, a faint smile appeared on his face. Over the years he had never once neglected his daily practice of drawing in the morning glow and moonlight, and now he was close to accumulating yet another strand of Primordial Purple Qi.
"As long as I wait another two or three months, this strand of Primordial Purple Qi should fully take shape."
"When the Primordial Purple Qi is abundant, the speed at which I temper my meridians will increase a great deal as well."
He had cultivated very diligently these years, and with the aid of spirit peaches to enhance his cultivation, he had gone from the seventh layer of Qi Refining up to the great circle of the ninth layer in merely five years.
Now, his true qi had completely filled his meridians to the limits of what his body could contain. At this pace, he would probably need only another year or two to reach the threshold for attacking the Foundation Establishment realm.
By his current estimate, he needed about two more years to temper his meridians to the utmost. By then, the toughness and strength of his channels would far surpass ordinary cultivators, and he would finally have the capital to attempt Foundation Establishment.
"In about two years, I should be able to try breaking through to Foundation Establishment."
"It's just that without a Foundation Establishment Pill to soften and harmonize the true qi, I only have a fifty to sixty percent chance of success. It's still quite risky."
"If I had a Foundation Establishment Pill, I'd be ninety percent sure of succeeding."
"Should I wait a few more years and see if I can get my hands on one?"
Thoughts flashed quickly through his mind, and then he chuckled at himself.
"The closer I get to Foundation Establishment, the more I worry about gains and losses. When the boat reaches the bridge, it will straighten itself. What's the point of thinking so much right now?"
Finishing his morning cultivation, Chen Nianzhi strolled along the shore of Lingzhou Lake, lightly tapping the Azure-Scale Spirit Fish as usual. Then he saw a lone boat slowly rowing toward the island. There were three people aboard; the old man in the lead cupped his hands and called out from afar:
"Little Nianzhi, I've come again."
"Sixteenth Granduncle."
A ripple passed through Chen Nianzhi's eyes, and he smiled as he greeted him.
It was the time of year when the spiritual rice ripened, and as in previous years, the one who came was still Chen Changlu.
Sixteenth Granduncle was a hearty, straightforward man. He brought two younger clan juniors onto the island, and as soon as they met, he said:
"This year I've brought you something good."
He carefully, almost reverently, took out a wooden box.
Chen Nianzhi opened the box, and his eyes lit up. Delight flashed across his face.
"Wood-Mallow Flower."
"That's right. It just ripened two months ago. I picked it from the spirit herb garden only a few days back—it's still fresh."
As he spoke, joy spread between Chen Changlu's brows.
The Wood-Mallow Flower was a first-tier high-grade spirit herb and the main ingredient for refining the Returning-Qi Pill.
The Returning-Qi Pill was a first-tier high-grade auxiliary pill. Its effect was remarkable: once taken, it could instantly restore seventy percent of a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator's true qi.
For Qi Refining cultivators, such a pill was extremely precious. Being able to recover seventy percent of one's true qi in an instant was, for many, almost equivalent to having another life.
For Chen Nianzhi, having Returning-Qi Pills meant he would be able to drive the Red-Iron Blade Embryo several more times. The combat strength he could unleash would be close to that of half a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
"This Wood-Mallow Flower took sixty years of nurturing before it matured. It really is hard to come by," Chen Changlu said, shaking his head. Stroking his beard, he smiled. "With this Wood-Mallow Flower, you can try for the rank of first-tier high-grade alchemist."
Chen Nianzhi nodded and added, "To refine Returning-Qi Pills, I'm still missing one auxiliary herb—Bell-Heart Grass."
"Bell-Heart Grass is easy to find." Chen Changlu smiled. "Once we finish harvesting the spiritual rice, I'm planning to make a trip to Yuyang Market. I'll buy a portion for you then."
"There's no need to trouble you to make a special trip," Chen Nianzhi said with a smile, shaking his head. "The spirit peaches are ripe this year. I was planning to go to Yuyang Market myself to sell them, save up some spirit stones, and pick up a few more spirit herbs while I'm there."
"That's even better. Tomorrow we'll go to Yuyang Market together—good to have some company on the road."
Laughing and chatting, the two of them walked back toward Chen Nianzhi's courtyard.
After a brief rest of less than half an hour, everyone set to work harvesting the spiritual rice.
The stalks and leaves of spiritual rice were extremely tough and fibrous. For ordinary cultivators, harvesting it was very laborious. Fortunately, Chen Nianzhi's true qi was far denser than that of typical ninth-layer Qi Refining cultivators, so in only half a day he had finished reaping several acres of spiritual rice.
Once the harvest was done, Chen Changlu headed off to catch spirit fish. With no beasts left in the lake to prey on them, after five years of breeding and growth, the school of Azure-Scale Spirit Fish in Lingzhou Lake had expanded significantly once more.
There were now two hundred and twenty-seven spirit fish in the lake—eighty to ninety more than when Chen Nianzhi had first arrived.
With more fish, the number that could be sold each year increased as well. This time, Chen Changlu caught thirty fish and, seeing them writhing in the net, said happily:
"This year's catch is two more fish than last year. That means we'll make a few more spirit stones."
Old Granduncle Chen Changyan also stepped forward to lend a hand, looking down at the lively fish with a smile.
"These years, who in Yu Prefecture doesn't know that the Chen clan's Azure-Scale Spirit Fish are the finest around?"