Three days later, Elder Yu and Formation Master Liu Zihao returned to the Yang family estate.

Upon arrival, Liu Zihao immediately praised the fine construction of the Yang family estate and its excellent location.

"There are rivers and fields, pavilions and towers, high mountains and rocky cliffs, and stretching vegetation. This Family Head truly has a discerning eye."

By the Restricted Grounds along the cliff, Yang Guanfeng came out to receive them.

"Formation Master, you have journeyed far. It has been a hard trip."

"You are too polite, Family Head. It is no hardship at all. I am merely taking your coin to do a job."

"Then shall we begin?"

"Alright, no problem."

Since both men were straightforward, they skipped any further pleasantries and got straight to the point.

Liu Zihao paced around the Yang family's Restricted Grounds several times, carefully observing the terrain and the flow of Spiritual Qi, before offering a plan.

"We will use the Cloud-Mountain Mist Formation. Your Yang family sits against the mountain and beside the water, possessing sufficient height and abundant moisture. It is a perfect fit. Furthermore, while this Formation provides an early warning, it can also block outside prying eyes."

"Acceptable. We will do as Formation Master Liu suggests."

Over the following month, Liu Zihao remained at the Yang estate to lay down the Formation for the Restricted Grounds.

Yang Linghu and Yang Lingqing had already been relocated to the Yang family courtyard at the foot of the mountain, so Liu Zihao remained unaware of their existence.

Only Yang Lingrui would occasionally step out to lend him a hand.

A month later, the brand-new Formation was complete.

As a mid Qi Gathering level Formation, the Cloud-Mountain Mist Formation would not be disrupted by the magnetic pull of the Strange Stone, thereby securing a measure of guaranteed safety for the Yang family's Restricted Grounds.

"Family Head Yang, if the Yang family ever needs to set up a defensive Formation in the future, you can seek me out. I always offer discounts to old acquaintances."

"Certainly. Many thanks this time, Formation Master Liu."

After Liu Zihao departed, the three children returned to the Restricted Grounds and resumed their daily cultivation.

During this period, Yang Guanfeng had also learned of the Strange Stone rumors from Elder Yu.

Chen Yang had been present at the time, and upon hearing it, he felt the theory made some sense.

I mean, a Strange Stone... that actually matches my own situation quite well.

However, such wondrous items as Strange Stones were incredibly rare. Even the library pavilion in Fish Ridge River Market only possessed broad introductions rather than detailed records.

Yang Guanfeng and Elder Yu studied him for a while but still could not make complete sense of it.

Therefore, they planned to wait a bit longer and observe the situation again after Chen Yang's grade improved.

The remaining matter concerned making contact with a Sect.

Yang Guanfeng had long desired to reach out to a Sect, but the timing had never been ripe, nor had he ever found the right direction or connections.

The intelligence regarding the two Sects that Elder Yu had brought back this time was exceptionally crucial.

The details of the two Sects were as follows.

The Myriad Transformations Sect lay two thousand li northwest of Little Pine Mountain. Its Sect Master was at the early Spirit Communion stage. With nearly a thousand disciples, the Sect recruited outsiders once every ten years-a process that had just concluded the previous year. The Sect's cultivation methods were mild, its atmosphere was upright, and it focused primarily on Five Elements arts...

Lone Moon Mountain sat two thousand two hundred li southeast of Little Pine Mountain. Its Sect Master was at the mid Spirit Communion stage. Harboring only around two hundred disciples, the Sect never openly recruited. Its cultivation methods were domineering, its atmosphere leaned toward the demonic, and it actively encouraged brutal competition among its disciples, focusing mostly on fierce and lethal offensive arts...

After finishing his review of the intelligence on these two Sects, Yang Guanfeng asked, "Elder Yu, what are your thoughts?"

"Answering the Family Head, in my humble opinion, we should not even consider Lone Moon Mountain. That Sect has a wicked temperament. I am afraid our small Yang family cannot stomach dealing with them."

Elder Yu continued his analysis: "The Myriad Transformations Sect, however, is worth striving for. In another ten years, the Yang family will have nurtured a new batch of children of the proper age. If any among them possess outstanding talent, we could seek an opportunity for a recommendation and send them to test their luck."

"Hmm, you think the same as I do."

Yang Guanfeng nodded, and then the two of them fell into a mutual silence.

It was easy to say, but how could an opportunity for a recommendation be obtained so lightly?

Typically, only established families with a certain degree of strength-such as the Southern Mountain Li Family-held the privilege to recommend their own disciples, and even then, they could only recommend one.

The Yang family was still a long way off from matching the Li family, and it was simply impossible for any major clan to hand over their own recommendation slot.

Therefore, the only entities capable of offering a recommendation for the Yang family at present were the dynasty's forces.

The dynasty had the right to nominate disciples to the Sects; this was a formal clause stipulated within the mutual agreement between the two powers.

After a long moment, Elder Yu spoke up once more. "Right now, the only avenues we can fight for are the two towns. That man Xu Guang places a heavy emphasis on profit, so his appetite must be immense; our Yang family cannot possibly satisfy him. And the lord over in White Stone Town has an unyielding and upright temper; I fear he will not easily relent either."

"Then let us temporarily put this matter aside. We still have ten years ahead of us. We can afford to take a long-term view."

"Yes, Family Head."

In the days that followed, the Yang family lived a peaceful and harmonious life.

In the blink of an eye, winter passed and spring arrived. The Yang family's fields had expanded significantly, and many servants were busy with the spring plowing.

Half a year of rest and recovery had thoroughly cemented the Yang family's footing in this region.

During these past months, many commoners had been drawn to the area. They had already formed a small village at the foot of Little Pine Mountain, relying entirely on the Yang family for their livelihood.

Originally, this land had been wild territory haunted by feral beasts. After the Yang family's arrival, those beasts had been frightened out of their wits and fled deep into the mountains, which created the necessary conditions for mortals to survive here.

Looking up toward the high cliffs, the patch of white mist that lingered year-round had already become a totemic symbol in the hearts of the Yang family members.

The villagers dwelling at the foot of the mountain went so far as to claim outright that Immortals resided within that white fog.

Yang Lingrui had consumed two more drops of spiritual liquid, bringing his cultivation to the peak of the second level of Qi Gathering. He was now preparing to find an appropriate time to enter Secluded Cultivation.

Yang Lingqing had just broken through to the second level of Qi Gathering a few days prior, while Yang Linghu was still making preparations to tackle his own breakthrough to the second level.

There was another piece of good news. After half a year of recuperation following the family's relocation, Yang Guanfeng's own Bottleneck was actually showing signs of loosening.

This was a massive event for the Yang family. If he made another breakthrough, he would step into the sixth level of Qi Gathering-merely one minor realm away from the late Qi Gathering stage.

He was thirty-nine years old this year. Before turning fifty, he still had a full ten years to fight for his future.

Returning to the present day, all five cultivators of the family had gathered within the Yang family's Restricted Grounds.

This was because something monumental was about to happen here.

Chen Yang lay upon the high platform, looking at the five deeply serious people surrounding him. He felt more than a little speechless.

I mean, do you really have to be so tense? I'm just taking a nap.

At this moment, the spiritual power within his body was only a hair away from overflowing. He was about to undergo yet another advancement.

He remembered that during his first advancement, he had only slept for ten days before waking up, after which he had learned to gather Spiritual Qi.

From his perspective, something like advancing and breaking through held absolutely no danger.

However, the five members of the Yang family felt differently. They had no idea about Chen Yang's true background.

After poring over the ancient texts, they had learned that a spiritual treasure possessed a distinct risk of failure during advancement. In order to boost the success rate, cultivators had to continuously nourish the treasure with their own spiritual power to maintain its stable condition.

Aside from Elder Yu's Dharma Disc, Chen Yang was the only spiritual treasure the Yang family possessed.

More importantly, he was directly tied to the cultivation progress of their young cultivators.

Yang Guanfeng and Elder Yu had calculated it thoroughly: without Chen Yang, the three Yang family children would still only be at the very entry stage of the first level of Qi Gathering today.

Chen Yang's gathering effect did not simply accumulate Spiritual Qi; it simultaneously provided a supreme environment for cultivators to enter meditative focus. These two factors complemented each other, allowing Yang Lingrui and the other two to achieve their current accomplishments.

Therefore, as far as the Yang family was concerned, he absolutely could not be allowed to suffer any mishaps.

By high noon, the sky was bright and the air was crisp.

Beneath the weather that Chen Yang loved the most, the five members of the Yang family simultaneously began infusing him with spiritual power.

In an instant, Chen Yang felt the spiritual power overflowing within his core. A wave of immense drowsiness flooded his mind in the very next moment, and one second later, he fell fast asleep.

At that same moment, in the eyes of the five Yang family members, a faint blue shimmer began to rise off of Chen Yang's body.

"Alright, pull back for now."

The group withdrew their hands and stood up. Elder Yu stepped forward to carefully inspect Chen Yang's state, and a moment later, a joyous expression broke out across his face.

"Its condition is stable. There are no signs of structural collapse. This Strange Stone is truly a wondrous item. Our Yang family has unearthed a true treasure!"

Hearing this, joy filled the hearts of the other four.

"Does that mean the upper limit of this Strange Stone's advancement is not merely the mid Qi Gathering stage?"

"Correct. In my humble opinion, the upper limit of this Strange Stone might be at Qi Gathering Perfection!"

Qi Gathering Perfection!

Hearing Elder Yu's judgment, expressions of absolute shock fell over the faces of the three young cultivators. That was a realm that still felt terribly distant to them.

"Lingrui, Lingqing, Linghu."

"Your disciples are here!"

"From now on, I will entrust the care of the Strange Stone to the three of you. Rotate your shifts and continuously nourish it with your spiritual power without interruption every day, right up until the Strange Stone completes its advancement."

"Your disciples understand!"

Under normal circumstances, Chen Yang's deep slumber this time should have lasted for at least a month before he awakened.

However, because the three of them continuously nurtured him with their spiritual power around the clock, Chen Yang's consciousness awakened on the eighth day.

After waking up, Chen Yang felt that the entire world had grown sharper and far more pristine. His vision could extend over much greater distances. Furthermore, when he stirred his spiritual power now, he actually felt as though he could drag it entirely out of his spirit storage space!

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