"Yes!"

Yang Lingqing stepped forward as summoned. She looked at Chen Yang and took two deep breaths to calm her racing thoughts.

She began reciting the secret technique Elder Yu had taught her, her fingers continuously weaving through intricate hand seals.

Then, she stacked her hands together and raised them high above her head.

"Yang family disciple Yang Lingqing pays respects to the Spirit Stone Immortal Venerable!"

With that, she prostrated herself in deep reverence.

This gesture differed from standard ancestor worship; her hands, forehead, knees, and toes were perfectly aligned in a straight line-the highest form of devotional posture.

"Lingqing is dull-witted. It is only by the Immortal Venerable's grace that I was fortunate enough to embark on the Dao. My heart is filled with boundless gratitude, which I shall never dare forget!"

"Today, through the Blood-Burning Spirit Sacrifice, I repay not even a fraction of the Immortal Venerable's benevolence, and I am deeply ashamed. From this day forth, the Yang family shall perform this rite year after year, generation after generation, so that our hearts may find peace!"

As she spoke these words, Yang Lingqing stood up. In the unseen realm, Chen Yang felt an invisible, intangible force drift into his mind.

It was a strand of consciousness that did not belong to him, yet it entered his perception through their spiritual connection.

This consciousness was pure and ethereal, devoid of any information or imagery, existing in its most primitive state.

Chen Yang drew near and swallowed it in a single gulp. Instantly, he felt the range of his Divine Sense expand by a full circle.

Yang Lingqing's devotional bow had sought a power from heaven and earth that nourished his very soul.

Yang Guanfeng and Elder Yu watched Chen Yang with bated breath.

Yang Lingqing was the only member of the Yang family who had successfully interacted with the Spirit Stone before. If even she could not move the divine stone with her worship, the others would stand no chance.

Hum-

A low resonance vibrated through the air. The two Yang elders broke into wide smiles, relief washing over them as they hurriedly turned to the other two children.

"The ritual is a success! You two, quickly, join Lingqing!"

Yang Lingrui and Yang Linghu stepped forward immediately. Emulating Yang Lingqing's movements, they began their own devotional bows.

"Yang family disciple Yang Lingrui pays respects to the Spirit Stone Immortal Venerable!"

"Lingrui is dull-witted. It is only by the Immortal Venerable's grace that I was fortunate enough to embark on the Dao..."

"Yang family disciple Yang Linghu pays respects to the Spirit Stone Immortal Venerable!"

"..."

Once the two boys finished their prostrations, two more strands of soul power surged from the void, plunging straight into Chen Yang's Sea of Consciousness.

His perception expanded once more. When fully extended, his Divine Sense could now blanket most of the southern slopes of Little Pine Mountain, while completely enveloping the Yang family estate and the neighboring villages at the foot of the mountain.

Such a sweeping range of perception far exceeded that of a mid-stage Qi Gathering cultivator. It was on par with a late-stage Qi Gathering peak cultivator, standing only a hair's breadth away from rivaling Qi Gathering Perfection.

"This is excellent. In the future, while I'm breathing and drawing in Qi, I can look around and listen to the world. It will keep things from getting too dull," Chen Yang thought to himself.

As the bowing ritual concluded, Chen Yang caused his form to pulse with a soft, radiant light, providing his feedback.

The three children stood in a neat row, cupped their fists toward Chen Yang, and spoke in unison.

"Yang family disciples stand ready to cultivate under the Immortal Venerable's decree. We boldly request the Immortal Venerable to bestow his divine ability!"

The Yang family had spared no expense for today's Blood-Burning Spirit Sacrifice. Their absolute sincerity had granted Chen Yang a tremendous harvest.

Naturally, he would not be stingy.

"A simple matter. Granted!"

Whoosh-

In the next breath, a gentle gale stirred, and the surrounding spiritual Qi rapidly converged upon the Yang family ancestral hall.

Within a few blinks of an eye, the spiritual Qi environment of the hall was completely transformed. Feeling a concentration of spiritual Qi a full five times denser than normal, Yang Guanfeng could not help but sigh with deep emotion.

He recalled his younger days when he and Elder Yu traveled the world to train. Back then, finding a location with a spiritual Qi concentration just a fraction higher than ordinary land was enough to make them thank heaven and earth.

Yet now, within the Yang family's own restricted grounds, they possessed such a rich, thriving environment. How could his heart remain calm?

Urging the three children to begin their cultivation without delay, Yang Guanfeng and Elder Yu quietly withdrew from the ancestral hall.

They immediately began discussing and planning the renovation of the restricted grounds.

Now that Little Pine Mountain had been thoroughly cleared of threats, the two intended to expand the restricted area, dividing it into a main courtyard and a branch courtyard. The ancestral hall and the spirit fields would be moved to the main courtyard, accessible only to the clan's core cultivators.

In the future, any cultivators of different surnames or guest elders brought into the family would be assigned to cultivate in the branch courtyard.

"Once that is settled, we must construct several concealment and defensive formations."

"Indeed. After we sell the demon beast corpses to the Wangchao officials and the family secures a supply of spirit crystals, I must trouble you, Elder Yu, to make another trip to the market town to invite Liu Zihao over."

Having finalized their arrangements, the two went to work straight away.

In the days that followed, the three children came to the ancestral hall every morning to request Chen Yang's divine ability.

Chen Yang spent a fixed eight hours each day gathering spiritual Qi, after which the three children took turns using their own spiritual power to nourish his stone form.

Ten days later, Yang Lingrui felt that his foundation was ripe. He returned to his quarters to enter secluded cultivation, aiming to break through to the third level.

With Chen Yang anchoring the restricted grounds, there was no need for Yang Guanfeng and Elder Yu to stand guard in person; Yang Lingqing and Yang Linghu alone sufficed to keep watch outside the room.

Half a month later, accompanied by a sudden, powerful ripple of spiritual power, Yang Lingrui successfully broke through his bottleneck and pushed open the door.

Spiritual Qi swirled unceasingly around him, and the spiritual power within his body had grown noticeably more condensed and substantial.

"Congratulations on completing your seclusion, Lingrui! Your cultivation has advanced significantly!" Lingqing and Linghu offered their warm congratulations.

"Lingrui thanks elder brother and elder sister for guarding me."

Yang Lingrui cupped his fists and asked, "I haven't delayed the designated date, have I?"

He was referring to the day the Wangchao cultivators would arrive to collect the demon beast corpses.

Gao Hui had previously estimated it would take a month at most, and over twenty days had already passed.

"You haven't missed it; the timing is perfect. The Wangchao cultivator arrived in Baishi Town just last night and is currently making his way to our estate."

"The two family heads are already waiting in the discussion hall. You should head over now."

Yang Lingrui nodded. With a few swift blurs of his movement technique, he vanished from the restricted grounds.

Watching his agile departure, Yang Linghu sighed, "Lingrui's natural talent is truly extraordinary. I simply cannot compare~"

"Stop your whining. We need to hurry into the mountains. Do not forget the ancestor's instructions."

"Yes, yes, yes. Little Qing, you are entirely correct."

Meanwhile, Chen Yang rested quietly inside Yang Lingqing's waist pouch. The moment Yang Lingrui achieved his breakthrough, Chen Yang had received a translucent, milky-white pearl within his mind.

This was the direct feedback provided to the artifact from a cultivator bound by the Blood-Burning Spirit Sacrifice Art.

Though Chen Yang had expected a reward, beginning to digest the pearl brought an unexpected wave of pleasant surprise.

The pearl contained far more than just a single year's worth of accumulated spiritual power; it also carried the entire spectrum of cultivation memories, insights, and understandings that Yang Lingrui had amassed since he first stepped onto the immortal path.

"I see. This is a legacy inheritance!" Chen Yang realized.

With this capability, he could permanently preserve the cultivation insights of every Yang family cultivator within himself. Even if a family member met an untimely demise in the outside world, their lifetime of insights would never be lost to the clan.

...

Yang Lingrui's figure dropped lightly into the main courtyard, startling the surrounding mortal members of the Yang family.

Once they recognized his face, they immediately dropped to their knees, calling out, "Greetings, Immortal Master!"

Yang Lingrui nodded gently and walked straight toward the discussion hall in the rear courtyard.

"Lingrui greets the two ancestors and my two clan uncles."

The four individuals inside the hall stood up at once. Yang Feiyun and Yang Xiaolei repeatedly waved their hands, claiming they could not accept such formal courtesy from a cultivator as they welcomed him in.

Although these two managed the day-to-day affairs of the Yang family, they did not dare assume an air of superiority before the clan's true cultivators.

They knew full well that the fundamental reason the Yang family enjoyed its current prosperity was not their administrative skill, but the powerful backing of cultivators like Yang Guanfeng.

Without them, if they were placed in any ordinary clan, they might labor until their hair turned white without ever finding a way to advance their family beyond Liuye Town.

"Then the two of us will take our leave first. Once elder brother has concluded the business here, we shall return to discuss family matters."

After the two secular heads departed, Yang Guanfeng looked at Yang Lingrui, nodding with profound satisfaction.

"Reaching the third level of Qi Gathering in a single year-Lingrui, you have done exceptionally well!"

"It is entirely due to the family's resources and support. Otherwise, relying on myself alone, I could never have achieved this."

"Hahaha, Lingrui is far too modest."

As Elder Yu spoke, he stepped forward with a Dharma Disc in hand and cast a concealment art over the boy. In the eyes of any onlooker, Yang Lingrui's apparent cultivation base instantly shifted to the second level of Qi Gathering. Even Yang Guanfeng could detect no flaws.

"Though it is merely a minor illusion to deceive the eye, this old man is confident that no Qi Gathering cultivator below the Condensed Origin realm will see through it."

Elder Yu spoke with absolute certainty; this technique had been his primary tool for survival and evasion during his younger days roaming the cultivation world.

Right at that moment, two figures descended smoothly outside the gates of the Yang family estate.

The old steward possessed a sharp eye. Recognizing immediately from their bearing that these were no ordinary mortals, he rushed toward the rear courtyard to report.

"This Yang family does have some capability to have preserved their assets so completely during the Beast Tide. If I recall correctly, you mentioned they only relocated from Liuye Town last year?"

The speaker wore a sweeping black robe, an innate arrogance characteristic of a high-ranking official clear within his brow.

His name was He Shenglai. He was of an age with Gao Hui, a late-stage cultivator at the seventh level of Qi Gathering, and was the official dispatched by the Wangchao this time to oversee the purchase of the demon beast carcasses.