CHAPTER 614: CHAPTER 599: REVISING THE FAMILY TREE

Although the matter of Zhou Guangcheng being apprenticed to Master Cyan Yang had been settled, since the little one had just been born, Zhouyang and his wife were not comfortable leaving him in the Profound Sun Immortal Sect.

Therefore, the two of them agreed with Master Cyan Yang on a sixteen-year arrangement, promising that they would take care of the little one for sixteen years, fulfilling their parental responsibilities, before sending him to the Profound Sun Immortal Sect to receive Master Cyan Yang’s teachings.

With everything thus decided, Zhouyang and his wife took Zhou Guangcheng and returned to Chongxuan Mountain together.

The master and mistress were blessed with a precious son, and the disciples on Chongxuan Mountain, especially the Zhou family disciples, were overjoyed.

Nobody in the Zhou family dared to interfere with matters concerning Zhouyang, the family patriarch, but privately, discussions about hoping he would leave behind a bloodline in the clan never ceased.

All the cultivators of the Zhou family understood that only if Zhouyang left a bloodline within the family would his ties to the Zhou family not fade over time.

Thus, even though Zhouyang himself did not advocate for it, the disciples on the mountain still held a grand banquet to celebrate this event on their own initiative.

Since it was a gesture of goodwill from the disciples and because he was indeed in a good mood, Zhouyang did not dampen the festivities, and attended the celebration with a smile alongside his wife and son.

Moreover, due to the birth of young Zhou Guangcheng, Zhouyang naturally had to cancel his plans for extended secluded cultivation.

He did not want to emerge from seclusion later only for his son not to recognize him as his father.

For the family, he could adopt a laissez-faire attitude, but with his own son, he would never do so under any circumstances.

At least until his son reached adulthood and maturity, he intended to remain by his side.

Thus, he revised his plans, changing his original plan of secluding himself for cultivation and refining magical skills to studying artifact refining, aiming to elevate his artifact refining skills to Tier Five before his son came of age.

Zhouyang, as an artifact refiner, had remained at Tier Four Top Grade for many years. Due to frequent seclusions, he had not practiced artifact refining much, to the extent that his skills had become somewhat rusty.

However, his foundation was still there, and after a few refining attempts, he reacquainted himself with the skills, becoming proficient once more.

Under normal circumstances, for a Tier Four Top Grade artifact refiner to break through to Tier Five, it is best to rely on "Celestial Favor Enlightenment"—the inspiration gained from inventing a new artifact—to elevate their artifact refining skills.

When Zhouyang originally created the Tier Two High-Grade Spiritual Artifact [Primordial Yang Shield], he experienced once a "Celestial Favor Enlightenment" and benefited considerably.

However, creating an artifact is extremely time-consuming and heavily reliant on luck. Zhouyang did not intend to follow this well-trodden path of countless cultivators while attempting to break through to becoming a Tier Five Refiner this time.

He intended to take the luxurious route of directly refining Tier Five Spiritual Artifacts to forcibly break through to being a Tier Five Refiner.

Generally, other refiners do not have such extravagant resources, but Zhouyang did.

Over the years, through materials obtained by slaying demon beasts and spoils garnered from cultivators who fell at his hand, Zhouyang had amassed a large quantity of Tier Five refining materials.

Since he himself was a Tier Four Top Grade Refiner, he collected these materials without selling them.

Now, the accumulated materials were sufficient for him to attempt refining six to seventy times.

Zhouyang believed he had talent in artifact refining, so if sixty or seventy attempts didn’t succeed, there would be no point in continuing to learn the craft at all.

Of course, it would be better if he could avoid wasting materials.

Therefore, he did not become complacent despite his wealth, instead treating each refinement with utmost diligence and learning from his failures afterward.

And after each refinement failure, amusing young Zhou Guangcheng became Zhouyang’s most frequent way to relieve stress.

Due to his strong foundation, little Zhou Guangcheng’s body and mind developed rapidly, and from the age of three, he started exploring cultivation with Zhouyang’s guidance.

The "Profound Sun Treasure Manual," such a top-tier cultivation technique, could only be practiced after reaching Foundation Establishment, so for foundational cultivation, Zhouyang taught young Zhou Guangcheng the "Innate Purple Sun Technique" given to him by Master Cyan Yang.

This "Innate Purple Sun Technique" was one of the few top-tier foundational techniques stored within the Profound Sun Immortal Sect.

It was most suitable for cultivation by fire attribute spiritual root cultivators, with high difficulty, typically chosen only by those with a fire attribute top-grade spiritual root.

The characteristic of this technique is singular: purity.

Cultivators of the "Innate Purple Sun Technique" generally have much purer and deeper magical power compared to those practicing other techniques.

According to Master Cyan Yang, disciples with fire attribute top-grade spiritual roots in the Profound Sun Immortal Sect could achieve Foundation Establishment within fifty years, without even needing to consume a Foundation Establishment Pill.

And given young Zhou Guangcheng’s exceptional talent, achieving Foundation Establishment within thirty years posed no problem whatsoever.

Indeed, that is the case.

At barely five years old, Xiaozhou Guangcheng has already reached the Qi Cultivation Stage, officially becoming a Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivator.

Meanwhile, most of the registered disciples on Chongxuan Mountain are only just beginning to touch upon cultivation, or have yet to begin.

This year, Zhou Guangxiang once again visited Chongxuan Mountain.

This time, accompanying her was Zhou Tongxuan, the Zhou Family Patriarch, who was already a Second-Layer Purple Mansion Cultivator.

When Zhouyang left the Boundless Sea of Sand Cultivation Realm, he bestowed three portions of Purple Heart Jade Marrow for the three Foundation Establishment Cultivators of the Zhou Family, and Zhou Tongxuan, with the family contribution points left by his father Zhou Guangxiang and aunt Zhou Guangxiang, spent two hundred thousand clan contribution points to redeem a portion for use.

Now, decades later, of the four cultivators who once attempted to break through to the Purple Mansion Stage, two succeeded, namely Zhou Tongxuan and Zhou Shengfan, whose body was refined by Zhouyang with the Qianyang Immortal Light.

Additionally, during Zhouyang’s years of seclusion, another female cultivator named Zhou Shenghan from the Zhou Family redeemed a portion of the Purple Heart Jade Marrow and successfully opened her Purple Mansion.

Thus, the number of Purple Mansion Stage Cultivators within the Zhou Family, including the siblings Zhou Guangxiang, has reached five.

At Chongxuan Mountain, Zhou Ronghua’s cultivation has also reached the Ninth-Layer Foundation Establishment, and Zhouyang has already granted him the Purple Heart Jade Marrow. It won’t be long before he enters seclusion to attempt the Purple Mansion.

Zhou Shengyu, a Top-grade Spiritual Root Cultivator, has reached the Fifth-Layer Foundation Establishment, and is expected to attempt the Purple Mansion in fifty or sixty years.

As always, this time Zhou Guangxiang and Zhou Tongxuan brought along several Zhou family juniors.

Now, these Zhou family juniors don’t need to operate under the guise of being registered disciples under Zhouyang.

Zhouyang has already planned that when Xiaozhou Guangcheng grows up and enters the Profound Sun Immortal Sect, he will migrate the Zhou Family mortals and cultivators from Chongxuan Mountain to Daoxuan Country. From then on, the Zhou Family’s ancestral grounds in the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm will be set upon a Tier Four Top-Grade Spirit Mountain in Daoxuan Country.

Then, the Zhou Family can even attempt to have some of its younger members enter the Profound Sun Immortal Sect, thereby strengthening ties with the sect.

Such actions of deliberately sending family members into the sect were something Zhouyang would never have considered before.

But now, the situation is markedly different from before.

Previously, the Zhou Family lacked talent and a strong backbone, and even a Middle-Grade Spiritual Root Cultivator was a precious asset to the family, so he was naturally unwilling for these treasures to drift elsewhere.

But now things have changed; the Zhou Family has become a super clan in the Boundless Sea of Sand Cultivation Realm, detecting one or two Middle-Grade Spiritual Root Cultivators each year within the family.

If all these individuals were retained within the Zhou Family, there wouldn’t be enough Foundation Establishment Pills for them to consume. It would be better to give them a chance in the Profound Sun Immortal Sect, to strive within the sect.

If they manage to make a name for themselves in the Profound Sun Immortal Sect, it would be a great benefit for the Zhou Family.

Zhouyang even has the idea that since Zhou Guangcheng is destined to become a high-ranking leader in the Profound Sun Immortal Sect, he will undoubtedly need to cultivate a group of core supporters within the sect.

By maintaining the principle that fertile water should not flow to others, Zhou Family juniors within the sect would be preferentially chosen as aides, receiving special attention.

Such matters are permissible within the rules, and even figures like Master Cyan Yang wouldn’t intentionally obstruct them.

As a top-tier Major Sect, Profound Sun Immortal Sect is inherently filled with factions, so even adding a Zhou Family faction wouldn’t be an issue.

Regulations of the sect are clear: no faction can severely violate sect rules, or they will face united opposition from other factions.

Therefore, there’s no need to worry that cultivators with familial ties will breach trust and transfer sect resources extensively to their families outside.

Now, with Zhou Guangxiang and Zhou Tongxuan arriving as the patriarch, it’s the perfect time for Zhouyang to discuss these ideas with them.

Zhou Guangxiang, upon learning of Zhouyang and Xiao Ying having a child, genuinely felt happy for them.

As a junior herself, already surrounded by children and grandchildren, she found it odd that the elder couple Zhouyang and Xiao Ying had yet to have descendants.

Now that Zhouyang finally has offspring, she naturally feels joyful.

However, amidst the joy, there’s a sense of awkwardness because the five-year-old Xiaozhou Guangcheng is supposed to address her as elder sister.

Although she is over four hundred years old, and possesses techniques to maintain her appearance akin to a thirty-something woman, the emerging white hairs are undeniable indicators of her age.

Being called elder sister by a five-year-old at her age could only be perceived as awkward.

Yet such awkwardness is unavoidable.

Zhouyang is her elder, and one who has cared for her since young, thus she respects him deeply.

Even if she felt awkward, she absolutely did not dare to mess with the hierarchy and let Xiaozhou Guangcheng be called by another title.

Fortunately, she wasn’t the only one feeling awkward. More awkward than her was Zhou Tongxuan, because in terms of hierarchy, Zhou Tongxuan had to call Xiaozhou Guangcheng uncle, and respectfully pay his respects.

In the end, it was Xiao Ying who took care of the two’s situation, smiling as she carried Xiaozhou Guangcheng away, leaving them to converse alone with Zhouyang.

"Ninth Uncle has been blessed with a noble child. Aren’t you going to take Cheng’Er back to the clan to worship Uncle Xuanhao and Aunt Yuting? If this joyous news is spread back to the clan, it will certainly make the clan members very happy."

Zhou Guangxiang looked at Zhouyang and was the first to bring up this matter.

Adding a child is a big matter. When a cultivator from the Zhou Family has an offspring, they often promptly go to the family cemetery to pay respects to their deceased parents and ancestors.

When Zhou Guangxiang mentioned this at the time, it could be said to be quite natural.

However, Zhouyang knew that his niece brought up this matter now, hinting perhaps that Zhou Guangcheng should go back to seek roots and recognize his ancestors.

After all, right now, the Zhou Family’s roots are still in the Boundless Sea of Sand Cultivation Realm, and important members like Zhou Guangcheng should go there to seek their roots and understand their lineage.

Though he knew this, he did not reveal the little thought in his niece’s heart, merely shook his head slightly, saying, "Cheng’Er will undoubtedly go back to worship his grandparents in the future, but not now. I already have plans for this, so you don’t need to worry."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Guangxiang’s face subtly changed, and she quickly apologized, saying, "This niece was rude. Since Ninth Uncle already has a plan, of course, this niece is reassured."

Zhou Tongxuan saw the situation where his aunt was at a loss and hastily spoke to divert the topic: "Ancestor, may I ask what kind of talent Cheng Uncle possesses? The junior noticed he has First-Layer Qi Cultivation. Could it be that he also possesses the top-grade spiritual root like the grandmother?"

In Zhou Tongxuan’s mind, top-grade spiritual root talent was already an extremely good talent.

If he had top-grade spiritual root talent, he probably wouldn’t have needed two portions of the Purple Heart Jade Marrow to successfully open the Purple Mansion.

As for the Spirit Body, no Spirit Body cultivator had appeared in the Boundless Sea of Sand Cultivation Realm for the last two or three thousand years. He didn’t dare think along those lines.

Thus, one can imagine how surprised Zhou Guangxiang and Zhou Tongxuan were when Zhouyang revealed that Zhou Guangcheng possessed the Profound Sun Spirit Body talent.

And when they learned that Zhou Guangcheng had already become a disciple of Master Cyan Yang and would become a disciple of the Profound Sun Immortal Sect in the future, their faces underwent an even more dramatic change.

"Ninth Uncle..."

Zhou Guangxiang widened her eyes at Zhouyang, wanting to speak but hesitating.

Zhouyang maintained a steady expression, looking at her and shaking his head slightly, saying, "I know what you want to say, but this matter is already settled. You don’t need to think too much about it, but rather listen to my plan!"

Immediately, Zhouyang shared the terms of exchange and agreement between himself and Master Cyan Yang with the two, and also revealed his plan for the future development of the Zhou Family.

After listening to his words, Zhou Guangxiang and Zhou Tongxuan, the aunt-nephew pair, had expressions that changed back and forth, falling into deep thought.

From the bottom of their hearts, being members of the Zhou Family, they certainly didn’t want Zhou Guangcheng to join the sect.

He’s a Spirit Body cultivator, the first Spirit Body cultivator since the founding of the Zhou Family, the first Spirit Body cultivator in the several thousand years history of the Boundless Sea of Sand Cultivation Realm!

Such a genius, no cultivation clan would want to let him leave the clan.

Furthermore, Zhou Guangcheng is the first child of Zhouyang, the guardian of the Zhou Family, and very likely the only child. This identity is even more important to the Zhou Family than his identity as a Spirit Body cultivator.

But reality and ideals are often two different things.

From their perspective, for the sake of the clan’s interests, they certainly hope Zhou Guangcheng stays in the Zhou Family, but from Zhouyang’s perspective, in considering the clan’s interests, he also has to consider Zhou Guangcheng’s personal interests.

And from the perspective of both Master Cyan Yang and Master Lingxiao, they would not want to leave a baby with the Profound Sun Spirit Body outside lightly.

Being parents themselves, the aunt-nephew pair certainly understood how powerful every parent’s desire is for their child to succeed.

The most important point, of course, is that Zhou Guangcheng becoming a disciple of Master Cyan Yang is already a settled fact, and no amount of opposition can change it.

The Zhou Family does not have the strength to defy a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, even their most admired and revered family ancestor Zhouyang cannot.

So after being silent for a good while with uncertain expressions, Zhou Guangxiang forced a smile and said, "This is also good. Cheng’Er being able to take Master Cyan Yang as his teacher, his future path will surely be smooth. If in the future he can form the Nascent Soul, it would be a tremendous boon and blessing for our Zhou Family."

Upon hearing his aunt’s words, Zhou Tongxuan also came back to his senses and quickly followed, "Aunt is right. Cheng Uncle is an extraordinary talent and will certainly become a Master Nascent Soul in the future. At that time, our Zhou Family will surely become famous across Liuyun Continent, ranking among the true major families in the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm!"

"Hehe, it’s good that you’re able to accept this. Do you have any additional suggestions for my plan?"

Zhouyang chuckled noncommittally, shifted the topic, and asked for their opinions.

Zhou Guangxiang and Zhou Tongxuan are the actual leaders of the Zhou Family now. Their opinions, in some sense, represent the opinions of the entire Zhou Family.

"Ninth Uncle’s plan is excellent. If we can truly establish a foothold within Daoxuan Country as the family’s foundation, it will evidently help our family to step out of the Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm."

"Moreover, if we can become disciples of a top-notch major sect like the Profound Sun Immortal Sect, many family members would be more than willing. We might even need to devise some strategies to prevent the massive loss of family talent when the time comes!"

As Zhou Guangxiang spoke, he looked at his nephew Zhou Tongxuan.

Zhou Tongxuan is the clan leader of the Zhou Family, and this is his opportunity to perform well in front of Zhouyang, the family ancestor. Zhou Guangxiang certainly wouldn’t steal his nephew’s spotlight, so he said just a few words and then stopped.

Upon receiving the implicit signal from his aunt’s eyes, Zhou Tongxuan steadied himself and promptly said, "This junior also thinks the ancestor’s plan is truly a wise strategy for managing the nation. The number of cultivators in the family is increasing annually, and the consumption of family resources each year is already immense."

"Considering that the family’s production of Foundation Establishment Pills is limited, many family members can’t try establishing a foundation by consuming a pill. Over the years, almost every one or two years, family cultivators have fallen at the Foundation Establishment Stage, which is truly heartbreaking!"

"If we can provide them with an alternative path, it would not only relieve the family burden but also reduce occurrences of tragedies and offer more family members opportunities for advancement in their cultivation journey."

"Very well, since both of you find this plan feasible, once we return, you can convene the entire clan’s cultivators to discuss this matter and expedite the process of the family’s cultivators migrating to the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm."

Zhouyang nodded in satisfaction. He was very pleased with the two juniors’ "profound understanding of righteousness."

Then he looked at Zhou Guangxiang and said, "Regarding your concern, Guangxiang, you need not worry. Joining a top-notch major sect like the Profound Sun Immortal Sect is not easy. A middle-grade spiritual root is just the minimum entry requirement. To actually get in, one must have some extraordinary skills, and they recruit outer disciples only once every ten years. Sometimes it takes a certain amount of luck to be accepted into their sect."

"Ninth Uncle is right; this niece understands what needs to be done."

Zhou Guangxiang responded, and the matter was settled.

Only then, seeing that Zhouyang had nothing else to say, did she use her eyes to signal her nephew Zhou Tongxuan to explain the purpose of their visit.

Receiving his aunt’s hint, Zhou Tongxuan immediately bowed respectfully to Zhouyang and said, "Ancestor, with your insight, this junior and aunt have come to the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm to see you for one major matter that needs your decision."

"Oh, what major matter?"

Zhouyang’s face showed a hint of curiosity as he looked at him.

Feeling his gaze, Zhou Tongxuan respectfully said, "It’s about arranging the generational names for the family’s future-born cultivators. The sixteen generational names set by Yuquan Ancestor have been used up to the ’Cyan’ generational name. In a few decades, future-born cultivators’ generational names are yet to be determined, and thus we would like Ancestor to personally continue the new generational names on the family tree, to establish the hierarchy of respect and age!"

Jade Radiance, Profound Origin Communication, Blessed and Flourishing, Evergreen—these were the sixteen generational names initially proposed by Zhou Yuquan, the ancestor who established the Zhou Family.

Now, the Zhou Family has been established for over six hundred years, and the sixteen generational names are indeed at the point of being exhausted.

In matters like adding new generational names for the family, it is indeed inevitable to involve Zhouyang, the ancestor with the highest status and cultivation in the Zhou Family.

Generational names, for a cultivation clan bound by blood relations, are of unquestionable significance.

Setting new generational names for the family’s descendants is a matter that even Zhouyang needs to pay attention to.

"This is indeed a major issue, allow me to think about it carefully."

He nodded slightly and could not help but bow his head in deep thought.

Though he had never done this before, Zhouyang knew that the creation of generational names should first emphasize meaning, then consider whether they are catchy, easy to remember, and easy to combine with other words to form a good name.

Since he was to continue the generational names, he also needed to ensure coherence with the previous sixteen generational names.

So, after he pondered carefully for a good one or two hours, he finally said, "Since Yuquan Ancestor set sixteen generational names, to maintain respect for the elder, I will also set sixteen generational names for the family!"

"Loyalty and Virtue, Filial Piety and Righteousness as Family Values, Goodness Brings Prosperity, Integrity Comes First. What do you think of these sixteen generational names?"

He quickly proposed his drafted sixteen generational names and glanced at Zhou Guangxiang and Zhou Tongxuan, seeking their opinions.

These sixteen generational names may not fully align with the previous ones of the Zhou Family, but each carries its own meaning and is easier to match with other words to create names.

"Ancestor is indeed the ancestor; these sixteen generational names are profoundly meaningful and catchy. There is no better choice than these!"

Zhou Tongxuan looked up, his face full of admiration as he glanced at him, with words full of praise.

"This niece also thinks Ninth Uncle’s chosen sixteen generational names are excellent." Zhou Guangxiang promptly nodded in agreement.

Thus, the matter was settled.