"Wenmei, Eighth Uncle still has business with the clan leader. Take Fifth Brother to his residence! Wenzhi, go notify Second Uncle," Wang Yanfeng instructed.
"Wang Hao, go see your father first."
"Yes! Thank you, Ninth Sister!"
As Wang Wenmei guided him away, she explained,
"Fifth Brother, this is our training ground. Family disciples practice spells here, and sometimes duel. The elders drop by to offer guidance!"
Passing a grove of spirit damask trees, she added,
"These are our golden-threaded spirit damasks. The clan owns nineteen first-order trees—and one second-order."
Walking through a bamboo thicket, she said,
"This grove was planted by our First Patriarch when he founded the clan. The oldest bamboos are over three hundred years old—second-order, superior grade. By the way, our family school is in this area."
With that overview, Wang Hao gained a clear picture of Wangjialing. The Wang clan was, in truth, a small one—fewer than a hundred Qi Refiners. Many roles weren't formally divided; power lay mainly with the Foundation-Establishment cultivators and a few high-ranking elders. In a larger clan, such concentration would surely lead to chaos!
Finally they arrived at an ancient-looking pavilion.
"Fifth Brother, this is the residence Second Uncle prepared for you."
"Does Old Wang live here too?" Wang Hao wondered whether Li Dexi and his half-siblings were nearby.
"Second Uncle, now that he's reached Foundation Establishment, has his cave up on the mountain peak. This place is near my home—feel free to visit if you get bored! Ah, and there have been many guests lately. Some areas of the estate are off-limits…"
"Understood. I won't wander around aimlessly."
"That puts me at ease. Rest well, Fifth Brother—I'll take my leave!"
"Thank you, Ninth Sister. Farewell!"
Alone in the pavilion's elegant interior, Wang Hao—tired after the long journey—sat down to meditate and rest.
After a cycle of incense, Wang Yanzhao quietly entered and began brewing tea without disturbing him. When Wang Hao completed his cycle, he rose and regarded his father with mixed feelings. He did not inherit the original host's hatred, but calling this man "father" felt impossible.
When he first transmigrated, he'd thought to tease him with "Papa Ma" (like fans calling Jack Ma), but that would have been absurd. And though Old Wang wasn't detestable, Wang Hao privately saw him as unscrupulous—hardly worth calling "father" for the sake of a cultivation technique.
Pouring a cup of tea, Wang Yanzhao offered it to him and asked,
"You look settled—have you thought of your future?"
Wang Hao cleared his throat and said,
"Old Wang! Enough preamble—how do I obtain the next part of my technique?"
Wang Yanzhao almost spat his tea in surprise,
"What did you call me?"
"Um… 'Old Wang.' Is there a problem?" Wang Hao stammered, a bit embarrassed—but that was all he could manage.
"No problem—call me that!" Wang Yanzhao laughed, wiping off his robes. He was pleased; just a few years ago they'd have argued bitterly.
"You switched to the True Illusory Heart Scripture of Red Lotus and Wood—surely you know its benefits. A technique like that I could never give you up to Foundation-Establishment level!"
"So… you can pass me the third level?"
"Exactly." Wang Yanzhao filled another cup and blew on it. "But don't you want the full Foundation-Establishment version? To break through to that stage?"
"What must I do?"
"Return to the clan lineage and become a core member. Otherwise, even I—a Foundation cultivator—cannot break clan regulations!" he said with a grin. "The Scripture has seven levels and can carry you through to Golden Core!"
"Damn, what an irresistible offer!" Wang Hao thought. "But I bet their core-member requirements are complicated!"
Wang Yanzhao explained calmly,
"With your cultivation speed and background as an alchemist, it won't be hard. Refine pills for the clan for a decade, and your contributions will earn you the complete technique."
Wang Hao considered this. Returning to the clan lineage wasn't bad—so he nodded,
"I'll acknowledge my lineage, but I won't live at the family seat."
Wang Yanzhao beamed,
"No problem—you may continue living at Green Bull Market. As for position, you'll become the manager of the pill shop. Eighth Uncle is returning here, so the shop will be yours!"
"Me—a mid–Qi Refinement cultivator—as manager of the shop?"
"You're nearly at the end of Intermediate Qi Refinement. Even if trouble arises, the town has Foundation cultivators to handle it. Your level is sufficient!" He handed Wang Hao an identity seal:"This is your manager's token. From now on, the pill shop is yours."
"You've arranged everything. No one else's approval needed?"
"Approval? Why? You're my son—we agree. Just register you on the genealogy—no ceremony required!" said Wang Yanzhao matter–of–factly.
"Foundation cultivators are truly remarkable…" Wang Hao realized how smoothly Old Wang had roped him in.
"Here," Wang Yanzhao said, sniffing the air, "some third–level Scripture jade slips, a few pill formulas, and my alchemy insights. Hm? A White Snow Lotus of at least forty years!"
Wang Hao pulled out the jade slips and handed over the lotus.
"Fair exchange, perfectly understandable!"
Wang Yanzhao laughed heartily,
"Just one lotus for all my alchemy insights? You've not only progressed in cultivation, but lost all shame in these years!"
"And so have you!" Wang Hao retorted.
After bidding farewell, Wang Hao checked on his dozing golden-eyed duck—soon to become at least a first-order, mid-grade spirit beast—and then returned to cultivation, no longer eager to explore. A touch to that second-order bamboo grove would yield seeds aplenty!
Ten days later, the Foundation Establishment Ceremony began.
In the Wang clan's mountain plaza, hundreds of wooden tables groaned under fine foods and drinks. Thousands of cultivators gathered to witness Second Uncle's breakthrough.
Wang Hao and the mid-level Qi Refiners sat in the middle and rear ranks; high-level Qi Refiners sat nearer the front; Foundation cultivators and representatives from the other families filled the prime seats.
The Green Bull Market's Five Great Families—Li, Zhao, Cheng, Lei, and Wang—sent numerous delegates, led by their Foundation cultivators. Though these clans often quarreled, they cooperated out of necessity: the land lay between sea, mountains, and beast-infested forests.
Every century, a great beast tide swelled. Though its peaks struck sea and highland at different times, the Five Families had to unite to withstand it.
The region's resources were rich—but without the pressure of those tides, each clan would long ago have produced Golden Core cultivators. Continuous battles and losses made rapid advancement impossible.
In such a perilous environment, the families' rivalries took a back seat to survival and the common good.