Chapter 403 - 310: 10 Years Later
Time flowed like a silent river, and in the blink of an eye, ten years had passed.
This was the twenty-eighth year since the founding of the Qingyuan Sect. In this same year, Fang Qingyuan turned one hundred and eight, his cultivation at the Eighth Layer of Foundation Establishment and nearing perfection.
A green mist drifted over the peak of the Qingyuan Sect’s mountain, shrouding it from view. Fang Qingyuan sat cross-legged on a wind-swept rock, facing the nascent sun and silently comprehending the formidable heat it gestated.
A moment later, when the great sun’s rays grew sufficiently scorching, Fang Qingyuan dispelled the illusory sun in his mind, severing the link to the real one in the sky.
Sensing his comprehension of the sun had deepened, Fang Qingyuan contentedly concluded his practice. He then transferred this harvest of insight through his spiritual consciousness to the Three-legged Golden Crow within his Immortal Mansion.
Upon receiving Fang Qingyuan’s insight, the light radiating from the Three-legged Golden Crow underwent a subtle adjustment, growing even more profound and mysterious.
For the mortals at the foot of the mountain, ten years was a long journey from naive youth to husband and father. For the Cultivators on the mountain, however, it was hardly a fleeting moment, but the passage of time was barely felt. Because of the man on the peak, the Qingyuan Sect remained safe and stable, even as chaos plagued White Mountain.
After completing his daily regimen, Fang Qingyuan rose unhurriedly and made his way to the council hall on the mountainside. The time had come for the monthly sect meeting.
Upon arriving at the mountainside council hall, Fang Qingyuan found that all the members of the Qingyuan Sect eligible to attend the meeting were already in their seats, waiting for him alone.
He took the head seat, and everyone below rose to salute him. Only after Fang Qingyuan returned the gesture did they relax and resume their seats.
In the first seat to the left was an even more ancient-looking Mao Cheng. A decade had passed, and he had aged terribly. His hair and beard were completely white, and the wrinkles etched into his face were deep enough to trap a mosquito.
Mao Cheng was now over ninety years old. Even with the Blood Life Pill Fang Qingyuan had given him, his condition wasn’t good. His position was simply too fraught with worry. The role of Vice Sect Leader was mentally and physically taxing, and he had poured most of his energy into sect affairs, leaving little time for cultivation. Though he was a Cultivator, his spiritual and physical vitality was only marginally better than that of a mortal.
Cultivation was like rowing a boat upstream: to not advance was to be swept back. It allowed for no complacency. The fact that Mao Cheng had managed to keep his cultivation from regressing was an achievement in itself.
Seated below Mao Cheng was Chen Huicheng, who had successfully achieved Foundation Establishment and returned three years ago. He possessed a Top-grade Fire Spirit Root and superior aptitude, so breaking through to Foundation Establishment was a natural step for him. Though his quest for a Foundation Establishment Opportunity had its share of setbacks, it ultimately ended in success.
During his breakthrough to Foundation Establishment, Chen Huicheng had also been lucky enough to awaken a natal object: a simple, ancient furnace. He had previously summoned it for Fang Qingyuan to inspect; it resembled a furnace used for Artifact Refining.
Thanks to this natal furnace, he gained a Divine Technique called ’Fire in the Furnace.’ While not particularly powerful in combat, it was a great boon for auxiliary arts like Artifact Refining and Alchemy.
Chen Huicheng currently served as the head of production for the Qingyuan Sect, overseeing matters such as Artifact Refining, Alchemy, and talisman crafting.
Next to Chen Huicheng was Jiang Tianfang, who had reached Qi Cultivation Perfection. He had been stationed at the outpost in the Barbaric Wilderness for many years, where he frequently had to battle demonic beasts charging out of the wilds. Beyond that, he also managed various miscellaneous duties and kept the accounts. All these years of experience had tempered him into a highly competent man, adept with both the ledger and the blade.
Jiang Tianfang was approaching forty. He had married a woman from one of the founding families, more than ten years his junior, and they’d had a healthy baby boy in the last couple of years. Life was treating him well. Feeling it wasn’t right to keep the couple living apart, Fang Qingyuan had recalled him. He planned to put him in charge of the sect’s mundane affairs to help shoulder some of Mao Cheng’s burden.
After Jiang Tianfang sat Shen Wancheng. He possessed a Top-grade Wood Spirit Root and cultivated at a rapid pace. When he was rescued all those years ago, he was already at the Second-Layer Qi Cultivation. Now, after all this time, he was on the verge of reaching the threshold for Foundation Establishment.
He was originally in charge of the sect’s caravan business at Nine Stars Square. However, a few years ago, as Yinbao’s offspring grew, Yinbao itself was retired to peacefully breed within the Qingyuan Sect. With his duties concluded, Shen Wancheng also returned to the sect to focus on his cultivation.
Though both were war orphans rescued by Fang Qingyuan, Jiang Tianfang and Shen Wancheng had chosen starkly different paths. Jiang Tianfang had married, had a child, and settled into a stable life, while Shen Wancheng remained single-mindedly focused on cultivation, consumed by the desire for revenge.
Fang Qingyuan didn’t interfere with Shen Wancheng’s choices. ’Everyone has their own path,’ he thought. ’Forcing the issue would only make him more extreme. If he were to turn his hatred on the Qingyuan Sect, the loss would far outweigh any gain. It’s best to let him find his own way.’
On the left sat Mao Cheng, Chen Huicheng, Jiang Tianfang, and Shen Wancheng. On the right sat Jiang Wanqin, Liu Xun, and Qi Wenchu.
Little needed to be said of Jiang Wanqin. To a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage, ten years was not a long time, and she was much the same as ever. If Fang Qingyuan hadn’t felt she was becoming too reclusive and summoned her to the sect meeting, she likely wouldn’t have taken a single step out of her immortal’s residence.
Liu Xun was now also a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Back at Yuanling Mountain, he had already reached Qi Cultivation Perfection but had failed to grasp his Foundation Establishment Opportunity. He lacked the resources to force a breakthrough, which had delayed his progress.
But Fang Qingyuan was no miser. After Liu Xun joined the Qingyuan Sect, Fang Qingyuan provided him with ample Elixir Pills and resources, allowing him to attempt the breakthrough to Foundation Establishment without worry. After just two tries, Liu Xun successfully entered the Foundation Establishment Stage, becoming the fourth Foundation Establishment Cultivator of the Qingyuan Sect.