CHAPTER 615: CHAPTER 600: 16 YEARS LATER!

Master Cyan Yang is a sincere person, or rather, the Profound Sun Immortal Sect is not afraid at all of Zhouyang reneging.

The promised land allocated for their Zhou Family was already given to Zhouyang once Xiaozhou Guangcheng confirmed his apprenticeship under Master Cyan Yang, although Zhouyang had not previously accepted it.

This time, after Zhou Guangxiang and Zhou Tongxuan, the aunt and nephew pair, discussed plans with Zhouyang, Zhouyang had them direct the large Void Traveling Tower Ship back and forth several times to transport over a thousand Zhou Family mortals from Chongxuan Mountain’s mountain city and most of the Zhou Family cultivators from Chongxuan Mountain to Daoxuan Country, settling them near the Spirit Mountain designated by the Profound Sun Immortal Sect for their Zhou Family.

In Daoxuan Country, every inch of land is precious, and ordinary mortals can live peacefully until old age if they can settle within its borders.

Under such circumstances, the territory allocated to the Zhou Family is naturally not large.

Including the Tier Four Top-Grade Spirit Mountain given to them, only the land within a radius of five hundred miles belongs to the Zhou Family for their free disposition.

However, the five hundred miles of land in Daoxuan Country cannot be compared to the oasis lands of the Boundless Sea of Sand Cultivation Realm.

After tens of thousands of years of development, every acre of paddy field, mountain forest, and lake in Daoxuan Country can provide various life resources for the humans living there.

Just this five hundred miles of land can easily support a million mortals.

Originally, after the land was allocated to the Zhou Family, the cultivators and mortals living there were supposed to migrate away, leaving the Spirit Mountain and land for the Zhou Family’s cultivators and mortals to practice and live.

But given the Zhou Family’s special situation, Zhouyang showed some goodwill by not forcibly expelling the remaining two or three hundred thousand mortals, aside from letting one cultivation clan leading over a hundred thousand mundane clansmen leave.

As for how to settle these mortals and integrate the Zhou Family into the vassal clan circle of the Profound Sun Immortal Sect within Daoxuan Country, Zhouyang assigned this task as a test to Zhou Tongxuan.

Upon learning that his father Zhou Guangxiang was in seclusion recovering to attempt the Golden Core breakthrough, Zhou Tongxuan requested to stay in the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm to await the outcome.

His filial piety was clear, and Zhouyang naturally didn’t object, thus conveniently assigning him the task of establishing the Zhou Family in the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm.

Of course, he couldn’t let go entirely; occasionally, Zhouyang would offer Zhou Tongxuan some advice and even personally make appearances to bolster the Zhou Family, aiding them in quickly integrating into the cultivation clan circle within Daoxuan Country.

As for Zhou Guangxiang, after meeting with Zhou Guangxiang upon his brief emergence from seclusion, she returned to the Boundless Sea of Sand Cultivation Realm.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, Xiaozhou Guangcheng had reached age twelve, growing into a handsome young boy with rosy cheeks and white teeth.

He bears a seventy percent resemblance in appearance to his father Zhouyang, inheriting Zhouyang’s excellent genes in height, having reached six feet tall at twelve, surpassing some adults.

Yet, in terms of personality, this boy is more like his mother Xiao Ying, being gentle and rarely getting angry, nor is he fond of fighting others.

Zhouyang sometimes worries about this part of his personality, fearing he’ll suffer for it in the future.

But since the child is still young, Zhouyang didn’t want to expose him too early to the harshness of the cultivation realm, avoiding any drastic measures to alter his son’s personality.

The main reason being that his Dao Companion Xiao Ying is against him doing so, arguing that their son, having Master Cyan Yang, a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, as a teacher, would never face bullying or suffer losses.

A son is the apple of his mother’s eye, and Zhouyang wisely chose not to argue with his Dao Companion on this, planning instead to discuss the situation with Master Cyan Yang in private once his son is sixteen and joins the Profound Sun Immortal Sect, letting Cyan Yang be the "bad guy."

"Mom, isn’t dad taking a bit long in seclusion refining artifacts this time? It’s already been five months, whereas he used to take no more than a month!"

On Chongxuan Mountain, the now-grown into a handsome young man, Xiaozhou Guangcheng, was helping his mother Xiao Ying with her hair in front of a mirror while expressing slight complaint about his father Zhouyang’s long period of seclusion for artifact refining.

"You little grudge-bearer, surely you’re not just mad at your dad because your trip to Suyun Sect got delayed a bit?"

Xiao Ying raised her eyebrows and gently pinched her son’s face, which closely resembled her husband’s, teasingly, and then said with a hint of delight: "Don’t disturb your dad; his long seclusion this time indicates his breakthrough to Tier Five Refiner might be imminent."

"Really? That’s wonderful!"

Xiaozhou Guangcheng’s eyes sparkled, clapping in joy.

Even at twelve, he understood what becoming a Tier Five Refiner represented—it meant reaching the stature of an Artifact Refining Master, a highly esteemed status in the cultivation realm.

Indeed, Xiao Ying was right, as Zhouyang was indeed at the crux of advancing to Tier Five Refiner.

During this seclusion for artifact refining, he faced three consecutive failures.

Based on past experiences, after two consecutive failures, he would stop refining to quietly reflect and learn from his experiences.

But this time was different; the failures were results of previously conquered challenges rather than new unknown issues, so he persisted.

It continued until during his fourth attempt at refining, a sudden flash of inspiration struck him like divine intervention, and he forged the magical artifact to its final phase in one go.

Currently, the artifact is mostly completed, and it’s in the final stage of Pregnancy Artifact.

A Tier Five artifact could have a Pregnancy Artifact period ranging from a short three to five years to a lengthy thirty to fifty years, which is not uncommon.

In general, "Pregnancy Artifact" does not necessarily require the Artifact Refiner to watch over it for a long time. As long as the Artifact Cauldron is not moved and the Earth Fire supply is stable, "Pregnancy Artifact" usually won’t have any issues.

Zhouyang is concerned about this Magical Artifact because it determines the result of his promotion to a Tier Five Refiner, so he watches over it with care, while also recalling and summarizing the insights from this artifact refining session.

After eight months passed and he confirmed there would be no more issues with the "Pregnancy Artifact," having digested the refining experience, he finally left the Artifact Refining Chamber to meet his wife and child.

"Dad, mom said you should have succeeded in artifact refining this time. Is it true?"

Upon seeing Zhouyang come out of seclusion, Zhou Guangcheng looked at him expectantly, asking about the result.

"Whether it’s successful or not isn’t clear yet. On the other hand, did you, boy, take advantage of my closed refining session to sneak down the mountain and have fun again?"

Looking at his son’s handsome face, which closely resembled his own, Zhouyang felt delighted.

"How would I dare! Last time, I only snuck down the mountain for half a day, and you locked me up for six months. How could I dare to do it again?"

Zhou Guangcheng shook his head repeatedly, his small face showing a hint of fear as he denied it emphatically.

Zhouyang saw this and nodded with satisfaction, saying, "That’s good. You’re still young and don’t understand the dangers outside. Dad locked you up to teach you a lesson, for your own good. You will understand these things in the future."

Listening to this, Zhou Guangcheng secretly pouted with some disapproval but dared not retort, standing there silently.

All adolescents have a rebellious nature, and at twelve, this trait is even stronger. Zhouyang understood this thoroughly, so even if he knew Zhou Guangcheng might not take his words to heart, he said them anyway.

As time passes and mindsets mature, he also believes that the boy, when grown-up, will understand the kindness of his father.

He did not make it obvious but merely gave a soft smile, saying, "Prepare yourself. In a few days, I’ll take you to the Suyun Sect for a few months as a reward for your excellent performance these two years."

The Suyun Sect’s Liu Yunxiang has advanced her cultivation to a Ninth-Layer Golden Core cultivator. For most Golden Core Stage cultivators not from major sects, this is usually the pinnacle of achievement.

Attempting Nascent Soul Formation is not like Foundation Establishment or Core Formation; if failed, it usually results in fall.

Thus, those like Liu Yunxiang, from middle-level sects and at the Ninth-Layer Golden Core, will not lightly attempt Nascent Soul Formation to avoid causing instability in their sect upon accidental fall.

Liu Yunxiang is barely over eight hundred years old and will wait at least a hundred years before attempting Nascent Soul Formation. Within this time, she will strive to enhance the sect’s internal and external strength to prevent chaos in case of her fall after failing.

The last time she visited Zhouyang at Chongxuan Mountain was to consolidate external support and strengthen the ties between the two forces.

This time, Zhouyang visits the Suyun Sect by her invitation for the same reason.

Although the Suyun Sect lost quite a few cultivators in the war decades ago, fortunately, not many High-Tier cultivators were lost. Furthermore, because Liu Yunxiang slew three Golden Core Stage cultivators of the Six Paths Alliance in that battle, she later exchanged it for a Jade Liquid Golden Pill and successfully created another Golden Core cultivator for the sect.

Now, the Suyun Sect holds five Golden Core cultivators, including Liu Yunxiang, the Ninth-Layer Golden Core cultivator, its momentum stronger than before the war.

Zhouyang visited with his wife and child, greeted with the highest reception by Liu Yunxiang and three other Golden Core cultivators except for one Golden Core Stage cultivator who was away traveling.

"Aunt Lin, why haven’t I seen Sister Mi’Er? Last time she said when Dad and I came to the Suyun Sect, she would take me to see her Spirit Bees and treat me to her homemade Flower Honey Wine!"

Inside the Suyun Sect, Zhou Guangcheng quietly slipped over to Golden Core cultivator Lin Yuxian, inquisitively asking about a certain Suyun Sect girl while his father Zhouyang discussed matters with Liu Yunxiang.

"Mi’Er went down the mountain to travel; if you want to see her, you will have to wait till next time."

Lin Yuxian, watching the eagerly expectant young lad, smiled and shook her head, giving Zhou Guangcheng a rather disappointing answer.

"Ah, how come!"

He exclaimed in disappointment, suddenly deflated.

"Hmm, I was wondering why you always wanted to come to the Suyun Sect—turns out you came here for a rendezvous with a young girl. You’re so young, yet already thinking of these things. You’re truly incorrigible."

Xiao Ying, appearing unpleased suddenly behind her son, scolded him fiercely with a cold face; she had been eavesdropping.

Lin Yuxian saw this and could not help but laugh softly, saying, "Young love is just human nature. Little Sister Xiao, no need to blame him. If in a few years, he still likes Mi’Er, it’s not impossible for our families to become relatives."

Unexpectedly, Xiao Ying rebutted without hesitation, "I do quite like that girl Mi’Er, but discussing family ties is too early now. My husband holds high expectations for Cheng’Er and won’t agree for him to marry before achieving in cultivation!"

The matter regarding Zhou Guangcheng apprenticing to Master Cyan Yang is known only to a select few before he formally enters the Profound Sun Immortal Sect, even to prevent leakage, it remains unknown to Zhou Guangcheng himself.

And the Profound Sun Immortal Sect’s "Profound Sun Treasure Manual" instructs that, while practicing, the cultivator is best to retain the Primordial Yang Body and not lose it before reaching the Golden Core Stage.

Even after reaching the Golden Core Stage, retaining the Primordial Yang Body still greatly benefits practicing this Cultivation Technique.

This information came only after Zhouyang negotiated with Master Cyan Yang, and only then did the latter disclose it to him.

Realizing this, Zhouyang discovered he had unwittingly been outmaneuvered by Master Cyan Yang.

If Zhou Guangcheng has descendants in the future, he should preserve the right for them to return to the Zhou Family and acknowledge their ancestry. However, whether Zhou Guangcheng would be willing to leave descendants after cultivating the "Profound Sun Treasure Manual" is truly an unknown matter.

These matters were, of course, unknown to Lin Yuxian. Thus, upon hearing Xiao Ying’s words, her face immediately showed a look of surprise. Then, with a thoughtful glance at Zhou Guangcheng, whose expression was unnatural, she nodded lightly and said, "Indeed, this matter was somewhat presumptuous of me. Both children are still young. Future matters should be discussed in the future."

At night, when resting, Xiao Ying told Zhouyang about her daytime conversation with Lin Yuxian.

After listening to her, Zhouyang immediately praised her repeatedly, saying, "Ying’Er, you handled this matter very well. Adolescents are infatuated; Guangcheng is still young. It is natural for him to develop affection for a pretty girl his age. When he later enters the Profound Sun Immortal Sect and meets many different women, he won’t be so easily moved."

After saying this, he gave a wry smile and, with an apologetic look at his Dao companion, said, "I am usually busy with cultivation and teach this boy too little. You, Ying’Er, must keep a close watch on this matter. Don’t let him truly play with fire!"

"Don’t worry, husband. When it comes to significant matters, I can distinguish right from wrong. I won’t always indulge Cheng’Er."

Xiao Ying smiled gently and readily agreed.

Discovering some unfavorable signs, Zhouyang, who initially planned to stay in the Suyun Sect for one or two months, significantly reduced the time and returned to Chongxuan Mountain with his wife and child after just half a month.

After all, Zhou Guangcheng was just a twelve-year-old boy, not even at an age where love buds begin to bloom. While he instinctively felt a bit dissatisfied with his parents’ actions, he didn’t react too fiercely.

At this time, his quiet and gentle nature actually became a source of reassurance for Zhouyang, at least ensuring he wouldn’t act rebelliously and do something stupid.

After returning to Chongxuan Mountain, Zhouyang continued his daily routine of accompanying his wife and child, teaching his disciples, and patiently waiting for the results of the "Pregnancy Artifact".

Two years later, while the results of Zhouyang’s "Pregnancy Artifact" were still pending, another good news reached his ears.

It turned out that Zhou Ronghua, who was cultivating at the Zhou Family Mountain Gate in Daoxuan Country following Zhou Tongxuan, had successfully established the Purple Mansion with the help of the "Purple Heart Jade Marrow" granted by Zhouyang, becoming another Purple Mansion Stage Cultivator in the Zhou Family.

Zhou Ronghua was among the first batch of Zhou Family juniors who followed him in cultivation. Zhouyang was genuinely happy for his success in establishing the Purple Mansion.

Therefore, when Zhou Ronghua stabilized his cultivation and came to Chongxuan Mountain to pay respects, Zhouyang cheerfully bestowed upon him the Tier Four High-grade Magical Artifact, the "Thousand Blade Disc", as a gift.

"This ’Thousand Blade Disc’ has accompanied me since I established my Purple Mansion, aiding me in countless perilous battles and helping me slay many powerful foes. It is not just a magical artifact but also a witness to the rise of our Zhou Family over the years."

"Today, I bestow it upon you for self-defense, hoping you can wield it to blaze your own trail and carve out your path in life!"

In the cave abode, Zhouyang personally handed over the long-unused "Thousand Blade Disc" to Zhou Ronghua and offered heartfelt advice as a senior.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ronghua was immediately filled with excitement, kneeling to express his gratitude while holding the treasure. "Thank you, Ancestor, for the treasure. I will surely cherish it and always remember your teachings."

Zhouyang, however, waved his hand and said, "Don’t be in such a hurry to thank me. I have another task for you. Do you wish to take it on?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ronghua immediately replied, "Ancestor, please feel free to instruct me. It is my honor to relieve you of your burdens."

This attitude pleased Zhouyang, who couldn’t help but smile and say, "This isn’t a significant matter. Since you’ve successfully established your Purple Mansion and greatly extended your lifespan, I plan for you to return to the Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm in a few years with Tongxuan, to exchange with the Purple Mansion Stage Cultivators guarding the clan there, thereby enhancing the interaction and connection between the families of both regions."

Upon hearing it was merely such a matter, Zhou Ronghua immediately showed a relaxed expression and promptly agreed, "That is no difficulty; I am willing to go."

Everything is progressing positively.

A year later, after a lengthy three-year "Pregnancy Artifact" process, the magical artifact Zhouyang had refined was finally completed.

This magical artifact took the form of a feather fan, made from the wing feathers and wing bones of the Tier Five Middle-Grade Demon Beast "Cyan-faced Owl", and was a rare Tier Five Lower-Grade Wind Attribute Magical Artifact.

After personal testing, Zhouyang confirmed that this artifact’s power reached the standard of a Tier Five artifact, signifying that he could now officially announce himself as a Tier Five Refining Master.

It took Zhouyang a total of thirty-nine pieces of Tier Five material, and thirty-eight failures, to successfully advance from a Tier Four High-grade Refiner to a Tier Five Refiner.

If these materials were converted into Spirit Stones, they would be worth four to five million Low-grade Spirit Stones, highlighting the enormous cost of cultivating a Tier Five Refining Master.

Hence, in the Cultivation Realm, only the Major Sects with Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators could afford to cultivate such refining masters.

Even a middle-level sect like the Suyun Sect, which has several Golden Core Stage Cultivators, would need to muster the entire sect’s resources to have a chance of cultivating such a Tier Five Refining Master or Alchemy Master.

By then, Zhou Guangcheng was already fifteen, with less than a year remaining on the agreement with Master Cyan Yang. Zhouyang, therefore, put aside all other matters, dressed as a Loose Cultivator with his wife and child, traveled across the Cultivation Realm’s marketplaces and mortal cities to expand his son’s horizons while making their way toward the Profound Sun Immortal Sect.

Zhou Guangcheng was unaware of the long-term separation from his parents that awaited him. He was delighted that Zhouyang was willing to take him around the Cultivation Realm, soon forgetting all previous grievances against his father.

This year was the happiest and most fulfilling year he had ever known.

Until they entered Daoxuan Country and toured the bustling Immortal Sun City, the time for disclosure finally came.

"Son, have you enjoyed this past year?"

In the ordinary Immortal Inn they were staying at, Zhouyang called Zhou Guangcheng into a room alone. He looked at his son, who was almost as tall as himself, with a somewhat dazed expression.

Sixteen years is truly just a blink for a Golden Core Stage cultivator. Before his father’s eyes, the boy has grown from a tiny infant into an adult.

And now, the time for father and son to part has arrived as expected.

As a father, at this moment, he indeed feels quite reluctant,

"Father, if you don’t often go into seclusion for long periods in the future, we can go down the mountain more often and explore. The world outside is much more interesting and fun than up here on the mountain."

Zhou Guangcheng seemingly hasn’t noticed the unusual tone in his father’s voice, or perhaps he is still caught up in the excitement of exploring everywhere, reflexively responding with a smile.

"As long as you’re happy."

Zhouyang nodded slightly, then suddenly reached out his hands to hold his son’s shoulders, gazing deeply into his eyes and said, "Listen, son, this matter may be difficult for you to accept at first, but you must accept it."

"Sixteen years ago, when you were just born, your mother and I promised Master Cyan Yang of the Profound Sun Immortal Sect that you would enter the sect and become his disciple. At that time, you were still young, and both your mother and I couldn’t bear to see you separate from your parents so young, so we pleaded with Master Cyan Yang to let you grow up with us."

"Now you are a grown-up, and you should leave your parents’ side to start your own life."

"You should know that when I was about your age, I had already long parted from your grandparents and undertaken family missions to train alone, stationed at ore veins, slaying demons and evil monsters."

Zhou Guangcheng’s eyes suddenly widened, filled with shock and anxiety.

He looked at Zhouyang in panic, wanting to reach out to grab his sleeve, but his shoulders were held firmly by Zhouyang so his arms couldn’t move at all.

After a futile struggle, he shouted in panic, "Father, what are you talking about? How could I become someone else’s disciple? You..."

But before he could finish, Zhouyang sternly interrupted him, "Enough, Cheng’Er, everything I said is true. You’re already an adult, stop behaving like a child. I don’t like it!"

"But I..."

His mouth moved, wanting to say he wasn’t ready at all.

But Zhouyang immediately silenced him, "There’s no need to prepare much. Just enter the Profound Sun Immortal Sect honestly and follow your master’s teachings."

After saying this, he released his hold on his son’s shoulders, embraced him, gently patted his shoulder to console him, and softly said, "Son, you don’t know, you are not a cultivator with Top-grade Spiritual Root but a Spirit Body cultivator with the Profound Sun Spirit Body. You will certainly become an influential figure in the cultivation realm!"

"Entering the Profound Sun Immortal Sect to practice, and apprenticing under Master Cyan Yang is an opportunity many wish for but cannot obtain. If you weren’t a holder of the Profound Sun Spirit Body, even for my sake, I couldn’t have arranged this for you."

"If you can become a Nascent Soul cultivator in the future, both your mother and I, as well as your seniors and juniors from Chongxuan Mountain, and all the cultivators of the Zhou Clan will be proud of you, boasting about you."

"Be obedient, follow Master Cyan Yang diligently. My mother and I will come to see you at the Profound Sun Immortal Sect whenever we have time. You are just temporarily separated from us for a while. In the long years ahead, our family will have plenty of time to reunite!"

He unexpectedly learned he was a rare Spirit Body cultivator!

This news astonished Zhou Guangcheng even more. He had always thought he possessed Top-grade Spiritual Root talent because Zhouyang had always told him so.

Moreover, to make it easier for him to cultivate at the Profound Sun Immortal Sect in the future, Zhouyang has deliberately told him many things about the sect over the years, including the importance of the Profound Sun Spirit Body to the sect. He had talked about how the previous Ninth-Layer Nascent Soul Half-Step True Immortal Cultivator Lu Xuanji, who possessed this Spirit Body, had suppressed countless immortals with his powerful cultivation, reigning over the cultivation realm for three thousand years.

He now recalled Zhouyang’s previous teachings and the earnest persuasion just now, and his panic gradually calmed.

"Father, you’ve kept this secret from me for so long!"

He looked up at his father’s gentle, loving face and sighed, his words not without a hint of grievance.

To this, Zhouyang merely smiled kindly and said, "I just didn’t want you to bear the pressure too early. I only wanted you to grow up happily, carefree."

Hearing this, Zhou Guangcheng couldn’t help but smile wryly, "So this year’s adventure was compensation from you and mother, wasn’t it?"

Zhouyang did not deny it, but maintained his smile, "You can think of it that way. Anyway, you did have a great time, didn’t you?"

"But I’m not happy at all now." Zhou Guangcheng’s nose twitched, and he wanted to cry.

Seeing this, Zhouyang smiled and reached out to stroke his head, teaching him, "Silly child, no one can always be happy in this world, not even a child. They cry when they lose their beloved toys. You’ve grown up; you should learn to accept unhappy moments in life and strive to find things that make you happy amidst them!"

"I don’t quite understand what you mean," Zhou Guangcheng said, looking at him with bewilderment, sounding equally lost.

"It’s okay not to understand now. When you find what makes you happy in your new surroundings, you’ll come to understand!"

Zhouyang’s smile remained unchanged as he nodded, his words full of deep meaning.

"Is that so?"

A spark of light flashed in Zhou Guangcheng’s eyes, but quickly dimmed again since he had not yet recovered from the sadness of leaving his parents.