The Rise of a Family: Starting from Daily Intelligence - Chapter 381 (Patreon)

Chapter 381: Intelligence, Sword Canon, Lightning-Attracting Talisman

After leaving the Yu clan, Fu Changsheng headed east.

Halfway along the road—

The sigil beneath his brush flared with red spiritual light. A crushing aura surged forth, and with a twist of his brush tip, he drew all that pressure into the talisman.

Buzz.

The talisman gave a faint tremor.

The Sky-Shaking Hammers talisman was successfully made.

Delight flashed in Fu Changsheng’s eyes. “Not bad!”

A first try, and a success at that. Though the quality was only lower grade, he was more than satisfied.

After all, this was a third-tier high-grade talisman. Even seasoned talisman makers wouldn’t dare guarantee a one-shot success.

He glanced ahead—only a short stretch of road remained.

Nowhere near enough time for a second one.

Fu Changsheng had no choice but to put away the talisman paper. His gaze fell on the slightly bald talisman brush. “Looks like I need to find time to buy a better brush.”

At the same time, his mind sank into the sea of consciousness and opened his panel.

He was curious whether anyone had taken the bait he’d tossed out at Gloomcloud Valley. With a thought, he also wanted more news about that true dragon in the Ten Thousand Dragons Abyss. He spoke directly in his heart:

“Redeem intelligence.”

Buzz.

The panel shuddered.

Waves of yellow light surged.

Then line after line of text unfolded:

[1: Ten years from now, Jingzhou will jointly hold a grand competition for seventh-rank and above noble clans, together with Kuizhou. The results will directly determine the quota allocation for all clans entering the secret realm afterward.]

So the secret realm that only seventh-rank clans could enter was finally going to open!

Fu Changsheng’s heart stirred.

Other matters could wait.

Within that secret realm, he had to find mica. It was the final material needed to shroud the Heavenly Will of the Yunshan Commandery fief secret realm. With it, the secret realm that had been sealed for decades could finally open—not only freeing Rong from within, but also allowing Master Yu to awaken from his feigned death.

More importantly—

That secret realm would belong to the Fu clan alone, thereafter.

The thought alone was exhilarating.

[2: The black-clad intruder at Gloomcloud Valley was the Fifth Elder of the Tianyin Tribe. The Tianyin chieftain has ordered the Fifth Elder to take control of the Wind-Slaughter Array and has sent the tribe’s three best array experts to unravel the barrier. The Second Elder’s spirit pet discovered that a spirit-stone vein lies within the barrier. Persuaded by the Grand Elder, the other three are keeping this hidden, planning to open the barrier and privately swallow the treasures in the spirit-stone vein.]

The Tianyin Tribe?

Fu Changsheng froze for a beat.

With the White Tiger and Skywolf tribes nearby, he’d assumed it would be one of those two. He hadn’t expected the Tianyin Tribe at all.

However—

This result was excellent news for him.

Earlier intelligence said that once the Gloomcloud Valley barrier was opened, the altar would trigger and the entire White Tiger Tribe would be sacrificed. On top of that, the one who opened the barrier and all blood relatives connected to them would be cursed!

Whichever way he looked at it, this was a chance to kill two birds with one stone.

“Still… a spirit-stone vein hiding a treasure?”

He didn’t yet know exactly what “spirit-nurturing stone” referred to.

Fu Changsheng hesitated, then suppressed the urge to spend Shadow Gate points for more information. No matter how many heaven-and-earth treasures were hidden in that accursed valley, he wouldn’t step foot there. Anyone able to scheme for centuries was no ordinary figure—best not to provoke them lightly.

[3: The Eastern Wilds royal court has produced another Nascent Soul True Lord. Because of this, the Great Zhou court has put on hold its plan to establish a new prefecture in the Eastern Wilds.]

“What?”

Fu Changsheng’s pupils constricted.

The Eastern Wilds royal court had produced a Nascent Soul True Lord?!

That was a true peak existence.

No wonder the Great Zhou investiture had been delayed.

“In that case, for our choice of seventh-rank fief, it can only be Wuzhou at the extreme west.”

His mind spun.

He had planned to apply to the court to build a teleportation array between the clan’s fief and their ancestral lands once the investiture came through.

But now that the court’s plan was shelved—

Building a teleportation array in the Eastern Wilds would be throwing good money after bad.

“We’ll have to send Mei Zhen to scout Wuzhou.”

When the time came—

After the fief was chosen, they would surely build a teleportation array either between the Wuzhou fief and Jingzhou, or between Wuzhou and Kuizhou.

[4: One of the prefectures of Wuzhou sits atop the ancestral grounds of the Taiyi Sword Sect, a million-year-old sect ruin.]

Taiyi Sword Sect?

He’d never heard the name.

Previous intel mentioned that Yulin Prefecture in Wuzhou was a geomantic treasure, but that land was already taken. If he could locate the Taiyi Sword Sect ruins as their fief instead, that would certainly be no worse.

[5:]

He exchanged ten items of intelligence in total.

Seeing that the rest held little of value, Fu Changsheng stopped redeeming.

Meanwhile, the clan contribution value on his panel changed to 39,300.

Before he knew it—

Yinan Mountain loomed ahead.

The mountain gate was just as he’d left it. The grand array hummed at full power, and clan patrols moved to and fro.

Fu Changsheng gave a small nod.

Having received a message, Ouyang Fei had been waiting. When he saw Fu Changsheng return, he hurried forward and cupped his hands. “Patriarch.”

“Mm. Let’s talk inside.”

They went to the council hall.

Responding to the summons, Yao Yao, Fu Changlei, and Fu Yongyi also arrived.

After a few words of concern all around, Ouyang Fei spoke, a crease between his brows. “Patriarch, I received word that the White Tiger, Skywolf, and even the Tianyin Tribe have all sent Purple Mansion experts to the royal court—and this isn’t the Eastern Wilds’ time for paying court visits. Is something big brewing behind the scenes?”

Even the Shi and Shangguan families were anxious.

If a war raged in the Eastern Wilds—

If the armies pressed to the borders—

They wouldn’t be able to hold.

“I heard from Realman Luo that the royal court has a new Nascent Soul True Lord,” Fu Changsheng said. “They’re most likely going to attend the Nascent Soul celebration.”

A hiss of cold breath circled the hall.

A Nascent Soul True Lord—such figures were the stuff of legend. They couldn’t even contend with the Tianyang Golden Core tribes, let alone the Eastern Wilds royal court’s Nascent Soul.

Ouyang Fei frowned. “Patriarch, in that case, the court likely won’t set up a new prefecture in the Eastern Wilds.”

They had to plan early.

Otherwise—

Waiting on a fief would only waste time and resources.

Fu Changsheng tapped the table and nodded. “Exactly as you fear. Great Zhou has said again and again that it will march east, but has stalled each time for ‘various reasons.’ Now, with a new Nascent Soul True Lord, it may no longer be whether we fight, but that the Eastern Wilds royal court holds the initiative.”

“So—”

“Yao Yao, Changlei, Yongyi, you don’t need to stay at Yinan Mountain. Effective immediately, set out for Jingzhou and link up with Mei Zhen. On my way back, I already messaged the Realm-Pacification Division—our seventh-rank clan fief will be in Wuzhou at the extreme west.”

Yao Yao drew breath to speak, but Fu Changlei’s glance stopped her.

Unaware of their small exchange, Ouyang Fei only mused, “Patriarch, so you mean we’ll shift the clan’s development focus toward Jingzhou?”

“Correct.”

Fu Changsheng nodded. “Mei Zhen has managed Jingzhou for decades. Though it borders sect territory in the far west, the frontier city barrier is there—sect Golden Cores can’t cross. So in Jingzhou, we can expand outward into Wuzhou, and if we must retreat, we can pull resources back to Jingzhou.”

Different from Kuizhou—

If the Eastern Wilds tribes went to war, all they’d built there would become cannon fodder.

Add the centennial beast tide of the Hundred-Thousand Mountains and the curse of the Blood-Soaked Forbidden Grounds—no matter how you looked at it, Kuizhou was not good soil for growth.

Ouyang Fei agreed. “Patriarch, in that case, how shall we handle Yinan Mountain?”

“I’ll personally sit in Yinan Mountain for a while. Also, I’ll need your help managing affairs, Uncle Fei. As for the spiritual fields, plant spirit herbs that mature within ten years—don’t worry about damaging the spiritual vein.”

Yinan Mountain had even less security than Kuizhou.

Ouyang Fei nodded his assent.

Seeing that Fu Changsheng had words for the other three, he tactfully withdrew.

The council hall doors had barely shut when Yao Yao blurted, “Father, why did you make us withdraw from Gloomcloud Valley in such a hurry? If I’m not mistaken, that place is…”

Halfway through, she switched to a quick sound transmission.

The Yunshan Commandery fief secret realm—only four people knew of it: father and daughter, Rong, and Master Yu.

Fu Changsheng shook his head. “There are many entanglements here. The more you know, the worse for you. With the talent you three possess, once you reach Jingzhou, you’ll certainly be able to use your strengths and carve out achievements.”

As he spoke, Fu Changsheng flicked his sleeve.

A jade slip arced toward Fu Changlei.

Changlei caught it and swept it with his spiritual sense. Seeing two production methods for third-tier high-grade talismans, his eyes lit up. “Thank you, Patriarch.”

Fu Changsheng waved it off, paused, then said, “The trip to Jingzhou is thousands of miles. Take the Skull Demon Vine, the Frost-Prison Ice Bear, and the Profound Water Beast with you. Experts are plentiful there. When you arrive, rendezvous with Mei Zhen at once and follow her arrangements. Understood?”

“Yes.”

The three rose and took their orders.

After a few more instructions, Fu Changsheng returned to his cultivation chamber. He sealed the formation, then entered the Five Elements Space with a thought.

On the spirit mountain, the Heavenly Silkworm Fruit seeds had sprouted under the Featherwing Beast’s care.

But after he reassigned the Featherwing Beast to tend the Purple Mansion spirit item in the rear Water Curtain Cave at Yunshan Commandery, the Heavenly Silkworm Fruit’s growth had slowed sharply.

“Chirp.”

The Blue-Faced White Fox curled by the Heavenly Silkworm sapling called twice at Fu Changsheng.

Clearly—

It knew the fruit was its key to advancing to third tier.

Fu Changsheng crouched and stroked its tail. “Xiao Qing, just a few more years.”

Once Yongwei broke through to Purple Mansion, she would have the ability to ripen the Heavenly Silkworm Fruit.

Without the Featherwing Beast, Qiu Niang had to make time to tend the countless spirit items on the mountain, and her progress in the Dao of Formations had slowed as well. “A pity the Profound Water Beast didn’t take a liking to the Featherwing Beast.”

Otherwise, he’d have had another spirit pet to tend the plantings.

Buzz, buzz!

On another slope of the spirit mountain, a gold-yellow cloud boiled up.

The Spirit-Devouring Insects he’d cultivated for nearly a century had grown even more terrifying with the Five Elements Space—their breeding speed astonishing. The “gold mountain” by the glacier was nothing but swarms piled together.

“I need to find a way to push the Spirit-Devouring Insects to third tier.”

At present, they were all stuck at second tier.

Once he had a method to raise them to third tier, the Fu clan would gain a Purple Mansion swarm-army. Just picturing it set his blood racing.

He entered the thatched hut and mulled things over.

Since the Tianyin Tribe had their eyes on Gloomcloud Valley, they wouldn’t act elsewhere for the time being.

He could use this stretch to raise his strength and prepare for the clan competition.

To avoid the Ten Thousand Dragons Abyss forces eyeing the Azure Flood Dragon, he decided to keep the dragon in the Five Elements Space until he resolved the Yellow Dragon remnant soul within it.

His gaze fell on the panel.

He still had over thirty thousand contribution points. If he used them to “add points,” he ought to invest in talisman-making. But he lacked methods for third-tier supreme-grade talismans. Besides, talismans didn’t help him much right now—unless they were talisman treasures.

For boosting personal combat power—

The best was to cultivate sword arts.

Previously, he’d acquired the Firmament Thunder-Shadow Sword Canon from a mighty one of the upper realm. It was said to be created by the ancient sword dao powerhouse, Thunder-Shadow Heavenly Venerable. The manual had twelve layers; once the first layer was achieved, the cultivator’s body would move as nimbly as a breeze, and the condensed thunder sword-light could pierce all illusion!

However—

To practice it, one had to go to a place suffused with lightning, circulate spiritual power, sense the world’s thunder force, and draw it into the body to fuse with the sword heart.

Fu Changsheng, first, couldn’t find such a lightning site; second, he didn’t trust something passed down by someone from the upper realm.

To be safe—

He would use the system’s Technique Deduction first. If that mighty one had tampered with it, it would be disastrous.

He moved his mind at once. “Deduce the Firmament Thunder-Shadow Sword Canon.”

Buzz.

The panel shivered.

Yellow light rushed like a tide.

As clan contribution drained away madly, great golden characters formed one after another and finally sank into his sea of consciousness with a hum.

Though his spiritual sense was strong—

He still felt sick to his stomach from the impact.

A long moment passed before he recovered.

But his face was still ugly.

Because, per the system’s deduction, the Firmament Thunder-Shadow Sword Canon had four major flaws.

First, it was suitable only for innate thunder spirit bodies. For ordinary physiques, five or six out of ten would suffer heavenly thunder backlash at the first step—drawing thunder in—ruining their meridians before even entering the door.

That was one.

Second, when thunder power entered the sea of consciousness at the first layer, it would trigger subconscious fear. The original heart method had no means to suppress it, easily leading to thunder-nightmares devouring the soul.

Even if one overcame those—

Because the spiritual power polarized in a single direction, excessive extraction of thunder elements would unbalance the five elements. Over time, the dantian would form a “thunder-erosion hollow,” and at Nascent Soul one would suffer spiritual power backlash.

Cold sweat broke across Fu Changsheng’s back.

If he hadn’t trusted his instincts and run a deduction—if he’d practiced directly—he might have stepped right into another’s trap.

“And you even wanted me to go find Ouyang Jin? People’s hearts truly aren’t what they used to be!”

That upper-realm mighty one never expected he had a powerful system that could lay bare every flaw in the Sword Canon.

Fu Changsheng’s eyes moved to the improved heart formula:

“Wind and thunder give birth to each other; sword qi transforms into azure firmament.

Hold intent at the chest-center; yin and yang entwine of themselves.”

Clearly, the incantation had changed.

It also provided an alternative when a lightning-tribulation site couldn’t be found.

If the cultivator had a thunder spiritual root, they could directly awaken the “thunder lines” at the Laogong point of the palm. Without a thunder spiritual root, they could substitute a formation: use a Lightning-Attracting Talisman together with a Xun-Wind Array to simulate a tribulation environment.

“In the end, I still need to raise my talisman craft!”

The Lightning-Attracting Talisman was a third-tier supreme-grade talisman. The system had even deduced its production method—and the matching Xun-Wind Array. The latter, only a second-tier array, could be left to Qiu Niang to lay down—he had the materials already. But the Lightning-Attracting Talisman he had to make himself.

His gaze fell to the panel.

His clan contribution had dropped to fifteen thousand. Deducing just the first layer had cost over twenty thousand points.

“Tsk. Is this Sword Canon beyond even the Heaven grade?”

He skimmed the improved first-layer “First Drawing of Wind and Thunder” effects—and the more he read, the brighter his eyes got. The improved first layer had five stages of progress.

Stage one: Sword Qi Takes Form, Wind and Thunder Resonate. When perfected, one could pinch fingers as a sword and shoot three feet of azure light from the fingertips. The sword qi would no longer be violently dazzling like the original but coil like a swimming dragon of azure firmament lightning, shrouded in a faint blue wind vortex.

“Stage one already does this?”

He had still been aching over the contribution points; then he saw stage two—Body Like a Shadow, Real and Unreal—his gloom vanished like rain under sun.

The description said—

At stage two perfection, steps would birth wind-and-thunder cloud patterns beneath the feet, the body splitting into nine afterimages. Each afterimage held a wisp of thunder breath; when they touched something solid they detonated, releasing thumb-thick “Startled-Insect Lightning Threads.” The cultivator could borrow the recoil to turn on a dime, flitting like lightning within inches—far trickier than the original’s straight-line thunder escape.

Beyond that—

The remaining three—Pierce Illusion with Spirit Eyes; Circulation Without End; Temper Flesh with Sword Intent—were each more formidable than the last.

Fu Changsheng could no longer wait—he wanted to start training immediately.

After copying down the first-layer method, his first thought was: this was perfect for Fu Changlei.

As that thought formed—

Buzz.

A familiar mechanical chime rang in his sea of consciousness.

“Ding.”

“You have added the first layer of a high-level sword dao secret art to the clan collection. Reward: 3,000 clan contribution points.”

The panel ticked up to 18,000!

A reward of three thousand for just the first layer—enough to show the method’s excellence. He immediately took out the Shadow Gate mask and transmitted everything to Fu Changlei.

“If I want to produce a Lightning-Attracting Talisman quickly, I’ll have to add points.”

He still had to carve out time to train the Sword Canon.

Countless images of his children flashed through his mind. He thought of the intelligence about Ningning’s plight. Originally, Ningning had the Wood Flying Squirrel to help, so cultivation shouldn’t have been hard. But in the imperial academy, even with that aid, it wasn’t enough.

Ningning’s spiritual root aptitude wasn’t high.

Fu Changsheng hesitated, then said, “Consume eighteen thousand clan contribution points to raise Ningning’s spiritual root aptitude.”

Buzz.

The panel vibrated.

Yellow light surged.

He blinked—and in the next instant stood within a Nine Heavens Talisman-Bone Cavern, hewn into a thousand-zhang cliff. The walls were inlaid with Lightning-Attracting Jade, and “earth-vein thunder slurry” seeped from rock fissures, pooling into a crown of violet lightning clouds at the ceiling.

“This environment?”

More mysterious than any he’d seen before.

There was even a stone chamber at the back of the cave.

He pushed it open. Thirty-six Soul-Suppressing Glaze Lamps hung in the air. Their oil, refined from Thunder-Flood Dragon marrow into “Startled-Insect Marrow,” flickered with flames that seemed to carry a faint dragon’s song.

He clicked his tongue. “This is a little extravagant for making talismans!”

Still—

It spoke to how hard it was to advance to a third-tier supreme-grade talisman master.

“No time to waste.”

At the desk, light flashed and—of its own accord—blank talisman paper of three-hundred-year thunder-struck peachwood appeared, along with talisman blood—ink made by mixing Kuilong horn powder into sky-blue spirit liquid.

He drew a long breath.

He didn’t start immediately. Instead, he contemplated the method in detail and jotted down notes. Only then did he take up the brush. Things went smoothly at first, but when it came time to draw the “Thunder Pivot Talisman Core”—

Boom!

The earth-vein thunder slurry rioted.

Before the talisman could take shape, “Yin Thunder Balefire” invaded it. With a bang, even the talisman table shattered.

“Again!”

This time—

He tempered the materials by the Yin-Yang Dual-Quench: sun-baking on the terrace by day to drink “Celestial Gang Thunder Essence,” then burying them at midnight in the thunder slurry to steep in “Earthly Yin Thunder Refined.” On the seventy-second attempt, the talisman foot “Shock-Thunder Seal” finally withstood the twin thunder forces—but at the final stroke, “spirit filaments overload” set the paper aflame, and the blaze burned his right arm down to white bone.

His brow twitched.

“If the Lightning-Attracting Talisman is this fierce before it even forms, how terrifying will it be once complete!”

Even apart from training the Sword Canon, this talisman alone would rival an ordinary fourth-tier lower-grade talisman treasure. So although he had failed dozens of times, he didn’t grow discouraged—he only fought harder.

Time blurred.

On the eighth year—

He chose a “Thunder Roc Tail-Feather” for a new brush, its shaft carved all over with “Split-Thunder Script.” As the final Lightning-Attracting rune was about to close, “Ninefold Layered Tribulation” brewed outside the cave. He barked a shout, used “Severed Vein Art” to force a drop of heart’s blood into the talisman core. The blood unfurled on the paper into a “Blood-Thunder Pivot Seal,” and he trapped the falling tribulation bolt within the runes.

“Done!”

Fu Changsheng gazed at the talisman in his hand, its radiance withdrawing. Joy burst in his eyes. After eight years, he had finally produced a Lightning-Attracting Talisman.

He peered closer.

“Huh?”

His eyes brightened.

Through eight years of failures, he had unknowingly optimized the original method. The talisman lines now carried the Dao-rhyme of tribulation lightning; when activated, it could summon Extinction Violet Thunder to descend!

On the reverse, a “Thunder Roc Patrolling the Heavens” image faintly showed.

Once triggered, its flight speed might even edge out the Azure Flood Dragon.

“Excellent!”

An unexpected bonus.

After that—

He spent several more years refining his hand until his success rate stabilized at eighty percent. Suddenly, all the Soul-Suppressing Glaze Lamps shattered together, his vision blurred, and his consciousness snapped back to his body.

At the same time—

Mastery of the Lightning-Attracting Talisman poured into him like sweet dew.

The panel quivered and a line appeared:

[Talisman Master: Third-Tier Supreme (200/400)]

A heartbeat later, the panel trembled again, the text shifting:

[Ningning: Spiritual Root Aptitude (60/100)]

“Ningning’s aptitude really is…”

Eighteen thousand points, and she had only risen to sixty—truly at the bottom. He glanced at the panel again. Although his contribution had been cleared out, because it was Ningning’s first enhancement, the number had bounced back to 1,800.

He called Qiu Niang in. “Qiu Niang, help me set up a Xun-Wind Array.”

He handed her the array schematics.

Qiu Niang accepted with delight. She had a keen interest in formations. After a quick look, she said, “Master, this array isn’t difficult. I can finish it within a month.”

“Good.”

A month should be enough for him to make a Lightning-Attracting Talisman.

Following his instructions, Qiu Niang chose the glacier as the array site.

A month later—

Array patterns and flags webbed the glacier for miles.

Just then—

A slightly fatigued Fu Changsheng walked out of the thatched hut, a Lightning-Attracting Talisman in hand. Seeing it, Qiu Niang beamed. “Master, everything is ready. Shall we activate it?”

“Mm.”

He was excited as well.

On her signal, she rose into the air and flicked her sleeve. Seventy-two Azure Firmament Wind Crystals fell like stars. The winding Xun-Wind Array lines carved on the glacier blazed at once.

When Fu Changsheng dropped the talisman into the “Nine-Aperture Lightning-Attracting Cauldron” that was the array’s core, a thunderous boom rolled. Azure astral winds roared across the space, laced with fine “Xun Lightning Dust.”

In an instant, a small “tribulation pool” took shape.

Array, complete!

Joy lit Fu Changsheng’s eyes.

With a thought, the “sword dao seed” he’d been nurturing in his body—the one that had mutated into an ink-jade stone shoot—fell into the tribulation pool.

The shoot could grow faster by drinking sword qi.

Two birds, one stone.

He flickered down into the pool and began cultivating the improved first layer of the Firmament Thunder-Shadow Sword Canon—the First Drawing of Wind and Thunder.

The instant his toes touched the ground—

Buzz!

Lightning in the pool turned to countless snakes and wrapped him up.

He spun the First Drawing heart method. The chest-center acupoint flared into a gold-azure taiji diagram—wind as the yin fish, raising a three-foot vortex; thunder as the yang fish, bursting with dazzling bolts. The raging thunder balefire was shredded by the wind vortex into fine filaments that poured along the three yin meridians of the legs into his dantian. There, under the Canon’s unique “Three-Lock of Thunder” mechanism, it refined into gentle “wind-thunder spiritual fluid.”

“Going smoothly.”

Fu Changsheng exhaled and immersed himself wholly in cultivation.

As time passed, the thirty-six Xun-Wind Pillars around the pool sensed the qi and spat out ashen wind blades. Gold-azure wind-thunder patterns surfaced on his skin, and with each breath, a faint rumble answered.

In cultivation, years vanish like smoke.

Nine years flew by in a blink.

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