The Rise of a Family: Starting from Daily Intelligence - Chapter 392 (Patreon)

Chapter 392: Tallying the Spoils, Breakthrough, and a Relic

After Fu Changsheng and Ouyang Fei returned to Yinan Mountain, he immediately ordered the Mountain-Guarding Array fully sealed.

As for the strange treasure in Gloomcloud Valley—

He hadn’t been tempted in the slightest. Not long after they left, he sensed other Golden Core auras rushing in. He only hoped Luo Haitang would come to no harm. The Eastern Wilds’ frontier was propped up by only two Golden Core experts now—her and Luo Haiyun.

If the Luo clan’s line of defense fell, Yinan Mountain would certainly be lost as well, and they would have to retreat to Yunshan Commandery.

Back in his secret chamber, Fu Changsheng dove straight into the Five Elements Space.

He stepped into the thatched hut.

With a sweep of his sleeve, three Storage Pouches appeared before him.

These were the Purple Mansion cultivators’ spoils taken when he’d rescued Luo Haitian and cut down the Skywolf Tribe experts.

He pressed a hand seal onto the pouch etched with an autumn-leaf pattern. A flash of radiance, and dozens of caskets appeared one by one. “Let’s hope there’s something useful.”

With a hint of anticipation, he sent seals into the caskets. As the restrictions fell away, ten crystal-clear Spirit Stones came into view, brimming with dense, pure Spiritual Energy.

They were third-tier high-grade Spirit Stones.

High-grade Spirit Stones were rare—essential for laying high-tier formations—and they also served as currency among Golden Core true persons. Upon reaching the Golden Core realm, ordinary-quality stones were too thin in qi and troublesome to refine. When ramming bottlenecks, high-tier cultivators often used high-grade stones to set a Spirit-Gathering Array for a result twice the effort.

“Not bad.”

The value of these ten high-grade Spirit Stones already far exceeded a hundred thousand low-grade stones.

Fu Changsheng nodded slightly and put them away.

His gaze fell on the second casket.

Inside lay a spirit sword that gleamed with azure light. Complex runes were engraved along the blade. It faintly had the makings of advancing into a true magic treasure, but without a Heavenly Gang restriction infused, its rank was still only third-tier mid-grade.

Three characters were carved on the hilt: Azure Nether Sword.

He beckoned.

The Azure Nether Sword dropped into his palm.

Hum! The blade gave a soft tremor, spilling a keen sword intent all on its own.

Fu Changsheng praised it inwardly.

But he already carried the Thunderstriking Sword, so he wouldn’t use this one himself. Better to grant it to a Purple Mansion clansman about to enter the seventh-rank clan secret realm.

In addition, the pouch held a bottle of third-tier Condensing Essence Pills—quickly restoring magic power, a lifesaver in battle. Last, he found several third-tier Thunderfire Talismans whose power could seriously wound an early Purple Mansion cultivator, and some basic refining materials.

A fine start with the first pouch.

For the remaining two, he felt even more expectation.

He pressed another seal.

Hum! Radiance flared.

Dozens of caskets appeared again, and as they opened one after another, the treasures inside were laid bare.

Compared to the first pouch, there were two fewer high-grade Spirit Stones; however, there was a third-tier defensive spirit tool, the Black Tortoise Shield. Tortoise-shell lines were carved across its face, and its defense was formidable. The pouch also held a third-tier spirit herb, Scarlet Flame Flower, a precious ingredient for fire-attribute pills.

Beyond that, he found a third-grade, Profound-rank cultivation manual, Skywolf Heart Technique. Useless to him, but perfect to enrich the clan library for others to cultivate. Lastly, there was a third-tier formation disk, Five Elements Formation Disk, sufficient to set up a simple five elements formation.

His eyes moved to the final Storage Pouch.

The first two looked decent, but for him they weren’t of much use. What he needed right now was a pill or treasure to smash through late-stage Purple Mansion.

Such things were exceedingly rare.

He wasn’t holding out hope, planning instead to scour the seventh-rank clan secret realm when it opened. Hence, the initial excitement had cooled into steadiness.

He sent seals into the remaining caskets and lifted their restrictions one by one.

The last Storage Pouch held not a single high-grade Spirit Stone, but there were three hundred mid-grade ones. There was also a third-tier offensive spirit tool, the Mountain-Breaking Hammer—heavy-headed and brutally powerful. “Hm?”

Fu Changsheng then found a bottle of third-tier Soul-Nurturing Pills. These pills nourished divine soul, greatly aiding the cultivation of Spiritual Sense. “An unexpected delight.”

He set the Soul-Nurturing Pills aside for his personal use.

There was also an Ice-Seal Talisman that could freeze an enemy in an instant; and a third-tier ore, Profound-Iron Essence, a rare material for forging spirit tools.

Only one casket remained. Unlike the others, its restrictions were layered severalfold. Fu Changsheng’s heart stirred. “Could there be some true treasure inside?”

His flagging interest rekindled. He drove seal after seal, peeling the barriers away.

Hum! As the casket opened—

A rich fruit fragrance rushed out. “This is—!”

When he saw what lay within, Fu Changsheng shot to his feet, breath growing heavy.

He had never imagined the casket would hold a Blue Shadow Sacred Fruit!!

The Blue Shadow Sacred Fruit was the Skywolf Tribe’s most precious sacred object, said to be nurtured from the essence blood of their mountain-guarding divine beast and to grow deep within their sacred grounds. It bloomed once in centuries, fruited once in a hundred years, and yielded only a few each time. The fruit was shaped like a wolf’s head, its whole body a deep, mysterious purple-gold, its surface etched with fine silver lines like lifelike wolf fur. Its aroma was unique—fresh with the breath of grass and wood, yet tinged with feral wildness that jolted the spirit at a single whiff.

After triple-checking its appearance, and confirming it was indeed the legendary Blue Shadow Sacred Fruit, Fu Changsheng couldn’t help laughing aloud. “Excellent, excellent!”

Truly, one may wear out iron shoes seeking with no result, only to find it without any effort at all!

The fruit’s value lay in its immense energy. It could help cultivators break through their shackles—especially from mid-stage to late-stage Purple Mansion, where its effect was exceptional. After ingesting it, the energy would surge into the dantian, stir latent potential, scour the meridians, and temper the flesh, letting one burst through fetters in short order to reach a higher realm.

Fu Changsheng’s smile reached his eyes.

With this in hand, he could break into late-stage Purple Mansion ahead of the Imperial Court’s clan competition and vie for more entry slots to the seventh-rank clan secret realm.

Just then, a familiar mechanical chime sounded in his mind. “Ding.

“You have furnished many cultivation resources for the family and gained four thousand Family Contribution Points.”

At once, the tally on his panel shifted to fifteen thousand.

This trip to Gloomcloud Valley had not only netted the Hundred-Bell Flower for brewing the Drunken Dragon Pill, but also a bottle of Soul-Nurturing Pills—and, most importantly, the Blue Shadow Sacred Fruit.

Resisting the urge to refine it immediately, Fu Changsheng sank his will into the Shadow Gate Mask, stepped up to the spirit mirror, and quickly wrote:

[Redeem Drunken Dragon Pill Formula]

Hum! The spirit mirror shivered.

His Shadow Gate points were wiped clean, and a jade slip transmitted out of the mirror’s void.

A sweep of Spiritual Sense—

It was the Drunken Dragon Pill formula without a doubt.

With this, the Yellow Dragon affliction inside the Azure Flood Dragon could be resolved.

He sent the formula to Mei Zhen. She currently had the highest alchemy attainments in the clan, and the Hundred-Bell Flower was hard-won; naturally it should be refined by the most reliable hand.

Hum! He withdrew his will from the Shadow Gate Mask.

At that moment, the familiar mechanical chime rang out in his Sea of Consciousness again. “Ding.

“You have provided a Drunken Dragon Pill formula for the family and gained five hundred Family Contribution Points.”

The total ticked up to fifteen thousand five hundred.

With the Blue Shadow Sacred Fruit in hand, there was no time to lose.

Fu Changsheng decided to enter seclusion immediately—after all, the clan competition was just around the corner.

His will fell upon the system’s [Training Room] panel. “Open the Training Room.”

Hum! The panel quivered.

A flood of yellow light poured forth.

In the next instant, he stood in a pavilion at the heart of a lotus pond.

The water was limpid to the bottom, lotuses all around shedding dense, pure Spiritual Energy.

He held the Blue Shadow Sacred Fruit—its purple-gold skin glimmered in the light, the silver lines across it seeming to flow, releasing a power that made the heart quake.

“Hah—”

Drawing a steadying breath, eyes firm, he popped the Blue Shadow Sacred Fruit into his mouth without hesitation.

The fruit melted as soon as it touched his tongue, becoming a torrent of searing energy that rushed into his dantian. Like a wild wolf pack, it rampaged through his meridians, tearing pain lancing through him. “So fierce!”

Fu Changsheng grunted, sweat beading across his brow.

The fruit’s power was mighty—but if one couldn’t bear its violent surge, the meridians would be damaged at best; at worst, one’s cultivation would be ruined. In the Skywolf Tribe, those who took it paired it with auxiliary pills and were guarded by others. That was an unknown secret.

Fortunately, Fu Changsheng cultivated the Nine Heavens Starry Technique.

Not only was his flesh extraordinary, his meridians were incomparable as well.

He had never feared pain. His tenacity, honed across countless brushes with death, was unyielding.

He formed seals with both hands and chanted:

“Heaven and earth the furnace, creation the artisan; yin and yang the coal, all things the copper. Purple Mansion the foundation, Spirit Terrace the guide; break to remake, the cocoon becomes the butterfly.”

As the chant flowed, his Spiritual Sense shone like a lantern, illuminating every corner within. He steered the violence from dantian to the Heaven and Earth Bridges. Even so, the energy bucked like a wild horse, each impact carving pain like knives.

Time slipped by.

A purple-gold radiance gradually sheathed his body. The lotus pond began to simmer, responding to the waves inside him. His aura swelled. The power in his Purple Mansion surged like a tide, battering the invisible bottleneck.

No telling how long—

After fully refining the fruit’s medicinal power—

Hum! It was almost inevitable.

A soft inner crack, as though a shackle snapped.

His aura vaulted upward; the energy in his dantian condensed in an instant, vast as an ocean. “Late-stage Purple Mansion!”

Fu Changsheng opened his eyes. Electricity flickered in his gaze, a cutting edge to his presence.

After breaking through, he found both his magic power and the golden figure of his soul in the Niwan Palace had changed significantly.

Before, his magic power had been thick, but compared to now it was paltry.

His late-stage Purple Mansion power was over five times what it had been.

Previously, he could drive the Starry Sky Sword-Thunder Array with thought, but his dantian could only barely sustain it for half a stick of incense. Now he could last a full cup of tea.

Moreover, his power had grown denser.

To attack Golden Core, the first hurdle was to solidify liquid magic power completely—only then could it congeal into a core.

Clearly, he could begin laying the groundwork for forming a core.

He looked inward to his Purple Mansion.

The Niwan Palace had also undergone a sea change.

Originally, a golden figure of his soul had hung there—solid, his features matching Fu Changsheng’s but smaller, its radiance somewhat dim. After reaching the seventh layer of Purple Mansion, the golden figure had visibly transformed.

Its size had grown severalfold, its brilliance dazzling like a tiny sun flooding the Niwan Palace with light. Its face was clearer, the brows stern and wise, as if it could pierce all things. Hands sealed, it was wreathed in countless fine runes, their glow mysterious—the initial omen of condensing a Golden Core.

A faint purple-gold halo now hovered above the golden figure’s head—

The mark of a late-stage Purple Mansion cultivator’s soul strength.

That halo not only empowered the figure but greatly magnified Fu Changsheng’s Spiritual Sense. His sense spread several times farther, already comparable to a mid-stage Golden Core. If others learned of it, they would surely cry “monster.”

“Time to firm up this realm.”

…

In the Fu fief of Yunshan Commandery—

Dragging his exhausted body, Fu Qingyun hurried toward his family’s tiny yard in Wutong Lane.

At the end of the alley stood the shabby courtyard where he, his younger sister Fu Qinghong, and their grandmother lived hand to mouth.

Wutong Lane was the poorest quarter of Demon-Subduing City’s inner city. Spiritual Energy was so thin that even the lowest cultivators disdained living there. The lane was narrow and worn, low houses squeezed shoulder to shoulder, walls carpeted with moss, the air heavy with damp and mold. Here and there, shutters were clamped shut; now and again, a child’s crying leaked out, heightening the bleakness.

At the lane’s end, Fu Qingyun stopped before their yard.

There were two gates, but the Locking-Spirit patterns carved into them had long faded, barely functioning.

At the sound of his steps, Fu Qinghong opened from the inner court first. Seeing the pouch of medicine her brother handed over, the sorrow on her face lit with a fragile hope. “Brother, I’ll decoct the herbs first. You go see Grandma.”

“Mm.”

Fu Qingyun nodded.

He first covered the cuts showing on his arms, then entered the house.

Inside, Granny Fu lay on the bed, face ashen, breath faint. Her illness had dragged on for years. Once upon a time she’d ventured out to gather resources for the siblings’ cultivation, damaging her meridians; her realm had fallen to first layer Qi Refining. Worse, she now needed monthly medicine to cling to life.

Fu Qingyun stepped to the bedside and called softly,

“Grandma, I’m back. Do you feel any better today?”

He had gone with Hundred Herbs Hall to gather at the fringe of the Hundred Thousand Mountains—gone for months. If not for the impending clan competition, he would have spent New Year in the mountains, all to earn money for Grandma’s medicine.

He called a few more times.

Granny Fu finally woke, opening her eyes. Tender and pained, she looked at Fu Qingyun. “Yun’er, this illness can’t be cured. You two needn’t waste any more resources on me. Don’t drag yourselves down.”

“Grandma, your injury came from gathering herbs for us. No matter what, we have to heal you.”

“You stubborn child!”

Granny Fu was both comforted and wracked with guilt.

She wished she could simply breathe her last.

Seeing this, Fu Qingyun quickly took her hand to soothe her.

“Grandma, you’re the pillar of our family. You mustn’t give up. In a few days, the clan will hold the competition. I heard that any Qi Refining disciple who can place in the top ten will receive rich rewards and can apprentice under Foundation Establishment elders. If your grandson can earn a rank, I’ll beg Supreme Elder Yongyao to treat you.”

“Supreme Elder Yongyao is a master healer. He’ll surely cure you.”

Granny Fu stared a moment, wrong-footed.

The clan competition was once a decade.

She’d been injured the year after the last one—by reckoning, the next should be three or four years away. “Yun’er, why did the clan competition suddenly move up?”

Fu Qingyun didn’t really know. He’d only vaguely heard from the Hundred Herbs Hall that it was to select seeds for the coming clan competition under the Imperial Court.

After hearing the reason, and seeing her grandson’s ready-to-risk-it-all look, Granny Fu gritted her teeth as if coming to a hard decision. “Yun’er, go fetch your father’s spirit tablet.”

“Father’s spirit tablet?”

Fu Qingyun didn’t understand.

His father had died when he was three. The neighbors said his father had braved the Blood-Soaked Forbidden Grounds to seek Foundation Establishment fortune. Though he somehow stumbled back alive, one day he suddenly bled from the seven orifices and died. That very night, Grandma cremated him; the funeral was kept simple.

Neighbors all muttered that Grandma was hard-hearted.

When the siblings were little, whenever father came up, Grandma clammed up.

Fu Qingyun didn’t know why Grandma would bring up Father now.

Still—

As a filial grandson, he didn’t ask more.

He stepped from the main room. Medicine fragrance already wafted through the yard. The ancestral shelf was in the front hall. First plaque, third row—that one was his father’s. Grandma had supposedly used her bottom-of-the-chest trousseau—a block of Soul-Jade Wood—to craft it. For them, that was a precious second-tier material.

He lit incense and bowed.

Then he lifted the tablet with both hands, solemn and careful.

As he left the hall, Fu Qinghong looked up from the kitchen stove and saw him.

She hurried out, blurting, “Brother, where are you taking Father’s spirit tablet?”

Fu Qingyun pointed toward the main room.

Seeing that, Fu Qinghong set down the fanning bucket and followed, eyes reddening, tears about to spill.

Fu Qingyun knew she’d misunderstood—that Grandma was at death’s door and wished to meet Father one last time. He rushed to say, “Grandma’s fine.”

She wouldn’t believe it.

She followed into the room and only stowed away her tears after confirming Grandma was indeed all right.

Granny Fu pointed toward the door. “Hong’er, stand guard outside. Remember, without my say-so, no one is to come in.”

The siblings traded a glance.

Grandma was so unusual today that a faint unease pricked both their hearts.

After Fu Qinghong left, Granny Fu stroked the tablet, as if recalling the past. After a while, she said, “Back then, your father came out of the Blood-Soaked Forbidden Grounds, all excitement, telling me he’d found a tremendous chance—that he was soon to build his foundation, that even Purple Mansion wasn’t impossible. Your father was too vain and often talked big, so I took it as bragging and thought nothing of it. Who knew…”

Her voice hitched.

Remorse shaded her words.

It was the first time Fu Qingyun had heard Grandma speak of Father on her own. He pricked up his ears and listened intently.

But Granny Fu shifted the topic. “Yun’er, split the spirit tablet.”

Split Father’s tablet?

That was grave unfilial piety. “Grandma, you mean—”

“The man is dead. What can a tablet mean? I said split it—so split it.”

If so, why had she used precious Soul-Jade Wood to make it?

Fu Qingyun couldn’t bring himself to do it. But seeing Grandma struggle to sit up, he hurriedly nodded. “Don’t be upset, Grandma. I’ll do it. I’ll do it.”

He bowed to the tablet again, then set his hand as a blade, gathering magic power into an edge, and chopped down in the air.

Crack! Soul-Jade Wood was for warming the soul and blocking Spiritual Sense. In hardness it was no different from ordinary wood.

As the tablet split in two—

Hum! A black bead the size of a soybean tinked onto the floor. “Grandma, what is this—”

Fu Qingyun froze.

Granny Fu urged him to pick it up quickly.

The instant it entered his palm, a vast Spiritual Energy surged into his body. His cultivation climbed in a rush; in less than ten breaths he’d reached the peak of Qi Refining—one step more and he’d be at Foundation Establishment. “Grandma, this is—”

Startled, Fu Qingyun flung the bead away.

The moment it left his hand, his realm tumbled back to mid-stage Qi Refining. He went pale as paper, drenched in cold sweat, as if his very essence blood had been drained.

Granny Fu stared at the bead in the corner, dread writ plain. “Your father was clutching that bead when he passed. Before dying, he told me it came from the Blood-Soaked Forbidden Grounds—but before he could finish, he was gone. Touching it will boost your cultivation to a certain level for a short time. But the longer you hold it, the more essence blood it drains. Also…”

She seemed to recall something terrible.

Her pupils shrank. “Also—

“Every time you use it, nightmares will cling to you afterward.

“They will grow worse each time.”

Clearly, Granny Fu herself had used it.

But the side effects were too great.

She’d tried many methods and found the bead’s baleful aura could be absorbed by Soul-Jade Wood. So she sealed it inside the tablet. After these years of absorption, the bead’s malice seemed nearly gone—almost undetectable. “Yun’er—

“This bead is your father’s relic.

“The clan’s competition may be a great chance for you. Use the Soul-Jade Wood to make a wrist-string and inlay the bead. At the critical moment, it may give you a hand. But remember: do not overuse it. Keep it housed in the Soul-Jade Wood and let it be cleansed fully before relying on it again.”

“Yes, Grandma!”

Fu Qingyun looked at the bead in the corner.

With it, he could surely vie for a top-ten place in the upcoming clan competition. Then he’d have medicine money for Grandma. With this thing, perhaps the three of them might even climb a step together.

Several days later—

Six drums boomed from the clan’s drum tower.

Coming out of meditation, Fu Qingyun snapped his eyes open. After the past days of rest, his spirit had clearly recovered.

He pushed open the door.

Fu Qinghong was already waiting.

But her eyes brimmed with worry. “Brother, I heard this clan competition isn’t like before. To enter, you have to sign a life-and-death pact. Brother, if it’s for Grandma’s sake, we can find another way. This is too dangerous!”

Fu Qingyun was only mid-stage Qi Refining.

He’d followed Hundred Herbs Hall up the mountains for years and had experience as a gatherer—he’d faced danger.

Even so—

Among the clan’s Qi Refining disciples, outstanding peers were everywhere.

They were a side branch—how could they compare with those groomed by Foundation Establishment elders?

Fu Qingyun tightened the Soul-Jade Wood prayer beads in his hand and soothed her. “Don’t be afraid.

“Your brother always knows his limits. If it can’t be done, I’ll keep my life first.”

No matter what—

He had to come back alive.

After all—

Grandma and his sister still needed his care. “Stay home and look after Grandma. Wait for my good news.”

Granny Fu couldn’t be left unattended.

Leaving Wutong Lane, Fu Qingyun first went to Hundred Herbs Hall to request leave.

The hall’s steward was Fu Yongdan’s daughter, Fu Qingqing. She knew the family’s condition and helped when she could. Hearing he meant to join the competition, Fu Qingqing froze, then glanced around and said, “Come to the back courtyard with me.”

In the rear court, she shut the formation and grew solemn. “Yun’er, from what I’ve gathered, this competition is unlike the past. Once you enter, life and death are left to fate. All participants are Qi Refining peak—and I’ve heard even some of the older Yong-generation will go down onto the field. Our Hundred Herbs Hall had several Qi Refining peak disciples; after much wavering, they all gave up on it. You’re only mid-stage. I know you want to save your grandmother, but you must measure your strength. If something happens to you, won’t you make her send a black-haired child off with white hair!”

Fu Yongdan had long been the head of the Alchemy Hall.

Her daughter, Fu Qingqing, had advanced smoothly into Foundation Establishment.

Like her mother, she disliked killing and fighting and loved pharmacy and pill dao, with talent to match. Raised on it since childhood, she’d built real skill, surpassing even the Yong-generation to become Hundred Herbs Hall’s steward in one leap.

In a sense, she was a second-generation “immortal official,” but lacked any spoiled airs. She was kind by nature. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have taken Fu Qingyun aside to warn him—both to save his face and because she didn’t wish to see a family shattered.

Fu Qingyun was moved.

But his mind was made up. He cupped his hands. “Thank you for your warning, Steward. But Grandma has agreed.”

Fu Qingqing’s brows knit.

She wanted to persuade him again.

But she knew his temperament. Once he decided, ten horses couldn’t drag him back. After a beat, she patted her pouch. Light flashed, and a second-tier Golden Light Shield Talisman drifted to Fu Qingyun.

“Take this protective talisman. Remember—nothing is more important than your life. Keep yourself alive first.”

Thanks for reading! That breakthrough was clean and satisfying—may the next hurdle be just as smooth. If you’d like to help me keep the chapters coming, please consider supporting on Patreon; even a small pledge makes a big difference. And if you have a moment, dropping a rating or review on NovelUpdates really boosts the book’s visibility—thank you!

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