One day, Qin Guiya was in his Pill Chamber refining a batch of Foundation Establishment Pills when he suddenly sensed that the Restriction on his Immortal Cave had been triggered.
His Divine Sense swept out, and he discovered that his second uncle, Qin Faha, was visiting, his expression solemn.
"Guiya, something has happened."
As soon as Qin Faha saw him, he said in a deep voice, "The Liu Family sent people to the Thousand Eye Island Scripture Pavilion and reviewed all records concerning the Wood Marrow Clan. Also, recently on Peach Forest Island, many Cultivators have been monitoring our faction."
Qin Guiya's hand trembled, and the heat in the Pill Furnace almost went out of control: "The Wood Marrow Clan?"
"A branch of the Wood Clan, rumored to have the ability to bestow Spiritual Bodies upon their descendants."
Qin Faha narrowed his eyes, "What's strange is, why are they suddenly interested in this? Could it be..."
Qin Guiya's heart pounded like a drum, but his expression remained calm:
"Second Uncle, you're overthinking. The Liu Family has a profound heritage; what's so strange about them researching ancient texts?"
Qin Faha gave him a meaningful look:
"I hope so. However... if your son has anything special about him, it's best to hide it very carefully."
After seeing his second uncle off, Qin Guiya immediately checked Qin Yuexian and found that her Spiritual Root was still six inches of Wood Spiritual Root. He relaxed slightly.
The infant was already three months old, looking like a three-year-old child.
"The affinity of a Wood Spiritual Body..."
Qin Guiya sighed inwardly.
Fortunately, there was the Ancient Tree, otherwise this child's abnormality would have been discovered long ago.
As night fell, Qin Guiya stood in the courtyard, gazing up at the starry sky.
The Liu Family's investigation, his second uncle's warning, the rapidly growing Ancient Tree, his two Dao Companions and their special child... everything was developing in an unpredictable direction.
But he was no longer afraid.
With the Ancient Tree Space and this Family, no matter what lay ahead, he had the confidence to face it.
In the core area of the Liu Family, within a secluded Immortal Cave.
Liu Xuanting, the Clan Chief of the Liu Family, stood with his hands behind his back, a blood-colored jade pendant suspended before him.
The jade pendant emitted a faint green light, pointing in a distant direction.
"Strange..."
Liu Xuanting murmured to himself, "That child clearly has no Spiritual Body reaction, so why does the 'Blood Spirit Guide' still stir?"
He pondered for a moment, then waved his hand, summoning a black-clad Cultivator:
"Continue to monitor that child of the Qin Family, especially his interactions with Spiritual Plants. Remember, don't alert them."
The black-clad Cultivator accepted the order and left.
Liu Xuanting walked to a portrait. The painting depicted a gentle woman, whose features bore a seventy percent resemblance to Liu Qingchan.
"Xuanling, ah Xuanling,"
He gently stroked the portrait, "If you knew your daughter gave birth to a child who might inherit the Bloodline of the Wood Marrow Clan, what would you think?"
...In the morning, Qin Guiya awoke from meditation, the flower in his palm already reduced to ashes.
It was a flower from the second side branch, and one would mature after ten Dual Cultivations with Lin Mushuang.
After a night of Cultivation, the Spiritual Qi in his body had noticeably increased, equivalent to three days of hard Cultivation normally.
"Two to three times acceleration..."
He muttered to himself, looking at the side branch in his Sea of Consciousness—a new flower bud had already sprouted a tip, a circle smaller than the last time, but with a purer color.
Although this flower was not as precious as the Enlightenment Leaf, its advantage lay in its continuous availability, and its aid to Cultivation was not to be underestimated.
On the other side of the bed, Lin Mushuang was still sound asleep.
Qin Guiya got up quietly, not wanting to disturb her sweet dreams.
Over the past few months, he had engaged in Dual Cultivation with this new Dao Companion every few days, both for the growth of the Ancient Tree and because he was attracted by her unknown coolness.
In the quiet room, Liu Qingchan was teaching Qin Yuexian to identify Spirit Medicine.
The one-year-old child had already grown to look like a five-year-old, holding several Spiritual Plants in his small hands and babbling something.
"Husband."
When Liu Qingchan saw Qin Guiya, a gentle smile flashed in her eyes, "Yue Xian can already distinguish ten types of Spirit Medicine."
Qin Guiya squatted down, meeting his son's gaze.
The little fellow immediately threw himself into his arms, still clutching a blue heart grass:
"Daddy, the grass says it likes the moon!"
"Is that so?"
Qin Guiya smiled as he took the Spiritual Plant, and indeed felt a faint sense of joy.
This was a manifestation of Liu Qingchan's wood spirit talent, but Yue Xian seemed to have inherited it even more thoroughly.
"Is husband going to perform Alchemy today?"
Liu Qingchan asked softly, tidying up the Spirit Medicine that her son had messed up.
"Yes, I'll refine a few more batches of Foundation Establishment Pills."
Qin Guiya took out a jade box from his Storage Ring, "This is for you and Mu Shuang."
Liu Qingchan opened the jade box, and inside lay two pure white flowers, identical to the ones she had taken before.
Over the past six months, whenever Qin Guiya gathered two flowers, he would give one to each of the sisters.
"Thank you, husband."
Liu Qingchan carefully put away the jade box.
These miraculous flowers could accelerate Cultivation, and their effect was particularly evident for Foundation Establishment Cultivators like her.
Although curious about the origin of the flowers, she never asked too many questions—who in the Cultivation world didn't have a few secrets?
Qin Guiya kissed his son's little face and turned to walk towards the Pill Chamber.
Passing by the Spirit Gathering Array newly arranged by Lin Mushuang, he stopped to observe it carefully.
This complex Formation was several times more exquisite than the common styles of the Qin Family, increasing the Spiritual Qi concentration in the Immortal Cave by more than twenty percent.
It was hard to imagine this was the work of a Formation Master with "average talent."
Inside the Pill Chamber, the Mountains and Seas Unity Furnace had already finished preheating.
Qin Guiya took out the third Enlightenment Leaf and unhesitatingly put it into his mouth.
A cool sensation instantly swept through his body, and all his memories and understanding of Alchemy became incredibly clear.
"Begin."
One Spiritual Plant after another was placed into the furnace, their essences extracted under precisely controlled flames.
Qin Guiya's movements were fluid and natural, as if he had repeated them millions of times.
In fact, with the help of the Enlightenment Leaf, he had indeed simulated the Alchemy process countless times in his consciousness, every detail ingrained in his mind.
Three hours later, the furnace lid opened, and ten Foundation Establishment Pills flew out in succession.
One of them was crystal clear, with a silver lines flowing on its surface—Flawless quality!
The other nine were all perfect quality, with none falling below this standard.
"This Enlightenment Leaf seems to have no Restrictions on its use; each time I use it, it brings me an Enlightenment effect."
Qin Guiya put away the Medicinal Pills with satisfaction.
After his last Enlightenment, he could only guarantee one Flawless Pill every six or seven batches, but now he consistently produces one per batch, and the pill Formation rate has reached a full ten pills.
This level of skill would make him a top-tier second-grade Alchemist even in the Qin Family's Danxia Hall.
The following days were peaceful and fulfilling.
Qin Guiya spent his days refining Medicinal Pills, Cultivating, and accompanying his Family.
His two Dao Companions, one cared for Spiritual Plants and the child, while the other delved into Formation Arrays.
Little Yue Xian, meanwhile, thrived under his parents' care, exhibiting increasingly obvious Azure Wood Spirit Body characteristics.
He could revive withered Spirit Medicine, make Spiritual Plants grow according to his will, and even vaguely perceive the "emotions" of plants.
Within the Ancient Tree Space.
The third-grade Golden Spirit Flower and Beast Essence Grass were lush and green, and the fire blaze bamboo had grown to three zhang tall.
Lin Mushuang had refined an exquisite composite Spirit Gathering Array, which he placed in the space, further accelerating the growth of the Spirit Medicine by half.
Half a year passed, and when Qin Guiya handed the tenth white flower to Lin Mushuang, this usually aloof Formation Master spoke up for the first time after their Dual Cultivation that night:
"Husband, I might be about to Breakthrough."
Sure enough, three days later, Lin Mushuang successfully advanced to the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment.
Another half year later, Liu Qingchan, with the aid of the white flowers and Flawless Pills, also took a significant step forward from the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment.