Cultivation Begins From The Desert

"After thirty years of effort, we have completed the construction of fifteen artificial oases. Now, because we have mastered the construction process, we can build a new oasis in two and a half years at the fastest."

"Adding this to the second construction team newly started on the Rhino Horn Continent, at most in fifteen years, the twenty-five oases planned by Ninth Uncle can be fully constructed and put into use."

Amidst the vast desert, Zhouyang, who came from afar from the Rhino Horn Continent to inspect the oasis construction work, was listening to Zhou Family's Chief Steward of Oasis Construction, Zhou Guangxiang's report.

Ever since being assigned by Zhouyang to participate in the oasis construction thirty years ago, Zhou Guangxiang has been rooted at the front line, leading the oasis construction teams to build new oases, returning to the clan only a handful of times in these thirty years.

Moreover, because of spending thirty years on the oasis construction work, Zhou Guangxiang's cultivation has completely stagnated during this time, and she is still at the Seventh-Layer Foundation Establishment cultivation.

"Xiang'Er, Ninth Uncle has made you construct oases here day in and day out for thirty years, always accompanied by yellow sand and mud. Don't you have any thoughts in your heart?"

Zhouyang looked at his niece, who had aged a lot due to long periods of sun exposure and wind assault, with his eyes gleaming.

It seems that the women of the Zhou Family are destined to be bound to oasis construction.

Back then, his Eighth Aunt, Zhou Xuanyan, was commanded by the clan to build the Haoyang Mountain Oasis, also known as the Siyan Oasis, for over twenty years.

Now, Zhou Guangxiang is also fulfilling his command, constructing oases day in and day out in this Boundless Desert Sea far from the clan for thirty years.

"To say there were no thoughts in the beginning would be impossible."

"However, over the years, I have studied the oasis construction notes left by Aunt Xuanyan and felt the selfless dedication spirit of their generation to our clan, and I came to understand."

"Compared to those ancestors who spent their lives striving for our clan, what does thirty years of oasis construction in this desert mean for a niece like me?"

"Without the sacrifices of our clan's ancestors, without Ninth Uncle's care, I would have long since passed away twenty years ago, unable to successfully reach the Foundation Establishment and live to this day."

"Xiang'Er and my brother have been deeply indebted to the clan and Ninth Uncle. Let alone building oases here for thirty years, even if you wanted me to fight a Tier Four Demon Beast, I would have no complaints!"

Zhou Guangxiang resolutely looked at Zhouyang, responding to his question with a firm and powerful voice.

After hearing her steady and powerful words, Zhouyang's face flashed with joy, and he can't help praising continually: "Good, good, good, Ninth Uncle indeed didn't misjudge you. Xiang'Er, you can say these words, proving that you truly understand!"

"Rest assured, Ninth Uncle never mistreats those with merit in the clan. Your contributions will be seen by me, and you will definitely receive rewards in the future; you will not suffer any loss!"

Merit must be rewarded; faults must be punished—this has always been Zhouyang's family management principle.

For Zhou Guangxiang's contributions to oasis construction, he will not hesitate to offer rewards.

Of course, now that the new oasis is not fully built yet, the reward won't be given immediately; only a psychological promise is given to Zhou Guangxiang as a reason to keep her going.

After inspecting the new oasis construction work, Zhouyang returned to seclusion on Rhino Horn Continent.

After two years, he emerged from seclusion and set out for the Red Tiger Mountain Oasis to attend a grand auction.

Due to the momentum built two years in advance, this grand auction attracted even more people than last time due to the participation of the Yellow Sand Sect.

For this, the Zhou Family had to increase the auction's entry fee. To attend, one must have at least Late-Stage Qi Cultivation and pay an entry fee of ten low-grade spirit stones.

For late-stage Qi cultivation cultivators, ten low-grade spirit stones are not a substantial expense; the cost of a Tier Two High-Grade Spirit Talisman exceeds this amount.

But this spirit stone amount isn't insignificant. If unlucky, a loose cultivator's semi-annual income might not exceed this number.

Thus, with this threshold, the auction venue built by the Zhou Family did not get overcrowded.

Of course, not entering the auction site to participate doesn't matter—Zhou Family arranges special personnel outside the auction site to live-broadcast the auction proceedings.

Naturally, to protect the privacy of guests, the broadcast will only state the transaction price of auction items, not who acquires them.

And because Yellow Sand Sect offered seven Foundation Establishment Pills for sale, Zhou Family didn't offer Foundation Establishment Pills at this auction but instead changed to several types of spirit pills that could enhance Foundation Establishment cultivators' cultivation, as well as Zhouyang's personally drawn Tier Four Lower-Grade Spirit Talismans.

Those spirit pills are easy to discuss; many spirit pills are not unique to the Zhou Family, and any Foundation Establishment cultivators with connections can purchase them from the Yellow Sand Sect or other Tier Three alchemists.

However, Tier Four spirit talismans are different. For a Foundation Establishment clan, these can be considered treasures that can be passed down as a family legacy.

Therefore, the enthusiasm of many Foundation Establishment cultivators for bidding on these items is no less than for Foundation Establishment Pills.

Zhouyang released a total of five Tier Four Lower Grade Spirit Talismans, three attack talismans and two defense talismans. In the end, he earned a total of one hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones from these five talismans.

This is only possible within the Boundless Sea of Sand Cultivation Realm. If it were in the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm, a Tier Four Lower Grade Spirit Talisman could at most be worth ten thousand low-grade spirit stones.

By the end of this grand auction, the total number of spirit stones the Zhou Family obtained still exceeded five hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones.

"Thank you to all cultivators for participating in the Zhou Family's Second Grand Auction. Thirty years from now, we will hold the Third Grand Auction, and we look forward to your distinguished presence."

"Additionally, I have joyous news to announce to all cultivators; in seven days, our current clan leader Zhou Guangxiang and my disciple Liu Xuanxuan's wedding celebration will take place on Red Tiger Mountain. We warmly welcome all cultivators to attend and commemorate."

As the auction ended, Zhouyang immediately stood up and loudly announced the news of the celebration to be held by the Zhou Family.

This news had already been informed to some friendly clans in advance, and announcing it here was mainly to notify those uninformed loose cultivators.

At this time, due to the grand auction, the number of visiting cultivators on Red Tiger Mountain Oasis nearly reached ten thousand. After Zhouyang announced this news, many cultivators who were originally planning to leave decided to change their plans and wait a few more days before departing.

Thus, on the day of the celebration, the number of cultivators gathered on and around Red Tiger Mountain truly exceeded ten thousand.

Fortunately, the Zhou Family is not what it used to be; the clan has stored a large quantity of spirit grain and spirit wine over the years, preventing any awkward situation like running out of provisions.

And the name of the "Ten Thousand Immortals Festival" quickly spread throughout the Boundless Sea of Sand Cultivation Realm with the departing cultivators, becoming a bragging right in the mouths of many cultivators.

Naturally, as the protagonists of the celebration, the couple Zhou Guangxiang and Liu Xuanxuan became the jealous object of many young men and women.

A wedding celebration drawing ten thousand cultivators to offer congratulations is something that hadn't occurred in the Boundless Sea of Sand Cultivation Realm for countless years.

Previously, only when the Purple Mansion cultivators of the Yellow Sand Sect formed a Golden Core would they hold a "Grand Assembly of Ten Thousand Immortals" to accept the homage of ten thousand cultivators.

After the celebration, the newlyweds, Zhou Guangxiang and Liu Xuanxuan, were left by Zhouyang to oversee Red Tiger Mountain, while he took his Dao companion Xiao Ying and another disciple Lu Xuewei to live and cultivate at Rhino Horn Continent.

"Xuewei, your cultivation revolves around an ice element technique, which makes it difficult to find suitable ice spirit veins within the Boundless Sea of Sand Cultivation Realm. The chilling energy emanating from this Cold Spring can barely be considered ice attribute spiritual qi, so from now on, you will cultivate beside this Cold Spring. Should you have any inquiries regarding cultivation, feel free to consult me and your master."

Inside the cave dwelling, Zhouyang brought his disciple Lu Xuewei to the Cold Spring that he often used for body refining and tempering fire, and pointed to the spring to express his intentions.

Lu Xuewei is only forty-six years old this year and, with the lifespan of a Foundation Establishment cultivator being two hundred forty years, she is merely a young woman having just reached adulthood.

Years ago, Xiao Ying refined a batch of Tier Four Lower Grade Spirit Pills known as the "Youthful Appearance Pill," and only three pills were produced. Besides Zhouyang and herself each taking one, the remaining one was given to Lu Xuewei, which she consumed.

Therefore, unless unforeseen circumstances occur, her youthful appearance is expected to remain unchanged until she exhausts her lifespan and passes away.

Due to her practice of the high-level ice element technique, "Ice Soul Scripture," she constantly emanates an aura of coldness, with her skin being as white as snow, earning her the cherished nickname, "Fairy Bingpo," among the Zhou Family cultivators, drawing numerous admirers akin to fish in a stream.

But setting aside the fact that she herself looks down on those ordinary individuals, Zhouyang would absolutely not allow her to fall in love and marry as a Dao Companion at this time.

Unlike Liu Xuanxuan, Zhouyang genuinely regards Lu Xuewei as a direct disciple and has high expectations for her.

Though guidance on Lu Xuewei's cultivation was undertaken primarily by Xiao Ying over the years, he, as her master, has certainly done numerous things for her as well.

Missing no detail, after this grand auction, he gave a particular task to Zhang Yunpeng, commissioning him to purchase some ice attribute spirit elixirs and pills from the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm to aid this disciple in completing her Foundation Establishment stage swiftly.

From Zhouyang's perspective, besides himself, Lu Xuewei holds the highest potential within the Zhou Family to successfully achieve Core Formation in the future, even above that of his Dao companion Xiao Ying.

For such a promising disciple likely to attain Core Formation, his expectations are naturally stringent.

This time, bringing her to Rhino Horn Continent, aside from this spot's cold spring being truly suitable for her cultivation, it was also meant to keep her separated from other male cultivators to prevent them from swaying her mind with sweet talk, causing her to fall from grace and ruin her future.