Cultivation Begins From The Desert

"The Oasis Passage was completed six years ago, a year later than my niece originally planned for the fifteen-year deadline, because we encountered an exceptionally large sandstorm one year, which partially destroyed three previously constructed oases. We had to halt work for a year to repair the damaged oases."

"At the same time, due to the impact of that sandstorm, after the completion of the Oasis Passage, my brother convened our elder council and decided to form a thirty-person Oasis Maintenance Team. The members consist entirely of clan cultivators and guest elders, with each receiving an additional fifty clan contribution points annually as a subsidy."

"This Oasis Maintenance Team is usually stationed at those twenty-five artificial oases, slowly expanding the size of the oasis each year in groups of three. If they encounter a large sandstorm that destroys the oasis, they will receive family orders to gather together to repair the damaged oases."

"And three years ago, the first migration team of ten thousand people already set out towards the Rhino Horn Continent, and the current news is that they have crossed six artificial oases, with a reduction in numbers by about five percent."

"Oh, five years ago, my brother successfully advanced to become a Tier Four Array Master. The communication arrays arranged all the way from Rhino Horn Continent to Red Tiger Mountain were personally set by him. He also arranged Tier Four defense arrays on Tier Three top-grade spiritual mountains such as Red Fox Ridge and Cyan Wolf Peak."

"Additionally, in the past fifteen years, two more people in the clan have succeeded in establishing their foundation: Zhou Tongmin and Zhou Fuyun. Furthermore, there were two independent Foundation Establishment cultivators who discovered a medium-sized oasis in the desert sea and submitted a vassal application to the clan, which my brother has already accepted on behalf of the clan."

"Moreover, during these years, Yellow Sand Sect had two individuals successfully open the Purple Mansion. Within Yellow Sand Sect's vassal clans, Yan Nantian, the current patriarch of the Yan family at Fire Fox Ridge, also successfully opened the Purple Mansion. As a result, the Yan family has been elevated to a new Purple Mansion Clan!"

...

On Cyan Wolf Peak, Zhouyang came out to check on the situation and met his niece, Zhou Guangxiang, who was cultivating there. From her, he learned about the major changes in the Zhou family and the Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm while he was in seclusion all these years.

Besides Lingxi Peak on the Rhino Horn Continent, there are also two Tier Three top-grade spiritual mountains, namely Cyan Wolf Peak and the Black Mud Pool.

On Cyan Wolf Peak, spiritual Qi is abundant, and the vegetation is lush, making it very suitable for planting spirit herbs and elixirs. The entire spiritual mountain has been developed by the Zhou family into a medicinal garden, and Zhou Guangxiang, an elder of the Zhou family, has been stationed there long-term.

As for the other Tier Three top-grade spiritual land, the Black Mud Pool, although spiritual Qi is also abundant there, it is very challenging to develop because the spirit vein is located under a swampy muddy pool that is dozens of meters deep. For the time being, it serves as a beast garden for the Zhou family, and the surrounding area of hundreds of miles is used as a pasture for spirit beasts such as "Golden Rock Sheep," "Iron Armor Rhinoceros," "Cyan-spotted Deer," and "White-tailed Black Sheep."

After listening to Zhou Guangxiang's explanation, Zhouyang roughly understood what had happened during his years in seclusion.

"Very good, regarding the establishment of the Oasis Maintenance Team, you have done an excellent job."

He nodded several times, first praising Zhou Guangxiang and her brother for setting up the Oasis Maintenance Team.

The importance of twenty-five artificial oases to the Zhou family is undeniable. The demise of any oasis would temporarily cut off the land route from the Rhino Horn Continent, making a dedicated cultivator team indispensable for maintaining these oases.

During his seclusion, the fact that Zhou Guangxiang and her brother Zhou Guangxiang conceived this idea and implemented it indeed gave him great comfort.

Then he looked at the now not-so-young Zhou Guangxiang, a hint of affection appearing in his eyes.

Zhou Guangxiang is now 163 years old. After completing the oasis construction work, she finally advanced to the Eighth-Layer Foundation Establishment, not far from the Ninth Layer.

Considering her age, she is sure to reach the Ninth Layer before the age of 200, equipped with the conditions to strive for the Purple Mansion.

"Xiang'Er, Ninth Uncle had promised before that after you completed the construction of the Oasis Passage, you would be heavily rewarded."

"Now Ninth Uncle gives you two choices."

"The first option is that in the next thirty to forty years, Ninth Uncle will do everything to find you a piece of [Purple Heart Jade Marrow] to help you open the Purple Mansion,"

"The second option is to find a Dao companion for marriage and childbearing. That way, among the children you have, Ninth Uncle can guarantee to assist one of them in successfully establishing a foundation and reward them with fifty thousand clan contribution points!"

Zhouyang looked at his niece affectionately and gently spoke of the rewards he had prepared for her.

These two rewards were something he had already thought of, and either option would be well-deserved for her commitment to the desert sea for over forty years.

When Zhou Guangxiang heard about the two choices, she immediately said without hesitation, "Thank you, Ninth Uncle, for your generosity. Niece chooses the first option."

Choosing the first option means choosing her own path to Dao advancement.

Zhouyang, recalling how she risked her life to rush into Foundation Establishment after initially failing, was unsurprised by her choice.

He nodded promptly and said, "Very well, since you have made your choice, Ninth Uncle will naturally respect it. That piece of [Purple Heart Jade Marrow], Ninth Uncle will obtain for you before you reach the lifespan limit of 200 years."

Given Zhouyang's current strength and wealth, acquiring a "Purple Heart Jade Marrow" is not a difficult task. He doesn't even need to spend his own spirit stones; by converting his accumulated clan contribution points of hundreds of thousands into spirit stones, he could buy two or three pieces of "Purple Heart Jade Marrow."

As for where those hundreds of thousands of clan contribution points came from, they were, of course, earned by contributing large amounts of Foundation Establishment Pills and rare treasures like the "Yuan Condensing Fruit" tree to the clan.

Moreover, as the Supreme Elder of the Zhou family, his annual tributes amount to as much as three thousand points. Since he ascended to the Purple Mansion, nearly a century has passed, and the accumulated tributes alone reach two or three hundred thousand clan contribution points.

Though he rarely used these clan contribution points, the Finance Elder still recorded them annually for him.

Subsequently, Zhouyang rode the Golden-winged Thunder Eagle to inspect various spiritual mountains and lands on the Rhino Horn Continent, and finally returned to Lingxi Peak.

By that time, Lu Xuewei had long since finished cultivating. Seeing Zhouyang return, she quickly stepped forward to pay her respects.

After she had finished her greeting, Zhouyang asked directly, "Xuewei, did your master instruct anything before she went into seclusion?"

Upon hearing the question, Lu Xuewei promptly replied respectfully, "Reporting to Master, before going into seclusion, Master told me that this seclusion might take four or five years to succeed. She instructed that if you leave seclusion while she is still in, you must wait for her to come out before going out."

"I understand. How have you felt about your cultivation these past years? Have the spirit elixirs and spirit pills I entrusted Sect Leader Zhang to procure for you been delivered?"

Zhouyang nodded slightly, and then shifted the conversation to inquire about the disciple's cultivation progress.

"Master, my cultivation has been progressing well over the years. By taking advantage of the cold spring in the cave dwelling, I have broken through two barriers and raised my cultivation to the Mid-Stage of Foundation Establishment."

"As for the spiritual elixirs and pills that you entrusted Sect Leader Zhang to purchase, I have received them. However, I currently do not want to rely heavily on these external items to enhance my cultivation. I plan to use them to assist in breakthroughs later when my cultivation speed slows down!"

Lu Xuewei's delicate face flashed with divine light, and she looked up at Zhouyang with a bright smile, her eyes full of confidence and composure.

The saying "the ignorant are fearless" applies here. Despite not being able to find the most suitable Spiritual Mountain and Blessed Land for cultivation in the Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm, Lu Xuewei's cultivation speed is still among the top. She is naturally quite satisfied with having reached this level of cultivation at her age.

Many Foundation Establishment cultivators at her age have just barely completed the Foundation Establishment, and it usually takes until after they are a hundred years old to reach her level of cultivation.

As for opening a Purple Mansion before one hundred years of age, such an event is rare over countless years in the Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm. Even her most revered and admired master Zhouyang and her teacher Xiao Ying have not achieved this, so it is something she has never contemplated.

Moreover, what is most outstanding is that after Foundation Establishment and up to now, eighty percent of her current cultivation level has been achieved through her hard work, with little reliance on elixirs, making her foundation in magical power much stronger than those who enhance their cultivation through spiritual pills and making her magical power much purer.

Zhouyang, observing this, felt it was inappropriate to discourage his disciple's confidence, so he simply nodded and said, "It is indeed beneficial to establish a solid foundation during the Foundation Establishment stage, but there is no need to regard spiritual pills that enhance cultivation as a scourge. Just be mindful of controlling the time you consume them."

"I understand, thank you for your concern, Master."

Lu Xuewei bowed, but her response was somewhat perfunctory.

Because Zhouyang holds high expectations for her and often praises her for having the potential for the Golden Core Dao when guiding her cultivation, she has early on set the pursuit of the Golden Core Dao as her dream.

To achieve this dream, she demands a lot from herself, fearing that overuse of spiritual pills could ruin her path and make her lose the opportunity for the Great Dao.

In fact, many cultivators in the cultivation realm share her mindset, particularly those with remarkable natural talents.

For example, those innate Spiritual Body cultivators rarely use spiritual pills to enhance their cultivation. At most, they consume some Spirit Fruits and Elixirs that pose no adverse effects on the body to enhance their magical power, such as the Tier Three High-grade Spirit Fruit "Jade Moon Fruit" that Zhouyang once consumed and the three pieces of "Cloud Mist Immortal Tea" that he still has in storage.

Additionally, Zhouyang knows that the descendants valued by Golden Core Stage cultivators and Nascent Soul Stage cultivators, unless they have an unpromising Low-grade Spiritual Root, will also attempt to only consume Spiritual Objects with no adverse effects during early cultivation to enhance their cultivation.

Although this may cause their early cultivation speed to be slightly slower than those who use spiritual pills, once these cultivators who have not used many spiritual pills reach higher realms, consuming spiritual pills to enhance their cultivation can yield results many times greater than those cultivators who frequently use spiritual pills.

For instance, Zhouyang once thought he had prepared enough spiritual pills to last his cultivation up to the Ninth Layer of the Purple Mansion.

But in reality, because he had always used spiritual pills extensively to enhance his cultivation, his body had developed a strong resistance to them, and taking the same kind of cultivation-enhancing pills would only yield about sixty percent effectiveness for him.

As a result, even after exhausting all his spiritual pills, he could only barely enhance his cultivation to the Seventh Layer of the Purple Mansion.

Because this resistance is inherently harmless to cultivators, not even the Qianyang Immortal Light, which Zhouyang uses to temper his body, can reduce his body's resistance to spiritual pills.

The only ways to reduce this resistance are to stop taking spiritual pills for an extended period, allowing time to alleviate it, or to have great fortune in obtaining some precious Spiritual Objects that can reduce bodily resistance.

Thus, although Zhouyang noticed Lu Xuewei's perfunctory response, he merely frowned slightly and said nothing more.

He only thought that when her cultivation speed slows down later on, she would naturally change her mind.

Lu Xuewei, however, didn't think much further. After glossing over the matter, she bit her lip, suddenly knelt on the ground, and kowtowed to Zhouyang, saying, "Master, I have a request!"

Zhouyang's eyes flashed with surprise, and he narrowed them as he asked, "Speak, what matter makes you so solemn?"

"Three years ago, my Fifth Brother came to me requesting help, saying that the Spirit Mountain of our clan is no longer sufficient for the clan members and he wanted my help in finding an Oasis around the Rhino Horn Continent in the Desert Sea to settle the excess cultivators of the Lu Family."

"I know that since I became your disciple, Master, I have nothing to do with the Lu Family."

"But the Lu Family is, after all, the family I was born into, and my Fifth Brother is my blood brother. At over a hundred years old, he traveled a long distance to Rhino Horn Continent to kneel and beg me for help. I really can't bear to refuse his request."

"So I want to ask for your approval, Master, to allow me to leave and explore the Desert Sea to find a way out for the Lu Family. I promise you, Master, that within five years, regardless of whether or not I can find an unclaimed new Oasis with a Spirit Vein, I will have given the Lu Family and my Fifth Brother an answer."

Lu Xuewei looked at Zhouyang with a look of apprehension, her voice low as she stated her request.

The grace of raising is greater than the sky, moreover, it was her own father who personally delivered her to Zhouyang's side and explicitly stated that he handed her over to Zhouyang to raise.

It was Zhouyang and the Zhou Family who raised her and provided the resources for her cultivation.

Now that she intends to do something for the Lu Family, in terms of reason and sentiment, she must obtain Zhouyang's consent and approval.

After listening to her request, Zhouyang pondered, his eyes flashing.

After a long contemplation, under her anxious gaze, he slightly nodded and said, "Although the grace of life is not as great as the grace of nurturing, you are, after all, a daughter of the Lu Family. Now that the Lu Family has come to you for such a reasonable favor, it indeed would be inappropriate to refuse."

"Alright, I agree to your request. Furthermore, if the Lu Family wishes to relocate their members, my Zhou Family can also assist."

"However, Xuewei, you must make it clearly known to the Lu Family that this is your last time helping them so that they don't take advantage of the situation and continue to hold on to you, lest I have to be unkind to them!"