Chapter 705: Fifty Children Breaking Through to Foundation Establishment, The Gourd of the Divine Maiden!

Under Qu Zhenzhen’s watchful gaze, all the green leaves and vines of the Xuanmu Vine transformed into countless crystal droplets, falling into the dark green fruit below.

This fruit seemed to embody the cycle of life and death, displaying various miraculous phenomena—its radiant light reminiscent of countless stars, swallowing the essence of the earth and heavens, shrouded in hazy, ethereal energy, with brilliant rays of light swirling magnificently.

But in the next moment, it seemed as if the world had fallen into silence, beginning to wither and decay, a heavy, eerie stillness causing the spiritual energy in the entire underground palace to become chaotic, flickering between brightness and darkness.

The Sumeru Tree King sprinkled a gentle golden glow that illuminated Qu Zhenzhen, preventing the Xuanmu Vine fruit from causing any accidents that might harm her.

Like the Buddha’s light spreading everywhere, the Sumeru light calmed Qu Zhenzhen’s heart, bringing a sense of tranquility and ethereality.

It was as if the alternating cycles of life and death of the fruit before her revealed a mysterious flow of Dao.

She observed closely, noticing that this thread of Dao resonated closely with the patterns on the Xuantian Spirit Vine, seemingly sharing the same origin, but this time clearer.

Everything withers and decays, returning to its origin, transitioning from movement to stillness, then through life and death cycles, gaining new life, starting from infancy, flourishing to grandeur, and then falling into desolation.

Growth and decay, destruction and prosperity, seemed to outline the Dao patterns of heaven and earth.

Qu Zhenzhen’s eyes reflected the patterns, shifting from vibrant brilliance to dimness as the fruit experienced the alternating cycles of life and death.

“Vroom!”

It was hard to say how much time passed when suddenly the fruit trembled violently, cracking small fissures that burst forth with brilliant luster, illuminating the entire underground palace as if it were daytime.

Following that, the cracks spread rapidly across the surface of the fruit, accompanied by a delightful, clear sound, as if the fruit resonated with the heaven and earth.

As the fruit’s shell shed, transforming into glistening light spots that floated in the air like a cascade of colorful rain, showering down upon Qu Zhenzhen, the Xuantian Spirit Vine, the Five Elements Earth, and the spiritual vein of Biyun Peak.

“Vroom!”

It seemed the Sumeru Tree King at the peak of Biyun gathered some awareness, reaching into the spiritual vein with its roots to absorb the scattered shimmering light spots.

“Mmm~”

Qu Zhenzhen opened her eyes, appearing dazed, feeling as if she just fell into a mystical state where a certain secret technique had flashed into her mind.

Looking at the sparkling light rain before her, she was baffled, only feeling incredibly comfortable; the “Heaven and Earth Everlasting Method” began to operate at an accelerated pace on its own.

But when she recalled that the Xuanmu Vine fruit was maturing, she immediately snapped to attention and looked ahead.

Before her, the fruit’s shell had fallen away, revealing a brilliant, radiant globe.

“What is this?”

Qu Zhenzhen wished to take a closer look.

As the light gradually faded away, a gourd the size of a baby’s fist appeared, shimmering with a jade-green glow, resembling the essence of the world’s plants and spirits.

“A gourd! The gourd my husband wanted!”

Qu Zhenzhen’s face lit up with joy as she gazed at the little gourd.

“But this gourd is so small. Can my husband use it?”

Looking at the gourd, only the size of a baby’s fist, Qu Zhenzhen felt a twinge of worry.

While she had been practicing the “Heaven and Earth Everlasting Method”, she had never left Bihu Mountain in all these years.

However, as the Lu Family’s library expanded, her children would often share stories of the cultivation world with her, and she was aware that crafting artifacts has specific requirements.

It seemed the gourd understood her concerns, gradually growing in size under the shimmering light until it reached nearly half a foot, with its glow finally dissipating, lying quietly on the ground.

Qu Zhenzhen reached down to pick up the gourd, only to find it quite heavy, needing both hands to lift it.

Upon closer examination, the gourd was a rich, vibrant green, full of life, reminiscent of the tender shoots found in the spring forest, vibrant and dripping with freshness.

However, on this verdant surface, there were some unknown dark purple-black patterns that bore a resemblance to the lines on the Xuantian Spirit Vine.

Despite the patterns, it felt incredibly smooth to the touch, neither completely jade nor wood, neither completely metal nor non-metal.

“This gourd is beautiful.”

Qu Zhenzhen couldn’t help but praise.

In the cultivation world, gourds were often favored for holding liquor, elixirs, and the like.

Having seen so many gourds, Qu Zhenzhen had never encountered one as beautiful as this.

Not only was it lustrously colored and smooth, but the patterns were perfectly natural, and the shape was exquisite, exuding an indescribable beauty.

The body of the gourd was round and plump at the bottom, gradually narrowing to form an elegant neck, its curves flowing and harmonious.

Looking at the mouth of the gourd, it seemed to have been finely polished, rounded and smooth, surrounded by a dreamy halo of delicate light.

Even holding the gourd in her hands, Qu Zhenzhen felt a warmth spread through her body, as if enveloped in a cozy sensation.

“Elder Sumeru, do you know what tier this gourd is?”

Qu Zhenzhen immediately asked the Sumeru.

Though her theoretical knowledge was quite sound, she could only guess that this gourd was of a high tier, but couldn’t pinpoint the specifics.

“Fourth Tier. Top Quality.”

The Sumeru responded after sensing for a moment, its voice ethereal and otherworldly.

Being a spiritual plant, she was quite sensitive in this regard.

“It’s just a fourth-tier top quality?”

Qu Zhenzhen said, somewhat disappointed.

Although fourth-tier top quality was already a rarity in the cultivation world, Qu Zhenzhen felt it still fell a bit short for her husband to use.

But looking at the gourd in her hand, her lips still curved upwards, her eyes sparkling with joy and anticipation.

She was filled with excitement at the thought of her husband, Lu Changsheng, returning and seeing the gourd.

Meanwhile, within the Sumeru Cave Heaven.

“What’s happening here?”

Ling Zixiao, who had been in secluded cultivation, sensed something and stepped out of the Hall of Everlasting Life.

She saw the spiritual energy within the cave roaring and surging, the air and plants infused with a refreshing clarity and ethereal quality.

“Elder Sumeru, has something happened?”

Ling Zixiao inquired of the Sumeru Tree King.

“Nothing. I’ve gained some innate energy and am further perfecting the cave’s essence.”

The Sumeru replied to Ling Zixiao, not knowing what the glistening points emitted by the Xuanmu Vine fruit were, only feeling that the innate energy was beneficial to itself.

Seeing that this innate energy was about to return to the essence of heaven and earth, it absorbed it to further enhance the cave’s perfection.

“Innate energy?”

Innate energy has many interpretations; anything that embodies the original essence of the world can be referred to as innate energy.

Ling Zixiao chose not to press for more details, walking out of the cave to check on the situation.

Lu Changsheng sat cross-legged upon the back of the Golden-Winged Roc, traversing the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range.

Suddenly, a system notification rang in his mind.

[Congratulations, host, fifty offspring have broken through to Foundation Establishment. You have obtained the bloodline effect: Offspring Spirit Body Inheritance Rate increased by 3%. You have gained a chance for a high-level lottery!]”

“Hmm? Fifty already?”

Lu Changsheng was momentarily taken aback, feeling a bit bewildered.

With so many children at home, and having cared little over the years, he couldn’t even recall the exact number of Foundation Establishments.

But then he thought carefully, besides many who lacked Spirit Roots or had subpar roots during his early years, most of the children born after he established Bihu Mountain had broken through to Foundation Establishment.

“Fifty who are Foundation Establishing?”

Lu Changsheng felt quite emotional.

Wherever one went, having fifty Foundation Establishment cultivators was quite an astonishing feat.

After all, under the auspices of the Azure Cloud, possessing a single Foundation Establishment cultivator could establish a faction and become an ancestor.

Having three to five Foundation Establishment cultivators would make for a relatively large faction, akin to an old family.

If a family has ten or so Foundation Establishment cultivators, it generally qualifies as a pseudo-Foundation family.

“As a Core Formation family, having fifty or sixty Foundation Establishment cultivators is normal, but…”

As the elder ancestor of the Lu Family, Lu Changsheng naturally knew how these Foundation Establishment cultivators came to be.

It was all due to financial investment.

Otherwise, according to the training methods of other Foundation Establishment families under Azure Cloud, if even half—or even a third or a quarter—of these Lu family children broke through to Foundation Establishment, that would be remarkable.

“Aside from Minghuang and Muque, it seems there aren’t many left who can establish Foundations in the family, right?”

Lu Changsheng pondered briefly, recalling that aside from his son Nangong Minghuang, his daughter Muque, and the Yan Lan sisters’ children, the others were either too old to hope for Foundation Establishment or had already successfully established Foundations.

“It’s time to really settle down now.”

Lu Changsheng let out a soft sigh, feeling the need to take advantage of the next few days to have a few decent children.

Otherwise, with fourth-tier body refinement and Core Formation pinnacle being so difficult to conceive, he feared that once he broke through to Nascent Soul, he would have to rely on pills or secret techniques to quickly have more offspring.

“System, lottery!”

Lu Changsheng’s mind stirred as he silently thought.

Instantly, a deep red advanced lottery wheel appeared, with a dazzling golden light shining brightly, spinning rapidly.

After three breaths, the golden light paused and landed on the ‘Spirit Pet Artifact’ reward section.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you’ve obtained the Spirit Treasure: Divine Maiden’s Furnace!]”

[The reward has been deposited into the system space. The host can check it at any time.]

A delicate, small, ancient furnace, resembling a reclining divine maiden, emerged from the lottery wheel accompanied by a system notification.

“Spirit Treasure!”

Lu Changsheng raised an eyebrow.

Though he possessed four Spirit Treasures in hand, only the [Misty Dust Banner] was usable—the other three were either damaged or illicit, unsuitable for his use.

Therefore, he wanted to obtain a few useful Spirit Treasures through the system.

“But this Spirit Treasure’s name is rather strange…”

Lu Changsheng looked toward the system space.

[Divine Maiden’s Furnace]

[Grade: Mid-Quality Spirit Treasure]

[Description: A Spirit Treasure crafted by a lovestruck gentleman using the teachings of human desires. It contains the laws of human desire, capable of influencing others’ feelings, thoughts, and desires. As long as someone is absorbed into the furnace, they will be eroded by the laws and become mentally twisted, sinking into depravity.]

“???”

Lu Changsheng stared blankly at the description of the Spirit Treasure, then couldn’t help but frown.

What in the world?

He wanted a robe, armor, or some defensive Spirit Treasure.

But what’s this thing?

Once someone is absorbed into the furnace, they become mentally twisted and succumb? Isn’t this just a love gu influencing people? Lu Ancestor, who has always been upright, would never need such means! ‘Lovestruck gentleman’, teaching of human desires—damn it! Just hearing that doesn’t sound reputable at all.

Lu Changsheng secretly cursed while still extracting this Spirit Treasure to see what it was really about.

“Vroom!”

In an instant, a small, exquisite furnace about the size of a fist appeared, with beautifully smooth contours, resembling a divine maiden reclining.

The furnace’s body was neither gold nor jade, very delicate, flowing with misty, fog-like light, adding a sense of ethereal divinity to it.

Looking at the furnace before him, Lu Changsheng shook his head and sighed.

The Divine Maiden’s Furnace was as the description suggested.

Its main function is to disturb and influence others’ feelings, thoughts, and desires through the laws of human desire to achieve control over others.

It can be activated with magical energy to distract and influence others, or one can absorb people into the furnace to have an effect.

As for taking someone into the furnace, aside from utilizing the Spirit Treasure, one could also imprint blood, hair, or tokens of the other person in advance to enhance the effect.

Beyond that, this Divine Maiden’s Furnace had no other effective powers.

No, one unique feature is that this furnace can also serve as a cave treasure, acting as a receptacle for individuals or storing some items.

But once put inside, even without activation, they would still be influenced by the laws of human desire within the furnace.

“Sigh… This type of Spirit Treasure falling into my hands is destined to gather dust and be forgotten.”

Lu Changsheng sighed, feeling that he had wasted an advanced lottery opportunity.

However, he thought for a moment, and this Divine Maiden’s Furnace wasn’t entirely useless.

For example, his “Six Desire Heart Demon Technique” could utilize the laws of the Divine Maiden’s Furnace for cultivation.

In any case, he could store it in his cave as an incense burner to enhance the atmosphere during dual cultivation with his wives, but without thinking any further, Lu Changsheng placed the Divine Maiden’s Furnace into his Storage Ring while continuing on his journey.

A month later, Lu Changsheng quietly returned to Bihu Mountain.

His Nascent Soul stretched out, instantly seeing a jubilant scene at home, likely preparing for some sort of celebration.

Without needing to think, he knew this was his son Lu Ping’an’s wedding.

“Looks like I made it just in time.”

Though Lu Changsheng hadn’t returned, the Thousand-Faced Fox Puppet could temporarily stand in for him.

But for his son’s marriage, under suitable conditions, he would definitely want to be present.

Arriving at the Lu Family Compound, Lu Miaoyun spotted him and immediately exclaimed with joy, “Husband!”

“Yun Er.”

Lu Changsheng smiled and approached her, asking how long until the ceremony began.

“It’s in two and a half months.”

Lu Miaoyun quickly replied.

Originally, Lu Changsheng had said he would be back from Jiang Kingdom in a year at most.

So, Lu Miaoyun had finalized the marriage without delay at the Heavenly Sword Sect.

“How are the arrangements going?”

Lu Changsheng held his wife’s jade hand and sat down beside her.

“Everything is prepared. Many guests have already arrived,” Lu Miaoyun informed Lu Changsheng in detail.

“You’ve all worked hard.”

Lu Changsheng said with a smile, then inquired if there had been any news in Jiang Kingdom recently.

“Xu Family established a Core Formation cultivator?”

Upon hearing that the Beast Taming Xu Family had produced a well-known Core Formation cultivator, Lu Changsheng raised an eyebrow, not greatly surprised.

Previously, he had asked Ling Zixiao to gather information on the Beast Taming Xu Family, believing that if the Xu Family were not concerned about the Azure Cloud Sect, they would have trained a second Core Formation cultivator long ago.

Now that a second Core Formation cultivator had appeared, it was purely due to the Xu Family’s old ancestor nearing the end of their lifespan, needing a new Core Formation cultivator to guard the family.

Lu Changsheng even suspected that this new Core Formation cultivator had already broken through but had only now returned.

“Xu Tiandu?”

However, when Lu Changsheng heard the name of this Xu Family cultivator, he was slightly surprised.

Wasn’t this the target of Xu Ruoyin’s revenge? According to Xu Ruoyin, after breaking through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage in his early years, he went out to train and had not returned since—no news.

And now he had actually returned as a Core Formation cultivator.

“Tsk, it seems the Xu Family is quite secretive indeed.”

Lu Changsheng chuckled softly, almost certain that this Xu Tiandu must have broken through to Core Formation quite some time ago.

The Xu Family must have other forces outside.

Families on Jiang Kingdom’s side would send their core members over for training once they broke through to mid-Foundation Establishment.

However, Lu Changsheng had little interest in these matters.

After all, things change.

The current Beast Taming Xu Family no longer caught Lu Ancestor’s eye.

“By the way, husband, the Xuanmu Vine fruit you planted at the peak of Biyun has matured!”

Lu Miaoyun seemed to think of something and spoke up.

“It’s matured!”

Lu Changsheng’s expression brightened.

He had high hopes for the fruit of the Xuanmu Vine.

After all, based on Hong Lian’s words, Xuanmu Vine was a companion spiritual vine of the Xuantian Spirit Vine, with many similar qualities.

Thus, he was curious to see if he could glean anything about the Xuantian Spirit Vine from the Xuanmu Vine.

Seeing his wife’s mysterious expression, Lu Changsheng raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile, “What? Is the matured fruit something special?”

“You’ll find out when the time comes, husband,” Lu Miaoyun responded playfully, keeping the treasures the matured fruit had transformed into—a gourd—hidden from him.

“Oh?”

Lu Changsheng formed a general idea in his mind, smiling, then called for his wife Qu Zhenzhen and headed to the peak of Biyun with both women.

Upon entering the underground palace, Lu Changsheng immediately saw a vibrant green gourd covered in mysterious dark purple patterns, exuding a strong vitality beside the Xuantian Spirit Vine.

As a top-tier third-level artifact smith, Lu Changsheng’s vision was exceptional, and he instantly recognized that this gourd was extraordinary.

Seeing that the Xuantian Spirit Vine beside it had vanished from the Five Elements Earth, Lu Changsheng’s expression turned excited as he looked at his wife and said, “Zhenzhen, this gourd is the result of the Xuanmu Vine’s essence?”

Even though Lu Changsheng had previously fantasized that the Xuanmu Vine would yield a fourth or fifth-tier gourd for him, he did not harbor expectations once he saw the fruit’s shape was not like a gourd.

He never imagined the Xuanmu Vine would truly produce the gourd he desired.

“That’s right, this gourd is indeed the result of the Xuanmu Vine’s fruit!”

Qu Zhenzhen immediately sparkled with excitement, explaining the details of the Xuanmu Vine fruit’s maturity.