Chương 147: Fish Leaps Over the Dragon Gate

"Second Brother, you really are amazing!" Zhang Yunli's eyes sparkled with pure admiration. Zhang Wujian nodded so vigorously he looked like a pecking chicken.

"Alright, that's enough flattery. The only thing I want from you two is to focus on your cultivation. The family's influence is expanding, and we'll need every capable hand in the years ahead. Now get to training, I'm heading back to the green bamboo mountain." Huaijin's tone carried mock sternness, but the warmth in his eyes betrayed him.

"Got it!" The two siblings scampered off toward their cultivation chambers, bubbling with enthusiasm. —— Meanwhile, in the tranquil lake, the mysterious pine fish had undergone a remarkable transformation. Without anyone noticing, it had surged to the perfection stage. The other fish's numbers multiplied steadily, and the surrounding spiritual energy grew denser by the day, so thick it almost condensed into mist. Among the shoal, a Tier 2 fish had already emerged.

One had to admit, the bloodline power coursing through these creatures was truly fearsome. As for Haihu, after devouring the corpse of a mid stage cultivator, the great tiger was now pushing against the bottleneck to the mid stage. For spirit beasts, the barriers between realms were less rigid than for human cultivators, given sufficient time and resources, steady progress was almost guaranteed.

The Blazing Sun Chicken, terrified of being left behind, also threw itself into training with desperate fervor, offering up its bloodline power in ritual cultivation. The old Green Ape Mountain had never offered conditions this luxurious, such rich spiritual energy, such abundant resources. None of them dared waste the opportunity. On Purple Cloud Peak, both humans and beasts toiled with singular focus. —— Huaijin departed the Purple Cloud Peak and made his way back to Green Bamboo Mountain.

When the two Foundation Establishment Pills appeared before Zhang Chongwen and Zhang Lixian, both men froze as if struck by lightning. They had known this day might come. Huaijin had asked them to gather the spiritual herbs, after all. They'd prepared themselves mentally. But seeing the actual pills, glistening with radiance, pulsing with condensed energy, sent shockwaves through their very souls. Huaijin was only a Tier 2 upper grade alchemist. And he'd had only one set of ingredients!

Yet he had succeeded on the very first attempt. Not only that, he'd produced two pills. This wasn't talent. This was something beyond comprehension. Zhang Lixian felt a surreal dizziness wash over him. An ordinary Tier 2 upper grade alchemist wouldn't have had a prayer of pulling this off. Even a Tier 3 low grade alchemist would consider a twenty percent success rate impressive, thirty percent was the stuff of legends. And Huaijin succeeded on his very first try.

But more astonishing still, beyond being an alchemist, Huaijin was also an artifact forger and a talisman master. A triple prodigy. The word "genius" felt laughably inadequate.

"Huaijin… am I dreaming?" Zhang Chongwen reached out with trembling hands, taking the two pills. He held them as though they were made of glass, his voice cracking with emotion. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Zhang Lixian, meanwhile, had already calmed himself. He'd witnessed so many miracles from his son that numbness was beginning to set in. Still, his heart pounded beneath his composed exterior.

"Grandfather, this is real." Huaijin's voice was calm, certain. He never kept secrets from his family. Zhang Chongwen and Zhang Lixian were the pillars of this family, there was no need for pretense between them.

"Then… how should we allocate these?" Zhang Chongwen forced himself to breathe, pushing down the storm of emotions. His eyes sought Huaijin's guidance. Zhang Lixian also turned to his son, waiting. Though the family had supplied the raw materials, the core ingredients and the refining itself had been Huaijin's doing. He had earned the right to decide their fate.

"I'd like to give one to the Yang family," Huaijin said without hesitation.

"That was my promise to Yang Jing." Years ago, Huaijin had slain Yen Tianyang, settling an old blood debt and avenging the Yang family's deepest grievance. In gratitude, the Yang family had offered up their ancestral treasures and sworn allegiance to the Zhangs. And the Zhang family had promised a Foundation Establishment Pill in return. The Yang family already had a Tier 2 cultivator of their own. With the Zhangs now holding surplus pills, the time had come to honor that promise.

"Good," Zhang Lixian approved, nodding slowly.

"The family has just elevated four new Tier 2 cultivators. As for the Qi Refining cultivators who've reached the perfection stage, they lack the merit and achievements to warrant such a prize. Besides, our family could use some discretion right now. Let this pill go to the Yangs."

"Agreed." Zhang Chongwen exhaled, a complex expression flickering across his aged face.

"The family doesn't have a suitable candidate anyway. Yang Jing is the right choice. To be honest, he's luckier than Miao Tianghong ever was, at least he lived to see his family rise and produce Tier 2 cultivators. Miao Tianghong… couldn't even close his eyes in peace." A heavy silence settled over the room. Zhang Lixian and Huaijin exchanged a glance, both feeling the weight of those words. Once, the Zhang family had been the Miao family's junior allies, depending on them for protection.

But now, barely fifty years later, their fortunes had completely reversed. The Miao family had struggled for over two centuries before finally grasping this opportunity to produce a Tier 2 cultivator, fulfilling their long-cherished dream. And yet, Miao Tianghong had not lived to see it.

"Father, enough. No point dwelling on the past." Zhang Lixian's voice was gentle but firm.

"Let's seal the remaining Foundation Establishment Pill for safekeeping. It can be preserved for the next twenty years." Zhang Chongwen collected himself, brushing a hand across his face. For some reason, age had made him increasingly sentimental. Perhaps it was the steady stream of old friends and rivals passing into the next life, leaving him alone with his memories. Huaijin nodded silently. His accumulated merit points had now surpassed three hundred thousand, all earned through tireless service to the family.

But titles and rewards meant little to him. What mattered was the family's strength. After delivering the Foundation Establishment Pills and reminding the family to continue gathering the necessary herbs, Huaijin returned to the Purple Cloud Peak. By now, the number of spirit beasts roaming between Purple Cloud Peak and Green Bamboo Mountain had dwindled to almost nothing.

The Zhang family was already planning to build a new city between the two mountain ranges, a settlement to house their mortal kin who lacked spirit roots. Green Bamboo City, despite its steady expansion, would eventually reach its limits. The family leadership, wise and forward-thinking, had already begun preparing for that future. —— Back on Purple Cloud Peak. Huaijin had barely set foot on the mountain when the mysterious pine fish stirred. BOOM!

The creature erupted from the lake in a cascade of silver spray, its massive form breaching the surface with a thunderous roar. A terrifying aura exploded outward, the full oppressive might of a perfection stage Tier 2 beast, cascading across the water and shaking the very air. In the lake below, thousands of pine fish cowered in terror, pressing themselves into the muddy depths. Even the other Tier 2 pine fish trembled like a leaf in a storm. Huaijin's expression remained perfectly calm.

He walked slowly to the water's edge, his robes undisturbed by the violent waves.

"My master," the great pine fish spoke, its ancient voice resonating in Huaijin's mind.

"You carry the inner core of a dragon-blooded spirit beast, don't you?" Huaijin's eyebrows rose slightly.

"Yes. How did you know?" A ripple of smugness passed through the fish's psychic voice.

"I can smell it, of course. The bloodline calls to bloodline."

"You want it?"

"Haha! Master knows me too well! I do indeed want it!" The pine fish's laughter boomed across the lake, its eyes gleaming with naked hunger and anticipation.

"Give me a reason to give it to you then," Huaijin said flatly. He reached into his storage ring and withdrew the corpse of the Frost Dragon Tortoise, letting it crash onto the shore with a heavy thud. The spirit beast's core, a crystallized orb of condensed draconic power, glowed softly in his palm.

"A Frost Dragon Tortoise?" The pine fish's voice crackled with excitement.

"Haha! Not bad at all! This is better than I'd hoped!"

"A reason," Huaijin repeated. The pine fish's amusement faded into something more serious.

"A reason? I'm your Contracted Beast, you hold my soul in your palm. What more reason do I need than your command?" Huaijin was speechless for a moment.

"That's not good enough."

"Then I'll give you a better one," the pine fish said slowly, each word weighted with ancient significance.

"Fish Leaps Over the Dragon Gate." The words hung in the air like a prophecy. Huaijin's eyes narrowed.

"Is that enough?"