Chương 85: New Year's Eve, Thirty Four

Zhang Lixian's eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"It's over. It's all behind us now. There's still a chance. Get some rest first." Zhang Huaijin and Zhang Wujian stood in silence, neither knowing what to say. Zhang Lixian led Zhang Liliang away. Zhang Chongwen had also received the news.

"As long as he's alive, that's all that matters! As long as he's breathing!" Zhang Liliang's chance at reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm had never been great to begin with. Between a flawed Foundation Establishment Pill and the corrupting influence of the Tribulation energy, failure was almost guaranteed. That he had survived at all was already a blessing from the heavens.

Though his lifespan had been cut short, if Zhang Liliang took care of himself and recovered properly, he still had at least forty years left to live. And the debts he had incurred would not fall upon his descendants. There was nothing to be done. That was simply his fate. The news of Zhang Liliang's failed breakthrough swept through the entire Zhang family like a gale, bringing a harsh dose of reality crashing down on the family. Zhang Huaijin and Zhang Lixian had both succeeded on their first attempts.

That success had given the clan a dangerous illusion that reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm was nothing special. But Zhang Liliang's failure was like a bucket of ice water, dousing the fire burning in everyone's chests. Zhang Huaijin and Zhang Wujian spent a full day together.

"Second brother," Zhang Wujian finally said, his voice steady as he adjusted his mindset. His eyes blazed with renewed determination.

"I'm going into seclusion. I need to reach the Perfection Stage of the Qi Refining Realm as soon as possible. That way, I can start building my foundation properly, polishing my realm step by step. I don't want to live with regrets. I will reach Foundation Establishment Realm." Zhang Huaijin placed a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"You can do it. I believe in you." For now, Zhang Huaijin wasn't sure what else he could do. He and Zhang Lixian had already documented their experiences breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm and added them to the clan archives. They had done their best to help future generations avoid the same pitfalls. But in the end, breaking through was a battle each cultivator had to fight alone. Zhang Wujian left and began his seclusion.

Though he had failed to break through, Zhang Liliang remained at the Perfection Stage of the Qi Refining Realm. The clan appointed him as the Fourth Elder, placing him in charge of the family's talisman crafting business. And so, as time flowed forward like a quiet river, the Zhang Clan returned to its rhythm. Everything moved forward in an orderly fashion. —— Six Months Later In the blink of an eye, another half year had passed.

A vast blanket of white snow covered the earth, transforming the landscape into a realm of silver. Snowflakes dotted the endless groves of green bamboo. Icicles as thick as a finger hung from the eaves of the bamboo buildings. The world was utterly silent. In a snap, another year had come to a close. This year, Zhang Huaijin turned thirty four. And his cultivation had calmly, steadily advanced to the third level of Foundation Establishment Realm.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Deep within his sea of consciousness, the primordial chaos of his Primordial Tai Chi Visualization Diagram slowly rotated, like a divine black and white millstone, ceaselessly grinding and tempering his soul. Faintly, almost imperceptibly, his very soul began to emit a soft black-and-white radiance, like a living Tai Chi symbol, twisting the space around it.

His soul power had grown even more formidable, now rivaling that of an eighth level Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator. Beneath his soul hovered the twelve Yin Yang Divine Needles. They had grown even more ethereal, their black and white light shimmering constantly, now laced with threads of fiendish energy. Their destructive power had increased dramatically. More importantly, Zhang Huaijin's Yin Yang Divine Needles had awakened a new ability.

He was still training it, but the power was undeniable: the ability to fuse all twelve needles into a single, devastating strike. His body had also grown stronger. Most Tier 2, mid stage spirit beasts no longer possessed a physique as formidable as his. His third level Qi cultivation had fully stabilized. As long as he advanced steadily, reaching the peak of the third level, he could break through to the fourth level whenever he chose.

For a Foundation Establishment Realm clan, having a cultivator in the mid stages meant the clan's legacy was stable and secure. It would not easily be wiped out. If a clan possessed a late stage cultivator, it would be considered a top tier Foundation Establishment family even across the Nine Prefectures of Qingtai. Their influence would no longer be limited to a handful of counties, they would set their sights on an entire prefecture. Even Purple Mansion Realm factions would not dare look down on them.

After all, during the great spirit beast tides, it was these late stage cultivators who were called upon to defend the realm. This was why Jiang Wenshi had once looked down on Zhang Huaijin. Late stage Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators enjoyed immense fame across an entire prefecture. Jiang Wenshi knew that Zhang Huaijin had potential, but he believed it would take at least thirty or forty years for him to reach the late stages. The bottleneck between the mid stage and the late stage was no joke.

Jiang Wenshi himself had been stuck at the mid stage bottleneck for ten years, and the late stage bottleneck had taken a full twenty years of desperate struggle and luck to finally break through. What he didn't know was that those obstacles meant nothing to Zhang Huaijin. —— New Year's Eve Huaijin emerged from seclusion. He sat down with his family for a warm, lively New Year's Eve dinner, the fire crackling and laughter filling the room. It was then that he received some news.

"Big brother, congratulations!" He looked at Zhang Hanren, who had returned to Green Bamboo Mountain from Langya County Town. A genuine smile crossed his face. Zhang Hanren had now reached the eighth level of the Qi Refining Realm. He was fifteen years older than Huaijin, forty nine years old now. He still had eleven years to reach the Perfection Stage of the Qi Refining Realm, and plenty of years after that to try for the Foundation Establishment Realm.

But that Foundation Establishment Pill they had obtained from the Fang family… unless something unexpected happened, it was already spoken for. It was meant for Zhang Liwei. Liwei had already reached the peak of the eighth level and was now pushing toward the ninth. He was the same age as Huaijin, thirty-four. By around forty, he would stand at the Perfection Stage of the Qi Refining Realm. Moreover, Liwei led the clan's spirit beast hunting team, earning a fortune in merit points.

He was a three spirit root cultivator, advancing faster than anyone else in his generation. That Foundation Establishment Pill had his name written all over it. Zhang Hanren understood this perfectly. He felt no anxiety, no jealousy. Everything was moving forward at a steady pace. What you get is luck; what you lose is fate. He had spent too many of his early years struggling alongside the clan during its most desperate days. And besides, he was a four spirit root cultivator.

His potential and talent simply could not match Liwei's.

"Haha! Same to you, same to you!" Zhang Hanren's weathered face split into a broad grin. Zhang Hanren's son was named Zhang Rende. He was the nineteenth child of the Zhang Clan's fourth generation. Huaijin's niece, on the other hand, had no spiritual root and could not cultivate. Twenty years had passed since Huaijin first came down from the mountain at fifteen. In that time, the clan had grown tremendously.

Among the Zhang Clan's mortal members living in Green Bamboo Town, the population had now exceeded thirty thousand. Green Bamboo Town could no longer be called a town, it had become a small city. The clan had already begun planning its expansion. They had also upgraded its spirit vein. It now possessed a Tier 1, upper grade spirit vein, guarded by three mid stage Qi Refining Realm cultivators.

Once someone from the third generation reached the late stage of Qi Refining Realm, that person would be sent to guard the new Green Bamboo City. With over thirty thousand mortal clan members, the Zhangs had to be cautious. Even though the Tang Kingdom was quiet, with demonic cultivators keeping a low profile, they could not afford to let their guard down. Who knew when the demonic path might rise again?

"Rende is the clan's third three spirit root cultivator. That's worth celebrating!" Zhang Huaijin teased, raising a cup of tea in toast.

"Big brother, you'd better keep working hard. Try to have a few more children with spiritual roots. Build up the family." Zhang Hanren laughed and shook his head, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

"You brat…" He paused, then grinned even wider.

"Well… that's not a bad idea. I'll, uh, put in the effort!" The room filled with warm laughter as the family welcomed the new year together.