Starting with a daily divination to build an immortal clan

Chapter 161 Spiritual Spring
As the late autumn air grew colder, Shen Yuan noticed that his temperament seemed to have been affected to some extent since Huang Qingzhou's death.

I haven't been in a hurry to cultivate lately.

He has now reached the peak of the sixth level of Qi Refining. On the white jade tortoise shell of his sea of ​​consciousness, a crystal clear blue light ball floats quietly.

That was the insight that Shen Wen'an received when he broke through to the embryonic breathing stage.

However, he felt that he was still too far from achieving fetal breathing, so he was not in a hurry to absorb it.

Late at night, Shen Yuan tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.

Once midnight had passed, he habitually glanced at the divination results for the day.

[The divination result has been updated!]

[Today's Hexagram - Very Auspicious]: The earth's veins converge, and a spiritual spring gushes forth. A spiritual spring has been born in the family orchard, which will greatly benefit the family's development.

A golden hexagram emerged from the white jade tortoise shell. Shen Yuan was stunned for a moment, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his face.

Spirit spring?

This is a good thing.

Pei Zhao's copy of "Observations in the Cultivation World" contains records about the Spirit Spring.

The spiritual spring is said to be a wonderful thing containing the spiritual energy of the earth's veins. The spring water can be used to refine pills, irrigate spiritual plants and seeds, or be consumed directly to increase the cultivation speed of cultivators.

However, these earth vein springs also have different grades.

The effects of low-grade spiritual springs are not significant, and the spiritual energy they contain is negligible. Drinking them can at most improve the health of ordinary people, but they are of little use to cultivators.

Only springs of medium grade or higher can be considered true spiritual springs.

The book also records that some high-quality spiritual springs may give birth to innate spiritual energy called "Earthly Fiend Spiritual Energy".

After getting off the bed, Shen Yuan glanced at his wife, who was still fast asleep, carefully covered her with the blanket, and then left the room.

Upon arriving in the courtyard, he quietly made a hand seal and used the Cloud Dragon Technique, which he had cultivated for many years, to barely summon a wisp of water vapor beneath his feet. He then slowly flew through the air towards the medicinal herb garden in the mountains.

As Shen Yuan descended from the steep cliff into the herb garden, he felt a profound spiritual energy slowly emanating from it.

Following this special spiritual energy, Shen Yuan found the so-called spiritual spring, and a look of realization appeared on his face.

The location where the spiritual spring appeared was right next to a purple star fruit tree.

"No wonder this Purple Star Fruit Tree has always been more vigorous than others, and it also bore fruit earlier than other Purple Star Fruit Trees."

Looking at the noticeably thicker purple star fruit tree in front of him, Shen Yuan thought of the fruit trees that were planted at the same time.

Only this one plant bore purple star fruit in less than ten years, while the others took eleven or twelve years to bear fruit.

Now it seems that it must be because of this sacred spring.

However, the spiritual spring had not yet fully formed at that time, and this Purple Star Fruit Tree had only absorbed some of the earth's spiritual energy.

He bent down and pried open the boulder in front of him, revealing a deep spring about ten inches in diameter.

The spring water was clear, gleaming coolly in the moonlight, and rich, earth-growth energy emanated from it.

This spring must have just formed; it has a relatively large volume of water and is bubbling outwards.

Shen Yuan estimated that after a while, the water volume of the spiritual spring would decrease, so he would have to use it sparingly.

He reached out and scooped up some clear spring water to drink. The cool spiritual energy spread through his body, and a smile appeared on his face.

"Judging from the concentration of spiritual energy, it should be a mid-grade spiritual spring..."

Shen Yuan muttered something in a low voice, then immediately returned home and called Shen Wenxing over.

The father and son stood before the spiritual spring. Shen Wenxing asked in surprise, "Father, how did you discover this spiritual spring?"

Shen Yuan smiled and said with his hands behind his back, "I'm getting old and don't sleep much, so I thought I'd come here to take a look."

"The spiritual energy of the earth veins is richer than ordinary spiritual energy, which helps to widen the meridians and refine the spiritual power in the body."

"The water volume of this spiritual spring should be sufficient to meet the needs of our entire family."

"The rest... can also be given to those children who have spiritual roots and immortal seedlings."

"We need to improve their cultivation level as soon as possible."

"And the spiritual fruits in this garden can also be distributed to those with spiritual roots later."

Huang Qingzhou's death made him realize once again that the Shen family's current strength was too weak.

When the barbarians attacked, let alone having too many, even if there were just one more Qi Refining Stage 3 cultivator accompanying him, Huang Qingzhou might not have died in battle.

Shen Wenxing nodded.

"This spiritual spring will surely play a significant role in enhancing the cultivation of our clansmen."

A cultivator, especially one in the Qi Refining stage, eats spirit rice and drinks spirit spring water. If they can also use spirit crystals for daily cultivation, such treatment is something that many disciples of immortal sects can only dream of.

In other words, the Shen family currently has few cultivators, so these things are still sufficient.

As the number of cultivators increases in the future, we certainly cannot afford to waste resources like this.

"I'll put a stone trough here first, so that all this spring water won't flow into the soil and be wasted."

"Let's excavate this area too, and build it into a small pond later..."

The father and son were busy in the herb garden.

The next morning, after finishing his cultivation, Shen Chongming went to the backyard early.

"grandfather."

He saw Shen Yuan sunbathing on a recliner, so he came up to him and cupped his hands in greeting: "Grandson has something to ask of you."

Shen Yuan nodded: "Speak."

Shen Chongming thought for a moment and said, "Grandson has now reached the peak of the third level of Qi Refining. I have come here to ask Grandpa for permission to take people to Hidden Dragon Mountain to protect the Shen family in place of Grandpa."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yuan slowly sat up, gave him a deep look, and said in a deep voice:

“You are the eldest grandson of the Shen family and the future head of the family. It is not your place to handle matters on the front lines.”

Shen Chongming stubbornly replied, "But my grandson is also a member of the Shen family."

"Grandpa, don't worry, I will definitely take good care of myself after I go there."

Shen Yuan didn't speak, but glanced at the large white bone bow in his hand, and recalled what the kid had said when they chose their weapons.

“You can go, but you must bring Zhao Tuan and the other two with you.”

The younger generation of the Shen family, including Zhao Tuan, Chen Youran, and Shi Miao from Black Stone Village, are all now Qi Refining cultivators.

Besides providing an extra layer of security, there was a deeper consideration behind having Shen Chongming take them along.

That is to let the four of them get to know each other better through life and death, so that they can be used more easily in the future.

"Huh?" Shen Chongming said in surprise, "Shouldn't they have stayed to cultivate properly?"

Shen Yuan smiled but remained silent.

"Alright." Shen Chongming thought for a moment and then nodded in agreement.

“Zhao Tuan is older and more composed. After you go there, you should listen to his opinions before you act.” “That kid from Black Stone Village is clever, but he is also impulsive. You should keep him by your side at all times and not entrust him with important matters alone.”

“The Chen family girl is meticulous, but not good with words. You should consider this carefully.”

After pondering for a moment, Shen Yuan still gave some words of advice with some unease.

In recent years, he has been guiding the spiritual practice of these individuals, and naturally, he has a fairly clear understanding of each person's temperament and personality.

"Grandpa, don't worry, I understand."

"My grandson has passed away."

Shen Chongming bowed to Shen Yuan and then left the backyard.

Watching his figure disappear, Shen Yuan sighed and gently stroked the big black dog beside him, saying, "Do you think this kid can do it?"

The big black dog, no longer lazy, raised its head off the ground, looked at the backyard gate, then at Shen Yuan, its mouth slightly open, and its tongue lolling out.

Shen Yuan chuckled and patted its head before standing up from the recliner.

"Let's go to the training ground and check on those kids."

Upon hearing this, the big black dog jumped up, shook its fur, and followed him toward the training ground.

In the backyard training ground, Shen Chonghong was practicing standing meditation to temper his body.

Beside them, Shen Chongxuan, Shen You, and two other boys, about six or seven years old, stood quietly watching, their eyes filled with admiration.

Upon hearing footsteps, Shen Chonghong immediately stopped his stance training, and the five of them stood still, bowing to Shen Yuan.

Shen Yuan approached with his hands behind his back, looked at Shen Chonghong and said:
"How is it?"

"Have you sensed the presence of spiritual energy?"

Shen Chonghong shook his head slightly and said awkwardly, "My grandson has reached the peak of body tempering for several months, but I have not yet felt the presence of spiritual energy."

Shen Yuan nodded slightly and said, "Cultivation requires avoiding impatience and restlessness. If you haven't sensed spiritual energy, you haven't reached the required level yet."

"Girl, what about you?" Shen Yuan asked with a smile, looking at Shen You.

Shen You proudly declared, "You'er has already sensed the flow of qi and blood; she will soon reach the Body Tempering Realm."

After saying this, she gave her two older brothers a provocative look.

"If I catch up with you two, you'll be embarrassed..."

Hearing this, Shen Chonghong didn't think much of it.

He is already at the peak of Body Tempering and has a fire-attribute spiritual root, but he has not yet sensed spiritual energy and is unable to step into the Qi Refining realm.

But Shen Chongxuan, standing to the side, wore a bitter smile.

He has no spiritual root.

Moreover, since his father, Shen Wenyan, left the Shen family, the child seems to have suddenly become much more introverted.

Unlike Shen Chonghong and Shen You, she doesn't usually dare to act cute or joke with her grandfather.

When he met Shen Yuan, he was mostly respectful.

Seeing that his grandfather had only inquired about his brother Shen Chonghong and sister Shen You's cultivation and hadn't asked about him, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

After pondering for a moment with his head down, Shen Chongxuan finally mustered up his courage and said, "Grandpa."

Shen Yuan turned to look at him: "Hmm?"

Meeting his gaze, Shen Chongxuan was somewhat timid, but in the end he still spoke up: "Grandson... grandson may not be cut out for cultivation."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yuan frowned slightly.

He also felt very sorry for this grandson.

Although he had no spiritual roots, he was a cheerful and sensible child when he was young.

However, ever since her father left, and after she came into contact with cultivation and spiritual roots, her personality has gradually changed, becoming sensitive, self-conscious, and taciturn.

The reason I didn't ask him about his cultivation this time was because I was afraid of hurting his pride.

"Chongxuan, there is no definitive conclusion on matters of cultivation."

Do you still remember your brother Zhao Tuan?

"Hasn't he already become a Qi Refining Realm cultivator?"

"As a son of the Shen family, how can you give up so easily?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Chongxuan shook his head slightly and said, "Grandpa, I've thought it through. Rather than wasting time on cultivation, I'd rather do what Father does and study more."

"Once you acquire profound knowledge, even if you are just an ordinary person, you will be able to help your elder brother govern the Shen family."

"Please grant my request, Grandpa."

He knelt down respectfully with a firm gaze.

Shen Yuan felt very uncomfortable upon seeing this.

He could see the resentment hidden deep in the young man's heart.

However, cultivation cannot be achieved by forcing one to do so.

Just like Huang Lingxiu and his wife Hu Yufen, neither of them cared much about cultivation. In addition, they had no spiritual roots, so no matter how much they were forced, they made almost no progress over the years.

Shen Chongxuan has lost his edge in cultivation; forcing him to continue cultivating would be a waste of time.

“Child, Grandpa knows you’re not happy about this, but Grandpa will respect your choice.”

"Think it over carefully, go back and talk to your mother, and then go find your grandfather, how about that?"

Shen Yuan helped him up from the ground and spoke earnestly.

Shen Chongxuan nodded and cupped his hands slightly.

Then he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to Shen Chonghong and said, "Brother Chonghong, I'll head back now."

Watching his retreating figure leave the training ground, Shen Chonghong wanted to say something, but the words stuck in his throat.

"Grandpa... Brother Chongxuan... he can't go on like this."

Shen You raised her head and looked at Shen Yuan.

Shen Yuan sighed and patted her head, saying, "Grandpa believes in him and he'll figure it out."

"Alright, let's rest for a while and continue our cultivation later."

“You two little ones will also be undergoing body tempering starting tomorrow.”

Beside them, two little boys who had been selected as having spiritual roots quickly and respectfully bowed:
"Yes, Grandpa Chief."

After giving the group some pointers on the stance training, Shen Yuan returned to the backyard from the training ground with the big black dog and saw Zhao Xuan standing respectfully in the yard.

Shen Chongxuan, on the other hand, had a swollen face and tears in his eyes, kneeling to the side with his head held high and chest out.

(End of this chapter)