Clan Cultivation: My Intelligence Updated Daily

Chapter 171 Returning to the Zhang Family, Assigning Personnel

Qingya Mountain.

Nearly ten days have passed since Zhang Lingyu went to Tianliu City and Yanxing Market, which is different from the agreed time, so he can't help but feel a little worried.

I wonder how Master is doing.

Inside the courtyard, Wang Menghan was quite worried. She had asked Zhang Yuanhua and the other elderly people, who said they were fine, but they were actually quite anxious.

Since losing my parents, this person is now my closest relative.

Seeing the girl's worried expression, Qingling beside her also fell silent.

With her mind in turmoil, even her cultivation and sword practice were unsatisfactory. She could only play with the flowers and plants in the courtyard, trying to calm her inner anxieties.

Fortunately, not long after, a streak of light suddenly appeared in the distance. She looked up thoughtfully and saw that the streak of light was extremely fast. In the blink of an eye, it landed in the courtyard and revealed a familiar figure.

"Master!"

Upon seeing the other person return, Wang Menghan's worry vanished instantly, replaced by boundless joy. She threw herself into the other person's arms, and even Qingling chirped happily.

"This child..."

Zhang Lingyu gave a wry smile. He had noticed the girl from afar and knew she was worried about his late return. He patted her head and comforted her, "I'm back now."

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, he got up and headed to the family hall to tell Zhang Yuanhua and the others about what had happened on this trip.

Wang Menghan nodded understandingly and took her spirit pet back to her cave to cultivate in peace.

Inside the family hall, Zhang Yuanhua, Zhang Yuanlin, and the other two had been waiting for a long time. When Wang Menghan came to find them, they were not sure what to expect. Now that they saw the young man return safely, they breathed a sigh of relief.

"Brother, I think the clan needs to make some soul lamps and life tablets."

Zhang Yuanlin thought for a moment and suggested:

"Now that Yingchuan County is stable, more of our clansmen will inevitably go out to travel in the future, and the risks will also increase. To put it bluntly, if we die outside, we will know where and when we died."

"Yes, it is indeed necessary."

Zhang Yuanhua stroked his beard and sighed:

"Although it will come at a price, Lingyu will definitely agree. I'll tell her in a bit."

"it is good."

No sooner had the words been spoken than a young man appeared outside the main hall, bowing and saying, "Grand Elder, Second Grand Elder, Lingyu has returned."

"It's good that you're back. Have you comforted Haomenghan?"

"Yes, I'm sorry to have worried your elders."

At this point, Zhang Lingyu felt a little embarrassed. He had told the clan that it might take a day or two, but he hadn't expected it to take so long. He hadn't thought things through.

"Alright, you're as lively as ever, looks like nothing serious!"

Zhang Yuanhua looked the boy over and noticed he had sustained some injuries. He frowned slightly but didn't ask immediately. Instead, he brought up the topic of their earlier discussion and asked, "Lingyu, what do you think..."

"What the two elders say makes sense. I'll go down and make the arrangements in a bit."

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhang Lingyu immediately agreed. Now that the family was large and prosperous, they did need soul lamps and life tablets to keep a close watch on the lives and safety of their clansmen. The family already had some, but unfortunately, the quality was poor, and they might not be able to keep up if they went too far.

The main material needed to make these two items is Soul Nourishing Wood, which is at least 500 years old. To include all the cultivators of the clan, it would cost at least 70,000 to 80,000 spirit stones.

The refining process is also quite complicated. It requires carving a seven-petaled lotus lamp from soul-nourishing wood, engraving a "soul-capturing talisman" inside, soaking the soul-locking silk in one's life essence blood, twisting it into a wick, and placing it in a hidden location.

As for the effects, it goes without saying that if the lamp goes out, the person dies; if the lamp flame turns from blue to green, the person is seriously injured and on the verge of death. If a cultivator falls, their remaining soul can be tracked by the afterglow of the lamp flame.

A life tablet can only determine whether a cultivator is alive or dead; it has no other function.

Because making soul lamps consumes a huge amount of soul-nourishing wood, the three decided after discussion that only foundation-building cultivators in the family could use them, while the other cultivators would use life tablets first.

After discussing the general matters, Zhang Yuanlin added, "This place must be secluded and a large array must be set up so that only Foundation Establishment cultivators can enter."

"I understand."

Zhang Lingyu nodded. The Soul Lamp is related to the most secret things of cultivators. If it falls into the hands of outsiders, they can not only track the cultivator's whereabouts, but some evil cultivators can also use it to remotely curse and kill.

Of course, killing a cultivator with a curse is not an easy task; one must be at least one major realm higher, and it also requires a considerable price to pay.

The cost is mostly the caster's own lifespan.

Therefore, people would rather rely on this method to track them than resort to such a desperate measure.

After settling the important matters of the soul lamp and the life tablet, Zhang Yuanhua asked with concern, "Lingyu, I see you have some injuries. Did something serious happen on your way back?"

"Hmm, Lingyu, you're injured?"

Zhang Yuanlin, who was standing to the side, also became worried. Because of his low cultivation level and the boy's good concealment, he had not been able to detect anything unusual even when they were talking face to face.

"I ran into three clueless guys on the road and got a few minor injuries, nothing serious." Zhang Lingyu chuckled twice, then started talking about how the three Meng brothers had ambushed and tried to kill him.

After hearing this, the two old men were somewhat astonished; those were three mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators!

Although Zhang Lingyu was quite capable, his cultivation level was still at the mid-stage. He must have used some kind of method to kill his opponent one after another. Thinking of this, Zhang Yuanhua grasped the boy's wrist and silently began to investigate.

After a long while, they finally let go of the other person.

"Brother, how are you?"

In response to his cousin's question, Zhang Yuanhua replied, "My breathing is a little unstable, but I haven't suffered any internal injuries. I'll be fine after a few days of rest."

"That's good."

Hearing this, Zhang Yuanlin finally breathed a sigh of relief. The young man was the pillar of the family; nothing serious could happen to him. At this point, his expression turned serious, and he returned to the main topic, asking:

"Lingyu, what exactly happened that caused this delay?"

"That's how it is..."

Zhang Lingyu immediately recounted everything that had happened during the trip, the only lie being about how she learned that Mingyulou would be holding an underground trading event.

"I never imagined so many things would happen!"

After hearing what had happened, the two elderly people couldn't help but gasp in shock.

Underground trading fairs are no secret among cultivators with higher levels of cultivation. For example, Zhang Yuanhua had participated in many such fairs in various places when he traveled around in the past.

This was the first time he had ever heard of a trade fair of this scale.

Zhang Yuanhua also sighed about the matter of the Earthly Essence. That thing was too precious and not just anyone could get their hands on it. If Zhang Lingyu really got his hands on it, not to mention his family, even he himself would not have a good life.

He's just a mere early Foundation Establishment cultivator; those powerful forces have plenty of ways to deal with him.

So when he heard that the market had been attacked, he wasn't surprised at all, and he was very glad that Zhang Lingyu had managed to escape in time.

If we had left any later, we would have been trapped in the market town. It would have been completely sealed off, and no news could have gotten out. The market town wouldn't have opened for at least a month.

If they were really trapped inside, Zhang Yuanhua and Zhang Xingyao would probably have to rush to the market to look for them.

"yes."

Although Zhang Lingyu will not be in any major trouble, the family will definitely have to go to great lengths to find him.

At this point, he also wondered whether Xiao Yuan had obtained the non-earthly essence afterward; if not, it would be quite a laughing stock.

"Now it seems we can only wait and see if Uncle Xingfu can send back any news."

That's what they say, but it's estimated that this level of information would be very difficult to obtain and could only be obtained through intelligence systems.

Having heard the whole story, Zhang Yuanhua couldn't help but laugh:

"It seems this trip was quite fruitful."

"That's true..."

The materials for the six flying swords have been gathered, and the next few days are spent focusing on forging them. During this time, I estimate I'll need to call on the old man and Zhang Xingyao, as I probably can't manage it on my own.

"No problem, just call us when the time comes."

The old man waved his hand and asked:

"Lingyu, now that you and your two friends have discussed it, which members of the clan do you think should be sent to learn the craft?"

He had already heard the young man say that Lin Qing and his wife's inheritance came from the Spirit Puppet Sect. Although it was only a small part, it was enough for the Zhang family to use for now.

When Zhang Lingyu enters that sect's secret realm in the future, he will be able to seize a more complete inheritance.

If we calculate the time, there are still twenty years left. Twenty years is enough time for the Zhang family to develop a part of the puppet industry. After all, no one can become fat in one bite.

"Hmm, let me think about it..."

As the clan leader, Zhang Lingyu, being an elder, couldn't say much about personnel matters, so he simply sat aside, drinking tea and waiting.

The first two to be ruled out are Zhang Yuanyao and Wang Menghan.

The two children have similar talents and are the family's focus of training. Puppetry is not suitable for them because it is a time-consuming and energy-intensive skill. They could even improve their skills faster by learning alchemy.

Moreover, according to his observation, Zhang Yuanyao was quite interested in formations, while his own disciples were fond of swordsmanship.

Both of these skills are difficult to master, but they seem to have a lot of talent for them, and it's not appropriate for elders to interfere.

After thinking for a long time, Zhang Lingyu only selected three clansmen: Zhang Yuanhai, Zhang Yuanlin, and Zhang Yuanshu, who were the three younger members.

The members of the "Ling" generation are getting old, and most of them have learned various skills and hold important positions in the clan. We really can't let them be distracted any longer.

In fact, he had racked his brains to choose these two men and one woman. Although the clan was now strongly advocating for more wives and children, it had only been two or three years, and many of the children were only one or two years old. It would take several more years before they could start their cultivation.

The first thing is to teach them to read and write, and various etiquettes. Too young is not good, and too old is not good either. Around ten to twelve years old is the most perfect age.

In addition, one cannot be too poor in aptitude for learning puppetry, and must be willing to endure hardship.

This calculation significantly reduces the number of eligible applicants.

Another point is that Lin Qing and his wife only agreed to go to the Spirit Puppet Sect because I promised to. In addition, the two of them prefer peace and quiet, so I really can't trouble them any further.

"Yuan Hai, Yuan Lin, and Yuan Shu?"

The two elders had no objections to Zhang Lingyu's choice; on the contrary, they approved of it. These three people were quite talented in the family and were also studious.

They will become the backbone of the family in the future.

"In that case, let them come up and meet us."

Zhang Yuanlin was in charge of assisting with family affairs, and he was quite familiar with the movements of each family member. As soon as the order was given, Zhang Yuanhai and the other two entered the main hall.

"This junior greets the clan leader, the Grand Elder, and the Second Grand Elder."

The three bowed respectfully, and then listened as Zhang Lingyu, who was at the head of the table, said, "Rise."

"Yes."

"The clan just discussed it and is preparing to send the three of you to Tianliu City to learn puppetry. Are you willing?"

"Tian Liu City!" 』

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuanhai and the other two were immediately overjoyed, and their bodies trembled with excitement.

What kind of place is Tianliu City?

That place is where the immortal cultivation world of Zhao Kingdom gathers its most powerful figures. Going there to learn skills is something they never dared to imagine!

"This junior is willing to go!"

The three of them agreed without hesitation.

"Hmm... okay."

Zhang Lingyu nodded and continued:

"The art of puppetry is very profound. You can be said to be the first in the family to truly learn this kind of skill. As long as you learn it well and come back, you will definitely have a place in the family's high-level leadership in the future."

"You will be studying at the Spirit Puppet Hall in the inner city. The host family members are all my close friends and Foundation Establishment cultivators. The clan went to great lengths to get you here to study, so you must work hard once you get there."

"Although you are just apprentices, as long as you work hard, you may be able to catch their eye and become their personal disciples."

Although I don't have much hope, I still have to say it.

After he finished speaking, Zhang Yuanlin asked, "Did you all understand what the clan leader said?"

"Once you get there, you must diligently cultivate and study. Don't get attracted by all sorts of novel items. Remember, if you want to enjoy them, you must have the corresponding strength. Otherwise, you'll be sent back, which would be embarrassing."

"What the elders say is true, I understand."

The three nodded in agreement. This opportunity was given to them by their family, but of course, it could be taken away at any time. Just like what was said earlier, if they wanted to make a name for themselves without relying on their family, they needed to have the corresponding capital.

After giving them a few more instructions, Zhang Lingyu told them to go back first.

Going to Tianliu City is no small matter; at the very least, a Foundation Establishment cultivator should accompany you.

As for when to go, the timing is still to be discussed.

The three then discussed it further and suggested that they bring some more spiritual items to Lin Qing and his wife when they went to the Spirit Puppet Hall, since they might need to trouble them with many things in the future. Zhang Lingyu had no objection to this.

Once the matter was settled, the young man suddenly locked the palace doors and activated the great formation.

"This is?"

Seeing the boy suddenly become so serious, the two old men were immediately puzzled, probably because he had something important to tell them.

Zhang Lingyu mysteriously pulled a jade slip from his storage bag and said with a smile, "Grandpas, please look at this..."

"Alright, Lingyu, stop keeping me in suspense." Zhang Yuanhua was both amused and exasperated by the scene, but he also began to feel curious. Surely there couldn't be some profound and mysterious cultivation technique inside.

But the next second, he froze on the spot, only to hear the boy say:

"The formula for the Foundation Establishment Pill, Grandfathers, can you at least keep this a secret for a moment?"

......

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