Rise of the Wang Clan: Starting with a Portable Farm

Chapter 203: True Monarch Yulang

“What is happening? Why has a spiritual energy vortex suddenly appeared?” a Qi Refining cultivator asked.

Wanxiang City stood on a fourth-order, middle-grade spirit vein. It supplied enough spiritual energy not just for Golden Core formation but even for a Nascent Soul breakthrough.

The vortex Wang Guang’an had created was therefore modest. Only people near the Pill & Talisman Pavilion could see it.

The crowd buzzed with confusion until a Foundation Establishment cultivator stepped out of a nearby shop. He looked up, his expression shifting from shock to naked envy.

“Someone is forming a Golden Core!”

The declaration hit the crowd like a thunderclap.

“A Senior is breaking through? Heavens! To witness such a sight is a blessing!” an elderly Qi Refining cultivator exclaimed, his hands trembling.

“It seems to be happening inside the Pill & Talisman Pavilion. Could it be someone from the Wang family?”

As the Wang family had established itself in Wanxiang City, people nearby had learned that the Pill & Talisman Pavilion belonged to them.

“It must be. Who would let an outsider use their shop for such a critical moment?”

“The pavilion has closed its doors too, probably so the noise won’t disturb the senior. It must be a Wang cultivator.” Another said, “The nearby shops have been making life hard for the Wangs despite their good, affordable pills, just because they have no Golden Core backer. This will be interesting.”

“Even if he succeeds, he’ll only be at the early Golden Core stage. Can he really compare to the established powerhouses?”

“You’re only looking at the surface. A family capable of producing a Golden Core cultivator must already have some foundations. Where else would the resources for the breakthrough come from?”

“True…”

The crowd’s talk wandered from the subject. More and more people noticed the vortex and joined the discussion.

On the top floor of a nearby restaurant, three Golden Core cultivators stood by the window, wine cups in hand.

“It has been more than ten years since anyone formed a Golden Core in Wanxiang City,” one said. “I wonder who this fellow cultivator is.”

“You’re calling them a fellow cultivator too soon,” a white-bearded Golden Core cultivator said, stroking his beard. “Judging by the pace of the energy gathering, they have only just begun. Many hurdles remain, and success is far from certain.”

“Indeed. Only those of us who have done it know the dangers. The core may have condensed, but one mistake in the stages to come could still end the attempt.”

The first speaker smiled. “True. But reaching this step puts him above ninety-nine percent of Foundation Establishment cultivators. He is already elite.”

“We are all independent cultivators. Whoever is forming a core here probably does not belong to a major sect. If they succeed, we should pay a visit and make their acquaintance.”

“Agreed. Let us go together.”

Elsewhere, in a courtyard at the center of Wanxiang City, another person was watching the Pill & Talisman Pavilion.

He was lean, almost skin and bone, with white hair but the face of a middle-aged man.

This was Ye Feng, known as True Monarch Yulang. He was one of the two Nascent Soul ancestors of the Sea Viewing Sect, one of the three factions that controlled Wanxiang City.

Beside him stood a woman in a tasseled dress. She smiled gently, lovely as a flower touched by mist and dew. She had reached early Golden Core.

“Yunjun, what chance do you think this person has of succeeding?” True Monarch Yulang seemed to be testing her.

Both belonged to the Ye family, six generations apart. Ye Yunjun was an Ice Spirit Root cultivator and the family’s most outstanding disciple of the last century, which was why Yulang kept her at his side.

She observed the vortex for a moment before bowing respectfully. “Ancestor, the process is steady. Neither rushed nor slow. His foundation seems solid. I would estimate a sixty percent chance of success.”

True Monarch Yulang shook his head faintly. “At the start, perhaps. But he has already reached the condensation phase without wavering. His chances are above eighty percent.”

Ye Yunjun was startled. Her ancestor was a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator with formidable abilities. If he judged the odds so high, success now seemed likely.

“If so, should we send someone to recruit this cultivator once the breakthrough succeeds?” Ye Yunjun asked.

Neither the sect nor the Ye family would turn away another Golden Core cultivator. Both maintained many independent Golden Core guest elders.

“No hurry. No one can know the result before the end. Keep watch, and make sure no one disturbs this cultivator. This is happening during the Ye family’s turn in charge. If anything goes wrong, those old fellows will accuse us of harming cultivators out of jealousy.”

“Yes, Ancestor. I’ll send people to protect the cultivator and keep unrelated visitors away.”

Ye Yunjun could only smile ruefully. Only her ancestor would call the other Nascent Soul ancestors “old fellows.”

Seeing True Monarch Yulang close his eyes, she bowed deeply and quietly retreated.

Outside the Pill & Talisman Pavilion, talk of the vortex continued. Some independent cultivators began hoping to join the pavilion and find a secure place for themselves.

An established Golden Core family might not accept them at all, and even if it did, cultivators of their modest strength would receive little favor.

A newly risen Golden Core family was different. Those who joined early might become part of its core circle, or at least gain standing among its outside members.

The Wang family’s pill business was under pressure. Helping now, when help was needed, would earn gratitude. Some independent cultivators with a little alchemy skill lingered outside the closed doors, but the Wangs were admitting no visitors.

“Brother Zhang, why won’t you give up?” one man asked. “This senior belongs to a family, not to the ranks of independent cultivators. If he were independent, we might at least be useful as errand runners and perhaps earn help toward Foundation Establishment. A family cultivator will never trust us.”

“Brother Xie, leave if you want,” Zhang Mingxiang replied. “I have to seize this chance, however slim it is.”

Zhang Mingxiang was an independent cultivator with three spirit roots. He had reached the eighth layer of Qi Refining and knew alchemy, but his training went only as far as the first tier.

On his own, he could hardly reach Foundation Establishment or become a second-tier alchemist.

Wanxiang City was full of pill shops. Who would buy first-tier pills made by an unaffiliated cultivator like him?