10: Chapter 10 delves deeper, and five years pass in the blink of an eye!

Time is the best disguise; Shi Jian spent five years verifying this sentence.

In those five years, Hongtian City remained calm, with no foreign invasions or internal rebellions. Even the tax-collecting deacons from White Cloud Temple had been replaced twice.

Sun Boan did a good job.

The output of the spirit fields increased year by year, spirit taxes were submitted on time every year, and Shi Jian's offerings were never delayed by a single day.

Coupled with strong support for procreation, the Sun Clan's Mortal population swelled from over thirty thousand to over fifty thousand in just a few years.

The effects of the procreation policy were immediate, after all, for Mortals.

Having children was not a problem at all; as long as they could afford to raise them, having several children per family, or even over a dozen, was the norm.

From these fifty thousand people, eleven children with Spiritual Roots were successfully screened out.

Eleven.

In the past, the Sun, Ye, and Lin clans combined might not have produced that many in five years.

But with a larger Mortal base, probability became more reliable. Shi Jian had anticipated this; the Human Race's short reproductive cycle and massive numbers were advantages the Yao Race could never match.

Since they couldn't match it, they might as well use it.

"Old Ancestor, these are the results of this year's Spiritual Root testing."

Sun Boan knelt on the back mountain, presenting a thin register with both hands. Five years had passed, and his cultivation had stabilized at the eighth level of Qi Refining, but his hair had mostly turned white.

Although his actual age was only forty-eight, he looked to be in his fifties or sixties.

It was all due to his constant worrying.

Shi Jian flipped open the register with his claws, scanning it rapidly.

There were eleven children with Spiritual Roots, ranging in age from three to seven. Nine of them had four or five Spiritual Roots, which meant their Aptitude was poor.

In the entire world of immortal cultivation, they couldn't even be considered mediocre, but the last two names caught Shi Jian's eye...

Sun Mao, male, five years old, Earth-Wood-Fire triple Spiritual Roots, medium Aptitude.

Sun Yao, female, four years old, Water-Wood-Earth triple Spiritual Roots, also medium Aptitude.

"These two, what is their background?"

"Sun Mao is a member of a branch of my line. His ancestors included Cultivators, but the lineage was broken for two generations. His background is clean..."

"As for Sun Yao... she is this Junior's granddaughter."

As he spoke the last few words, Sun Boan's voice dropped very low, as if he was afraid Shi Jian would overthink it.

Shi Jian didn't overthink it.

What he cared about was not blood relation, but Aptitude.

Triple Spiritual Root Aptitude was mediocre, but with enough resources, reaching Foundation Establishment was not a pipe dream, especially when combined with the Sun Clan's Azure Wood Eternal Spring Art or Shi Jian's improved Thick Earth Essence Cultivation Art.

Both had a slim chance of Foundation Establishment!

"Teach these two separately," Shi Jian closed the register. "Provide them with ample resources and don't let them mix with the other children."

"Yes!"

"As for the remaining nine, don't let them go to waste either." Shi Jian thought for a moment. "Let them learn some techniques."

Sun Boan was stunned. "Techniques?"

"Spirit Farming is managed by those Immortal Slaves; it would be a waste to send these children to farm." Shi Jian yawned and said, "If these nine children are properly nurtured, they might have a promising future."

Sun Boan opened his mouth but ultimately didn't argue, simply nodding in agreement.

He found that he understood this bear less and less. Despite being a Yao Beast, he knew more about management than most Human Race Cultivators.

"By the way," Shi Jian suddenly spoke, "your Sun Clan's Legacy needs to be organized."

Sun Boan was stunned again.

"The Cultivation Technique Jade Slips in the Library Pavilion are piled up haphazardly. Duplicates, fragments, and outdated ones are all mixed together."

"When the Juniors go in to browse on their own, what kind of results can they possibly achieve?"

"Furthermore, the legacies of the Lin and Ye clans have not yet been sorted out."

Shi Jian hadn't spent these five years in vain.

He had gone through almost every Jade Slip on the three floors of the Library Pavilion, not just once, but had studied them repeatedly dozens of times...

The exquisiteness of the Human Race's Cultivation Technique system far exceeded his initial imagination.

The Qi Refinement Stage is divided into nine levels. Every three levels have corresponding breathing methods and spiritual power circulation paths, progressing from coarse to fine, simple to complex, layer by layer.

And the Foundation Establishment Stage is even more of a natural chasm.

The Human Race divides the Breakthrough to Foundation Establishment into three stages: 'Qi Gathering, Liquid Condensation, and Foundation Consolidation,' each with strict conditions and corresponding Medicinal Pill support.

In contrast, the Yao Race's Foundation Establishment is much cruder: forcibly consuming Heaven And Earth Treasures. If you survive, you break through; if not, you explode on the spot. The mortality rate is ridiculously high, not to mention the Bloodline restrictions...

Shi Jian's greatest gain in these five years was not the advancement of his cultivation.

Rather, it was attempting to integrate the theoretical system of Human Race Cultivation Techniques into his own Yao Race cultivation, thereby glimpsing a higher Realm.

He dismantled and reorganized the Sun Clan's Azure Wood Eternal Spring Art, taking the essence of its spiritual power circulation and combining it with his own Yao Race's breathing instincts, forcibly figuring out a set of cultivation methods suitable for Yao Beasts.

And his cultivation had already reached the Peak of the Foundation Establishment Early Stage.

He was only one step away from the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage. After breaking through, he would be what the Human Race calls a Level 3 Yao Beast, and his strength would increase further.

Five years ago, facing Yun Song, who was at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, he needed to bluff. Now, if they met again, he could definitely kill him within thirty moves!

"Legacy organization... what does the Old Ancestor mean?"

"Classify the Cultivation Techniques from easy to difficult, from basic to advanced, and make a list. Clearly write down what to learn, what to practice, and which technique to use at each stage."

"What breathing method should Juniors practice upon entry, what main Cultivation Technique to switch to after the third level of Qi Refining, and what spells to learn after the sixth level—have you never standardized these?"

Sun Boan's face turned red.

Indeed, they hadn't.

Back when the Sun Clan was part of a tripartite balance of power, resources were tight. It was good enough for Juniors to have a single technique to practice; there was no room for being picky.

"I will do as the Old Ancestor says!"

"There is one more thing."

Shi Jian spat out a Jade Slip from his mouth, and it landed in front of Sun Boan.

"This is my improved Qi Refining chapter of the Thick Earth Essence Cultivation Art. It's more refined than the version I gave you five years ago. Have Sun Mao and Sun Yao start practicing with this."

Sun Boan took the Jade Slip, his hands trembling.

He knew what this meant.

Shi Jian's willingness to personally designate Cultivation Techniques for the Sun Clan's younger generation indicated that the bear's control over the Sun Clan had shifted from external deterrence to internal Legacy.

When these children grew up practicing the techniques given by Shi Jian, they would become Shi Jian's people to the core and would view him as an elder.

By then, what need would there be for Heart Demon oaths?

"Go now." Shi Jian waved his claws.

After Sun Boan withdrew, the gray-furred rat demon emerged from the grass.

Five years later, this fellow was no longer what he used to be.

His fur had turned from gray to black, his body was a size larger than an ordinary rat's, and a sharp light was restrained in his eyes. Although his aura was weak, he had already condensed a Yao Core and officially entered the ranks of Level 1 Yao Beasts.

Yao Beasts are different from humans; Level 1 Yao Beasts have no clear Realm divisions and are equivalent to the first to ninth levels of the Human Race's Qi Refining.

Their specific strength can only be judged by their aura.

This rat demon's cultivation was roughly around the third level of Qi Refining...

It sounded unremarkable, but in the gutters and dark alleys of Hongtian City, it was enough to reign supreme. He had even given himself a title.

He was called: Elder Rat!

"Old Ancestor, the latest news from the city!"

"Speak."

"In these five years, this little one has developed over three thousand ratlings. Six of them have developed intelligence, though they are still far from becoming demons. The rest are still ordinary rats, but they can already understand simple commands..."

"The six intelligent ones have been placed in the Sun Clan ancestral hall, the spirit field warehouse, the pharmacy backyard, the city gate guardhouse, and the Loose Cultivator gathering spots in the east and west of the city..."

"Within the entire Hongtian City, this little one can know on the same day whose wife had a quarrel with whom."

Shi Jian narrowed his eyes in satisfaction.

Over three thousand obedient ratlings wasn't a lot, but it was enough. Hongtian City was only so big, and this density allowed for coverage without any blind spots.

"What about outside the city?"

Elder Rat paused. "Outside the city... we can't spread out for now. There are too many wild Yao Beasts. These little ones under my command wouldn't last three days outside the city."

"No rush."

"Wait until you have a few more rat demons with Qi Refining cultivation under you, then expand outward."

"One step at a time."

Elder Rat nodded heavily and then vanished.

The night wind brushed past the back mountain. The Spiritual Qi at the entrance of the Spiritual Vein was like threads and wisps, being continuously swallowed into Shi Jian's body. Every day, he could feel his strength steadily increasing.

Five years.

In five years, he had turned Hongtian City from a pile of loose sand into a solid block of iron.

The Sun Clan was his Puppet on the surface, the rat demons were his hidden tentacles, the spirit fields were a continuous supply, and the new generation was the Foundation for the future.

Everything was progressing according to his rhythm.

But Shi Jian knew that Hongtian City was ultimately too small...

A Rank 2 Low Grade Spiritual Vein was enough to support two or three Foundation Establishment Early Stage Cultivators, but it was far from enough to break through to the Late Foundation Establishment Stage or even Golden Core.

He needed more resources, larger territory, and stronger power.

And the prerequisite for all of this was...

He first had to step into the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, and the Sun Clan needed to grow even stronger.

Shi Jian closed his eyes, and the spiritual power within his body circulated slowly. The faint Bottleneck deep within his Dantian had loosened a bit more than it had three months ago.

It's close, so close!