108: Fourth Generation: Overlord (Part 4)

The Family's highest decision had been made, and resources began to tilt toward Xu Yuan with unprecedented intensity.

Spirit Stones, Medicinal Pills, Body Tempering spirit liquid...

All kinds of Cultivation resources that would be enough to cause Qi Refining Cultivators to fight in the outside world were now being sent continuously, like ordinary objects, into the small courtyard where Xu Yuan resided—a place already listed as a Forbidden Ground and guarded by layers of Formations.

Xu Yuan was focused, following the introductory method of the Purple Zenith Imperial Fate Art, guiding the meager Spiritual Qi to construct the initial circulation within his body.

However, just as he had expected, progress was extremely slow.

The core of the Purple Zenith Imperial Fate Art lies in "Cultivating by absorbing Luck." Without the blessing of the Dynasty's National Fortune, the miraculous aspects of this Imperial Dao Cultivation Technique were like water without a source or a tree without roots, unable to manifest.

Its efficiency in absorbing and converting pure Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi was not even as good as some ordinary Cultivation Techniques.

However, Xu Yuan could clearly feel that most of the Spiritual Qi refined into his body was like a stream flowing into parched sand, being instinctively absorbed and stored by the dormant "Purple Star Emperor Body," as if waiting for a trigger, an opportunity sufficient to ignite this emperor's body.

Only a tiny fraction could be used to improve his surface-level Qi Refining Cultivation.

Several months passed. When the children who received the Cultivation Technique at the same time, those with slightly better Aptitude, had already successfully sensed Qi and formally stepped into the first level of Qi Refining, Wang Yuan's Cultivation progress was negligible, having only condensed a trace of Qi sensation in his body that was almost imperceptible.

At this speed, let alone compared to his Elder brother Wang Jue, who was hailed as a Genius, even among ordinary collateral descendants, it belonged to the bottom tier.

Although the news was strictly sealed, the core level of the Family knew this clearly.

In the side hall of the discussion hall, Grand Elder Wang Zheng Yuan and the Family Head Wang Qingshan sat opposite each other.

"Yuan'er's Cultivation progress is indeed as recorded in the ancestor's notes; before obtaining the blessing of Luck, it is almost non-existent." The Grand Elder spoke slowly, his tone devoid of disappointment, but instead carrying a calm expectation.

Wang Qingshan nodded, his gaze deep: "The Purple Zenith Imperial Fate Art is not an ordinary breathing technique. It is more like a key—a key to open the imperial path and pry open the National Fortune. Now that the key is in our Wang Family's hands, what is missing is the lock, as well as the timing and strength to open the lock."

"Continue to supply resources; do not slack off." Wang Qingshan decided, "Even if it cannot improve his Cultivation, it can nourish his roots and bones, and nurture the 'Purple Star Emperor Body.' What we need to do now is pave the way for him and prepare that 'lock'."

"That side... can the plan be started?"

A flash of light appeared in the Grand Elder's eyes.

"Yes." Wang Qingshan tapped his fingers on the table, "Let's start with 'Qingping County.' The county governor there is old and muddled, and his sons are fighting for power and profit. It is the perfect opportunity for us to secretly infiltrate, Cultivate our own forces, and steal the Luck of a region. Let the Shadow Guards move."

"Understood."

The high-level members of the Family had long been mentally prepared for this and were not shaken by the stagnation of Wang Yuan's surface Cultivation; instead, they stepped up their secret layout.

All resource investments were seen as investments in the future.

However, not everyone could understand this deep planning.

In the Family martial arts arena, Sword Qi crisscrossed.

Twelve-year-old Wang Jue stood with his sword retracted, his body filled with Spiritual Qi, with faint signs of a Breakthrough to the Late Stage of Qi Refining.

He was exceptionally talented and had been cultivated by the Family with all their might, making progress by leaps and bounds. He was the undisputed leader of the younger generation of the Wang Family.

He took the sweat towel handed over by his attendant, but his eyes inadvertently swept toward the small courtyard in the distance that was shrouded in Formations and heavily guarded, his brows slightly furrowed.

"How is Second Brother's... Cultivation going recently?"

Wang Jue asked casually.

A trusted clansman beside him replied in a low voice: "Reporting to First Young Master, Second Young Master is... still keeping to himself. It is rumored... his Cultivation progress does not seem very ideal."

"Not very ideal?"

A flash of doubt crossed Wang Jue's eyes, immediately replaced by an imperceptible coldness.

"Father and the Elders have allocated nearly 30% of the precious resources in the treasury to him, and even the batch of 'Red Flame Crystals' I applied for last month was intercepted and transferred to him."

He could not understand. Why could a younger brother whose Cultivation speed was so mediocre enjoy more generous resources than him, the Family's recognized Genius?

This was unreasonable, and for the first time, it caused him to harbor strong dissatisfaction and... a trace of offended malice toward that younger brother who had always been unremarkable.

"Why?"

Wang Jue snorted coldly in his heart.

Although Wang Jue's Aptitude was extremely high and he was regarded as the heir to the next Family Head, he was still young after all, and the Purple Zenith Imperial Fate Art regarding Xu Yuan's Cultivation was top secret, so it would naturally not be told to Wang Jue.

Wang Jue recalled his mother's occasional disdain for Wang Yuan and his biological mother, and thought of the rumors in the clan about his father's bias. A feeling called jealousy and injustice, like a poisonous vine, began to grow quietly in his young heart.

His gaze toward that small courtyard was no longer just confusion; it added a bit of cold scrutiny and hidden hostility.

Even worldly wealth and material goods can cause brothers to turn against each other, not to mention precious Cultivation resources?

At least, in Wang Jue's current view, Xu Yuan's existence had already taken away the resources that originally belonged to him, becoming an obstacle on his path of Cultivation!

The tilting of resources had already drawn an invisible crack between the brothers.

In the quiet room of the small courtyard, Wang Yuan slowly opened his eyes, feeling the negligible growth of Cultivation in his body, but there was no discouragement on his face.

His thoughts shifted slightly. He did not invoke that meager Spiritual Qi, but purely used his intent to drive the Saber Dao insights hidden deep in his Soul.

In an instant, the air in the quiet room seemed to stagnate.

An invisible "Momentum" spread out with him as the center. Although it did not contain Spiritual Qi fluctuations, it carried a sharp Concept of cutting through everything and moving forward without hesitation.

The flame of the candle on the table swayed slightly, as if cut by an invisible sharpness.

He casually picked up a long, thin iron skewer used for trimming the lamp wick on the table.

With a slight turn of his wrist, the iron skewer moved as if it were an extension of his arm.

There was no flashing spiritual light, no sound of wind and thunder, only a kind of extreme "precision" and "refinement."

The iron skewer fluttered at his fingertips, cutting through the air, emitting an extremely faint yet unusually sharp hiss.

"Cultivation is water, Dao Realm is the canal."

"If the water is shallow, it is indeed difficult to move a large ship, but if the canal is deep and wide enough, once it gets water, it can travel a thousand miles a day."

Xu Yuan put away the iron skewer, and the invisible Saber Dao momentum around him also converged.

"Sure enough, even though I do not possess the Saber Dao Aptitude of my previous life in this life, the Saber Dao insights accumulated in my previous life can still be displayed!"

The Purple Zenith Imperial Fate Art could not quickly improve Xu Yuan's Spiritual Qi Cultivation for the time being, but he never stopped pursuing power.

The Saber Dao Realm of his previous life was one of his greatest trump cards now.

Although Saber Dao has a master, Xu Yuan was not so arrogant as to think his current Saber Dao attainments could attract the attention of such an existence. In his previous life, he was able to fall into its eyes, likely because he was inspired by the enlightenment tablet of the Celestial Mechanism Pavilion to comprehend Saber Dao, which attracted it.

And if he used Saber Dao as a means of self-protection, Xu Yuan was confident that ordinary Middle Stage Qi Refining Cultivators would probably not be able to last a few moves in front of him.