Year 3681 of the Shanhai Calendar.
Having relocated to Bailu Marsh, the Zhou family ceased all external conflicts, focusing solely on recuperating and regaining their strength.
Rumor had it that the Zhou family's ancestral forefather was nearing the end of his lifespan. He dipped into his life's savings to sponsor the clan's high-tier cultivators in charging toward higher realms, while simultaneously encouraging lower-tier members of meager aptitude to freely marry and produce offspring to expand the clan's population.
This was a two-pronged strategy: replenishing high-tier combat power from above and bolstering the foundational population from below.
Not only that, the Zhou forefather personally arranged a meeting with the patriarchs of the Qingtong Lin family and the Hanjiang Valley Yin family outside Bailu Marsh, forging a covenant of peaceful coexistence and joint development.
The process went smoothly.
The Lin family of Qingtong and the Yin family of Hanjiang Valley were merely ordinary humble clans among the vast multitude under the Tianyuan Dao Sect, and their so-called patriarchs were only Golden Core cultivators. Faced with a Nascent Soul True Person like the Zhou forefather humbling himself to make overtures of friendship, they naturally accepted with delight.
With that, the Zhou family's uneasy external situation appeared to settle down.
At least until the Zhou forefather passed away, this alliance formed by one Nascent Soul clan and two Golden Core clans would remain relatively stable on the Tiannan Continent. In terms of strength, they had the Zhou forefather, a cultivator at the sixth layer of Nascent Soul, holding the fort; in terms of connections, the Lin and Yin families were recognized Dao Sect affiliates. No one would go out of their way to seek trouble.
As for when the Zhou forefather's lifespan would truly expire?
Though outsiders engaged in endless speculation, seeing him act with such vigor made it impossible to pinpoint any exact date.
Once the three clans forged their alliance, the Zhou forefather ceased traveling abroad. Yet he did not enter seclusion to rest, either. Instead, he made frequent appearances within the clan, offering guidance to three Golden Core cultivators as well as promising Foundation Establishment juniors who had hope of breaking through to the Golden Core stage.
Indeed, the Zhou forefather proved himself an experienced Nascent Soul cultivator. Under his personal tutelage, the Zhou family gained two new Golden Core cultivators in the span of a single year!
This pace of recovery stirred immense envy among the surrounding forces.
Knowing how to cultivate was one thing, but knowing how to teach others was entirely another.
Yet what none of them knew was the truth behind the curtain.
***
On this day.
Deep within Bailu Marsh, where miasma lingered thick and poisonous insects and serpents teemed, an honored guest arrived.
Clad in plain white robes embroidered with specks of coral branches, the man had deep wrinkles crisscrossing his face, yet his complexion was ruddy. It was none other than the Zhou family's ancestral forefather, Zhou Yunshen.
As he ventured deeper into Bailu Marsh, the surrounding miasma parted as if sentient, clearing a path for him as though welcoming his arrival.
Watching this unfold, Zhou Yunshen wore a conflicted expression.
The casual display of power from the figure dwelling in the marsh's depths was truly wondrous and formidable.
Naturally occurring miasma possessed the peculiar trait of defiling spiritual qi, so ordinary cultivators dared not let even a wisp touch them. Zhou Yunshen certainly had the strength to disperse it, but with his advanced age, he could not spare the energy.
Yet in that man's hands, the miasma became as docile as a pet, directed effortlessly at his whim.
Suddenly.
A voice resonant as clashing iron drifted out from within.
"Old friend, you have arrived."
As the miasma dissipated completely, Zhou Yunshen exhaled a breath of turbid air and stepped forward into a water-curtain cave.
Gazing at the man seated cross-legged like a sharp sword, he spoke with complex emotions of gratitude and awe. "Thanks to the aid of your pills and your written insights on forming the core, the Zhou family welcomed two new Golden Core Masters a few months ago."
The black-robed man kept his eyes closed, replying calmly, "They survived the collapse of the Central Plains. Achieving this realm today is merely a blessing after surviving a great catastrophe."
Zhou Yunshen shook his head. "Still, I must thank you."
"If you came only to offer thanks, why bother making this trip today, old friend?" A blood-red longsword rested across the black-robed man's knees. Wisps of three-colored Nine Firmaments Qi wound around its length, gradually sinking into the blade as his magic power ebbed and flowed. "Speak. Has there been progress on my matter?"
As if making up his mind, Zhou Yunshen declared heavily, "We found them!"
Luo Chen's fingertip tightened against the sword, and his eyes snapped open.
Zhou Yunshen shook his head slightly and explained in a measured tone, "Over the past year, with all clan resources opened without restriction, thirty-seven women have conceived. With the aid of the top-grade water lotus seeds you provided, tests showed nine fetuses possessing remarkable affinity for water spiritual qi. In other words, those nine children likely possess water spiritual roots."
Luo Chen raised an eyebrow. "The odds are that high?"
Zhou Yunshen gave a bitter smile. "This old man instructed all cultivators in the clan who have no hope of breaking through to the Golden Core stage to set aside all mundane duties and till the fields with all their might. Furthermore, they made use of the special spirit-gathering formation you supplied throughout the process. Only then did we achieve such results."
When mortals bore children, not one in thousands possessed a spiritual root.
Yet if both husband and wife were cultivators whose bodies had undergone marrow cleansing and bone tempering alongside decades of saturation in spiritual qi, conceiving a child with a spiritual root became far easier.
This was precisely why clans flourished in the Central Plains and individuals endowed with spiritual roots appeared in endless streams.
Moreover, if the conception took place under the influence of Luo Chen's specially modified formation, the likelihood of conceiving a fetus endowed with a water spiritual root grew substantially higher.
Even so, before an infant was born—or even before reaching eleven or twelve years of age—detecting a spiritual root was usually exceedingly difficult. For Luo Chen, however, it posed no problem. Using water lotus seeds taken from a fourth-tier top-grade Five Elements Lotus Platform paired with suitable techniques, he could faintly sense the presence and general element of a fetus's spiritual root.
One could say that to seize back his life soul, Luo Chen had taken great pains from the very start.
In Zhou Yunshen's view, reaching this stage should have been enough, so he did not understand why Luo Chen had specifically reminded him to give notice at this exact moment.
*Whoosh!*
The blood sword took flight, made a looping arc, and vanished into Luo Chen's right arm.
The black-robed man rose to his feet, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked outward.
"Take me to see those nine children!"
Doubts arose in Zhou Yunshen's heart, unclear on Luo Chen's purpose. But having accepted his benefits and future promises, he naturally would not object to such a minor request.
One after the other, the two departed the foul depths of Bailu Marsh and headed toward the Zhou family's settlement.
***
"Not nine. Ten."
Inside a quiet room, a gentle young woman lay sound asleep.
A young man and a weathered elder stood before the bed, conversing in low murmurs as they looked down at the final expectant mother.
Zhou Yunshen instinctively averted his gaze from Luo Chen's golden, gleaming eyes, asking in astonishment, "Could Jingshu be carrying twins?"
Luo Chen nodded slightly. "Not just twins—a boy and a girl."
Zhou Yunshen stroked his beard. "This old man truly failed to notice. However, judging by the earlier test with the water lotus seeds, the affinity of Jingshu's children for water spiritual qi was only above average, falling short of Seventh Brother's household."
Yet Luo Chen shook his head, a curious smile gracing his lips.
"No, it will be this one!"
Zhou Yunshen looked puzzled.
The corners of Luo Chen's mouth curled upward. "One male and one female in the womb, one yin and one yang, perfectly complementary. I possess a technique that, paired with medicinal decoctions, can draw from one to supplement the other, transferring the innate qi of one child into the other. When the time comes, the child who receives the supplement will outstrip all others from the moment of birth, possessing an unimaginable foundation."
"Such a secret art exists in this world?" Zhou Yunshen was thoroughly astonished.
Luo Chen gave an affirmative hum. "This art is called the Offering Life Technique, and the required decoctions are not complex."
Zhou Yunshen clicked his tongue in wonder. "A secret art like this is truly unheard of. You are worthy of the title Alchemy Grandmaster!"
Luo Chen smiled faintly. The technique was not his own creation; it came from the records in Demonic Lord Liantian's seventy-two volumes of alchemy scriptures.
It was a demonic method!
The reproductive capacity of the demon race was far inferior to that of humanity, and whenever multiple offspring were born in a single litter, a stark disparity in strength usually existed among them.
Pursuing an elitist policy, the demon race largely left weaker offspring to fend for themselves, investing little into their nurturing.
In light of this, someone simply adhered to the principle of avoiding waste: while the multiple fetuses were still within the mother's womb, they would gather the innate qi and even the skeletal aptitude of the weaker into a single individual.
In this manner, a peerless genius stood a high chance of being born.
Curious, Zhou Yunshen asked an extra question: "Then what of the child whose innate qi is drained?"
Luo Chen said coldly, "They will become a cripple or an ordinary mortal, unable to cultivate for the rest of their days."
The old man froze, instinctively tugging at his grizzled beard.
By doing this, Luo Chen was not only utilizing a child of the Zhou clan, but also sacrificing another child's future!
"What, has your heart softened?" Luo Chen turned around to look at the elder.
Zhou Yunshen parted his lips, his eyes filled with heartache.
In recent days, he had set aside his own cultivation to focus on guiding and instructing his descendants. Through repeated interactions, the ties of kinship that had grown hazy over the centuries had once again deepened.
Even though Lin Jingshu was a woman sent over by the Qingtong Lin family for a political marriage, the children in her womb still carried the bloodline of the Zhou clan!
Beside his ear came Luo Chen's increasingly detached voice.
"Old friend, I gave you pills, gifted you cultivation insights, and paid an immense price to help extend your lifespan. You should have known long ago what the cost would be."
"Still..."
"Enough. I will not have her sustain my avatar for nothing. I will leave her another path. Though that path will be exceedingly arduous, it remains a path nonetheless."
Zhou Yunshen raised his head in pleasant surprise.
Luo Chen had made no explicit promise, but since he had spoken the words, the old man chose to believe him.
"For now, old friend, step outside for a moment!"
Zhou Yunshen nodded, pursed his lips, and withdrew from the room, leaving Luo Chen alone to silently regard the gentle young woman.
Lifting the hem of the woman's garment, he revealed her fair, rounded belly.
Slowly raising his right hand, he bit his fingertip and squeezed out a drop of essence blood.
The essence blood dripped onto the rounded belly, gradually soaking into it.
Luo Chen brought his fingers together like a sword and traced empty strokes through the air, sketching out intricate, mysterious patterns.
Those patterns also slowly sank into the woman's abdomen.
Having completed all of this, Luo Chen opened his mouth and spat, sending the Hunyuan Cauldron spinning outward.
Gazing upon the Hunyuan Cauldron, Luo Chen hesitated briefly, but ultimately steeled his resolve.
Nurturing a Nascent Soul True Person from scratch within a hundred years was not something that could be achieved through a mere accumulation of resources.
A single burst of vigorous innate qi was not enough.
A heavenly spiritual root of the water element was still not enough.
Even with top-grade water lotus seeds to assist, it would remain too slow.
Only an Innate Spirit Body would suffice!
As for forging an Innate Spirit Body, the Luo Chen of the past could not have managed it, but the current Luo Chen possessed some measure of certainty.
The key lay in the item within the cauldron.
"Come forth!"
Amidst his murmur, a bubbling, flowing springhead slowly flew out from the small gray cauldron.
The Ming Water Springhead!
Containing the origin of water, it was a natural creation of heaven and earth. So long as it was dispersed and integrated into the fetus, continuous nurturing would forge an Innate Water Spirit Body.
As for whether the fetus could withstand it?
Given that Luo Chen had already refined the Ming Water Springhead and mastered the true intent of the Water Origin law, it posed little difficulty.
Luo Chen tapped out a finger, and the floating Ming Water Springhead shattered in an instant.
Inside the quiet room, a gentle drizzle began to fall.
Outside, the sky was devoid of wind or clouds, thunder or lightning, yet a torrential downpour suddenly cascaded from above.
The entirety of Bailu Marsh was enveloped in a boundless curtain of pearl-like rain.
Zhou Yunshen watched the scene blankly, faintly sensing his own Nascent Soul stirring in response.
After an unknown amount of time, the sound of the wooden door shutting came from beside him, accompanied by a faintly weary voice.
"After the child is born, remember to give him that water lotus seed."
Zhou Yunshen snapped back to his senses, an empty feeling washing over him as though he had just missed something profound.
Beneath the eaves and the curtain of rain, he looked at the man's tired face, unsure of what he had done.
He could only prompt him, "You promised to leave a way out for the other child."
"I will not forget. Before I leave, I will leave the items within the foul marsh of Bailu."
Leaving behind those words, Luo Chen stepped into the rain, his figure flickering several times before vanishing completely.
***
Half a year later.
A bright, resounding cry echoed from within the room.
On that day, torrential rain once again poured over the vast expanse of Bailu Marsh.
The rain arrived without cause and departed without a trace, dissipating into clear skies the moment the infant's cries subsided.
First-time parents Zhou Bohan and Lin Jingshu paid no heed to such strange phenomena, entirely absorbed in the joy of welcoming both a son and a daughter.
Yet after the initial excitement, confusion and pity crept in.
"The elder brother is so sturdy, yet why is the little sister so frail and thin? Holding her in my arms feels like holding a feather."
"Husband, it is only natural for a girl to be a bit delicate. Can we not simply have her brother protect her well in the future?"
"Haha, true enough! In the future, you must take good care of your little sister, understand?"
Amidst laughter and cheerful chatter, the Zhou family gained another pair of children.
Three days later, feeling the clan's hard work over the past two years, the Zhou forefather distributed generous rewards. To Zhou Bohan's family, he specially bestowed a water lotus seed.
Furthermore, he personally named the pair of fraternal twins.
The girl was named Zhou Qingyu.
The boy was named Zhou Fuyou.
***
"Master, are we leaving?"
"It is time to go. We have stayed here long enough."
"Where are we heading then?"
"Before we leave, let us travel across the Tiannan Continent!"
Within the foul marsh of Bailu, the dialogue between a man and a woman drifted through the air.
Looking at the scenery within the water-curtain cave, Luo Chen retrieved various items from his storage ring one after another.
Pills, ores, cultivation insights, and minor techniques for applying magic arts.
That was all; there was nothing else.
Xiao Bai roughly guessed whom these items were intended for and asked with some curiosity, "Just something so simple?"
Luo Chen shook his head. "It is enough. Meddling too much would allow others to detect my traces. I believe that a soul split from my Nirvana Primordial Spirit, even without my memories and will, will never live an ordinary life."
"What about the girl?"
"Hers is in there as well. Do not worry."
Luo Chen let out a sigh and rose to his feet. Xiao Bai followed closely behind, matching his pace as they departed the water-curtain cave.
Chapter 1024