Chapter 559 - 59: Spirit-Slaying Flying Knife, Qingyun’s Spirit Testing

In January of the following year, a Qi Vortex appeared over the summit of Vast Mist Peak, frantically devouring the surrounding Spiritual Qi.

Song Xianyun, whose face had grown older with time, stood shoulder to shoulder with Song Xianming. Watching the Qi Vortex form in the sky, he sighed with emotion. "It has a lot of momentum. It seems they’ve succeeded. Heaven blesses the Song Clan."

"Yes. I didn’t expect the success rate to be this high either," Song Xianming agreed with a nod, his face full of joy.

Over the past few years, the ten Cultivators from the Song Clan who had previously taken a Foundation Establishment Pill attempted their breakthroughs one after another.

Among them, Song Changlian, Song Changrong, Song Changjun, Song Qingqian, and Song Qingming lived up to expectations, successfully overcoming the Foundation Establishment Three Passes to break through to Foundation Establishment.

As for Song Changnu, Song Qingzhou, Song Qingyu, and Song Changhe, these four failed their breakthroughs. Because they had taken a Foundation Establishment Pill, they survived, though they were severely injured.

The one breaking through now was Song Qingqing. She was the youngest of the batch at only thirty years old. Her foundation was relatively weak, but she had been chosen as an exception due to her talent for Talisman Making.

Although it took her longer, she ultimately did not disappoint the clan’s expectations and successfully broke through.

With that, the number of successful Cultivators among the ten reached six, a success rate of sixty percent. This was already a considerably high ratio.

After all, the quality of this batch of Cultivators was relatively low compared to previous ones. Song Qingqing, Song Qingming, and Song Qingqian were not considered promising, yet they all succeeded.

Conversely, Song Qingzhou, who the clan’s upper echelon had collectively been optimistic about, fell at the Divine Soul Barrier.

Such is time, and such is fate. Sometimes, luck is also a crucial factor.

It was worth mentioning that aside from these ten, someone else had entered seclusion with them to attempt a breakthrough: Song Changxue, who had failed once before.

Back then, Song Changxue had been chosen as a Music Master and received a Foundation Establishment Pill, but her breakthrough attempt ended in failure. For years, she had endured harsh criticism. Some whispered that she had wasted the clan’s resources, while others said she lacked a heart for the Dao, was afraid of death, and that her very survival was a mistake.

People worry not about scarcity, but about unequal distribution. Jealousy twists people beyond recognition, even when directed at their own kin. The endless gossip was impossible to stop; even Song Xianming was powerless to do anything about it.

Under the immense pressure of these rumors, Song Changqi’s will had crumbled. He grew despondent, neglected his cultivation, and never again found the courage to attempt a second breakthrough.

A year ago, Song Luzhou had dispatched him to the Moon Viewing Marketplace to manage the clan’s businesses.

Song Xianyun had originally thought Song Changxue would meet a similar end. Who would have known that after a brief period of dejection and confusion, she would reignite her fighting spirit? She entered seclusion with Song Qingqing and the others and, a month ago, broke through to the Foundation Establishment Stage without taking a Foundation Establishment Pill.

She became the fourth Cultivator in the Song Clan, after Song Xianming, Song Changsheng, and Song Qingxing, to successfully break through without using a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Of course, the caliber of her achievement was much lower than the previous three. After all, she had attempted the breakthrough once before and already had some experience. Still, it was incredibly precious.

It was just as the saying goes: what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.

With her own persistence and fearlessness, Song Changxue had metaphorically slapped the faces of all her detractors. Now, many of them would take a detour just to avoid her, terrified that she would settle scores with them later.

But Song Changxue had no intention of "settling scores" with them. After all, her cultivation level was different now, and so was her Mental Realm.

But to return to the main point, the Song Clan had added a total of seven new Foundation Establishment Cultivators in recent years. This completely stunned the various powers of Ling Province, who now treated the clan with increasing reverence.

Only now did the Song Clan truly begin to resemble a Purple Mansion Noble Race.

If they continued to develop like this for several more decades, once these new cultivators raised their cultivation levels, the Song Clan would completely surpass its past and reach a whole new level!

As Song Xianyun watched the Qi Vortex steadily dissipate, the worry in his heart finally subsided. He turned his head to Song Xianming beside him and asked, "Big Brother, what are your thoughts on Sheng’er’s adopted son?"

At these words, Song Xianming frowned slightly, as if he had just been reminded of a headache-inducing problem.

The matter began a month ago.

After the new year festivities, the Song Clan held its customary Immortal Ascension Conference, selecting youths with Spirit Roots from both the clan and the Mortal Realm.

Song Qingyun, the boy Song Changsheng had adopted years ago, was eight years old this year. He was just the right age for Spirit Testing and was set to participate in this year’s Immortal Ascension Conference.

The entire clan placed great importance on this matter. After all, according to Song Changsheng and Song Xianming’s speculations, he very likely possessed some kind of special constitution.

Although the Song Clan’s testing platform was not high-quality enough to detect Spirit Bodies or special constitutions, a Cultivator with a special constitution usually had a decent Spirit Root as well.

Thus, out of a desire for secrecy, Song Xianming had Xia Yunxue test Song Qingyun privately.

The results of the test were quite good. Song Qingyun possessed Gold and Water Dual Spirit Roots, both seven inches long, which was enough to place him in the top tier within the Song Clan.

However, this did not meet the expectations of Song Xianming and the others. They had originally thought he would have a Single Spirit Root at the very least, so the result was somewhat disappointing.

Of course, it was also their fault for having such high expectations for Song Qingyun in the first place, which led to such a great sense of disappointment.

Seven-inch Gold and Water Dual Spirit Roots would normally qualify one as a minor genius.

Afterward, Xia Yunxue followed the instructions Song Changsheng had left before entering seclusion and took Song Qingyun to Luoxia City for further testing.

And this time, the test did indeed reveal that Song Qingyun possessed a special constitution called the Illusory Dream Body.

Although it wasn’t a Spirit Body like Xia Qingxue’s, it was still extraordinary.

Once this constitution was developed, cultivation would become exceptionally easy. The saying "getting stronger by sleeping" would no longer be a joke. Furthermore, it granted the special abilities of "dream creation" and entering the dreams of others.

After reaching a certain cultivation level, the dreams created could even be mistaken for reality, causing people to be trapped in them forever.

This should have been a good thing. With such a powerful ability, as long as he was nurtured properly, he would definitely be a great asset to the Song Clan.

But every gain comes with a loss. A Cultivator with the Illusory Dream Body would be influenced by all sorts of dreams—some from others, some of his own making. Over time, this could, at best, drastically change his temperament; at worst, it could cause him to become lost within them.

It was a double-edged sword. A single misstep could cause him to harm himself, and it required a special method of cultivation.

The Song Clan, however, was only a small clan. They were completely clueless about how to nurture this kind of constitution and had no experience whatsoever in dealing with it.

For a moment, Song Xianming and the others didn’t know whether to be happy or worried.

But just a few days ago, Luoxia City had suddenly sent a message to Song Xianming, stating that a highly respected Purple Mansion Cultivator from Luoxia City was interested in taking him as a disciple.

This Purple Mansion Cultivator had a late friend who possessed the Illusory Dream Body. The friend had often discussed the Dao with him when he was alive, so he had some insights on how to nurture a Cultivator with this constitution.

The Purple Mansion Cultivator had declared that in the entire Daqi Cultivation World, no one was better suited to teach Song Qingyun than he was.

And that was indeed the case.

Logically speaking, the Song Clan and Luoxia City were allies, and with Song Changsheng serving as a link between the two, having Song Qingyun become a disciple of Luoxia City was a good option.

After all, his father was a Named Disciple of the Great City Lord himself.

But the point that troubled Song Xianming was that Song Qingyun was, after all, adopted. He did not share the Song Clan’s bloodline, so his connection to them was naturally weaker. Once he became a disciple of Luoxia City, he would belong to them.

The Song Clan and Luoxia City might be as close as can be right now, but who could say what the future held? In the end, they were not one family.

This was a special constitution! In its nearly five-hundred-year history, the Song Clan had never had a Cultivator with a special constitution. He was a bona fide Purple Mansion Seed, one who could even aspire to the Golden Core Dao. His potential was limitless.

Song Xianming and the others were truly unwilling to just hand him over like that.

But they also faced a practical problem: if they refused Luoxia City, who else could they find to teach the boy?

It was a dilemma, and for the moment, Song Xianming found it difficult to make a decision.

He could only sigh and say, "Let’s wait for Sheng’er to come out of seclusion. This is not a decision for us to make."

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