Chen Yang now harbored five spirit pearls within his body, which had appeared in the white space upon his awakening.

This marked the current limit of spirit pearls he could hold.

Even if he externalized one, he couldn’t channel the power of wishes to forge new ones.

“The old man’s likely too aged for the spirit pearls to remain in him,”

Chen Yang mused before sending another Thought Transmission to Old Yu, instructing him to bring the Yang Family’s newly initiated disciple.

Yang Shu was meditating in the courtyard when Old Yu roused him.

Upon hearing he’d enter the valley’s forbidden zone that day, Yang Shu’s eyes brightened with exhilaration.

Old Yu and Yang Lingqing had previously revealed only Yang Family cultivators could access the forbidden area’s secrets.

Yang Shu had long suspected it guarded their ancestral protection treasures.

As a mortal, he’d been unworthy—but now, having entered the Path of Cultivation, he’d finally glimpse it!

Nervous yet eager, Yang Shu followed Old Yu to the valley’s cave abyss.

“Remember all I told you?”

“Yes, Elder Yu!”

“Proceed then.”

Straightening his robes, Yang Shu inhaled deeply and entered the cave reverently.

This was his first encounter with Chen Yang.

“So this is our clan’s Immortal Master,” he thought, awestruck.

After consuming the mother jade, Chen Yang’s stone form had grown more luminous, its surface glossy like oil.

Vivid turquoise-green patterns now swirled across it, radiating sacred grandeur.

Yang Shu gaped momentarily before collecting himself to kneel.

“Disciple Yang Shu of the Yang Family pays homage to the Immortal Master!”

“Our entire clan thrives by your grace. Though my blood sacrifice to the spirits today repays but a fraction, all Yang descendants shall repeat this rite…”

As Chen Yang absorbed the essence blood ignited by Yang Shu’s fire talisman, an eighth soul fire kindled within him—small yet bearing traces of Yang Lingqing’s essence.

When the ritual concluded, Yang Shu sensed an invisible force enveloping him.

“Decent talent,” Chen Yang observed through probing awareness. “Not Yang Lingrui’s equal, but close.”

He then summoned a spirit pearl and drew it into his body.

Feeling something unusual in his body, Yang Shu realized that the Immortal Master was performing a technique, so he calmed his mind and began to comprehend.

Upon inner observation, he saw a glowing white spirit pearl moving within him, eventually coming to a stop in his dantian.

Chen Yang immediately communicated with him through Thought Transmission, and after a slight shift in his consciousness, Yang Shu hurriedly sat cross-legged on the spot, activating his cultivation methods to begin refining the spirit pearl.

With the use of his cultivation methods, the spirit pearl started to gradually dissolve and ultimately merged with Yang Shu’s dantian.

In that instant, Yang Shu felt his body lighten, followed by a warm sensation spreading throughout him.

“This… is truly amazing!”

Yang Shu’s eyes were filled with astonishment.

He discovered that after refining the spirit pearl, even without practicing any cultivation methods, the energy palace in his dantian could operate on its own, absorbing and transforming the spiritual energy of heaven and earth!

The efficiency was quite impressive, nearly matching his meditative state!

Moreover, when he actively meditated, his overall cultivation speed increased by over sixty percent!

“Yang Shu thanks the Immortal Master for bestowing such divine powers!” Yang Shu quickly expressed his gratitude.

Chen Yang was also observing his body. As Yang Shu refined the spirit pearl, he sensed a new connection.

This connection was not linked like the blood sacrifice to the spirits through soul fire, but rather served as a bridge created by the power of wishes between himself and the cultivator who had refined the spirit pearl.

Even though the spirit pearl had become one with the cultivator, he could still clearly perceive its existence.

“I understand now, this item is not a spiritual treasure or technique, but rather a part of my body.”

Chen Yang realized: “When a cultivator refines a spirit pearl, depending on the refinement location, they can gain various types of support in their cultivation. However, if they die, this spirit pearl will return to my body and bring back a portion of the restorative power of wishes.”

After some contemplation, Chen Yang generally grasped the spirit pearl’s function.

Then he called Old Yu into the cave and conveyed a thought.

“灵(Ling)”

The character “灵(Ling)” appeared in Old Yu’s sea of consciousness, and he understood the Immortal Master’s meaning.

“The Immortal Master has bestowed a name; from now on, you shall be called Yang Lingshu,” Old Yu said to Yang Shu as he turned back.

Yang Shu’s expression changed in surprise, and he solemnly bowed to the Immortal Master, saying, “Yang Lingshu, thank you for the name, Immortal Master!”

Chen Yang was quite satisfied with this child. From Old Yu’s previous accounts and his own observations, Yang Lingshu was indeed an excellent choice in terms of talent and character. It was truly a fortunate thing for the Yang Family to have such a descendant.

After completing this, it was finally time for Chen Yang to address his own matters.

He communicated with Old Yu and relayed a message.

The focus of it was on two words: “承杨 (Cheng Yang).”

Upon receiving this thought, Old Yu’s expression grew serious, and he bowed to Chen Yang, stating earnestly, “I accept the Immortal Master’s decree! I will attend to it right away!”

After reaching the Perfected Gathering Qi Realm, Chen Yang confirmed his previous assumptions.

He realized that to break through to Condensing Essence, the power of wishes was the key.

He could now feel an invisible barrier above his head, obstructing his progress.

Only by accumulating enough power of wishes could he break through it.

Chen Yang had tried using the power of wishes he possessed, but it couldn’t shake the barrier even a little.

To achieve Condensing Essence, he needed to absorb more power of wishes.

Relying solely on cultivators for blood sacrifices wouldn’t be enough; the bulk of the power of wishes came from the incense offerings of many ordinary people.

Therefore, Chen Yang quickly thought of a method: to establish a stone tablet and build a statue.

Wasn’t it just incense? It was just like a temple or a Taoist place.

By making himself an object of faith for the people under the rule of the Yang Family, he could ensure a continuous supply of incense.

In doing so, he cleverly asked Old Yu to build the “承杨 (Cheng Yang)” hall and erect a “承杨” stone tablet in Song Mountain and Sanglu Valley.

This way, anyone who saw it would think it was a place of worship, honoring the Yang Family, without knowing that, in truth, they were paying tribute to Chen Yang himself. All the gratitude towards the Yang Family would ultimately flow into his hands, transforming into an endless supply of power of wishes.

After Old Yu accepted Chen Yang’s decree, he took Yang Lingshu and returned to the main family in Song Mountain together.

Chen Yang reclined back in his old position in the ancestral hall.

He also bestowed a spirit pearl upon Yang Lingqing, which ultimately settled in her sea of consciousness.

After refining the spirit pearl, Yang Lingqing’s divine awareness perception ability greatly enhanced, both in strength and sensitivity.

Then he met Wu Tong.

This girl, whom he had once protected, was now a young woman, expecting the first son of the Yang Family cultivators.

Chen Yang carefully extended his consciousness to examine the fetus in her womb.

“Wow, as expected of Linghu’s offspring! Just six months old, and its vitality is already so vigorous, with rich bones and blood!” Chen Yang praised.

The child could be said to have perfectly inherited Yang Linghu’s physical talents and could grow into a powerful member of the family.

“Great! Then I will lend you a helping hand!”

Chen Yang guided the spirit pearl into the fetus’s body, and without any hesitation, the spirit pearl settled in its heart.

Afterward, Chen Yang personally refined the spirit pearl, merging it with the child’s heart.

With three spirit pearls now allocated, the remaining two would be reserved for Yang Lingrui and Yang Linghu.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep