Before dawn, in a secluded valley deep within Wang Family Ridge, Wang Hao and Patriarch Wang Guang’an stood before thirty-one young cultivators.

The air was heavy with the damp chill of morning, matching the somber mood of the gathered youth.

“Many of you are still young,” Wang Guang’an began, his voice low but carrying clearly across the clearing. “To leave your home, to leave your parents behind… I know you do not understand. I know you are unwilling. But this sacrifice is for the survival of our bloodline. You are the beneficiaries of our toil, and I tell you this so you understand the family’s desperate hope.”

He paused, scanning their faces. “If the family survives this storm, you will return in glory. But if the darkness swallows us, if the Wang family falls… then you become our only hope for resurgence. You must cultivate with everything you have. Rebuilding the clan will be your burden to bear!”

Wang Guang’an suddenly straightened, his aura flaring slightly. “Lift your heads! Look at me!” he commanded, his voice thundering like a war drum. “What is your surname?”

The thirty-one disciples started, surprised by the sudden intensity. They hesitated for a heartbeat before answering in a ragged chorus, “Our surname is Wang.”

“Correct. Never forget it,” Wang Guang’an said ferociously. “You are the Wang Clan of Green Bull Market. The blood flowing in your veins is the blood of our ancestors. Do not fail us!”

The emotions in the clearing shifted from confusion to a tragic resolve. Tears welled in younger eyes, but their spines straightened.

“Our surname is Wang! We will not fail the family!” they shouted back, the sound echoing off the valley walls.

“Go! Board the vessels!” Wang Guang’an waved his sleeve.

The group filed onto the Flying Cloud Boat. Since the large vessel couldn’t comfortably hold everyone and their supplies, Wang Hao deployed his Sun and Moon Shuttle to carry four of the disciples, while Yaya, in her massive eagle form, easily carried five or six of the younger children on her back.

Under the guidance of the two Foundation Establishment experts, the fleet rose slowly into the sky.

For many of the children, this was their first time flying. Yet, there was no wonder in their eyes, no excitement pointing at the shrinking clouds. They only looked back. They stared fixedly at the receding silhouette of Wang Family Ridge, watching the only home they had ever known vanish into the mist. They knew, with a heavy intuition beyond their years, that if the war turned against them, they might never see those mountains again.

“Master, where are we going?”

On the Sun and Moon Shuttle, little Zou Yu looked up at Wang Hao, her eyes wide and wet.

“To Wanxiang City. The Spiritual Qi there is dense, far better for cultivation than here,” Wang Hao said softly, reaching out to pat her head. “When I am not around, you must listen to your Sister Wenxian, understood?”

“Master isn’t coming with us?”

“I have important things to do here,” Wang Hao smiled, masking the danger of his reality. “But don’t worry. After some time, I will come to find you. I expect you to have made progress by then. Don’t let me catch you slacking off.”

“I won’t! Yu’er is the most diligent disciple! If you don’t believe me, ask Sister Wenxian!” Zou Yu protested earnestly.

Wang Wenxian, seated nearby, managed a weak smile. “It’s true. Yu’er is very well-behaved. Speaking of which, have you finished memorizing the Hundred Essentials of Cultivation?”

Zou Yu’s face flushed red. “Just… just a little bit left! I’ll do it right now!” She hurriedly pulled a book from her satchel and buried her nose in it.

Wang Hao shook his head with a bittersweet chuckle. Turning to Wang Wenxian, his expression sobered.

“Wenxian, listen to me. Although the family has established a shop in Wanxiang City, you must remember that it is not our territory. We are guests there, and small ones at that. Be cautious in your words and deeds.”

“Yes, Fifth Brother. I will remember,” she replied dutifully.

“Good. Your talent in alchemy is solid. Do not neglect your practice. Skills will be your lifeline.”

Meanwhile, on the Flying Cloud Boat, the mood was even darker.

Wang Guang’an stood at the helm, glancing back at his kin. They looked wilted, like eggplants beaten by a heavy frost. Their heads hung low, their spirit crushed.

“What is this?” Wang Guang’an barked. “Why do you all look like you’re marching to your graves?”

“Old Ancestor,” Wang Wenyong, a cultivator in his thirties, spoke up, his voice trembling with suppressed emotion. “We are fleeing. We are abandoning our parents, our wives, our children to die while we run away. Is this not the behavior of cowards?”

His words struck a nerve. These were young men and women, full of vigor and pride. Who among them wanted to be a deserter?

The dam broke, and others chimed in.

“He’s right, Old Ancestor! Let us go back! We are willing to live and die with the family!”

“I’d rather die fighting than live as a runaway!”

“Nonsense!” Wang Guang’an roared, spinning around to face them. His pressure weighed down on the deck, silencing the clamor.

“Is that what you think?” He glared at them.

They lowered their heads, intimidated but their defiant expressions remaining.

“I am leaving with you,” Wang Guang’an said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “Do you think I am a coward?”

He suddenly shouted, “I have served the Wang family since I was eighteen! I have fought in wars, survived the beast tides of a century ago, and led the charge to clear Ruojun Mountain with my own hands! I have bled more for this clan than you have lived! Am I a coward?”

The disciples trembled. The accusation died in their throats. To call the Patriarch a coward was blasphemy.

“Old Ancestor… we didn’t mean…”

“Then what did you mean?”

“We…”

“You have aptitude, yes. But your cultivation is trash!” Wang Guang’an’s harsh words cut through their ego. “Even if you stayed, what could you do? Throw yourselves at enemy spells to prove you have a spine? That is not bravery. That is vanity!”

He softened his tone, seeing the shame on their faces. “Going to Wanxiang City is to preserve the spark of our bloodline. It is the hardest task, not the easiest. If you truly want to honor the family, then cultivate! Become strong enough so that one day, you can carve a bloody path back to Wang Family Ridge and ensure no one dares to threaten us again! That is your duty. Do not confuse the bravery of a fool with the strategy of a warrior.”

Silence reigned on the deck. Some still looked conflicted, but others clenched their fists, a new fire burning in their eyes as they stared at the distant horizon. They finally understood the weight of their survival.

Wang Guang’an nodded, satisfied, and turned back to the helm.

The fleet sped away, reducing Wang Family Ridge to a speck, then a memory, until it vanished completely.

The journey was long and arduous.

Wang Hao and Wang Guang’an piloted the vessels for two grueling months before reaching the territory of the Boundless Palace. It took another half-month of careful navigation to arrive safely at the Boundless Market.

Wang Hao watched as the group disappeared into the teleportation array one by one.

Before they parted, Wang Hao insisted that Wang Guang’an take the spare Foundation Establishment Pill—the very one Guang’an had originally brought back for the family.

It was a pragmatic decision. Currently, no one in the main branch was ready to attempt Foundation Establishment. Leaving such a treasure in a war zone was foolish; it might end up as loot for the enemy.

More importantly, Wang Hao could refine more whenever he wanted. But for the refugee branch in Wanxiang City, resources would be tight.

The pill shop in the city was already struggling to support the existing members. Adding thirty-one mouths to feed would stretch their finances to the breaking point. If they were forced to hunt demons in the treacherous open seas just to buy a Foundation Establishment Pill later, people would die. Worse, it would distract Wang Guang’an from his primary goal: forming the Golden Core.

With this pill in hand, the overseas branch wouldn’t need to make a major purchase for at least twenty years. That bought Wang Guang’an time. If he couldn’t form his Core within twenty years, his lifespan would run out regardless.

After seeing them off, Wang Hao used the Boundless Market’s teleportation array to jump directly back to the Qingyuan Market.

The return trip was instant but costly. Stepping out onto the streets of the Qingyuan Market, the atmosphere hit him immediately.

It was quiet. Too quiet.

The bustling crowds of rogue cultivators were gone, likely having fled to safer regions or retreated into the wilderness. The streets were dominated by clan cultivators, all moving with hurried, anxious steps. They weren’t browsing; they were stockpiling.

Wang Hao headed straight for the Qingyuan Pavilion. He held little hope, but he wanted to see if his contact was still there. To his surprise, Chen Qing was behind the counter.

“Senior Sister Chen, it’s been a while.”

“Brother Wang?” Chen Qing looked up, her face lighting up with genuine surprise. “What are you doing here at a time like this?”

Wang Hao glanced at the empty street outside. “Rumors of the coming war are driving everyone mad. My family is uneasy, so they sent me to sniff out the wind.”

Chen Qing sighed, her expression darkening. “Brother Wang, I can’t help you much. It’s not that I’m withholding information, but frankly, I might know less than you do. The upper management is… chaotic.”

She lowered her voice. “All I can say is, prepare for the worst. The Sect is recalling all disciples from external training. They are hoarding every scrap of material. Even the Foundation Establishment Pills that were promised to the vassal families for the last campaign against the demonic cultivators? Cancelled. They aren’t distributing them.”

Wang Hao’s eyes narrowed. “What? They cancelled the rewards? So many cultivators died in that campaign. Is the Sect not paying the blood debt?”

According to the ancient laws of the vassal system, if a family’s Foundation Establishment cultivator fell in service to the Sect, the Sect was obligated to compensate the family with a Foundation Establishment Pill to maintain their strength.

For the Qingyuan Sect to renege on this… it was madness.

Are they smashing the pot because it’s already cracked? Wang Hao wondered, stunned by the stupidity of it.

Withholding rewards now would chill the hearts of every vassal family under their banner. Just when they needed loyalty the most, the Qingyuan Sect was practically inviting their allies to defect to the Burning Heaven Sect.

Is Du Guangchao that confident? Wang Hao thought grimly. Does he think a Nascent Soul breakthrough is guaranteed? Or is he just desperate?