Rise of the Wang Clan: Starting with a Portable Farm

Chapter 270: Haoran Peak

Giant Turtle Island was dominated by a central mountain range consisting of eleven distinct peaks. Wang Hao selected one adjacent to the main summit as his personal domain.

In this new territory, land was abundant. Every Foundation Establishment cultivator could claim an entire mountain for themselves, enjoying a private, Qi-rich environment for cultivation. While future generations might have to share as the clan expanded, for now, the sheer scale of these peaks—each significantly larger than Wang Family Ridge—meant even ten Foundation Establishment elders and two hundred Qi Refining disciples could fit comfortably on a single one.

Wang Hao named his new home Haoran Peak.

Unless an unforeseen calamity occurred, this mountain would be his exclusive territory in perpetuity. His status within the Wang clan now afforded him the privilege of being the sole lord of a peak.

Of course, his immediate family and disciples would reside here as well. The maintenance of the peak’s medicinal gardens, spirit orchards, and landscaping would require a small army of low-level clansmen to manage.

Wang Hao stood at the foot of Haoran Peak, flanked by Wang Wenyue and Zou Yu, and looked up.

At the base of the mountain lay a vast tract of Spirit Fields, currently fallow and overgrown.

Halfway up the slope, nestled in a relatively flat clearing, sat a sprawling manor. It appeared serene and secluded. The estate comprised over a dozen courtyards of varying sizes, interconnected by long corridors, water pavilions, and ornamental gardens filled with rockeries. Since the Spiritual Qi here was second only to the main peak, the previous island owner had clearly invested heavily in its construction.

The manor required renovations, so Wang Hao didn’t linger. He led the two women straight to the summit.

At the very top stood a solitary, independent courtyard. Its centerpiece was a multi-story pavilion. The doors were wide open, revealing an empty but spotless interior—Wang Wenmei had evidently sent a cleaning crew ahead of them.

Wang Hao consulted the architectural map he had been given. Noting the existence of a hidden chamber, he walked to a blank stone wall and ran his hand across the surface, feeling for the mechanism.

Click.

With a grinding sound, the stone wall split apart, revealing a dark tunnel.

The passage was short, linking two secluded cultivation chambers. These rooms were built directly over the Spiritual Qi conduits connected to the main vein, making the energy density here thicker than anywhere else on the peak.

Wang Hao checked the map again. Satisfied there were no other hidden surprises, he returned to the main pavilion.

He pulled a set of furniture and daily necessities from his storage bag, arranging a simple living space.

Turning to Wenyue and Zou Yu, he said, “You two may choose any room in this courtyard. If you prefer more privacy, feel free to claim a courtyard down in the manor halfway up the mountain. I am entering Secluded Cultivation immediately. You will have to look after yourselves.”

“Don’t worry, Brother,” Wang Wenyue said firmly. “I plan to enter seclusion as well. I’ve delayed switching my cultivation method for too long.”

She had yet to convert to the Returning Nature Sword Art, and with the clan finally settled, she could no longer put it off.

Zou Yu bowed respectfully. “Master, I have no pressing matters. Aside from studying the texts you gave me, I will tend to the peak. It’s a pity to let so many spirit flowers and trees grow wild.”

Wang Hao nodded approvingly. He handed them several bottles of Spirit Pills and gave a few final instructions before closing the door to the secret chamber. He set up a simple warning restriction and descended into the dark.

Inside the secret chamber, the air was thick with power.

Wang Hao retrieved the Golden Eye Beast Demon Core he had obtained years ago. He then harvested the necessary auxiliary herbs from his Farm, summoned the Blue Flood Dragon Furnace, and uncorked a bottle of Third Rank Spiritual Water.

It was time to refine the Golden Eye Spirit Liquid.

Days later, the fire beneath the furnace died down. Wang Hao lifted the lid, revealing a globule of viscous golden liquid hovering within. He sniffed it; the scent matched the ancient texts perfectly.

He cleaned the chamber and deployed his Yellow Jade Warm Bed. Sitting cross-legged on the jade, he began the arduous process.

According to the manual, applying the liquid to the eyes and tempering them with Qi was a slow, painful process. For most cultivators, achieving the “Novice” stage of the Golden Eye Pupil Technique took over a year of daily practice.

But Wang Hao had cheated. He had used Third Rank Spiritual Water to refine the liquid, boosting its potency and purity far beyond the standard.

Four months passed in silence.

In the darkness of the chamber, Wang Hao’s eyelids snapped open.

A strange, golden luminescence swirled within his pupils.

He looked at the stone wall opposite him and activated the Penetrating Vision Technique.

Usually, this basic spell could only see through thin wood or paper. But now, fueled by the Golden Eye Pupil Technique, his gaze pierced the thick, Qi-reinforced stone as if it were glass. He saw the texture of the rock, the flow of Qi within it, and the sunlight dancing on the leaves outside.

“Success,” Wang Hao whispered, blinking the gold light away.

“The Housewarming Banquet is approaching. I should head out.” Mastering the Novice stage had put him in high spirits.

He carefully bottled the remaining Golden Eye Spirit Liquid. He had consumed nearly half of his supply in just four months. The remainder wouldn’t be enough to push him to the “Expert” stage; he would need to brew more.

The auxiliary herbs were manageable—mostly three or four-hundred-year-old plants that his Farm could churn out easily. The bottleneck was the Demon Core. Golden Eye Beasts were rare, even in the resource-rich Open Sea.

With the Wang clan’s current strength, hunting a Third Rank Golden Eye Beast in the wild was a gamble. He would likely have to scour the large auctions or haggle with the Four Seas Merchant Alliance to find another core.

Wang Hao stood, stretched, and walked out of the secret chamber.

Entering the courtyard, he found Zou Yu sitting in the stone pavilion. She was engrossed in a thick tome on Formation mechanics, her brow furrowed in concentration.

Zou Yu possessed a three-element spiritual root: Metal, Earth, and Fire. She cultivated the Sun and Moon Rotation Art, which utilized Metal and Earth. Although she had studied alchemy in her youth, her lack of a Fire-attribute cultivation method had stifled her progress. After years of effort, she was still stuck as a Middle Grade First Rank Alchemist.

Before entering seclusion, Wang Hao had given her two books on Formations, suggesting she try a different path.

Formation Masters also needed to refine flags and disks, but the technical requirement for crafting was lower than pure Artifact Refining. Generally, a Third Rank Formation Master only needed the crafting skills of a Second Rank Artifact Refiner.

Wang Hao had only intended for her to dabble, but seeing her intense focus, he realized she might have found her calling.

“Ahem. Can you understand that text?”

Zou Yu jumped, nearly dropping the book. She looked up, her face lighting up with surprise. “Master! You’ve left seclusion?”

“En,” Wang Hao chuckled. She clearly hadn’t heard his question. He repeated it. “I asked if you can understand the theories in that book.”

“I can!” Zou Yu nodded eagerly. “Master, I can already set up simple restrictions.”

To prove it, she pulled several strips of Yin Purple Pine from her storage bag. She arranged them on the ground in a specific pattern, channeling her Qi into the wood.

Hum.

With a final hand seal, the air shimmered, and Zou Yu vanished from plain sight.

It was a simple First Rank Concealment Formation. The range was small, but effective.

For only four months of self-study, this was impressive.

“How is it, Master?” Zou Yu’s voice came from the empty air. “Do I have talent?”

“Not bad,” Wang Hao praised. “Keep the formation active. I want to test a secret technique.”

“Yes, Master!”

Wang Hao circulated his Qi. The Golden Eye Pupil Technique flared to life, and his eyes began to glow with a faint, eerie golden light.

He looked at the empty space.

The illusion melted away. He saw Zou Yu’s blurry outline clearly, crouched behind the distortion. More importantly, he saw the flow of Qi anchoring the formation to the ground—specifically, the faint glow of the Yin Purple Pine markers.

Wang Hao extended his hand and made a grabbing motion.

Whoosh.

One of the pine strips flew out of the formation and into his palm. The array collapsed instantly, revealing a startled Zou Yu.

“Wow!” She gasped, eyes wide. “Master, that was amazing! How did you do that?”

Wang Hao smiled, tossing the wood back to her. “Just a secret ocular technique. You can learn it too once you reach Foundation Establishment. However, the brewing materials are expensive. You’ll have to pay for them yourself.”

Zou Yu’s face fell instantly. “Then forget it. I don’t have that many Spirit Stones!”

Although she received a stipend from the clan, it barely covered her daily cultivation needs. Overseas life was expensive, and unlike back at Wang Family Ridge, there were fewer safe tasks for low-level disciples to earn extra income. Having been “poor” for over a decade, the mere mention of high costs made her wallet ache.