“The family has trained several First Rank alchemists in recent years,” Wang Yanzhao noted, his tone optimistic. “It is perfect timing. With the Pill Cauldron Sect’s inheritance, our alchemy division is poised to reach a new level.”

“Wenhao,” Wang Guang’an interjected, looking at the younger man. “You have worked hard these past few years, but you are also the most familiar with these new techniques. Leave the heavy lifting of pill production to us, but I need you to guide the junior alchemists. Set them on the right path.”

Wang Hao nodded. “I intended to do so. It will give me a chance to reacquaint myself with the clan. Furthermore, our manpower overseas is thin. I can use this opportunity to select the next batch of pioneers.”

The elders nodded in agreement. In just five years, Wang Hao’s overseas venture had produced five Foundation Establishment cultivators—a miracle of efficiency. If this pipeline continued for fifty or a hundred years, the Wang family could boast twenty or thirty Foundation Establishment experts, rivaling established sects.

Speaking of advancement, Wang Hao retrieved another set of items. “I purchased these overseas. I kept two for emergencies, but the rest are for the family.”

Seven Foundation Establishment Pills sat in the jade bottle.

Wang Guang’an stared at them, stunned. “Seven… The resources overseas are truly this abundant? We have been frogs at the bottom of a well, ignorant of the ocean beyond.”

Wang Hao kept his expression neutral. The pills were products of his mysterious farm, not the open market, but letting the elders believe in the richness of the overseas trade was a safer narrative.

They quickly discussed distribution. Three candidates were selected immediately, but the remaining pills would be vaulted. The family was currently in a demographic gap; the capable talents had already left with Wang Hao, and the new generation born under the fertility mandates was still too young.

After the logistics were settled, Wang Guang’an dismissed the other two elders to handle the arrangements.

When they were alone, the Patriarch looked at Wang Hao with a gleam in his eye. “Speak. Your transmission said you had news even they couldn’t hear.”

Wang Hao placed three items on the table: a jade bottle, a jade box, and an array disk. “Old Ancestor, please take a look.”

Wang Guang’an opened the bottle first. The rich, medicinal aroma hit him instantly, causing his hands to tremble. “A Dustfall Pill.”

“Correct. I traded a Magic Treasure for it.” Wang Hao then pushed the box forward. “And these are two Gold Essence Fruits from the ruins. If you can advance to the Third Rank in alchemy, you can refine the Golden Core Jade Liquid. With these two aids, your chances of forming a Core will soar.”

“Gold Essence Fruits…” Wang Guang’an set down the pill and cradled the box as if it held a newborn. Tears welled in his eyes as he beheld the golden skin of the fruits. “The scent alone… unmistakable Third Rank.”

“Can you reach the Third Rank in time?” Wang Hao asked, cutting to the practicalities.

Wang Guang’an took a deep breath, steadying himself. “With the volume of herbs you brought back? Yes. I just need practice. I will make it happen.”

“Good.” Wang Hao relaxed. If the old man couldn’t refine the Jade Liquid, he would have to gamble on the Dustfall Pill alone, a risk Wang Hao wanted to avoid. The Gold Essence Fruits in his farm would take too long to mature for Wang Guang’an’s lifespan.

“I suggest you travel to Wanxiang City for the breakthrough,” Wang Hao advised. “The family lacks a Third Tier Spirit Vein, and the celestial phenomenon of a Golden Core formation is impossible to hide. If the Qingyuan Sect detects it, they might strike before you stabilize. Wanxiang City has high-grade caves for rent, and with the war on the frontlines, a new Golden Core won’t attract undue hostility.”

Wang Guang’an nodded slowly. “Wise. I will go once the preparations are complete. My only concern is leaving the family with only two Foundation Establishment cultivators. It is… thin.”

“I will stay behind to guard the clan,” Wang Hao assured him. “And with three Foundation Establishment Pills distributed, we should have new blood soon.”

He picked up the final item—the array disk. “This is the key to the Pill Cauldron Sect ruins. It opens every fifty years. We haven’t fully explored it, and the Spirit Medicine Garden inside still holds significant value. We can harvest it sustainably for generations.”

Wang Guang’an looked at the disk, realizing its strategic weight exceeded even the Gold Essence Fruits. “You keep it,” he decided after a long silence. “This is top secret. Only you and I shall know of its existence.”

“Understood, Old Ancestor.”

“Now, go rest. I must enter seclusion immediately.” Wang Guang’an stood up, clutching his treasures with a fervor that bordered on mania. The path to the Golden Core was open, and he couldn’t wait another second.

Wang Hao watched him leave, shaking his head with a smile. For a cultivator, the Dao always came first.

Wang Hao slept for nearly ten days, exhausted by the journey and the mental load. When he finally emerged, his first priority was his new disciple, Zou Yu.

Though he hadn’t been present to settle her in, the clan hadn’t dared to neglect the Patriarch’s disciple. She had been housed with Wang Wenxian, a clanswoman Wang Hao trusted, near the Transmission Hall.

“Elder Wang!”

“Greetings, Elder!”

As he walked through the clan grounds, greetings followed him like a wave. Children pointed and whispered, their eyes wide with hero-worship. A Five Spiritual Roots cultivator reaching Foundation Establishment was a living legend, a story told to every struggling youth in the clan. Wang Hao had become the symbol of possibility.

He arrived at the mountainside dormitory complex. The buildings were uniform, designed as a boarding school for clan members under twenty. It had been Wang Hao’s initiative years ago—separating children from their parents to foster independence and communal bonds. Despite initial resistance, the results spoke for themselves: better discipline, faster cultivation speeds, and a surge in mastered trades.

He stopped before Cave #18 and sent a transmission talisman inside.

A moment later, the stone door slid open.

Wang Hao blinked. Seven years had passed in the blink of an eye. The timid little girl who had clung to his robes was gone, replaced by a graceful young woman who stood tall in the doorway.