Rise of the Wang Clan: Starting with a Portable Farm

Chapter 235: Water Spirit Essence Milk

Wang Guang’an paced the chamber, his mind racing with future possibilities.

“These plans… they will take nearly a century to execute. If I hadn’t formed my Golden Core, I wouldn’t dare dream of such expansion. Even after ceding Qingniu and Luofeng to us, the Qingyuan Sect still controls eight markets and over thirty Foundation Establishment vassals. We have a long way to go to catch up.”

He stopped and looked at Wang Hao. “Once the Grand Ceremony concludes, we will move to conquer our first Spirit Mountain along the new route. I will need you to manage the logistics again, Hao’er. It is a troublesome task.”

“It is my duty,” Wang Hao bowed, his eyes shining. He genuinely enjoyed this. It felt like playing a grand strategy game: building an empire brick by brick, watching his territory expand on the map. The sense of accomplishment was addictive.

Conquering a Second Rank mountain was easy; holding it was hard. The Wang family was stretched thin. A single mountain required at least 30 cultivators to maintain defenses, tend fields, and manage trade. They needed manpower desperately.

They left the dwelling and toured the rest of the facility. The spirit fields were a disappointment. aside from the Divine Ability Fruit Tree, most of the valuable plants had died. Even the ones that survived were lackluster compared to what the Vine Demon had hoarded in the main cavern.

Wang Guang’an paused before a withered tree stump. He stared at it for a long time, his expression filled with regret.

“A Condensing Essence Fruit Tree,” he sighed heavily. “If it were alive, it could have provided enough resources to raise over ten Foundation Establishment cultivators every century. This loss… it hurts more than losing a Dharma Treasure.”

Wang Hao bit his tongue. He wanted to tell the Ancestor that the family really, really didn’t lack Foundation Establishment resources anymore, but he kept quiet.

“Fate is fickle,” Wang Guang’an muttered, shaking off his melancholy. “We have gained enough. Let us check the Spirit Vein itself. After thousands of years of isolation, perhaps some natural treasures have formed.”

Using the map from Song Churan’s jade slip, they located a hidden door in the tunnel wall. It slid open to reveal a deep, dark passage leading down.

Immediately, a rush of pure Spiritual Qi washed over them.

“Incredible,” Wang Guang’an breathed. “Even in its degraded state, the Qi here is far denser than at Wang Family Ridge. What a pity the Vine Demon damaged it… who knows how many centuries it will take to recover its Third Rank glory.”

Wang Hao closed his eyes, circulating his cultivation technique. He inhaled deeply, tasting the energy. His eyes snapped open in surprise.

“Ancestor, this isn’t just dense Qi. It’s heavily biased towards the Water Attribute. This is perfect! The family has always lacked a Water Spirit Vein. This fills a critical gap in our foundation.”

The Wang family’s current territories were Fire (Ridge), Earth/Wood (Ruojun), and Metal/Wood (Qingniu). They had zero support for Water-attribute cultivators beyond the pathetic First Rank Ling Lake. This bottleneck had stifled generations of potential talent.

“No wonder there is a lake above,” Wang Guang’an realized. “Water Qi naturally dissolves into water. The Gui Ran Sect used the underground river as a massive conduit to circulate Qi throughout the entire mine. Ingenious.”

“Since it’s a Water Spirit Vein, the accompanying treasures will likely be water-aligned,” Wang Hao said, his anticipation rising. “Perhaps… Thousand-Year Spirit Milk?”

“Let’s find out!” Wang Guang’an flicked his sleeve, leading the way.

They descended the winding tunnel. Halfway down, the path forked. The upper path led to the lake, feeding Qi into the water array. They took the lower path, heading straight for the core Spirit Eye.

The tunnel widened to eight feet. The walls here were smooth, clearly excavated with precision. The air grew humid and heavy with power.

After descending several hundred meters, they emerged into a natural stone chamber about a hundred square meters wide.

Several ancient meditation mats lay rotting near the entrance. But their attention was immediately drawn to the center of the room.

A massive white stalactite hung from the ceiling, its tip glistening with moisture. Directly beneath it sat a small stone basin carved into the floor.

The basin was full. A clear, viscous liquid shimmered inside, surface tension threatening to spill it over the edge.

“Treasure!”

They rushed forward. Wang Guang’an peered into the basin, then sighed slightly. “I thought it was Spirit Milk, but the color is wrong. It isn’t white.”

Wang Hao examined it closely. The liquid was transparent like water but thick like syrup. It wasn’t the famed Spirit Milk, nor was it the Spirit Water of the Danding Sect.

He searched his memory, cross-referencing ancient texts.

“This is… Water Spirit Essence Milk,” Wang Hao concluded.

Wang Guang’an froze. Then, a look of wild joy erupted on his face.

“Yes! You are right! It is the Essence Milk!”

He carefully dipped a finger into the liquid and tasted a drop. The energy bloomed on his tongue—gentle, pure, and overwhelmingly vital.

“Hahaha! The Heavens bless the Wang family!” Wang Guang’an laughed, his body trembling with excitement. “With this, we can force the creation of several more Foundation Establishment cultivators!”

Water Spirit Essence Milk was a Third Rank spiritual object. It was mild in nature and easily absorbed. While invaluable for refining high-grade pills, its most famous use was raw consumption.

For a Qi Refining cultivator with a Water Spirit Root, consuming this milk increased the success rate of Foundation Establishment by 30 percent—even without a Foundation Establishment Pill.

More importantly, it possessed potent restorative properties. It could replenish the declining Qi and Blood of older cultivators. Men over 60, who had typically lost their chance to advance, could use this milk to restore their vitality and attempt a breakthrough again.

Wang Guang’an did the math instantly. He still had Foundation Establishment Pills in reserve. If he combined them with this milk, he could take the older generation—the loyal, experienced men who had missed their prime—and push them into the Foundation Establishment realm.

This would solve their manpower crisis overnight. These veterans could lead the rogue cultivator armies to conquer and develop new Spirit Mountains—a task they were far better suited for than the younger, inexperienced generation.

“There are at least ten portions here,” Wang Guang’an estimated, his eyes gleaming. “And as long as the Spirit Vein exists—”

He stopped mid-sentence. His face fell.

“Damn it,” he cursed, a rare vulgarity for a Golden Core patriarch. “The vein has degraded. It can no longer produce Third Rank treasures. That accursed Vine Demon!”