Rise of the Wang Clan: Starting with a Portable Farm

Chapter 240: The Long Road, Accompanied Only by the Sword

“The road is long, accompanied only by the sword.”

Wang Wenyue repeated the phrase, savoring the melancholic weight of the words. She looked up at her brother, her eyes searching.

“Brother, your cultivation has advanced so rapidly these years. Aside from managing the clan, I have never seen you take an interest in anything else. Is your life not the same as this phrase describes?”

Wang Hao paused. I have plenty of interests, he thought wistfully. Entertainment cities, business empires, mass-producing spirit herbs…

But he knew the brutal truth of this world. Without strength, all hobbies were dust in the wind.

“Wenyue,” he said gently, “if I were you, I would choose to switch cultivation techniques. We cannot guarantee the family will find a high-level Metal-Water manual in the future. Waiting blindly is a waste of your talent.”

Wang Wenyue nodded firmly. “Alright. I will listen to you, Brother. I choose the sword.”

Wang Hao smiled and patted her head. “Don’t decide just because I said so. When we return, read the manual yourself. This is the core inheritance of a Nascent Soul Sect. It is no small matter.”

Back at Wang Family Ridge, they met with Ancestor Wang Guang’an to retrieve the Gui Ran Sword Art. After studying the jade slip, Wang Wenyue made her final decision. She was only at the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining; switching paths now would cost her a year or two at most.

She would begin her transition after the Golden Core Grand Ceremony.

With family matters settled, Wang Hao threw himself into the chaotic preparations for the Golden Core Grand Ceremony.

Thousands of guests had descended upon Wang Family Ridge. The sheer volume of people—Rogue Cultivators, minor clans, merchants—turned the once-quiet mountain into a bustling city.

Trouble was inevitable.

Old grudges flared up. Petty thefts turned into brawls. Within days, there were two fatalities.

The Wang family’s Garrison Hall handled the minor friction, but when Foundation Establishment forces clashed, a heavyweight was needed to restore order.

Wang Hao stepped in personally. He didn’t waste time with diplomacy. For those who disrespected the Wang family’s laws, he offered two choices: expulsion or execution. His thunderous methods quickly silenced the troublemakers, ensuring no major incidents would mar the Ancestor’s big day.

He also acted as the gatekeeper for those seeking vassalage.

Dozens of small clans and Rogue Cultivators lined up, begging for the Wang family’s protection—and the Spirit Mountains they controlled.

Wang Hao screened them ruthlessly. He rejected the freeloaders and the opportunists, selecting only those with good reputations and solid foundations. He told them the truth: The Wang family will have vacant Spirit Mountains in the coming decades. If you are willing to wait, you may join us.

He decisively rejected any clan currently under the Qingyuan Sect’s jurisdiction. Poaching vassals from a powerful neighbor was a recipe for war, and Wang Hao knew the value of “allying with the weak to resist the strong.” The Wang family needed the Qingyuan Sect as a buffer against the stronger Blazing Heaven Sect.

Finally, the day arrived.

The Golden Core Grand Ceremony.

Wang Family Ridge was transformed. Lanterns floated in the sky, banners snapped in the wind, and a sea of cultivators filled the plaza. The air buzzed with excitement.

Wang Yanzhao, Wang Longyou, and Wang Hao stood at the main gate to welcome the VIPs. Wang Yanzhi, the business expert, acted as the master of ceremonies, his voice amplified by spiritual power as he announced the gifts.

“The Qingyuan Sect, Headmaster Jin Heng, presents a Fourth Rank Spirit Herb: Thousand-Year Blood Spirit Ginseng!”

A murmur of awe rippled through the crowd. A Fourth Rank treasure was a priceless face-saving gesture.

“Qingniu Market, Li Family Head Li Yaozu, presents a bottle of Third Rank Thousand Leaf Dew!”

“Qingniu Market, Zhao Family Head Zhao Gaoquan, presents a jar of Third Rank Purple Ginseng Brew!”

“Luofeng Market, Yang Family, presents a block of Third Rank Thousand-Year Cold Ice!”

The gifts were standard for Foundation Establishment vassals—valuable, but expected.

Then, Wang Yanzhi’s voice rang out again.

“Maple Leaf Market, Ye Family, presents a Third Rank Low Grade Golden-Eyed Beast Inner Core!”

Wang Hao’s eyes narrowed instantly.

A Golden-Eyed Beast?

This was no ordinary gift. The Golden-Eyed Beast was a rare aquatic Demon Beast found only in the deep ocean. The Ye family was landlocked. Even if they had access to the sea, the shallow waters near the Leizhou Peninsula didn’t support Third Rank beasts.

A standard Third Rank gift like the Purple Ginseng Brew was worth perhaps 10,000 Spirit Stones.

A Third Rank Demon Core? That was worth over 100,000.

The Ye family and the Wang family had history—bad history. This gift was clearly an apology, but the value was excessive. It reeked of desperation.

The crowd erupted in whispers. The Ye family had just outshone everyone except the Qingyuan Sect itself.

Even Wang Guang’an, seated on the high dais, looked surprised. He turned his gaze to the Ye Family Head, Ye Jingtao.

“Little Friend Ye has a generous heart,” Wang Guang’an said, his voice projecting across the plaza. “Please, take a seat at the upper tables.”

Originally, the Ye family—a distant clan with no close ties—was relegated to the outer tables. But money talked.

Wang Hao signaled the ushers immediately. They moved Ye Jingtao from the periphery to the primary VIP table, seating him alongside Lei Liheng and the other core vassals.

It was a pragmatic exchange. The Ye family paid a heavy price to buy face and security. By accepting the gift and promoting their seat, Wang Guang’an was signaling that the past was buried. The Wang family would not target them.

Everyone understood the logic, but few had the courage to cut such a large piece of flesh from their own treasury. 100,000 stones could have bought Foundation Establishment Pills for their own juniors.

But the Ye family saw the writing on the wall. With the Wang family’s rise, survival was the only priority. Without this “protection money,” how could they sleep soundly under the nose of a new Golden Core tiger?