Rise of the Wang Clan: Starting with a Portable Farm

Chapter 245: Golden Core Quality

Wang Guang’an’s expression turned peculiar. “To think Ye Jingtao actually managed to pull on the coattails of True Monarch Yu Lang. It seems the Twin Dragon Mountain branch of the Ye family still has a glimmer of hope for prosperity.”

“Who knows?” Wang Hao shrugged, his tone analytical. “The overseas main branch clearly doesn’t value them that much. Otherwise, why refuse them a simple Foundation Establishment Pill? To a Nascent Soul faction, such a pill is hardly a priceless treasure.”

“Hmm, regardless, our Wang family has no intention of encroaching on our neighbors. Whether the Ye family prospers or declines, it has little to do with us.” Wang Guang’an looked at Wang Hao. “I need to begin refining the pills. You need to prepare your puppet beasts. Hand over your administrative duties to the others for now.”

Wang Hao nodded. The puppets he had previously stockpiled were strictly designed for mining the Spirit Stone veins; they weren’t suitable for combat or sale. Aside from the units earmarked for the upcoming auction, he only had two combat-ready models left, and he needed them for his own protection. He had to manufacture at least one more.

Yet, Wang Hao didn’t immediately turn to leave. He lingered, looking at the older man with burning curiosity. “Ancestor… I have to ask. What quality is your Golden Core?”

A Golden Core fell into one of four tiers: Low Grade, Middle Grade, High Grade, or Top Grade. The higher the quality, the greater the cultivator’s combat prowess and the higher their chances of eventually forming a Nascent Soul.

Because Wang Guang’an had sustained severe injuries in his youth and only consumed two core-formation spiritual items, Wang Hao had been quietly worried about the result.

Wang Guang’an let out a booming laugh. “You held that question in for so long, I thought you were never going to ask!”

Wang Hao rubbed the back of his neck, laughing awkwardly.

“It is a Middle Grade Golden Core,” Wang Guang’an revealed, a hint of a sigh in his voice. “The injuries from my early years left too deep a mark. Still, I consider myself incredibly fortunate. Most Golden Core cultivators only ever manage a Low Grade core. I owe this entirely to your Golden Essence Fruit and Dustfall Pill. If I had relied solely on my own foundation, I might have failed to form even a Low Grade core.”

“Ancestor, you are blessed by the heavens. Your path is naturally smooth. I simply played a minor role,” Wang Hao replied diplomatically.

“You!” Wang Guang’an chuckled, shaking his head. “Why the sudden interest? Are you planning to hoard core-formation items to forge a High Grade Golden Core for yourself?”

Wang Hao nodded seriously. “You know how poor my spiritual roots are, Ancestor. If I only rely on two core-formation items, I likely won’t succeed at all. I need to gather a massive surplus! Once the dust settles here, I intend to head overseas. It may be dangerous, but the Fated Chances there far exceed what we can find locally.”

“Well said. I will help you search as well,” Wang Guang’an agreed. “Perhaps the Purple Void Secret Realm will yield some gains. And when the Dan Ding Sect ruins open, if we can secure another Golden Essence Fruit, the hopes for you and Yanzhao reaching the Golden Core stage will be quite high.” As for Wang Longyou, the Ancestor silently noted that the man was getting too old; his chances were slim.

His curiosity satisfied, Wang Hao took his leave.

He immediately entered Secluded Cultivation to forge a new puppet, while simultaneously managing the final preparations for the upcoming auction.

More than 10 days later, Wang Hao tightened the final joint on the mechanical beast before him. Nodding in satisfaction, he swept it into his Storage Ring and stepped out of his cave dwelling.

The courtyard outside was bursting with vibrant flora. The Illusory Moon Butterfly was resting atop a massive sunflower. Upon spotting Wang Hao, it immediately fluttered over, dancing circles around his head.

Wang Hao inspected his familiars, feeling a twinge of impatience. Their growth was simply too slow. He was bordering on late-stage Foundation Establishment, yet his spirit beasts were all bottlenecked at the second-rank Middle Grade.

While they were elite compared to ordinary beasts, they fell short of top-tier familiars.

Thankfully, the batch of Mysterious Fruits he had procured from the Dan Ding Sect had finally matured, and he had fed one to each of his companions. The results were promising.

Yaya, his lightning bird, had physically changed. The golden plumage had spread down its chest, and the destructive yield of its lightning strikes had more than doubled. A direct hit could now seriously injure a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Little White had transformed from a pure white tiger into a beast marked with stark, black-and-white stripes. While its raw power hadn’t increased, it had managed to Awaken a new innate skill: Black Wind Blade. It wasn’t a devastating attack, but the Qi cost was negligible, allowing for rapid, continuous fire. This perfectly covered Little White’s previous weakness; if its primary eye-beam attack missed, it used to suffer a long recovery window where it could only rely on physical strikes. Now, it could use the wind blades to suppress and kite enemies.

The Illusory Moon Butterfly possessed the highest growth ceiling of the three. After digesting the Mysterious Fruit, the two ethereal eyes patterned on its wings had solidified, becoming sharply defined. More importantly, its technique-casting speed had drastically increased.

To Wang Hao, this was a massive tactical upgrade—far more practical than Little White’s new skill or Yaya’s raw damage boost. The butterfly’s Illusionary Divine Light was already potent enough to cross realms and disorient late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators. Its only flaw had been its agonizingly slow cast time, making it easy to dodge. Shaving just a fraction of a second off that cast time was enough to change the tide of a battle.

Wang Hao tossed a few spirit fruits to the butterfly.

Smelling the sweet aroma, Little White padded over, nudging Wang Hao’s leg. Wang Hao laughed, rubbing the tiger’s massive head before pulling out a hefty slab of second-rank Demon Beast meat for it.

Caw! Caw! A streak of black lightning tore across the sky as Yaya descended from the clouds. With thousands of guest cultivators crowding Wang Family Ridge, the clan’s security was stretched thin, so Wang Hao had deployed the bird for aerial surveillance.

Seeing Yaya strutting for a reward, Wang Hao didn’t hold back. He withdrew a stalk of Spirit Grass crackling with silver electricity—a Thunderstartle Grass he had skimmed from the assembly’s gift pile.

Since eating the Mysterious Fruit, Yaya’s dormant lightning attributes had fully begun to Awaken, giving it a ravenous appetite for thunder-aspected flora. Such herbs were notoriously rare, growing only in regions plagued by constant lightning storms. Fortunately, Wang Hao’s farm system ignored such environmental restrictions. He had already dedicated a plot of soil to cultivating more, which would mature in a year or two.

Yaya snapped up the Thunderstartle Grass, swallowing it whole. It squawked twice, clearly demanding more.

“That’s all I have for now, you glutton,” Wang Hao said, having exhausted his supply of both the grass and lightning-attribute demon cores. He stroked its feathers to pacify it before recalling it to his spirit beast pouch.

His chores finished, Wang Hao left the courtyard. He found Wang Wenyue waiting for him on the path.

“Brother, you finally exited Secluded Cultivation?”

Wang Hao nodded, closing the distance between them. “How is your progress? Have you familiarized yourself with the Guiran Sword Art?”

“I have mastered the Qi Refining portion of the manual,” she replied confidently. “I plan to enter Secluded Cultivation to fully switch my cultivation base as soon as this busy period is over.”

A look of genuine approval crossed Wang Hao’s face. “Good. You understand how to share the family’s burdens. While personal cultivation is paramount, you must always carve out time to Return value to the clan. Only with a clear conscience will your path forward remain unobstructed.”

Wang Wenyue rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. “I know, I know. Do you have to lecture me every time we meet?”

“It isn’t a lecture, it’s the sharing of wisdom,” Wang Hao laughed. “Alright, wipe that scowl off your face. Have you thought about what I asked you last time?”

“You mean about going overseas?”

Wang Hao nodded, his expression turning serious. “Staying here with the family is safe and stable, but the ceiling is suffocatingly low. Yes, we are a Golden Core faction now, but every scrap of profit and territory in this region has long been carved up by the three major Sects. We might not lack low-grade materials, but the moment you reach Foundation Establishment, you will realize how utterly barren this place is. Overseas is a different world. Look at our aunts—they succeeded in reaching Foundation Establishment after only a few years out there.”

He paused, looking her in the eye. “Naturally, with Father and me backing you, you won’t ever have to worry about securing a Foundation Establishment Pill. But I want to know your ambition. Where do you want to build your future?”