The next day, at the Elegant Villa, Shen Xian found his mother attending to family affairs.

Upon seeing her youngest son, she immediately set down her spirit brush, a smile reaching her eyes. “Xian’er, what brings you here today?”

“Mother, I wish to take Qingxian to visit that cave manor,” Shen Xian stated directly.

Hearing this, a flash of surprise crossed Nangong Wan’s beautiful eyes, and she frowned instinctively. “Xian’er, what nonsense are you speaking? That cave manor is fraught with danger. How could the two of you possibly go?”

She knew quite a bit about that ancient cave manor.

Sending a novice at the second layer of the Qi Refining Realm and an ordinary person who had lost all her cultivation inside was practically no different from seeking death.

She thought her youngest son was just babbling nonsense.

“Mother, given my poor talent, if I don’t go out and seek opportunities, how will I ever make progress in the future?” Shen Xian said seriously.

He had prepared his arguments beforehand and now adopted an even more solemn tone. “That is an ancient cave manor. If there are treasures inside that can improve one’s spiritual root aptitude, wouldn’t that be a tremendous opportunity for me?”

This was the first time Nangong Wan had seen her youngest son look so earnest, and she couldn’t help feeling astonished.

Yet, she still cautioned him. “Xian’er, such treasures are far too rare. Even if they exist, they are inevitably accompanied by great risks. How could they be obtained so easily?”

As a mother, Nangong Wan naturally didn’t want to outlive her child—to watch her youngest son exhaust his lifespan and pass away of old age before her eyes.

But even the Shen Family, the foremost great clan of the Azure Province, had no means of finding treasures that could improve spiritual root aptitude.

Even if that cave manor had such things, they would undoubtedly be guarded by extreme peril.

Shen Xian gave a light laugh. “Mother, we have to try, don’t we? Moreover, Qingxian has lost her cultivation. Perhaps she might also find an opportunity within the cave manor to regain her strength?”

Nangong Wan’s expression wavered with hesitation; she didn’t want to agree.

“Let him go.”

Just then, a robust voice filled with authority suddenly rang out.

Outside the study, a tall middle-aged man in brocade robes and precious boots walked in with his hands clasped behind his back. His every movement carried an oppressive air that made one hesitant to meet his gaze.

“Father!” Shen Xian bowed in greeting.

The newcomer was none other than Shen Xiong.

He had been in secluded cultivation for the past few days and had only just emerged today.

“Husband, Xian’er is…”

Nangong Wan’s face was full of worry as she tried to speak, but Shen Xiong cut her off directly. “Jade cannot become a vessel without carving. Do you really want to watch him remain like this for his entire life?”

He held little affection for this youngest son. Since the boy actually wanted to try now, it was better to give him a chance.

If he succeeded, everyone would naturally be happy.

If he failed, things would simply return to how they were before. He was already at the very bottom anyway; any change would be an improvement.

As for losing his life because of this… that would simply be fate’s decree.

“But the cave manor is too dangerous. If something were to happen to Xian’er…” Nangong Wan still seemed unwilling.

“If he came to say these words to you, he has already thought it through,” Shen Xiong said as he sat down in a large chair nearby. He swept a glance over his youngest son, his voice carrying a trace of authority. “Whatever the outcome, he must bear it himself!”

“Father speaks wisely,” Shen Xian replied. He then looked at Nangong Wan again. “Mother, if you are truly uneasy, we can enter with guards accompanying us.”

Nangong Wan’s beautiful eyes shifted through various emotions before she finally sighed. “Very well. If you wish to try, then go.”

She had reasoned it out as well. Trying wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. After all, the family’s exploration of the cave manor was mostly complete; they were quite familiar with its various dangerous areas. She could arrange for a group of guards to accompany them later; at the very least, there would be no life-threatening danger.

“Thank you, Mother.” Shen Xian cupped his hands respectfully. “Then this child will take his leave.”

After speaking, he bowed once more to Shen Xiong before leaving the study.

“Now he finally knows to exert some effort,” Shen Xiong said coldly after he left.

Truthfully, even with a ninth-grade spiritual root, if he had always worked hard, given the Shen Family’s resources and foundation, he should have at least reached the middle stages of Qi Refining by now—not remained stuck at the second layer and become an embarrassment to the Shen Family.

Hearing this, Nangong Wan retorted with a mix of annoyance and anger. “Xian’er’s fate was never good to begin with. It’s better to let him live out this life happily.”

“You keep indulging him,” Shen Xiong said. “Wait until the Ancestral Worship Ceremony begins. If he’s still at this cultivation level by then, see what happens.”

The Shen Family held an Ancestral Worship Ceremony every century. All direct lineage descendants and promising young disciples would enter the Ancestral Land for trials to seek recognition from its protective formation.

This seventh-grade formation was the Shen Family’s final trump card. Created by their first Patriarch, it possessed the power to resist Integration Realm True Venerables. In times of life-or-death crisis for the family, they could take refuge within it.

But one must first gain the formation’s recognition.

Therefore, every century, the Shen Family would send those descendants who had not yet gained recognition into it for trials.

And trials meant danger…

Nangong Wan naturally knew about this matter. But as a mother, she remained somewhat stubborn. “If he doesn’t want to go… what does it matter if he doesn’t?”

…

After returning from his mother’s place, Shen Xian went back to his courtyard.

“Third Young Master!”

Molan and Mozhu, guarding the gate, bowed respectfully.

Shen Xian paid no mind to these two pawns his second brother used to monitor him; they wouldn’t be able to learn anything significant anyway.

He stepped into the courtyard.

Suddenly…

A strange warmth emanated from his dantian.

Shen Xian’s steps faltered slightly as his brows furrowed lightly.

At that moment, the spiritual energy within his body suddenly began circulating on its own—like a long-dormant stream finally breaking through its icy seal.

Shen Xian could clearly feel the spiritual energy in his meridians surging several times faster than usual, cycling repeatedly through every part of his body.

With each cycle, the spiritual energy grew more condensed and substantial.

【System: Host’s Dao Companion, Ye Qingxian, has successfully achieved Earth Path Foundation Establishment. Blessing returns twenty times the cultivation growth from the companion’s breakthrough.】

The multiplier changed?

Shen Xian was utterly astonished, but the changes within him did not cease.

He calmly walked over and sat down on a stone stool in the courtyard as the vortex of spiritual energy in his dantian began spinning rapidly, drawing in all surrounding spiritual energy.

He could feel every strand of spiritual energy undergoing a qualitative change; what was originally liquid-like energy became even more solid.

His meridians felt slightly swollen but not painful; instead, there was a long-absent sense of comfort.

It was like a riverbed long parched finally receiving sweet rain—every inch of flesh and blood greedily absorbed this newly born power.

Late Stage Foundation Establishment!

With the blessing from the Marriage Blessing System, Shen Xian smoothly completed his breakthrough.

Moreover, when he inspected himself internally, he discovered that what should have been an ordinary Foundation Establishment had transformed into a Heavenly Path Foundation Establishment.

Shen Xian immediately recalled the previous system prompt.

So, as long as his Dao Companion’s foundation is good, then under the multiplier return effect, his own foundation will also undergo a transformation?

And when he achieves the best possible state for the current realm, the return multiplier will also increase accordingly!

Shen Xian opened his eyes, a flash of understanding passing through them.

After the cultivation breakthrough, he could clearly feel power flowing smoothly without the previous sluggishness.

Thus, he felt much more confident about entering the cave manor soon.

That evening, Ye Qingxian emerged from her room.

Shen Xian informed her about his mother’s agreement.

“I will enter together with you when the time comes,” Shen Xian emphasized.

Ye Qingxian remained expressionless as ever, her voice cool. “Give me three days.”

Having just broken through, her foundation wasn’t stable yet; she needed time to adapt.

Especially since this breakthrough was achieved forcibly using a secret technique—naturally aimed at a certain opportunity within the cave manor itself.

“No problem,” Shen Xian said. Then, he immediately remembered something else and promptly handed over the cultivation resources sent by Shen Lingyue the day before. “I didn’t have a chance to give these to you yesterday; take them.”

His tone was casual yet firm.

Ye Qingxian happened to need resources to stabilize her foundation, so she naturally did not refuse. This was especially true when she saw a magic treasure specifically designed for stabilizing one’s foundation among the various resources; a rare ripple of emotion stirred within her. “Thank you.”

She spoke softly, her tone slightly gentler than before.

【System: Host gifted Dao Companion the low-grade magic treasure, Mountain-Suppressing Seal. Received twentyfold blessing return. Rewarded mid-grade spirit treasure: Traceless Sword. Claim now?】

The moment Ye Qingxian accepted the gift, the prompt appeared before Shen Xian’s eyes again.

Because gifting had a cooldown period, even if he sent many things all at once, the system would only judge the single most useful gift for his Dao Companion for the return.

And after the multiplier increased, the quality of the returned gift also improved by one tier.

But it’s actually a sword?

This came as a bit of a surprise to Shen Xian. Given his laid-back, “lying flat” nature, the effectiveness of this kind of offensive spirit treasure was honestly rather mediocre for him.

Still, it might come in handy for sneaking around during the upcoming cave manor expedition.