Wang Hao couldn’t help but feel the Patriarch was boasting a bit too much.

With the Beast Tide imminent, if several of the family’s core members were to die attempting self-guided Foundation Establishment, the losses would be catastrophic.

Wang Yanzhao quickly added, “Now that the family has expanded into Mount Ruojun, our revenue has soared. By the time the Qingyuan Sect releases the next batch of Foundation Establishment Pills, we will have saved enough Spirit Stones. This Beast Tide is a golden opportunity to earn Contribution Points!”

The implication was clear: within ten years, new Foundation Establishment Pills would be available. The clan members should take it easy, focus on contributing to the family, and follow the proper path.

Many clan members’ eyes lit up at the news. Others shook their heads with bitter smiles. The rest remained indifferent; their cultivation levels were too low to worry about such distant matters. It was a waste of brainpower.

Wang Yanzhao offered a few more words of encouragement before dismissing the crowd. He then turned to Wang Hao, producing a blue short sword.

“Hao’er, you have just established your foundation. First, go into seclusion. You need to comprehend the Foundation Establishment stage techniques of the True Scripture of Red Lotus and Phantom Wood and stabilize your realm. The spiritual energy around you is fluctuating violently—that is not a good sign.”

He handed over the weapon. “Additionally, you can now wield Second-Grade magical instruments. This is a Low-Grade Spiritual Weapon, the Ash Calamity Sword. Refine it and use it for now!”

Wang Hao accepted the blue short sword. It was about three feet long, the blade shimmering with a faint, cold light.

It was a decent Low-Grade Spiritual Weapon. For Foundation Establishment cultivators to fly on swords, they needed corresponding spiritual weapons as aids. While First-Grade magical instruments weren’t impossible to use, their speed was pathetic compared to a true spiritual weapon.

“Does the True Scripture of Red Lotus and Phantom Wood only offer one divine ability at the Foundation Establishment stage?” Wang Hao asked.

His father’s realm was higher than his, and he had long since comprehended the techniques. It was the perfect opportunity to seek advice.

“There are two,” Wang Yanzhao explained. “In the early stage, you can only cultivate Red Lotus True Fire. By the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, you can learn another divine ability, though it requires reaching the fifth layer of the technique.”

“It is called the Phantom Wood Clone Art—a versatile ability for both offense and defense. It allows you to create two clones identical to yourself. Upon reaching the sixth layer, the number of clones increases to six.”

Wang Yanzhao continued, “It is mainly used for preserving one’s life and confusing enemies during an escape. Of course, it can also be used offensively to obscure an enemy’s perception.”

His father’s expression turned earnest. “Your most important task now is to stabilize your realm and improve your cultivation. You will soon be fighting demonic beasts, so you must refine your magical instruments properly. The family isn’t wealthy; we can only provide newly promoted Foundation Establishment clansmen with one offensive weapon. You will have to figure out defensive instruments on your own!”

Wang Hao nodded. Time was indeed tight.

With less than a year to accomplish so much, cultivating complex divine abilities would have to wait. However, he still needed to become proficient with the Red Lotus True Fire, as it was essential for alchemy.

Wang Yanzhao thought for a moment, then produced the subsequent techniques of the True Scripture.

“Actually, this goes against the rules. But you have contributed significantly to the Wang Family—more than enough to exchange for these texts. As your father, I am giving them to you in advance. Comprehending the subsequent techniques will also benefit your current cultivation! Now, I must go protect your Eighth Uncle during his seclusion. You should go into seclusion as well.”

Wang Hao left the main hall and returned to his cave dwelling.

Before entering seclusion for his breakthrough, he had locked all his spirit beasts inside to avoid disturbances, leaving them sufficient food and strict instructions not to leave.

Having spent a long time with Wang Hao, Yaya and Xiaobai were very obedient. Seeing that their master had successfully broken through to Foundation Establishment, they pounced on him excitedly.

Wang Hao affectionately patted their heads and played with them for a while before taking out fresh food and spirit fruits to feed them.

Afterward, he checked the large water vat where the Phantom Moon Butterflies were kept.

As expected, the mountain of spirit fruits he had piled up earlier had been completely devoured. The vat was now full of insect excrement.

This puzzled Wang Hao greatly. How could First-Grade Top-Tier spirit insects be so slovenly? They couldn’t even take care of their own hygiene—how did they survive in the wild?

Helplessly, he picked them up, washed them clean with clear water, and scrubbed the vat thoroughly. After placing fresh melons and fruits inside and returning the butterflies to the container, he noticed something new.

They had grown a layer of short fuzz on their bodies. The fuzz was iridescent, matching their original color, which was why he hadn’t noticed it at first glance.

He studied them for a while but couldn’t discern any particular function for the change.

After settling his spirit beasts and insects properly, Wang Hao entered his secret chamber. He pressed a jade slip against his forehead to examine its contents.

The True Scripture of Red Lotus and Phantom Wood truly lived up to its reputation as a dual-attribute technique. Even with his father’s notes as a reference, it took Wang Hao five days just to gain a basic understanding of the subsequent techniques.

In truth, his father might not fully understand it either. Wang Yanzhao was only at the third layer of Foundation Establishment—barely ahead of Wang Hao—and had only studied up to the fourth layer of the technique!

The notes served only as a reference; they couldn’t be trusted blindly or taken as absolute truth.

Putting down the True Scripture, Wang Hao began comprehending another technique—his body refinement method, the Ice Muscle and Jade Bone Technique.

That’s right. Even at the Foundation Establishment stage, Wang Hao refused to give up on body refinement.

The Ice Muscle and Jade Bone Technique could increase the chances of successful Foundation Establishment, and similarly, it would improve the odds of forming a Golden Core later. The principle was identical: stronger meridians and a tougher physique enhanced control over True Essence and raised the body’s tolerance limits, reducing the risk of implosion.

Unlike Stage One, which required medicinal baths, Stage Two cultivation required the assistance of Spirit Water or Spirit Pills.

During the Qi Refining stage, Wang Hao had already refined his skin, flesh, bones, internal organs, meridians, and dantian. Stage Two didn’t involve separate parts; everything improved simultaneously, requiring Spirit Water nourishment throughout his entire body.

The fourth layer of the technique required a specific type of resource: Mystic Yin True Water.

This was an innate Second-Grade Yin-attribute Spirit Water formed by heaven and earth. It could also serve as a material for alchemy or artifact forging. Since it only appeared in extremely Yin-cold places, it was quite rare.

If he truly couldn’t find this specific water, other Yin-attribute Spirit Waters could assist in cultivation. Alchemists could also concoct mixtures using spirit herbs, but unfortunately, that required a Second-Grade spirit fruit called the Mystic Yin Fruit as the main ingredient.

Wang Hao currently lacked both.

Mystic Yin Fruit trees needed three hundred years of growth before bearing fruit, and only produced a harvest once every hundred years thereafter. Even with his mysterious Black Earth Field achieving eighty-fold time acceleration, it would still take five years of cultivation to obtain the first batch of fruits.

But right now, he didn’t even have a seed. Talk of cultivation was premature. He could only search slowly.

Wang Hao sighed.

He had originally thought that after establishing his foundation, combined with the fully developed assistance of his farm, he would usher in a golden age of rapid development. He never expected things to remain so difficult.

Red Lotus True Fire required advancement through Heaven-Earth Spirit Fires. Body refinement similarly needed rare Spirit Waters or materials configured into liquid mixtures.

The idea of hiding away for a thousand years and directly ascending to immortality was simply unrealistic. Resources ultimately had to be earned. The farm was an auxiliary tool, not a heaven-defying ability that could create something from nothing.

Initially, he had only planned to exchange techniques from the Wang Family without binding himself to them. Dragging an entire family along the path of immortality? He didn’t consider himself that noble.

But now, it seemed the family was still useful.

His breakthrough relied entirely on the Old Ancestor’s help in refining the Foundation Establishment Pill and the family’s abundant insights. And just now, his father had given him the Ash Calamity Sword.

Of course, Wang Hao had also contributed significantly to the Wang Family. His previous pill formulas and the Essence Condensing Fruit tree were invaluable. If converted to Contribution Points, few within the Wang Family could surpass him. Even his father, with decades of alchemy experience, couldn’t compare.

In principle, this was a fair trade. But trade had a prerequisite condition: trust.

If he used the information about the Essence Condensing Fruit tree, he could have exchanged it for a Foundation Establishment Pill from the Qingyuan Sect. But could he trust them? Moreover, after obtaining the pill, he would need to guard against information leaks and being hunted for his treasures. The Qingyuan Sect wouldn’t keep secrets for a nobody.

The Wang Family was different. At least now, he had safely established his foundation.

This led to his current inclination to integrate into the clan. Mutual support was a good choice.

Cultivation required four things: Wealth, Companions, Techniques, and Land.

He possessed the Wealth. The Wang Family satisfied the other three.