Clan Cultivation: Starting from Beast Taming

Struck it rich!!

In the mountains and forests, Zhou Chun looked at the “Feng Zhen’s Miscellaneous Discussions” in his hand, which recorded the cultivation method of the “Hidden Cicada Breathing Technique,” his face filled with excitement.

In the Cultivation World, for any force, the most precious thing is not external objects like Magic Artifacts, Elixirs, Talismans, etc., but various secret techniques with special uses.

Magic Artifacts, Elixirs, and Talismans can only benefit an individual, whereas secret techniques can be cultivated by any Cultivator who meets the requirements.

And “secret technique” is a conceptual term, including secret medicinal recipes, inheritance of Artifact Refining, alchemy skills, etc., all of which can be counted as part of the inheritance of secret techniques.

Therefore, for a force, the more secret technique inheritances it masters, the deeper its foundation.

For example, large Sects like Jingguo Country’s Moon Wheel Sect, Sunflame Sect, and Green Lotus Temple, which have Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators at the helm, have a vast collection of various secret techniques in their Sects.

Therefore, the Cultivators who have received such inheritances from these Sects, even if they do not have an advantage in Magic Artifacts, cannot be compared with the small family clans and small Sect Cultivators outside.

Although the “Hidden Cicada Breathing Technique” Zhou Chun now possessed wasn’t a secret technique that could directly enhance combat power, nor did it produce a continuous supply of resources for the family like Artifact Refining and alchemy skills,

it triumphed in having simple requirements for cultivators, almost universally cultivable, and relevant to every Qi Refinement Realm Cultivator.

This universality would greatly enhance its value to a Cultivation family.

So Zhou Chun could now be eighty percent sure that by offering this secret technique, not only could he be directly promoted to an Elite Clan Member, but he might also receive a significant amount of family merit.

How could he not be pleased!

With this happy mood, Zhou Chun’s face beamed with a smile as he invoked his Bamboo Leaf Flight Artifact to soar into the sky, eagerly returning to his family clan.

However, once he actually returned to the clan, he had already calmed his excited emotions, and instead of hurrying to find Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi at Pagoda Peak to present his treasure, he first went back to his residence at Baozhi Peak to meditate and restore his Mana.

Zhou Chun didn’t want anyone to know about the stone jar that could produce Purification Spirit Water, at least not yet.

So every time he returned to the clan, no matter how much Mana he had spent, he would always expend his Mana until only ten to twenty percent remained.

This way, no one would suspect he had been sitting outside to recover his Mana.

He also needed some time to “process and create” his recent experiences.

For example, where the Spirit Coins he used to purchase the first-grade superior Magic Artifact “Moon Blade Meteor Wheel” came from.

For example, after fighting desperately with enemies outside, he did not return to the clan quickly on his Flight Artifact, but instead took more than three days to return home due to excessive Mana consumption!

These details were crucial and he must pay close attention to them at all times.

Otherwise, even if no one noticed any flaws once or twice, with enough occurrences, surely no one would be fooled and anomalies would become apparent.

After sitting in meditation on Baozhi Peak for several hours and fully recovering his condition, Zhou Chun went to meet Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi at Pagoda Peak.

“Zhengchun, you’ve finally deigned to return. You were gone for quite some time; if you had not returned, you might have missed the chance to participate in the family selection tournament,”

Inside the “Central Peace Hall,” Zhou Daoyi deeply regarded Zhou Chun after receiving him and spoke with deeply meaningful words.

Zhou Daoyi currently had a quite profound impression of Zhou Chun, a younger member within the clan.

Mainly because several actions Zhou Chun had taken previously and a few suggestions he had made had significantly benefited the family, and as the Clan Leader, he naturally could not forget such meritorious individuals.

However, while he was quite favorable towards Zhou Chun, as Clan Leader, he had to ensure he treated everyone equally and not provide special rewards or favors to anyone arbitrarily.

So aside from some aspects where he would take care of Zhou Chun a little, he would not grant him anything unreasonably.

At this time, hearing Zhou Daoyi’s meaningful words, Zhou Chun also quickly replied, “The Clan Leader is insightful. The junior indeed had a reason for taking so long to return,”

Normally, Zhou Family Cultivators would find a round trip to Hongya Marketplace, even if slow, requiring only seven or eight days at most.

After all, they were just going there to buy and sell, not to stay and cultivate long term.

He took twice as long as others, effectively doing less for the clan during that extended time.

If anyone were to gossip or wag their tongues about this matter, Zhou Daoyi, the Clan Leader, would likely have to discipline them to command respect.

However, despite there being a reason for what had occurred, Zhou Chun did not rush to explain. Instead, he directly began his treasure offering.

“Clan Leader, with your discerning eye, please acknowledge that although I faced life-threatening danger that nearly cost me my life, I also reaped a significant harvest and acquired a secret technique inheritance that would be extremely beneficial to our family.”

As he spoke, Zhou Chun took out the book that contained the “Hidden Cicada Breathing Technique” from “Feng Zhen’s Miscellaneous Discussions” and handed it to Zhou Daoyi.

“Could it be?”

Zhou Daoyi’s expression changed as he took the book and looked at the page Zhou Chun had specifically turned to.

After he finished reading the contents and description of the “Hidden Cicada Breathing Technique” recorded in the book, he could not help but show joy and nodded repeatedly, saying, “Indeed, it is a practical and excellent secret technique. Zhengchun, you have truly made a significant contribution to our family this time!”

Having spoken, he knitted his brows, recalling Zhou Chun’s words about “life-threatening danger” and immediately asked with concern, “You just mentioned you experienced life-threatening danger. Could it be that you encountered bandit cultivators?”

“Clan Leader is wise. That is indeed what happened.”

Zhou Chun gave a bit of flattery before recounting his encounter with the bandit cultivator couple, including a detailed description of the battle, without concealing any part of it.

Zhou Daoyi was taken aback upon hearing Zhou Chun’s account.

He looked at Zhou Chun, completely unable to tell that the young man before him, not yet twenty-five years old, had managed to kill the bandit cultivators in a two against one fight when he was at a disadvantage in terms of cultivation level.

As he was amazed by Zhou Chun’s strength, he also shook his head repeatedly in admonishment, “This was too risky! In the future, if you encounter such situations, it is best to leave directly if you can. As cultivators, we strive for the path to immortality, not for fights of temper!”

After speaking, as though worried that Zhou Chun had not taken his words to heart, he earnestly added, “I’m not telling you to avoid conflicts when they arise, but to inform you that there is no need for meaningless struggles. Those bandit cultivators are like homeless wild dogs with nothing to lose. We should not duke it out with them when we are not sure of victory!”

Zhou Chun knew that the Clan Leader meant well, so he did not attempt to explain, but simply responded with a proper attitude, “I understand, Elder. I will definitely be cautious in the future.”

“Good lad, it’s best that you understand,” Zhou Daoyi said with relief, pleased with his attitude.

At this point, Zhou Chun took the opportunity to say, “There’s another matter I would like to consult the Clan Leader about. When I was sorting through that bandit cultivator’s storage pouch, I found an elixir and a piece of ore I do not recognize, and I would like to ask the Clan Leader for help in identifying them.”

Hearing this, Zhou Daoyi asked softly, “Oh, bring out the items for me to see.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chun immediately presented the bottle of elixir and the terra-cotta-colored ore.

Zhou Daoyi started with the jade bottle, opened it and looked at an elixir pill, and soon nodded, saying, “This elixir is called a Ginseng Yellow Pill, a type that can refine the mana of cultivators in the later stages of Qi Refinement. Its effects are slightly better than the Spring Sun Pill of our family, but its efficacy is more overwhelming, and it should not be taken in excess. It’s best to have at least a two-month interval between doses.”

He returned the jade bottle to Zhou Chun and then looked at the terra-cotta-colored ore, commenting, “This piece of ore is a fine object. It’s called Feldspar Stone, containing pure earth-type spiritual power. It can be used as material for artifact refining or as food favored by some earth attribute Demon Beasts.”

With that, he proceeded to give Zhou Chun some advice, “Once your Rock Earth Turtle is cultivated to a top-tier first-stage entity, you can feed this to it. This may not enable it to evolve into a mid-level Demon Beast, but it will certainly strengthen its bloodline and accumulate a foundation for future advancement.”

Zhou Chun, having heard this, nodded repeatedly in thanks, “I understand. Thank you, Clan Leader, for clarifying my doubts.”

After he stored both items away, Zhou Daoyi looked at him and said, “Alright, if there’s nothing else, you can go back for now. As for the reward for offering the secret technique, I will discuss it with the elders and will summon you later to announce it.”

Zhou Chun respectfully replied upon hearing this, “I shall obey, Elder. I will take my leave now.”

After speaking, he exited the great hall and returned to Baozhi Peak to patiently wait for news.

Once Zhou Chun had left, Zhou Daoyi, looking at the “Feng Zhen’s Miscellaneous Discussions” in his hands, suddenly realized that he had forgotten to ask Zhou Chun where the Spirit Coins for the top-tier first-stage Magic Artifact came from.

“Never mind. We cultivators wander all over, and who among us doesn’t have a bit of luck and personal secrets? As long as he hasn’t embezzled from the communal assets of the family for personal gain, why bother scrutinizing and asking so many questions!”

He gently shook his head, dismissing the thought of delving too deeply and decided not to inquire further.

It was true that he was the Zhou Family Clan Leader, but he was not the parent of every Zhou Family Cultivator.

Besides, even as a parent, one should not leave their children without any privacy.

If he were to probe into every little secret of each Zhou Family Cultivator, the likely outcome would be that clan members would become estranged and possibly even leave the family.

Therefore, to be a qualified Clan Leader, Zhou Daoyi had to be clear about what to ask and what not to ask.