A New Foundation Establishment Cultivator, A New Role [Please Subscribe]

Chapter 83 A New Foundation Establishment Cultivator, A New Role [Please Subscribe]

"I never expected that the Jade Spirit Bee would return to the Zhou family!"

On Baozhi Peak, dozens of Zhou family cultivators, including Zhou Chun, were gathered outside a newly built beehive, watching the giant bees flying up and down, getting familiar with their new home. Everyone's face was filled with emotion.

The giant bees were about the size of sparrows, covered with emerald green patterns, and even their wings were carved from jade. They emanated a faint magical aura.

This is the Jade Spirit Bee, an extremely rare and precious type of demon bee.

As a demon bee, the Jade Spirit Bee possesses considerable combat power when it swarms together, but its greatest use for cultivators is producing spirit honey.

The spirit honey produced by the Jade Bee is not only incredibly sweet and delicious, but also an excellent tonic.

This kind of honey has a wide range of uses; it can be diluted with water for drinking, made into honey tea, or used as an additive in elixirs.

The spiritual power and nutrients contained in the spiritual honey are very easy for cultivators to absorb and refine.

Knowing the uses of spiritual honey, it is known to have various effects such as improving cultivation, treating internal injuries, replenishing qi and blood, and prolonging life.

When Zhou Chun and other cultivators from the Zhou family first started cultivating at a young age, they would often suffer from "internal qi stagnation" and damage to their meridians due to improper cultivation.

In general, when cultivators encounter this situation, they can only rest for ten days to half a month before continuing their cultivation.

However, as long as the Zhou family cultivators drink a spoonful of spiritual honey, they can recover completely within three days and continue their cultivation.

It is precisely because these Jade Spirit Bees are so rare and precious that Zhou Xia, the Zhou family ancestor who discovered and brought them back, still left her name and deeds on the merit wall in the Zhou family ancestral hall, even though her cultivation level remained at the Foundation Establishment stage her entire life.

The Zhou family ancestor named Zhou Xia actually only brought back less than a hundred Jade Spirit Bees.

It was only through the dedicated efforts of the entire Zhou family, generation after generation, that the bee colony grew so large that its population has now increased more than tenfold!

Unfortunately, when the Three Absolutes Sect was split up, all of these Jade Spirit Bees were forcibly left at the Spirit Beast Manor by Yu Jinghua, and not a single one was allowed to be taken away by the Zhou family.

At that time, many Zhou family cultivators even thought that they would never see such spirit bees reappear in the Zhou family in their lifetime.

Unexpectedly, in just a few short years, the family's senior members have successfully brought these spirit bees back to the Zhou family.

This incident also made the Zhou family members who were unaware of the inside story greatly admire and worship the patriarch Zhou Daoyi and the Supreme Elder Zhou Mingde for accomplishing this.

This also mitigated some of the impact of the subsequent news of Zhou Zhengkang's disappearance.

After the Zhou Zhengkang incident, Zhou Chun was not able to return to the market.

Zhou Daoyi arranged a new position for him: the clan chief's personal clerk, responsible for assisting the clan chief in handling clan affairs.

In addition, the task of collecting the slime from the poisonous spiny fish, which was originally assigned to Zhou Jiahui, was also handed over to him.

It was also because of this position as the clan leader's personal clerk that Zhou Chun suddenly came into the sight of all the Zhou family cultivators and became a prominent figure in the Zhou family.

Everyone knows that before Zhou Chun, the clan leader Zhou Daoyi had no clerks or assistants, and all clan affairs were decided by the clan leader alone.

Now, clan chief Zhou Daoyi has specially created a clerk position for Zhou Chun to assist in handling clan affairs.

Even the dumbest person could see what they were up to.

At this time, all the merits that Zhou Chun had made for the Zhou family over the past few years were also made public.

When they learned that Zhou Chun was now ranked second among the Qi Refining stage cultivators in the family based solely on his merits, all the Zhou family cultivators who had objections to his being favored and cared for by the patriarch Zhou Daoyi fell silent.

While the amount of good deeds performed cannot fully represent a person's ability, it can represent the extent of a person's contribution to their family.

For a family, a cultivator who has made great contributions to the family should be entitled to superior rights and treatment.

Besides, Zhou Chun is currently just a secretary to the clan leader, not the clan leader himself.

Therefore, when news of Zhou Zhengkang, the original foundation-building seed of the family, disappearing was spread, its influence was greatly reduced once again.

A few months later, few people mentioned it anymore.

On this day, Zhou Chun was organizing account books in the Zhongping Hall when he suddenly heard a loud, excited laugh coming from the mountain.

This startled him slightly, and he immediately stopped writing, got up, and walked out of the hall.

Upon reaching the outside of the hall, Zhou Chun looked up and easily spotted a gray-clad man hovering in the air, laughing incessantly.

Suspending in mid-air is a way of using magical power that cultivators in the Qi Refining stage naturally master after successfully establishing their foundation; it can also be called an innate supernatural ability.

Flying with Qi, True Essence Shield, Foundation Establishment True Fire...

These various methods of using magical power are all supernatural abilities that cultivators can only master after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage and undergoing a transformation in their magical power.

However, generally speaking, no Foundation Establishment cultivator would lose their composure upon mastering this ability.

There is only one exception!

That is just like what Zhou Chun is seeing now, a Qi Refining stage cultivator using these abilities for the first time after successfully establishing his foundation.

Indeed, upon seeing the gray-clad man in the sky, Zhou Chun immediately recognized his identity.

That was Zhou Jiarui, a core member of the Zhou family, who had been in seclusion in a secret chamber atop Pagoda Peak for more than three months, focusing on foundation building.

More than three months ago, after the Li family delivered the two Foundation Establishment Pills that were supposed to be given to the Zhou family, Zhou Jiarui and Zhou Jiacheng, who had already been confirmed to take these two Foundation Establishment Pills, directly took the pills to the secluded cultivation chamber on Pagoda Peak to try to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

It seems that Zhou Jiarui has at least successfully established a foundation.

After a slight pause, Zhou Chun quickly cupped his hands in greeting and loudly congratulated, "Nephew congratulates Eleventh Uncle on successfully establishing his foundation and wishing him longevity."

The blessing "May you live a long and healthy life" will never be wrong when used by cultivators to break through to a higher realm.

Because the original intention of cultivating immortality is to pursue longevity.

Each major breakthrough in cultivation realm will greatly extend the lifespan of the cultivator.

Therefore, upon hearing Zhou Chun's congratulations, Zhou Jiarui in the sky laughed even more heartily.

He is the eleventh among the "Jia" generation, and is seventy-six years old this year, past his seventies.

If he fails to establish his foundation, he will only have about forty years to live, and he may not even live that long.

However, now that he has successfully established his foundation, his lifespan has been extended to over two hundred years. At his age, he is still considered young among foundation-establishing cultivators, and he has unlimited potential for the future.

"Haha, my nephew Zheng Chun greets you."

He let out a loud laugh, then immediately soared into the air and landed right in front of Zhou Chun.

At this moment, attracted by his laughter, the Supreme Elder Zhou Mingde and the Clan Chief Zhou Daoyi, who were cultivating in the cave, were also drawn out.

"Excellent, excellent! Jia Rui, your successful Foundation Establishment makes the family's efforts in nurturing you worthwhile!"

Looking at Zhou Jiarui, who had successfully established his foundation, Zhou Daoyi was the first to speak up and praise him.

Faced with his praise, Zhou Jiarui immediately bowed gratefully and said, "I owe my success today entirely to the cultivation of the family, and to the kindness and favor of the Grand Elder and the Clan Chief. I will never forget the family's kindness!"

Hearing this, Zhou Mingde nodded in approval, saying, "Very good. I hope you will always remember these words and not let down the family and us who have placed our trust in you!"

"Yes, I will certainly not forget!"

Zhou Jiarui's expression hardened, and he loudly made a promise.

Next, as is customary, the Zhou family held a Foundation Establishment celebration for Zhou Jiarui, with most of the Zhou family cultivators attending to congratulate him and present him with various gifts.

Some of the independent cultivators who had a good relationship with the Zhou family also participated in the celebration.

Amidst this lively scene, another cultivator, Zhou Jiacheng, who had failed to establish his foundation, quietly emerged from seclusion.

One Foundation Establishment Pill can increase the success rate of Foundation Establishment for Qi Refining cultivators by about 30%, so taking a Foundation Establishment Pill does not guarantee success in Foundation Establishment.

Zhou Jiacheng was one of those unlucky people.

Although he took the Foundation Establishment Pill, he did not successfully establish his foundation; he merely relied on the pill's effects to preserve his life and cultivation.

He had previously been too afraid to come out and face his people.

After Zhou Jiarui successfully established his foundation and held a grand celebration banquet for his guests, the last bit of hope he had left vanished.

He could only leave the pass quietly, filled with utter helplessness and shame.

However, even if he were to emerge from seclusion quietly, he still had to give his family an explanation.

Therefore, after he left the pass, he did not return to his cave, but instead knelt facing the wall outside the family's ancestral hall.

After the clan chief Zhou Daoyi returned from attending Zhou Jiarui's foundation-building ceremony, he easily spotted Zhou Jiacheng kneeling outside the ancestral hall.

In fact, the fact that Zhou Jiacheng failed to establish his foundation was no secret to Zhou Mingde and Zhou Daoyi.

The two of them knew that Zhou Jiacheng was deeply affected by this incident and wanted him to come to his senses and move on on his own, so they pretended not to know anything.

Seeing that Zhou Jiacheng had finally come out on his own, Zhou Daoyi was actually quite relieved.

He slowly walked behind Zhou Jiacheng, who was kneeling on the ground, and sighed softly, "Alas! It's normal that you didn't succeed. The Foundation Establishment process is not guaranteed to succeed. Being able to preserve your life and cultivation is already quite good!"

"But I can't forgive myself!"

"The Supreme Elder and the Clan Chief trust me so much, bestowing upon me the Foundation Establishment Pill that countless clansmen yearn for, for the purpose of Foundation Establishment. What immense trust this is!"

"It is hateful that this junior is incompetent, having failed the trust of the Supreme Elder and the Clan Chief, and betrayed the cultivation of the clan!"

"This junior is deeply guilty and has no face to see my two elders or my fellow clansmen again!"

By the end, Zhou Jiacheng was sobbing uncontrollably.

He's over sixty years old, and you'd think he'd seen it all in his life and wouldn't easily shed tears over something.

However, Foundation Establishment is the most important event in the life of a Qi Refining cultivator.

Zhou Jiacheng was able to obtain the Foundation Establishment Pill bestowed by his family to begin his foundation establishment thanks to the blessings of his ancestors and his own hard work.

Normally, he should have successfully established his foundation, living up to the expectations of his family and elders.

But he failed!

This failure not only disappointed my family and elders who had nurtured and raised me, but also made me feel ashamed before my late grandfather who had been a benefactor to me.

Even someone over sixty years old like him would find it hard to bear such a blow.

"The fact that you think this way proves that neither I nor the Supreme Elder misjudged you!"

"The family has strict standards for deciding who to take the Foundation Establishment Pill. The fact that you were chosen means that you were more outstanding than others at that time."

"And no one said that anyone who takes the Foundation Establishment Pill will definitely succeed, nor did anyone say that anyone who fails to establish their foundation after taking the pill is a sinner to their family!"

"If you succeed, that's certainly something to celebrate; if you fail, it's just bad luck."

"The Supreme Elder and I will never blame you for this, and the other clansmen will gradually understand you!"

Zhou Daoyi gently comforted Zhou Jiacheng, trying his best to enlighten this self-pitying younger member of the family.

Since the loss is irreversible, a motivated Qi Refining Stage 12 cultivator is naturally more useful to the family than a self-pitying Qi Refining Stage 12 cultivator.

As the clan head, even considering this aspect, Zhou Daoyi had to comfort and guide Zhou Jiacheng.

With his comfort and guidance, Zhou Jiacheng gradually recovered and was able to stand up and face him directly.

She turned around, met his gaze, wiped away her tears with her sleeve, and bowed deeply, saying, "Thank you for your guidance, Clan Chief. I know what I should do. For the rest of my life, I will dedicate myself to serving the clan and repay their kindness in nurturing me!"

Seeing this, Zhou Daoyi smiled with satisfaction and said, "That's more like it! You're still young. As long as you serve the family well, you might have another chance to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage in the future!"

These suggestive words quickly ignited hope in Zhou Jiacheng's eyes.

He immediately and firmly stated, "Thank you for your guidance, Clan Chief. I will certainly not disappoint you again!"

After watching Zhou Jiacheng leave Pagoda Peak and descend the mountain, Zhou Daoyi shook his head slightly and turned back to his cave.

With Zhou Chun assisting him in handling family affairs, he has gained a lot of free time, and his cultivation time has increased significantly.

In this way, Zhou Chun gained training and more time to cultivate, which can be considered a win-win situation.

Well, at least it's a win-win situation for him!

As for Zhou Chun, he certainly wouldn't suffer a loss.

As the clerk of the clan leader Zhou Daoyi, he was not only exempt from all other clan affairs, but also able to cultivate on the spiritually rich Pagoda Peak.

Not only will it not interfere with one's own cultivation, but it will also allow access to many of the Zhou family's secrets and provide access to a lot of first-hand information.

For example, when did Baiyao Peak refine another batch of [Beast Spirit Pills], and how many were put into the family treasury for clan members to exchange and use?

Few people would have known before him.

That way, if he needs it, he can seize the opportunity to go and exchange it first.

Moreover, being by the clan leader Zhou Daoyi's side every day, he could ask for advice and receive guidance at any time, whether it was about cultivation or raising spirit pets.

This is a privilege that ordinary members of the Zhou family never receive.

It can be said that, apart from the fact that he can't reach the Supreme Elder yet, Zhou Chun's current treatment is not much different from that of Zhou Zhengkang back then.

Although he has not yet been listed as a foundation-building seed in the family, he has already begun to enjoy that kind of treatment.

Ugh, writing is so exhausting! I even forgot to wish my readers a Happy Mid-Autumn Festival yesterday! I also forgot to report on the initial subscriptions! Here's the update: over 900 initial subscriptions. The high-subscription growth is good, and the results are pretty good, even better than expected. Next, I'll roll up my sleeves and work harder, with my primary goal being to reach one million words!

(End of this chapter)