A Sect from a Spirit Vein

Chapter 119 - 106: Little Baby (Part 2)

Now he had already moved into Zhang Shouchang’s courtyard, which was originally the Sect Leader’s residence, boasting a pleasant environment, and with an Illusory Sound Treasure Conch hidden here, living in this place couldn’t be more suitable.

The straight-line distance between this small courtyard and the Spirit Vein was no more than a hundred zhang, where Spiritual Mechanism was abundant and the Spiritual Qi was ample.

Lu Qian went through the matters he needed to handle in his mind, planning to rest tonight and, after recovery, to accept the allegiance of two vassal sects tomorrow, negotiate the sect’s systems with the two Elders, and then promote the matter of the Five Families Alliance. Once the alliance was established, he would take a tour to the neighboring sects.

The hour was still early, so Lu Qian took out a Jade Scroll and began to read.

This was precisely the "Wave Array Secret Manual" authored by a Golden Core Perfection Array Cultivator from the Xianyou Sect.

It was a wondrous method of array formation and array breaking. According to the descriptions within, upon mastering it, one could transform arrays from tangible to intangible, achieving the state of "I am the Array Map, I am the Array Realm," where arrays operate like magic techniques, with control at will, significantly reducing the consumption of Spiritual Qi, Spiritual Power, and Divine Sense.

The threshold for practicing this method was extremely high; one could not start without Foundation Establishment Divine Sense, nor without strong control over Divine Sense. Of course, for Lu Qian, he had already surpassed the minimum standard.

This method had three realms, the first being "Mirror Lake."

Like a mirror, the Divine Sense was clear, like a lake, surging with undulations, emphasizing the mysteries of "stillness" and "movement."

When like a mirror, one can see through the operation of arrays as if it’s fire, making the combination and changes of the Array Base more smooth and swift, reducing the consumption required for array formation.

When like a lake, the movements of enemies within the array, and the operation of the enemy’s array, are like stones cast into the lake, creating layers of ripples. Observing these undulations can reveal the mysteries, greatly enhancing control over the enemy and the efficiency of array breaking.

Mirror Lake, Mirror Lake... Lu Qian silently recited several times, and according to the method, began to operate his Divine Sense.

In the Niwan Palace, the Sea of Consciousness surged and rose, and Lu Qian carefully operated the "mirror" technique, stretching it long, then condensing it into a thin sheet. Then changing to the "lake" technique, his Divine Sense flowed slowly, like water waves rising.

During transformation, if not careful, the Divine Sense would scatter into a free state, and Lu Qian had to be cautious and strive to maintain it.

With such practice, the consumption of Divine Sense was rapid, and in just half an hour, his Sea of Consciousness was nearly depleted.

Lu Qian exhaled lightly, deciding to stop for today, intending to take a restorative elixir and get a good night’s rest.

Just at that moment, suddenly the sound of a baby’s cry came from afar, stopping at the entrance of his small courtyard. Startled, Lu Qian stood up, hearing Zhang Lemei’s voice from outside the courtyard: "Sect Leader, are you resting?"

Lu Qian responded and opened the courtyard door, seeing Zhang Lemei standing there, holding a wailing baby with an urgent look on her face, while Tan Hong beside her looked embarrassed.

Lu Qian was about to invite them into the courtyard when Zhang Lemei hurriedly said, "Sect Leader, look, this child is an Immortal Seed!"

Actually, when he saw her inexplicably bring over a baby, Lu Qian had already guessed it. But hearing her say it aloud, Lu Qian still felt a surge of excitement. On the first day of taking charge of Bichao Mountain, finding an Immortal Seed spirit child was certainly a sign of heavenly favor and a good omen for the Yunshan Sect’s future prosperity!

He carefully took the Ascension Mirror handed by Tan Hong and gently swept it over the baby’s abdomen, indeed seeing a glow in the mirror, which made him very happy.

Meanwhile, Zhang Lemei explained what had happened while comforting the baby.

It turned out that this afternoon, Tan Hong and his wife led the team to start inspecting the territory. Before setting out, they had already agreed on a strategy to first go to each county according to the territory map, eradicate the remnants of the Chaosheng Sect, and inform the city lords to establish a subordination relationship. Then, they ordered the city lords to inform the subordinate towns and villages to gather the babies born in recent years, planning to conduct a spirit seed inspection after surveying the entire territory.

They had only gone through four counties, killing two outer disciples of the Chaosheng Sect. However, in the fifth county, the remaining members of the Chaosheng Sect stationed there desperately resisted, harming innocent mortals. A family of three had their parents killed, leaving only this infant. Zhang Lemei accidentally swept the Ascension Mirror over and discovered the child had a Spiritual Root, so delighted, she brought him back to Bichao Mountain first.

After understanding the cause and effect, Lu Qian calmed down a bit. Seeing the baby crying louder despite Zhang Lemei’s efforts to soothe him unsuccessfully, he chuckled and said, "Senior Sister, this child seems hungry; perhaps you should feed him some milk?"

For the first time, the robust Zhang Lemei blushed red and retorted, "I haven’t given birth or nursed; how could I have milk for him?"

Lu Qian shook his head, "In that case, Senior Sister, you were so happy that you forgot. These young Immortal Seeds, we usually move their entire family to live under the mountain, letting their family continue raising them until they’re old enough to join the sect."

Originally, when this infant was born, the Dantian was in chaos, and the Spiritual Root hadn’t matured yet; one could only see if there was one, but couldn’t tell what the Spiritual Root attribute was or its length. Some matured early at six or seven, some later at eight or nine, when the meridians matured, and the Dantian formed, only then could the Spirit Root talent be accurately judged.

Moreover, four or five-year-olds, or even younger children, are still naive, unable to recognize characters, knowing only to eat, drink, po ** p, and play. How could they be expected to memorize cultivation technique mantras or practice meditation and tunna to operate a circulation?

Thus, in the Cultivation Realm, there’s commonly a ten-year cycle for screening Immortal Seeds. Those who have matured are immediately taken into the sect for enlightenment and training. For younger ones, their whole family is relocated near the Mountain Gate to live together. One, so they can continue being cared for by family members until they’re grown enough to enter the sect. Two, to prevent anyone from abducting them.

Zhang Lemei exclaimed, realizing that in her excitement, she had indeed forgotten about this. But then she got a headache: "But the child’s family is gone; who can I find to take care of him?"

Lu Qian laughed, "Senior Sister Zhang, there are many mortal servants in the mountain, there should be some suitable women to act as this child’s wet nurse. You can first investigate where Chaosheng Sect placed the nursery settlements in previous years, and we can follow their example. Also, in those nursery places, there should be some Immortal Seeds still growing; make sure to examine each of them."

Tan Hong and his wife nodded repeatedly, and the little baby, probably famished, suddenly clutched at Zhang Lemei’s finger and sucked hard.

"Oh!" Zhang Lemei exclaimed, feeling the wet wriggling on her finger, her face turning red. She carefully held the baby, looking at this chubby little one, feeling her heart melt.

She trembled and said, "Old Tan, let’s... let’s adopt him as our son, alright?"

It turned out that Tan Hong and his wife had been married for nearly twenty years without having children, becoming a lingering sadness for the couple.

Tan Hong, seeing his wife’s happiness, glanced at the baby a few more times, smiled slightly, and said softly, "If you like him, then that’s fine. From today on, he will be our son."

Lu Qian leaned in for a closer look, jokingly saying, "Congratulations, congratulations, when you look at him this way, the kid does indeed bear some resemblance to your noble couple, truly a match made in heaven, nothing could be better."

Zhang Lemei nodded vigorously, then suddenly asked, "Let’s give him a name then; what shall we call him?"

Not waiting for Tan Hong to answer, she continued on her own: "Let’s call him Tan Zhangzi."

Tan Zhangzi, Lu Qian smiled as he looked at the couple, thinking it’s quite a straightforward name.

Unexpectedly, Tan Hong paused, thought for a moment, and suddenly turned to Lu Qian, "This name feels a bit too common; I don’t quite like it. As the Sect Leader is present, why not ask the Sect Leader to name the child?"

With that, Zhang Lemei also looked over with anticipation.

Lu Qian pondered for a moment, then chuckled lightly, "The name I came up with feels a bit rustic. I think, today, being the first day our Yunshan Sect officially takes charge of Bichao Mountain, this child’s arrival also signifies heavenly favor, and the revival of Yunshan Sect is near. May this child witness the flourishing of the Yunshan Sect, let’s call him Tan Yunxing, shall we?"