Time in cultivation flows differently one year passes in the blink of an eye.
Before he knew it, Song Changsheng had turned eighteen. It had been nearly two years since he arrived at Little Azure Mountain. Although his cultivation remained at the eighth level of Qi Refining, his combat prowess was now on a completely different level.
He had mastered the Water and Fire Control Art to perfection. Combined with his treasured gourd, he could now easily overpower most cultivators at the peak of Qi Refining.
Today, Song Changsheng was set to leave Little Azure Mountain and return to Cangmang Peak to attend an important family event the Coming-of-Age Ceremony.
Every cultivator in the family who turned eighteen this year would attend the ceremony. Several Foundation Establishment elders and esteemed clan seniors will be present.
For the newly recognized adults, this also marked the arrival of their first true challenge the family's assessment.
According to the Song Clan's ancestral rules, cultivators must undergo a collective test upon reaching adulthood, to evaluate the results of their training within the family.
The content and format of the assessment varied each time, but one thing was certain: it would be a real, hands-on task one that could draw blood, and even take lives.
While such outcomes were rare, every few years there would inevitably be one or two unlucky casualties.
"I wonder what kind of task it'll be this time..." Song Changsheng thought to himself, a trace of anticipation stirring in his heart.
The ceremony was held at the Bluestone Plaza in front of the clan's Soul Lamp Hall. When Song Changsheng arrived, a crowd had already gathered most cultivators who were still based at Cangmang Peak had shown up.
He had changed out of his usual favorite green robe and was now wearing a much heavier, black Daoist robe.
The back of the robe bore the clan's silver moon crest intertwined with dark gold patterns. The front was embroidered with intricate cloud motifs, and dark gold lines traced the cuffs giving him a dignified and solemn appearance.
"Changsheng, cousin! You're finally here," a tall figure in a similar black robe came up to greet him.
"Oh, it's Cousin Changhu. I was on Little Azure Mountain tending to the spirit fish farms, so I returned a bit late. Have the elders arrived yet?"
Song Changsheng instantly recognized him. This was also one of the clan's Foundation Establishment hopefuls, blessed with dual gold-water spiritual roots. Although he was two months older than Song Changsheng, his cultivation had only just reached the sixth level of Qi Refining.
Compared to most of their peers, that was already quite decent but next to Song Changsheng, he was still far behind.
When Song Changhu heard that Song Changsheng had been assigned to spirit fish farming, a flash of envy passed through his heart. Everyone knew that raising spirit beasts was a cushy, lucrative job.
"Having a good mother makes a difference," Song Changhu muttered silently to himself.
After a few polite exchanges, the two went their separate ways their relationship never extended beyond basic acquaintance anyway.
The ceremony itself wasn't set to begin for more than an hour.
This was intentional. The clan had grown large, and gatherings had become increasingly rare. These large-scale events, to put it plainly, served as family reunions, meant to foster bonds and deepen connections.
It was one of the ways the clan maintained its unity.
Song Changsheng had always focused on cultivation and hardly knew any of his peers.
Fortunately, many of them knew him people kept coming up to chat, sparing him from awkward isolation.
"Little Uncle!"
Suddenly, a crisp and airy voice rang out beside him. Song Changsheng turned to see Song Xi, standing gracefully not far away, waving at him while tugging on the arm of the stone-faced Song Qingxing.
A smile spread across Song Changsheng's face. He walked over to them and said, "You two came as well."
Song Qingxing held an ancient-looking longsword in his arms, his expression practically shouting "Stay away."
Song Xi, on the other hand, was far more cheerful. She grabbed Song Changsheng's hand and chirped, "Little Uncle, I can cultivate now too!"
"Really? Xi'er, that's amazing! I suppose we'll have to start calling you Qingxi from now on," Song Changsheng said, playfully ruffling her soft hair with exaggerated surprise.
In truth, he had known for a while that Song Qingxi had been found to possess dual wood-water spiritual roots during the Ascension Ceremony six months ago. Her wood root alone measured eight inches, making her the most gifted cultivator of that year.
Half a year had passed since then, and the young girl had successfully entered the path of cultivation, reaching the first level of Qi Refining.
As for Song Qingxing, who was two years her senior, he had already reached the second level of Qi Refining a testament to his rare and unusual spiritual root, surpassing even Song Changsheng's talent back in the day.
"Is it true what my sister says that you're the number one among the clan's younger generation?" Song Qingxing suddenly asked, his voice cold and blunt.
Song Changsheng raised an eyebrow. That tone… not friendly. What's with this kid's attitude?
Still, he wasn't about to be intimidated by a junior. He looked Song Qingxing in the eye and said, "If you mean within those under eighteen, then yes my cultivation is currently the highest."
"I will surpass you," Song Qingxing replied coldly as if stating a trivial fact.
"You're nowhere near as amazing as Little Uncle!" Song Qingxi wrinkled her delicate nose in protest, clearly displeased.
"I will surpass him," Song Qingxing repeated calmly.
"No, you won't!" Song Qingxi huffed, hands on her hips, revealing two little tiger teeth that looked adorably fierce.
The two went back and forth like this, neither willing to back down. Before long, Song Changsheng found himself the odd one out in what had become their debate.
He took a sip from his gourd, eyes flitting back and forth between the two with amused interest.
Back when he had asked Song Xianming to pair Qingxing and Qingxi together, he'd only done so on a hunch. Now, nearly two years later, it seemed that decision was already bearing fruit.
Though Song Changsheng had been living far away on Little Azure Mountain, he stayed in regular contact with the clan and had taken the time to learn about Qingxing's situation.
Because the clan didn't want to reveal Qingxing's existence too early, the boy usually stayed out of sight aside from his time with Qingxi, he rarely interacted with anyone else.
You could count on one hand the number of people who knew the truth about his talent.
Those who did interact with him were mostly the clan's Foundation Establishment elders and without exception, every one of them had voiced complaints about him.
Why? Because Song Qingxing had elevated coldness to an art form. His speech was blunt and devoid of politeness; he never used names or titles, always referring to others with curt "you, you, you" responses.
He also had zero patience talking with him and felt like every extra word was a waste of his breath.
It was as if he saw no value in anything that wasn't cultivation.
When Song Changsheng first heard these comments, he even wondered if Qingxing had already started walking the Path of Ruthlessness.
But now… it seemed those elders might have overreacted.
Just a moment ago, Qingxing had called Qingxi "little sister," and he responded to every word she said even when it was pointless chatter, he still answered her seriously.
That proved Song Changsheng's original plan had been the right call. Song Qingxing still possessed emotion true, that emotion was currently only directed at Qingxi, but that was enough for now.
It was a promising start, wasn't it?
As long as he retained some human feeling, it was only a matter of time before he truly integrated into the clan.
The two of them argued for nearly fifteen minutes before Qingxi finally admitted defeat, pouting furiously at Qingxing.
Song Changsheng's eyes sparkled with amusement. Anyone trying to win an argument against that walking block of iron was doomed to fail.
Just imagine trying to argue with a talking metal statue. No matter what you say, their expression never changes. Eventually, you'd get bored before they did.
"Qingxing," Song Changsheng said at just the right moment, "as the older brother, you should learn to be more accommodating with your sister."
"Accommodating?" Qingxing glanced at the pouting Qingxi. For the first time, a faint ripple passed through his otherwise emotionless eyes.