In the dark depths of the sea.
Ling Changqing gracefully glided over a massive reef, silently tailing a blue-scaled sailfish. He slowly drew closer, a Talisman on his chest emitting a faint golden glow.
The massive creature, over ten feet long, was still unaware of the approaching danger. It continued to sway its vibrant body, leisurely chasing the small fish and shrimp around it.
Once he was close enough, Ling Changqing shot out a hand and grabbed its wide fin. His Short Sword carved an arc through the water, viciously plunging into the vital spot on its flat belly before he twisted the blade with force.
PSHFFT!
Under the pressure of the seawater, a great gush of blood erupted, instantly dyeing the surrounding water red.
The ambushed blue-scaled sailfish struggled violently for a dozen or so breaths, but its strength gradually faded as its life force rapidly drained away. Ling Changqing froze it with a Profound Ice Talisman before stuffing the entire creature into his Storage Pouch.
'Another good haul…'
Ling Changqing mused silently, his gaze sweeping over the several Storage Pouches hanging from his waist.
The meat of a First Rank Demon Beast like the blue-scaled sailfish was quite delicious. If he caught a few more and brought them back to Ling Zifeng, he could trade them for a good price and some family merit points.
He continued to scout for suitable targets. Ling Changqing didn't lack Storage Pouches now; a trip into the sea wouldn't be worthwhile unless he filled every single one.
Some forty yards away, a dark-red-shelled Iron Wire Velvet Claw Crab the size of a human head stealthily extended its pincers. Before it could make a move, a sharp blade shot forward, ending its life in a single strike. It was promptly tucked into a Storage Pouch.
There were several more Iron Wire Velvet Claw Crabs at the base of the reef. Ling Changqing swept through the area and made sure none escaped. Every last one became his spoils of war.
Suddenly, Ling Changqing froze without warning. He suppressed his aura and ducked into a nearby patch of sea flowers.
A few breaths later, the water churned violently as a massive shadow thrashed past. A Sea Monkey that had been feeding nearby failed to dodge in time and was swallowed whole by the behemoth.
A Tiger Striped Rakshasa Whale, one of the most formidable Second Rank Demon Beasts. In waters less than two thousand feet deep, it was practically invincible.
Watching the great beast's departing figure, Ling Changqing sighed with a hint of regret. 'If only I had Tang Qiu Yao's Cultivation right now, I definitely could have taken it down today.'
Ling Changqing glanced around, then focused his senses to scan the area before deciding to move to a different spot to continue his search for resources.
Then again, with so many Pearl Gatherers working in the sea every day, even in a vast area like this, the numbers of certain easily harvested resources were steadily dwindling.
Take the Jade Crystal Winter Beauty Pearls, for example. It was said that over twenty years ago, the seafloor here was littered with them. Anyone could find a few Yusha Clams hiding the pearls.
But now, aside from Ling Changqing, who could still find some each time he went out, the other Pearl Gatherers struggled to make much of a haul. They were considered lucky to find one or two a day.
Fortunately, the Ling Family's fleet of Sea Boats would move to a new area every month or two, so the teams of Pearl Gatherers wouldn't be left to return empty-handed.
...
「Zenxin Island, Ling Family Headquarters」
In the Female Patriarch's boudoir, Tang Qiu Yao, dressed in a bright yellow gown with her dark brows lightly furrowed, was currently looking through a Jade Scroll Book on the desk, her expression grave.
Meanwhile, Ling Qiyue, clad in a gown as white as snow and possessing a serene, elegant demeanor, stood before the carved window. She rested her chin on her hand, gazing silently at the ever-changing clouds in the sky, lost in thought.
After a long silence, Tang Qiu Yao's soft and melodious voice finally broke the quiet. "...The resource deficit is a bit too large. Even if we use the entire family's reserves, it won't be enough. This is very detrimental to our future plans!"
Ling Qiyue turned her head and said calmly, "The Ling Family's foundation is still a bit too small. After hundreds of years of painstaking effort, we've only reached our current scale. It's certainly a difficult situation."
Tang Qiu Yao sighed. "But our family has never produced a Golden Core Great Cultivator. If our enterprise were any larger, we wouldn't be able to protect it, would we?"
Although there were no explicit rules, an unspoken understanding existed about the size of the territory and the number of assets a faction could control.
If anyone overstepped that line without the strength to back it up, other powers would soon arrive to "teach them a lesson."
The Ling Family's current scale of assets and sphere of influence were largely commensurate with its strength. To advance further, they would have to wait for a new Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator to emerge within the family.
If they wanted to annex the surrounding small and large clans, they would need a true Golden Core Great Cultivator to do so.
Looking up at Ling Qiyue's picturesque figure, Tang Qiu Yao asked softly, "How much longer until you can...?"
Ling Qiyue was silent for a moment before replying, "Barring any accidents, twenty years should be enough, right?"
This "twenty years," of course, referred to the time Ling Qiyue needed to attempt her breakthrough to the Golden Core Realm. If she succeeded, the Ling Family's external situation would undergo a revolutionary change.
"Twenty years..."
Tang Qiu Yao murmured, "That's a bit long. It's almost impossible that nothing will go wrong. Those bastards on the outside will definitely join forces to cause trouble."
Ling Qiyue said, "It's not impossible to move the timeline up, but the key is that we haven't prepared all the resources needed for Core Formation. This isn't a problem that can be solved with Spirit Stones alone."
Tang Qiu Yao nodded. "We can discuss this further. But if one or two new Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators could emerge within the family in the next few years, that would also effectively boost our high-end combat strength, wouldn't it?"
The Ling Family's two existing Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators were already old and did not have much time left. If no new Foundation Establishment cultivators appeared in time to fill the gap, the family couldn't rely solely on its Patriarch, Ling Qiyue, to hold the line.
Ling Qiyue fell silent for a while, her voice growing a little colder. "I have Foundation Establishment Pills. The key is whether those few are up to the task. They've consumed so many of the family's resources; it's time they broke through as soon as possible."
With the Female Patriarch's Cultivation Level and Alchemy Mastery, she could already refine genuine Foundation Establishment Pills, but her success rate wasn't very high.
Of course, this was normal. The reason Foundation Establishment Pills were so rare and precious was precisely because market demand was high and the failure rate for refining them was so great that Pill Masters ended up wasting a lot of raw materials for nothing.
Tang Qiu Yao said in a low voice, "Just yesterday, Envoys from the Mo Family and the Zhu Family paid me a secret visit. They said they're willing to form an alliance with our Ling Family, on the condition that we sell each of them one Foundation Establishment Pill."
"In their dreams!"
Ling Qiyue couldn't help but sneer. "If we actually grant their wish, I'm afraid those two families would be the first to turn on us in the future, wouldn't they?"
"Indeed," Tang Qiu Yao said, nodding in agreement.
The trade of strategic resources had always been an extremely sensitive matter. Even close strategic allies with a high degree of mutual trust were exceedingly cautious when faced with such issues.
The Mo and Zhu Families each had only one Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator presiding over them. If they were to add another one in the near future, their power, status, and influence would change completely.
"Let's leave it at that for now. Urge those promising candidates to be more diligent. They can't be allowed to delay the family's grand plan," Ling Qiyue said. Having two more Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators would make certain matters much easier to handle.
Tang Qiu Yao hesitated for a moment, but couldn't stop herself from saying, "That Ling Changqing's performance has been quite good. Both his fortune and his latent potential are commendable. I was thinking... should we also consider him as a core candidate for grooming?"
Ling Qiyue shook her head. "He's still a long way from the late stage of Qi Cultivation. I'm afraid he won't make it in time. Even if we were to consider him, it would have to wait until his Cultivation Realm is close to yours."
The family's resources were limited. They could only afford to groom a few core candidates at any given time; any more would be unsustainable.
"Mm, let's leave it at that, then." Realizing the logic in Ling Qiyue's words, Tang Qiu Yao didn't press the matter further.
Ling Qiyue's expression suddenly brightened into a smile. "The new batch of Foundation Establishment Pills is almost finished refining. I estimate there should be three. You're about to reach the Qi Cultivation 9th Layer, aren't you? I'll set one aside for you first."
"Then, thank you, Senior Sister!" Tang Qiu Yao's face lit up with pleasure.
"Is there any need for such pleasantries between us?"
Ling Qiyue smiled. "If Ling Changqing performs well enough and brings back enough resources from the sea, I might even be able to try refining a batch of Qingyang Yi Essence Pills."