News of the Zhang Family being attacked by bandits at night, and the imperial plaque being damaged, quickly spread the next day.
Even County Magistrate Yang Qing of Fengxi County had to personally visit the Zhang Family to investigate the situation.
However, upon leaving the Zhang Family, Yang Qing's old face was as dark as a thunderstorm.
"Patriarch Zhang, please wait!"
"Brother Yang's integrity is appreciated by the Zhang Family, we thank Brother Yang in advance!"
Zhang Yi seemed as if a gentle breeze was caressing him as he followed behind.
From the attic of Fanglin Residence, Zhang Jian could see Yang Qing leaving with a flick of his sleeve, while Zhang Yi and Zhang Kui walked out of the hall.
Capturing the five surviving members of the Five Heroes of the North was akin to clutching Yang Qing's life line.
The evidence of Yang Zhonghuai colluding with bandits was irrefutable. If it came to light, not only would Yang Zhonghuai be stripped of his rank and imprisoned, but Yang Qing would also lose his official position.
Of course, the Zhang Family would not miss this opportunity.
Zhang Yi was incredibly shrewd.
This time, the intention wasn't to seize the moment to drive Yang Qing away.
An attack was certain.
But the purpose wasn't to expel Yang Qing.
If Yang Qing were driven away, the court would surely send another official, and it would be another 'Yang Qing.' Instead, the best choice was undoubtedly to hold this leverage over 'Yang Qing' to control him, thus solidifying the Zhang Family's overall situation further.
It could be imagined, with Yang Qing's personality, he certainly wouldn't be willing to be manipulated long-term and would surely try to counterattack. However, after some time, the Zhang Family's power would certainly have grown, and by then, Yang Qing would be insignificant.
...
"Then, how should the Gu Family be handled?"
Zhang Jian's eyes glittered as he pondered internally. Families of such noble status like the Gu Family were adept at assessing the situation.
Zhang Jian estimated that the two people who acted last night were likely associated with the Gu Family or the Shangyuan Sect.
Since their existence was known, only two choices remained: to continue moving or to negotiate peace.
Zhang Jian's eyes gleamed. He had never contacted Patriarch Gu directly, making it impossible to accurately assess the situation, but this was temporarily a matter for Zhang Yi to concern himself with.
He didn't plan to get involved.
Rashly intervening might disrupt the unity within the Zhang Family.
From time immemorial, members of such large families must be aware of their position, especially since Zhang Yi was in the prime of life.
...
In the ancestral hall
At that moment, Zhang Jian and Zhang Yi stood before the Stone Mirror, the family's treasured item that had suddenly radiated golden light, subduing the paper figures and evoking their admiration.
Naturally, they needed to study it.
However, after numerous tests, even infusing Spiritual Power into it, they were unable to activate the Stone Mirror in the hall.
"This treasure has a spirit; it seems we are not destined for it right now!"
Zhang Yi's face showed a trace of regret.
"Perhaps only when we cultivate magical power will we be able to claim it as our own."
Zhang Jian was not concerned. Even if they couldn't use the treasure, it would ultimately belong to the Zhang Family. Once their Spiritual Power increased in the future, they would have the opportunity.
For now, he needed to truly complete the path of initiation and accumulate his own magical power.
Forging magical power is the beginning of longevity.
Magical power is linked to life and longevity. No matter how abundant, Spiritual Power can't allow a cultivator to surpass their own lifespan.
However, magical power can seize the Creation of Heaven and Earth, increasing lifespan and offering many wondrous uses, serving as the foundation of cultivation.
And as turbulent times approached, the Zhang Family needed a potent force who had truly perfected magical power to hold the fort and share in the spoils.
According to what the two gathered from the Nine Chapters of Pure Tongshan, under the orthodox Great Dao, cultivators are divided into stages: the first stage is Qi Cultivation, the second is Nourishing Spirit, and the third is Divination.
Qi Cultivation mainly focuses on transforming Inner Breath into Spiritual Power to continuously enhance one's essence and nourish oneself.
This directly corresponds to the cultivation of an Inner Cultivation Martial Artist below the Innate Stage.
But the Immortal Technique is a direct pathway to the bridge of heaven and earth, using the Power of Heaven and Earth to nourish oneself, with advanced methods to form various magics.
The second step is Nourishing Spirit, turning Spiritual Power into essence that nourishes the soul, continuously strengthening it, breaking through the barrier between spirit and reality, preparing for the third step.
The third step involves unifying the three treasures, finding one's Life Plate, merging Life Plate, destiny, and longevity to form the Supreme Dao Foundation, creating magical power. This is the Foundation Establishment stage of longevity.
Yet, not everyone can smoothly accomplish this.
On the contrary, cultivators who accumulate magical power are quite rare.
And the creation of the Supreme Dao Foundation is highly specific, with varying levels of quality.
Beyond that, the nine chapters do not provide detailed explanations, only suggesting that higher accumulated destiny might aid in Foundation Establishment.
The two encouraged each other and then shifted their focus to their current stage of cultivation.
The immediate plan was to first strengthen Spiritual Power, expanding one's essence, utilizing the Power of Heaven and Earth to completely cleanse internal postnatal impurities, ensuring there's no pollution within the soul. Only then can the cultivation of the Nourishing Spirit Stage be guaranteed.
This mirrors the process for an Inner Cultivation Martial Artist advancing from the Innate Stage to the Grandmaster Realm.
However, Inner Cultivation Martial Artists primarily rely on honing their Martial Dao Will, completing inner and outer refining through extreme tempering, advancing to the Grandmaster Realm.
Yet this advancement is somewhat extreme; it focuses more on the leap of the 'spirit' rather than the synchronized transformation of essence, energy, and spirit.
In the future, even if one advances to Grandmaster, becoming a Celestial Being on par with a Life God cultivator is exceedingly difficult.
...
Within the ancestral hall, after cultivating for a period, Zhang Yi directed his gaze at Zhang Jian.
The Ice Cold Attribute spiritual power within him flowed continuously, drawing upon the Heaven and Earth Two Bridges to absorb the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism from the void, enhancing his internal Spiritual Power, but he felt that the absorption rate was not fast.
If he wanted to completely expel the turbidity from his body, it was unclear how much effort it would take.
However, conversely, there was something remarkable about Zhang Jian's cultivation signs across from him.
In Zhang Yi's spiritual sense, Zhang Jian seemed enveloped in a hazy aura of Power of Heaven and Earth, his breathing pace far surpassing his own.
Zhang Yi felt a tinge of envy in his eyes.
This likely comes down to aptitude; Zhang Jian possesses a uniquely exceptional nature, which speeds up his refinement of Spiritual Power considerably.
"It seems I might have to rely on this nephew more in the future!"
In reality, Zhang Yi had misjudged. Zhang Jian's initial aptitude was not particularly high; his cultivation speed outpacing others was due to the existence of Celestial Treasures within him. These two exotic treasures have the effect of Strengthening the Foundation and Nourishing the Essence, capable of Foundation Transformation.
Currently, his physique's postnatal impurities had been mostly refined by the precious treasures, and with a bit of guidance from a cultivation technique, they could be completely expelled, making his cultivation naturally swift.
Moreover, Zhang Jian discovered that he likely possesses a Spirit Root.
And the purity of this Spirit Root is quite high.