After half a day of explanation from his second uncle, Wang Baoling now understood the situation between the first and second branches of the Từ family.
Từ Quốc Huy had three sons, and those three sons had given him more than twenty grandsons and granddaughters. However, only ten of them could cultivate.
Từ Cảnh Huy had two sons and two daughters. His two daughters had married rogue cultivators who joined the family, and together they had given the Từ family more than ninety children. About thirty of them could cultivate, making up the main force of the Từ family.
Từ Vũ Huy had only one son, Từ Phi. Moreover, his only son was still unmarried and had no children.
However, when Từ Vũ Huy was young, he had loved traveling everywhere and had made quite a few friends among the rogue cultivators. There were about ten rogue cultivator elders under his command.
Wang Lin was one of those ten rogue cultivator elders. He was responsible for cultivating spirit medicines and spirit materials, as well as managing half of the Từ family's spirit gardens.
A short while later, Wang Baoling followed his second uncle to the foot of an unnamed mountain.
Looking at the barren, desolate little mountain, Wang Baoling gave it a curious glance.
“Not disappointed?” Wang Lin asked curiously.
“There should be another world inside the mountain, right?”
“Hahahaha, I didn't expect you to have such good judgment!”
With that, the token at Wang Lin's waist flew into the air.
The desolate little mountain before them instantly lit up with a beam of light.
When he looked up at the mountaintop again, Wang Baoling saw clouds and mist curling through the mountains, spiritual energy overflowing everywhere, and many exquisite houses built against the slopes. Looking more closely, he could even see all kinds of strange little beasts wandering around. It truly looked like a paradise on earth.
“Elder Wang, you're back!” An old man carrying a hoe took the initiative to greet him.
“Yes, I just got back!” Wang Lin turned around and replied with a smile before continuing to lead Wang Baoling deeper into the mountain.
“Second Uncle, why are there mortals here too?” Wang Baoling asked, his face full of confusion.
As they spoke, they suddenly entered an interestingly arranged village. Many people were farming in the fields, while others were reading in a schoolhouse.
“They're all descendants of the Từ family. They simply don't have spirit roots, so they live at the foot of the mountain,” Wang Lin explained.
“I see!”
As they spoke, Wang Baoling and his second uncle entered a bustling street.
There were mortals on both sides of the street, as well as cultivators wearing Daoist robes. Some vendors sold sweet potatoes, while others sold spirit talismans. People came and went, and the whole place was extraordinarily lively.
“This is the Từ family's marketplace. Besides members of the Từ family exchanging resources here, rogue cultivators from outside also open shops here,” Wang Lin explained.
Wang Baoling looked around curiously.
“Come on. Those of us with cultivation live halfway up the mountain. As for the mountaintop, that's where the Foundation Establishment patriarch and the three branches live,” Wang Lin explained.
Wang Baoling nodded and followed his second uncle to the foot of a staircase that seemed to reach the heavens.
Looking up the staircase toward the mountain, he saw a large cluster of buildings halfway up the slope. Pavilions and palaces were arranged among them, and outside that group of palaces stood many other strangely shaped buildings.
“Those exquisite houses are where the important figures of the third branch live. They're all residences for the second- and third-generation members of the Từ family.”
“The strange palaces beside them are where we outside enshrined elders and the younger members of the Từ family live,” Wang Lin explained.
Before long, Wang Baoling followed his second uncle into a secluded residence built among the trees.
The residence had only one floor and four rooms in all. In the middle of the courtyard stood a several-meter-tall tree with spreading branches.
Although it was called a large tree, it looked about the same size as the trees of the mortal world.
Beneath the tree was a stone table, and on top of it sat an exquisite jade teapot.
“It's only the beginning of spring, so the tree hasn't sprouted yet. Once it does, red leaves will fill the courtyard, and they'll wrap around the entire house. It'll be even more beautiful then!” His second uncle explained with a smile.
Wang Baoling clearly felt that the air here was even fresher. He greedily drew in a deep breath before slowly exhaling a mouthful of stale air.
“My residence has a basic Spirit Gathering Formation. The third master had this spiritual formation built for us personally,” Wang Lin explained.
“This is the main hall, where I teach cultivation and receive guests. The room beside it is my study, and it contains all kinds of cultivation manuals for artifact refining.” Wang Lin pointed to the two rooms facing them.
“As for the two rooms beside those, the larger one is where I refine medicines, and the smaller one is where I go into seclusion,” Wang Lin continued.
“There is also a small plot of land in back, where I research and cultivate spirit medicines and spirit materials!”
Wang Lin showed Wang Baoling around every corner of the residence.
Wang Baoling nodded. This little residence really was quite good.
“You'll stay in the alchemy room from now on. I don't use it anyway!”
As he spoke, Wang Lin handed Wang Baoling a jade pendant.
“With this jade pendant, you can enter and leave this residence freely. Otherwise, the restrictions will stop you outside the door.”
“Thank you, Second Uncle!”
“No need to be polite. Once you're familiar with the family, I'll take you to meet Từ Phi. He's in charge of the third branch now.”
“Okay, Second Uncle!”
Next, Wang Baoling followed his second uncle to a luxurious estate on the mountaintop.
Before Wang Lin could say anything, a voice came from inside the estate.
“Elder Wang, you're finally back!”
A handsome man with an old-fashioned air stepped out. He wore a blue Daoist robe, his hair was tied in a topknot, and his long hair flowed down his back.
“Little Fei, this is my nephew, Wang Baoling!”
“Your nephew? Your actual nephew?” Từ Phi stared at Wang Baoling in astonishment.
“That’s right, my actual nephew,” Wang Lin introduced him.
“What kind of spirit root does he have?” Từ Phi asked curiously.
“We announce to outsiders that he has a five-element spirit root,” Wang Lin said with a smile.
“Announce to outsiders? What does he really have?” Từ Phi asked, even more curious.
“He has a waste spirit root,” Wang Lin replied.
“Oh, I've heard of this kind of waste spirit root, but today is the first time I've actually seen one!” Từ Phi was filled with astonishment.
“Kid, don't lose heart. Most of our Từ family members have five-element spirit roots. If you cultivate diligently, you still have a chance to reach Foundation Establishment!”
An encouraging voice came from inside the estate.
“Third Master!” Wang Lin hurriedly bowed with a respectful expression.
A middle-aged man wearing a Daoist robe walked over. His temples were slightly graying, and his face was weathered.
“Hahahaha, my nephew certainly is a fine-looking young man. Since this is our first meeting, I don't have much to give you!”
“Take these three Qi Gathering Pills as a gift.”
Wang Baoling stared at the exquisite porcelain bottle being held out to him. For a moment, he didn't know what to do and looked toward his second uncle.
“What are you waiting for? Thank the third master.”
“Oh, thank you, Third Master, for the pills!” Wang Baoling quickly accepted the porcelain bottle.
“Good, good, good. Old Wang, take him back and have him cultivate properly. Get him into the Qi Refining stage as soon as possible!”
“With the third master's Qi Gathering Pills, Baoling will definitely be able to draw qi into his body within three months,” Wang Lin declared, thumping his chest.
“Hahahaha, good, good, good!”
Afterward, Wang Baoling followed his second uncle back to his own residence.
Wang Lin took several pitch-black formation flags out of his storage pouch. He immediately activated them with spiritual energy, and the formation flags vanished without a trace.
“This is a formation. I'm going to teach you cultivation next, so outsiders won't disturb us,” Wang Lin explained.