Chapter 42: Ancestor’s planning

Chapter 42: Chapter 42: Ancestor’s planning

Chen Yan was the first to break the silence. He leaned slightly forward, his eyes fixed on Chen Yuan with an expression that mixed curiosity and expectation.

"The next ancestor..."

He repeated the words quietly, as if considering them himself.

"Have you already decided what kind of ancestor you want to create?"

Chen Yuan did not answer immediately.

His gaze remained on the ancestral tablets at the back of the hall. After a few breaths, his eyes slowly shifted toward the old wooden pillars supporting the ceiling.

"No."

He shook his head.

"I haven’t."

Chen Feng’s brows furrowed slightly.

"You haven’t?"

Chen Yuan gave a faint smile.

"That’s why I asked."

He raised one hand.

A faint crimson-golden glow appeared around his fingertips. A moment later, several Flaming Fireflies emerged from the light and slowly drifted toward the center of the table.

Chen Yan watched as the fireflies gathered together.

Instead of scattering around the room, they hovered above the table and began moving in a deliberate pattern. Their tiny bodies traced several glowing lines through the air, forming a rough outline of the Chen Family grounds.

The three peaks gradually appeared. The surrounding mountains followed. Then several smaller lights appeared around them, representing the family’s current territories and resources.

Chen Yuan lightly moved his finger.

The formation changed.

The lights representing the family members multiplied across the three peaks. Some gathered around the main residence, others around the distant territories, while several remained scattered across the surrounding regions.

Chen Feng quietly watched the glowing image.

Chen Yan’s eyes narrowed as he studied it.

Chen Yuan finally spoke. His finger moved again, causing several clusters of fireflies to dim.

"We have strength."

Another group disappeared.

"We have territory."

More lights faded.

"We have resources."

He lowered his hand slightly.

"But what do we need the most right now?"

The fireflies remained suspended above the table, forming a miniature image of the Chen Family and everything surrounding it.

Chen Yuan looked toward the two men.

"I need to know what the family needs most before I decide what kind of ancestor to create."

Chen Yuan’s fireflies remained suspended above the table, their faint light illuminating the three men as they studied the miniature image of the Chen Family.

Chen Yan stared at it for a few breaths.

Then he slowly smiled.

"Then I have an idea."

He raised one hand.

Unlike Chen Yuan’s crimson-golden glow, a pale blue light slowly gathered around Chen Yan’s fingers. The spiritual energy was gentle and clear, carrying a faint coolness that spread across the table.

A single drop of water appeared above his palm.

Then another.

And another.

Within a few breaths, dozens of tiny droplets had gathered together, slowly rotating around his hand like a miniature stream.

The water suddenly spread outward.

Instead of falling onto the table, it remained suspended in the air, forming a thin, transparent sheet of water. The surface rippled gently before dividing into several smaller streams.

One stream flowed toward a cluster of fireflies representing the family’s spiritual herb fields. Another flowed toward the western trade routes, and another toward the central regions.

A few smaller streams appeared afterward, each representing the family’s various minor sources of income.

Chen Yan slowly moved his fingers.

The streams continued flowing.

Yet compared to the size of the Chen Family represented by Chen Yuan’s fireflies, they were surprisingly thin.

A few disappeared entirely before reaching the main pool that Chen Yan created at the center.

Chen Feng looked at the water.

"We’re earning too little?"

Chen Yan nodded.

"Exactly."

His fingers moved again. The water gathering in the center began forming a large pool, but no matter how much water flowed into it, the pool remained shallow.

Chen Yan stared at it with a dissatisfied expression.

"The Chen Family has never lacked resources entirely. We’ve always had enough to survive, and occasionally enough to develop a little further."

His hand moved.

The water streams became slightly wider.

"But survival isn’t what we’re aiming for anymore."

The central pool grew.

"We’re trying to build a great cultivation family."

The water continued flowing.

"And for that..."

The pool suddenly began draining from the bottom.

Chen Yan looked at the disappearing water.

"...we need money."

Chen Feng’s mouth twitched.

"You’re really concerned about money."

"Of course."

Chen Yan didn’t even hesitate.

"Money is what allows everything else to move."

He raised another finger.

The water that had disappeared from the pool suddenly reappeared, but this time it gathered into several small glowing spheres. They floated above the table like translucent pearls.

Chen Yan looked at them.

"Spiritual pills."

The spheres slowly multiplied.

"Every cultivator needs them."

More appeared.

"Breakthroughs require them. Injuries require them. Cultivation requires them. Even some of the simplest cultivation techniques require supplementary pills."

The spheres continued multiplying until dozens of them hovered above the water. Chen Yuan’s eyes narrowed slightly as he understood where Chen Yan was going.

Chen Yan smiled.

"And unlike spiritual herbs, which require years of cultivation before they can be harvested..."

He flicked his finger.

The water surrounding the spheres transformed into a miniature furnace.

"...pills can turn relatively ordinary spiritual herbs into something worth several times their original value."

The tiny furnace began rotating slowly as Chen Feng looked at the image thoughtfully.

"Alchemy."

"Exactly."

Chen Yan’s smile widened.

"An Alchemy Ancestor."

The water formation dissolved into droplets, falling back into his palm before disappearing completely. Chen Yan leaned forward and placed both hands against the table.

"We already have spiritual herb fields. We already have access to medicinal materials. What we’re missing is the person who can turn those resources into something far more valuable."

His eyes gleamed.

"If we establish an Alchemy Peak, we won’t have to constantly purchase pills from outside."

"We can supply our own people, we can sell the excess, and we can even establish relationships with sects, cultivation families, merchants, and even the Imperial Court."

"And most importantly..."

His expression became almost unbearably serious.

"We can make money."

Chen Feng gave him a strange look. Chen Yuan, however, merely looked toward the ceiling.

"That is certainly one way to look at it."

Chen Yan leaned back.

"Not one way."

He gestured toward the miniature image that had already faded from the table.

"The way that matters most right now."

Chen Yuan gave a quiet laugh.

"You really have been thinking about this."

"Someone has to."

Chen Yan picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"If we’re going to build the family you described, then we need an endless source of income."

His gaze shifted toward Chen Yuan.

"And I think an Alchemy Ancestor can give us exactly that."

There was a brief silence. Chen Feng, who had remained quiet throughout the discussion, suddenly raised his head.

"Or..."

His voice was hesitant.

"A Sword Ancestor."

"No."

"No."

Chen Yuan and Chen Yan answered at almost exactly the same time, to which Chen Feng stiffened at the almost instantaneous answer.

His mouth remained slightly open for a brief moment before he slowly closed it.

He glanced toward Chen Yuan, and then toward Chen Yan. Neither of them showed any sign of changing their minds.

Chen Feng’s expression became slightly awkward. He lifted one hand and slowly rubbed his beard, his gaze drifting toward the side as though he had suddenly become very interested in one of the wooden pillars.

"...I was only making a suggestion."

His fingers continued moving through his beard as he looked away.

For a few breaths, no one spoke.

The faint glow of the fireflies still hovered above the table, though the miniature image of the family had begun to fade. Only a few scattered points of light remained, drifting lazily through the air before eventually disappearing one after another.

Chen Yuan leaned back in his chair and glanced between the two men.

"Well..."

His gaze settled on Chen Feng.

"Since we’ve decided on the path for the next ancestor, there’s still one thing we need to determine."

Chen Feng’s hand stopped halfway through his beard.

Chen Yan also looked toward Chen Yuan.

"What is it?"

Chen Yuan rested one hand against the table.

"How powerful should we make him?"

Chen Feng immediately frowned.

"But I don’t agree."

"Shut up."

Chen Yuan and Chen Yan said at the same time.

Chen Feng stiffened.

His mouth remained slightly open for a moment before he slowly closed it. He glanced toward Chen Yuan, and then toward Chen Yan.

"Understood."

Chen Yuan sighed quietly, shaking his head at the sulking old man next to him with a wry smile.

"Then we’ll make the next ancestor’s stories depict him as a Peak Golden Core cultivator."

Chen Yan’s eyebrows rose as he tilted his head slightly.

"Why Peak Golden Core? Why not Nascent Soul already? That’s the highest realm known in the legends. If we’re going to create another ancestor, wouldn’t it be better to make him as powerful as possible from the beginning?"

Chen Yuan remained silent for a few breaths. His fingers slowly traced the edge of his teacup before he finally shook his head.

"I’ve tried experimenting with the system before. It seems there are limitations to the character’s strength that I can fabricate based on my own strength."

He paused, considering how best to explain it.

"My theory is that it’s a ladder hierarchy. One step at a time, and no further than one."

The two understood the meaning almost immediately.

"I see..." Chen Yan murmured.

Chen Feng’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

"You’re saying that an ancestor can only exist one major realm above you?"

Chen Yuan nodded.

"That’s what I believe."

"During the three days before the Blue Cloud Mist City incident, I tried testing that limit. I wanted to know whether the restriction came from the system itself or from the credibility of the stories."

Chen Yan leaned forward slightly.

"And?"

"I tried creating stories about an ancestor who had reached the Nascent Soul realm."

Chen Yuan’s gaze lowered toward the remaining fireflies.

"At first, I thought the problem might be that the stories weren’t convincing enough. So I tried again."

"I even told some of the children in the family about such an ancestor."

"They believed me."

"Some of them became quite excited. They asked whether the ancestor could fly through the heavens, whether he could destroy mountains, and whether he had left behind some kind of inheritance."

Chen Yan couldn’t help but smile.

"And did their belief work?"

"No."

Chen Yuan shook his head.

"Nothing happened."

His expression became more serious.

"I changed the story several times. I made the ancestor older, gave him a longer history, described his techniques, his battles, and even the reason he had disappeared from the world."

He slowly tapped a finger against the table.

"The children believed every version. But the system still refused to recognize the Nascent Soul realm. So it wasn’t a matter of Story Credibility."

"I then tried the same thing with Golden Core."

His gaze lifted.

"It worked."

The hall became quiet.

Chen Yuan continued.

"That’s when I started thinking about the relationship between my cultivation and the ancestors I can create."

He raised one finger.

"Foundation Establishment."

Then another.

"Golden Core."

He lowered his hand.

"Nascent Soul."

"Right now, I’m at Peak Foundation Establishment. Golden Core is the next major realm."

Chen Yan slowly nodded.

"One step above."

"Exactly."

Chen Yuan looked toward Chen Feng.

"But Nascent Soul is two steps above."

Chen Feng’s expression became thoughtful.

"So the system won’t allow you to skip a step."

Chen Yuan smiled faintly.

"That’s my theory."

"The ancestors can stand on the next step of the ladder, but they cannot climb higher than that."

Chen Yan remained silent for a few breaths before asking, "But doesn’t that mean we have to settle those stories first?"

Chen Yuan shook his head.

"No."

He answered without hesitation.

"I can delete stories and create new ones whenever I want."

Chen Yan leaned back in his chair.

"And if you reach Nascent Soul, the next step would become available."

Chen Yuan smiled.

"That’s what I’m hoping."

He glanced toward the two men.

"But for now, Peak Golden Core is the limit."

Chen Feng rubbed his beard thoughtfully.

"So we’re creating an Alchemy Ancestor who stands at the highest point currently available to us."

"Exactly."

Chen Yuan’s gaze settled on the empty space above the table.

"Peak Golden Core."

Chen Feng slowly raised one finger.

"Or..."

Chen Yuan and Chen Yan both turned toward him. They already knew what was coming.

"No."

"Don’t."

Their voices came almost simultaneously, but Chen Feng ignored them. His brows furrowed slightly as he seemed to think the matter through, his fingers continuing to stroke his beard.

"Half-Step Nascent Soul?"

The moment his suggestion entered their ears, the two went completely silent.

Chen Yuan’s expression froze and Chen Yan’s eyes widened slightly. Neither of them spoke afterward as Chen Feng looked from one to the other, waiting for a response.

The silence continued.

A faint breeze passed through the ancestral hall, causing the remaining incense smoke to sway gently above the altar.

Chen Feng blinked.

Then he slowly lowered his hand.

"...Why are you two silent?"

Neither Chen Yuan nor Chen Yan answered. Chen Feng glanced at Chen Yuan and then at Chen Yan.

Their expressions were strangely similar. It was as though both of them had just heard something that had never crossed their minds before.

Chen Feng scratched the back of his head.

"Is my suggestion bad?"

The two’s lips parted slightly and exchanged glances with each other.

The discussion continued.

What had initially been a simple decision about the next ancestor gradually turned into a much larger conversation.

They discussed the ancestor’s cultivation, his personality, his origins, the era in which he would have lived, the techniques he would have created, and the legends that would eventually surround his name.

They considered several different possibilities for his alchemy path. A conventional alchemist was quickly discarded.

If they were going to create an ancestor, there was little reason to make him follow the same path as every other alchemist in the cultivation world.

Instead, Chen Yuan wanted something unique. Something that could eventually become a foundation for the Chen Family’s own alchemical tradition.

Chen Feng, surprisingly, became interested in the ancestor’s personality. He did not want another cold and distant old monster who spent centuries sitting inside a cave.

"If he’s going to teach the younger generation," Chen Feng said, stroking his beard, "he should at least know how to speak to people."

Chen Yan gave him a sideways glance.

"You’re saying that as though you’re particularly good at it."

Chen Feng frowned.

"I speak perfectly well."

"You tried to suggest a Sword Ancestor six times."

"That has nothing to do with my ability to speak."

Chen Yuan quietly shook his head, and the discussion moved on.

They talked about the ancestor’s relationship with the Chen Family, the reason he had disappeared, the legacy he would supposedly leave behind, and the kind of reputation he would have among other cultivation forces.

They even discussed how much of the legend should be common knowledge and how much should remain hidden. After all, a powerful ancestor appearing suddenly without any history would naturally attract suspicion.

The story needed roots and traces.

The more they discussed it, the more complicated the creation became. But none of the three seemed bothered by it.

They simply continued, and eventually, hours slowly passed.

The sunlight that had once entered through the entrance had moved across the floor. The incense had burned down several times, and Chen Yuan had replaced the sticks more than once.

Their tea had gone cold long ago.

Eventually, the miniature image above the table disappeared completely. The last firefly drifted upward before vanishing into the air.

Silence returned to the ancestral hall as Chen Yuan looked at the two men sitting across from him.

He then placed both hands against the arms of his chair and slowly stood up. The wooden chair made a faint scraping sound against the floor.

Chen Yan stood shortly afterward, smoothing his robes before placing both hands behind his back.

Chen Feng followed as well, resting one hand briefly against the ancient sword at his side before placing both hands behind his back.

The three men stood together in the center of the ancestral hall.

Chen Yuan glanced toward Chen Yan and then Chen Feng. His expression became slightly more serious.

"Make sure to follow the plan."

Chen Yan nodded.

"Understood."

Chen Feng also nodded, his expression becoming solemn.

"Leave it to us."

Chen Yuan gave a small nod.

"Now, it’s time for the announcement."