Chapter 9: Chapter 9: The Expansion of Strength and Family
With his third wife now pregnant, Lu Fan's household was once again growing. Following tradition and his long-term plans, he chose to marry again, expanding his family and securing his lineage. As he continued to settle into his unconventional lifestyle on the island, Lu Fan found satisfaction in the harmony between his cultivation pursuits and his family life.
Breaking Through in Body Tempering
The steady progress Lu Fan made in his body cultivation reached a new high. By using all of his refined Level 1 Blood Stones, he finally broke through to the Late Qi Body Tempering Realm. With each stone consumed, he could feel his body strengthening, muscle fibers hardening, and his resilience reaching a peak level. Now, he was a force to be reckoned with, even among Qi cultivators, his physical strength bridging the gap toward foundation building.
Collecting the Rewards of His Formation Array
After months of silently working on his secret formation, Lu Fan was ready to harvest its results. The formation array, nestled in the secluded mountain site and carefully hidden by his black stone house, had been condensing spiritual energy into spiritual water and slowly upgrading spirit stones. To his surprise, not only had a significant amount of spiritual water collected there, but the mid-grade spirit stones were showing remarkable qualities.
One stone, in particular, was brighter and denser than the others. This was the very first mid-grade spirit stone he had placed at the array's core when he first set it up—a full year ago. It had absorbed so much concentrated energy that it gleamed with a vitality he hadn't seen in regular mid-grade stones. This stone, he sensed, had perhaps begun the early stages of evolving into a high-grade spirit stone, something highly prized in the cultivation world.
Lu Fan carefully removed the other mid-grade stones, leaving the luminous one undisturbed in the pedestal, where spiritual water continued to condense. Replacing the removed stones with low-grade spirit stones, he observed as they began to gather and condense energy, beginning the same transformation process. From this cycle, he obtained 10 mid-grade spirit stones and a large supply of condensed spiritual water.
Expanding the Stone House
With his increasing need for space to store resources, Lu Fan decided to expand the black stone house around the formation. He extended the structure to include an inner chamber where he could cultivate and store items in private. In the heart of the room, he created a spiritual pond, a small basin lined with stone to collect and hold the condensed spiritual water. The mid-grade stones glowed faintly, their light reflecting on the water's surface, giving the room a serene, otherworldly ambiance.
The bright mid-grade spirit stone remained on the pedestal, its energy creating a steady flow of spiritual fog in the room. Each time he entered, Lu Fan felt invigorated, the air thick with the potency of spiritual energy.
Looking Ahead
As his cultivation reached new heights and his secret resource pool expanded, Lu Fan was well aware of the importance of keeping his achievements hidden. Even within the Lu family, knowledge of the potent array and the upgraded spirit stones would bring envy—and possibly danger. For now, he would play the role of the modest island cultivator, content with his expanding family and simple life.
But with each passing day, he felt himself drawing closer to his ultimate goal: establishing a hidden strength and foundation that none of his family members could anticipate. As he continued, one thing was certain: this unassuming island would eventually become a powerhouse under his careful cultivation and his growing family's legacy.
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