Chapter 4, The Secrets of Yin and Yang in the Universe

Chen Zining said: "Shuangshuang, don't worry, I still have more than ten left. If it doesn't work this time, just eat a few more tomorrow, until you succeed."

Zhan Ping saw her daughter holding the Xuan Yu fruit, looking at it from every angle, appearing reluctant to eat it. She couldn't help but smile and said, "Hurry up and eat it; you still need to lay your foundation later."

Seeing her son come out, Zhang Ping let out a long sigh of relief and called out: "Hurry up and eat, we are waiting for you."

In the days that followed, Chen Zining led a simple yet fulfilling life, until he received sixteen Xuan Yu fruits after the harvest, which included his rightful share and six exchanged for luminous stones. These spiritual fruits were slightly smaller than a fist, entirely white like jade, crystal clear, and exuded a faint fragrance.

After rolling his eyes, he said, "Why not invite grandfather over to take a look."

Mother, would you like to have a bite?

Chen Zining took out the fluorescent stone and said: "Grandfather, Elder Four, what do you think this is?"

In Chenjia Village, boys receive ten Xuan Yu fruits each year from the age of seven to eighteen, while girls receive two Xuan Yu fruits each year from the age of seven to nine. The reasons for this are twofold: first, the period before the age of twenty-five is considered the golden age for martial arts training, during which the benefits of spiritual fruits are maximized; second, Xuan Yu fruits are only second-grade spiritual fruits, which provide little assistance to martial artists above the martial student level. Moreover, girls are ultimately destined to marry out, making it natural that they cannot be compared to boys.

She noticed that Chen Zining entered the bedroom at noon today and did not come out, nor did he go to the study to rummage through books. Initially, she was worried that her son was being lazy, and she checked several times, only to find him sitting quietly in the room. As the sun was about to set and there was still no movement, she felt both happy and somewhat concerned. Fortunately, she was not an ordinary woman; her martial arts skills surpassed those of her husband. Seeing Chen Zining's calm expression and steady breath, she did not make a fuss, so as not to disturb her son's cultivation.

After a long while, Chen Zining exhaled a breath of turbid air, opened his eyes, and faintly sensed a subtle change in the Purple Palace. Although it was not obvious, it was indeed real.

Chen Daochong smiled and said, "What do you intend to do by presenting your treasures?"

Chen Daohong took a closer look and said, "Fluorescent stone! Where did you find this, you little rascal? This thing is worth quite a bit of money"

Watching her adorable antics made all three of them burst into laughter

He returned to his room, consumed a spiritual fruit, and sat cross-legged. He guided a thread of spiritual energy generated from it into his purple palace. His most urgent need at this moment was not to enhance his true qi cultivation, but to elevate his spiritual energy as quickly as possible

Oh, you sly one, you've started doing business with your grandfather as well, very well! A fair trade, I will exchange six spirit fruits with you at market price. After the harvest and the books are ready, come to me to collect them. With these spirit fruits, you must work a bit harder and strive to break through to the seventh level before the end of the year

Chen Zining dispelled distracting thoughts, focused his mind, and completely released his spirit, slowly sensing the fleeting and unpredictable energies in the universe

The so-called foundation establishment refers to the process in which an elder supports the practitioner, allowing their own true energy to circulate along the prescribed path of the cultivation method within the practitioner's meridians for nurturing. Once the practitioner has memorized this process, the energy is then retained within their body, enabling them to begin self-cultivation. However, since this true energy is not their own, it will be depleted within two to three days. The practitioner must establish a foundation before this foreign true energy dissipates, while the supporter will significantly deplete their own true energy.

On the morning of the second day, the family of four sat in the hall, where a straw mat was laid on the floor. The younger sister, Mu Shuang, sat on it, gently caressing a mysterious jade fruit in her hands. She had never eaten such a spiritual fruit before. In previous years, Chen Zining would always take out one or two to share with her, but their parents had always intervened.

Chen Mushuang thought for a moment and said: "Mother, can we let the little rabbit have one too? I only need one."

Subsequently, Chen Zining began to cultivate the highest secret technique of the Qingwuzi sect, the Qian Kun Yin Yang Jue. Although Qingwuzi had acquired several profound and esoteric texts and techniques during his adventures in the cultivation world, the techniques he was most familiar with and proficient in were still those of his own sect.

Without the support of elders, relying solely on one's own efforts, it is likely that success can only be achieved after the age of twelve or thirteen, when one's mind and thoughts have matured

Brother, would you like to have a bite?

The next day, Chen Zining recalled the fluorescent stone he had received along with the ring yesterday. He had initially intended to sell it and then purchase some books, but now the most important thing was to gather more spiritual energy and break through to the mid-stage of Qi Induction as soon as possible in order to unlock the Void Ring. After some thought, he picked up the fluorescent stone and walked towards the largest building in the village, which served as the residence of the clan leaders throughout the generations and also as the venue for village meetings. It was divided into three parts: the front yard, the main courtyard, and the back yard, with the residence at the back and the meeting hall at the front.

Fortunately, the realm of cultivation that Qing Wuzi comprehended still existed. After Chen Zining merged with Qing Wuzi's primordial spirit, it also resulted in a significant increase in his mental strength. Under the full resonance of his spirit, it finally triggered a response from the surrounding spiritual energy. Although the concentration of spiritual energy here is not comparable to that of the cultivation world where Qing Wuzi resides, it is still present

Chen Zining walked in and saw two old men chatting. The short, bearded one was the Fourth Elder of the village, Chen Daohong, while the other, tall and thin with a long beard, was his grandfather, the clan leader of Chen Family Village and also the foremost expert in the village, Chen Daochong

Looking out the window, the sky had already become somewhat dim. He opened the door and saw his mother standing outside, smiling at him.

The higher the cultivation of the protector, the better it is. For instance, when Chen Zining was seven years old, he was protected by his grandfather, Chen Daochong. Zhang Ping's own cultivation is also not weak, so there is no need for others to assist with her daughter's foundation establishment.

Chen Zining was overjoyed to see his grandfather agree, as the six Xuan Yu fruits had already exceeded his expectations

Zhan Ping, feeling exasperated, gave her daughter a pat on the head and scolded with a smile: "If you don't succeed, you can only blame yourself. Inviting your grandfather over won't help. Besides, your grandfather just provided support to someone else and will need at least five or six days to recover"

Chen Mushuang nodded happily and said, "Brother still cares for me the most"

After consuming another Xuan Yu fruit, his spiritual power finally showed significant improvement, forming vortex-like energy clusters in the Purple Mansion. What delighted him even more was that under the influence of the Qiankun Yin Yang Technique, the true energy, which had remained stagnant for over a year, also made a breakthrough, advancing to the seventh level

Chen Moshuang widened her eyes and exclaimed, "Is it really that difficult? Yesterday, Qingqing successfully established her foundation with Grandpa's support. If I don't succeed, won't I be the subject of her ridicule?"

Zhan Ping pinched her daughter's cheek and said: "No way! Your brother succeeded in foundation establishment only after consuming seven spirit fruits. You have only two; if you have a one-fifth chance, you should be grateful to heaven and earth. And you still want to eat another one, thinking of yourself as a once-in-a-century genius"

Chen Zining first performed the Heart Method of the "Shattered Jade Technique" nine times as usual. This is the fundamental skill of Chen Family Village, classified as a mid-tier human-level technique, which is only one level higher than the low-tier human-level techniques commonly sold on the streets. However, it excels in its solid foundation, making it easy to establish a base. It does not possess any particularly powerful features, nor does it have overly difficult challenges. As long as one is willing to put in the effort, the probability of entering the warrior realm is still quite high. This set of techniques is also implemented in the army of the Holy Tang Kingdom.

Unfortunately, Chen Zining has no idea whether spirit stones from the cultivation world can be found in this realm, and the high-quality jade stones that could serve as a substitute are not something he can possess at this moment. Moreover, the spirit gathering formation is not something he is capable of setting up right now.

Upon seeing Chen Zining, the two stopped their conversation. Chen Da Chong said, "Zining, do you have something to discuss with your grandfather?"

Chen Zining suppressed the ecstasy within his heart, absorbing, filtering, and ultimately condensing the spiritual energy within his Purple Palace. At the same time, he unified the three elements of essence, energy, and spirit, embracing the primordial and maintaining inner balance, gradually entering a state of harmony between heaven and man, where both self and the external world were forgotten.

At that moment, Chen Muxiang took a bite of the mysterious jade fruit, savoring it mouthful by mouthful, while saying, "It’s so delicious, fragrant and sweet. Father, would you like to have a bite?"

Chen Zining replied, "Isn't some of the spiritual fruit in the village supposed to be sold? I would like to exchange some spiritual fruit with my grandfather"