The Chang Family Residence
Chang Shiyue finally arrived at the Chang Family residence after leaving the Shen Family estate.
She walked along the long corridor with calm, measured steps. Her pale blue-white robes swayed gently with each movement, while her long black hair was neatly arranged with a white jade hairpin. The thin veil covering her nose and mouth concealed the beauty she had shown only to Shen Yanzhou earlier.
Before long, she arrived at a room where her father was waiting.
Inside, a middle-aged man sat in an intricately carved wooden chair. He was rather stout, with a slightly protruding belly visible beneath his dark brown silk robe. His shoulders were broad, his arms thick, and his round face had a faint double chin. Thick black eyebrows framed his sharp eyes, while a short mustache rested above his upper lip. A few strands of white hair showed at his temples, contrasting with the black hair neatly combed back beneath a small ornamental crown.
This man was Chang Weiming, Chang Shiyue's father.
Despite his somewhat heavy build, his gaze carried the authority of someone accustomed to giving orders. A cup of tea sat on the table beside him, and his fingers tapped lightly against the tabletop.
The moment he saw his daughter enter, he spoke.
“I've already heard everything.”
His voice was heavy with displeasure.
“That boy couldn't even withstand a single strike from you. He's utterly useless!”
Chang Shiyue stood before him without answering.
Chang Weiming frowned, growing even more irritated by her silence.
“If that's all he's capable of, why are you still insisting on maintaining your engagement? You even rejected the engagement with Young Master Lu for the sake of such a useless young man!”
Shiyue remained silent.
She neither agreed nor argued. Although her veil concealed most of her expression, her attitude made it clear that she had no intention of changing her mind.
Seeing that she still refused to answer, Chang Weiming could only sigh.
He had known his daughter's temperament since she was young. Once Shiyue made up her mind, changing it was never easy.
“Very well, Yue'er.”
He leaned back in his chair and regarded her seriously.
“You haven't forgotten our agreement, have you? If Shen Yanzhou fails to awaken a Bronze Seed or anything higher during the Seed Awakening Ceremony, you must end your engagement with him.”
Shiyue's expression immediately changed.
She raised her head and fixed her father with a sharp gaze.
“Father, if he awakens a Bronze Seed or anything higher, no one is to interfere with my engagement to him!”
Her voice was firm and unwavering.
Chang Weiming fell silent for a moment. He hadn't expected his daughter to be so determined when it came to Shen Yanzhou.
However, before he could say anything, Shiyue had already turned around.
She left the room without another word.
Chang Weiming watched her retreating figure with a complicated expression.
“That stubborn girl…”
He shook his head before picking up his teacup again.
“I hope that boy truly has something worth boasting about. Otherwise, I really can't understand what makes Yue'er so determined to maintain their engagement.”
He took a sip of tea, but his thoughts remained on Shen Yanzhou.
The Seed Awakening Ceremony, scheduled to take place in three days, might determine the future of the engagement between their two families.
The Shen Family Residence
In his room, Shen Yanzhou was lying on his bed with the book Chang Shiyue had given him.
The book was titled The Fundamentals of Seed Awakening and the Path of Cultivation.
Yanzhou turned the pages with a fairly serious expression. Occasionally, he furrowed his brows when he encountered something difficult to understand, but he continued reading because the Seed Awakening Ceremony was only three days away.
“So these are the different Seed grades…”
He began reading the section explaining the seven grades of Seeds.
The Seven Grades of Seeds
According to the book, a Seed was the foundation that allowed a person to embark on the path of cultivation. Everyone possessed a Seed from birth, which could be awakened during the Seed Awakening Ceremony at the appropriate age.
There were seven widely recognized grades of Seeds.
1. Ash Seed
The Ash Seed was the lowest grade. Its owner could still cultivate, but the process was relatively inefficient. They needed more time and effort to absorb and refine spiritual energy.
2. Stone Seed
The Stone Seed offered better cultivation efficiency than the Ash Seed. Its owner could absorb and refine spiritual energy more effectively, allowing them to progress somewhat faster.
3. Wood Seed
The Wood Seed provided greater cultivation advantages. Its owner possessed better spiritual energy absorption efficiency than those with Ash or Stone Seeds.
4. Bronze Seed
The Bronze Seed was considered a respectable foundation among the younger generation. Its superior absorption and refinement efficiency gave its owner a significant advantage at the beginning of their cultivation journey.
For many cultivation families, a Bronze Seed was the minimum grade expected of a promising young cultivator.
5. Silver Seed
The Silver Seed was relatively rare. Its owner enjoyed considerably greater cultivation advantages and could progress more quickly when provided with suitable techniques and resources.
Those who awakened Silver Seeds often received greater attention from their families and sects.
6. Gold Seed
The Gold Seed was exceptionally valuable. Its owner possessed high cultivation efficiency and had the potential to become an outstanding genius among their peers.
Many powerful forces were willing to invest considerable resources in nurturing someone with a Gold Seed.
7. Jade Seed
The Jade Seed was the highest of the seven grades recorded in the book. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
Its owner possessed extraordinary cultivation advantages. Their efficiency in absorbing and refining spiritual energy far surpassed that of cultivators with lower-grade Seeds.
However, the book also emphasized that a Seed's grade was not the only factor determining a cultivator's achievements. Techniques, resources, comprehension, experience, and personal effort also influenced one's progress.
Yanzhou nodded as he read.
“So, the higher the Seed grade, the greater the advantages during cultivation?”
He rubbed his chin.
“Then I absolutely must awaken a Gold Seed or a Jade Seed!”
He immediately imagined himself becoming a renowned genius, respected wherever he went.
Of course, admiration wasn't the most appealing part of that fantasy.
What appealed to him most was a luxurious life filled with wealth and beautiful women.
“Hehehe…”
Yanzhou chuckled to himself before continuing to read.
“All right, let's see what the cultivation realms are.”
He turned the page and found the section describing the major realms of cultivation.
The book listed six major realms:
1. Seed Opening.
2. Master.
3. Grandmaster.
4. Ancestor.
5. Sage.
6. Saint.
Yanzhou began reading about the first three realms.
1. Seed Opening
Maximum lifespan: 100 years.
Seed Opening was the first step on the path of cultivation.
At this stage, a person awakened the Seed they had possessed since birth and began their cultivation journey. Once the Seed was successfully awakened, they could absorb spiritual energy and use it to strengthen themselves.
The grade of one's Seed determined the advantages one possessed at the beginning of cultivation. Nevertheless, meaningful progress still required practice and resources.
Cultivators in this realm could not fly on their own. They still relied on their physical abilities, martial techniques, and the spiritual energy they could control.
Yanzhou nodded slowly.
“One hundred years, huh? That sounds like quite a long time.”
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“If I can live for a hundred years, I should have plenty of time to enjoy myself.”
After thinking for a moment, he remembered that he hadn't even awakened his Seed yet.
“Fine. I'd better make sure I can get through the first realm before worrying about anything else.”
He continued reading.
2. Master
Maximum lifespan: 150 years.
Master was the realm above Seed Opening.
A cultivator who reached this realm possessed greater control over spiritual energy. They could use it to enhance their attacks, strengthen their defenses, and improve their overall combat abilities.
The gap between a Master and a Seed Opening cultivator was considerable. Masters possessed more refined energy control and could use their strength far more effectively.
One important ability available to cultivators at this realm was flight with the assistance of an external object.
By using a suitable object, such as a flying sword or flying artifact, a Master could rise into the air and travel through the skies. However, they were not yet capable of flying independently through their own power alone.
Yanzhou stopped reading.
“Huh? So a Master can fly as long as they have the right object?”
He imagined himself standing on a flying sword, soaring across the sky with his robes fluttering in the wind.
“Whoa! That sounds amazing!”
Then another image entered his mind: himself flying toward a distant city famous for its entertainment houses.
“Hehehe… if I can fly, I can visit entertainment houses in other cities without wasting time on the journey!”
His grin widened.
However, he quickly lowered his head and resumed reading before the heavens could reprimand him with another thunderclap.
3. Grandmaster
Maximum lifespan: 250 years.
Grandmaster was a realm far above Master.
A cultivator who reached this realm possessed a much deeper mastery of spiritual energy and martial arts. Their strength and control were on a level that cultivators in lower realms would find difficult to match.
Grandmasters also possessed an important ability that distinguished them from Masters: they could fly through their own power without relying on external objects.
They no longer needed flying swords or special artifacts to lift themselves into the air and travel across the sky.
This ability was one of the clearest demonstrations of the gap in strength between the two realms.
The book explained that reaching Grandmaster was no easy feat. In addition to accumulating sufficient spiritual energy, a cultivator needed to develop a mature understanding and command of their own power. Read the latest chapters at g.com.
Yanzhou finished reading the section and let out a long sigh.
“Two hundred and fifty years…”
He stared at the ceiling.
“If I could live that long, there would certainly be plenty of enjoyable things to do.”
His thoughts drifted back to beautiful women.
“And being able to fly without relying on an external object… that's incredible too. I could go wherever I wanted!”
He nodded with satisfaction.
“All right, becoming a Grandmaster sounds pretty good. I don't need to become the strongest person in the world. As long as I have enough strength to protect myself and enjoy a peaceful life, that'll be more than enough.”
After finishing the section on Grandmaster, Yanzhou glanced at the following page.
It listed three higher realms: Ancestor, Sage, and Saint.
However, the introductory book did not provide detailed explanations of those realms in the section he was reading.
Yanzhou merely murmured their names.
“Ancestor, Sage, Saint…”
He raised an eyebrow.
“They certainly sound impressive. Unfortunately, I haven't even begun cultivating.”
He closed the book for a moment and stretched.
“There's no need to worry about things that far away. I don't even know what kind of Seed I'll awaken three days from now.”
He opened the book again and moved on to the next section.
Spiritual Stones and Wealth
The book explained that spiritual stones were one of the principal currencies used among cultivators. Besides being used to purchase various goods, they contained spiritual energy that could also be utilized during cultivation.
There were three grades of spiritual stones commonly used:
- Low-Grade Spiritual Stones.
- Middle-Grade Spiritual Stones.
- High-Grade Spiritual Stones.
Their exchange rates followed a ratio of one thousand to one.
One thousand Low-Grade Spiritual Stones were equivalent to one Middle-Grade Spiritual Stone.
One thousand Middle-Grade Spiritual Stones were equivalent to one High-Grade Spiritual Stone.
However, what shocked Yanzhou most was the exchange rate between gold and spiritual stones.
One thousand gold coins were worth only one Low-Grade Spiritual Stone.
“What?!”
Yanzhou immediately sat upright.
“One thousand gold coins for just one Low-Grade Spiritual Stone?!”
He stared at the words for a moment, making sure he hadn't misread them.
Then his astonishment slowly transformed into a broad grin.
“Hehehehe…”
He began imagining what he could do if he possessed thousands of spiritual stones.
“If I had that much wealth, couldn't I enjoy myself with countless women at the finest entertainment houses in the entire prefecture?”
His eyes sparkled.
“I could rent the most luxurious rooms, enjoy delicious food, and spend my time with beautiful women without worrying about the cost!”
The longer he imagined it, the wider his grin became.
“Ahh, now that's what I call a wonderful life!”
BOOOOM!
A sudden clap of thunder roared across the sky.
Yanzhou jolted so violently that he nearly dropped his book.
“DAAAMN IT!”
He glared at the ceiling.
“Even when I'm imagining my wonderful future, you still have to bother me?!”
BOOOOM!
Another clap of thunder rumbled overhead.
Yanzhou immediately shut his mouth.
He remained silent for a few moments before slowly lowering his head and looking at the book in his hands again.
“Fine, fine! I'll read! I'll train seriously!”
He paused.
“And I won't think about women anymore!”
Silence filled the room.
Yanzhou glanced toward the window.
“…At least until the rain stops.”
Outside, thunder continued to rumble across the darkening sky.
Meanwhile, Shen Yanzhou resumed reading, hoping the heavens would finally stop taking issue with everything he said.