Just then, a man in the crowd named Zhao Gui, his expression shifting several times, finally grit his teeth. He stepped forward, bowed deeply to Chen Li, and declared, "Master!"
He turned, breaking the silence in the courtyard, and spoke to the hesitant crowd. "I, Zhao Gui, am a simple man and don’t know any fancy words. But over the years, you all know how the Master has treated us. Everyone can judge for themselves.
When has he ever refused to advance us grain during a famine? Last year, the price of grain shot up five times. I heard that other wealthy families started paying wages in silver taels, but the Master stuck to the old rules and paid us in grain. Even the temp workers and day laborers were paid in grain, same as any other year, without the slightest deduction. For that generosity alone, I trust the Master!"
After speaking, he looked up, his gaze resolute. "Master, serving a head of house like you puts my heart at ease! I’m selling myself to you!"
Zhao Gui’s words were simple, yet they resonated powerfully.
Spurred on by his lead, nine others among the hesitant crowd were moved. One after another, they stepped forward, expressing their willingness to sign the indenture contracts on the spot.
Chen Li looked at the ten men, led by Zhao Gui, a hint of approval in his eyes.
He immediately had his wife, Song Ying, take out the prepared indenture contracts and had them sign and press their thumbprints one by one.
Afterward, he ordered men to bring out the grain and distributed the resettlement compensation on the spot—thirty dan of grain for each of them.
As for the other long-term laborers who needed time to think, Chen Li didn’t press them. He told them kindly to go home and consider it carefully.
He assured them that no matter their decision, the Chen Family’s gates would remain open to them, and they could still come work for him in the future.
His words moved the seven men to tears of gratitude, and they left after thanking him profusely.
After the ten men signed their indenture contracts, Chen Li directly appointed them as Stewards, since they were all long-serving members of the Chen household.
He then divided the 3,450 mu of fields outside Lingxi into ten portions. He gave each new Steward an advance of twenty taels and ordered them to take three long-term laborers each and head to their assigned posts to begin managing the land.
Household matters were quite complex, and days passed in a flurry of activity.
「One day.」
Chen Shouye, having arranged all the affairs at Ji’an Hall in the Commandery City, rushed back to their home in Lingxi, weary from his journey.
"Father."
An irrepressible sharpness and anticipation shone in Chen Shouye’s eyes. "I feel my foundation is solid, and my qi and blood are abundant. The opportunity to break through to the Spirit Realm... has arrived."
Chen Li’s Divine Sense swept over his second son. He saw that the Inner Qi in his Dantian had indeed reached the peak of Qi Realm Perfection, just one step away from the barrier.
He nodded slightly but said nothing more, only uttering, "Follow me."
「In the study.」
Chen Shouye did as he was told, sitting cross-legged on a meditation cushion. He held his breath, focused his spirit, and cleared his mind of all stray thoughts.
Chen Li stood quietly to one side, acting as his protector.
This time, he didn’t prepare the Mysterious Black Tortoise Tribulation Secret Medicine. Instead, he took out the long-prepared Eight Treasures Spirit Nourishing Soup, which had superior medicinal properties.
Chen Shouye took the soup and drank it in a single gulp.
He immediately closed his eyes and began to circulate the Immovable Vajra Bright King Technique.
In an instant, the Inner Breath that had long been accumulating in his Dantian surged forth like a thawing spring river, rushing powerfully toward his Eight Extraordinary Meridians.
The process was not smooth. The tearing pain from the assault on his Eight Extraordinary Meridians was excruciatingly clear, and his qi and blood were being rapidly consumed.
Perhaps it was because the effects of the Eight Treasures Spirit Nourishing Soup were gentler and more sustained, or perhaps it was because Chen Shouye had long been cultivating the Immovable Vajra Bright King Technique.
Although his breakthrough was perilous, it proceeded with an overall sense of stability and smoothness, as if everything was falling naturally into place.
It was nothing like Shouheng’s breakthrough, which had been a tumultuous, life-threatening ordeal that left him on the verge of collapse and required Chen Li’s forceful intervention.
After an unknown amount of time, a series of sharp CRACKING sounds, like bones breaking, seemed to echo through the quiet room.
Chen Shouye’s body trembled violently as the Inner Qi throughout him suddenly surged, as if it had broken free from its restraints.
A faint, pale golden light shimmered on the surface of his skin, as if he were coated in a thin layer of gold paint.
This was the sign that the Immovable Vajra Bright King Gang Qi was beginning to form.
Vast and pure Inner Qi generated continuously from the depths of his Dantian, flowing like a gentle, warm current through his entire body, nourishing every inch of his flesh and bone.
The first level of the Spirit Realm, the Meridian Passage, was complete!
Just then, the familiar, mechanical voice sounded in Chen Li’s mind, right on cue.
[Congratulations to the Host’s second son, Chen Shouye, for breaking through to the Spirit Realm. Reward issued: Nine-Character Hand Seal True Intent Map.]
’A True Intent Map?’
Chen Li was surprised. He hadn’t expected the system’s reward this time to be so similar to the one he received for his own breakthrough into the Spirit Realm.
’When Shouheng broke through to the Spirit Realm, all I got was the Eight Treasures Spirit Nourishing Soup. Could it be because Shouheng cultivates the Tiger Subduing Fist, and the True Intent of Tiger Subduing is at the Tiger Subduing Temple?’ Chen Li speculated.
Even with no one to guide him in his cultivation, he was well aware of how rare and precious a True Intent Map was.
It was far more valuable than any Medicinal Cuisine Secret Recipe.
Take his Qiankun Qi Wandering Dragon Staff, for example. Strictly speaking, he had not even grasped Staff Intent for his Staff Technique.
Yet, by relying on the imagery from a True Intent Map, he had managed to elevate his Staff Technique to a whole new level, making his combat prowess no weaker than that of someone who had actually grasped Staff Intent.
But that was only its most superficial use.
The true purpose of a True Intent Map was to be used when assaulting the sixth level, the Divine Intent Pass, after one had reached Void Transformation, the fifth level of the Spirit Realm.
Before that point, cultivating a True Intent would, at most, increase one’s combat power and serve as a life-saving trump card.
Of course, if one could comprehend it early, it would save a great deal of time when it came to reaching the Divine Intent Pass.
As the thought crossed his mind, he was about to claim the reward as usual.
However, the system immediately followed up with an additional prompt.
[Bindable recipient detected. Do you wish to directly bestow the Nine-Character Hand Seal True Intent Map upon the bindable recipient, Chen Shouye?]
Chen Li froze, his gaze falling upon his second son, who had just broken through and was still immersed in the joy and novelty of the experience, his aura not yet fully stabilized.
After a moment of contemplation, he said in a deep voice, "Shouye, focus your mind. Guard your Spirit Platform."
Although Shouye didn’t understand why, he never doubted his father’s words and immediately did as he was told.
Chen Li took a step forward. Holding two fingers together like a sword, a faint light flickering at their tips, he gently tapped the center of Chen Shouye’s forehead.
At the same time, he silently recited in his mind, ’Bind recipient: Chen Shouye.’
In that instant, a formless, intangible stream of light, seemingly imbued with the rhythm of the Dao itself, flowed from Chen Li’s fingertips and vanished into the Sea of Consciousness within Chen Shouye’s mind.
"Ngh!"
Chen Shouye’s body jolted as a vast, obscure torrent of information forcibly flooded his mind, battering his Spiritual Sense.
He focused his Heart Spirit with all his might, guiding and absorbing this sudden, immense inheritance.
"Father, this is...?"
After a long while, he slowly opened his eyes, his face filled with incredulous joy.
Chen Li explained, "This is the True Intent inheritance of the Nine-Character Hand Seal, which complements the Cultivation Technique I taught you before. Comprehend it well and practice diligently."
Chen Shouye nodded. "Yes! Father, I understand."
The words had barely left his lips when Chen Shouheng’s voice came from outside the study. "Little brother, you broke through to the Spirit Realm too? How about a friendly match?"
"Alright!"
Hearing this, Chen Shouye’s eyes also lit up, eager for the challenge.
Now that his Cultivation had advanced so much, he too was eager to test his newfound strength.