Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 2 Only Wanting to Have Children in This Life

Thump, thump, thump!

A sudden rapping sounded against the door of the chamber.

Following the noise, a high-pitched, youthful voice drifted in from the hallway. "Young Master, the Qi Nourishing Soup is prepared. May I bring it inside?"

The voice was unmistakable and deeply familiar to him.

A mental image of a slender youth immediately surfaced in Zhao Sheng’s thoughts.

It was Zhao Xiaobao.

His personal servant had been by his side since he reached the age of eight.

"Enter," Zhao Sheng answered with a composed tone as his memories settled.

He then vaulted out of bed. His feet touched the floor without a sound, not disturbing even a single grain of dust. His physical form felt incredibly weightless.

Zhao Sheng was taken aback; he hadn't anticipated that the "Light as a Feather" trait would be this effective.

The door swung open, and Zhao Xiaobao stepped inside, carefully balancing a blue and white porcelain bowl with both hands.

After setting the bowl down gently upon the table, Zhao Xiaobao hurried to stand before Zhao Sheng, bowing respectfully. "Young Master, the medicine is ready. Do you require anything else?"

"No, that will be all. You are dismissed," he replied.

Rather than drinking the decoction immediately, Zhao Sheng walked toward the vanity. The mirror reflected a youth standing six feet tall, possessing vibrant lips, pearly teeth, a sharp nose, and phoenix eyes that gave off an air of heroic vitality.

He was exceptionally striking. This was a favorable start.

It would surely be enough to draw the attention of a young lady from a prestigious Cultivation Family.

Indeed!

Zhao Sheng’s ambition for this incarnation was to wed one, or perhaps several, women from established Cultivation lineages.

He was determined to sire as many offspring as possible. He refused to believe that he couldn't eventually produce an heir gifted with a Spirit Root.

By this time, he had fully integrated Zhao Zhiqin’s memories. To this day, the Zhao family had yet to produce a single descendant possessing a Spirit Root.

Since the younger generations were so lacking, the ancestor himself would have to take charge of the situation.

However, Zhao Xiaobao did not depart.

He paused, looking conflicted, before finally speaking through gritted teeth. "Young Master, I have just received some troubling news. I heard the Madam intends to reduce your allowance for food, clothing, and martial training. The Qi Nourishing Soup, which was served every three days, will now only be provided once every seven days."

Zhao Sheng’s brows twitched at the report.

The 'Madam' Xiaobao spoke of was the primary wife of the Zhao Family Head. She was not only the mistress of the Zhao Family’s Castle but also a key figure in managing the family’s commercial interests and financial records.

Zhao Sheng turned and took a seat at the table, inquiring, "Did she offer a justification for this change?"

Zhao Xiaobao lowered his voice. "The word is that the family's businesses recently suffered a significant loss of silver. Claiming a shortage of liquid assets, she used it as a pretext to voluntarily cut the budgets for every branch. Our third branch has been slashed by twenty percent."

"I see. If the household is truly short on silver, a temporary reduction in spending isn't necessarily a bad thing," he remarked.

Having said that, Zhao Sheng lifted the porcelain bowl and drained the medicinal broth in a single breath.

The familiar taste—bitter yet carrying a sharp sweetness—washed over his palate, exactly as it had a century ago.

"But Young Master, you don't understand. The young masters and ladies of the first and second branches are still receiving their Qi Nourishing Soup every three days. Their schedule hasn't changed at all," Zhao Xiaobao grumbled, unable to hide his frustration.

Hmm?!

Upon hearing this, Zhao Sheng’s expression darkened.

Since time immemorial, the wealthy pursued scholarly arts while the less fortunate turned to martial paths. However, true martial Cultivation was an expensive endeavor, demanding not just vast quantities of meat but also herbal infusions to fortify the body.

A single portion of Qi Nourishing Soup cost five taels of silver. With over twenty direct descendants currently training in the Zhao family, this single expenditure exceeded thirty thousand taels annually.

Even with the Zhao family's massive business empire, they were barely managing to sustain such heavy costs.

While he could accept a budget cut, he would not tolerate such blatant favoritism.

Zhao Sheng’s mind worked quickly, and he soon devised a plan.

"Xiao Jiu, go and investigate the current status of the young masters and ladies from the other two branches. Report back to me once you have the details."

Zhao Xiaobao nodded obediently and hurried out of the room.

Once he was alone, Zhao Sheng stood up and approached the bed. He reached for the Hundred Refinement Sword that was mounted above the headboard.

Whoosh!

He drew the blade; the weight felt perfect in his grip, reminiscent of his "Floating Light" sword from a hundred years prior.

In truth, this Hundred Refinement Sword had been forged to the exact dimensions, weight, and length of the original "Floating Light."

The genuine, legendary "Floating Light" sword was now a family treasure, currently worn by the Family Head, Zhao Hexing.

Swish!

With a sharp flick of his wrist, Zhao Sheng executed a dazzling six-petaled sword flower.

As he performed the opening move of the Floating Light Sword Skill, "Plum Blossoms Six Petals," his shadow darted and wove through the room. Sword glints flickered in harmony with his steps, appearing and vanishing in a fluid dance of steel.

The flashes of light grew more frequent until they merged into a shimmering cocoon of silver that moved erratically, completely shielding his body.

An hour passed before Zhao Sheng came to a halt, his clothing saturated with perspiration.

He tossed the blade casually. A moment later, the Hundred Refinement Sword flew through the air and expertly seated itself back into its sheath.

Full name: Zhao Zhiqin (Zhao Sheng) Life Span: 15/120 Constitution: Hundred Year Constitution (Mortal Level), Light as a Feather (Mortal Level) Talent: Dynamic Vision (Mortal Level) Skill: Floating Light Sword Skill (Great Success), Cloud Dragon Three Changes (Great Success), Emerald Tide Technique (Beginner)

"Excellent, the muscle memory remains."

Zhao Sheng nodded to himself as he reviewed the information on the book page.

Though he had been reborn, the martial wisdom of a full lifetime remained intact.

With only a few dozen practice sessions, he had already restored the Floating Light Sword Skill and the Cloud Dragon Three Changes to the Great Success Realm.

In a few years, once his physical frame matured and his Inner True Qi reached the Small Success stage, he would easily be able to return his various martial arts to the peak levels of his previous life.

...

The Nanyang Zhao Family maintained two primary strongholds: their ancestral residence within Nanyang City and the grand Zhao Mansion, constructed 150 years ago.

Situated thirty li outside the city, the Zhao Mansion was nestled against a mountain range and overlooked a river, with sprawling fertile plains stretching out before it.

The estate spanned nearly fifty acres, protected by massive stone ramparts and eight arrow towers standing five zhang tall at the corners, giving it the appearance of a formidable fortress.

Because of this, it was commonly referred to as the Zhao Family's Castle.

The interior was a labyrinth of grand halls and towering structures. While the castle was densely packed, a five-acre section in the southeast corner remained open.

The ground here was covered in packed yellow earth, and the perimeter was lined with an array of weapons—swords, spears, axes, and halberds—alongside training stakes and archery targets. This was the Zhao Family Training Ground.

The following morning, Zhao Sheng, clad in white robes, strolled onto the training grounds with his Hundred Refinement Sword in hand.

The air was filled with rhythmic shouts. Several young masters and ladies of the Zhao lineage were hard at work, their faces red with effort as they practiced their forms.

Zhao Sheng smiled thinly at the sight.

The timing was ideal.

He walked toward a handsome man around twenty years of age and called out cheerfully, "Third Brother, how about a sparring match?"

This was Zhao Zhijing, the twenty-one-year-old legitimate son of Family Head Zhao Hexing. He was ranked third in the current generation of the Zhao family.

As he possessed the highest martial attainment among the group, he was the perfect choice for Zhao Sheng to demonstrate his prowess.

Zhao Zhijing stopped his practice and turned to see his challenger. He burst into laughter, mocking him. "Ah, it's Little Nine. What's the matter? Is your skin itching for a beating from your Third Brother?"

Zhao Zhijing didn't view Zhao Sheng as any kind of threat.

Beyond the six-year difference in their ages, their cultivation levels were vastly different. Zhijing was one of only two members of their generation to have already broken through to the Third-rank Realm.

Little Nine, Zhao Zhiqin, had barely managed to learn the basics of the Floating Light Sword Skill; he was nowhere near his level.