Immortality begin with Alchemy Grandmaster Chapter 2768 - 1024:

Year 3681 of the Mountain Sea Calendar has arrived.

Having relocated to Bailu Marsh, the Zhou Family ceased all external conflicts. Their sole focus was on recuperation and restoring their depleted Yuan Qi.

It is whispered that the Zhou Family Ancestor, sensing his final days approaching, expended his lifetime savings to bolster the clan’s High Order Cultivators in reaching greater realms. Concurrently, he encouraged those family members of unremarkable talent in lower realms to engage in procreation freely, thus aiding the clan’s expansion.

This represented a dual strategy: enhancing top-tier combat prowess while simultaneously expanding the foundational population.

Furthermore, the Zhou Family Ancestor personally engaged with the Clan Chiefs of the Qingtong Lin Family and the Yin Family of Cold River Valley, successfully forging a harmonious and mutually beneficial alliance.

The negotiations proceeded without a hitch.

The Qingtong Lin Family and the Yin Family of Cold River Valley were merely ordinary branches among the countless Han Gates affiliated with the Tianyuan Daoist Sect. Their so-called Clan Chiefs were but Golden Core Cultivators. Faced with the esteemed overtures of the Zhou Family Ancestor, a Nascent Soul True Master, they readily accepted.

Consequently, the Zhou Family’s previously precarious external standing appeared to have stabilized.

At the very least, until the Zhou Family Ancestor’s eventual passing, this alliance—comprising one Nascent Soul Family and two Golden Core Families—maintained a semblance of stability across the Tian Nan Continent. In terms of sheer power, the Zhou Family Ancestor, positioned at the Sixth Layer of Nascent Soul, anchored their strength; in terms of connections, the Lin and Yin Families' affiliation with the Daoist Sect ensured that no external factions would deliberately provoke them.

As for the precise timing of the Zhou Family Ancestor’s demise?

Despite numerous external speculations, the Zhou Family Ancestor’s continued active presence made it impossible for anyone to pinpoint the exact moment.

Following the establishment of the tripartite family alliance, the Zhou Family Ancestor withdrew from public affairs. However, he did not enter strict Closed-Door Cultivation. Instead, he made frequent appearances within the clan, diligently mentoring three Golden Core cultivators and several Foundation Establishment juniors who demonstrated potential for achieving the Golden Core Period.

One could say the Zhou Family Ancestor truly lived up to his status as a Long-term Nascent Soul expert. Under his direct tutelage, within a mere year, the Zhou Family was graced with two additional Golden Core Cultivators!

This accelerated pace of restoring their clan’s strength drew considerable envy from surrounding forces.

The ability to cultivate oneself is one matter entirely; guiding others in their cultivation journey is another.

Nevertheless, the intricate details behind these successes remained largely misunderstood by outsiders.

On this particular day.

Deep within the seemingly dismal and perilous Bailu Marsh, teeming with toxic insects and venomous snakes, a distinguished visitor arrived.

Clad in simple white garments adorned with coral branch patterns, his face bore the marks of time, yet his complexion was ruddy. This was none other than the Zhou Family Ancestor, Zhou Yunshen.

As he ventured further into the heart of Bailu Marsh, the pervasive miasma seemed to part of its own accord, clearing a path before him as if in welcome.

Zhou Yunshen observed this phenomenon with an expression tinged with complexity.

The effortless display of power by the dweller of Bailu Marsh’s depths was simply astounding.

This naturally occurring miasma contained a peculiar form of contaminated Spirit Qi, so potent that no Cultivator dared to interact with it even peripherally. While he himself could manage its effects, his advanced age left him disinclined to exert the effort.

Yet, in the hands of the resident, these treacherous miasmas were transformed into utterly docile entities, maneuvering with complete freedom.

Suddenly.

A resonant metallic clang echoed from the depths.

"Old friend, you have arrived."

As the miasma finally dissipated, Zhou Yunshen exhaled a breath of Turbid Qi and stepped into a Shuilian Cave.

Gazing upon the man seated like a drawn sword, he conveyed with a mixture of profound gratitude and deep respect: "Thanks to the Elixirs and Core Formation Experiences you provided, the Zhou Family was able to welcome two new Golden Core Ascendant Masters just a few months ago."

The man in black remained with his eyes closed, stating calmly, "The collapse of Zhongzhou was a calamity they survived; their current realm is merely a fortunate outcome stemming from that ordeal."

Zhou Yunshen, however, shook his head. "Regardless, I must express my sincere thanks to you."

"If your sole purpose was to express gratitude, why undertake this journey today?" The black-clad man held a blood-colored longsword across his knees, enveloped by wisps of Three-color Nine Sky Qi. These energies gradually merged into the longsword as he engaged in Mana Refinement. "Speak, has there been any progress regarding my matter?"

Zhou Yunshen, as if steeling himself for a momentous declaration, spoke with gravity: "We have found it!"

Luo Chen’s fingertip, which had been resting on the sword, paused. His eyes snapped open with sudden intensity.

Zhou Yunshen shook his head, speaking slowly: "In a year's time, with all resource limitations removed, thirty-seven women in the Zhou Family successfully conceived. Utilizing the top-grade water lotus seeds you supplied, our tests indicated that nine of the fetuses display a commendable Water Spirit Qi affinity. Put simply, these nine children potentially possess a Water Spirit Root."

Luo Chen's eyebrows lifted slightly. "The probability is that high?"

Zhou Yunshen offered a wry smile. "I instructed all within the clan lacking the potential to break through to the Golden Core Period to set aside every worldly concern and dedicate themselves fully. Furthermore, throughout this period, we employed the special Spirit Gathering Array you provided, which contributed to these outcomes."

For ordinary mortals, it is exceedingly rare for even a thousand individuals to produce a single child with a Spirit Root.

However, when both parents are Cultivators, having undergone Marrow Washing and Bone Chopping, and through decades of immersion in Spirit Qi, conceiving a child with a Spirit Root becomes considerably more feasible.

This is precisely why the families of the Central Continent are so heavily populated with talents possessing Spirit Roots.

If, during the very act of conception, they were influenced by the specially adapted array devised by Luo Chen, the likelihood of birthing a child with a Water Spirit Root becomes quite substantial.

Nevertheless, before a fetus is born, or even until they reach the age of eleven or twelve, accurately detecting their Spirit Root is a challenge. Yet, this presents no difficulty for Luo Chen; he possesses water lotus seeds from the Fourth-Tier Five Elements Lotus Platform, which, when coupled with the appropriate Technique, can offer a faint sense of the presence and general attributes of a fetus's Spirit Root.

It could be asserted that Luo Chen had meticulously planned from the outset for the acquisition of the Life Soul.

From Zhou Yunshen's perspective, this should have been sufficient. He found it unclear why Luo Chen had specifically reminded him to notify him at this particular juncture.