C50 A Dazzling Soulstone!

Dark clouds loomed over the hearts of everyone in the northern Yu family.

At just sixteen, Yu Feifei had reached the early period of the Soul Awakening realm. Among the third generation of the Yu family, she possessed the greatest talent for cultivation.

She was also the sole daughter of Yu Lian.

"Keep these last few soulstones safe."

Yu Lian handed a bag of soulstones to Yu Feifei with great care, saying, "I fear the family will struggle to distribute soulstones on schedule from now on."

Yu Feifei, with her youthful, slightly chubby face, looked up at her father and said, "Father, your own cultivation requires soulstones as well."

For any cultivator, soulstones were indispensable.

These stones contained a purer form of spiritual energy that could be directly absorbed and refined during cultivation.

They were also used in creating formations, refining pills, and tempering weapons. In battle or when gravely injured, they could quickly replenish spent spiritual energy.

Those in the Spirit Channel realm generally needed only to tap into the divine force to gradually open their meridians.

At that stage, because the body's need for divine force was limited, not relying on soulstones wasn't a significant issue.

Naturally, if one were to cultivate with soulstones at the Spirit Channel realm, the process would be much more efficient.

From the Soul Awakening realm onward, refining one's physical body and blood required an increasing amount of divine force.

At that point, having access to soulstones could dramatically enhance the effectiveness of one's efforts.

Within the larger realm, there were three smaller stages: early, middle, and late periods. Advancing through these stages almost always necessitated a varying number of soulstones for unforeseen needs.

As a highly gifted member of the Yu family's third generation, Yu Feifei was given considerable attention.

Following her advancement to the Soul Awakening realm, she was allotted a monthly supply of soulstones from the family for her personal cultivation.

Yet, she was well aware of the family's struggles under Su Yin's oppression and understood that acquiring soulstones would become increasingly challenging.

The supply could even be cut off without warning.

In recent days, Yu Feifei had learned from her affectionate relatives that some of the family's counselors and retainers were contemplating leaving the Yu family to seek their fortunes elsewhere.

The counselors and those making offerings weren't actually part of the Yu family; they were simply there to collect soulstones for their services. Without soulstones, expecting unwavering loyalty from them was completely unrealistic.

"My cultivation..." Yu Lian's expression darkened, and with a forced smile, he said, "Let's not talk about it. This is as far as I go in this lifetime. I can't expect to achieve much more on the path of cultivation."

His eyes brightened. "But you, you're different! You're my pride and joy, the future of our family! I might manage without soulstones, but you, you cannot."

At his words, Yu Feifei felt a lump in her throat. "Father, these soulstones... they're your cherished collection, aren't they?"

Yu Lian sighed deeply. "There's not much left. Use them sparingly. I'll figure something out. We'll find a way."

Yu Feifei, her head bowed, was on the verge of tears. "The Su family never once lent us a hand in our time of need. They're quick to kick us when we're down, only out for their own gain. They don't deserve our respect!"

"Shh," Yu Lian hushed her, then cleared his throat and called out, "Who's there?"

"Big brother, it's me," Yu Lili's voice came from outside.

Relieved, Yu Lian opened the door to let Yu Lili in, asking with a hint of confusion, "Weren't you at our old house in Thylethlume a few days ago, looking for Yu Yuan? What brings you here in the dead of night?"

"I waited until it was late to safely bring some things out," Yu Lili replied with a smile.

"Hello, Auntie," greeted Yu Feifei, her smile sweet though her eyes brimmed with tears.

"What's wrong, Feifei?" Yu Lili asked, her tone light and teasing.

"How can you still smile?" Yu Lian shot a stern look at his sister. "You've been to the old house. Don't you know that in recent days, many counselors and elders have been agitating to leave the family? Some elders are even pressuring our uncle to grovel before Su Yin and obey every command from the Su family."

"So that's what's happening," Yu Lili said, realization dawning on her. She glanced at the cloth bag on the table, "It all comes down to being poor, doesn't it? When someone has you by the purse strings, there's little you can do."

Yu Lian huffed in irritation, thinking to himself, Was that comment really necessary?

"Alright, alright." Yu Lili began to pull soulstones from her belt, arranging them on the table methodically. "Fei Fei is the Yu family's pride and joy. How could she possibly cultivate without soulstones? And besides these, here's a Seed of Life, perfectly suited for you."

The table was now sparkling with soulstones, dazzling both Yu Feifei and Yu Lian.

There were no fewer than a hundred soulstones!

And there, a Seed of Life!

To date, the Yu family had never purchased a Seed of Life for a young cultivator in the Soul Awakening stage to fortify their physique and enhance their combat prowess.

The reason was simple: the Seed of Life was prohibitively expensive!

"Little sister, where did you... how did you get these?" Yu Lian's words stumbled out as he gestured towards the soulstones and the Seed of Life, "You couldn't have stolen them!"

"Relax, all these soulstones and the Seed of Life are rightfully ours, part of the Yu family's legitimate earnings!" Yu Lili's smile was radiant, "Moreover, this will be a consistent source of income for us in the future! What you're seeing is just a fraction of our total reserves. In the family vault, we have several times this amount of soulstones and Seed of Life pills!"

"Ah!"

"How can that be?"

The father and daughter were so astounded they looked as if they could swallow an egg whole.

"That's the way it is."

Yu Lili moved with a grace that belied her excitement, "We can't let Fei Fei's cultivation suffer. She can use these soulstones and the Seed of Life as she needs. Yu Yuan has made it clear that from now on, any family member who reaches the Soul Awakening stage will be supplied with the Seed of Life."

"Yu, Yu Yuan?"

"Of course. Who else in the family could have arranged for these resources?"

...

Outside the Yu family's storeroom.

Yu Cen and Yu Wei, accompanied by the aged Yu family elders, approached at a leisurely pace.

Many of the elders were well into their seventies or eighties, their own paths of cultivation having reached their natural conclusion.

Without achieving Veil Breaking, they would succumb to old age just like any mortal.

They had given up hope for themselves, placing all their aspirations on their descendants, hoping they would one day break through their limits and step into the Veil Breaking Realm.

When they learned that the Su family was deliberately targeting them and refusing to purchase herbs from the Yu family, they all stepped forward. It wasn't for themselves, but for the sake of their future generations.

"Yu Cen, I was the one who backed you to become the family head. How many years has it been?" an elderly and unsteady elder asked. "The Yu family can't wither and die on your watch, can it? Is admitting a mistake and yielding really so difficult?"

"The Su family, as an imperial alchemy lineage, they need herbs!"

"Why must you be at odds with them? Even if the Su family didn't lend us a helping hand when we needed it, when under someone's roof, one must bow their head."

"For the sake of the Yu family's future, please take my advice and apologize to Su Yin."

He continued to offer this counsel all the way there.

Until...

Yu Wei, following Yu Cen's gesture, pushed open the large doors of the storeroom, leading the Yu family elders inside.

The stone floor of the storeroom was covered with dazzling soulstones, stacked into a veritable mountain. At first glance, there were more than ten thousand!

The bright glow from the soulstones caused all the Yu family elders to squint, as if they were in a wondrous dreamland.

"What is this?"

"Have I grown so old that I'm seeing things?"

"Soulstones, all of them! When did our Yu family ever have so many soulstones?"

"Yu Cen, is this real?"

The elders clutched at Yu Cen's sleeve, their eyes filled with hope and anticipation.

"You're not seeing things," Yu Wei assured them as he stepped forward, picking up the soulstones and offering them to the venerable elders. "Feel free to examine them."

As the elders erupted into cheers, he too felt a sense of disbelief. The sheer quantity of soulstones had stunned him when Yu Lili first showed them to him.

"The Yu family will no longer be at the mercy of the Su family!"

Old Master Yu Cen declared firmly before adding wistfully, "Perhaps, one day, our Yu family could rise to be an alchemy family of the empire, rather than remain as mere cultivators of the lowest tier of herbs."

"Yu Cen, you must tell me the truth. Does our Yu family truly have a hidden herbalist?" the elder asked, his voice tinged with excitement.

The rest of the group slowly came to their senses, their eyes gleaming with excitement.

A herbalist—a genuine herbalist—what could that mean for the Yu family?

As Yu Cen observed their hopeful and almost prayerful stares, he gave a slow, affirming nod.

Cheers, seemingly held back for ages, erupted suddenly from within the storeroom.

"..."