Chapter 20
Ten years quietly passed since the day construction of the clan foundation began.
What once was an empty stretch of land three kilometers outside Solhaven had now transformed completely.
No longer could it be called simple “construction.”
It had become a true cultivation clan estate.
Massive stone gates stood at the entrance, carved with intricate patterns that naturally gathered spiritual energy.
Behind them stretched a wide inner domain filled with orderly buildings, training grounds, and cultivation halls.
A river had been redirected and refined into a flowing spiritual channel, feeding faint energy into the entire estate.
Even the air itself felt cleaner and more stable than the outside world.
At the center stood the main hall.
Grand, dignified, and unmistakably the core of the entire clan.
Today, the Zan Family gathered for the official inspection.
Zan Yunxiao walked at the front, followed by Xueyun, Jin Feixue, Zan Feilan, and Zan Wei.
As they stepped through the main gate even, Zan Feilan now a young lady of the Zan Family growing steadily into her adult years, looked around with clear admiration in her eyes.
“This place… feels different from the manor,” she said softly.
Zan Wei adjusted his sleeves while casually glancing around.
“Of course it does. This is a full-scale clan foundation. I basically rebuilt geography itself.”
Jin Feixue smiled faintly.
“It feels like stepping into a completely new world.”
Xueyun quietly held Zan Yunxiao’s arm as they walked together.
But Zan Yunxiao said nothing.
He simply observed.
Every structure.
Every formation line.
Every spiritual flow channel.
Everything was arranged with precision far beyond what a mortal city should have.
Even without him personally overseeing every detail, Zan Wei had executed everything perfectly.
Soon.
They reached the main hall.
The doors slowly opened.
And the moment Zan Yunxiao stepped inside.
He paused.
The interior was vast and solemn, designed with the clear intent of representing authority and legacy.
At the very center of the hall.
A single elevated seat stood above all others.
Simple yet unmistakably powerful in presence.
The Patriarch’s Seat.
Zan Yunxiao slowly walked forward and placed his hand lightly on its armrest.
A faint expression passed through his eyes.
Satisfaction.
But the quiet recognition that something once only imagined…
Had now become real.
Behind him, Zan Wei spoke casually.
“We followed your instructions. This seat is reserved only for the head of the Zan Family.”
Jin Feixue looked around and smiled.
“It really feels like a true clan now.”
Xueyun nodded gently.
“It’s beautiful.”
Zan Feilan stood quietly beside them, looking at her father sitting or standing beside the Patriarch seat.
In her eyes, that figure seemed even more distant and profound than before.
Zan Yunxiao finally spoke.
“…Good.”
Just one word.
Yet it carried full approval.
As Zan Yunxiao stood within the grand Patriarch Hall, quietly observing the completed clan foundation, a familiar mechanical voice suddenly echoed within his mind.
[Ding!]
A translucent system panel appeared before his eyes.
[Congratulations, Host!]
[Hidden Mission Completed: Build a Foundation for the Clan Family
Reward: Zan Heaven Veiling Scripture]
A surge of information followed immediately after.
Lines of ancient text and profound cultivation insights flowed directly into his mind, as though they had always existed there.
At the same time, a brief description appeared.
[Zan Heaven Veiling Scripture]
[Created by the First Patriarch
This technique specializes in concealment, aura suppression, and deceptive cultivation realms.
At its highest level, even heavenly tribulations cannot detect the user’s true existence.]
Zan Yunxiao’s eyes narrowed slightly as he finished reading.
Then a rare almost speechless expression appeared on his face.
“…Zan Heaven Veiling Scripture?”
He repeated it once more internally.
Then sighed lightly.
“Did it really have to add my surname…”
At first glance, the name felt overly self-centered, almost embarrassingly direct.
However.
The moment he fully absorbed the description, his expression subtly changed.
Concealment of aura.
Suppression of cultivation presence.
Deceptive realm masking.
And even.
In its highest state, undetectable by heavenly tribulation itself.
Zan Yunxiao slowly looked up.
This was not a trivial technique.
This was something that could fundamentally change the survival rules of a cultivation family.
If future descendants of the Zan Clan mastered this technique…
They would not merely be cultivators.
They would be invisible existences hidden beneath the world itself.
A true hidden clan.
At that moment, his earlier complaint faded slightly.
“…So this is what the system meant.”
He finally understood.
The “Zan Heaven Veiling Scripture” was not for him alone.
It was a foundational inheritance technique.
A core legacy meant to be passed down through generations of the Zan Family.
Just as Zan Yunxiao was absorbing the newly acquired Zan Heaven Veiling Scripture, the familiar mechanical voice echoed once more within his mind.
[Ding!]
[New Function Unlocked: Clan Status Interface]
The host may now view the status of direct descendants, spouses, and bloodline members.
A new translucent panel slowly expanded in front of him, layered over the system interface he was already familiar with.
Zan Yunxiao’s expression shifted slightly.
“…Status of Clan Members?”
He focused his thoughts, and the interface immediately responded.
A new structure began forming inside the panel, as if a living genealogy tree was being written into existence.
[Clan Members Detectable:
Zan Yunxiao (Patriarch)
Xueyun (First Wife)
Jin Feixue (Second Wife)
Zan Tianming (Eldest Son)
Zan Wei (Second Son)
Zan Feilan (Daughter)]
Beneath each name, faint empty slots began forming, suggesting that more descendants would be added in the future.
Zan Yunxiao silently observed the interface for a moment.
Then he attempted to focus on Zan Tianming.
Immediately.
The panel shifted.
[Zan Tianming
Status: Imperial Official
Cultivation Talent: None
Condition: Healthy
Descendants: 2 sons]
[Zan Wei
Status: Merchant Lord
Cultivation Talent: None
Condition: Extremely Active
Note: “Obsessed with wealth accumulation”]
Zan Yunxiao: “…”
He moved on.
Zan Feilan.
[Zan Feilan
Status: Cultivator
Cultivation: 3rd Qi Refinement Realm
Talent: Exceptional
Condition: Stable]
Zan Yunxiao paused slightly longer.
Then, a faint smile appeared.
“Not bad.”
He continued further, checking Xueyun and Jin Feixue.
Both showed stable cultivation and healthy status, with Jin Feixue slowly adapting to cultivation under the reconstruction of her spiritual root.
Everything in the clan appeared stable.
Even unusually so.
After a moment of silence, Zan Yunxiao leaned slightly back and exhaled.
“This is… convenient.”
Being able to directly observe the condition of his entire bloodline meant fewer uncertainties in the future.
Less guessing.
Less risk.
More control over the clan’s stability.
A thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.
If this system continues like this…
It’s not just helping me cultivate.
It’s building the Zan Clan itself.
. . .
After completing the inspection of the clan estate, the Zan Family officially decided to relocate.
From that day onward.
The newly established Zan Clan Grounds became their true home.
Servants, resources, family records, cultivation materials, and important belongings were gradually transferred over the following weeks. The once-busy manor within Solhaven slowly quieted down as the family settled into their new residence.
Fortunately, the clan grounds were only three kilometers away from the city, making travel convenient.
Thus, Solhaven itself remained closely tied to the Zan Family.
In fact, because the clan foundation now existed nearby, the prestige of Solhaven rose even higher. Merchants, nobles, and travelers gradually began referring to the region as the territory protected by the Zan Clan.
Meanwhile.
The former Zan Manor within Solhaven was preserved instead of abandoned.
After discussion, the family simply decided to keep it as a secondary residence.
Or more accurately.
A vacation home.
Whenever they wished to visit the bustling city, inspect businesses, or simply enjoy mortal life again, they could temporarily stay there.
Zan Wei especially approved of this arrangement.
“This way I won’t need to travel back and forth every time there’s business.”
Meanwhile, Xueyun simply liked the nostalgic feeling of the old manor.
After all.
That place held too many memories.
It was where she married Zan Yunxiao.
Where Tianming and Zan Wei were raised.
Where the family first began.
Even Jin Feixue had grown attached to it after living there for years.
Thus, both places remained important to the Zan Family.
One represented their past.
The other represented their future.
Inside the newly completed clan grounds, life gradually stabilized.
The atmosphere there was vastly different from before.
The clan estate was peaceful and dignified.
Servants, guards, and workers moved respectfully throughout the grounds.
At the very center.
The Patriarch Hall remained the symbolic heart of the entire clan.
And seated above it all.
Was Zan Yunxiao.
The First Patriarch of the Zan Clan.
Though he himself still occasionally felt everything happened too quickly.
Whenever he looked at the flourishing clan around him, even he had to admit one thing.
The Zan Family was no longer a simple mortal household.
It had truly become a cultivation clan.