Cultivation System: Rise of the First Patriarch

Night gradually fell over the Zan Clan.

The moon hung high in the sky as a gentle breeze swept through the quiet courtyard.

The two continued drinking while casually chatting about the clan's recent developments, alchemy, and cultivation.

Several empty wine jars had already been placed beside the stone table.

As time passed, Elder Dan's face gradually turned red.

His speech became slower, and his eyes grew hazy.

It was obvious...

He was drunk.

Zan Yunxiao looked at him with mild surprise.

"So even cultivators can get drunk..."

He had expected spiritual energy to quickly dissolve the effects of alcohol.

Apparently, that wasn't entirely true.

Perhaps it was because the wine had been specially brewed by an alchemist.

Or perhaps Elder Dan simply hadn't used his spiritual energy to dispel the intoxication.

Meanwhile, Zan Yunxiao himself remained perfectly clear-headed.

Despite drinking the same amount, he didn't feel the slightest bit intoxicated.

With his current Soul Transformation Realm cultivation, ordinary wine was no longer capable of affecting him.

Even if he wished to become drunk, his spiritual energy would instinctively neutralize the alcohol before it could cloud his mind.

Elder Dan suddenly straightened his back and patted his chest proudly.

"Patriarch... Do you know who this old man used to be?"

Without waiting for an answer, he burst into laughter.

"Hahaha!"

"I wasn't some ordinary wandering cultivator."

"I was an elder of the Azure Flame Sect!"

His voice grew louder with every sentence.

"Back then, countless disciples respected me. Even the Sect Master had to consult me on alchemy. If I hadn't left the sect..."

"Hmph!"

"My status would've been much higher than it is now."

He proudly raised his wine cup before emptying it in one gulp.

Across from him, Zan Yunxiao quietly listened without saying a word.

"Azure Flame Sect..."

"I already knew that."

The very first time they had met, he had activated the All-Seeing Eye.

At that moment, Elder Dan's background, past experiences, and even the reason he had left the Azure Flame Sect had all been revealed to him.

So none of this came as a surprise.

Still...

Zan Yunxiao did not interrupt the drunken elder.

Instead, he simply refilled Elder Dan's cup and listened quietly.

Sometimes...

People who had buried their past for many years only needed someone willing to listen.

After another cup of wine, Elder Dan let out a long sigh.

The pride on his face gradually faded, replaced by a trace of loneliness.

"Back then... I thought the Azure Flame Sect would be my home forever."

Elder Dan let out another long sigh before taking another sip of wine.

"The reason I'm no longer in the Azure Flame Sect... is because it no longer exists."

His tone was no longer proud.

Instead, it carried a trace of sadness.

"It collapsed."

"Not because of powerful enemies. Not because of a great war. It rotted from the inside."

He slowly shook his head.

"The elders fought over authority, resources, and inheritance. Corruption spread throughout the sect, loyal disciples were framed, and those with talent were suppressed. In the end... the sect destroyed itself."

Zan Yunxiao quietly listened while occasionally nodding.

However, his thoughts had already begun to drift elsewhere.

"I wonder how the residence on the mountain peak is progressing... Knowing Zan Wei, it should be completed within five years."

Just as his thoughts wandered, Elder Dan suddenly frowned.

"Patriarch... Are you listening?"

Zan Yunxiao immediately came back to his senses.

He looked at Elder Dan and smiled calmly.

"Of course."

"I'm listening."

Satisfied, Elder Dan nodded and continued talking.

One story led to another.

He spoke about his childhood, his days as an outer disciple, the hardships he endured before becoming an elder, the countless failures in alchemy, and even the smallest events from decades ago.

Zan Yunxiao simply sat there, silently accompanying him.

After what felt like an eternity, Elder Dan finally stopped talking.

Zan Yunxiao secretly let out a sigh of relief.

"Finally..."

"I didn't expect Elder Dan would tell me everything from his childhood until becoming an elder."

He quietly picked up his teacup.

"Now I can finally return to cultivating."

Before he could stand.

Elder Dan suddenly slapped the table, startling Zan Yunxiao in the courtyard. His face flushed red as he glared him, his drunken eyes filled with indignation and excitement.

"Oh, that's right! I haven't told you what happened after that!"

Zan Yunxiao froze.

He slowly turned his head toward Elder Dan.

Only then did he notice the eastern horizon gradually brightening.

Ten hours had passed.

The sun was about to rise.

Elder Dan, however, showed no sign of stopping.

Instead, he took another deep breath, clearly preparing to begin yet another story.

The corner of Zan Yunxiao's mouth twitched.

Without the slightest hesitation...

He stepped behind Elder Dan.

"Patriarch?"

Thud.

With a precise chop to the back of Elder Dan's neck, the old alchemist's eyes rolled back.

He slumped onto the stone table and immediately began snoring.

The entire courtyard finally became quiet.

Zan Yunxiao looked at the sleeping Elder Dan before letting out a helpless sigh.

"Are all elderly people like this?"

"Once they start talking about their past, they won't stop until they've told their entire life story."

The scene unexpectedly reminded him of his previous life on Earth.

Back then, there had been several elderly neighbors who loved reminiscing about their youth.

Every gathering would begin with stories of how impressive they had once been.

Then, somehow...

Those conversations would inevitably turn into arguments.

Each insisted that his generation had been tougher, stronger, or more accomplished than the others.

In the end, they would spend hours debating the most absurd things, each trying to prove that his own youthful glory was greater.

Recalling those memories, Zan Yunxiao couldn't help but irratated.

"It seems... Whether on Earth or in the cultivation world, old people really don't change."

He glanced at Elder Dan once more before silently making a resolution.

"I just hope I won't end up like that after living for thousands... or even tens of thousands of years and I won't spend ten hours talking about my glorious past to the younger generation."

The thought alone made him shudder slightly.

"I'd rather continue cultivating than bore my descendants with endless stories."

With that, Zan Yunxiao waved his hand, sending a gentle stream of spiritual energy to support the sleeping Elder Dan so he wouldn't wake up with a sore back.

Then, carrying the remaining jar of wine, he calmly walked toward his chamber, leaving the old alchemist to sleep peacefully until he sobered up.

As Zan Yunxiao walked back toward his chamber, the morning breeze gently brushed past him.

The jar of wine rested casually in his hand while the first rays of sunlight illuminated the Zan Clan.

Halfway there, he suddenly stopped.

"...Wait."

A look of realization crossed his face.

"I forgot to ask."

He lightly rubbed his forehead.

Because of Elder Dan's ten-hour life story, he had completely forgotten the one thing he actually wanted to know.

"The location of the Azure Flame Sect. And the Demonic Sect."

Zan Yunxiao let out a helpless sigh.

He had intended to ask Elder Dan while he was still awake, but after listening to hours of stories, that thought had completely slipped his mind.

Now...

Elder Dan was sleeping like a log.

Waking him up just to ask a single question seemed rather unreasonable.

As he resumed walking, his expression gradually became thoughtful.

"Knowing my luck... The moment the System issues another mission. It'll probably force me to deal with the Demonic Sect."

He had already become familiar with the Eternal Ancestor System's behavior.

Whenever a mission appeared, it was rarely something simple.

More often than not, it involved matters that could influence the future of the Zan Clan.

If the System truly issued a mission regarding the Demonic Sect...

Ignoring it would likely mean missing out on a valuable reward.

"It seems I'll have to ask Elder Dan after he sobers up."

After all, Elder Dan had once been an elder of the Azure Flame Sect.

If anyone in the Zan Clan knew the current situation of the righteous sects and the whereabouts of the Demonic Sect, it would undoubtedly be him.

With that thought in mind, Zan Yunxiao pushed the matter to the back of his mind.

There was no point worrying about a mission that had yet to appear.

For now.

He intended to return to seclusion and continue cultivating while waiting for Elder Dan to sober up and for the residence on the mountain peak to be completed.