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

Thump, thump, thump!

A sudden knocking echoed against the door of the chamber.

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

The voice was distinct and instantly recognizable.

The image of a slender youth immediately surfaced in Zhao Sheng's mind.

It was Zhao Xiaobao.

His loyal personal servant who had been by his side since he was eight years old.

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

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

Zhao Sheng was startled; he hadn't anticipated that the "Light as a Feather" effect would be this potent.

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

After setting the bowl delicately upon the table, Zhao Xiaobao hurried to stand before Zhao Sheng and asked with great respect, "Young Master, your medicine is ready. Do you have any further instructions?"

"No, that is all. You may leave," he replied.

Instead of drinking the concoction immediately, Zhao Sheng walked toward the vanity mirror. The reflection revealed a young man standing six feet tall, possessing rosy lips, pearly teeth, a sharp nose, and phoenix eyes that gave off a heroic aura.

He was exceptionally handsome! This was a favorable development.

It should be more than enough to charm a daughter from a Cultivation Family.

Indeed!

Zhao Sheng’s primary objective in this lifetime was to wed one or perhaps several ladies from established Cultivation Families.

He was determined to sire as many offspring as possible. He refused to believe that he could not eventually produce an heir possessing a Spirit Root.

By this time, he had fully integrated Zhao Zhiqin's memories. As of today, the Zhao family had yet to produce a single descendant with a Spirit Root.

Since the younger generation was so lacking, the ancestor himself had to take matters into his own hands.

Zhao Xiaobao did not depart immediately.

He paused with hesitation, then suddenly spoke through gritted teeth, "Young Master, I just received some troubling news. I heard that the Madam intends to reduce your allowance for food, clothing, and martial arts training. The Qi Nourishing Soup, which you used to receive every three days, will now only be provided once every seven days."

Hearing this, Zhao Sheng’s eyebrows twitched upward.

The 'Madam' Xiaobao mentioned was the primary wife of the Zhao Family Head. She not only governed the daily operations of Zhao Family's Castle but also managed the clan's business interests, including the treasury.

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

Zhao Xiaobao whispered, "Word is that the family businesses recently suffered a heavy loss of silver. Under the pretext of a budget crunch, she voluntarily lowered the allowances for all branches. Our third branch, however, was slashed by twenty percent."

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

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

The familiar taste—bitter yet ending with a sweet, sharp sting—coated his tongue, just as it had a century ago.

"Young Master, you don't understand. The sons and daughters 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 hold back his frustration.

Hmm?!

At those words, Zhao Sheng’s expression darkened into a frown.

Since time immemorial, the wealthy pursued scholarly arts while the poor turned to martial paths. Training in martial arts was an expensive endeavor, requiring vast amounts of meat and herbal tonics to sustain the body.

A single bowl of Qi Nourishing Soup cost five taels of silver. With over twenty direct descendants of the Zhao family currently practicing, this single expense alone exceeded thirty thousand taels of silver annually.

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

Thus, while he could accept a budget cut, he would not tolerate blatant favoritism.

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

"Xiaobao, go and find out the current situation of the young masters and misses 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 his bed. He reached for the Hundred Refinement Sword that hung above the headboard.

Whoosh!

The blade slid from its sheath with a weight that 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 of "Floating Light," sharing the same length and balance.

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

Swish!

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

As he performed the opening move of the Floating Light Sword Skill, "Plum Blossoms Six Petals," his figure became a blur of motion within the room. Sword light danced in harmony with his steps, appearing and vanishing in a rhythmic flow.

Soon, the flashes of steel grew more frequent, merging into a sphere of light that shifted unpredictably, completely shielding his body.

An hour later, Zhao Sheng came to a halt, his clothing soaked with perspiration.

He tossed the blade casually. In the next instant, the Hundred Refinement Sword performed an incredible feat, sliding perfectly back into its scabbard on its own.

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) Skills: Floating Light Sword Skill (Great Success), Cloud Dragon Three Changes (Great Success), Emerald Tide Technique (Beginner)

"Not bad, the muscle memory remains."

Scanning the data on the book page, Zhao Sheng nodded with approval.

Though he had been reborn, the martial wisdom of an entire lifetime remained within him.

After 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 form fully developed and his Inner True Qi reached Small Success, he could easily return his various martial arts to the peak levels of his previous life.

...

The Zhao Family of Nanyang owned two primary properties: their ancestral residence in Nanyang City and the Zhao Mansion, which was constructed 150 years ago.

Situated thirty li outside Nanyang City, the Zhao Mansion was nestled against mountains and overlooked a river, with fertile plains stretching out before it.

The estate spanned nearly fifty acres, protected by massive stone walls and eight five-zhang-tall watchtowers at the corners, giving it the appearance of a formidable fortress.

Because of this, it was commonly called Zhao Family's Castle.

The interior was filled with grand halls and tall structures, yet a five-acre section in the southeast corner remained open.

This space was covered in packed yellow earth, its perimeter lined with various weapons—swords, spears, axes, and halberds—alongside wooden dummies and archery targets. This was the Zhao Family Training Ground.

The following day, Zhao Sheng, dressed in white robes, strolled into the training ground with his Hundred Refinement Sword in hand.

Shouts of exertion filled the air as several young masters and misses of the Zhao lineage practiced their sword forms, their faces red with effort.

Zhao Sheng smiled thinly at the sight.

The timing was perfect.

He walked up to a handsome man in his early twenties and said brightly, "Third Brother, how about a sparring match?"

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

As he possessed the highest martial cultivation among those present, he was the ideal target for Zhao Sheng to demonstrate his strength.

Zhao Zhijing stopped his practice, turned to see who had spoken, and burst into laughter. He teased, "Ah, it's Little Nine. What's this? Are your bones itching for your third brother to give them a good rattling?"

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

Beyond the six-year age gap, their cultivation levels were worlds apart; Zhijing was one of the only two members of the younger generation to have reached the Third-rank Realm.

In his eyes, Little Nine—Zhao Zhiqin—had barely mastered the basics of the Floating Light Sword Skill and was certainly no match for him.