Qin Ruqing held her breath, yet she could still sense a cool, strange fragrance that invigorated her and cleared her mind.

Even though she didn’t recognize Spiritual jade essence, it seemed like this must be it.

“Ancestor, is this jade essence?”

No one dared to speak, all waiting for the ancestor’s confirmation.

The ancestor exhaled slowly, her gaze burning as she stared at the green pool, and said in a deep voice, “Yes, this is indeed jade essence!”

The second elder pulled out a handful of his beard in excitement, his eyes filled with joy, “Ancestor, with this jade essence, your injuries might not be fully healed, but at least they can be somewhat alleviated!”

Qin Ruqing asked in confusion, “Ancestor, can’t the jade essence completely heal your injuries?”

Ancestor Wenxuan smiled, “Didn’t I tell you before? To completely heal my injuries, I need two extremely rare heavenly treasures: one with gentle extreme cold properties and another that has both extreme heat and cold attributes. Apart from these, no other heavenly materials, no matter how precious, can heal my injuries completely. The jade essence can only provide some relief.”

Qin Ruqing somewhat understood, realizing that the ancestor’s injuries were indeed very complex and not easily healed.

Qin Luowei, who understood even less, grasped just one thing: the jade essence before them could help the ancestor’s injuries.

That was enough.

The ancestor was the person she admired the most in the whole family, and she hoped she could recover quickly.

So she earnestly said, “Ancestor, since this jade essence is beneficial for your injuries, you should take it quickly.”

The ancestor looked at Qin Luowei kindly but shook her head.

“I cannot use this jade essence.”

“Why not?” Qin Luowei wasn’t the only one with this question; everyone around them had the same doubt deep in their hearts.

The ancestor’s expression was calm, “Do you think a stalactite spirit cave of this size forms easily?

This jade essence is equivalent to the core of the spirit cave.

If the jade essence is taken, most of the spirit cave will be destroyed.

In the future, the cave will no longer produce spiritual milk, and the spiritual energy that turns into mist here will gradually dissipate until it’s all gone.

Do you still want me to take the jade essence?”

Qin Dexin frowned, “Why not take it? Ancestor, you have worked tirelessly for the Qin family. Don’t you deserve a small piece of jade essence?”

Qin Deming also said, “Ancestor, this situation is like the four-leaf spiritual ginseng incident before.

It was an unexpected discovery and gain.

Why should we place so much importance on it?

Even if you take the jade essence and the spirit cave is mostly destroyed, what difference does it make? The remaining parts are still enough for the Qin family.”

The ancestor slowly shook his head, “The significance of this spirit cave to the Qin family is different from that of the four-leaf spiritual ginseng.”

“At that time, there was only one set of materials to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill, and there was a significant risk of failure.

The Qin family could not be certain of benefiting from it. But this spirit milk cave—”

“The diluted spirit milk can be used to refine marrow-cleansing elixirs, which can be sold to the medicine shops, providing a huge and stable source of income.”

Qin Deming’s lips moved, clearly wanting to argue.

As the head of the Qin family, he knew better than anyone whether the family needed this money and where it was needed.

The ancestor glanced at him and smiled, “I know what you are thinking. You are considering the family’s immediate needs and benefits.

However, this spirit cave is a long-term asset for the Qin family. It can provide continuous benefits, far beyond the immediate gain of using the jade essence now.”

Seeing Qin Deming still unconvinced, the ancestor continued, “If we destroy this spirit cave for a temporary solution, we are sacrificing long-term prosperity for short-term relief.

This spirit cave’s continuous production of spirit milk will sustain the Qin family for generations.

⅙Destroying it for my temporary relief is not worth it.”

Qin Dexin, understanding the ancestor’s reasoning, sighed, “Ancestor, you have always put the family first. We should respect your decision. But it pains us to see you suffer.”

Ancestor Wenxuan smiled warmly, “Your concern touches me. But my well-being should not come at the expense of the family’s future. Let us cherish this spirit cave and use its resources wisely for the benefit of all.”

The family members, seeing the wisdom in the ancestor’s words, nodded in agreement.

They decided to protect the spirit cave and use its resources to secure a prosperous future for the Qin family.

Qin Deming felt that with the Qin family now having a spirit stone mine, they weren’t short on money.

While the spirit stones were another matter, these marrow-cleansing elixirs and spirit milk were excellent materials for nurturing spiritual power.

With these, the younger generation of the Qin family could potentially improve their aptitudes significantly.

Do you still think this isn’t important?”

“If this still isn’t enough… Do you know the greatest benefit of having a stalactite spirit cave with formed jade essence? It can speed up the cultivation process, especially for cultivators below the fifth level of Qi Refinement.”

The ancestor smiled lightly, as if unaware of the shocking information she had just shared, and casually added, “Do you know why you haven’t discovered this place despite its proximity to the spirit stone mine?

It’s because this stalactite spirit cave has almost formed a semi-enclosed secret realm.

Given more time, it could even create a small, completely enclosed space.

By then, the spirit cave’s aura would be entirely isolated from the outside world.

Even someone with a perfect innate physique like Qingqing wouldn’t be able to detect it.”

“Now, do you still think the jade essence can be casually taken?”

Silence fell around them.

Qin Deming’s face turned red, unable to find words to respond.

Qin Ruqing knew that her father wasn’t convinced by the ancestor’s argument; rather, he was tongue-tied and didn’t know how to counter the ancestor.

The expressions of the others weren’t much different from her father’s.

Qin Ruqing pressed her lips together, feeling an inexplicable surge of anger, though she wasn’t sure what she was angry about.

Glancing at the ancestor’s calm face, Qin Ruqing thought, perhaps it was because the ancestor always put the family first, seemingly ignoring herself.

In the midst of the silence, Qin Ruqing suddenly spoke, “Ancestor, the jade essence is important to the Qin family, but aren’t you important to the Qin family too?”

The ancestor’s eyes flickered as she looked at her.

“Without you, the Qin family wouldn’t have been able to establish itself in the Southern Ridge, let alone become a reputable family.

Without you, the Zhang and Han families, who are eyeing us greedily, would have long since divided and conquered the Qin family…

Oh, speaking of the Zhang and Han families, since we’ve gained such significant benefits from the secret realm, do you think they will sit back and do nothing?

If your injuries aren’t healed, and the Zhang and Han families attack, how can the Qin family fend off such threats?”

Qin Ruqing, with a stern face and raised chin, spoke firmly, “Ancestor, even if you don’t think for yourself, you should think for the Qin family!”

Qin Ruqing was just short of saying outright, “Ancestor! How can the Qin family survive without you?”

Her well-reasoned arguments brought a variety of reactions from those around her.

Qirong secretly gave her a thumbs-up;

Qin Luowei looked thoughtful, her face showing, “So that’s how you can argue a point, I’ve learned something”

Qin Dexin glanced at her, the corners of her eyes crinkling with a smile;

The second elder nodded from time to time, feeling that Qin Ruqing had spoken exactly what was in his heart.

That’s precisely how it is

As for Qin Deming, he let out a long sigh of relief, realizing that he indeed wasn’t good at verbal sparring.

Leaving it to Qingqing was definitely a wise choice.

After a moment of silence, the ancestor suddenly chuckled.

Instead of commenting on Qin Ruqing’s words, she looked at Qin Deming and said with a smile:

“Who would have thought that someone as tongue-tied as you could have a daughter like Qingqing.”

Someone like Qingqing—naturally, someone who could make the impossible sound possible.

…turn black into white!”

Qin Deming, instead of being angry, was delighted, and Qin Ruqing just chuckled.

The ancestor closed her eyes and pondered for a moment, then said, “Fine, let’s set other matters aside for now. Qingqing is right about one thing: the Qin family has gained such a significant advantage in the Secret Realm, the Zhang and Han families won’t let it slide easily.

I still need to recover from my injuries quickly and make some plans for the future.”

The ancestor looked at the jade essence in the center of the stone pillar.

It was a stunning shade of green, glowing softly as if bathed in moonlight.

“I will take half of this jade essence for now.”

Qin Ruqing frowned immediately.

Why just half?

The ancestor glanced at her with a smile, “Look at you, getting impatient again. The effectiveness of the jade essence on my injuries is still uncertain. I’ll take half first and see how much I can refine. If it’s not enough, I can always take more.”

Hearing this, Qin Deming and the others finally relaxed.

Qin Ruqing’s eyes sparkled but she remained silent.

The next issue was handling the entire stalactite spirit cave.

This was a significant matter affecting the development of the entire Qin family and couldn’t be decided lightly.

It would require a family meeting back home to discuss thoroughly.

Before leaving, the ancestor and the second elder carefully inspected the entire spirit cave to ensure there were no other entrances except the one they had initially opened.

Additionally, the ancestor, along with the Qin family’s arriving formation master, set up a hidden formation around the cave.

Given the cave’s proximity to the spirit stone mine, the ancestor also upgraded the formations around the mine.

Now, the area around the spirit stone mine in the Western Cliff Mountain Range had become the core of the Qin family, equivalent to a forbidden area.

The group completed their tasks and finally prepared to return to the clan’s territory.

Qin Ruqing walked beside the ancestor and spoke softly, “Ancestor, you’re not really going to take the remaining half of the jade essence, are you?”

The ancestor glanced at her and smiled gently, not at all surprised that this child had figured out her intentions.

From the ancestor’s look, Qin Ruqing immediately understood.

As expected.

When the ancestor said she would only refine half to see the effect, Qin Ruqing knew it was just an excuse to calm everyone down.

The jade essence, concentrated from spirit milk suitable even for nurturing period children.

So, if it was beneficial for the ancestor’s injuries, the entire amount would be useful.

There was no need to take only half.

When the ancestor made that statement, Qin Ruqing knew that the other half would never be taken.

However, Qin Ruqing understood the reasoning behind the ancestor’s decision.

The stalactite spirit cave was too important for the Qin family.

Setting aside the financial aspect, the spirit milk inside could enhance the potential of the future younger generation of the Qin family.

For this reason alone, the ancestor would not take all the jade essence and risk destroying the cave.

Moreover, the cave could accelerate cultivation speed.

Even though taking half of the jade essence would reduce the effect, it would still be beneficial for cultivators below the fifth level of Qi Refinement.

Thus, having cultivators below the fifth level train here would significantly bolster the Qin family’s middle-tier strength.

Who knows if some of these middle-tier cultivators might get lucky and reach the Foundation Establishment stage?

This would also enhance the upper-tier strength of the family.

Given these two points, it was evident that the other half of the jade essence was indispensable for the family’s long-term prosperity.

…it must be carefully preserved in the spirit cave.

With this understanding, Qin Ruqing made a firm resolution.

She stepped forward, took the ancestor’s hand, and whispered, “Ancestor, I will definitely find the healing herbs for you. I will find both the gentle extreme cold herb and the herb with both extreme heat and cold attributes. I will get them both for you!”

The ancestor smiled at Qin Ruqing, not dismissing her words as childish, and simply said, “Alright, the ancestor will be waiting.”

Back in the clan, her father and the others urgently convened a family meeting, giving Qin Ruqing the chance to return to her room and review her gains.

What gains? Naturally, the gains from her system.

Given the extraordinary significance of the stalactite spirit cave to the Qin family, the system was bound to reward her.

Sure enough, the family prosperity value’s green progress bar had significantly advanced.

She remembered that the last time she achieved a milestone, when she truly awakened her Dao Physique by drawing in spiritual energy, the system had only grudgingly added ten points.

Those ten points had barely moved the progress bar.

But now, the bar seemed to have surged forward, filling up the third segment.

Considering the total prosperity bar had only ten segments, this was a substantial leap.

Qin Ruqing’s heart raced, feeling as if her life force had grown stronger.

Besides the family prosperity value, there was finally progress in the long-stagnant Side Quest 3: 【Top-Tier Combat Power】.

Qin Ruqing was overwhelmed with emotion.

The ancestor’s injuries had left her at a loss, stalling the quest’s progress.

Today’s progress was likely related to the ancestor using half of the jade essence.

Qin Ruqing quickly opened the quest progress bar to see how much the jade essence could help heal the ancestor’s injuries.

When Qin Ruqing checked the progress, she frowned deeply.

She hadn’t expected the jade essence to heal half of the ancestor’s injuries, but she had hoped it would at least help with a third or a quarter of the healing.

It turned out, it didn’t even do that!

The progress bar showed that it had only improved by about one-fifth, and even that seemed a bit forced.

It seemed, as the ancestor had said, the jade essence didn’t fully address her injuries and could only provide some relief.

This might also be one of the reasons the ancestor didn’t want to take all of it—because even if she did, her injuries wouldn’t be completely healed.

Qin Ruqing sighed.

She would need to find another way.

The most promising method at the moment was through the system.

She calculated her rewards; they were substantial, and she had also saved up a good amount of points.

All these points gave her some confidence to exchange something useful from the system.

She just hoped the system’s shop had the healing herbs needed for the ancestor.

But there was still a crucial problem.

She didn’t know the exact names of the herbs needed!

The ancestor had only described them as gentle extreme cold substances and substances with both extreme heat and cold attributes.

With just these descriptions, the system wouldn’t be able to accurately find the items.

So, she needed to figure out the exact names of the two heavenly materials the ancestor needed.

It would also be helpful to understand the true nature of the ancestor’s peculiar injuries.

After all, she remembered she had a side quest called 【Unlock the Ancestor’s Heart Knot】 to complete.

Without understanding the past, she couldn’t determine if the ancestor had any unresolved issues, let alone resolve them.

Oh, and by the way, discovering the stalactite spirit cave was so important that the system had generously rewarded her with a chance to spin the prize wheel.

However, given that the last prize she drew was excellent and considering her usual bad luck, Qin Ruqing instinctively felt that the next draw would likely be junk.

So, she decided to save this chance and hopefully accumulate ten spins.

Whether she could resist the temptation to draw in between, she didn’t know, but maybe she could succeed.

By the way, is there a guaranteed prize for a ten-spin?