Half a month later.
"Lu Changsheng, you've done well, not only have you married three women from our Lu Family, but within half a month, you've also gotten Lan Shu pregnant!"
"Our Lu Family always clearly delineates rewards and punishments; naturally, we won't shortchange you. Here are your rewards!"
"A Lower Grade Flying Sword!"
"A Qingzhu Vestment Robe!"
"A bottle of Yellow Dragon Elixir!"
"One hundred catties of Spirit Rice!"
Within a grand hall of Qingzhu Villa, Lu Yuanding said to Lu Changsheng.
It had already been half a month since Lu Changsheng's wedding day.
Knowing his own cultivation had limited effects, Lu Changsheng didn't cultivate much in the past half month, focusing all his energy on creating offspring.
His efforts were not in vain.
Among his three wives, Lu Lanshu was found to be pregnant.
Upon hearing this news, Lu Changsheng was extremely happy and excited inside.
Whether in his past life or this one, this was the first time he was going to be a father.
Even if the birth of this child was mixed with many utilitarian motives, the joy was heartfelt.
The moment he knew he was to be a father, he had already thought of the child's name.
If it was a boy, he would be called Ping'an; if a girl, she would be called Xile.
He wished for his child to live in peace and joy.
When the Patriarch of the Lu Family, Lu Yuanding, heard this news, he went personally to Qingzhu Villa to commend Lu Changsheng,
and bestowed upon him generous rewards.
A Lower Grade Magical Instrument was worth fifty Spirit Stones.
A Vestment Robe was worth thirty Spirit Stones.
One hundred catties of Spirit Rice were worth ten Spirit Stones.
A bottle of Yellow Dragon Elixir was worth ten Spirit Stones.
That is to say, the rewards given to Lu Changsheng were equivalent to one hundred Spirit Stones' worth of resources.
Other Immortal Seedlings, upon hearing these rewards, turned red with envy.
They looked at Lu Changsheng with eyes full of envy, jealousy, and resentment.
To know, for their cultivation in the Lu Family, the family provided only two Spirit Stones and ten catties of Spirit Rice per month.
Now, the rewards given to Lu Changsheng were almost the equivalent of three years' worth of their resources.
Just for being the first to produce a child, he received three years' resources.
This made their back teeth nearly shatter with frustration.
"Many thanks to the Family Head!"
Lu Changsheng, too, wore a face full of joy as he respectfully expressed his thanks.
He hadn't expected that being the first to produce a child would come with such rewards.
However, he understood that this was Lu Yuanding's way of stimulating others, spurring them to quickly produce offspring as well.
"Hehe, you've earned this; our Lu Family never mistreats anyone."
"For all who beget children, the Family Head has rewards as well."
"And if anyone is the first to produce a child with a Spiritual Root, the Family Head will give even greater rewards!"
Lu Yuanding surveyed the crowd as he spoke.
At these words, everyone felt somewhat pressured, thinking about hastening home to create offspring.
Even Li Feiyu was somewhat tempted.
However.
Subsequently, when others bore children, the reward was only a bottle of Yellow Dragon Elixir and ten catties of Spirit Rice,
which couldn't compare to Lu Changsheng's initial reward at all.
Another month passed, and Lu Changsheng's wife, Lu Qing'er, also became pregnant.
For the second pregnancy, the family did not give any additional rewards.
If rewards were given for each child produced, the Lu Family would have been emptied out long ago.
Then more than half a month later, Lu Changsheng's third wife, Lu Zi'er, was also found to be pregnant.
In a little over two months since entering the Lu Family, Lu Changsheng had managed to get all three wives pregnant, leaving the other Immortal Seedlings speechless, wondering if this man didn't need to cultivate at all? Was he that desperate?
This was not just due to Lu Changsheng's own tireless efforts but also because he had been calculating their ovulation periods, and with the help of the pregnancy tonic provided by the Lu Family, he maximized the chances of conception.
Overall, Lu Changsheng could say with a clear conscience that he had put in his best effort.
After all three women became pregnant, Lu Changsheng also began to cultivate with a quieted heart.
Because all three wives were pregnant, Uncle Fu sent two maids to serve and take care of the daily life of Lu Changsheng's family.
These two maids had fair skin and beautiful figures; it was obvious that they were not sent just to serve daily needs.
Evidently, seeing his aptitude for reproducing, the Lu Family had sent them to encourage more 'breeding' from him.
For these two maids, Lu Changsheng had no immediate plans.
He wanted to have many children, but these things should not be rushed; slow and steady was the proper course.
Constant toil really was harmful to the body.
Before starting his cultivation, doing it many times just made him feel a bit drained.
But after beginning cultivation, Lu Changsheng was able to perceive clearly that his vital essence was depleting, affecting not only his physical state but also his cultivation speed, requiring time to recover.
This was also why other Immortal Seedlings were unwilling to recklessly have children.
It really would lead to their own ruin.
...
In the blink of an eye, more than half a year had passed.
"I've finally made a breakthrough to the first level of Qi Refinement!"
Inside the practice room, wearing a Qing Zhu vestment robe and sitting cross-legged, Lu Changsheng opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of foul air, his face full of joy.
It had been almost ten months since he came to the Lu Family.
He had finally completed the process of drawing Qi into his body and had broken through to the first level of Qi Refinement.
He had officially become a cultivator!
This speed was naturally not fast.
But it wasn't very slow either.
After all, when he first arrived at the Lu Family, he had spent a considerable amount of time having children.
There are nine levels in the Qi Refinement Realm, and the first three levels aren't difficult; as long as one persists in cultivation, success will come naturally.
Lu Changsheng was able to achieve this speed of breakthrough thanks largely to that bottle of Yellow Dragon Elixir, which saved him several months of hard cultivation.
Otherwise, Lu Changsheng estimated he would need another two or three months to break through to the first level of Qi Refinement.
This also made him realize the importance of financial resources in cultivation.
During this period of more than half a year, apart from cultivating, he also tended to other matters.
He took the two maids sent by Uncle Fu as concubines, and they successfully conceived.
In response to this, Uncle Fu sent over two more maids with decent appearances.
And to reward him, he increased his monthly allowance to three Spirit Stones and twenty jin of Spirit Rice.
"Lan Shu must be about to give birth too."
Lu Changsheng stood up and adjusted his Qing Zhu robe slightly.
Although this robe wasn't a magic artifact, it was still quite extraordinary.
Once worn, it could automatically adjust in size, always fit perfectly, and had the effects of resisting extreme temperatures and repelling dust.
After coming out of retreat, Lu Changsheng spent time with his wives and concubines for a while, then went to visit Li Feiyu's home to catch up on old times.
Among all the Immortal Seedlings who came to the Lu Family, he was only on friendly terms with Li Feiyu.
Not only because the two met at the beginning.
But also because Li Feiyu had saved his life on the way to Qingzhu Mountain previously.
Through such prolonged contact, Lu Changsheng had learned that although Li Feiyu was reticent, he could be considered a cold-faced but warm-hearted person, worthy of deep friendship.
...
Another half month later.
"Don't be nervous, sister-in-law's life here at Qingzhu Villa is nurtured by Spiritual Energy, her physique is robust, giving birth to a child will not be dangerous."
"Moreover, there's a cultivator to assist the childbirth, so rest assured."
Outside the room, as Lu Changsheng listened to Lu Lanshu's wailing inside, his fists clenched and unclenched repeatedly, Li Feiyu offered comforting words beside him.
"I'm not nervous, I'm just excited, happy,"
Lu Changsheng took a deep breath in and out, as he spoke.
But his eyes and thoughts were unsettled, clearly revealing his stubborn front.
"Have you thought of a name for the child?"
Li Feiyu asked.
Although the child would be raised in the Lu Family after birth, as the father, he still had the right to name the child.
As for the surname, Lu Changsheng shared the same surname as the Lu Family, so there was no need to worry about the surname issue anymore.
"I've thought about it; if it's a boy, he'll be named Ping'an, and if it's a girl, Xile,"
Lu Changsheng replied offhandedly, his thoughts still unsettled.
Soon after, a clear and loud cry of a baby emerged from the room, startling Lu Changsheng.
And just at that moment, a system notification sound abruptly resounded in Lu Changsheng's mind.
[Congratulations to the host on the birth of your first offspring, you've earned one lottery draw chance!]
"Huh? A lottery?"
Lu Changsheng, hearing this system notification, was momentarily stunned.
He quickly realized that this was the offspring achievement reward from the system.
He did not have access to view this achievement; he could only explore it himself.
Without looking at the system lottery, Lu Changsheng watched the delivery room with concern.
After a short while, the door opened.
A woman, carrying a bundled-up, rosy, and wrinkled infant, stepped out of the room.
"Congratulations, sir, it's a young master!"
Lu Changsheng reached out to hold the baby, looking at his wrinkled, ruddy face and big bright eyes, his face revealing a smile that came from the depths of his heart.
"From today onwards, your name will be Lu Ping'an."
"My son!"