"Ah, Senior Brother Wei. What brings you here?"
Tan Qin recognized the person within the brilliant light and rose to greet him.
She no longer enjoyed the prestige she had when her family’s Ancestor was still alive, a time when everyone had to show her some respect.
Relying on Tan Changkong’s legacy, Tan Qin had struggled to become a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, succeeding only after using two Foundation Establishment Pills. She could now barely keep the Tan Family afloat.
However, none of the Tan Family’s descendants were exceptional. After they caused trouble time and again, even Tan Changkong’s own successor, Han Qing, was no longer willing to help them.
Tan Qin knew her aptitude was poor and felt she had wasted the vast Cultivation Resources Tan Changkong had left behind.
As a result, she had poured most of her energy into nurturing the next generation of the Tan Family. Worn down by the effort, she was a completely different person from her younger self, with none of her former spirited, youthful air.
Wei Chuming projected an aura of Evil Qi, a habit he’d picked up while infiltrating the Ghost Spirit Sect. Over there, if you weren’t vicious enough, you couldn’t intimidate others and would only end up being bullied.
"I’m looking for some people. Are the Bai siblings here?"
He replied curtly, his gaze shifting to the few Inner Sect Disciples outside the pavilion.
"Elder, my name is Bai Ziying, and this is my younger brother, Bai Ziyu... Is there a reason you’re looking for us?"
The sister who had just mocked Tan Qin stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and asked her question.
"Are you the disciples from the Ink Bamboo Bai Family?"
Wei Chuming pressed, and after receiving an affirmative answer, he ushered the two of them directly onto his Flying Spiritual Artifact.
"Junior Sister Tan, I’m taking these two disciples. This is a direct order from Ancestor Bai. I’ll bring them back later."
The color drained from Tan Qin’s face, leaving it ashen. The siblings were actually close relatives of Ancestor Bai.
No wonder they had been admitted directly into the Inner Sect. No wonder Sect Leader Gu Xisheng had secretly used his authority to grant them special admission.
Their personal files were completely blank; aside from a select few, no one knew their surname or origins.
Thinking back to the scene just moments ago, she realized the siblings might tell Bai Zichen what had happened. Tan Qin’s vision swam. ’The Tan Family’s hard times,’ she thought with despair, ’are only just beginning.’
...
"Junior Brother Bai, are you saying you want to start another Pioneer War?"
Wei Dao was a master of the tea ceremony. On the tea table sat two cups of fragrant tea, the leaves within unfurled and linked tail-to-tip. He gestured for Bai Zichen to drink.
"Senior Brother Wei, your skill with tea is truly masterful."
Bai Zichen raised his cup and downed it in one go. A wave of bitterness washed over him, followed by a sweet, lingering fragrance that filled his senses.
"I’ve looked at the numbers. The Sect has grown rapidly at the lower levels in recent years, and our current Spirit Lands can no longer support this growth. For instance, every True Disciple requires their own Tier Three Spirit Land, and we’re already struggling to accommodate them. As for new Elders, they have to wait at least twenty years to be assigned their own Tier Three Cave Mansion."
The Qingfeng Sect was already considered one of the most prosperous Core Formation Level Sects in terms of its number of Tier Three Spirit Lands.
But because they had long ago established the rule that every True Disciple and Foundation Establishment Elder would receive a Spirit Land, resources were now stretched thin, making allocations difficult.
If not for the acquisition of Feiyue Lake, an aquatic territory with a Tier Three Spirit Vein, conflicts over Spirit Lands would have erupted long ago.
"It can’t be helped. Fortunately, Feiyue Lake is now developed. Starting next year, it will be able to accommodate about one hundred Qi Refining Disciples annually."
As a former Sect Leader who had been unanimously praised by everyone in the Sect, how could Wei Dao not know that beneath the Sect’s flourishing appearance lay significant hidden problems?
But a Pioneer War was a serious undertaking. It not only required the mobilization of Core Formation True Men, but also the gathering of thousands, even tens of thousands, of Cultivators to form Battle Arrays.
All the Cultivation Families and Loose Cultivators in Black Mountain County would have to rally under the banner of the Pioneer War, contributing their people and their strength without fear of sacrifice.
Take the last Pioneer War targeting Feiyue Lake, for example. Despite ample preparation and thorough planning, success was only achieved at the cost of over a thousand Cultivator lives.
This was also why the Qingfeng Sect scheduled its Pioneer Wars a century apart.
That period was just enough time for the Loose Cultivators and Cultivation Families to recover their strength, allowing them to serve as the vanguard.
It also took about a century for the pressures of a growing disciple population and resource scarcity within the Sect to reach a critical point.
"Feiyue Lake is an aquatic territory, after all. All of the suitable Tier Three Spirit Lands there have already been developed. That’s fine for the ordinary disciples, but for the Foundation Establishment Elders and True Disciples, Feiyue Lake alone doesn’t solve the problem."
Bai Zichen had originally planned to visit Master Ge Cang upon returning to the sect, but since he found the master was still in seclusion, he had come to see Wei Dao instead.
"I’ve already selected two targets that I believe we can take without too great a cost to the Sect. I’d welcome your corrections, Senior Brother Wei."
"The first target is Cyan Bull Valley. We only need to slightly modify the old plans to proceed. Besides, the Sect’s strength is on a completely different level now. Dealing with a Tier Three Single-Horned Kui Ox will be a simple matter."
Wei Dao nodded in approval. "That’s reasonable. It’s a Tier Three Low-Grade Demon Beast. The two of us could take it down ourselves without having to trouble Brother Ge."
Bai Zichen paused. When he’d said the Single-Horned Kui Ox would be easy to handle, he had meant for himself alone. He hadn’t expected Wei Dao to interpret it as a joint effort.
There was another, more personal reason for choosing Cyan Bull Valley.
Back when he was still an Inner Sect Disciple, he had followed Lu Songx and others into an abandoned mine, where they had found a set of remains.
They were the remains of Meng Zhaode, a disciple of the Celestial Principle Sect. From them, Bai Zichen had obtained a Sword Dao inheritance from the Taibai Sword Sect and had promised the skeleton that once he was strong enough, he would go to Cyan Bull Valley and slay the Single-Horned Kui Ox to avenge him.
Making Cyan Bull Valley the target of the reclamation would be mutually beneficial.
The downside was that Cyan Bull Valley itself only had Tier Three Low-Grade Spiritual Veins. Its only valuable resource was Tier Two Sulfur Smoke Crystal; otherwise, the valley was completely barren.
Even with a Gathering Spirit Array, the core of the valley could only be elevated to Tier Three Mid Grade, or perhaps Tier Three Top Grade.
It wouldn’t be a significant improvement over a place like White Jade Tower.
Furthermore, Sulfur Smoke Crystal wasn’t particularly valuable, so establishing a Cave Mansion in the valley would guarantee limited future income in Spirit Stones.
"My second target is Celestial Thunder Cliff..."
Celestial Thunder Cliff was the closest target to the Qingfeng Sect’s main mountain, so there would be almost no logistical pressure to consider.
When fighting Flying Demon Beasts, Cultivators below the Foundation Establishment realm were of no use.
This was unlike assaults on other Demon Beast lairs, where Qi Refining Disciples could form Battle Arrays. Using Array Banners and Array Plates, they could unleash Tier Two power, effectively acting as proxy Foundation Establishment Cultivators—possessing the strength, but not the Realm.
On all of Celestial Thunder Cliff, there were fifty-odd Golden-Winged Thunder Rocs at most, with no other large, subservient Demon Beast groups.
This meant that as long as someone could deal with the Golden-Winged Thunder Roc Demon King, conquering Celestial Thunder Cliff would actually be much simpler than taking other lands with Tier Three Spirit Veins.
There would be no need for a massive, fanfare-filled mobilization.
They wouldn’t even need to issue a Pioneer Decree; the Foundation Establishment Cultivators of the Qingfeng Sect alone would be enough to handle it.
"Celestial Thunder Cliff is a thorn in our side. It’s simply too close to our Mountain Gate and must be dealt with sooner or later."
Wei Dao’s expression turned grave, but he didn’t state his position directly.
Celestial Thunder Cliff was just over four thousand li from the Mountain Gate. The Sect’s observation records on it could fill scrolls, and it had long been considered a thorn in their side.
The only reason they hadn’t acted was their apprehension toward the Golden-Winged Thunder Roc Demon King.
If an attempt to eliminate the Demon King failed and instead provoked its wrath, it would become a nightmare for every Qingfeng Sect Cultivator below the Core Formation realm.
In terms of raw combat strength, the Tier Three Top-Grade Golden-Winged Thunder Roc Demon King was likely inferior to the Flood Dragon from Feiyue Lake.
But when it came to Tunneling Speed, besides the Tier Four Cyan Simurgh, there was likely nothing in the entire Black Mountain Range that could surpass it.
Master Ge Cang, who was at the Mid-Stage Core Formation cultivation realm, had fought the Golden-Winged Thunder Roc Demon King once before.
He had held a slight advantage in that fight, but when the Golden-Winged Thunder Roc Demon King decided to flee, he was powerless to stop it.
After that encounter, however, the Tier Two Golden-Winged Thunder Rocs reined in their activities and were rarely seen near the Qingfeng Sect’s Mountain Gate again.
"With Brother Ge’s Divine Techniques, if he makes a move while you and I run interference, Senior Brother Wei, our chances of taking down the Tier Three Demon King are very high. The remaining Tier Two Golden-Winged Thunder Rocs can be left to the other Elders. It won’t be a major issue if a few escape."
In his heart, Bai Zichen still leaned toward Celestial Thunder Cliff. Though the area was small, it possessed a Tier Three Top-Grade Spiritual Land.
Furthermore, the clifftop featured a Celestial Thunder Wall. Due to the unique geography, it was perpetually bombarded by Celestial Thunder, which had caused the rock face to crystallize.
A Cultivator had once found a fragment that had cracked off and fallen from the cliff. It contained an extremely pure and Fierce Thunder Force, yet it was sealed within the ordinary rock by a miraculous act of nature.
Because this rock vessel was extremely fragile, it couldn’t be used as a Spiritual Material for refining Magical Treasures.
However, it was perfectly suited for refining one-time-use Secret Treasures like Thunderbolt Seeds, which could perfectly unleash the power of the Thunder Crystal Fragments.
A Thunderbolt Seed refined from a Thunder Crystal Fragment would carry a trace of Thunderbolt Celestial Might and be immensely powerful.
A Late-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator without a powerful Protective Treasure could be killed by a single Thunderbolt Seed.
"Very well. I’ll discuss this with Brother Ge after he comes out of seclusion..."
Wei Dao nodded. The will of a Core Formation True Man dictated the direction of the Sect’s development.
Moreover, this was the first major proposal Bai Zichen had made since reaching Core Formation, and Wei Dao was naturally unwilling to dismiss it.
"According to sect regulations, Core Formation Cultivators don’t receive a regular stipend of Sect Contribution. Instead, you are awarded ten thousand Contribution Points each time you act on the Sect’s behalf. Furthermore, all archives in the Transmission Hall are now open to you, including the secret records in the underground vault, which only we three and the successive Hall Masters of the Transmission Hall are permitted to view."
Wei Dao was well aware that this Junior Brother Bai’s rise had been sudden. He wasn’t like Master Ge Cang, who had been groomed from childhood as the hope of the Qingfeng Sect, free from all mundane duties. Nor was he like Wei Dao himself, who had served a long tenure as Sect Leader.
Because his cultivation speed had been so fast, Bai Zichen had become a Core Formation True Man without ever having served as a Hall Master.
Thus, he was surely unfamiliar with the powers and responsibilities that came with being a Core Formation True Man.
"I will take you to the Secret Hall shortly. You may select any three items from within as a congratulatory gift from the Sect for achieving Core Formation."
"That would be wonderful. Thank you for your trouble, Senior Brother Wei."
Bai Zichen had long heard of the renowned Secret Hall.
The Qingfeng Sect’s truly precious Treasures were all stored in the Secret Hall, unavailable for just anyone to exchange for.
It also housed the collections of the Sect’s past Core Formation Cultivators who, having no heirs, had donated all their worldly Treasures to the Sect.
A large portion of the Secret Hall’s contents consisted of these inherited treasures from previous generations.
Back when he served as the Supervisor Elder, one of the major perks had been the right to enter the Secret Hall and choose one Treasure after completing a full 60-Year Cycle of service.
Who could have predicted that he would achieve his Golden Core long before his term was up, never even getting the chance to use that benefit.
The two of them rose. One transformed into moonlight, the other merged into a gentle breeze. In the blink of an eye, they crossed several mountain peaks and landed before an unremarkable, dust-covered storehouse.