'Third, why didn't Zhong Ningyao enter the grotto-heaven to cultivate? Is there so kind of problem with the grotto-heaven itself?'
Senior Martial Sister Ningyao was the daughter of Hongi and An Ning. Judging from her na, it was clear that their relationship as Dao companions had genuinely existed.
Yet over the years, Yulou had watched Zhong Ningyao cultivate step by step with his own eyes. She had now reached the peak of the eighth layer of Qi Induction and was slowly grinding her way forward, waiting to break through her bottleneck.
If the grotto-heaven existed, why hadn't Zhong Ningyao gone inside to cultivate?
Was it out of fear that cultivating too quickly inside the grotto-heaven would draw unwanted attention?
Or did it an the grotto-heaven itself had an inherent flaw?
Both explanations were possible. After all, An Ning had failed to truly establish her Purple Palace, so it was only natural for her minor grotto-heaven to have issues.
Furthermore, as Hongi's daughter, Zhong Ningyao was ultimately just his daughter, not Hongi himself.
To Hongi, by keeping the existence of the grotto-heaven a complete secret from everyone, that blessed land would belong entirely to him in the future.
Lest anyone forget, Hongi had once intended to sell his own daughter to gain more leverage!
'Fourth, the news of the grotto-heaven didn't surface early or late, but precisely when the Sky Serpent Sect and the Red Lantern Illumination Sect are locked in a tense standoff. Moreover, Hongi used to be a disciple of the Sky Serpent Sect...
Clan Head, the rogue cultivator's conspiracy failed, but this grotto-heaven is sothing our Wang Clan cannot refuse. Please consider this carefully.'
Yulou's question carried deep implications, but Wang Xianmao understood it completely.
The Wang Clan indeed could not refuse the temptation of a grotto-heaven. In fact, no Foundation Establishnt Immortal Clan in the world could resist such a lure.
Even if it were a poison pill, they would still want a small taste. However, the opportunities of the current era facing the Wang Clan were incredibly unique—so unique that Wang Xianmao wanted to pack Yulou off to Dripdrop Cave imdiately.
Yet if the grotto-heaven truly existed, Yulou could reach the Qi Refining Realm in two years at most, saving a massive amount of ti. His future path toward reaching Foundation Establishnt or even the Purple Palace Realm would be much smoother and more composed.
An Ning's grotto-heaven was like a sudden carrot dangled in front of the Wang Clan and Yulou alike. How could that not be suspicious?
Lest anyone forget, Hongi was a forr disciple of the Sky Serpent Sect!
'Fifth, even if none of these problems exist—if An Ning has truly passed away, if Golden Light Pavilion was just an accident, if Hongi truly doesn't care about his daughter Zhong Ningyao, and if the issues with the grotto-heaven aren't that severe—allowing our Wang Clan to take over smoothly...
Even if all these premises are t, how we handle the grotto-heaven remains a dilemma.
It is safe to say that every single step will be troubleso.'
Wang Yulou sighed softly.
Exploring secret realms was one of the primary ways to obtain opportunities in the cultivation world.
But if Yulou were asked to explore one, he would only shake his head. He would avoid it as much as humanly possible.
Aside from opportunities, secret realms contained all kinds of unknown perils. The types of danger were unknown, the scale of danger was unknown, and the forms the danger might take were unknown.
'Sixth, now that we know where the grotto-heaven is, soone has to go inside and look around. Are there dangerous entities within, such as An Ning's disciples or her spiritual beasts?'
How to conduct the exploration was a major problem, was it not?
If they sent Wang Xianmao to investigate and the Clan Head couldn't get back out, what then?
Sending in clan disciples whose lifespans were nearing their end sounded perfectly logical on paper.
But everyone belonged to the sa clan. How could one broach the subject of asking kin to risk their lives, and how could they clean up the ss if things went wrong?
If they sent in a couple of intelligent spiritual beasts to scout, what if the beasts were tricked and brought back false information, leading the clan astray?
Even if they chose the most reliable person possible, it was still an endeavor that required an imnse expenditure of resources!
Troubleso, right?
But there was worse to co!
'Seventh, once we possess the grotto-heaven, the family can arrange for younger generations to cultivate inside.
But with so many disciples in the clan, how do we allocate the slots? Who gets to go in, and who gets left out?
A Qi Induction cultivator lives for only 120 years, while a Qi Refining cultivator can enjoy a lifespan of 180 years. The difference is night and day!'
Yulou held back a little with this question as well, but he was certain Wang Xianmao would definitely catch the underlying aning.
Naly: resource allocation!
The clan's current model of resource allocation had been tested by ti. It was stable and sufficiently competitive, helping the Wang Clan maintain its edge.
However, if the number of Qi Refining cultivators exploded alongside a massive surge in Foundation Establishnt experts, it would spell huge trouble. The fragile economic balance that Yulou had just corrected for the Wang Clan would be shattered once more!
Yet Yulou could not state this too bluntly, as it would make him seem overly heartless. He could only drop hints around the edges, hoping the Clan Head could devise a suitable plan.
'Eighth, the Wang Clan currently has no Purple Palace supre experts, nor have we ever had one in our history.
The laws of heaven and earth dictate that if too many Wang Clan disciples use the grotto-heaven to accelerate their cultivation, the outside world will notice sooner or later!
When that ti cos, an innocent man may be condemned for the treasure he possesses!'
Once Yulou finished speaking, Wang Xianmao nodded slightly and spoke.
"Go back and focus on your cultivation for now. I need to thoroughly consider how to deal with this wretched creature."
Hongi whimpered a few more tis from his position on the floor. Yulou interjected.
"Clan Head, he is my master after all. Now that he has provided this information, he has also perford a great service for the Wang Clan..."
A smile touched Wang Xianmao's face, but he cut off Yulou's performance with a stern tone.
"Go on, get back to your cultivation. I have my own arrangents for these matters."
Wang Yulou let out a long sigh, finding himself with no choice but to rise and take his leave helplessly.
Staring at Hongi on the floor, the Clan Head's eyes grew deep as countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
Yulou had raised eight distinct questions, yet he had bypassed many other sensitive issues. He truly was an extraordinary Qilin child of the Wang Clan, knowing exactly what could be acted upon but never spoken aloud.
Still, how exactly should they handle the matter of An Ning's grotto-heaven?
In truth, Wang Xianmao had not reached a decision either.
With his mind weighed down by these matters, Yulou naturally found himself unable to cultivate. He left the Fortune Source Residence and returned to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.
"Yulou, we extended invitations to those winning talisman masters to purchase their talismans for sale here at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, and most of them agreed.
But just as you predicted, these talisman masters usually have backing factions behind them. The talisman quotas they can provide to our pavilion are quite limited."
The Talisman Master Competition had already concluded, but the harvest for the Hundred Treasures Pavilion was just beginning. Collaborating with the winners was only one aspect of it.
Furthermore, the Hundred Treasures Pavilion would continue to host the talisman competition in the future, turning it into a long-lasting event.
This would subtly boost the pavilion's reputation over ti. Of course, future iterations of the competition would not be as overly generous as the inaugural one.
"If the quotas are low, we will sell them through mystery boxes. Let's push the sales of the mystery boxes even higher."
Yulou forced a smile and replied.
This was similar to a special crossover edition. The mystery boxes themselves already offered a large-scale profit concession with a two percent discount, all to gain an advantage in sales volu and turnover rate.
Even for the exact sa type of talisman, different talisman masters would produce varying degrees of efficacy when drawing them.
Now that the talismans from the winning masters were being added to the mix, the mystery box sales would undoubtedly beco even more popular.
As Yulou was conversing with Bailu, a familiar voice drifted over.
"Wang Yulou, you really are here."
The newcor was Zhou Yingxi. It appeared she had recovered quickly from her prior fright.
"Miss Zhou?"
Yulou paused for a mont before hurriedly speaking.
"Ah, quick, Bailu. Draw one thousand spirit stones from the account and hand them over to Daoist friend Yingxi."
Zhou Yingxi had originally co to check on how Wang Yulou was doing after facing such danger. Yet this boy was now acting as if there was nothing but a transactional relationship between them, which left her feeling rather disappointed.
Nonetheless, she wasn't about to refuse the spirit stones she was owed.
"By the way, Daoist friend Yingxi, there is one more thing. I will likely be leaving Clear Stream Market soon."
Wang Yulou spoke without even raising his head as he weighed the spirit stones.
Whether he would head to Dripdrop Cave, return to the clan first, or go to An Ning's grotto-heaven to cultivate were all possibilities, but Wang Yulou was definitely leaving Clear Stream Market.
"Where are you going?"
Above her veil, her exposed peach-blossom eyes narrowed slightly as Zhou Yingxi asked softly.
"It depends on the clan's arrangents. Here, one thousand spirit stones. Do you want to count them?"
Zhou Yingxi shook her head and swept the spirit stones into her storage bag.
She knew that although this wretched Wang Yulou haggled fiercely during negotiations, he would never shortchange anyone on what was due.
The people of the Wang Clan of Anbei Kingdom might be sly, but they were relatively principled and adhered to their code of conduct.
"Wang Yulou, will we ever et again?"
Wang Yulou looked up in surprise, only to find that Zhou Yingxi's eyes were filled with absolute seriousness.
He did not understand the inner world of a noble daughter from the Zhou Clan, nor did he have any intention of trying to understand it. Yulou only found it to be a hassle.
In a world where one could cultivate toward immortality, Wang Yulou had very little desire to indulge in romantic relationships. If a political marriage could bring benefits to his clan, he could even accept marrying a girl he had never laid eyes on.
Moreover, the current Zhou Yingxi was simply too well-protected, possessing a kind of innocent beauty that Wang Yulou could not bring himself to appreciate.
"We probably will. We are both part of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect, after all," Yulou replied calmly.
The Red Lantern Illumination Sect was not just a sect but a massive faction. As long as they advanced far enough on the path of cultivation, they were bound to cross paths again eventually.
User Comments
0 comments from readers