The news of Mo Jian returning from the Southern Region had spread throughout the Dust Valley Sect.
Previously, his sudden disappearance shocked the Western Region. It was later that everyone found he had gone to the Southern Region to expand his chamber.
Those from the powerful clans did not believe Mo Jian would succeed, expecting him to return in sha.
But they were wrong. Not only did he not return in sha, but it seems he had succeeded.
Inside the Bai clan, the Bai clan master was seated with a deep frown on his face.
"How is this possible?" he muttered.
They had tried to expand their rchant caravan to the Southern Region but they failed.
Most of their people were killed and only a handful of them returned.
Yet, a boy who was still wet behind his ears went and succeeded where they failed.
"Clan master, what should we do?" an elder asked in a low voice.
Since their failure in the Southern Region, their clan had been in a financial crisis.
At first, they thought they could handle the crisis, but they were wrong.
With the ergence of Spirit Link, many things that were not accessible for the common people were now accessible.
Their profit over farm produce and silk had reduced greatly.
They would go bankrupt if this continued. If this continued.
Thus, they need an urgent solution imdiately.
Raising his head, the clan master looked at the elders with an ugly expression.
With the news of the success of the Thousand Wealth Chamber, he knew the elders were going to hold him responsible for their failure.
Even though he knew this, there was nothing he could do. It was his decision to venture to the Southern Region, overestimating their capability.
"Did you find out anything about the Thousand Wealth Chamber?" he asked.
"Clan master, you should know how secure and tight-lipped those working in the chamber are. We didn’t find anything," a female elder responded.
This was the truth. Unlike any chamber that was loose and secrets could be leaked,
The Thousand Wealth Chamber was different. They had an iron grip over their workers.
No one knew how they did it, but it was done. Forget about bribing them—even if you kidnap them, they would rather die than divulge the news.
But who in their right senses would kidnap a mber of the Thousand Wealth Chamber?
The clan master sighed heavily. That was the last straw that broke the cal’s back.
Now, he did not know what to do.
Watching his expression, the elders exchanged subtle glances and knew what was going on.
On a good day, if this were to happen, many elders would have taken the chance to fight for the clan master seat.
But now, no one wanted to sit on the hot seat. The clan was running on a lifesaver. Who knew when it would sink?
Thus, they could only look at the clan master and hold him responsible.
Suddenly, an elder broke the silence.
"Why don’t we go and et the Young Master? Perhaps we might be lucky and receive so work from him."
"Do you think he would allow us to co near him?" another elder scoffed. "Have you forgotten our previous mistake?"
"So what? We’ve already paid for it. So why should we let that hold us back? Without him, we can forget about revitalizing the clan," the elder fired back.
Silence!
All the elders held their breath. A thick, deafening silence perated the grand hall.
This was a cold, bitter truth.
The clan master was quiet for a mont and gritted his teeth.
"The elder is right. We should try our luck one last ti." His gaze moved from one elder to another.
"We’re going to et the Young Master," he announced firmly, his voice leaving no room for argunt.
While the Bai clan was deciding to visit Mo Jian, the Xu clan was preparing to visit Mo Jian.
Unlike the Bai clan, they were in alliance with Mo Jian. Therefore, his return was nothing but joy.
"What are you doing?" the Xu matriarch shouted. "Where is the ginseng?"
Standing in front of the grand hall, the matriarch was burning with fury.
Since the news of Mo Jian’s arrival, they had been scrambling to find a worthy gift for him.
Mo Jian was their lifesaver.
From the alliance, they had benefitted beyond their imagination.
The Spirit Tea from the Thousand Wealth Chamber had lessened the matriarch’s injuries.
Thus, they could not show any sign of ungratefulness.
Standing beside her, the few elders held their breath, scared to make a noise.
Just when the matriarch was going to explode from anger, an old woman ca rushing out.
Her face was covered in sweat, panting heavily.
"M-Madam, I got it," she announced, showing the exquisite jade box.
Without speaking, the matriarch took the jade box and checked the content.
Looking at the five-hundred-year-old ginseng, a light smile crept up her face.
"Good. Good. Let’s go. We’re already late."
...
...
Inside the Dust Valley Sect main hall, all the elders were seated with a bright smile on their faces.
Their gaze locked on the young man who was seated on the right side of the sect master.
"Young Master, you surprised this old man," Supre Elder Zhao said with a bright smile.
Now that he had beco a Golden Core expert, he looked much more amiable.
Seated beside him was Supre Elder Sun, who was also smiling. His previous calm and indifferent attitude had disappeared.
"Young Master, can you tell us about the Southern Region?" a female elder asked curiously.
She was Duang Jie.
"I bet many disciples were dying to hear news about the Southern Region," she added.
Mo Jian smiled. "There is nothing to tell about the Southern Region. Apart from that, they were richer and more developed than the old Western Region. Nothing else."
Hmm?
Many elders were stunned. They did not expect Mo Jian to talk about the Southern Region so casually.
They heard rumors about the Southern Region—how dangerous and ruthless the region was.
Also, the spiritual energy was a lot thicker than the Western Region.
Thus, they could not understand why Mo Jian would speak of it so casually.
"Hahaha. Y-Young Master must be pulling our legs," Elder Duang Jie forced out a laugh.
The elders nodded, but anyone closer to Mo Jian knew he was telling the truth.
He was too lazy to joke about sothing that was aningless.
Looking at his quiet son, the sect master sighed inwardly. He knew his son’s horizon had broadened beyond what most of the elders could ever imagine.
What they held dear was nothing before him.
He wanted to speak but decided against it. Speaking for him would seem he was not allowing him to speak.
"Young Master, how is their talent?" another elder asked.
"Slightly better than us," Mo Jian responded.
Ah!
The elders were stunned once again. They looked at each other, unsure of what to make of Mo Jian’s response.
While they were wondering what was going on, Mo Jian added,
"Only those in the capital are much stronger than us. Their inheritance is deeper and comprehensive."
"Half-step Golden Core is not a rare thing there. For the younger generation, our disciples are ants before them."
"As for the strongest force, there are three sects. Each of them has Golden Core experts, but I don’t know how many." He completed his narration and sipped his spirit tea.
When the elders heard this, their eyes widened in disbelief.
The hall was quiet for a mont as they processed the information.
"Y-Young Master, you’ve been to the capital?" another elder asked with a trembling voice.
Mo Jian shook his head. "I’ve not been to the capital alone but to every city in the Southern Region."
Boom!
The sect master and the elders were stupefied. They looked at Mo Jian as if they were looking at a monster.
Even the sect master that had ventured out of the Western Region could not claim he had been to every city in the Southern Region.
Looking at the stunned expressions, Mo Jian shrugged and continued.
"I’m a businessman. This shouldn’t have co as a surprise."
Shouldn’t co as a surprise!
The elders did not know how to react. Many had not even been to the closest city at their border, while he had been to every one.
Yet, he was acting as if it was nothing.
This was the dream of many of them.
Unbothered by their reaction, Mo Jian wore a serious expression.
"One of the main reasons I returned was because I want sothing to discuss with the sect."
When the sect master and the supre elder heard this, they wore a solemn expression.
Unlike the ordinary elders, they understood a lot of things.
"To protect our region, we must set a military pass at our border. Although we’re getting stronger, we can’t compete with those that have centuries of legacy."
"With the rapid increase in my chamber’s influence, it is only a matter of ti before many people will try to find my origin."
"And let say this: those that will co are far from good."
He paused and allowed them to understand the gravity of the situation.
"To protect our land and family, we must secure our border with our greatest force."
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