Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 471 Subsequent Developments
————Xuanwei City
The construction of the Duke of Qin's mansion was actually an expansion of the Yunjiao Prefecture court, so it didn't take long for it to become quite presentable.

Setting up the framework is only the first step; there are still many things to do.

Just like the discussion about whether the Qin State Duke's Mansion should continue to expand and renovate the current Sword Nurturing Hall, or have flying beasts find a dilapidated ancestral home of a royal family in Taiyuan and carry it over directly;
Just like the Sword Debate Tournament held in Xuanwei City, the selection of talented individuals, when to hold the event, what the rules are, and what rewards to set;

For example, recruiting high-level talents in various arts such as alchemy, weaponry, talismans, and arrays for the Duke of Qin's mansion;
As before, the edict of the Duke was to be sent to all sides to garrison those who were not in favor.
In no time, the high-ranking officials in the Duke of Qin's mansion began to work hard again. Even Fei Nanying, a newly promoted Golden Core cultivator, could hardly cultivate properly and still had to find time to do things for Kuang Liuting.

After all, since the Fei family has already succeeded halfway through their gamble with Fei Yesui, they are even less likely to give up halfway. The position next to Kuang Liuting is very valuable now. If the Fei family makes a little room for others, there will be plenty of people who want to join in the fun.

However, this position is not yet available for Sect Leader Kang to squeeze out. No matter how much the Fei family and Kuang Liuting favor him, he is still only a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Even if he is so outstanding, it will be difficult for him to stand out from the crowd of Golden Core cultivators who will emerge in the future.

After witnessing the ceremony, Kang Dabao bid farewell to the group of high-ranking cultivators in the Duke of Qin's mansion. He and Fei Shuhe visited Kang Changyi, who was cultivating at the Qi residence. Seeing that Kang Changyi's cultivation had made considerable progress, they returned to their sect.

However, to be honest, Master Kang's trip was not in vain.

Besides having the unprecedented opportunity to see the real face and shadow of the current emperor, Kang Dabao's wife, Fei Shuhe, also received the title of Eighth-Rank Lady. Meanwhile, Kang Changxi, who was not yet of marriageable age, was given the post of Assistant Advisor of the Duke of Qin's Mansion by Kuang Liuting.

Kang Dabao thought that the former was fine, at most he could only get some supplies for free and at most add some expenses to the already overflowing glory of this noble lady.

However, Kang Changxi's position as a clerk was different. Among the officials under the Duke's mansion, this was a low-ranking but powerful post, much more valuable than the military advisor position in the Sima Mansion that Kang Changyi had previously obtained.

It's strange that they're so easily putting this on a mere child's head.

Fortunately, neither Duke Kuang Liuting of Qin nor Kang Dabao intended for Kang Changxi to actually work in the government. According to Kuang Liuting, it was just a matter of having Kang Changxi hold a nominal position and receive a stipend.

Kang Dabao had to persuade him at length before he finally managed to suppress Kang Changxi's eagerness to try.

This also made Master Kang realize that his eldest son seemed to have some extraordinary ambitions and a tendency to show off, and that he would need to teach him a lesson in the future.

After all, being too sharp and conspicuous is not a good thing. Only by learning the ultimate secret of "quietly blending into the crowd" can one better protect oneself.

Overall, it was a good thing for Kang Dabao that his wife and children could receive some titles and honors, as it was a way to bestow titles and honors upon his wife and children.

After all, the Qin State Duke's Mansion now has the full support of a Nascent Soul Grandmaster like Wu Laoshan, and has also received personal instructions from Emperor Wei to allocate various expenses. Its financial resources are quite substantial, so there is no need to worry about not being able to distribute the annual stipend.

However, to Kang Da's slight surprise, on the return journey, the usually reserved Fei Shuhe couldn't hide her joy even in front of her own son, clutching the imperial edict tightly for a long time, which was quite unusual.

"Ha, Madam has lost her composure today." Kang Dabao found it quite amusing, but Fei Shuhe didn't care at all when she heard the teasing. She just rushed over and took the former's strong arm, and said softly, "After we go back this time, I will also ask Granny Sun to write to the family and tell them about my recent situation over the years."

"Ha, Madam, that's a bit too common!"

"Hmph, I want you to take care of it!"

—March later, Chongming Market

Jin Shilun looked around at the bustling scene before him and couldn't help but feel a sense of感慨 (gan3kai3, a complex emotion encompassing both emotion and feeling).

He still vividly remembered how his master had built this place from scratch. Now, Chongming Market in Yunjiao Prefecture had become the most prosperous cultivation market besides Xuanwei City, where the prefecture was located, and Hancheng, which had been under the control of the Yue family for many years.

Those coming and going here are no longer just ordinary Qi Refining cultivators; even Foundation Establishment cultivators are not uncommon. According to some busybodies, they have even seen a rogue Pill Master in this market, but they don't know if it's true.

However, it is true that since a few years ago, City Commandant Deng Baichuan has been unable to control this bustling market.

After Yue Feng, who was assisting him, studied the Linshan matter on his own, he and a group of Yue family members went to the Haibei Qunjing Prefecture and never returned.

Therefore, the person currently serving as Deng Baichuan's fake deputy is a true cultivator from the Yunwei Zheng family. Although he is over two hundred years old, he is a late-stage cultivator with considerable experience. With the arrival of elite troops from the Sima Mansion, they are barely able to maintain this prosperity.

Jin Shilun was merely moved by the scene before him; after all, the Chongming Market was no longer solely owned by the Chongming Sect.

Therefore, Jin Shilun did not linger for long before greeting several familiar patrolmen and hurrying to Chongming Building. Upon entering, he saw that Zhou Xinran, the Chongming Sect's disciple in charge of managing goods, was still at the counter.

The eldest sister among the second-generation disciples of Chongming Sect is now over fifty years old and has long lost the lively appearance that Jin Shilun had when he first met her as a teenager.

However, Zhou Xinran's every move now exudes the nobility of a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator's wife, which is quite different from the somewhat unruly farm girl she used to be, but she also has a unique charm.

"Is Junior Brother Jin back?" Zhou Xinran's face showed a hint of friendliness as she pulled the familiar guests who were talking to Jin Shilun to his side and introduced them: "This is Fellow Daoist You Xiaobao, who was brought here by Junior Brother Yuan. He is currently cultivating at Fenglin Mountain in the Cold Crow Mountains."

“You Xiaobao, Fellow Daoist You?!” Jin Shilun smiled and joked, “Fellow Daoist’s name does sound very familiar. I almost thought you were related to my master.”

Yu Xiaobao, a mere Qi Refining family head, dared not joke with Jin Shilun, a direct descendant of a major sect, in such a way. His face was almost covered in sweat from fright, and he immediately said in a panic, "No, no!"

Only Jin Shilun, the sect leader's disciple, would dare to make such a joke, and even Zhou Xinran didn't dare to respond. After glaring at Jin Shilun, Zhou Xinran comforted You Xiaobao, saying, "It was just my junior brother joking. I hope Fellow Daoist You won't take it to heart."

After drinking the spiritual tea in front of him, You Xiaobao felt much better. He then picked up all the items he had chosen and put them into his storage bag. After bowing to the two of them to say goodbye, he left Chongming Building.

Jin Shilun's face showed some doubt: "There is clearly a Jia Chou military camp in the Cold Crow Mountains that can be operated, so why did Fellow Daoist You come to Chongming Market? But judging from the appearance, these people are living quite well. A mid-stage cultivator can actually afford a spiritual item worth nearly a hundred spirit stones."

Zhou Xinran explained with a smile, "The old man was just saying that the supply of goods in Jia Chou military camp was insufficient, so he sent a letter to Junior Brother Ming. It's not surprising that he came out."

Jin Shilun naturally knew that the "old man" Zhou Xinran was referring to was his fourth uncle, Zhou Yixiu. After the Cold Crow Mountain Range stabilized, this old man often stayed in Wild Fox Mountain to tend to the nearly two hundred acres of second-grade low-level spirit fields.

It was only a few days ago, when Third Uncle Jiang Qing returned from Yingzhou, that the old man went back to Xiaohuan Mountain. As for other times, he rarely left the spiritual plants in the spiritual fields.

"Is business so booming in Jia Chou Military Camp?!" Jin Shilun asked curiously, but Zhou Xinran replied, "You're not the only one thinking about going to the sword-fighting tournament in Xuanwei City."

"Any of the more than four hundred families in Cold Crow Mountain who are interested?!" Jin Shilun was somewhat surprised by Zhou Xinran's words. Apart from a few Foundation Establishment forces, it was already rare for the other small families in Cold Crow Mountain to have even one Qi Refining late-stage cultivator. They actually wanted to go to Xuanwei City to compete in swordsmanship?

Zhou Xinran said irritably, "Where did you come from? You don't even know this kind of news? Senior Uncle Ye proposed to follow the example of the Duke of Qin's mansion and hold a sword competition, so that we can select some talents under the jurisdiction of Chongming Sect."

Jin Shilun suddenly realized what was going on. While picking out various spiritual materials from his storage bag, he smiled at Zhou Xinran and said, "Junior brother spent three whole months in Cold Crow Mountain to complete the task of collecting the heart blood of six first-grade top-quality ape-type demon beasts that Second Master Uncle wanted to collect. He came to Xiaolou before even returning to the sect. How could he possibly have Xiaolou?"

"It seems Master has been sent on this mission three times in the past year or two. Is his lifeblood so fragile?" Zhou Xinran's cultivation aptitude was not high; he was merely an ordinary person with four spiritual roots. However, he disliked ascetic cultivation and could not bear the loneliness of a quiet room with a dim lamp. He had almost no chance of establishing his foundation, so he simply withdrew early and focused on managing the Chongming Sect's business.

Therefore, unlike his two junior brothers, Ye Pingshui and He Yuanyi, Zhou Xinran, although named a disciple of Yuan Jin, knew very little about Yuan Jin's cultivation. After a slight surprise, he stopped caring and turned his attention to the spiritual materials that Jin Shilun had placed on the table.

Jin Shilun had searched for a long time to collect enough of the six kinds of first-grade top-quality ape-type demonic blood, and he still needed to deliver them to the sect's merit hall, so he would not sell them at Chongming Pavilion.

However, several rare first-grade mid-to-high quality spiritual herbs and more than ten first-grade mid-to-high quality demon beast remains were quite valuable. Zhou Xinran used his spiritual appraisal ability to examine them one by one and quoted a very fair price to Jin Shilun.

The latter didn't bother to calculate, but simply said, "I'd be grateful if Senior Sister could convert these spirit stones into merit points."

"Junior Brother, didn't you already collect enough merit points? Besides, didn't the Sect Leader allow you to borrow less from Uncle Ye?"

Upon hearing Zhou Xinran's question, Jin Shilun did not hide anything and said with a faint smile, "It might be a bit of a stretch to earn just one Foundation Establishment resource. Junior Brother still wants to earn more. It would be even better if you could accumulate enough merit points for one Foundation Establishment Pill."

Zhou Xinran, moved by his ambition, laughed and said, "Haha, don't worry too much. If you're short of anything, just tell us fellow disciples. Anle did a good job raising the golden-haired donkey, which has now become a second-tier spirit beast. He was rewarded by our sect leader and received a merit, which is quite generous." "Haha, don't worry, senior sister. If we have trouble gathering more later, I certainly won't be polite to second senior brother." After saying this, Jin Shilun sighed. Who could have imagined that the castrated donkey that used to drag the entire Chongming Sect along would actually become a second-tier demon beast?

After calculating on his fingers again, Jin Shilun realized he didn't know how much merit he needed to obtain the Foundation Establishment Pill, and he was still far from having enough for the second set of Foundation Establishment resources. So he asked Zhou Xinran, "Senior Sister, can our sect's disciples participate in the Sword Debate Tournament at Cold Crow Mountain?!"

"I'm afraid that won't work. This time, our sect leader has even brought out Foundation Establishment resources as prizes for the top three winners."

Zhou Xinran's words had a deeper meaning, and Jin Shilun, who had been her fellow disciple for many years, could understand it. After thinking about it for a moment, he realized why his master was being so generous, given his personality.

"I'm afraid they're about to make some big moves again," Jin Shilun thought to himself. Before he could speak, Zhou Xinran chimed in:
"My father sent a letter ten days ago, saying that according to the sect leader's wishes, not only will the entry standards for the Ascension Conference be relaxed today, but there may also be another sect competition next year. The sect leader instructed Uncle Ye to select many precious items from the treasury as prizes, and I heard that the first prize is even a Foundation Establishment Pill."

"real?!"

“My father’s words are trustworthy,” Zhou Xinran said with a smile, seeing Jin Shilun’s excitement. “As the sect leader’s disciple, how could this news be kept from you? It’s just that you’re all alone, wandering far from home, so it’s difficult for you to get the news. If you’re really worried, why not just ask the sect leader directly?”

Jin Shilun has always been considered one of the most intelligent disciples of Master Kang.

Upon hearing the news, he was naturally excited; but after the excitement subsided, Jin Shilun began to ponder: "Relaxing the standards for new disciples, holding a sect competition, and vigorously cultivating fellow disciples, it seems this matter is definitely not small."

Jin Shilun originally intended to spend some time cultivating after completing his duties within the sect, so he could spend some time with Mo'er.

Since their marriage, the couple has spent little time together, and now they only have one child, Jin Tanglu, so they naturally need to make it up to his wife.

However, after hearing the important matter mentioned by Zhou Xinran, Jin Shilun immediately changed his mind. After spending only three to five days in blissful intimacy with Mo'er, he immediately rushed to Xiaohuan Mountain. At the same time, he also made up his mind not to leave the mountain for a while.

————Xiao Huanshan
"Is the preparation for the sword duel complete?!"

The sect leader asked Ye Zhengwen, who was in charge of the matter. After thinking it over for a while, Ye Zhengwen said with certainty, "At the latest, it should be possible to make the trip before July, one month later."

Kang Dabao pondered for a moment, then said with satisfaction, "Hmm, that's good then."

Ye Zhengwen then said, "There are many participants this time. Once the news comes out, some families may be interested in Foundation Establishment spiritual objects, while others may be concerned about the reputation of their sects. There may be hundreds of people involved. Will it be difficult to organize this event?"

“The quotas were already set according to each organization’s strength, and the prizes for the top three to the top twenty have been announced. How can we change them now? Besides, even the weakest small organizations have to be given a quota. How many can we cut?”

Master Kang's words made sense, and after pondering them for a while, Ye Zhengwen didn't elaborate further.

After all, given his talent, he wouldn't need the former to speak to know.

Given the thrifty and hardworking nature of this Sect Leader Kang, the fact that he was able to offer three Foundation Establishment spiritual items and a variety of spiritual artifacts as rewards for this sword competition was clearly an attempt to win people's hearts.

Even though the Chongming Sect had grown to over a thousand disciples, Kang Dabao still couldn't bear to lose any of his own men. As for the upcoming campaign to "pacify Santing Prefecture," it was unclear what Wu Laoshan and the Qin State Duke's Mansion were thinking.

If Master Yueyin were to disregard the dignity of a Nascent Soul cultivator and personally participate in the battle, it would be a thunderous strike. The cultivators of Liangshan North Road would not be able to withstand it for long. At that time, Chongming Sect would only need to bring along the various families of Chongming Alliance to fill the ranks, and they would be able to return with a full harvest without wasting any effort.

However, if Master Yueyin doesn't make a move, then things will become somewhat...
Even if Emperor Chongming doesn't get to "pacify Santing Prefecture" this time, there will still be endless tough battles to fight before the Shanbei Road is pacified. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the strength of each family as soon as possible so as to make recruitment efforts.

"The matter of swordsmanship must be taken seriously, and the matter of recruiting independent cultivators into the sect can also be put on the agenda. As before, we should not accept those who are brave and aggressive, but rather honest and dutiful people who have mastered one of the hundred arts and are under the age of forty."

Even if there aren't many cultivators who have mastered even one of the hundred arts at the entry level, that's fine. But those who are fond of fighting and brawling are absolutely unacceptable; they would clash with the sect's spirit and do more harm than good.

Ye Zhengwen listened and agreed seriously. Indeed, after the sect gradually got on the right track, Sect Leader Kang attached great importance to the enlightenment of his disciples in various arts.

However, cultivating disciples is not something that can be accomplished overnight. At present, the only people that Chongming Sect can offer besides Zhou Yixiu and Kang Rongquan, who are both second-tier low-grade cultivators, are Duan Anle, a second-tier low-grade beast master; Yuan Jin, a first-tier top-grade weapon master; Wei Gu, a first-tier top-grade array master; He Yuanyi, a first-tier top-grade weapon master; and He Wanying, a first-tier high-grade talisman master.

Among them, Yuan Jin has been focusing on cultivation and military training in recent years. It seems that because he already has a disciple with extremely high talent, He Yuanyi, to take his place, he has not forged any magical artifacts for many years.

After all, Yuan Jin followed the arrangement of Master Kang to become a disciple of Master Qi to cultivate the art of weapon forging. One reason was that he did have some talent in this art, and the other was that he wanted to earn more resources to help his senior brother.

If he were to follow his own heart, he would have little interest in weapon crafting. Now that he has cultivated a reliable person to take over, it would be better to simply entrust the task to him. He himself would focus on studying military formations, hoping to remove the word "prototype" from the Qingjue Guard as soon as possible.
As for Wei Gu, his aptitude for array formations is quite good, and he has a sincere passion for it. In addition, after Zhang Qingran realized the reality of the situation, she also devoted herself to teaching him.

However, the former is quite old. When he was young, he was a rogue cultivator and did not receive proper training. During his haphazard cultivation, many errors were not corrected, which has now become deeply entrenched and is somewhat detrimental to his foundation building.

Therefore, even if Wei Gu has been going out to seek opportunities to establish a foundation and accumulate good deeds in recent years, just like Jin Shilun, whether he can establish a foundation in the future is still uncertain.

Duan Anle's talent is slightly inferior to Wei Gu's, and his achievements at this age are due to his inner talent, good comprehension, and diligent study. Because of this, he is favored by many elders and can become a true leader among the younger disciples.

As for He Yuanyi, it goes without saying that, in the eyes of Sect Leader Kang, although he is a Qi Refining cultivator and comes from a minor branch of the He family, his future is much better than that of He Yuanhe, who has just become the Peak Master of Feixue Peak in the Shishan Sect.

With his three spiritual roots, his cultivation is not slow. Now, at just over forty years old, he has already become a Qi Refining Ninth Level cultivator. If he can reach Foundation Establishment, with his outstanding talent in weapon crafting, he will not lack resources in the future, and his future will be very bright.
There's not much to say about He Wanying in the end. After her nemesis Feng Wan died, she seemed like a completely different person.

Not only has he never shown his former unruly nature again, but he has also become much more serious about cultivation. He has even mastered the art of talisman making taught by the former sect leader He.

However, she is not very talented in this field and will likely not be able to advance to the second-tier talisman master in the future. She can only teach the younger generation in the Hundred Arts Pavilion in the hope that some talents will emerge as soon as possible.

Besides these, although there are many other disciples studying alchemy, artifact crafting, and talisman arrays, few truly excel. Meanwhile, those specializing in geomancy, puppetry, and insect divination...

Therefore, for the sake of the sect's development and strength, Headmaster Kang, who has always disliked people with skills coming to his master, finally made an unprecedented decision to finalize this matter.

The first batch of recruits will be in the Baiyi Building of Xiaohuan Mountain. Among them are servants and servants that Fei Shuhe brought back from the Fei family, as well as many independent cultivators who have been recruited from various places and make a living by their own skills.

Chongmingzong could barely claim to know the background of these people, and by absorbing them, he could reduce many risks.

The second batch consisted of family cultivators who grew up in Ping and Jin counties and Hanya Mountain.

It's rare for an ordinary family to produce even one entry-level weapon maker or alchemist. Over the years, the family has spent countless resources to support such a person. It's only right and proper for the family not to let go of such a talent.

Therefore, these people also need to be carefully identified, and we must not let those with ulterior motives take advantage of us. This requires some discernment.

Kang Dabao knew about Ye Zhengwen's situation, so he was quite at ease with the latter's actions.

Now that Ye Zhengwen is in charge of internal affairs, and Yuan Jin and Jiang Qing are in charge of military campaigns, his job as sect leader is much easier.

He has almost single-handedly rebuilt Chongming Sect, which has also reduced many of the messy and unpleasant things that are common in sects.

Now that the brothers are in harmony, the disciples are of one mind, and everyone in the sect is of one mind, no matter how big or small the matter is, Master Kang need not worry too much.

As for those worrying matters, they are all outside our control, and none of them are within our control.

While the phrase "going with the flow" may sound unpleasant, it is precisely what Chongming Sect needs to do now. Otherwise, under the increasingly terrifying situation in Shannan Province, being crushed to dust would be nothing more than a matter of moments.

What the Chongming Sect, led by Grand Master Kang, needs to do now is to make itself heavier and more substantial, so that the surging waters can gradually be stopped.

(End of this chapter)