Shangyuque

Is Chapter 223 true? Of course it's true!
The life of a cultivator is simple because the path to immortality is too long, and almost everyone will die on the way – those one in a billion are not of any sample value.

Among millions of cultivators, not even one might reach the Purple Mansion stage; among hundreds of millions of cultivators, not even one might reach the Golden Core stage.

Ninety-nine million nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine people died, and then a lucky one squeezed through those welded doors and rushed to the Golden Core Realm, only to face the old men who had been waiting there for a long time.

Shenguang was forced to his head, humiliated, used as a punching bag, and suppressed, but many people don't even have the right to be a punching bag for the raging elephant.

This is not a horror story; this is the rule of the cultivation world: those who achieve immortality will never allow anyone to compete with them for potential.

Resources are merely the surface; the control over possibilities is the essence. The top powers control all scarce resources, which can fully guarantee and limit the development of lower-level cultivators, thereby further protecting the interests of Immortal Venerables and Purple Mansions from being easily shaken by newcomers.

This process has sealed off any avenues for those who come after, creating the unique era of stability we live in today.

As Dripping Water once said, those below the Golden Core stage are lifeless, while those above it are full of vitality. Everyone has their own path and development, and they are all very confident.

But Mangxiang also said that the world revolves around those dozens of top-tier Golden Core Immortal Venerables, and all developments and changes are determined by those dozens of top-tier Golden Core Immortal Venerables.

There are too many dimensions to the truth, and even more dimensions to the lie. This is the reality of the spiritual practice environment and its rules.

Therefore, the life of a cultivator is also complicated. Wang Yulou had many guesses and thoughts about Wang Xianmao's death, but in the end he just cried his heart out and left Shaluyuan without looking back.

Putting aside those doubts and regrets, he will eventually look forward and move forward.

What's past cannot be undone, but the future can still be shaped.

The past cannot be undone, but there is still a chance to grasp the future. Wang Yulou needs to take action.

It was time to leave. Wang Jingyi's judgment was correct. Wang Xianmao struggled with this his whole life, only to admit in the end that he had chosen the wrong path—original aspirations are worthless. Under the logic of interests and the rules of survival in reality, an individual's original aspirations are worthless.

Of course, it still plays a significant role in shaping consensus and ideological programs. For a system to function, a sufficient number of people must be willing to bear the costs in order for the system to develop in the long term.

Therefore, Wang Yulou will let go of the shackles that his original aspirations have placed on him, but he will not give up the instrumental nature of those original aspirations themselves.

As the leader of the Immortal Alliance, he must find a new original intention and future for the reform. This is a political and ideological game within the top cultivation forces, and it is also undoubtedly a matter of cultivation.

An objective fact is that Wang Yulou, who was able to earn the opportunity to reach the Purple Mansion for Wang Xianmao, was on the fastest path of cultivation. Mang Xiang's words may be true or false, but the logic that order is determined by the strongest is not wrong.

Most cultivators spend their entire lives blindly wandering at the bottom, never understanding the rules of cultivation in this world. Wang Yulou, however, saw through everything early on and walked the right path—although at a great cost.

By traversing the lies and illusions shaped by narratives, and embarking on the true path of cultivation, Wang Yulou's Daoist heart was tempered time and again along the way.

Wang Xianmao's final choice was a trial; he might have been tired, afraid, or failed. But Wang Yulou dared not be tired, was not afraid, and was even less willing to fail.

If he is to continue down this path, the reforms of the Immortal Alliance must be successfully implemented.

As things had progressed to this point, Mangxiang had gone from waiting to take office to being reluctant to do so. Wang Yulou didn't understand the reason behind this, and he didn't know that Bifang had been pressuring Mangxiang. He simply assumed that the old man Mangxiang was unwilling to take any risks.

The pressure from the Water Venerable was still too great, so much so that even the raging elephant wanted to strike back at Wang Yulou and avoid his sharp edge, but Wang Yulou was not afraid.

At worst, we can just shout out our loyalty to the Water Lord; we still have to keep going.

However, how to shape the original aspirations and ideological guidelines of the Immortal Alliance in the new era is a major issue.

"Changming, Alliance Leader, you've worked so hard day and night for the sake of all cultivators. You finally managed to return to Wangjia Mountain, but there are still all sorts of troubles coming from the Immortal City."

"Look, this is another decree from a senior, and I'm not sure how to handle it. Why don't you report it to Fairy Mingdu for me?"

Inside the magical palace, Guo Chengtai found Li Changming with a bitter expression.

As everyone knows, Wang Yulou is surrounded by treacherous officials, the most notorious of whom is Li Changming, Qin Churan's subordinate, who, like his benefactor, is ridiculously weak.

But despite being so weak, Li Changming was still entrusted with important responsibilities by Wang Yulou and kept by his side for a long time, somewhat like a eunuch holding the imperial pen—of course, Li Changming was not a eunuch.

Those who are ignorant in the public cannot understand Wang Yulou's thinking, and there are even rumors that Wang Yulou is a protégé himself, so he likes to use protégés who are even more incompetent than himself, so that he can control them better.

It can only be said that they underestimated Wang Yulou.

Li Changming doesn't have any great strengths, but he hasn't made any major mistakes either. The key point is that he's easy to control.

Just as great cultivators like to use Foundation Establishment cultivators as the core members of various forces, Wang Yulou lets seemingly incompetent people work around him so that they won't cause trouble.

The peripheral Yu Xiaojiang players can be selected from outstanding talents, such as Chen Yangshi and An Hening, but the core Yu Xiaojiang players cannot be so rebellious.

Considering that Wang Yulou has not yet opened his Purple Mansion, it is not surprising that he used Li Changming, whose cultivation level is lower than his own.

"Oh, Senior Guo, you've worked hard. Which immortal deity issued this decree?"

Li Changming still held Lao Guo in high esteem.

As the vice leader of the alliance, Wang Yulou's power extends in three directions. One is to mobilize the resources of the Immortal Alliance through its system, which is the most costly but most effective and thus has the greatest relative power.

Secondly, by bringing along the hundreds of people who were about to take office, they could mobilize resources nominally belonging to the 'Jade Palace'. This was done by giving face to Wang Yulou personally, with low costs and uncertain results. If used well, it could accomplish a lot.

Thirdly, he could leverage his personal connections, calling upon peers or drawing upon resources from other sources. This is the significance of Yu Hongdou, Xizhu, and Yan Kang to Wang Yulou. The cost and the results are uncertain, and it would be extremely challenging to execute such a plan.

Guo Degang was nominally part of the "Jade Palace" system, serving as a steward under its banner.

The Jade Palace here is no longer the Jade Palace that once stood beside the capital of the Southern Ye Kingdom. It is now a fictional representation. As long as Wang Yulou is here, this Jade Palace exists, belonging to Wang Yulou's private team.

Before the reform, Wang Yulou had noticed some of his out-of-control behavior, so he sent Li Haikuo to supervise the construction. Wang Yulou then sincerely appointed Li Haikuo as the master of the Jade Palace.

As a steward of the Jade Palace, Lao Guo was a capable general under Wang Yulou, and he could do whatever he wanted in the Immortal City. No matter how favored Li Changming was, he was well aware that his irreplaceable value was far less than that of Lao Guo.

Those who couldn't figure things out had long been removed from Wang Yulou's team.

Guo Chengtai handed the golden token to Li Changming and mysteriously explained.

"The one behind the Divine Might Venerable of the State of Shi, the one behind the True Man Red Bean."

Based on Lao Guo's understanding and perception of his own boss, it's possible that Hongdou Zhenren will need to groom herself and get into Wang Yuque's bed.
Unfortunately, Wang Yulou did exhibit a habitual pattern of using marriage alliances as a means to an end, a fact well-known to those in the know.

Especially after Wang Yulou married Jin Mingdu in Xihai, Wang Yulou's attitude of not rejecting marriage alliances was clearly conveyed.

Therefore, it's no wonder others misunderstand; Xiao Wang is indeed unscrupulous.

Of course, this also reveals a certain helplessness belonging to Wang Yulou. His rise to power was too fast. In order to make up for the lack of foundation, he needed to constantly bring in partners to increase his 'pride rate'.

After all, he had already become Mang Xiang's disciple, and one can only acknowledge one master.

Aside from becoming a disciple, the only other options are sworn brotherhood, alliance, and marriage. However, the game Wang Yulou is involved in is of extremely high value—literally high value. It's impossible for a Golden Core Immortal Venerable who wants to participate in the game to become sworn brother with a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"Very well, I will present it to the garrison commander as soon as he comes out."

Wang Yulou's subordinates naturally knew what he liked to do. Touching the golden token in his hand, Li Changming's mind was filled with endless fantasies.

That's a female immortal with the cultivation level of Purple Mansion.
They are all cultivators, but the difference in their fates far exceeds the difference between humans and beasts; even "as different as heaven and earth" is insufficient to describe it.
-
Yingxi arrived on the third day, just in time for Wang Xianmao's failed breakthrough, and Wang Yulou personally presided over the funeral for the ancestor.

On the Silly Donkey Plain, the Wang clan members stood in the middle, with Wang Yulou at the very front, flanked by Wang Rongjiang and Jin Mingdu.

Both sides were also densely packed with Immortal Alliance cultivators who followed the Alliance Leader on his inspection tour of Wunan Prefecture. There were even quite a few underhanded battles over who would get a better spot at the front.

Noticing Zhou Yingxi's arrival, Jin Mingdu looked at her beautiful robes that seemed out of place in this setting and immediately invited her in a deep voice.

"Sister Yingxi, come over here."

Zhou Yingxi's face was rather dark, it was hard to tell whether she was grieving for Wang Xianmao's death or annoyed by Jin Mingdu's invitation after his scrutiny.

She raised her hand and gently touched her body, and her bright robes quickly turned completely white. She stood silently between Wang Rongjiang and Wang Yulou, and even smoothly grabbed Wang Yulou's other arm.

A hint of regret flashed in Kim Myung-do's eyes, but he ultimately said nothing.

You're lucky!

The ceremony proceeded at a leisurely pace, and Wang Rongjiang spoke at the final step.

"Yu Lou, you take the lead in watering the plants."

Wang Xianmao is dead. As the founder of the Wang clan, his funeral should be strictly controlled in accordance with clan rules.

From the perspective of cultivators, there are too many things in the feudal family rules of the mortal world that are not in the interests of cultivators.

Therefore, in the Wang clan, only the death of a Foundation Establishment cultivator can result in a funeral of some scale, but there is no part of the ceremony involving weeping at the grave. This is to prevent the cultivators in the clan from wasting time on sentimental remembrance and to allow them to look forward more effectively.

However, because the deceased was Wang Xianmao, the ancestor of Wang Yulou, the old clan chief's funeral was ultimately a grand affair.

For example, at this moment, although it was just a customary ritual to water the foundation stones of the clan members who had "abandoned themselves to become trees" after their passing, Wang Yulou couldn't help but tear up again.

However, in some people's eyes, the fact that the leader's eyes were red was like a signal.

The first one to cry was Li Changming, who wailed as if he had lost his own parents.

Guo Chengtai shuddered and quickly squeezed out his own tears.

Just like clapping, if everyone else is clapping and you're not, you might not need to come next time.

The Alliance Leader's beloved ancestor has passed away. If someone suddenly starts crying, would the others dare not follow suit?

Thus, as Wang Yulou arrived at the Six Immortal Alliance in Wunan Prefecture, he suddenly became the filial son and virtuous grandson of Ancestor Xianmao at the funeral.

Weeping at graves is not a shameful thing; they know what they are pursuing, so each one of them cries with utmost sincerity.

Wang Yulou remained silent, and immediately controlled his emotions.

Hearing those hypocritical yet sincere cries, he only felt desolate.

Hypocritical, undeniably hypocritical.

Sincerity, and unwavering loyalty to the path.

In such a world, cultivators like Ancestor Xianmao, who cannot be truly selfish, may indeed not live a very happy life.

Wang Yulou preferred to believe that the ancestor simply wanted to rest, rather than for any other reason.

Mang Xiang is not an idiot; he wouldn't resort to such underhanded tactics for an illegal position in the Purple Mansion.

Let alone Wang Xianmao, even if ten illegal Purple Mansions appeared in the various families under Mang Xiang's command, as long as the tribute remained unchanged, Mang Xiang probably wouldn't have any objections.

After all, sometimes, an illegal Purple Mansion can become a reserve of resources.

With Mangxiang's strength, he can withdraw money whenever he needs to.

"The ceremony is over~"

Wang Rongjiang shouted nervously.

Wang Yulou has become the vice leader of the Immortal Alliance, but Wang Rongjiang's mindset is far from changing.

The fact that the pride of the six states was following along to mourn at the grave was too extravagant a treatment, and Uncle Rongjiang was a little scared.

Wang Yulou waved his hand, dismissing those bastards who were wailing and crying at the grave, and then looked at his Daoist partner.

"Alright, Yingxi, you've come at the right time. Come with me to the West Sea."

He is the vice leader of the Immortal Alliance, but he does not have his own base of support.

It didn't exist before, it doesn't exist now, but it may exist in the future.

With Wang Yulou having defeated Mang Xiang in a convoluted manner, he was now able to restart his Western Sea Plan.

The Western Sea is the border of the Immortal Alliance, the territory where Shenguang once rose to power. Wang Yulou's father-in-law was a disciple of Shenguang and was appointed as the prime minister of the Immortal Kingdom by the Immortal King Bifang.

If you want to establish a base of influence within the Immortal Alliance, the West Sea is the best choice.

This is also why Wang Yulou sent that scoundrel Chen Yangshi there—to introduce the power of the Water God.

As Wang Yulou gradually ascended to that high platform, his vision and chess skills also increased.

With this single move, Chen Yangshi was able to take the lead in comprehensively advancing the reforms in a place like the West Sea, where there was ample room for maneuver, setting an example for other forces within the Immortal Alliance to shirk their responsibilities at the implementation level.

This would also allow the potential influence of Shui Zun to be brought in, along with the potential influence of Bi Fang and Shen Guang, to help Wang Yulou's Western Sea Plan develop more smoothly.

Yes, Shenguang, Shuizun, and Bifang may not have a good relationship, nor with Wang Yulou, but if Wang Yulou wants to cause trouble in the West Sea, they might support him.

From Shenguang's perspective, he doesn't have many cards left. If he doesn't want to become a worthless mouthpiece with no base of support, he must handle his relationship with Wang Yulou carefully.

From Shui Zun's perspective, making drastic changes to bet on the next era might be a lie—it's just wild talk from Mang Xiang—but disrupting the existing power structure is definitely one of his goals.

This can be seen from its proactive intervention in the reform of the Mangxiang regime.

From Bifang's perspective, Mu Chunze has already become the prime minister of the immortal kingdom, right?

In short, Wang Yulou's decision to have Chen Yangshi carry out reforms in the Western Sea is just as difficult to assess as Shui Zun's attempt to seize control of Mang Xiang's reforms at the Qunxiantai.

There is no such thing as an ideal ending, nor is there a definite goal. What exists is only the repeated clashes in a dynamic game, which gradually grind out a result.

This is the norm for high-level cultivators in their strategic battles; the key to victory lies in the fleeting moments of clashes and separations.

Those who can't keep up with the pace might end up on the table.

“West Sea? Husband, you’ve been away for a long time. Why don’t I go to the West Sea for you? You can keep Yingxi company.”

Jin Mingdu's eyes flashed as he looked at Wang Yulou and offered a good suggestion.

Wang Yulou certainly believed that she could represent him in overseeing the comprehensive reform work in Xihai, but...
If Daolu is Wang Yulou's tentacle for expanding his control and influence, then a major problem he faces now is that Jin Mingdu's tentacle has grown too thick.

Moreover, Kingsoft is not an easy company to deal with. They dare to make empty promises, like "I will grant you the Golden Elixir"—isn't that just a pure titanium alloy iron cake? Who can eat that?

so.
"My wife, please go to Lotus Immortal City for me, and then go to Fulong Temple to see Guan Ning. I haven't met that child yet."

Upon hearing Wang Yulou's arrangement, Jin Mingdu didn't dare to say a word and simply bowed his head in agreement.

Only those who are clear-headed can stand firm; Wang Yulou has no shortage of people around him!

Looking at the well-behaved Xiao Jin, Zhou Yingxi felt a sense of comfort from the inside out.

So your name is Kim Myung-do, right?

Are you going to fight?

Keep arguing?

Why did we stop arguing?

Is it because you don't want to fight?
However, before leaving the Wang family, Wang Yulou learned something he hadn't expected from Wang Rongjiang.

Looking at the special spiritual seed radiating spiritual energy in Wang Rongjiang's hand, Wang Yulou asked hesitantly.

"You mean, the clan chief left me a letter?"

The clan chief said a lot in his final moments, and there was more, and more, and more.
Wang Xianmao had so much to say.

However, there wasn't enough time.

The clan chief ultimately left things unsaid, which naturally left Wang Yulou with regret.

How could I not feel regret?

"Yes, the old patriarch knows you are very busy in the Immortal Alliance and may not have time to come back for a long time."

He then crafted this magical artifact himself using woodworking techniques, and as a token of his faith, he handed it to me.

It means that if he's no longer with you when you return, this is his will.

After receiving this special will, Wang Yulou hesitated to open it for a moment, his fingers rubbing the outer shell of the spirit seed.

Even though Wang Xianmao transformed into a large tree, he did not forget his profound wood magic. He used wood magic to refine this special spiritual seed, which is also a spiritual artifact. Its sole purpose is to preserve the words he wanted to say to Wang Yulou.

With his eyes closed and his consciousness sinking into it, Wang Yulou saw the clan leader's final instructions.

'Yu Lou, you are a genius with innate wisdom.'

I can see that, and so can they.

Be careful, you can't trust anyone.

After the chaos in Qingxifang and the acquisition of Anning Cave, I wanted to send you to Dishui Cave so that we would no longer be involved.

But after more than a thousand years, our Wang family has finally produced a genius, and I still have high hopes for him.

We hope you can go further and bring something back to the Wang family.

Fellow Daoist, you have not disappointed me. Apart from being soft-hearted, you have done everything perfectly.

Sometimes I think you might be Wang Yulou, just a bit smarter, and I've misunderstood you.

But sometimes, I worry that you might bring trouble to the Wang family.

Please excuse my poor attempt to survive in this cultivation world; a small clan needs to be extremely cautious.

Fellow Daoist, you were able to become the Vice Alliance Leader of the Immortal Alliance. I don't know if someone was pushing you behind the scenes, but you can actually put the Wang family aside now.

The entanglement between you and the Wang family was actually settled after the incident at Anning Cave.

Over the years, every time you called me "Grandpa," I wondered how much of it was true and how much was false.
At first, I thought it was fake, but later I believed it was real.

Interests, emotions, resentment, desires, and expectations—expectations that border on greed.
Fellow Daoist, I, Wang Xianmao, am of dull wit and cannot discern the truth. If you are Wang Yulou, then you owe the Wang family nothing.

Let's go further, to the center of the stage in Six States.

Don't let family ties and emotions trap you.

The original intention was false. The family's training of you was to make you grateful to the family, not to help you go higher and further.

The rules and regulations imposed on lower-level cultivators in the cultivation world are also fake. The pursuits that lower-level cultivators find comfort in are as fragile as paper in the face of true power.

Don't be fooled. Only strength and cultivation are real. You must rise to the top, and do whatever it takes to do so.

You have to be ruthless, ruthless enough to give up everything, in order to keep your own destiny, the destiny that you can control.

Be ruthless, Yulou. As long as you still have something to care about, you will always have a weakness.

Be ruthless, be even more ruthless.

If you are not Wang Yulou, then please leave. The Wang family can offer you nothing more.

The cultivation world is vast. It is both Wang's good fortune and Wang's misfortune that you chose us.

We earnestly hope that, fellow Daoist, in consideration of Xianmao's respect and courtesy over the years, you will spare the royal family of Anbei.

Respectfully submitted by Wang Xianmao

Respectfully submitted by Wang Xianmao
After glancing at the end one last time, Wang Yulou controlled the spiritual fire and steadily burned the special letter to ashes.

Then, he looked at Wang Rongjiang and spoke calmly.

"Our ancestor is dead. We must continue on our path. The expansion of the Wang clan cannot stop. We must encourage more children to be born."

Especially for those with four or five spiritual roots, the incentives for them are linked to the number of children they have.
-
Guo Chengtai arrived in Xihai before Wang Yulou.

It wasn't that Guo Fei was fast, but that Wang Yulou wanted to support Chen Yangshi.

As a junior disciple of Master Qionghai, a talent favored by Wang Yulou, and a junior disciple of Shuizun, Chen Yangshi took on the most difficult task of the Great Change Era.

Implementing the reforms comprehensively in the Western Sea is not difficult in terms of selecting candidates first and then promoting them. What is difficult is implementing the foundation-building approval system and in a place like the Western Sea where scattered cultivators are everywhere, making it difficult to fully implement the reforms.

If this method can be successfully implemented in a place like the Western Sea where independent cultivators are prevalent, it could help us explore a 'Foundation Building Approval' model that has significant potential for wider adoption.
On the Dragon and Tiger Platform, Chen Yangshi, the assistant manager of the Dragon and Tiger True Man of the Western Sea Immortal City of the Immortal Alliance, saw Guo Chengtai arrive and immediately rushed up to him, grabbing his arm and speaking with a tone full of gratitude.

"Brother Chengtai!"

Well, Chen Yangshi didn't thank Guo Chengtai; he simply admired Wang Yuque.

There are many things he doesn't understand.

When he arrived in Xihai, he realized how brilliant Wang Yulou's plan for him had been.

His ancestor, the Poor Sea Immortal, was known as the Poor Sea Immortal because he exhausted the Western Sea. He made his fortune in the Western Sea.

Wang Yuque, who presided over the reforms, first gained fame in Xihai.

At the Immortal Alliance level, the place where Wang Yuque, the vice leader, has the strongest control is the West Sea.

Within the Red Lantern Gang, Wang Yulou certainly wielded considerable influence, but he couldn't make the decisions.

The West Sea is different.
The Western Sea is truly different. Wang Yulou's father-in-law, Mu Chunze, is Shenguang's henchman and has now become the prime minister of the Immortal Kingdom. The Immortal Kingdom is right across from the Western Sea.

It can be said that Wang Yuque's decision to place Chen Yangshi in the Western Sea was undoubtedly a sign of great importance—this was where Master Yuque started his career.

Considering Wang Yuque's current position as the vice leader of the alliance, in layman's terms, the Western Sea is a place where dragons rise to power.

"Enough with the idle talk, the Alliance Leader's decree is urgent, where is Master Jiaolong?"

Guo Chengtai didn't stand on ceremony with Chen Yangshi and asked directly.

The Master of the Horned Cage is currently the Master of the Dragon and Tiger in the West Sea. He has only been in office for a short time. Chen Yangshi is carrying out reforms in the West Sea and needs his support.

Wang Yulou came to support Chen Yangshi and also to discuss the script with Kakugoro.

This is not formalism, but a process of actual attention and practice.

"Come in!"

A majestic voice came from deep within the Dragon Tiger Platform; it was clear that Master Kakulong knew of Guo Chengtai's arrival.

After all, the three unlucky immortals of the West Sea were destined to spend their lives in the Great World for a long time.

Guo Chengtai and Chen Yangshi dared not neglect their duties and immediately went to pay their respects.

Half a day later, east of Xihai Immortal City, on the Xihai Causeway, crowds thronged.

The new generation of legends in the West Sea, a legend among legends, whose rise to power has been witnessed by all, is about to begin. Wang Yuque, the vice leader of the Immortal Alliance, is about to arrive.

Once such news gets out, there's no need for any organization; the cultivators of the Western Sea are more enthusiastic about watching the spectacle than anyone else.

The vice leader of the Immortal Alliance who came from the Western Sea!

Of course, it was only after Wang Yulou became the vice leader that he was able to be praised by the fellow Daoists of the West Sea as "someone who has gone out from the West Sea". If he were not the vice leader, he would not be qualified to "go out from the West Sea".

The radiance of the Golden Crow chasing the Sun first appeared at the edge of the sky. There are two suns in the sky, one is the Great Sun, and the other is the Golden Crow chasing the Sun.

As a renowned flying magical artifact of the Red Lanterns, the Golden Crow Chasing the Sun is even more impressive than the Immortal Palace, the flying magical artifact of the Immortal Alliance.

Following the Golden Crow Chasing the Sun were two celestial palaces, which were only used by large-scale or high-ranking cultivators of the Immortal Alliance.

As the legendary King Yuque was about to arrive, the crowd on the West Sea Causeway stirred and began to discuss among themselves.

"Is this the demeanor of a vice leader?"

"I've met Wang Yuque before, have you met him?"

"Is Wang Yuque really as young as he looks in the portrait? He looks to be only about twenty years old."

"What do you know? Most of the Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Western Sea are from independent cultivation backgrounds. They are already quite old when they reach Foundation Establishment, so they don't look very young."

However, the Foundation Establishment stage of powerful clans is different; legend has it that many Immortal Venerables and Purple Mansion cultivators appear as young boys.

Mo Yunshu listened to the idle chatter of the cultivators around her, her heart filled with indescribable complex emotions.

Wang Yulou was her friend, but their fates had taken completely different paths.

Wang Yulou was still a handsome and talented young man, while she, though not quite middle-aged, was already beginning to retain her charm.

One cannot build a foundation if one's Dao heart is flawed.

This is Master Hansong's evaluation of her!
But what does it mean to have a flawed moral compass?
A hint of self-mockery flickered in Mo Yunshu's eyes.

She knew the answer, but she couldn't do it.

As the cultivators on the West Sea Causeway watched with anticipation, Wang Yulou's entourage drew ever closer.

Led by the West Sea Dragon and Tiger Master Jiao Long, the three West Sea Masters, along with the Dragon and Tiger Master's assistant Chen Yangshi, flew into the air together to quietly welcome the arrival of the Vice Alliance Leader.

As the vice leader of the Immortal Alliance, overseeing six states and promoting reforms, Wang Yulou's prominence, ranking below hundreds and above trillions, needs no further explanation.

For many unlucky souls, the limit of their entire lives in the Purple Mansion might only be seeing Wang Yulou's back. It's only right that the three Immortal Alliance True Persons guarding the West Sea greeted them.

As the sun rose and stopped on the West Sea Causeway, Wang Yulou, dressed in the Six States Uniform Robe, the standard attire for a Golden Core Immortal Venerable of the Immortal Alliance, stepped out and spoke loudly.

"Fellow Daoists, you're exaggerating. I just came to the West Sea to take a look. I didn't expect you all to come to greet me on the West Sea Causeway. You're exaggerating, you're exaggerating."

exaggerate?

Where is this?
Chen Yangshi took the lead in bowing.

"Meet the leader!"

Everywhere needs an atmosphere-building team, and even clapping needs someone to lead the way. Under Chen Yangshi's leadership, a dense mass of heads bowed on the West Seawall.

"Meet the leader!"

"Haha, fellow cultivators from the Western Sea are so hospitable. How about this, I'll invite everyone to gather at the Wine Immortal's Gathering. All cultivators who come can eat for free!"

This is called a goodwill activity, which is part of the deputy leader's daily work. Wang Yulou needs to have some contact with the lower-level cultivators of the Immortal Alliance in order to ensure that he has an understanding of the overall operation of the Immortal Alliance.

Otherwise, if he is misled by his subordinates into making some stupid decisions, he will ultimately be the one to take the blame.

The cost can be transferred, but if things go wrong too often, you'll inevitably be labeled as incompetent.

Moreover, inviting these cultivators who came to the West Sea Causeway to watch the excitement to eat and drink for free at the Wine Immortal Restaurant wouldn't actually cost much in spirit stones.

Of all the resources in the world, great cultivators receive 90%, and Wang Yulou is currently receiving the same resources and treatment as a fifth-grade Purple Mansion cultivator from the Immortal Alliance.

In addition to his position as vice leader and the tributes from his subordinates' forces and industries, it can be said that his arrogance has exceeded the limits of ordinary cultivators' comprehension.

What's the point of raising his own song and dance troupe? That's all nonsense. What Wang Yulou has on his mind right now is the six states of the Immortal Alliance!

Inside the Wine Immortal Pavilion, Wang Yulou not only invited those who came to greet him, but also gathered all the Foundation Establishment Peak cultivators from the Western Sea together.

The Western Sea is vast, and due to its unique resource allocation system, those who successfully hunt demons receive resources, resulting in an exceptionally large number of powerful Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Western Sea.

There are nearly three hundred cultivators at the peak of Foundation Establishment alone. With the addition of the cultivators who came to welcome Wang Yulou at the West Sea Causeway, the Wine Immortal naturally cannot accommodate them all.

Spiritual wine and food were placed on tables, and the tables were set up on the streets, which were then packed with people.

That's the vice leader of the Immortal Alliance, a figure many people might never meet in their entire lives.

Knowing that the vice leader was coming to the West Sea, I naturally had to come and meet him.

However, most people were not important to Wang Yulou. His purpose was to be friendly and to show his mild attitude, thereby clearing obstacles for Chen Yangshi's subsequent reforms.

Among them, the most crucial are the numerous Foundation Establishment peak cultivators of the Western Sea.

During the reforms of the Immortal Alliance, the great cultivators and those at the Purple Mansion level ultimately suffered losses, while the lower-level cultivators suffered losses first.

If you were to ask which group suffered the greatest losses in relative proportion, it would definitely be the Foundation Establishment Peak cultivators.

In the past, cultivators at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage held a very high status and could get along well anywhere.

However, as the reform process progressed, the ability of Foundation Establishment Peak cultivators to protect their families was greatly diminished.

Perhaps the purpose of the reform is to specifically eliminate the lower-level cultivation families that are parasitic on the Immortal Alliance system, but the purpose and the means are not the same thing.

Wang Yulou's goal is to encourage 30% of cultivators to support the reform, whether voluntarily or involuntarily. However, this is not the same as his need to take care of the Foundation Establishment Peak cultivators who suffer the most during the reform process.

The former is the goal, and the latter is the means. If the reform is done indiscriminately, it will only make Wang Yulou himself look foolish.

The vice leader pointed to the wine glass, and Yingxi quickly poured it for him.

Wang Yulou stood up, and the Wine Fairy Pavilion instantly fell silent.

Everyone was eating, but everyone was also staring at the table in the center, where only six people were sitting.

The three True Immortals from the West Sea: the newly arrived Dragon Tiger True Immortal, Chen Yangshi, the Vice Alliance Leader, and the Vice Alliance Leader's Daoist partner, Zhou Yingxi, who loves to eat donkey intestines.

"Fellow Daoists, you are all well-known Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Western Sea."

On the Terrace of Immortals, everyone should have heard more or less about how the Supreme Water Venerable Taihe promoted the reform and transformation.

The rumors circulating outside make the reforms of the Immortal Alliance sound terrible, but they are all nonsense.

Those who spread rumors seem to be lying under the Water God's bed, listening to his ramblings in his sleep; they dare to spread any nonsense.

The Immortal Alliance will eliminate any bed-listening practitioners who spread rumors like this!
The Water Venerable's reforms are for the sake of the trillions of living beings in the six states of the Immortal Alliance, and for the sake of the ten million cultivators of the Immortal Alliance!

The core of the reform was to first select the candidates and then implement the reforms.
Once you pass the selection process, you can become a Foundation Establishment seed for the Immortal Alliance.

Then, as long as you find a Foundation Establishment family with five or more Foundation Establishment members or a senior Foundation Establishment expert with peak Foundation Establishment and supernatural powers to recommend you, you can legally establish your Foundation.

I will personally oversee the approval of Foundation Establishment slots and will also establish a 'mutual selection pool' to ensure that no cultivator who wins the competition is wronged!
In the past, when building a foundation, one had to consider resources, opportunities, and background.

In the future, the Immortal Alliance will only consider strength when it comes to Foundation Establishment. As long as you have extraordinary strength, you can become a Foundation Establishment cultivator!

At the edge of the inner hall of the Wine Immortal Sect, Mo Yunshu, sitting with other Qi Refining disciples from major clans, had a furrowed brow.

Wang Yulou's words sound nice, saying that he only looks at strength, as if the old methods of "looking at resources, opportunities, and background" no longer exist.

But anyone with a brain knows that those things still exist, only now there's an even more troublesome step: 'finding a recommendation and approval process after the winner of the competition.'

The cake was conditional, and quite small; the reforms initiated by the Water Lord were utterly absurd.
However, no one cared about Mo Yunshu's thoughts.

Shui Zun didn't care that Wang Yulou had thrown him out to take the brunt of the attack; he could handle it.

Wang Yulou didn't care about the lower-level cultivators who had difficulty establishing their foundations under the reforms, because he wanted to open his Purple Mansion.

Wang Xianmao's confession was flawless; those who pursue the Way cannot afford to be too soft-hearted.

Every point that you care about will inevitably become a weakness in the eyes of your opponents, and those greedy and vicious enemies will tear at it desperately.

"Tomorrow, at the West Sea Battle Arena, I will personally preside over the first Foundation Establishment Seed selection battle in the West Sea!"

All cultivators at the peak of Qi Refining are welcome to participate, regardless of their background—whether from humble beginnings or a powerful clan. Fairness, openness, and impartiality are guaranteed!

Wang Yuque was still rambling on, but Mo Yunshu was already stunned.

Because she noticed that Wang Yulou's gaze swept over the corner where she was.

'Whether you come from humble beginnings or a prominent family.'
Thinking about Wang Yulou's words, Mo Yunshu suddenly lost interest in the table full of delicacies.

Foundation building, foundation building, foundation building.

Wang Yulou is troubled by the Purple Mansion, but how many cultivators are troubled by the Foundation Establishment?

Shui Zun is betting on the next era. The chaos has not yet begun, but the path to ascension has already been opened.

Mo Yunshu had realized that there was another possibility, which originated from Mo Yunshu's own expectations, but unexpectedly hit the truth.

In other words, a Qi Refining Peak cultivator with sufficient combat strength can gain recognition from a powerful clan or a senior Foundation Establishment cultivator, thus obtaining the opportunity to establish their Foundation.

What's wrong with selecting first and then recommending? As long as the number of recommended candidates is controlled, every winner who passes the selection will have the opportunity to build a foundation.

This is the world of cultivators, which has developed around only a few dozen top-level cultivators.

The ladder is always there; it just depends on whether people give you the opportunity.

The trajectory of our times has reached a point where it needs to move in a new direction.

The purpose of the reform is to give the Immortal Alliance a head start in the chaotic era, not to ensure the eternal stability of the interests of large clans or individual great cultivators.

Wang Yulou's reforms required, in addition to implementing the reforms themselves, a governing program, both political and ideological, to be found.

He wasn't sure what kind of program would be popular, but the one that best benefited the Immortal Alliance members would definitely be liked by them.

The West Sea's policy of selecting and then implementing measures, seemingly aimed at lower-level Qi Refining cultivators, is actually targeting the many powerful clans and experienced Foundation Establishment cultivators in the West Sea.

If the policy of selecting first and then pushing continues in the long run, all family honors will be diluted in the endless cycle of reincarnation.

Of course, the rewards should still be given. The extreme scarcity of spots, on the contrary, has amplified the importance of the recommendation power held by powerful families and senior Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Pull!
-
Late at night, at the Jade Palace.

Wang Yulou certainly had a mansion in the Western Sea. Although he hadn't returned for many years, the Jade Palace Mansion was still the most extravagant mansion in the Western Sea.

Today is different from the past; the master of Jade Palace has returned to the Western Sea.

Wang Yulou and Yingxi hadn't seen each other for a long time, so naturally they had to do their usual bedtime routine.

After several exchanges, neither was willing to admit defeat. A somewhat weary Yingxi leaned on Wang Yulou's shoulder.
Her fingers pressed tightly against Wang Yulou's back, and in the heat of the moment, she couldn't help but ask.

"My love, do you really love me?"

Wang Yulou answered without much hesitation.

"I really like it."

"is that true?"

For some reason, Yingxi suddenly felt a chill on her back. She subconsciously glanced at it with her divine sense and almost cried out in surprise.

The vice leader, who was so powerful and influential in the West Sea during the day, was now weeping like a child.

This world
He had endured, endured, and endured until now, but Yingxi's question was too coincidental, and Wang Yulou finally couldn't hold back any longer.

Thank you, Yingxi, for giving me a chance to miss him.

is that true?

How could it not be true?
(End of this chapter)