Primordial Era: From the Creation Lotus to the First Disciple of the Three Pure Ones

Chapter 126 The Nine Tribes

Leaving Nuwa Palace and returning to the primordial world, Qinglian and the Three Ancestors felt as if they had been separated by a lifetime.

In that chaos, time stood still. Though the conversation with the sage lasted only a moment, several days had quietly passed over the vast land.

But at this moment, they felt no more confusion or hesitation, only unwavering resolve brought by the decree of Goddess Nuwa and the heavy responsibility concerning the future of billions of people.

Without pausing, the Three Ancestors immediately used their near-divine prestige as Martial Gods and their revered leadership position among the human race to transmit their voices through their blood energy, issuing orders to all directions.

Upon receiving the decree, all human experts whose cultivation had reached the Martial Domain Realm or above, regardless of their location or what they were doing, sensed it and immediately put down everything they were doing.

They converged at top speed on the ancestral land of humanity—the core area where the statue of the Holy Mother and the ever-burning flame of civilization were enshrined.

In less than half a day, the ancestral land was teeming with life force, and powerful figures gathered there.

There are hundreds of Martial Domain Realm experts and dozens of Martial Soul Realm masters. They represent the most outstanding power and will of the human race today.

This was the grandest and highest-level gathering in the history of the human race, and the atmosphere was solemn and dignified.

Suirenshi stood on a high place, behind him were Ziyishi, Youchaoshi, and the Qinglian Saint Master who stood quietly to the side with a profound aura.

His gaze was sharp as he swept over the assembled human leaders below. His voice, imbued with divine power and unquestionable authority, carried a heavy sense of concern as he clearly dissected the immense predicament humanity was currently facing: the paralysis of governance caused by overpopulation, the blurring of ethics, and the internal friction caused by resource competition.

He then solemnly proclaimed the Holy Mother's decree and approval, as well as the set of "establishing moral order" proposed by the Holy Master Qinglian.

The grand reform plan was to "establish rules and regulations and differentiate surnames".

Upon hearing the news, the entire room fell silent for a moment, then erupted into a huge uproar and buzzing discussion.

This change is so astonishing that it is almost reshaping the entire human society!

But soon, those present, all human elites with extraordinary wisdom and vision, quickly realized the extreme necessity and profound significance of this plan for resolving the current predicament and for the long-term development of humanity.

Especially with the undeniable blessing of absolute strength and prestige (the realm of the Three Ancestors Martial Gods) and the supreme decree of the Holy Mother, all doubts quickly dissipated.

The reform plan was passed almost unanimously, and the public was in high spirits and determined to succeed.

The massive human machines began to operate with unprecedented efficiency.

First, led by the Three Ancestors, and drawing on the wisdom of the powerful and their understanding of the situation in various places, the millions of people scattered across the vast land of the East China Sea were initially divided into nine relatively balanced super tribal alliances based on factors such as geographical distribution, population density, number of powerful individuals, and historical origins.

Each tribe had a population of tens of millions and a vast territory, enough to be called a small kingdom.

Following this, various methods were employed, including public nomination, martial arts competitions, and comprehensive evaluation of moral character, prestige, and achievements.

From each major tribe, the strongest (at least at the peak of the Martial Soul Realm), most prestigious, and most popular person was selected to serve as the "Minister" of that tribe. This person oversees the overall situation of the tribe, represents the tribe externally, and has the highest decision-making and adjudication power internally.

Before the ancestral torch and the statue of the Holy Mother, and with Qinglian and the Three Ancestors as witnesses, the alliance of the nine tribes was officially established.

Facing the Holy Mother and the torch, the nine newly appointed ministers solemnly swore an oath based on their martial will and bloodline: to take the rise and fall of the human race as their own responsibility, to be impartial and selfless, and to lead their people to prosperity!

The tribe's grand framework has been established, but a more refined structure is still needed beneath it.

The tribe was further subdivided into several "clans".

Clan divisions are more flexible and diverse: they can be based on blood relations (further subdividing bloodline branches under the same surname), or on totems that are commonly worshipped (such as tigers, bears, eagles, fish, etc.).

They may have been granted the title of "Shi" (such as "Jiang Shi", "Lie Shi", "Yu Shi") because they had jointly accomplished a great feat or made great contributions in history.

Each clan is headed by a highly respected martial arts expert who serves as the "Clan Leader," managing the clan's affairs and reporting to the Minister.

Below the clan is the most basic unit that constitutes human society—the "family".

It consists of several or dozens of families with the closest blood ties, with a respected martial arts master (Dan Jin or Gang Jin) serving as the "family head" responsible for the most basic management, education, production organization, and dispute mediation.

Thus, a three-tiered management structure of department, clan, and family was initially formed, with responsibilities and powers becoming clearer, like a large tree with a master and major branches.

However, Qinglian knew that simply having a management framework was far from enough. She wanted to truly revitalize this behemoth and give it cohesion, rather than letting it stagnate and become rigid.

It also needs to be infused with a soul—that is, to emulate the order of the universe and the orbits of the stars, as well as the most core cultural and ethical bonds.

He once again summoned the three patriarchs and nine ministers to the ancestral land, where the ever-burning flame of the torch was lit, and expounded a deeper concept concerning the inheritance of civilization: "The framework has been established, but if the name is not correct, the words will not be proper, and if the words are not proper, things will not be accomplished."

Now, following the example of Heaven and Earth, we establish a system of names and titles: taking the surname as the root to mark the earliest bloodline and to govern the largest tribal alliance;

Using "氏" as the main branch, it identifies important branches and lineages under the surname, or titles bestowed due to merit, location, or skill;

The name is used as a leaf to identify the specific family and individual under the surname.

Surname, clan name, and given name—three distinct levels, each building upon the last—allow all people, even billions of beings, to be included in this system, tracing their roots, finding their place, and clearly defining their responsibilities and rights. This is the root of culture, the source of identity!

He further used the people in front of him as an example to explain in detail: "For example, you humans were all created by the Holy Mother herself, so you can be said to have the same origin and can all be honored with the surname 'Feng' (because the great god Fuxi was surnamed Feng, and the goddess Nuwa was also often called Feng Lixi), to show your origin and not forget your roots."

Afterwards, Suirenshi invented fire by drilling wood, a feat that has benefited countless generations. His direct descendants or the core tribes to which he belonged could then adopt "Huo" (火, meaning fire) or "Sui" (燧, meaning fire) as their surname.

The Ziyi clan wove cloth and made clothes, freeing people from cold and shame. Their descendants or tribes with major achievements may inherit the surname "Yi" or take "Zi" as their surname.

The Youchao clan built houses and nests so that people could live in peace, and thus they could inherit the Chao clan.

The nine ministers, who had made outstanding contributions and governed their respective regions, were also granted corresponding clan names, such as "Lin Clan," "He Clan," or "Shan Clan," based on their region or characteristics, to show their honor and facilitate governance and recognition.

As for a specific individual's name, it is bestowed by their parents and elders after their birth, expressing their hopes and blessings, to identify the individual and distinguish them from others.

This concept is more profound than a simple management structure, directly touching on the core of civilization inheritance and cultural identity!

It endows hundreds of millions of people with cultural roots and identity markers, and its significance goes far beyond simple management!

The three patriarchs and the nine ministers listened with great excitement and fascination, as if they had seen a broad road leading to a glorious civilization!

They immediately accepted the order, summoned the wise men of various tribes, and began to formulate more specific rules for surnames, methods of inheritance, and recording methods.