Clan Cultivation: Starting from Foundation Establishment on Mount Luoxia

Li Mutian and Li Xiaoyao immediately climbed to the top of the cliff to look out.

Sure enough, several black dots were rapidly growing larger on the distant horizon.

Judging from their design, they are all flying boats of the Qingxiao Immortal Sect, but they are much larger than their Wu-37 type.

"Are they from the Immortal Sect?"

Li Xiaoyao narrowed his eyes. "This setup... doesn't seem like how things are done normally."

Li Mutian said in a deep voice:

"Activate all protective formations and notify all combat personnel to be on alert!"

"Xiang Ping, Tong Ya, Chang Hu, come with me to greet them. Xiao Yao, you bring up the rear."

Soon, the small fleet of flying boats arrived above Thick Earth Golden Cliff. Instead of directly entering the array's range, they landed one by one on a flat wasteland on the outer edge.

The cabin door of the lead airship opened, and the first person to step out was Li Daoyun, dressed in a familiar moon-white robe and with three long strands of beard!

"It's Vice Envoy Li!"

Li Xiaoyao breathed a sigh of relief, but then he saw the vast crowd descending behind Li Daoyun.

And the cultivators who emerged from the other flying boats, dressed in various styles but all possessing considerable auras, wondered to themselves, "What's going on here?"

Li Mutian had already led his men to greet them, cupping his hands in a respectful greeting and smiling:

"Vice Envoy Li, your presence is an honor! I am so sorry for not welcoming you sooner! May I ask what brings you here today...?"

With a smile much more genuine than before, Li Daoyun quickly stepped forward and took Li Mutian's hand:

"Fellow Daoist Kimida, Fellow Daoist Xiaoyao, how have you been! This isn't just an ordinary patrol; it's good news, very good news!"

He turned to the side and pointed to the large, dark mass of people behind him, numbering over a hundred, and the several airships:

"By the joint decree of the External Affairs Hall and the General Affairs Hall of the Immortal Sect, we hereby commend the Yunzhou Li Clan, the pioneering family at the C-749 pioneering site!"

An award? And with such a grand display? The Li family was stunned.

Li Daoyun didn't keep them in suspense. His expression turned serious, and he took out a scroll of purple-gold silk, faintly glowing with spiritual light, from his robes. He said loudly:

"Li Mutian, the head of the Li family in Yunzhou, receives the decree!"

Li Mutian immediately led all his clansmen to kneel on one knee. Li Xiaoyao also put away his joking expression and knelt down as well.

Li Daoyun unfurled the decree, his voice infused with magical power, clearly resounding throughout the surrounding area:

"The Li family of Luoxia Mountain in Yunzhou bravely accepted the mission of pioneering and traveled to the half-plane of Bing-749."

"Undeterred by hardships and dangers, they have worked diligently to expand their territory, settle the common people, and explore the geography with remarkable success, thus upholding the prestige of our Azure Sky Immortal Sect. The sect is greatly gratified!"

"The following commendations are hereby given: First, Li's pioneering achievements in the C-749 plane are officially recognized."

"With your current main stronghold, 'Thick Earth Golden Cliff,' as the center, the entire area within a thousand miles is the Li family's autonomous territory recognized by the Immortal Sect!"

"All resources within this area shall be given priority for development and management by the Li family, who shall only be required to pay the corresponding tribute according to regulations."

"From thousands of miles away, new settlers must obtain the consent of the Li family or the coordination of the Immortal Sect before they can settle in."

"Secondly, I will award 100,000 low-grade spirit stones as encouragement!"

"Thirdly, I bestow upon you two sets of foundation-building stage standard magical artifacts, both offensive and defensive, to assist you in safeguarding your foundation!"

"Fourth, I hereby bestow upon the Qingxiao Immortal Sect a fourth-grade cultivation technique exchange token, which can be exchanged for any fourth-grade or lower cultivation technique at the sect's scripture pavilion or designated large post stations!"

"Fifth, you are granted permanent usage rights to the Void Airship currently leased by you, the E-37 type!"

"With this decree and the original contract, you can exchange them for a 'Permanent Access Token' at any Immortal Sect's post station!"

"Furthermore, in order to accelerate the process of developing and governing this plane, the basic information and development tasks for plane C-749 have been officially promulgated in the General Affairs Hall of the Immortal Sect."

"Other independent cultivation teams and affiliated families will come to explore the area later. We hope that the Li family will provide assistance as appropriate in the initial guidance and coordination matters, setting an example for those who follow."

"May the Li family continue their efforts, achieve great merit soon, and bring blessings to the clan!"

After the imperial edict was read, the entire hall fell silent, with only the sound of the wind rustling the flags.

Li Mutian raised his head, and even though he was usually calm, he could not hide his excitement at this moment.

A thousand-mile autonomous territory! A fourth-grade cultivation technique token! Permanent use rights to the flying boat!

Any one of these would be an astronomical gift to the Li family right now!

Li Xiaoyao's eyes widened in disbelief, his mind racing: "Holy crap! I'm rich! This is a guaranteed windfall!"

"A permanent flying boat? Isn't that practically a free one? A fourth-grade cultivation technique! That's a treasure that can help you cultivate to the Purple Mansion realm or even higher!"

"Fellow Daoist Li... why don't you accept the imperial decree and express your gratitude?"

Li Daoyun reminded him with a smile.

Li Mutian then came to his senses, took a deep breath, raised his hands above his head, and spoke in a loud but slightly trembling voice:

"Li Mutian of the Li family receives the imperial decree! I kowtow in gratitude for the divine grace of the Immortal Sect!"

"Our Li clan will do everything in our power to expand our territory and serve our clan!"

Behind them, Li Xiangping, Li Changhu, Li Tongya, and others shouted in unison:

"I kowtow in gratitude to the Immortal Sect for their divine grace!"

Li Daoyun solemnly handed the imperial edict to Li Mutian, and then gestured to his attendants to carry up several heavy boxes.

Upon opening it, the spirit stone shone brightly, and the magical artifact exuded an aura of power.

There was also a blue token that was neither gold nor jade, and a special purple-gold talisman.

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Kida!"

Li Daoyun patted Li Mutian on the shoulder, "This time, the sect values ​​you very much."

"This recognition of the autonomous territory of a thousand miles is quite rare among pioneering families in the early stages."

"And this permanent access to the airship will save you a lot of long-term expenses."

Li Mutian gripped the imperial edict tightly and nodded repeatedly:

"It's all thanks to the cultivation of the Immortal Sect and the support of the Deputy Envoy!"

"I didn't give you any help; you all achieved this on your own."

Li Daoyun waved his hand and then pointed to the hundred or so people behind him.

"Oh, right, these people are the first group of independent cultivators and the advance team of two small families who came here after accepting the mission."

"According to the decree, they are newcomers and know nothing about this place."

"We need your Li family's help to guide them, to designate some initial territory, and to explain the precautions, so that they don't blindly stumble into a dead end or provoke the wrong thing."

He lowered his voice:

"This is also an opportunity to establish authority and build connections. How you seize it is up to you."

Li Mutian looked at the hundred-odd pairs of eyes that were filled with curiosity, awe, scrutiny, and expectation, and suddenly understood.

The rewards were real, but new challenges and troubles also arrived along with them and with the subsequent arrival of pioneers.

He turned to look at Li Xiaoyao, and his younger brother was also looking over.

Good times have arrived, but it will probably take some effort to make the most of them.

Li Daoyun brought not only the imperial decree of commendation from the Immortal Sect, but also a large group of people.

Six groups of people stood clearly separated on the open ground in front of the flying boat.

Looking around at the ravine before him, shrouded in murky energy yet faintly revealing array formations and orderly dwellings—

This is the Li family's territory, where they established themselves before the others.

Li Mutian and Li Xiaoyao quickly scanned the group of people.

Xiao Chulan's parting words still echoed in my ears: "First come, first served."

Li Mutian put on a calm smile, stepped forward a few paces, and said loudly:

"Fellow Daoists, you have come from afar, thank you for your hard work! I am Li Mutian, the patriarch of the Li family here. This is my second brother, Li Xiaoyao."

"The decree of the Immortal Sect has been made clear. Since we have arrived first, we should do our best to fulfill our duties as hosts and help our fellow Daoists settle down and make a living in this world."

Over the next few days, Hou Tu Jin Ya was bustling with activity, turning into a large-scale "New Student Exchange Meeting".

Li Mutian made arrangements in an orderly manner, with each core member of the clan performing their respective duties.