Cohabitation with Sword Spirit-Chapter 167 - 137: Set a Small Goal for Yourself First
October 25, 2017
The discussions in the Qian Family hall hadn't stopped for a long time.
The intelligence brought by Qian Xing, the head of the Qian Family in Heaven-Reaching City, was quite impactful. Although it seemed like a simple sentence, it carried profound implications.
First, there's the referee at the level of an Immortal Envoy. Such a specification is extremely rare in the history of Xiangzhou; apart from the competitions hosted in Heaven-Reaching City organized by the Saint Sect itself, other similar competitions in places like Golden Jade City and Shen City are conducted by a Sect Envoy, who, after fulfilling the necessary duties, withdraws.
A person at the Immortal Envoy level intervening not only signifies the different importance of the matter but also potentially... a dispute that requires someone of an Immortal Envoy level to resolve may occur.
And this key point could very well be that unprecedented reward.
For a Holy Sect Immortal Envoy to say the words 'unprecedented' is truly heart-stirring.
It's the handiwork of the Holy Sect!
Objectively speaking, as a sect detached from worldly affairs, the Saint Sect does not surpass the Seven Great Families much in terms of pure wealth accumulation. Even when a Sect Envoy visited Golden Jade City years ago, their living standards couldn't match the City Lord's assistant...
However, the actions of the Saint Sect are unparalleled. As the organization holding the most Primordial heritage, the Saint Sect's monopoly on rare resources is incomparable. For example, the Original Sword Essence, though not considered a heaven-defying treasure, is something every Sword Cultivator dreams of, and only the Saint Sect can produce it stably.
Similar treasures to the Original Sword Essence are countless in the hands of the Saint Sect. When these resources fall into the hands of the Seven Great Families, they often have an effect like adding wings to a tiger. The Saint Sect often uses Primordial treasures to maintain balance and mediate conflicts among various forces in Xiangzhou.
A thousand years ago, a dispute arose between the Zhao Family and the Lu Family over a Spirit Vein, and by chance, the conflict expanded. At that time, the Lu Family was in a period of expansion with a talent pool far surpassing the Zhao Family, who were coincidentally undergoing a transitional phase. They eventually engaged in bullying. But when the conflict reached a stalemate, the Saint Sect simply used a Spirit Pill to foster a new rising star in the Zhao Family, leading the family to sweep away its decline and regain balance with the Lu Family.
A single Spirit Pill from the Saint Sect could overturn the power dynamics of two Great Families. Now, this unprecedented reward... might indeed have the potential to fundamentally change the structure of the three Great Families in QingCyan Cloud City!
The Qian Family has always wanted to run neck and neck with the Seven Great Families. The Lu Family's QingCyan branch and their main family don't get along, and both families are in dire need of a leap in power.
Of course, a single QingCyan contest, a gift from a Holy Sect Immortal Envoy, may not necessarily change the thousand-year-old structure as they wish. But doing a little bit, even a little, is still something.
"Let's not dwell too much on things we haven't obtained yet; an extraordinary reward means extraordinary competitive pressure." Qian Long timely interrupted the many daydreams and fantasies in the hall. "This information is not only known by us. The Li Family must have received it simultaneously, and in the whole QingCyan, it should spread most likely by the end of the day. The Saint Sect always handles things fairly and would not favor any family with this kind of information. Our advantage lies in acting faster than others after obtaining the information."
Everyone nodded in agreement, also understanding the reason for the alliance between the Qian and Lu Families.
It's simple. The situation for this year's QingCyan contest is too imbalanced. The Li Family has become overly strong due to Li Wanqing and Wang Jiu. The duel between Li Wanqing and Qian Ye under Drunken Immortal Tower ten days ago has led everyone to believe that Li Wanqing will effortlessly crush all opponents to win the championship. Even if there are surprises, it would only involve internal redistributions of benefits within the Li Family, not affecting the overarching premise of the Li Family winning the championship.
In past years, such an imbalanced stance was of little consequence. Even as recently as a few days ago, a Qian Family internal meeting discussed whether it was still necessary to use the budget of a hundred thousand Spirit Stones to scatter fireworks in the arena, given the poor circumstances this year.
But with the current change, it's indeed worthwhile for the Qian Family to spare no effort to fight for the championship. To overthrow the cloud overshadowing the entire city from the Li Family, the most rational choice is to seek cooperation. First, neutralize the advantages of the Li Family,
The meeting soon shifted to the main agenda.
"If our families join hands, the resources we can mobilize are... two million Spirit Stones?" a Qian Family Elder suggested.
"Spirit Stones are insignificant." Qian Long dismissed. "No major family would lack funds for this kind of matter..."
Before he finished, Lu Xin coughed and said, "Well, Spirit Stones still matter. Although our Lu Family is determined to fight for the championship, the maximum budget we can mobilize is only five hundred thousand Spirit Stones..."
"Only five hundred thousand?!" said a young Qian Family Elder in disbelief.
Even though the family had just solemnly discussed in previous meetings to approve a budget of a hundred thousand Spirit Stones, when it comes to truly cost-no-object projects, the Qian Family can always mobilize millions in liquid funds—that's the underlying strength of a nouveau riche. As for the Lu Family, though they are just a branch of the Seven Great Families, they are, after all, one of the top three giants in QingCyan, so how can they be that far off?
Lu Xin looked even more embarrassed. This issue was truly a sore spot for the Lu Family.
The Li, Lu, and Qian, these three giants of QingCyan, each have their strengths. The Li Family's overall power is the strongest, especially at the high end of the spectrum, and has almost always held the top spot throughout thousands of years. The Qian Family, as a rising star, clearly has a financial advantage. Despite lacking the foundational depth of the Seven Great Families, they are superior in liquid assets and the operation of secular industries compared to the millennium-old Primordial families. Only the Lu Family...
A Qian Family Elder gently reminded, "Don't ask too many questions, they're bound to be sad stories."
Lu Xin's expression twisted further: Do you think I can't hear you?
Wang Jiu waved his hand to interrupt this irrelevant side topic and concluded, "A budget of two million spirit stones, and in addition, sharing all related knowledge below the Rain Cover Realm about the Qiankun Throw and Flower Rain."
Just as the Qian family was marveling at this astonishing gesture, Wang Jiu added, "When it comes to investments, the Qian family has never lacked boldness. The real issue is how to utilize this investment effectively. If the championship of the Cyan Cloud Competition could be bought with money, the Qian family could easily win three times in a row. This is also why I invite the Lu family to join in cooperation."
Lu Xin nodded: "I believe everyone present has heard of the Lu family's Yin Yang Pupils."
Of course, they had heard of it. Like the Nine Dragon Sword Heart, it's a fundamental aspect of the Primordial Noble Families, an extraordinary divine technique buried deep within the Lu family's bloodline. Activating the Yin Yang Pupils allows one to see through all the world's laws, making it an exceptionally rare and practical bloodline divine technique in both cultivation and combat.
The only problem is that, over thousands of years of inheritance, the vast majority of the Lu family have found it challenging to activate this divine technique through their own growth. Only those rare geniuses seen once in a century can gradually awaken their bloodline after reaching the Mountain-Overturning Realm in the True Essence realm.
"In fact, through long-term research by the family, we've found a way to awaken the bloodline in advance... but this method is still immature, involves a high consumption, and the bloodline awakening induced by external forces is not complete. According to test results from the main family, one portion of Bone Marrow Cleansing Spiritual Liquid worth fifty thousand spirit stones can only awaken one pupil in a cultivator of extraordinary talent. The cleanser's cultivation cannot exceed the Cloud Flipping Realm, and it cannot guarantee permanent effectiveness."
Just after he finished speaking, a Qian family elder couldn't help but exclaim in shock, "My goodness, this is even more extravagant than the Qiankun Throw."
To awaken half of the Yin Yang Pupils in a small cultivator from the Cloud Surge Realm, it would cost fifty thousand spirit stones... Now they truly understood why the Lu family, as one of the Seven Great Noble Families, would be worried about spirit stones.
Compared to this level of expenditure, no amount of industry or shrewd management seems adequate.
However, Lu Xin hadn't finished speaking.
"That's just the family's preliminary plan. Currently, the main family is researching Enhanced Spiritual Liquids, hoping to strengthen the medicinal effect of the Bone Marrow Cleansing Spiritual Liquid with more precious resources. The result is expected by the end of this month. The aim is to awaken the complete Yin Yang Pupils in a cultivator below the Cloud Flipping Realm. At present, the research is progressing very smoothly; the only issue is that the cost of the Enhanced Spiritual Liquid is two hundred thousand spirit stones."
"Two hundred thousand spirit stones!? Just for the bloodline awakening of one small cultivator!?"
At this moment, even the Qian family members who were usually the most profligate and unrestrained were stunned by Lu Xin's words.
What defines a Primordial Family, and what defines thousands of years of inheritance? Look at the Lu family's initiative; in comparison, every Qian family member seems like a poor and frugal rustic!
Lu Xin sighed and further explained, "Two hundred thousand is the cost for one portion of spiritual liquid. The Lu family has been conducting research on this project for over fifty years, gradually investing more than three million spirit stones."
"Three million?! Just for such an impractical thing?" Even Wang Jiu was a bit unsettled by this.
Lu Xin explained, "You've misunderstood, fellow Daoists. Although the short-term benefits are limited, in the long run, it enhances our understanding of bloodline divine techniques and positively impacts high-level spiritual liquid research."
"High-level?"
"If spiritual liquids could stabilize the awakening of Yin Yang Pupils beyond the Rain Cover Realm, completing this would essentially achieve the great work of total stage awakening. The main family has conducted theoretical research spanning a hundred years, but due to insufficient funding, they've been unable to enter the practical research phase." At this point, Lu Xin turned and said, "If the Qian family is interested, you could invest, and the final results can be shared with you. The main family's stance on this project is very clear: as long as there is investment, anyone can join."
Wang Jiu asked somewhat tempted, "How much funding do you need?"
"Phase one requires twenty million spirit stones over thirty years..."
"Alright, enough. Our Qian family isn't interested in this matter."
Lu Xin, somewhat regretfully, asked, "Are you really not going to reconsider? The Bone Marrow Cleansing Spiritual Liquid not only benefits the Lu family. It's also effective for others with hidden bloodline divine techniques, though not as effectively as for the Lu family."
"Our Qian family doesn't have any primordial bloodline..."
"Really? Was your ancestor Qian Liexian just an ordinary cultivator?"
"Well..."
"The twenty million spirit stones are the total funding requirement, not requiring a single family's responsibility. In fact, the current funding gap for the Lu family is only three million. Considering the urgency of this funding, if you can fill this gap, I believe the main family can offer you the highest resource-sharing permission."
For a moment, Lu Xin's words flowed like a river, while cold sweat continuously drenched Wang Jiu.
