Must Add Fortune
Having his thoughts exposed, Haotian showed no embarrassment whatsoever; instead, he bowed respectfully.
"The Saint's insight is as sharp as a torch."
"My little scheme couldn't possibly escape the notice of the Saint."
Zhou Ming neither confirmed nor denied Haotian's frankness.
This kid is quite the flexible one.
"This isn't some ulterior motive," Zhou Ming said slowly.
"No wonder he's someone who's followed Hongjun for countless Eon."
"Such shrewdness and decisiveness are unmatched by many in the Primordial Wilderness."
"It's not impossible for you to have someone from my Wu Clan serve in the Heavenly Court."
Zhou Ming looked at Haotian and said, word by word.
"But..."
"I need to increase my Fortune."
Upon hearing the words "gain more Fortune," Haotian and Yaochi showed no displeasure whatsoever.
Instead, a surge of ecstatic joy welled up within him.
It's done!
It's done!
Sage Zhou Ming agreed!
As for adding Fortune, that was entirely within their expectations.
You could even say that this was part of their plan all along.
How could one expect to borrow the power of the Wu Clan without paying a price?
Forget about adding more Fortune, as long as we can get the Wu Clan onto the war chariot.
It's all worth it, no matter how much it takes, to get this framework of Heavenly Court up and running.
Otherwise, the Heavenly Court will forever remain an empty shell.
What use is an empty shell of a Heavenly Court to them?
The so-called Fortune can only be continuously gathered when the Heavenly Court truly starts operating and establishes order.
"That's natural!"
Haotian responded decisively without any hesitation.
"Since the Heavenly Court intends to borrow the power of the Wu Clan, it must naturally demonstrate sufficient sincerity!"
He took a deep breath.
How about this?
"As long as Your Saint is willing to send members of the Wu Clan to join the Heavenly Court."
"I am willing to give up an additional 20% of the Heavenly Court's Fortune, on top of the original 30%, to the Wu Clan!"
That's 50% in total!
Half of Heavenly Court's future Fortune!
Yaochi stood to the side, her body trembling slightly, but she bit her lip tightly and did not utter a word of objection.
She chose to believe her senior brother.
After saying that, Haotian carefully observed Zhou Ming's reaction and hurriedly added.
"Furthermore, after the Wu Clan members joined the Heavenly Court, they were only nominally under Heavenly Court jurisdiction."
"They may obey orders, but not proclamations."
"As long as they do not actively disrupt the order of Heavenly Court, Heavenly Court will never interfere excessively with their actions."
"Normally, they only need to hold a nominal Divine Office."
"We will only ask for their help when there are major problems that the Heavenly Court itself cannot solve."
This condition surprised even Houtu, who had been sitting quietly the whole time.
Zhou Ming looked at Haotian and this time he was truly impressed with him.
This guy has guts.
They were willing to pay such a high price to develop the Heavenly Court.
Fifty percent of the Fortune, plus privileges that are almost entirely unchecked.
This is tantamount to creating a country within a country out of thin air within the Heavenly Court.
Such courage and decisiveness are truly rare to find in the entire Primordial Wilderness.
But Haotian did just that.
He knew exactly what he wanted, and he also knew exactly what he had to give up.
"Good."
Zhou Ming spoke slowly.
"I agree to your terms."
"After I return, I will select suitable members of my clan to serve in the Heavenly Court."
"Thank you, Your Saint, for granting my wish!"
Haotian and Yaochi were overjoyed and stood up excitedly, bowing deeply to Zhou Ming once again.
"Alright, no need to thank me yet."
Zhou Ming waved his hand, interrupting their actions.
"Don't be too happy yet."
"I have one more condition."
Haotian's smile froze instantly, and his heart skipped a beat.
Are there any other conditions?
They've already given up half of their Fortune and granted such a great deal of autonomy; this is all the sincerity the Heavenly Court can offer!
This still isn't enough to satisfy him?
But now that things have come to this, he has no room for regret.
The arrow is on the bowstring, and it must be released.
He could only steel himself and ask respectfully.
"Please speak, Saint."
"As long as Haotian can do it, he will do his best to fulfill the Saint's request."
Zhou Ming found his nervous appearance rather amusing.
Don't worry, it's not an unreasonable request.
"Since we, the members of the Wu Clan, are here to support you, our status cannot be too low."
"Otherwise, if word gets out, wouldn't people laugh at us?"
"I want two of the Six Imperial Jade Masters positions in the Heavenly Court."
"Rest assured, we, the members of the Wu Clan, merely hold nominal titles and occupy positions of honor."
"We won't actually interfere in Heavenly Court affairs, much less seize your power."
Upon hearing that Zhou Ming's condition was only this, Haotian's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.
Immediately, an even greater wave of ecstasy than before overwhelmed him!
He thought Zhou Ming was going to make an outrageous demand, something even more unreasonable.
Unexpectedly, all they wanted were two of the Six Imperial Jade Masters positions.
He was worried about who should fill the positions of the Six Imperial Jade Masters.
If we invite disciples from other Saint, we risk letting wolves into the house, making them too powerful to control.
Please ask those Great Powers but unaffiliated Rogue cultivator who don't have enough influence to keep the situation under control.
The fact that the Wu Clan is now willing to accept this empty title is like a pillow being delivered to someone who's been dozing off!
Moreover, Zhou Ming has made it very clear that he is only in a nominal position and will not interfere in specific matters.
For him, this was not a bad thing at all, but rather a great thing!
Having figured this out, Haotian no longer hesitated.
"Good!"
"Let's do as the Saint says!"
"The positions of the Six Imperial Jade Masters in Heavenly Court are to be chosen by the Saint!"
Haotian agreed readily and decisively, without the slightest hesitation.
"What courage!"
Zhou Ming nodded approvingly.
"Don't worry, you've paid such a high price, I won't let you suffer any losses."
"I will have my clansmen who come to Heavenly Court cooperate with you to the best of their ability."
Your efforts today have not been in vain.
Haotian was overjoyed, feeling as if a bright light had suddenly appeared before him.
"Thank you, Your Saint! Haotian is deeply grateful!"
Zhou Ming said no more.
"Now that we've finished discussing everything, we won't stay any longer."
"I will select suitable members of my clan to serve in the Heavenly Court as soon as possible."
After saying this, he took Houtu and turned to walk out of the Yaochi Immortal Realm.
Houtu nodded slightly to Haotian and Yaochi.
The two figures quickly transformed into streaks of light and disappeared into the horizon.
"Respectfully bidding farewell to Sage Zhou Ming!"
"Respectfully bidding farewell to the Saint Houtu!"
Haotian and Yaochi escorted the two to the South Heaven Gate.
Only after the Dao Body completely disappeared into the horizon of the sea of clouds did he finally let out a long breath.
The two exchanged a glance, both seeing undisguised excitement on each other's faces.
It's done!
With the support of the Wu Clan, the Heavenly Court is no longer a castle in the air!