Admonition, Social Death

The atmosphere was somewhat oppressive, as though winter had arrived.

In the Cultivation World, only one person in a thousand possessed a spirit root, yet among a hundred cultivators, only one could achieve Foundation Establishment.

Even if someone at the Qi Refining peak took a Foundation Establishment Pill, they had only a thirty percent chance of becoming a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Whenever a family produced a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, it would hold a grand banquet in celebration, displaying its prestige.

Even in the Lu Clan, Foundation Establishment Cultivators held high status and great power.

Yet now, three Foundation Establishment Cultivators lay on the ground as corpses.

Inside the conference hall, the atmosphere was somewhat oppressive. Everyone felt inexplicably terrified and uneasy.

"If anyone else has disregarded the rules, I will not say much. Go to the Law Enforcement Hall and receive your punishment." Lu Fuming said coldly, "The world is plagued by strife, with demons and monsters running rampant. If a cultivator family wishes to survive, unity comes first, and having principles in one's actions comes second. Those with merit must be rewarded generously; even if you dislike them, you must still grant them their reward. Those who commit wrongs must be severely punished without mercy; even if he is your own son, if he deserves death, then kill him. Mercy cannot command an army, and righteousness cannot make a fortune. As the Patriarch, the first rule is to be clear in rewards and punishments, and to obey the rules yourself. If you do not obey the rules yourself, how can you expect those below to obey them?"

"Once everyone stops obeying the rules, the family will inevitably fall into chaos. When external enemies invade, it will collapse in an instant. Everyone will be killed and reduced to Rogue Cultivators."

"The life of a Rogue Cultivator is not easy. They do not eat well, cannot dress warmly, and may even be hunted down and killed. Without the family's protection, how long can even a Purple Mansion cultivator endure? In the Cultivation World, if you wish to get along with others, you must follow the rules, rely on personal ties, and depend on connections. Those who refuse to follow the rules have long since had their bones rot away."

The ancestor spoke with painstaking sincerity.

As for how many people truly listened, that was up to the heavens.

These were the ones whose thunder had already exploded; who knew how many more had yet to be exposed.

"Lu Tianming, are you willing to become the Patriarch?"

At that moment, the Purple Mansion Ancestor looked at a cultivator and asked sternly.

"Ancestor, I am willing."

Lu Tianming said.

"Can you be impartial in rewards and punishments, cherish your clansmen, and fight for the family?" Lu Fuming asked sternly again.

"I can."

Lu Tianming said.

"Good, good. That is enough."

Lu Fuming said, "I appoint Lu Tianming as Patriarch. Do you have any objections? If anyone believes they can do better than Lu Tianming and shoulder greater responsibility, they may replace him. Remember, being Patriarch does not mean doing whatever one pleases, nor does it mean wielding great power. It means responsibility. When danger comes, you must charge to the front first; when benefits arise, your children do not get a share first."

To prevent the Patriarch from using his power for personal gain, the family rules contained many restrictions on the Patriarch's authority.

Many elders could supervise and restrain the Patriarch.

"We are willing to accept this."

A Foundation Establishment Elder said.

The other elders also spoke up one after another, willing to let Lu Tianming serve as Patriarch.

"Good. Next are the elder appointments."

Lu Fuming said, "I hereby announce the elder appointments. The First Elder will be Lu Tianyi, in charge of the Punishment Hall; the Second Elder, Lu Yan'an, in charge of the Pill Refining Hall; the Third Elder, Lu Wanli, in charge of the Artifact Refining Hall; the Fourth Elder, Lu Jinwen, in charge of the Talisman Office; the Fifth Elder, Lu Changming, in charge of West River Market; the Sixth Elder, Lu Anmin, in charge of Qingshui Market; the Seventh Elder, Lu Jinxiu, in charge of the shops in Qinglian Market; the Eighth Elder, Lu Changhe, in charge of transporting and collecting Spirit Rice; the Ninth Elder, Lu Changming, in charge of searching for spirit roots and educating children. The Tenth Elder, Lu Yanling, and the Eleventh Elder, Lu Ankang, will be responsible for mining Spirit Ore."

"As for the other elders, they are temporarily recovering from their injuries, so no assignments will be given to them."

"Because I am injured, some of our industries must be appropriately ceded..."

The old Patriarch began making arrangements, discussing the family's plans and direction of development for the next twenty years.

The many cultivators listened, and Lu Xuanji listened as well.

But as he listened, he began to feel sleepy.

These matters were too far removed from him.

For him, the most important thing now was to cultivate diligently. He could not concern himself with anything else for the time being.

He was merely a little novice at Qi Refining Layer 3. He was not even qualified to serve as cannon fodder. If he wished to venture into the outside world, he needed at least Qi Refining Seventh Layer cultivation.

Otherwise, as a mere Qi Refining Layer 3 cultivator, he could not possibly expect all his enemies to be at Qi Refining First Layer or Qi Refining Layer 2, weaker than himself.

That was unrealistic, and impossible.

"You may leave. Those under sixty years old with Triple Spirit Roots, remain behind for now." At that moment, the ancestor spoke.

Immediately, cultivators began leaving one after another.

There were roughly more than three hundred cultivators in the family under sixty years old, most of them possessing Five Spirit Roots or Quadruple Spirit Roots.

As for those with Triple Spirit Roots, there were fewer than twelve.

These twelve were all future seeds for Foundation Establishment.

The oldest was already fifty-eight, while the youngest was only eight.

Among them, the strongest had already reached the Qi Refining Layer 9 peak, while the weakest was merely at Qi Refining First Layer. Mixed among them, Lu Xuanji appeared utterly inconspicuous.

"You are all seeds of the new generation. The Lu Clan will do its utmost to find Foundation Establishment Pills for you and help you achieve Foundation Establishment... But you must also live up to expectations. I do not ask you to become great saints, but at the very least, you must uphold the bottom line of being human." As the ancestor spoke, he began personally instructing each cultivator present.

One after another, he gave them meticulous guidance.

The Purple Mansion Ancestor possessed incomparably broad knowledge. From a lofty vantage point, he pointed out their shortcomings and flaws, then offered methods to address them.

As the cultivators listened, they suddenly saw the light.

Because of the ancestor's guidance, they avoided many detours.

After receiving guidance, cultivators departed one after another.

After a long while, it was finally Lu Xuanji's turn.

"Xuanji, your aptitude is exceptional. I will not say much else. I will only remind you of one thing: take fewer pills to increase your cultivation. Every medicine carries some poison."

"I hope you will not compare your speed with others, but compare foundations. Without taking pills, your cultivation speed will be a little slower, but it will be steadier, and your foundation will be deeper. The strong do not fear walking slowly; they fear having an insufficient foundation. The faster one is in the early stages, the slower one will be in the later stages."

The ancestor admonished him, as though recalling some unpleasant memories.

The existence of pills had made many cultivators accustomed to spending spirit stones to raise their cultivation.

There were those who reached the Qi Refining peak at twenty, those who reached the Qi Refining peak at thirty, then took a Foundation Establishment Pill and became Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

Such geniuses could be called favored prodigies.

Yet what was the use? What was the use of being fast early on, when their foundations were unstable and they had no hope of reaching Purple Mansion or Golden Core?

If one laid a firmer foundation early on, one could at least reduce the consumption of resources later.

After everyone had left.

Three people appeared in the hall: Lu Xuance, Lu Yanping, and Lu Xiuqin, the very three who had been beheaded not long ago.

"Remember this. From today onward, the three of you are dead. Do not set foot in Qingshui Commandery again."

"Get lost."

The ancestor said coldly.

They were family, after all. He would help his kin rather than reason—could he truly kill them?

Impossible.

But from this day forward, they would conceal their names and enter social death.

PS: First Update is here. The Second Update will follow shortly; both chapters will be released together, so there will be no cliffhanger.