Uncle Lu Tianwen

"Xuanji, I know you've always kept a low profile. You don't like stirring up trouble or showing off, but once you've reached Foundation Establishment, there must be a celebration. It can not only raise the clan's morale, but also strengthen its cohesion. When people's hearts scatter, the team becomes hard to lead. But as long as people's hearts remain steady, no problem is too great."

"The two nearby Purple Mansion Families and the eighteen Foundation Establishment Families must all be invited over to foster some goodwill. On one hand, our families are constantly competing with one another. But on the other, we must also join forces against the Danyang Sect and resist its exploitation."

When he spoke of the latter, the First Elder's expression turned grave, and he began telling Lu Xuanji certain things.

There had been no need for him to know these things before.

But after Lu Xuanji reached Foundation Establishment, he was qualified to know.

The Danyang Sect was one of the three great sects of Chu Kingdom. It occupied the land of the Twelve Commanderies and governed more than three hundred cultivator families. It continually levied taxes and tributes upon its subordinate cultivator families, making the Danyang Sect ever wealthier while many cultivator families grew increasingly impoverished.

By joining the Danyang Sect, a cultivator could reach the Qi Refining peak in twenty years. But if they remained within their family, it would take thirty years, perhaps even forty, to reach the Qi Refining peak.

Likewise, cultivator families usually needed fifteen thousand spirit stones to purchase a Foundation Establishment Pill. Yet in the Danyang Sect, one could buy one for only ten thousand spirit stones. Not only were Foundation Establishment Pills cheaper in the Danyang Sect, but they were also plentiful.

The Danyang Sect possessed abundant resources, causing many geniuses from the various families to join it one after another. The elders and patriarchs of those families could not stop them either, for preventing the children from pursuing a bright future might earn them the resentment of later generations.

On one side, it sucked the blood of the great families, endlessly exploiting them and accumulating vast wealth. On the other, it used that wealth to draw in talented people, making the sect increasingly powerful and prosperous.

Yet the cultivator families not only had their wealth stripped away, but also suffered a constant loss of talent. Their plight worsened by the day.

Many cultivator families failed to develop even after decades or centuries, while some declined without cease.

Nor was that all. Whenever there was a campaign into the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, a battle against Demon Beasts, or a clash with demonic cultivators, cultivators from the various families were conscripted to charge at the front and sent into dangerous regions. After such battles, many cultivator families were left with shattered sinews and broken bones.

Although the Danyang Sect also offered compensation—for instance, if a Foundation Establishment Cultivator died in battle, it would provide a Foundation Establishment Pill as compensation.

But how could one Foundation Establishment Pill compare to a Foundation Establishment Cultivator?

Taking a Foundation Establishment Pill only gave one a thirty percent chance of becoming a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. It was far inferior to having a living Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

The Danyang Sect exploited them through taxes, plundered their talent, and wore them down through war, constantly draining the strength of the great families.

Not only were many cultivator families unable to develop, but once they reached a certain stage, they would begin to decline.

"Don't they resist?"

Lu Xuanji asked.

"Resist? How could they resist? The Danyang Sect has three Golden Core Ancestors. Any resistance is simply courting death." The First Elder said, "The ones we must resist are not the King of Hell, but his little demons. The little demons are the hardest to deal with. To resist those little demons of the Danyang Sect, our three great families—the Wu Family, Ye Family, and Lu Clan—as well as several smaller families, have maintained a tacit understanding."

"Your and Xiao Xue's Foundation Establishment banquet must not only be held—it must be held in grand style."

"The poorer one is, the more one cannot even lift the lid off the cooking pot, the more one must dress in fine robes and look full of spirit."

Seeing the First Elder speak this way, Lu Xuanji could only nod and agree to hold the banquet in grand fashion.

To display the clan's strength, the First Elder even wrote a letter to Lu Tianwen, an elder of the Danyang Sect, asking him to return to the clan and show his face at the banquet to hold down the fort.

In order to prepare a splendid event, they spent a full month making arrangements. Superior Spirit Rice, Demon Beast Meat, spirit fruits, spirit wine, and more cost over two thousand spirit stones altogether. This would leave the clan's resources relatively strained and put them in dire straits. It felt somewhat like slapping a swollen face to look fat, but it had to be done.

If they did not do this, they would be unable to cow the crowd.

The weaker one was, the more neatly one had to dress, the more one had to put on airs. Powerful cultivators, on the other hand, had strength and confidence. They had no need to put on airs and could dress casually and remain composed.

Within the Danyang Sect, in the medicinal garden.

Lu Tianwen read through the letter and sighed. "The Lu Clan is in some trouble. I need to go back as well... Otherwise, if the Lu Clan collapses, it will be detrimental to me too."

He put away the letter and immediately asked a sect elder for leave.

After packing everything, he left the sect and headed for Changyuan Mountain.

Traveling on his sword, he journeyed for more than twenty days before arriving at Changyuan Mountain.

"Greetings, Uncle."

At the mountain gate, Lu Xuanji met this uncle from the Danyang Sect.

This uncle had left the clan for the Danyang Sect when he was twelve years old.

In the early days, this uncle had received some support from the clan, allowing him to gain a foothold in the Danyang Sect. Likewise, after this uncle reached Foundation Establishment, he had also provided the clan with some assistance, helping it establish certain connections within the Danyang Sect.

Whenever he had spare time, this uncle would return home and stay for a while.

But after his parents passed away one after another, his relationship with the Lu Clan had also grown distant.

"You've grown up."

Lu Tianwen spoke stiffly, somewhat unfamiliar with this nephew.

Yet amid that unfamiliarity was a trace of surprise.

With the clan in decline and resources scarce, this nephew had succeeded in reaching Foundation Establishment after taking a Foundation Establishment Pill only once. His talent and aptitude seemed quite good.

A Foundation Establishment Pill only offered a thirty percent chance of becoming a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Succeeding at Foundation Establishment after taking a Foundation Establishment Pill for the first time was the mark of a genius.

Within the sect, many cultivators had to take it two or three times in succession before finally succeeding at Foundation Establishment.

"Uncle, your cultivation has progressed somewhat slowly. You're only at Foundation Establishment Layer 4."

Lu Xuanji frowned slightly.

This uncle had reached Foundation Establishment at only thirty years old, yet he was now already one hundred and ten, and only at Foundation Establishment Layer 4. His progress was somewhat slow.

"Nephew, sects have the advantages of sects, and families have the advantages of families. A sect nurtures you so that you can work diligently for it. In the Danyang Sect, the benefits are excellent during the Qi Refining stage, the assignments are relatively few, and one has comparatively more time to cultivate. But after stepping into Foundation Establishment, the assignments become rather numerous, and cultivation time correspondingly decreases... I'm doing fairly well. At the very least, before I Pass Away, I will have one chance to attempt a breakthrough to Purple Mansion."

Lu Tianwen said with a smile.

Within a family, it was exactly the opposite. During the Qi Refining stage, assignments were relatively numerous and cultivation time was comparatively scarce. But after reaching Foundation Establishment, the assignments became relatively easy, and one had comparatively more time to cultivate.

That was the difference between the family model and the sect model.

It was hard to say whether such a model was truly good or bad.

PS: The update is here. Seeking collection, Seeking reward, Seeking recommendation tickets. Once it reaches four thousand collections, there will be an extra update.