Leaving the Mountain

Wang Daoyuan desperately wanted to rush forward and sign up with the Grand Elder. However, the clan leader was still droning on from the high platform, and there was still ancestor worship to perform. He could only suppress the urge to rush up.

He numbly went through the ancestor worship ceremony, and it was already past midnight. Wang Daoyuan was too impatient to wait for daylight. He immediately followed the Grand Elder to the Executive Hall.

The Executive Hall was the office where the elders handled clan affairs. As Wang Daoyuan followed the Grand Elder into the hall, he found someone already waiting.

After the person saluted the Grand Elder, he said to Wang Daoyuan, "Seventh Brother, why are you here too?"

Wang Daoyuan was the seventh in his generation, and the one speaking to him was Wang Daocheng, who ranked fourth.

Wang Daocheng was the eldest grandson of Ninth Uncle Wang Shoude, while Wang Daoyuan followed Ninth Uncle in learning Talisman Crafting. The two met frequently and were very familiar with each other.

He had just turned twenty, and according to clan rules, he was supposed to go out and work.

However, although he had a Tier Two Talisman Master grandfather, he himself was not suited for Talisman Crafting and was completely clueless about the Hundred Cultivation Arts. His cultivation speed was average, currently at Qi Refining Stage Level Five, and he had no particular strengths in combat.

His only specialty was being smooth and adept at handling people, making him a good candidate to manage a shop.

However, being a shopkeeper was a lucrative position, and only those with seniority and merit could hold it. It was impossible for a young kid like him to become a shopkeeper.

To become a shopkeeper, one had to find a shop to gain experience. Old shops had complicated relationships, and shopkeepers tended to favor those close to them, making it difficult for him to get ahead.

New shops didn't have as many connections, and a blank slate was easier to paint on, making it easier to get ahead.

Therefore, he had come to the Executive Hall early to sign up.

Seeing his fourth brother there, Wang Daoyuan was not surprised. New shops were a shortcut to getting ahead, and anyone with ambition wouldn't miss out.

Wang Daoyuan replied, "Fourth Brother, you know my situation. Staying on Jade Spring Peak is a waste of time. It's better to go out and work early, save more Spirit Stones, and prepare for the next generation."

The Grand Elder took his seat and began registering them.

When Wang Daoyuan announced that he was a Tier One Low-Grade Talisman Master, both the Grand Elder and Wang Daocheng were taken aback.

The Grand Elder asked, "What is your success rate in refining Tier One Low-Grade Talismans?"

To avoid drawing too much attention, Wang Daoyuan had slightly concealed his strength and replied, "Just over forty percent."

The Grand Elder stroked his beard and chuckled, "Not bad. To have such accomplishments at such a young age, your Talisman Crafting talent is considered top-tier.

However, you are only sixteen, still far from the age stipulated by the clan. Although the clan has not explicitly forbidden disciples under twenty from going out to work, there is no precedent for this. Are you choosing to go out to work early of your own volition?"

"Replying to the Grand Elder, this junior is indeed voluntarily going out to work early."

"That's good. Since you are willing and the clan rules do not explicitly forbid it, and the clan is short-handed, we will allow it.

As you are not yet twenty, the monthly allowance of two Spirit Stones for underage disciples will remain the same. Go back and pack your things, and you will leave for Qingli Market with Ninth Brother in three days."

Wang Daoyuan breathed a sigh of relief. The first step towards his small goal had finally been achieved, and he no longer had to worry about the Spirit Grain being stuck with him.

He thanked the Grand Elder and hurried back to his cave dwelling.

He didn't have much to pack, just some talisman paper, spirit ink, and an Inferior Talisman Brush. He threw them all into the thatched hut in the Spirit Pearl Space, and his packing was done.

Jade Dragon Spring was located at the summit of Jade Spring Peak, with abundant water, forming a pond about half an acre in size around the spring's source.

The spring water flowed out of the pond and cascaded down the mountain, known as Jade Dragon Stream.

The stream was rich in spiritual energy, making it very suitable for irrigating Spirit Fields. Therefore, more than eighty percent of the Wang Clan's Spirit Fields were located on the banks of Jade Dragon Stream, and the clan members' cave dwellings were also situated on the banks of the stream in areas unsuitable for cultivating Spirit Fields.

The stream flowed to the foot of the mountain, where it merged with several incoming streams, forming a pool. The shape of the pool resembled a bow placed on the ground, hence its name, Sleeping Bow Pond.

The pond water flowed out from the southwest of Jade Spring Peak, which was the Qingli River. Qingli Commandery was named after the Qingli River.

Wang Daoyuan and over a dozen clan members descended Jade Spring Peak with Ninth Uncle and arrived at the edge of Sleeping Bow Pond.

At the southwest end of Sleeping Bow Pond was a ferry crossing called Sleeping Bow Ferry. Since most of the Wang Clan disciples were in the Qi Refining Stage and could not yet fly using artifacts, most of them traveled by Spirit Ship.

The Spirit Ship before them was ten zhang long and three zhang wide, made of low-grade Spirit Wood, making it sturdy and durable. The Spirit Ship could fully utilize water power to travel downstream or be propelled by Spirit Stones or the cultivators' spiritual energy.

Qingli Commandery had many rivers, and the strongholds of various clans were mostly located along the Qingli River and its tributaries. The transportation of large quantities of goods relied entirely on Spirit Ships. Jade Spring Peak was at the source of the Qingli River, so traveling downstream by Spirit Ship consumed no Spirit Stones.

Wang Chengzhu, the ancestor of the Wang Clan, spent his life either killing Demonic Beasts or on his way to kill them. His combat prowess was unrivaled among those of the same cultivation level, but he made no achievements in the Hundred Cultivation Arts.

He also left no inheritance of the Hundred Cultivation Arts, so the Wang Clan's level in the Hundred Cultivation Arts was not noteworthy in the Qingli River area.

They relied on their advantageous location at the upper reaches of the Qingli River, where transporting large quantities of goods consumed fewer Spirit Stones. Their family's pillar industry was the transportation of heavy goods such as stone materials, spirit ores, and Spirit Wood.

The Qingli River had a gentle current. Relying solely on water power, it would likely take ten to fifteen days for a Spirit Ship to travel from Jade Spring Peak to Qingli Market.

Wang Daoyuan and his group, whose journey was related to the opening of a shop, had no time to waste on the road. They took turns using their spiritual energy to propel the Spirit Ship, and in just a day and a half, Qingli Market was in sight.

Qingli Market was established by Wang Chengzhu himself.

Wang Chengzhu made great contributions during the Demonic Beast invasion and obtained a large amount of resources, establishing his clan on Jade Spring Peak. Before the age of two hundred, he broke through to the Golden Core stage, becoming the only Golden Core cultivator in Qingli Commandery.

However, the Wang Clan had always been sparsely populated, so Wang Chengzhu had no intention of expanding.

This sparseness did not refer to the number of descendants. Wang Chengzhu had over twenty sons and more than ten daughters before the age of two hundred, but none of them were cultivators. It wasn't until he was over three hundred years old that he had his first cultivator son – Wang Zuxing.

From then on, the Wang family's luck exploded. Wang Chengzhu had several cultivator sons and daughters in succession, and among the descendants of his mortal children, many cultivators emerged. Within a few decades, the Wang family rapidly grew into a cultivation family with fifty to sixty cultivators.

Furthermore, thanks to the mortal children Wang Chengzhu had in his early years, the Wang family's mortal population also grew to nearly ten thousand.

With more family members, it naturally became necessary to acquire more industries to support the large family. From then on, the Wang family began to expand rapidly. Wang Chengzhu took the lead in establishing Qingli Market at the confluence of the Qingxi River and the Qingli River. Since this area was Wang family territory, fifty percent of the shops belonged to the Wang family.

Qingli Market brought a large amount of Spirit Stones to the Wang family. Using the market as a base, the Wang family expanded downstream along the Qingli River. Within a few decades, the various forces in the Qingli River basin either allied with the Wang family or directly became their vassals.

The Wang family entered its golden age, and Qingli Commandery almost became the Wang family's fiefdom, earning them the moniker "Qingli Wang Clan."

Unfortunately, the good times didn't last. Over three hundred years ago, the Skyrend Mountain Range experienced a demonic beast uprising. The Zhao Imperial Clan fought with all their might to suppress it, and though they eventually succeeded, the Zhao Imperial Clan suffered heavy losses.

At this time, the three major sects seized the opportunity to cause trouble and overthrew the Zhao Imperial Clan. Wang Chengzhu, as a Guest Official of the Zhao clan, was drawn into the conflict and died in battle.

Wang Chengzhu displayed immense power in this battle, cooperating with his spirit beast, which is now the Wang family's emblem—the Dragon Fish. Together, they slew five Golden Core cultivators from the Crimson Sun Palace. After this engagement, the Crimson Sun Palace, which was originally the strongest of the three major sects, became the weakest.

After the war, the Zhao clan was destroyed, and some of its members fled the Zhao Kingdom. The three major sects dominated the Zhao Kingdom and began a great slaughter of the Zhao clan's affiliated forces, including the Wang family.

Fortunately, the Qingli Commandery of the Zhao Kingdom was taken over by the Netherworld Sect, one of the three major sects. The Netherworld Sect and the Crimson Sun Palace had always been at odds, and Wang Chengzhu's actions had embarrassed the Crimson Sun Palace, making the Netherworld Sect view the Wang family favorably.

Furthermore, Wang Chengzhu was merely a Guest Official of the Zhao clan and had no familial ties. After the war, the Wang family also sent people to plead for mercy, and thus the clan was not exterminated. Moreover, the Netherworld Sect obstructed the Crimson Sun Palace from seeking revenge against the Wang family.

However, the Wang clan still suffered significant losses. More than half of their cultivators perished, and they had to surrender numerous mines and forests, as well as the majority of their shops in the Qingli Market, retaining only five. The Wang clan became a subordinate force of the Netherworld Sect.