Elder Chen's fingers paused for a moment as he stroked his beard. Dugu Bo straightened his back.
Tang Yuan also pushed himself upright from the pillar.
"Dawn isn't a sect, but an organization."
"Second," Jiang Lin said, holding up two fingers. "The current core members are everyone here, plus Dugu Yan.
We won't expand the organization for now, but we do need to bring in outside forces.
There are two forces we must bring under our wing: the Blacksmith Association and the Fire Leopard Sect, where Elder Chen came from."
He looked at Tang Yuan. "Uncle Tang, you know the Blacksmith Association best.
If we want to mass-produce Hidden Weapons like the Godly Zhuge Crossbow and the Buddha Wrath Tang Lotus, you alone won't be nearly enough.
The Blacksmith Association has the best smiths in the entire Heaven Dou Empire and the most complete metal supply chain. Bring the Lou Family and the Association's core members over, and have them focus exclusively on forging Hidden Weapons."
Tang Yuan gave a concise reply. "Mm."
Jiang Lin turned to Elder Chen.
"Elder Chen, you'll take the lead with the Fire Leopard Sect.
With your Martial Soul and Soul Power, it shouldn't be difficult for you to take that Sect Master's worthless seat.
Pick out a group of disciples with a talent for alchemy from the Fire Leopard Sect. They'll form Dawn's alchemy team."
Elder Chen nodded, but before he could speak, Dugu Bo cut in from beside him.
"Young Master, the Fire Leopard Sect alone probably won't be enough for alchemy."
Dugu Bo stroked his gray-green beard, a shrewd glint passing through his emerald eyes. "It's true that the Fire Leopard Sect's disciples are good at controlling fire, but alchemy depends on two things: heat control and medicinal properties. Without either one, you won't get far.
When it comes to understanding medicinal ingredients and handling their properties, there's a family in Heaven Dou City that's even more professional than the Fire Leopard Sect—the Ye Family."
"The Ye Family?" Jiang Lin raised an eyebrow.
"They're a medical family in Heaven Dou City, with a legacy spanning several generations.
The current head of the family is a woman named Ye Zhilan. Her medical skills are second to none in Heaven Dou City.
The Ye Family has a good reputation in the city. They keep their hands clean, don't get involved in sect disputes, and don't take sides with any faction.
Most importantly," Dugu Bo paused, emphasizing his words, "the Ye Family specializes in pharmacology and extraction. They already have skilled people on hand to prepare the ingredients for alchemy, analyze their medicinal properties, and control the heat when forming pills.
If the Ye Family joined us, then together with the Fire Leopard Sect's fire-control techniques, we could at least double the success rate of Soul Refining Pills."
Jiang Lin didn't answer at once.
He leaned back in his chair and tapped the armrest twice with his fingers.
He remembered the Ye Family from the original story: a family that passed down the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul, with only one successor in each generation. Ye Lingling was the current generation's Nine Heart Begonia Soul Master.
The Nine Heart Begonia was the strongest healing-type Martial Soul on the Douluo Continent, but the Ye Family had virtually no combat power, so they never took part in any conflicts.
To win over a family like that, threats wouldn't work. They could only be swayed by benefits.
"We can approach the Ye Family, but there's no need to rush."
Jiang Lin looked at Dugu Bo. "You have plenty of connections in Heaven Dou City. You can sound them out first.
Emphasize two things. First, we can offer to cooperate, then see what they decide afterward.
Second, we have pill formulas and medicinal resources they'd never be able to access on their own. Cooperation would benefit both sides.
We can discuss the specific terms once they show interest.
Of course, if necessary, we can also let them see a little of our muscle."
What Jiang Lin really wanted to bring in was the Breaking Clan.
After all, although the Nine Heart Begonia family also worked with medicinal ingredients, it was still too small.
But the Breaking Clan was far away in the Star Luo Empire, so that would have to wait.
"Understood," Dugu Bo replied promptly.
"One more thing."
Jiang Lin looked around at everyone and went over the overall plan again.
"Pursue the Blacksmith Association and the Fire Leopard Sect on separate fronts.
Uncle Tang will handle the Blacksmith Association, Elder Chen will handle the Fire Leopard Sect, and Dugu Bo will handle the Ye Family.
For now, we'll get things moving. Once we've made progress on all three fronts, we'll bring everything together.
Also, no one is to slack off in their cultivation. Dawn's foundation isn't connections or resources. It's strength.
Without strength, there's no point in bringing in any number of people."
The three of them nodded together.
The gloom that usually lingered on Dugu Bo's face had given way to solemnity. Elder Chen stroked his beard, deep in thought. Tang Yuan remained silent, but his gaze was more intent than usual.
No one said anything unnecessary, yet the mood in the main hall had changed. They were no longer scattered, each fighting alone. It was as if a machine had finally begun to engage its first cog.
After the meeting, Elder Chen didn't linger.
He'd already spent too long at the residence, and he needed to go deal with the Fire Leopard Sect in person.
Before leaving, he pulled a small brocade pouch from his waist and placed it in Jiang Lin's hand.
The pouch was no bigger than a palm. A circle of dark golden spirit patterns was embroidered on its silvery-gray satin, and it felt warm to the touch. It trembled slightly, as though something alive were inside.
It was a Spirit Beast Bag, a little trinket Jiang Lin had bought after getting some money.
The rabbit inside was Xiao Wu's.
Though Xiao Wu had taken human form, killing her now would still make her drop a Soul Ring and Soul Bone.
So by that measure, she wasn't human.
Inside the Spirit Beast Bag, Xiao Wu would remain alive enough that Jiang Lin wouldn't have to waste time watching over her, afraid she might suddenly die.
Jiang Lin took the Spirit Beast Bag and sent his Soul Power into it.
Inside was a small, self-contained space. A Soft Bone Rabbit was curled up in the corner, sleeping like the dead, its soft gray-brown fur rising and falling with each breath.
He withdrew his Soul Power, carefully tied the Spirit Beast Bag to his waist, and looked up at Elder Chen.
"Thanks for your hard work, Elder Chen. Be careful on the road."
"When has this old man ever made a mess of a job?"
Elder Chen stroked his beard and chuckled. Then he turned and pushed open the courtyard gate, his aged figure quickly disappearing among the mottled shadows beneath the locust trees.
Inside the Academic Affairs Office, the three members of the Education Committee fell silent for a long while.
"He said 'Soul Ancestor,' but didn't mention his level at all."
Bai Baoshan closed the roster. "He revealed nothing about his age, Martial Soul, or master."
Meng Shenji leaned back in his chair and spoke deliberately. "Most students at Heaven Dou Royal Academy are between sixteen and twenty.
You could count on one hand the Soul Ancestors of that age in the entire academy over the years. Every one of them is a top genius who had a mountain of resources poured into them.
But Jiang Lin isn't a student here."
The room fell silent for a few breaths.
"A Titled Douluo as a retainer, a teenage Soul Ancestor, and a letter of recommendation from Prince Xue Xing."
Meng Shenji stood. "Taken together, these are beyond the three of us to decide. I'll go see His Highness the Crown Prince, and the two of you should go see His Majesty.
We must report this at once."
Before you continue