Digging a Pit

"It seems there is no hope of obtaining resources from the clan."

Seeing Jiang Guiyuan turn the situation around with a single sentence, Jiang Sihai sighed inwardly.

Root bones were a fatal weakness!

He had witnessed Jiang Chen's growth with his own eyes, so he naturally believed in Jiang Chen's cultivation speed.

But the people of the clan did not know that.

They only saw that Jiang Chen, who possessed ordinary root bones, had reached the Three Qi and Blood Gates.

Naturally, they would seek all sorts of reasons to explain such an illogical occurrence.

Either they suspected Jiang Chen had taken forbidden drugs, or they guessed that Jiang Chen had been training bitterly for the past six months.

In short, no matter what was said, they would never believe that someone with ordinary root bones could reach the Three Qi and Blood Gates in just two months.

"What do you mean by deception? The clan rules clearly state that any member of the younger generation with the potential to step into the True Martial Realm is entitled to receive clan resources."

"Third Granduncle, esteemed elders, I am acting in accordance with the clan rules. There is no issue with that, is there?"

Although the hope was slim, Jiang Sihai still had to fight for it.

There was no other way.

The expenses for martial arts cultivation were simply too high.

The medicinal pills Jiang Chen required for a single month were equivalent to his family's entire harvest for a year.

And this was only at the Three Qi and Blood Gates; once he stepped into the True Martial Realm, the resources required would surely be even more staggering, at the very least increasing several times over.

Relying solely on his family's savings, they could not possibly shoulder Jiang Chen's expenses.

"This..."

Hearing Jiang Sihai's words, the group of elders looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

Just moments ago, they were using the clan rules to make their point, and now Jiang Sihai had turned around and used those same rules to corner them.

Although Jiang Chen had ordinary root bones, given his cultivation speed, he indeed had a great chance of stepping into the True Martial Realm.

If they did not allocate resources to Jiang Chen, it would be equivalent to slapping their own faces.

But if they allocated resources to Jiang Chen according to the clan rules, it would delay Jiang Xuan.

Had they known it would come to this, they wouldn't have gone through the trouble of summoning everyone to the Ancestral Residence; what a mess.

"Jiang Sihai, does your son, with his ordinary root bones, even deserve to compete for resources with my son?"

Seeing the elders fall silent, Jiang Junyue could no longer sit still.

It was one thing for Jiang Sihai's family not to get the resources, but if the clan's resources were divided further, he would be losing more than he gained.

"Are you saying that the resources handed up by each branch should only be used by your son?"

"If the esteemed elders also think so, then modify the clan rules and publicly inform every branch. I personally have no objections."

Jiang Sihai was quite shrewd; he held firmly to the clan rules and refused to get tangled up in the matter of root bones.

This made the elders even more silent.

They all had descendants in their own branches, and many of the younger ones were approaching the age to practice martial arts.

If, by next year, one of their descendants possessed martial arts root bones, then the clan rules modified today would be equivalent to blocking their own juniors' path to martial arts.

Who would dare to speak up?

As the saying goes, as long as there are people, there will be selfishness.

When it didn't affect them, they could use the clan's greater good to pressure others.

But when their own interests were at stake, the clan's greater good had to step aside.

"Sihai, if this were any other year, Chen'er's situation would indeed deserve cultivation by the clan."

"But this year's situation is truly special. Business in every branch is poor, and the resources handed up are limited. Therefore, for the survival of the entire clan, we can only wrong Chen'er."

Just as Jiang Junyue wanted to argue further, Jiang Guiyuan stood up and spoke.

His attitude was sincere and composed.

He didn't mention whether the root bones were good or bad, nor did he say who should or should not receive resources; instead, he started from the standpoint of the entire clan's survival.

"Third Granduncle, I understand the clan's predicament, and I believe you have no selfish motives."

"But I would like to know, what is the reason you and the elders are determined to cultivate Xuan'er? Is it because his root bones are good? Or because his cultivation speed is fast?"

Seeing Jiang Guiyuan enter the fray, Jiang Sihai knew there was no turning back, so he began to dig a pit.

"What do you mean by that?"

Jiang Junyue frowned. Weren't good root bones and fast cultivation speed the same thing?

"Then let me put it another way: if Chen'er could catch up to Xuan'er, how would that be calculated?"

Jiang Sihai asked.

"Your son catching up to my son? Jiang Sihai, are you talking in your sleep?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Junyue couldn't help but laugh, finding it to be a tall tale.

The other clan elders were also astonished, unable to fathom why Jiang Sihai would say such a thing.

Wasn't this obviously an impossible feat?

If ordinary bone marrow could catch up to medium bone marrow, then why bother classifying bone marrow grades at all? They might as well just lump them all together.

Jiang Sihai ignored the gossiping Jiang Junyue and simply waited for Jiang Guiyuan's decision.

"If Chen'er can catch up to Xuan'er, then according to the clan rules, resources shall be split equally—no, two-thirds of the resources shall be allocated to Chen'er."

To demonstrate fairness and a lack of bias, Jiang Guiyuan made a significant concession.

"Do any of you clan elders have any objections?"

Jiang Sihai felt a surge of joy in his heart, though he did not reveal a hint of it on his face.

"If Chen'er can truly catch up to Xuan'er, it would mean that Chen'er's talent is not a whit inferior to Xuan'er's, perhaps even stronger, so compensation is indeed warranted."

"I have no objections!"

"I agree as well!"

Seventh Uncle and the other clan elders nodded.

"Since that is the case, we shall take our leave."

Having obtained a satisfactory answer, Jiang Sihai did not linger and departed with Jiang Chen.

"What does Sihai mean by this? Does he truly believe that ordinary bone marrow can catch up to medium bone marrow?"

"It's normal; after all, Sihai is not a martial artist and doesn't understand how vast the gap between bone marrow grades is."

"However, I really didn't expect that Chen'er had actually stepped into the Three Qi and Blood Gates; his progress is somewhat fast."

"I suspect Sihai must have found some secret medicine."

"It's possible; otherwise, he wouldn't be so confident."

"What a pity, though. Ordinary bone marrow is, after all, ordinary bone marrow. Even with the help of external forces, it is impossible to ever catch up to medium bone marrow."

Watching Jiang Sihai and Jiang Chen leave, the clan elders conversed among themselves.

No one took Jiang Sihai's words to heart.

The hope of their Jiang Clan remained Jiang Xuan.

"Since the matter is concluded, let us disperse."

Jiang Guiyuan waved his hand to dismiss the gathering.

"Grandfather, aren't you being too indulgent toward Jiang Sihai?"

After the clan elders had also departed, Jiang Junyue couldn't help but speak up.

"Indulgent? Are you suggesting I should have used my status to pressure him?"

Jiang Guiyuan sat down, calmly sipping his tea.

"I am not saying we should use status to pressure others, but Jiang Sihai has no right to question you, let alone force you to make concessions."

Jiang Junyue retorted.

He felt there was nothing wrong with using status to pressure others.

In a world where the strong are respected, it should always be the one with the biggest fist who is obeyed.

"When your great-grandfather was alive, he once told me that to lead the entire clan, the most important thing is rules. Without rules, nothing can be accomplished."

"If I were to force other branches to bow down today simply because I am strong, then when other branches rise to power in the future, they will follow suit. By then, the entire clan will surely fall apart."

Jiang Guiyuan explained the reasoning.

The reason various branches attach themselves to the main clan is to seek the main clan's protection.

But if the persecution comes from the main clan itself, then the branches will break away one by one; no one is willing to be exploited.

And for every branch lost, the strength of the main clan weakens.

If it becomes a commander without an army, the main clan will exist in name only.

"My lifespan is not long now; the burden of the clan will inevitably fall upon your shoulders in the future."

"You must remember: be firm toward outsiders, but be united within. Everything must be handled according to clan rules. Only then will the branches be convinced, and only then can the entire clan continue to endure for a long time."

Jiang Guiyuan said earnestly.

"I understand."

Hearing words that sounded like a deathbed instruction, Jiang Junyue nodded with a heavy expression.

"Grandfather, do you think it's possible for Jiang Chen to really catch up to Xuan'er?"

But immediately after, Jiang Junyue felt a sense of worry.

He knew Jiang Sihai too well; he was a devious man, and who knew what kind of mischief he was plotting in the shadows.

"I have lived for so many years, and I have never heard of any ordinary bone marrow being able to rival medium bone marrow."

Jiang Guiyuan smiled.

It was precisely because such a thing was absolutely impossible that he had been so magnanimous in his concessions.

In martial arts cultivation, the difficulty doubles with every step taken upward.

With the talent of ordinary bone structure, even with the aid of secret medicines, it would take at least a month or two to break through a single aperture.

In other words, for Jiang Chen to fully open all seven apertures, even a year would be considered fast.

By that time, Jiang Xuan would have long since joined the City Guard.

Jiang Chen would likely not even be able to see Jiang Xuan's back, let alone talk about catching up.

When all is said and done, those with ordinary bone structure cannot overturn the heavens!