Magnolia

Once was an accident. Twice was a coincidence. Three times, four times, even five or six—then there was absolutely something wrong.

Combined with what Zhu Yuqing had said earlier—that the county gentry clans above the ninth rank in Ludong County had not changed in five hundred years—Liang Zhaohuang had already begun to understand where the problem lay.

However, all this was ultimately only Zhu Yuqing's side of the story. Though Liang Zhaohuang already believed it somewhat, he still decided that after returning, he would investigate it in secret.

"The Great Jin Immortal Dynasty was founded on the nine-rank impartial ranking system, dividing all cultivation clans under heaven into nine ranks. Among them, the ninth, eighth, and seventh ranks are all county gentry houses, established within the county cities of the Immortal Dynasty. Their most important duty is to maintain local stability!"

"But Ludong County has never truly been stable!"

Zhu Yuqing said it with hatred in his voice.

Liang Zhaohuang fell silent. The secrets he had heard this time left him shaken. If this was truly the case, then how the Liang family should develop from here on needed careful planning. Otherwise, with even the slightest carelessness, they might well follow in the footsteps of those clans that had been wiped out.

At this moment, Zhu Yuqing seemed to have calmed down. He suddenly looked at Liang Zhaohuang and said, "Fellow Daoist Liang, if I remember correctly, your Liang family cultivates Five Elements spiritual power, yes?"

"Yes," Liang Zhaohuang said with a nod.

They were all poor cultivation households of Ludong County, so they naturally knew something about one another. Basically, the spirit-awakening "classics" passed down by each family, the attributes of the spiritual power they cultivated, and the like were all very clearly known.

Zhu Yuqing nodded thoughtfully. Then he suddenly reached into his sleeve and took out a palm-sized "wooden lotus." Looking at Liang Zhaohuang, he said, "Inside this wooden lotus is a clue to a set of Five Elements attribute cultivation-method inheritance of at least Foundation Establishment level or above."

When Liang Zhaohuang heard this, his eyes instantly lit up. He looked at that "wooden lotus," his gaze somewhat burning.

For a poor household to be promoted to the ninth rank and truly enter the governing system of the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty, the foremost necessary condition was that someone within the poor household clan had to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Though the Liang family had been established for nearly a hundred years, the cultivation method inherited within the family was only the most ordinary Qi Refining method, the Five Spirits Art. Without a Foundation Establishment method, they fundamentally could not establish their foundations, and naturally could see no hope of advancing to become a ninth-rank county gentry house.

And this was basically the problem faced by more than ninety percent of poor households. Their family inheritances only contained Qi Refining methods and no Foundation Establishment methods, directly cutting off their path of advancing their clans and entering the nine-rank impartial ranking system.

Basically, every poor household clan was working hard to find a Foundation Establishment method suitable for their family's cultivation, but the results were all meager.

Within this Great Jin Immortal Dynasty, from the classics used for spirit awakening, to cultivation methods, to all kinds of spells, artifact refining, pill refining, talisman drawing, and other knowledge, everything was monopolized tight from top to bottom.

For ordinary people, obtaining the knowledge to break through the class they belonged to was extremely difficult.

As far as Liang Zhaohuang knew, their Liang family had been working hard all these years to obtain a suitable Five Elements attribute Foundation Establishment Realm method.

And for this, they had even split off onto many paths.

Some clansmen followed the commandery's prestigious clans and joined the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty's army to fight on the border, hoping to earn enough merit to exchange for a Five Elements cultivation method for the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Unfortunately, over these years, there had indeed been sacrifices, but the merit they earned had not been much.

There were also clansmen who searched everywhere within the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty and even beyond the Immortal Dynasty for opportunities, probing for news of cultivation methods. Unfortunately, they had still gained nothing to this day.

As for "waiting by the stump for a rabbit" in various markets and black markets, they had never relaxed in that year after year either.

But even so, after all these years, though the family had paid a great deal, they still had not been able to find a suitable Foundation Establishment Realm method.

And now, Zhu Yuqing had actually brought out a clue to a Five Elements attribute Foundation Establishment method right before his eyes. How could Liang Zhaohuang not be moved, not burn with desire?

But in the end, he could still maintain his reason. Looking at the other man, he asked in a low voice, "What do you want?"

A clue to a suitable Foundation Establishment Realm method was hope that could allow a poor household clan to rise. Liang Zhaohuang did not believe the other party would offer it up with no desire for anything in return.

Zhu Yuqing smiled, waved his hand, and threw the "wooden lotus" over. Liang Zhaohuang hurriedly caught it.

"What do I want? In three years, you will know."

"Remember, I am only giving you three years."

As Zhu Yuqing spoke, he turned and left.

"What do you mean? What will happen in three years?" Liang Zhaohuang asked in confusion, chasing after the answer. Suddenly, a flash of thought sparked through his mind like lightning. His eyes abruptly widened, and he looked at the departing Zhu Yuqing, calling out loudly, "Wait! Fellow Daoist Zhu, did your Zhu family already obtain a Foundation Establishment Realm method, and that was why you drew this calamity of extermination?"

Zhu Yuqing did not respond. He was already far away.

But Liang Zhaohuang knew that his guess was likely correct. At the same time, he also had a guess about the three-year appointment the other party had spoken of. If they handled it poorly, the Liang family would probably also face the calamity of extermination!

For a moment, the "wooden lotus" in his hand seemed to become extremely hot to hold, yet Liang Zhaohuang could not bear to throw it away.

Seeing that Zhu Yuqing had already gone far away, the dark thought in his heart also directly dispersed.

He activated the Five Elements Dharma Eye. Five-colored Buddhist light spread through his eyes as he looked toward the "wooden lotus" in his hand.

As expected, he saw Five Elements power circulating within the "wooden lotus," linking together into a seal that made it appear perfectly ordinary, like a lotus carved from wood.

Seeing this, Liang Zhaohuang let out a slight breath of relief. At the very least, Zhu Yuqing probably had not lied.

If they could truly obtain a Five Elements attribute Foundation Establishment Realm method and allow the Liang family to see hope of advancing to a ninth-rank clan, then even if there really was a calamity of extermination three years later, he would accept it.

After all, cultivation methods were hard to obtain, while if they wanted to avoid a calamity of extermination, there would always be some way.

Liang Zhaohuang did not stay long at Zhulong Mountain and rushed all the way back to Liangyuan Village.

After returning to the Liang family, he immediately requested an audience with the clan chief and reported this matter.

After all, this was a major matter concerning the life and death of the entire Liang family. It was not something he alone could decide.

The current clan chief of the Liang family was called Liang Xuelin. He was of the second generation's Xue character generation, Liang Zhaohuang's second uncle, already past seventy, with a cultivation at the ninth level of Qi Refining.

As for Liang Zhaohuang's eldest uncle, Liang Xuexin, he had sacrificed himself in his early years while following the forces of the commandery Wang family to fight on the border.

After clan chief Liang Xuelin listened to Liang Zhaohuang's words, his expression also changed slightly in shock. He hurriedly summoned two more people from within the family: Liang Xuegui and Liang Zhaojun.

Liang Xuegui was the youngest among the second-generation Xue character generation of the Liang family, and was also Liang Zhaohuang's fifth uncle. He had just passed fifty this year, and likewise had a cultivation at the ninth level of Qi Refining.

As for Liang Zhaojun, he was the eldest of the Liang family's third-generation Zhao character generation, Liang Zhaohuang's eldest brother, and the eldest son of Liang Xuexin. He was over forty this year, and likewise had a cultivation at the ninth level of Qi Refining.

Liang Xuelin was the clan chief, Liang Xuegui was the family's inheritance elder, and Liang Zhaojun was the next-generation clan chief they were deliberately nurturing.

The three of them were practically the representatives of the Liang family who could make decisions now. This major matter concerning the life and death of the Liang family would naturally be discussed and decided by them.