The Three Clans' Stance

When Liu Yuanchen was worrying over his inability to visit Qingstone Mountain Blessed Land often, news that he had become a First-Rank High-Grade Alchemy Master and joined the Elixir Hall swiftly spread under the cover of night.

In a cave dwelling halfway up Songyun Peak, overseen by Shennong Hall, several cultivators had gathered together.

A stern-faced middle-aged cultivator spoke first. "That little loach Liu Yuanchen—back then, we failed to crush him to death, yet he actually turned his fortunes around in that rotten mud pit of Yujin Mountain."

This man was Chen Changshan, the Chen Household's highest-ranking cultivator within the Azure Elixir Sect and the steward of Shennong Hall.

Though he was merely a steward, he oversaw Songyun Peak, the most important stretch of Spirit Fields in the entire Azure Elixir Sect.

Holding such a vital post, his status naturally far surpassed that of an ordinary steward.

A young disciple with a hooked nose replied, "Third Uncle, my friend in the Affairs Hall personally heard Zheng Qian's assessment of Liu Yuanchen.

Zheng Qian believed Liu Yuanchen possessed exceptional talent in alchemy and stood an excellent chance of becoming a Third-Rank Alchemy Master in the future.

Zheng Qian was well known for his uprightness and had never exaggerated his words."

"You know as well as I do that if he truly becomes a Third-Rank Alchemy Master, he will be a non-executive elder without question and will be able to enter the sect's upper ranks.

The Liu Family and Zhang Clan have joined forces against our Chen Household. Once our family loses its advantage within the sect, we will be suppressed by those two families and gradually decline."

A so-called non-executive elder bore the title of elder but held no actual post.

Generally, one needed Late Sea of Qi Realm cultivation and the potential to break through to the Condensed Origin Realm.

However, one could also become a non-executive elder by attaining a high enough level in one of the various cultivation arts.

Above non-executive elders were elders with real authority.

Those included the seven elders empowered to manage the sect's various affairs, along with the hall masters and deputy hall masters of each hall.

Though these non-executive elders wielded little actual power, they were all seedlings of the Condensed Origin Realm, and the sect gave them generous treatment.

Moreover, non-executive elders could participate in upper-level decisions and possessed some right to speak.

No non-executive elder was someone a mere steward could compare to.

Chen Changshan let out a long sigh. "Zongming, how could I not understand the stakes involved?

Although our Chen Household has built up some foundation within the sect, our true roots still lie with the family itself.

Without the family constantly supplying outstanding descendants, our clansmen in the sect will slowly decline as well.

But Liu Yuanchen has already become an inner disciple of the Elixir Hall. Even an Elixir Hall steward cannot control him.

What can I, a Shennong Hall steward, possibly do to him?"

Cold light flashed in Chen Zongming's eyes. Combined with his hooked nose, he looked exactly like a hawk.

"Do not forget that the Liu Family has more than one promising seedling besides Liu Yuanchen. There is also Liu Yuansi.

Liu Yuansi possesses a Grade-B Mid-Grade Immortal Seed, and his talent is on par with mine.

With Liu Yuanchen supporting him, elixirs will be his for the taking, and his cultivation speed will only become faster.

Liu Yuanchen can at most become a non-executive elder, but Liu Yuansi has hope of becoming an elder with real authority.

If both of them grow up, will our Chen Household still have any way to survive?"

"Too many people have noticed Liu Yuanchen now, so it is not convenient to move against him. We must proceed slowly and lay our plans carefully.

But Liu Yuansi is an inner disciple of Guard Hall. A Spirit Stone Vein has been discovered at Golden Ao Mountain, and Demoncloud Sect will certainly make a move.

A great battle could erupt at any moment. Within days, the sect will issue a summons, and Guard Hall disciples will be the first to bear the brunt.

We can use our connections to arrange for Liu Yuansi to be included in the summons.

When two sects go to war, even elders dying is nothing unusual. What does the death of one inner disciple amount to?"

After hearing Chen Zongming's words, the other Chen Household descendants all voiced their agreement.

Chen Changshan nodded slightly. "Indeed. Liu Yuansi is an inner disciple of Guard Hall.

As long as we put forth a little effort, sending Liu Yuansi to Golden Ao Mountain will not be difficult."

At that moment, one Chen Household descendant voiced some concern.

"I heard that Elder Mo has already taken a liking to Liu Yuansi and even intends to marry his youngest daughter to him."

Chen Zongming sneered. "If Elder Mo insists on protecting Liu Yuansi, there is no need for us to confront him head-on.

Liu Yuansi is already at the Ninth Qi-Nourishing Layer and has long been preparing to break through to the Sea of Qi Realm.

To make a safe breakthrough, the required elixirs together will cost at least five thousand Spirit Stones.

With elixir prices remaining high, it will be difficult to secure them without seven or eight thousand Spirit Stones.

Even if the Liu Family has saved up some assets over the years, producing that many Spirit Stones at once will not be easy."

"Whenever the sect has issued summonses in the past, it has usually offered rewards.

Disciples with outstanding merit would receive extremely generous prizes.

We can use our connections and propose that the auxiliary elixirs for breaking through to the Sea of Qi Realm be included among the rewards."

"Liu Yuansi is rash by nature and proud as well. Though his cultivation talent is high, he has achieved nothing in the various cultivation arts.

When it comes to cultivation resources, he relies entirely on support from the family.

I have fought with him many times. Whenever I called him a worthless fool who could only rely on his family, he flew into a rage.

The moment such a person sees an opportunity, he will certainly rack his brains to prove himself.

Going to Golden Ao Mountain to kill enemies would bring him both fame and tangible benefits. He will definitely be tempted.

If Liu Family members persuade him otherwise, I will use provocation. I am not afraid that he will refuse to take the bait.

A disciple who loves showing off and has decent talent will absolutely become Demoncloud Sect's primary hunting target once he enters the battlefield."

"On the battlefield, blades and spears have no eyes. In every major war before, quite a few elders have died.

The chances of an ignorant Qi-Nourishing Realm cultivator surviving are minuscule."

"Besides, from beginning to end, there will be no need for our Chen Household to do anything that violates sect rules.

We need only secretly apply a little pressure to make Liu Yuansi step into the trap.

If Liu Yuansi dies, no one can blame our Chen Household."

Chen Changshan slapped the table. "Good, what a marvelous plan!

We will proceed according to Zongming's idea. Liu Yuansi must be dealt with.

Our Chen Household's founding ancestor came from the Azure Elixir Sect. He never managed to become a sect elder and carried that regret to his grave.

For a thousand years, the family has never produced a descendant of astonishing talent.

Now that we have Zongming, the long-cherished wish of generations of ancestors is about to be fulfilled. We absolutely cannot let the Liu Family ruin it."

With that, he took out six jade slips and handed them to Chen Zongming.

"These belong to several elders friendly with our Chen Household. One of them has already become a deputy hall master.

To maintain these connections, our Chen Household sends gifts every year. Now is the time to use them.

One elder with real authority and five non-executive elders proposing that auxiliary elixirs for breaking through to the Sea of Qi Realm be included among the rewards will certainly be enough to pass it."

"Throughout the process of dealing with Liu Yuansi and Liu Yuanchen, every clansman must obey Zongming's orders.

Zongming may also use all of the family's connections within the sect."

"In short, Liu Yuansi must die."

Everyone accepted the order in unison. Chen Zongming even bowed deeply. "Third Uncle, rest assured. I will certainly get rid of Liu Yuansi."

The next day, Liu Yuanchen casually refined a batch of elixirs to maintain his alchemy state.

He did not devote too much time to cultivation. Instead, he deliberately slowed his cultivation pace.

The Heaven-Reaching Divine Wood Technique was simply too powerful, and the Blessed Land also fed spiritual power back to him, making his cultivation speed far too fast.

Within a single year, he had cultivated from the Fourth Qi-Nourishing Layer to the Sixth Qi-Nourishing Layer, a speed comparable to that of a Grade-B High-Quality Immortal Seed.

Of course, Liu Yuanchen had considerable talent in alchemy and no shortage of Spirit Stones.

With sufficient resources, a somewhat faster rise in cultivation would not attract too much attention.

But if he broke through to the Seventh Qi-Nourishing Layer now, outsiders would see his cultivation as something piled up with elixirs.

The Elixir Hall's middle and upper ranks would likely think him incapable of being molded.

It would become even more difficult for him to make a name for himself in the Elixir Hall later.

After refining the elixirs, he walked out of the cave dwelling and began planning matters concerning the Spirit Fields.

Just as he reached the entrance of the cave dwelling, he saw a figure approaching through the thin mist.

Only when the person came closer did he recognize him.

The newcomer was named Liu Yuanqi, another descendant from a distant branch of the Liu Family. He possessed a Grade-C High-Grade Immortal Seed.

When Grade-A Immortal Seeds were rarely seen and Grade-B Immortal Seeds already counted as genius-level talent, a Grade-C High-Grade Immortal Seed was already quite good.

Because his talent was passable, his treatment was much better than Liu Yuanchen's.

When he joined the Azure Elixir Sect, the family had given him some support.

Liu Yuanchen activated his token and shut down the Cloudwater Formation.

"Ninth Brother, what brings you here?"

Liu Yuanqi ranked ninth among their generation, while Liu Yuanchen ranked sixth.

"Sixth Brother, I heard you moved into a new residence, so I came especially to congratulate you."

Liu Yuanchen sighed inwardly. How cold and fickle the world truly was!

Their blood ties were too distant. Even among descendants of the same family, there was little affection to speak of.

Back when he was merely an outer disciple, none of the other Liu Family descendants had ever paid him any attention.

Now that he had become an Alchemy Master, a family descendant immediately came to ingratiate himself.

Family descendants were natural allies, and Liu Yuanchen would not easily offend a clansman.

"We brothers have not seen each other for several years. Come sit in my cave dwelling."

Liu Yuanqi took a small gift box from his storage pouch. "I still have duty to perform, so I will not go in.

Eighth Uncle is holding a banquet at Spring Breeze Pavilion in Pill Creek Market tonight to welcome you. You must come."

Within the Azure Elixir Sect's mountain gate, Commerce Hall had established a sizable market on its own territory, called Pill Creek Market.

Other than the fact that both buyers and sellers were Azure Elixir Sect disciples, Pill Creek Market differed little from markets outside.

Spring Breeze Pavilion stood within Pill Creek Market and was the most luxurious restaurant there.

Eighth Uncle was named Liu Qingyuan. He served as a steward in Artifact Refining Hall and could be considered part of the Azure Elixir Sect's middle ranks.

However, the Azure Elixir Sect's artifact-refining standards were truly poor, so its status was naturally not high.

Since Artifact Refining Hall lacked status, its artifact-refining stewards naturally stood a head shorter than stewards of other halls.

Still, a steward was a steward.

No matter how little actual say he possessed, he still belonged to the middle ranks.

The Liu Family had operated within the Azure Elixir Sect for several centuries, yet had achieved little.

Liu Qingyuan, this steward, was already the Liu Family's leading figure within the Azure Elixir Sect.

Although this Eighth Uncle had turned a blind eye when Chen Household cultivators bullied Liu Yuanchen in the past,

his alchemy art had improved so quickly because the family had invested at least some resources in him.

Even if one would not look at the monk's face, one had to look at the Buddha's face. For the family's sake and the ancestors' sake, he had to give them some face.

Liu Yuanchen accepted the gift box. "Rest assured, I will certainly attend the banquet tonight."

Having received his promise, Liu Yuanqi happily took his leave.

As evening gradually fell, Liu Yuanchen rode a flying boat away from his cave dwelling toward Pill Creek Market in the middle of the mountain gate.

When he had still been farming on Songyun Peak, he had often gone to Pill Creek Market to purchase elixirs, so he knew the way like the back of his hand.

The flying boat descended outside the market. Liu Yuanchen put it away and walked directly toward the restaurant over ten zhang tall at the center of the market.

Pill Creek Market lay in the Azure Elixir Sect's core territory. So long as the Azure Elixir Sect did not fall, no one could ever fight their way here.

Therefore, there was no such thing as a nighttime curfew.

Furthermore, cultivators had little need for sleep, so this place remained bustling from morning until night.

Spring Breeze Pavilion was even more ostentatious. Its wooden building, over ten zhang tall, was decorated in dazzling gold and jade.

Night pearls adorned its upturned eaves and bracket sets, as though it wished to illuminate the entire night sky.

As Liu Yuanchen headed toward Spring Breeze Pavilion, he spotted an acquaintance before he reached the entrance. It was Liu Yuanqi.

Seeing him approach, Liu Yuanqi hurried forward to greet him. "Sixth Brother, Eighth Uncle has already arrived. He is just waiting for you."

The two entered a private room on the second floor of Spring Breeze Pavilion. A middle-aged man was waiting inside: Liu Qingyuan.

There were not many Liu Family descendants within the Azure Elixir Sect. Only four could remain in the mountain gate long-term.

Everyone except Liu Yuansi had arrived.

Liu Yuanchen saluted the two of them. "Greetings, Eighth Uncle."

Liu Qingyuan wore a kindly expression. "The family has trained Alchemy Masters for several centuries, yet we have never managed to produce even a Second-Rank Alchemy Master.

Yuanchen, you are already a First-Rank High-Grade Alchemy Master at such a young age. Your future is boundless."

Liu Yuanchen also assumed a modest manner. "Eighth Uncle praises me too highly. This nephew's cultivation talent is ordinary, so I can only put more effort into the various cultivation arts."

Liu Yuanqi chimed in from the side. "Sixth Brother's alchemy talent is exceptional. Becoming a sect elder in the future will be no trouble at all.

This younger brother will have to rely on you from now on."

"Ninth Brother flatters me. With my little bit of ability, I do not even rank among the sect's notable figures.

By the way, why has Second Brother not come with us? I have not seen him for several years either."

The Second Brother he spoke of was Liu Yuansi.

At those words, Liu Qingyuan and Liu Yuanqi's expressions stiffened.

Liu Qingyuan reacted quickly. "Yuansi had originally planned to come, but he suddenly gained some insight today.

He is presumably about to make a breakthrough in cultivation, so he entered seclusion at the last minute.

Once he emerges from seclusion, you brothers can gather then."

Liu Yuanchen sneered inwardly. His seclusion was false; putting on airs was the truth.

Liu Yuansi was the legitimate son of the Liu Family's current patriarch and had been the family's precious jewel since childhood.

After awakening his Immortal Seed, he became the Liu Family's hope as the most talented descendant they had seen in nearly a thousand years.

The upper ranks of the family had indulged him without limits, which had also nurtured his arrogant, contemptuous nature.

He did not even place main-branch descendants in his eyes. Why would he possibly come to flatter Liu Yuanchen, a distant-branch descendant?

Knowing what kind of person Liu Yuansi was, Liu Yuanchen did not bring up the matter again.

Just as Liu Yuanchen and Liu Yuanqi took their seats, someone knocked on the private room's door.

Liu Yuanqi was quick on the uptake and immediately rose to open the door.

The visitors were two young men. One of them was Zhang Jingcheng, carrying a gift box in his hand.

The other was tall and lean, looking exceptionally capable and sharp.

He was Zhang Jingming, a genius of the Zhang Clan's new generation, possessed of a Grade-B Low-Grade Immortal Seed.

The two cupped their hands in salute. "Greetings, uncles of the Liu Family."

Rather than addressing them by their sect positions, they used the seniority of the two families, making their intent to draw closer abundantly clear.

Liu Qingyuan smiled. "So it's my worthy nephews Jingming and Jingcheng. Come, sit down together."

Liu Yuanchen understood inwardly that these two Zhang brothers had come for him as well.

He rose and cupped his hands in salute. "Greetings, Cousins."

Zhang Jingming waved a hand. "No need for such ceremony, Cousin Yuan Chen. I heard that your Alchemy Art has already broken through to first-rank high-grade, and that you have joined the Elixir Hall. Jingcheng and I came specially to congratulate you."