Mother's arrival

Liu Changxu had never expected his mother, Lin Yulian, to arrive with his little sister, Liu Changxue, among the new group of lineage members. It was a wonderful surprise!

That morning, while welcoming his relatives outside Purple Forest Market, Liu Changxu saw his father, Liu Shihao, and his mother, Lin Yulian, step off the Green Feather Boat, holding his little sister Liu Changxue's hands. Immense joy flooded his heart!

The moment Liu Changxue saw Liu Changxu, she pulled free of her mother's hand and ran happily into his arms. Her sweet cry of "Big Brother!" melted his heart!

The siblings had always been close since childhood. Liu Changxue had always trailed behind her brother like his little shadow!

"Big Brother! Big Brother! I haven't seen you in so long. I missed you so much!" his little sister said affectionately.

Liu Changxu stroked her little braids and said fondly, "I missed you too! My little sister has grown taller again!"

Seeing how close the siblings were, their mother, Lin Yulian, felt deeply reassured.

After spending a little time with his sister, Liu Changxu took her small hand and led her over to their parents. He greeted them respectfully. "Father, Mother, thank you for making the long journey!"

Lin Yulian hurried forward and took her son's hand. "My boy, you've lost weight!"

"Mother, I've grown up too. I can take care of myself! Please don't worry!" Liu Changxu said.

"You three can talk as we walk! Everyone is watching you!" his father, Liu Shihao, interjected.

Only after hearing Liu Shihao's words did the mother and her two children finally stop pouring out their feelings.

Holding her son's hand in her left and her daughter's in her right, Lin Yulian followed the others into the market.

As they walked along the streets of Purple Forest Market, his little sister's eyes darted endlessly from side to side. Seeing her like this reminded Liu Changxu of his own first visit!

Compared with Purple Forest Market, Peach Blossom Mountain was nothing more than a remote mountain village. The two could not begin to compare!

Why had the Peach Blossom Mountain Liu Lineage poured so much manpower and so many resources into building a new Peach Blossom Pavilion in Purple Forest Market?

The main reason was that Yunping County was relatively poor in spiritual resources, insufficient to support the growth of a Foundation Establishment Lineage.

The Wu Household of Yunping County had a legacy spanning eight hundred years, yet even now, it had only two Foundation Establishment cultivators. Those two were also locked in endless infighting over cultivation resources for the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Thus, the Peach Blossom Pavilion in Yunping County could hardly obtain the cultivation resources that Foundation Establishment cultivators needed. It could only acquire some resources suitable for Qi Refinement cultivators!

That was why, after Liu Shihao reached Foundation Establishment, the Liu Lineage had emptied its coffers to build a new Peach Blossom Pavilion: to obtain the various resources a Foundation Establishment Lineage needed.

Along the way, the little girl saw so many delicious treats and entertaining things that her two eyes could barely take them all in! In particular, when she spotted the delicious spirit rice cakes being hawked by rogue cultivators along the street, she could not bring herself to move another step!

Fortunately, she had a brother with plenty of spirit stones who doted on her. Whenever Liu Changxu saw something she liked, he bought it without even asking the price. He just kept buying and buying, drawing sidelong looks from their relatives!

After they returned to Peach Blossom Pavilion, his father, Liu Shihao, immediately gathered the Liu Household Cultivators for a meeting.

At the meeting, Liu Shihao reported on the matters discussed by the Liu Household's Elder Council after his return to Peach Blossom Mountain.

As it turned out, when Liu Shihao and the others returned to Peach Blossom Mountain, the entire Liu Lineage welcomed them enthusiastically. The lineage members celebrated for three whole days!

The lineage head, Liu Baishan, had tears streaming down his aged face, filled with boundless pride that his son had become a Foundation Establishment cultivator. The Liu Household's dream of more than a century had finally come true!

Once the celebrations ended, Liu Baishan immediately convened the Elder Council to discuss and resolve several issues currently facing the Liu Lineage.

The first was Liu Shihao's position.

The second was the status of Liu Shijie and Liu Changxu now that they had become late Qi Refinement cultivators, along with the reassignment of duties among the Elder Council's members.

The third was staffing at Peach Blossom Pavilion.

The fourth was Liu Shihao's Foundation Establishment ceremony.

The fifth concerned reporting Liu Shihao's advancement to the Azure Cloud Sect and the matters associated with the Liu Lineage becoming a Foundation Establishment Lineage.

The sixth was the development of the other spirit veins within the lineage's territory.

After heated discussion, the Elder Council reached the following decisions:

First, the position of Grand Supreme Elder would be established, with Liu Shihao becoming the lineage's first Grand Supreme Elder. Any lineage member who broke through to the Foundation Establishment Realm could become a Grand Supreme Elder. The Grand Supreme Elders and the Grand Supreme Elder Council would have the final say in lineage affairs.

Second, Liu Shijie and Liu Changxu would become lineage elders. Liu Changxu's mother would be promoted to Seventh Elder, Liu Shijie would become Eighth Elder, and Liu Changxu would become Ninth Elder.

The elders' duties were also adjusted. His mother would serve as head of the Commerce Hall while concurrently holding the position of master of Peach Blossom Pavilion.

His Third Uncle, Liu Shijie, would take over Liu Shihao's position as head of the Spirit Plant Hall.

Because Liu Changxu was young, and so that he could focus on cultivation, he was not assigned any specific duties.

Third, the staffing arrangements for Peach Blossom Pavilion were as follows: Lin Yulian would serve as Pavilion Master; Eighth Aunt Liu Shifeng would transfer from the Peach Blossom Pavilion in Yunping County to become Deputy Pavilion Master of the Peach Blossom Pavilion in Purple Forest Market; and Thirteenth Uncle Liu Shiju would go to Yunping County to serve as master of its Peach Blossom Pavilion.

Fourth Elder Liu Baichuan would continue to oversee the Peach Blossom Pavilion in Purple Forest Market to deter petty troublemakers. He would also serve as captain of the lineage's newly established Purple Forest Market Demon Hunting Team.

The lineage had established the Purple Forest Market Demon Hunting Team to provide an armed presence in the market and deter petty troublemakers. At the same time, the abundant resources around Purple Forest Market also made establishing a Demon Hunting Team there worthwhile.

Fourth, preparations would be made to hold Liu Shihao's Foundation Establishment ceremony in three months. The Liu Lineage would invite the major Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment Lineages in the surrounding area to attend.

Fifth, Liu Shihao would travel to the Eastern Splendor Province Prefecture Azure Cloud Sect Branch to register his advancement.

The Azure Cloud Sect required all lineage cultivators and rogue cultivators within its jurisdiction to register with the sect within three months of reaching Foundation Establishment. Once registered, Foundation Establishment cultivators would also become Steward Guest-Elders of the Azure Cloud Sect.

After completing the registration, the Liu Lineage would enjoy the benefits and privileges due to a Foundation Establishment Lineage, along with the corresponding responsibilities and obligations.

It could be said that the Azure Cloud Sect's control over the cultivators within its jurisdiction had become extremely tight. The greatest benefit was that the sect suffered very little internal attrition and had a powerful appetite for outward expansion.

Sixth, regarding the development of the spirit veins within the lineage's territory, the lineage would first conduct a thorough sweep of the territory's demonic beasts after the Foundation Establishment ceremony, then immediately begin development!

After briefing everyone on the lineage meeting's decisions, Liu Shihao discussed their current work with those present.

First came work assignments for the newly arrived lineage members. Besides his mother, Lin Yulian, his little sister, Liu Changxue, and Eighth Aunt Liu Shifeng, arrangements also had to be made for his Third Brother, Liu Changchun, his Second Sister, Liu Changxia, and the others.

Second, Liu Shihao would travel to the Azure Cloud Sect branch in Eastern Splendor Province to register his advancement, so they needed to prepare some spiritual goods to grease the palms of important figures at the branch.

Third, they needed to hurry and prepare the ingredients for the spirit cuisine to be served at the Foundation Establishment ceremony's banquet, chiefly second-tier spirit fruits and ingredients for making second-tier spirit cuisine.

Once these tasks had been assigned, everyone enjoyed a sumptuous lunch at the restaurant on Peach Blossom Pavilion's fourth floor before going their separate ways.