Two days passed in a flash.
Under Golden Crocodile Douluo's forceful suppression, the integration of the Four Great Clans proceeded exceptionally smoothly.
As the first clan leader to surrender, Yang Wudi proved extremely cooperative.
He took the lead in pledging allegiance to Spirit Hall, personally handing over the Breaking Clan's entire treasury inventory and membership register. His respectful attitude was beyond reproach.
With Yang Wudi setting an example, the remaining two clans followed suit, soon handing over all their important clan records in turn.
Of course, there were a few troublemakers who failed to read the times. They were killed on the spot, and their corpses were hung at the entrances to their respective compounds on Chen Qianqiu's orders. For a time, everyone feared for their own safety and dared not make any suspicious moves.
Early the next morning.
The members of the Four Great Clans were summoned to a hastily constructed square.
Chen Qianqiu lay on a raised platform, his dark golden wings slightly spread, his pitch-black, uncanny dragon scales gleaming darkly in the morning light.
Qian Renxue sat beside him, curiosity on her little face, though she was also somewhat nervous.
Below the platform, hundreds of Soul Masters stood packed together, their expressions complicated as they looked at Spirit Hall's flag fluttering above the platform.
"Everyone."
Chen Qianqiu's voice carried clearly across the entire square:
"From today onward, you belong to me. I won't waste words explaining the reasons here. Ask your clan leaders for the details."
At these words, whispers immediately rippled through the square.
"How pathetic. Our Strength Clan was a house of loyal, valiant souls, yet now our clan leader has been crippled, and Spirit Hall is riding roughshod over us."
"Shh! Keep your voice down. His Eminence Golden Crocodile is still here!"
"Ah, just accept your fate."
Chen Qianqiu ignored the discussion, swept his gaze over the crowd, and continued:
"I know you resent this. But that's fine. I don't need your acceptance. I only need you to work."
"Starting today, we'll implement a performance appraisal system and a bottom-ranking elimination system."
Everyone exchanged looks. This was their first time hearing such terms.
Chen Qianqiu's voice continued from atop the platform.
"Strength Clan, starting tomorrow, all of you will head to the mines to the southwest and mine ore. Your daily quota is five thousand jin of iron ore and five hundred jin of rare ore."
"If you fail to meet the quota, your rations will be docked, and the five least efficient people will be selected for execution. No exemptions, regardless of age or sex."
Tai Nuo abruptly raised his head and said furiously:
"You're treating us like slaves!"
Since Tai Tan had been crippled, unable to move any of his limbs, the position of Strength Clan leader had passed to him.
"Slaves?"
Chen Qianqiu looked calmly at Tai Nuo:
"You guessed right. I've never denied that you're my slaves. As my private property, whether you live or die is entirely up to me. What does that make you, if not slaves?"
"You..."
"Also, add another thousand jin to the Strength Clan's monthly quota!"
Tai Nuo was too furious to speak.
Chen Qianqiu ignored him and continued:
"Speed Clan, you specialize in speed and reconnaissance."
"Starting tomorrow, all of you will split into teams and head to the outskirts of Star Dou Great Forest to gather medicinal herbs. Your daily quota starts at five thousand-year spirit herbs and twenty hundred-year medicinal herbs. Failure to meet the quota carries the same punishment."
Bai He closed his eyes and sighed deeply.
"Breaking Clan and Defense Clan."
Chen Qianqiu looked at Yang Wudi and Niu Gao:
"Your two clans will work together to form hunting teams and hunt Soul Beasts on the outskirts of Star Dou Great Forest. Your daily quota starts at three Thousand-Year Soul Beasts and twenty Hundred-Year Soul Beasts."
"If you fail to meet the quota, you know the consequences."
He paused:
"Oh, right. The Breaking Clan can refine poisons in its spare time. If you produce anything valuable, you'll be richly rewarded, and it can be deducted from your monthly quota. The Defense Clan can take on that share."
Yang Wudi let out a long breath of relief. The quota assigned to their Breaking Clan was just barely manageable:
"We obey your orders."
"Very good."
Chen Qianqiu nodded in satisfaction. This Yang Wudi knew how to play along better than he looked.
"So, everyone understands? If anyone is dissatisfied, step forward and we can discuss it. I'm a very easygoing person."
Chen Qianqiu asked.
The square was utterly silent.
"Very good. It seems everyone is fairly agreeable. Then we'll begin first thing tomorrow morning. Dismissed."
The crowd dispersed in scattered groups, all looking rather grim.
"Attend me."
After everyone left, Chen Qianqiu raised a claw and beckoned lightly.
A dark figure suddenly appeared in the center of the square.
It was a middle-aged man in a red robe, his face covered by a mask and his eyes sharp.
He respectfully knelt on one knee and saluted Chen Qianqiu:
"Lor Diarra greets you, my lord."
Chen Qianqiu nodded. Two days earlier, Golden Crocodile Douluo had left him a squad of twenty Soul Saints, and their leader was this man, Luo'er Diarra.
At this point, he was not yet the Platinum Bishop who trailed behind Chrysanthemum Douluo in the original story. Although his strength had already reached Soul Douluo, his rank was still stuck at cardinal.
"Divide your squad into four groups, one for each clan. Keep a close eye on these people, and report any suspicious movements to me immediately."
"Yes!"
Lor Diarra bowed his head and accepted the order.
That night.
At the Strength Clan's temporary compound.
Tai Nuo summoned all the clan members and said, his face livid:
"Spirit Hall crippled my father and took away my child, and now they want us to slave away for them! I, Tai Nuo, cannot swallow this insult!"
"The clan leader is right!"
"We won't do it!"
"Even if we starve to death, we can't work for that beast!"
The Strength Clan members were outraged.
Seeing that his words still carried considerable weight within the clan, Tai Nuo felt the stone in his heart settle. He pressed his hands down to signal for quiet:
"But to be honest, Spirit Hall is powerful now. Even the Clear Sky Sect has to avoid its cutting edge for the time being. We can't openly defy them either."
"But we can't just sit and wait for death."
A trace of cunning flashed through Tai Nuo's eyes:
"Think it over carefully, and you'll understand. Who has the final say over the quality of the ore?"
"Tai Nuo, you mean...?"
A clan elder's eyes lit with delight as he pressed him.
"What is the ore mined for? That's right, making weapons. When it comes to that, there are only a handful of people on the entire continent more skilled than us. So it isn't hard to figure out that this black dragon will still have to rely on our Strength Clan to forge weapons in the end."
"We'll have the final say over the entire process. Do we still need to worry about this black dragon discovering the quality of the stones? Even if the weapons turn out poorly in the end, we'll have plenty of excuses to choose from by then."
"That's right!"
A clan member's eyes lit up:
"We can just go through the motions and pass off inferior stones as good ones. As long as the weapons look nice in the end, that beast won't discover a thing!"
"Tai Nuo, you're a genius. We have to make Spirit Hall choke on this. It's their fault for insisting on opposing the Clear Sky Sect."
Tai Nuo made the final decision:
"Since we've all decided, we'll do it this way! Everyone, do your part and quietly await the Clear Sky Sect's rise from the ashes."
"Yes!"
Everyone voiced their agreement.