In the Qian Yuan Sect Banquet Hall!
Xuchengzi continued to offer meaningless words of thanks.
Lin Heng and the other two watched his performance quietly.
Of course, Lin Heng wouldn't miss such a golden opportunity to take advantage of the situation.
'Congratulations, host, on successfully checking in at the Qian Yuan Sect's Banquet Hall. You have received the Qian Yuan Sword as a system reward.'
Qian Yuan Sword: High-Grade Chaos Spirit Treasure, it is the weapon of the Qian Yuan Sect, the founding patriarch of the Qian Yuanzi.
Upon discovering that it was merely High-Grade Chaos Spirit Treasure, Lin Heng abandoned any further attempts to exploit the Qian Yuan Sect.
It's estimated that although some members of the Qian Yuan Sect have gone to higher levels of the Ninefold Heaven, none of their predecessors have broken through to the Heavenly Venerable Realm. Otherwise, they wouldn't be unable to produce even a single Heavenly Venerable Origin Treasure.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea in the banquet hall, Xuchengzi finally finished his perfunctory pleasantries.
Xuchengzi then inquired about Lin Heng and the others' plans upon arriving in the Ninefold Heaven.
While Situ Jiannan and Lin Heng were still considering how to phrase their statement, Sun Yuan casually spoke up, "We came here, of course, to set up a sect or force for fun."
Having spent so many years in the Chaotic Sand Sea, Sun Yuan naturally didn't have much cunning. In addition, he didn't take Xuchengzi seriously, so he spoke casually.
After listening, Xuchengzi's expression changed slightly.
Situ Jiannan secretly sighed that things were not looking good, but fortunately, the Qian Yuan Sect didn't have much ability, so he wasn't afraid.
What Lin Heng and Situ Jiannan never expected happened: after a brief moment of deep thought, Xuchengzi actually offered, "If you gentlemen don't mind, I'm willing to offer 300,000 li of territory north of the Qian Yuan Sect, as well as one-third of my sect's Origin Vein, to help you build your power. What do you say?"
Lin Heng glanced at Xuchengzi with interest. Before coming here, he had heard Situ Jiannan say that the entire Qian Yuan Sect only occupied a million miles of land, but now it had given up nearly a third of it.
Especially the Origin Vein, which is Source Stone mine. It can continuously mine Source Stone. In the Ninefold Heaven, where resources are not very abundant, this stuff is extremely precious. Even so, the Qian Yuan Sect is willing to share it.
To say that Xuchengzi did it out of gratitude, Lin Heng would probably never believe it, even if he were beaten to death.
If it's not out of gratitude, then it must be that Xuchengzi wants to gain even greater benefits from me.
Lin Heng didn't waste any words and went straight to the point, asking, "Brother Xuchengzi, is there anything we can help you with?"
Seeing that Lin Heng had asked the question, Xu Chengzi no longer concealed anything. Xuchengzi, he smiled and said, " The Origin Vein occupied by my Qian Yuan Sect does not actually belong to our sect. It is jointly owned by three forces. However, if all three forces mine it at the same time, trouble will inevitably arise. Therefore, we have set a rule to hold a martial arts competition every hundred years, and the strongest party will obtain the right to mine the Origin Vein."
Lin Heng nodded. "You mean, you want us to help the Qian Yuan Sect compete for the Origin Vein?"
"Good!"
Xuchengzi readily agreed, but Lin Heng and Sun Yuan frowned.
He only gave us a third of the Origin Vein after helping the Qian Yuan Sect seize it. This guy seems a bit dishonest.
Xuchengzi, seeing Lin Heng and Sun Yuan's thoughts from their expressions, immediately explained, "You may have some misunderstandings. Of the Origin Vein that my Qian Yuan Sect has acquired, 50% must be handed over. As for the remaining 50%, I will still give you one-third of the total."
This explanation made it somewhat more acceptable to Lin Heng and Sun Yuan.
After all, the remaining 50% was essentially given to their side, with the Qian Yuan Sect only receiving a small portion, which showed enough sincerity.
only...
"Brother Xuchengzi, you said that fifty percent of the Source Stone need to be handed over. What's the reason for this?"
Lin Heng asked curiously.
This matter involves the distribution of power in the Ninefold Heaven and the influence of sects, so Xuchengzi slowly explained.
In the Ninefold Heaven, there are thousands of forces scattered throughout the land, and at the very top are undoubtedly the Eight Great Imperial Clans and the five forces of the Ascenders.
These Thirteen Factions form the pyramid of the entire Ninefold Heaven. From the Second Heaven to the Ninefold Heaven, all forces must hand over a portion of their resources.
Each of the Ninefold Heaven has a branch of these forces, responsible for collecting the resources offered as tribute and finally sending them to the sects of the First Heaven.
The Qian Yuan Sect, on the other hand, belonged to the Asura Island, which was affiliated with the Ascenders.
Asura Island is a rather unique sect in the Ninefold Heaven. Its several island lords are of different races, and the leader of the island, the Great Island Lord, is a top-tier existence among the Demon Race, the Ancestral Dragon.
With the Ancestral Dragon presiding over it, the strength of Asura Island is self-evident, firmly holding its position as one of the five major forces among the Ascenders.
Asura Island is located in the Ninefold Heaven and governs dozens of sects. Half of the resources of these sects must be handed over to Asura Island.
At this Xuchengzi, Lin Heng was puzzled. Since the Qian Yuan Sect belonged to Asura Island, wouldn't the Thunderbird Clan's attempt to seize the Origin Vein provoke Asura Island's repercussions?
Xuchengzi helplessly offered an explanation: the resources of the Ninefold Heaven are not allocated in a fixed manner, but are determined by the competition among various forces.
Just like the Origin Vein in the hands of the Qian Yuan Sect, it was contested by the Jiang Clan Lei Clan, the Sun Clan of the Earth Clan, and the forces under the command of the Asura Island.
This is, in a sense, the result of countless years of struggle between the Eight Great Imperial Clans and the Ascenders.
Since those in power can't easily take action, those below have to step in to save face.
Regarding the Thunderbird Clan's open attempt to seize the Origin Vein, Xuchengzi stated that this was a joint effort by the Lei Clan and the Earth Clan to suppress Asura Island.
Such things have happened frequently in the past; otherwise, the Ninefold Heaven, which once had thousands of sects, would not have lost more than half of them today.
It's just a minor squabble between sects at the lower levels. At most, the higher-ups will give a perfunctory response and question it, but they will never make a big fuss about it.
It's nothing more than you scheming against me this time, and next time I'll join forces with other forces to scheme against you again.
Ultimately, it's the lowest-ranking forces who suffer the most.
Upon hearing this, Lin Heng and Sun Yuan exchanged a glance. They had only just arrived in the Ninefold Heaven and were already hearing such news. It could be said that the Ninefold Heaven had brought the cruel cultivation environment to its extreme.
Don't assume that embarking on the path of cultivation is all glamorous.
In reality, the lives of cultivators are far more cruel and ruthless than those of ordinary people.
Ordinary people will do anything to make money, but there are always constraints.
The competition among cultivators for resources is a life-or-death struggle, a reality tacitly accepted from top to bottom.
After saying all that, Xuchengzi also revealed some good news. "If you want to establish your own sect, now is the best time. With the territory I give you as your base, and after I report today's events to higher authorities, I believe Asura Island will be furious that the Lei Clan condoned the Thunderbird Clan's actions. Once the higher-ups agree, you only need to demonstrate your strength to intimidate the other sects in the vicinity, and then you can take over the Thunderbird Clan's territory."
Xuchengzi's suggestion was good, but there was one thing Lin Heng didn't believe Xuchengzi hadn't thought of.
"If I occupy the Thunderbird Clan's territory, wouldn't I be competing with the Qian Yuan Sect for the Origin Vein in the future?"
Lin Heng deliberately asked the question with a smile.