A Banquet Bestowed in the Imperial Garden: The Sought-After Kong Household
With a tap of my finger, I was instantly transported to the exciting world of Chapter 514, "The Imperial Garden" banquet where the Kong Household was highly sought after (seeking monthly votes).
Merit points earned in the "Golden Crow Imperial Dynasty" can be exchanged for various resources, treasures, and inheritances from the "Golden Crow Imperial Dynasty" treasury. Merit points are earned not only through rewards from the king and emperor during the "Small Court Assembly" and "Large Court Assembly," but also through daily accumulation of land defense and tax payment, as well as through the acquisition of merit points in various internal and external wars.
Since the Kong Household advanced to the Ninth-Grade True Spirit Lineage through the Star Inlaying, nearly eighty years have passed. Every year, they have guarded the land, paid taxes, made meritorious contributions in various battles, and received rewards from the two "court assemblies". All these have accumulated more than 30,000 merits in the "Golden Crow Imperial Dynasty".
The Kong Household never used these accumulated merits.
Originally, I planned to accumulate merits to exchange for a "Heaven-Mending Pill" from the "Imperial Treasury" to treat the Second Elder Kong Changlan's fundamental injury. However, I later received a "Heaven-Mending Pill" as a gift from the Geng Household "Qinggeng," which cured the Second Elder's injury. Therefore, I have not used the merits I have accumulated.
However, Kong Wenxuan now has the idea of making use of these meritorious officials.
After all, 30,000 merit points is no small amount; it can be exchanged for some good things in the "Imperial Treasury." Moreover, the "Grand Court Assembly" will be held ahead of schedule, and the plan to counterattack the "Heavenly Demon Grotto-Heaven" has already been decided during the previous discussions. He and the Kong Household will definitely participate in it and follow the "Bifang" Bi Household to attack the "Heavenly Demon Grotto-Heaven."
To protect oneself and seize more resources, treasures, and origins within the "Heavenly Demon Grotto-Heaven," one naturally needs to enhance one's own strength and the foundation of Lineage as much as possible.
Therefore, at this point, it would be a waste to keep these merits unused. It would be better to use them to improve one's own and Lineage's combat strength, so as to obtain more merits and plunder more resources, spiritual objects, and treasures in the later counterattack on "Heavenly Demon Grotto-Heaven".
Soon, the rewards and punishments for the various "True Spirit Lineage" were completed, and the main proceedings of this grand assembly were finished.
At the head of the table, the Grand Yin Jade Rabbit cultivator from the Yu Household, who was presiding over the "Grand Court Assembly," announced loudly, "All officials, enter the Imperial Garden for a banquet!"
The next moment, Kong Wenxuan felt the starlight rising and flowing around him, changing the world and shifting his position. When the starlight dissipated, he was no longer in the "golden palace" where the "grand court assembly" was being held, but had been moved to a garden.
This garden seems to have been created in the clouds, surrounded by clouds and filled with all kinds of Rare Flowers and Exotic Herbs and rare herbs, Spirit Plant and exotic flowers, artificial mountains and jade stones, palaces and pavilions, all made of high-level spiritual objects and materials, surrounded by spiritual light and full of Spiritual Qi.
Kong Wenxuan took a small breath and could feel the abundant Spiritual Qi flowing into his body, making his body, his Purple Mansion Golden Core, his Peacock Bloodline, his spiritual Spiritual Consciousness, and so on, all feel quite active and enhanced.
It felt like a true "fairyland," filled with an ethereal atmosphere.
At this moment, in this garden, many tables and chairs were arranged according to status, and the members of each "True Spirit Lineage" were sitting in front of their respective tables and chairs according to their status and rank.
Seated at the very head of the table was the emperor of the "Golden Crow Imperial Dynasty," followed by members of five "Second-Grade True Spirit" Lineage, then members of "Third-Grade True Spirit" Lineage, and so on.
Kong Wenxuan was sitting in the seat of a "Seventh-Grade True Spirit" Lineage, and those around him were also members of the "Seventh-Grade True Spirit" Lineage.
Here, the seating arrangement is no longer based on the location of the Lineage or the prefecture, but entirely on the Lineage's rank.
Therefore, when Kong Wenxuan looked around, apart from a few people he recognized, such as Ya Xinghe of the "Fire Crow" Crow Lineage, and the head of the "Spotted Ferret" Flower Lineage, most of them were people from the "Seventh-Grade True Spirit" Lineage he had never seen before, and most of them came from various prefectures and counties in the Five Directions and Five Regions.
The Central Domain comprises thirteen states, and the Four Directions and Four Regions comprise dozens of states. These states contain over a thousand counties, and even within each county, only a handful of Lineage possess "Seventh-Grade True Spirit." The total number of such families combined is at least several thousand.
Therefore, the banquet of the "Seventh-Grade True Spirit" Lineage alone had several thousand people, but Kong Wenxuan could only recognize a dozen or so of them, all of whom he knew from various counties in "Extended Net Moon Deer Prefecture".
However, at this moment, these people from the "Seventh-Grade True Spirit" Lineage came from different places in the five directions and five regions of the "True Spirit Realm". Although most of them did not know each other, it did not prevent them from making friends, raising their cups to toast each other, and exchanging pleasantries.
After all, everyone is from a "Seventh-Grade True Spirit" Lineage, and everyone is at the Fourth Tier Golden Core Stage. Their status, strength, and other aspects are similar, so it is naturally easier for people at the same level to get along and become acquainted.
Even if we don't develop a great friendship, just meeting each other two or three times would be beneficial if we could help each other out and take care of each other during the counterattack on the "Heavenly Demon Grotto-Heaven".
Therefore, although most of the people did not know each other, it did not prevent them from chatting enthusiastically and calling each other brothers.
Everyone gets to know each other and builds relationships at this banquet, all for the purpose of helping each other in the counterattack against the "True Spirit Lineage Heavenly Demon Grotto-Heaven". Therefore, the stronger a person is, the more popular they are, and the more people from the "True Spirit Lineage" come to make friends and build relationships.
Therefore, in a short period of time, Kong Wenxuan got to know many people from "Seventh-Grade True Spirit" Lineage from all over the country, including those from the Thirteen States of the Central Domain, the Eastern Azure Dragon Domain, and the Western White Tiger Domain. These "Seventh-Grade True Spirit" Lineage each had their own strengths and methods, and Kong Wenxuan gained a lot of knowledge and benefits through his conversations with them.
Of course, Kong Wenxuan wasn't the only one who was popular, talked about by many, and befriended by others. After all, among the "Seventh-Grade True Spirit" Lineage, the Kong Household's achievements only ranked ninth. There were eight "Seventh-Grade True Spirit" Lineage ahead of Kong Household, whose achievements far surpassed theirs.
These eight "Seventh-Grade True Spirit" Lineage are naturally stronger and more influential, even surpassing the Kong Household. Naturally, they are also sought after, courted, and befriended by more members of the "Seventh-Grade True Spirit" Lineage.
The members of the "Seventh-Grade True Spirit" Lineage usually chatted and got to know the members of the previous eight "Seventh-Grade True Spirit" Lineage before they came to greet Kong Wenxuan, chatted, and got to know him.
Kong Wenxuan didn't care about this. He warmly received all the people from the "Seventh-Grade True Spirit" Lineage who came to talk and make friends, and they praised each other and got to know each other.
After all, the Kong Household's rise to power was too recent, and their foundation and strength were limited. Being able to make more acquaintances and connections with "Seventh-Grade True Spirit" Lineage would always be helpful and beneficial to their later counterattack on "Heavenly Demon Grotto-Heaven".
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