Chuanlong Minor Gathering: The Subjugation!

A short while later--

Most of the first and second-tier spiritual items in front of Qin Lu were exchanged for...

The remaining items were inquired about in price, but lacking the corresponding treasures, they ultimately had to give up for the time being. However, according to Qin Lu's intentions...

The remaining treasures will be sold for Spirit Stone at a subsequent Auction.

This made many people realize that the current exchange was just the prelude; the real good stuff was yet to come!

Subsequently--

Huang Liang stepped forward, also taking out many fine items, and bowed to the crowd Intent Dao:

"Then, let's see what Mr. Huang has to do next..."

"Here you can find Second-Tier magic arrays, First-Tier and Second-Tier earth and stone spiritual items, which can be exchanged for items helpful for body tempering, or rare materials..."

"The contents are few, please excuse the poor quality, fellow Daoists!"

Upon hearing this—

Those interested exchanged bids via telepathy, and one after another, the spiritual items quickly fell into the hands of the cultivators present.

Judging from Huang Liang's expression, he had clearly had a good haul!

Following them were cultivators from Zhang Xuan, Qin Wu, and two other families who took turns displaying their treasures, followed by cultivators from other prefectures.

If he finds a suitable opportunity, Qin Lu will also exchange some for it.

Especially seedlings or seeds of Spirit Plant, some of which are exotic Spirit Plant never seen before, or even extremely rare...

However, these are niche spiritual seeds with limited and singular effects!

Qin Lu collected them, partly to cultivate them and see if they could be used as new types of alchemical materials...

On the other hand, it satisfies one's own collecting desires and increases the seedling inventory, in case it comes in handy someday...

After everyone has exchanged turns--

As is customary, everyone began to share their insights gained from their cultivation...

After all, the worst thing in spiritual practice is to work in isolation...

There were senior practitioners sharing their cultivation experiences, young people seeking answers and questions, and fellow practitioners exchanging different understandings of the same Dao Path!

There were also monks who flattered and fawned over him, trying to get close to him.

Especially Qin Lu and Huang Liang, as the second most skilled cultivator in the Four Arts present, many people had the idea of befriending them...

Despite the presence of nearly thirty cultivators here, almost half of them come from small clans!

The lineage may only last for a hundred years or so, or even just a few decades, and most clans only have one Qi Condensation cultivator...

This force—

Within the Qi Condensation faction, they belong to the lower tier, specifically the category of small clans...

Those who are slightly stronger might have ancestors with higher cultivation levels, capable of ensuring the safety of their Lineage...

Some cultivators, slightly weaker, remain stuck at the low-level Qi Condensation stage their entire lives, unable to make any further progress...

Only by possessing two Qi Condensation can a clan establish a stable foundation.

If a clan has three Qi Condensation cultivators, it can be considered a powerful clan; if it has five to nine Qi Condensation cultivators, it is a regional overlord!

If the number of Qi Condensation cultivators exceeds double digits, then within the entire Great Zhou State...

Those were practically local warlords!

Second only to the Da Zhou, the nine Dao Foundation forces are, in other words, candidates for Dao Foundation forces...

When the time is right, new Dao Foundation forces will emerge, continuously expanding their territory and ruling over a province...

This is the underlying operational logic of the Great Zhou State.

It was also the Da Zhou Imperial House, while appearing to have a hierarchical relationship with its subordinate forces, actually fostered a cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship, encompassing various Commandery Hundred Arts Directorate...

Their role was primarily supervisory, hence the imperial court delegated power to local authorities!

Among the many forces present—

Only a handful of forces have reached the level of a powerful clan, which shows their high status!

This is why these minor clans flatter and fawn over the Qin and Huang families.

Firstly, it was to find a powerful backer; secondly, it was to make connections with cultivators of the Four Arts, so as to establish some connections for their clan in the future...

Especially the Huang Clan--

With four members at the Qi Condensation stage, if they so desire, they could even recruit several smaller clans as their subordinates!

This involves a calculation formula used in the cultivation world, such as annihilating a small Qi Condensation clan...

It usually requires three cultivators of the same cultivation level to attack together, only then is victory almost certain!

Just like back then, when Qin, Huang, and Zhang besieged the Floating Cloud Sword Sect, they only dared to launch a full-scale attack on the Sword Sect after luring and killing one of their members...

This is considered one of the most classic offensive strategies in the cultivation world.

This is why a clan with three Qi Condensation cultivators can be considered a powerful clan, because as long as they are willing...

They could easily sweep through most of the smaller tribes!

Even on Qin Lu's side, two minor clans from Muyun Prefecture were showing goodwill towards him...

One: Lingyun Su Clan, the other: Huaize Gan Clan.

These two families have emerged as rising stars in the last two years. In fact, the rise of the Su and Gan families is largely thanks to Qin Lu...

The Yegan Huang Clan, once one of the most powerful clans in Muyun Prefecture, was wiped out by Qin Lu, with three members of the clan losing their Qi Condensation stage...

Every single one of them died at Qin Lu's hands!

Even those three Law Artifact that were just taken out—guess whose they are? Aren't they the Law Artifact of the three Huang Clan ghosts? Even in death, they're used to whip their corpses...

By the way--

One of the Five Poison Corpse Puppets nurtured by Qin Lu is named Five Viscera, and its raw material was refined from Huang Tianming's corpse!

Isn't this just a coincidence?!

The rise of these two companies was entirely due to Qin Lu's efforts alone; it truly is a cycle of cause and effect.

later--

The vacancy of the Yegan Huang Clan's territory also led to the rise of these two families!

The founder of the Su Clan was named Su Wanchang, and the founder of the Gan Clan was named Gan Ling!

Both of them had only Breaking Condensing Qi a few years ago, and were only at the Qi Condensation First Layer cultivation. The reason their families had allied themselves with the Qin Clan was...

First, they need a powerful ally to rely on; second, the Qin Clan produces elixirs that can quickly help both clans develop.

certainly--

Most importantly, the Huaize Gan Clan established themselves in the middle reaches of the Huai River, while the upper reaches of the Huai River were located in the northwest of Longchuan Prefecture...

It is currently under the control of the Xuan River Zhang Clan, but they have not regarded it as a key area for development.

It is very close to Yunchuan Marsh, the lower reaches of the Ying River!

The two places are only four hundred li apart, according to the plans of the Gan and Su families...

They submitted to the Qin Clan, dug the canal, and could leverage the Qin Clan's prosperity to rapidly develop their own clan, while simultaneously strengthening trade between the two prefectures...

The benefits are self-evident!

If the Qin Clan accepts both clans, then the Su Clan plans to relocate to the lower reaches of the Huai River to integrate into the Qin Clan's waterway trade!

Having heard the wishes of the Gan and Su ethnic groups--

Qin Lu also had his eye on it. It has to be said that this proposal was very much in line with the interests of the Qin Clan, and it could be said to kill several birds with one stone!

This would both Great Qin's prized waterway trade...

Furthermore, they were able to expand across the two prefectures of Longchuan and Muyun, and even reach more distant regions by relying on the Huai River, which undoubtedly enhanced the influence of the Qin Clan!

Secondly--

By subduing these two families, the Qin Clan has further expanded its sphere of influence!

With the support and gifts from the Lineage below, it's also a considerable income...

What Qin Lu cared about even more was...

That is the northern part of Muyun Prefecture, which was the second battlefield of the great war between Zhou and Liang, and is now known as the Blood-Colored Plain!

(From: the end of Chapter 62 and the beginning of Chapter 63)

future--

That place will become a blessed land for spiritual practice, and countless resources will be generated there...

It's time to make some arrangements and plan ahead for future benefits. And aren't Gansu and Jiangsu the best outposts?