Sun Mao Begins to Make His Mark!

The grand ceremony ended, and the Sun Clan had asserted its might.

It had also established the Sun Clan's position as a hegemon in White Cloud Commandery. What it lacked now was a solid foundation, deep reserves, and a broader territory.

The cave abode on the back mountain.

Shi Jian lay sprawled on the cold stone bed, with the jade box containing the Blood Bodhi before him. It was what gave him the confidence to challenge his bottleneck once more...

Sun Bo'an stood beside him, his expression respectful.

"Handle matters outside yourselves. As long as you pay your taxes on time, and with Yao'er mediating, there shouldn't be any major problems."

"I hope that when I emerge from seclusion, I'll see a completely transformed Sun Clan."

As Shi Jian spoke, he opened the jade box, and a dense surge of Qi and Blood spilled out.

"Rest assured and cultivate in seclusion, Ancestor. I'll handle everything in the clan, and not a single bit of the wealth and resources offered to you each year will be missing."

Hearing this, Shi Jian set his mind at ease and swallowed the Blood Bodhi whole. Its violent medicinal power instantly exploded within his demon body.

He closed his eyes and circulated his Demon Power. "Leave. Seal the cave abode completely."

"Yes. Bo'an takes his leave."

Sun Bo'an bowed, then departed with his back bent...

The stone door slammed shut.

A formation's curtain of light rose.

Sun Bo'an stood outside the cave and bowed deeply once more before turning and walking into the night. From this point onward, it was his turn to take charge.

Only this time, he no longer felt pressed for time. He had a well-laid plan!

Time flew like an arrow; the years sped by like a shuttle.

On the path of cultivation, time held no meaning, yet every moment had to be seized. Half a year passed, and everything remained as before.

During those six months, White Cloud Commandery was calm and peaceful.

True Person Yunxiao remained firmly seated in the White Cloud Temple. After the families of the nine counties established the Autumn Cry Merchant Alliance, they began preparing for future trade.

Hongtian City, meanwhile, saw explosive growth!

Its population of three hundred thousand mortals surged to five hundred thousand in half a year. A small portion of the increase came from births, but most had migrated from other regions.

The existing city could no longer accommodate them, so it had to be expanded outward.

Now that Sun Bo'an had achieved Foundation Establishment, he no longer had the drive to advance, and his vigor was far diminished. He gradually withdrew behind the scenes to steer the clan, handing its affairs, large and small, over to the younger generation bit by bit.

The Sun Clan was undergoing a changing of the guard.

South Hongtian City.

Dust billowed over the outer city's expansion site.

Rows of newly built shops rose from the ground. This was to be the new marketplace, with four streets and sixteen alleys covering a considerable area.

The original marketplace had been built at the foot of the mountain in the city center, too close to the Sun Clan's grounds for privacy not to be compromised.

Thus, they had seized this opportunity to move the marketplace to the south of the city.

At that moment, a youth stood with his hands behind his back atop the unfinished city wall.

He wore a long, moon-white robe, and his figure was straight and tall. He had a handsome face, sword-like brows and starry eyes, and a composure far beyond his peers showed between his brows.

Sun Mao was now eighteen, and his cultivation had reached the Qi Refining Seventh Layer!

He was also a First-Tier Mid-Grade Alchemist, and his pill-refining skill had caught up with Sun Changping of the older generation. His name was known far and wide.

A sleek, glossy gray spirit rat crouched at his feet, clutching half a spirit fruit and gnawing on it with relish.

On his other side lay a black dog the size of a calf. Its eyes shone with vitality, and its presence was not to be underestimated either.

"Young master, terrible news!"

A guest elder of the clan leaped onto the wall in a few strides and cupped his fists in greeting. Judging by his disheveled appearance, something had clearly happened...

"What is it?"

"This is bad, young master. On C Street in the new marketplace, a few Rogue Cultivators from elsewhere are causing trouble. They say the stall fees set by our Sun Clan are too high."

"When they couldn't reach an agreement, they injured two of our colleagues on patrol."

Sun Mao turned around, his expression unchanged. "The stall fees were set by our clan at a uniform rate. If they're not satisfied, they can simply leave."

"Young master, but they say the Sun Clan only got where it is today by relying on the White Cloud Temple's influence to oppress fellow cultivators..."

"Quite a few vendors are already getting restless and asking about it. Things have gotten a little out of hand. Would you go and take a look?"

"Someone actually dares to provoke us like this?"

Hearing this, Sun Mao raised an eyebrow, sensing something was amiss.

"Let's go. Take me to have a look."

A crowd of Rogue Cultivators had gathered on C Street.

At the center of the crowd, a bald, burly man with a fleshy, fierce-looking face had a foot planted on a guest elder's chest, pressing down until the elder's face turned purple. He sneered mockingly:

"I've set up stalls in Fenghe Commandery, and I've never paid a fee this steep! Has your Sun Clan gone crazy from poverty?"

"Or are you using this to oppress Rogue Cultivators like us?!"

"Do you think we Rogue Cultivators are easy to bully, so you can trample on us however you please?"

First pin a label on them, then choose a side. The same old tactics were as sharp as ever, all about stirring up public outrage and claiming the moral high ground!

The Rogue Cultivators around them whispered among themselves. Some gloated, while others were secretly alarmed, lamenting the Sun Clan's black heart.

But then the crowd parted.

Sun Mao walked into the gathering at an unhurried pace, accompanied by the spirit rat and the black dog. His gaze sharpened, and the clamor fell silent!

The bald, burly man narrowed his eyes and sized up the young man before him.

"So you're that Sun Clan young master who hasn't even grown all his hair yet?"

"Skinny arms and skinny legs. Not much to look at!"

Only then did Sun Mao size up the bald man. He was plainly unimpressed and paid the man's words no heed.

"Let him go."

"What if I don't?" The bald man pressed down harder with his foot.

Seeing this, Sun Mao couldn't be bothered wasting words. Courtesy was for people who followed the rules. Since the other party didn't, he knew a thing or two about using his fists!

Sun Mao raised his right hand, spiritual power gathering at his fingertips.

"Little Black, cripple him."

At his soft command, the calf-sized black dog beside him shot forward, moving so fast that he became a long streak of black light.

The bald man was shocked and had only just raised his arms to block.

The black dog opened his bloody maw and bit down on his lower leg. Sharp fangs pierced straight through his protective spiritual power and tore into his flesh!

"Aah!"

The bald man screamed and fell to the ground.

Sun Mao's figure flashed as he closed in. There were no flashy Law Techniques. The spiritual power of the Qi Refining Seventh Layer erupted without restraint, and he drove a punch into the bald man's Dantian...

Bang!

The bald man coughed up a mouthful of blood and fainted dead away.

A deathly silence fell over the gathering.

A body cultivator at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer had been taken down in a single move, just like that?

While everyone stared in astonishment, Sun Mao had already lowered his guard. He brushed the dust from his sleeve as though flicking away a speck of dirt.

"According to the rules, for causing trouble and injuring people in Hongtian City, his cultivation is to be crippled, and he is to be hung on the city wall for public display for three days, then expelled from the city."

Sun Mao's tone was calm, as though he were speaking of a trivial matter.

"As for the others who followed him, each is to be fined fifty Spirit Stones and expelled from Hongtian City. They are forbidden from setting foot in Hongtian City for the rest of their lives."

Hearing this, several guest elders immediately stepped forward and dragged the troublemaking Rogue Cultivators away like dead dogs.

The surrounding onlookers fell silent as cicadas in the cold.

This Sun Clan young master looked gentle, yet when he acted, he was so ruthless and decisive!

"Everyone."

Sun Mao looked around, a gentle smile returning to his face. "Hongtian City opens its doors for business, and we conduct it by the rules."

"Follow the rules, and the Sun Clan will keep you safe. Break them, and this is what awaits you!"

"Everyone, please weigh your choices carefully."

The crowd lowered their heads one after another, not daring to meet his gaze.

Only after Sun Mao turned and left did the crowd gradually disperse. Sun Mao's name grew ever louder, his fame rising like a magpie taking flight!

The city lord's residence.

Sun Bo'an sat in a grand armchair, leafing through an account book.

Sun Mao entered the main hall and bowed respectfully. "Clan leader, Mao is late."

Sun Bo'an set down the account book and looked at the young man before him, who could already handle matters on his own. His eyes were full of gratification.

"Have you dealt with the matter in the south district?"

"It's dealt with. A few troublemakers who drifted over from Fenghe Commandery have been handled according to the rules. The marketplace is fine."

"When you handle things, I can rest easy."

"Over these past six months, you've managed the outer city and the marketplace in perfect order. Those old fellows in the clan are convinced of your ability too."

Sun Bo'an nodded in praise. The whole clan, young and old, would most likely be entrusted to Sun Mao in the future. Though Sun Mao was not of his direct line,

and had no background to speak of, that was precisely what made him the best choice.

Once Sun Mao took charge, he would not deliberately favor any particular branch. He would truly hold the bowl of water level, so as not to repeat the same mistakes...

"It's all thanks to the guidance of the clan leader and the elders."

"My paltry tricks can't compare with the elders' abilities. Clan leader, please don't embarrass me with such praise." Sun Mao remained modest and courteous.

"All right, enough flattery."

Sun Bo'an laughed and chided him. "Has your pill-refining method improved lately?"

"In answer to the clan leader, my success rate for refining First-Tier Mid-Grade pills has reached fifty percent. In three years at most, I'm confident I can attempt to refine high-grade pills."

"Good, very good!"

"You haven't disappointed Changping after all the effort he put into teaching you! But don't grow too proud. The Lineage has yet to truly grow strong, so you must keep striving!"