After the Storm, Pressing On

"Yes, yes, brother, please take care. Rest assured. I will deliver your message as soon as my master summons me." Kang Dabao stood under the Chongming Sect's archway, smiling broadly as he saw off the Hemu Dao disciple who had come specifically to invite the Daoist Black Shoes back to the sect.

On the sixth day of the ninth month of the 424th year of the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty, Chongming Sect the birthday of Sect Leader Kang Da, a day of official rank and wealth, free from all taboos.

That year, Sect Leader Kang Da was thirty-seven years old and at the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining. Even behind closed doors, he could shamelessly claim that he was on the verge of Foundation Establishment.

The disciples of Hemu Dao hadn't chosen the right day, and not only were they unable to invite their own master uncle back, but they also happened to arrive on Kang Dabao's birthday. They had no choice but to reluctantly offer a bottle of cultivation pills as a gift.

Unfortunately, the Daoist Black Shoes was in seclusion and could not be seen. So he could only drink a few cups of wine, then made an excuse that he had something to do and returned empty-handed, feeling dejected.

Despite the misfortunes of others Sect Leader Kang Da was not affected by the plight of others. Today, the Chongming Sect was gathered together in a rare manner, and even Zhou Xinran had left the Chongming Small Pavilion to invite the three junior cultivators from the Ye Household to join in the feast, making the once pristine Sect Leader's courtyard quite lively.

On such a fine day, he had no intention of persuading Daoist Black Shoes Hemu Dao return. During his time at the Chongming Sect, the latter had always taught his disciples everything he knew. Not only did Pei Yi successfully break through to the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, but Yuan Jin also broke through his bottleneck and reached the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining, putting him back on the same starting line as Sect Leader Kang Da.

The one who benefited the most was not Kang Dabao, but Jiang Qing, who made rapid progress. Not only was his cultivation about to break through to the Qi Refinement Ninth Layer, but his swordsmanship was also improving day by day.

If things continue like this, according to the Daoist Black Shoes, Jiang Qing is likely to achieve Foundation Establishment before the age of forty!

Seeing that he was one step closer to becoming the founder of the dynasty, Kang Dabao was eager to build a golden statue for the Daoist Black Shoes and enshrine him in the ancestral hall, so that he could lead his disciples to kowtow to him every morning and evening. Why would he want to act as a persuader for those old acquaintances of the Hemu Dao?

However, once the Daoist Black Shoes emerges from seclusion, he will certainly bring it along if necessary.

However, the Daoist Black Shoes did not take on any disciples in the Hemu Dao. Judging from his attitude towards Kang Dabao and his fellow disciples, it seems that his junior disciples in the Hemu Dao are not as close as those here. After hearing the news, they may not necessarily leave.

Today, it wasn't just the unlucky nephew of the Daoist Black Shoes who came to deliver gifts.

Upon hearing that it Sect Leader Kang Da's birthday today, the girl from Green Lotus Courtyard across the street also sent a congratulatory gift, delivered by a young maid with her hair in double buns.

The little girl's name seemed to be Ping'er; she was pretty, well-behaved, and courteous.

The Fei Shuhe sent wasn't expensive; it was just an exquisite food box containing seven or eight different kinds of Spirit Cuisine and snacks.

Rich in spiritual energy, Qi Refinement is a rare and precious item that can be slightly beneficial to those in the Qi Refining stage, especially in rural areas like Pingrong County.

Kang Dabao thanked the little girl and took out a few Spirit Stone as a reward. She didn't mind at all, accepted them with a smile, and then skipped and hopped back to Green Lotus Courtyard.

Since moving into the Green Lotus Courtyard, which had been moved there, Fei Shuhe had kept a low profile for almost half a year, and Sect Leader Kang Da had not seen his wife.

The disciples guarding Green Lotus Courtyard often took leave to roam around the neighborhood. Most of them were dissolute and arrogant, and had a bad reputation.

The head maid who came with the dowry in the courtyard should be surnamed Sun, and she is also a Foundation Establishment. However, it seems that her old injuries have not yet healed, and she has spent most of the past few months recuperating.

Kang Dabao had never met this Nanny Sun, but the Daoist Black Shoes had mentioned her briefly, saying that she was no ordinary Foundation Establishment and that Kang Dabao should treat her with respect when they met.

This didn't require Daoist Black Shoes's reminder. Sect Leader Kang Da was always cautious; as long as someone was at the Foundation Establishment, regardless of whether they were unusual, he would naturally treat them with respect.

For several months, not only did Fei Shuhe stay at home, but Kang Dabao also did not go out, focusing on his cultivation at home for half a year.

He entrusted all the internal affairs of the sect to his four junior brothers. Because he had sorted out all the affairs in advance, all of the Chongming Sect's industries developed in an orderly manner.

Upon learning that Sect Leader Kang Da had married the eldest daughter of the Fei Household, Lu Xun's spirits instantly plummeted, and he seemed to have lost the courage to compete with the latter.

They even specially invited Jiang Qing and Duan Anle to take the pack animals of the Chongming Sect along the trade route. Once the caravan is fully formed, they can separate it from the He Household's caravan and establish a caravan jointly managed by various families (Chongming Sect).

After Pei Yi made further progress in his cultivation, he completely eliminated the pent-up emotions in his heart, and his Dao of Alchemy skills also improved. It was clear that he was on the verge of advancing to the First-Tier Middle-Grade Alchemist.

Meanwhile, due to the low prices and decent craftsmanship, the commissioned alchemy business at the Chongming Small Pavilion has also improved significantly.

This is not only a good business to earn Spirit Stone, but more importantly, in the process of alchemy, one can also come into contact with some unseen Pill Formula and take the opportunity to recruit sects and accumulate resources.

After being provoked by Kang Dabao's forced conscription, Yuan Jin's resentment seemed to have dissipated considerably, and his morning and evening chanting of scriptures was no longer just for show.

Aside from still being reluctant to give up the "White Ape Scripture" and start over, he listened to all of Sect Leader Kang Da's instructions.

During the past six months, Yuan Jin devoted his spare time to reforging a Garrison Earth Azure Origin Shield for Kang Dabao.

Although it is still only First-Tier Middle-Grade, compared to the previously destroyed Garrison Earth Azure Origin Shield, Yuan Jin used better materials in this reforging process, resulting in less spiritual energy consumption when wielding it, and the shield's defensive capabilities have also been significantly improved.

Even though Jiang Qing's strength has improved significantly since the time he tested the shield, the sword mark left on the newly forged Garrison Earth Azure Origin Shield by his full-force sword strike this time was still shallower than before.

Just as Master Qi thought, his apprentice Yuan Jin was quite talented in weapon crafting. What he lacked was some unique secrets and experience. Yuan Jin could draw nourishment from the cultivation notes left by the sect's predecessors in the former, and he had also begun to see results in the latter through daily accumulation. This allowed Yuan Jin to barely sit in the position of First-Tier Middle-Grade weapon crafter.

Thanks to the fact that Sect Leader Kang Da became the Fei Household's son-in-law, business at Chongming Market has indeed boomed. In addition to helping Zhou Xinran manage the business at the Chongming Small Pavilion from time to time, Zhou Yixiu, the farming master, also took good care of the existing spirit fields and the big locust tree. He also carefully explored the earth's veins and, together with Kang Rongquan, opened up two acres of First-Tier Lower-Grade spirit fields, accumulating a considerable amount of Merit Points.

By the way, it is especially worth mentioning that during the six months that Sect Leader Kang Da devoted himself to cultivation...

Apart from Jiang Qing, who never took charge of affairs, the other three junior brothers got together and spent a lot of time and effort restoring and improving the previously neglected Merit Points system of the Chongming Sect, which can be regarded as a further departure from the bad atmosphere of the Chongming Sect the lines between public and private affairs in the past.

From then on, the sect could distribute annual salaries to its members using Merit Points instead of Spirit Stone on a one-to-one basis.

This measure will not only greatly alleviate the long-standing shortage of Spirit Stone in the Chongming Sect, but also allow disciples to exchange for and claim some precious items that were previously collected by Sect Leader Kang Da but could not be directly distributed, after they have Merit Points. This will further motivate disciples to complete the sect's assigned tasks and True Cultivator.

The sect's public funds, the sect's treasury, and Kang Dabao's sect leader's Storage Bag were completely separated from this point on, finally giving the sect a semblance of what a normal sect should look like.

After the birthday banquet of Sect Leader Kang Da, Chongming Sect is now busy preparing for its annual Immortal Ascension Assembly.

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