Chapter 183 : A Clan's Ascendant Fortune

Now that the Chen Clan could secure a share of the profits, even if it diluted the interests of the other two families, it would still increase their annual revenue by at least six thousand Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation].

With the Chen Clan's recent ascension to a Purple Mansion Immortal Clan, the stipends for Eldrin Chen and the Old Patriarch would also need to be significantly increased.

Generally speaking, the annual stipend for a Purple Mansion Cultivator [a cultivator who has established their spiritual foundation within the Purple Mansion realm] in most sects and clans is over three thousand Spirit Stone, with well-off organizations offering up to five thousand.

Without this fixed stipend, a Purple Mansion Cultivator would find cultivation exceedingly difficult, and it would be nearly impossible to reach the Purple Mansion Mid to Late Stage before their lifespan was exhausted.

This stipend of Spirit Stone was no small sum. It must be remembered that before securing the Metallic Essence Earth Vein, the Chen Clan, despite being a top-tier Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan, had an annual income barely exceeding nine thousand Spirit Stone.

If they could secure their share of the Bianzhou Spirit Stone Mine and the Refined Gold Earth Vein, the Chen Clan's finances would become far more robust. Coupled with the advancement of the Spirit Province Lake Spirit Vein to the Third Rank, the clan's surplus of Spirit Stone was destined to increase by a substantial margin.

After all, aside from rewards for merit and clan missions, the Spirit Stone stipends distributed by the clan were a fixed expense. In such a scenario, every extra thousand Spirit Stone earned translated directly into a thousand Spirit Stone of pure profit saved—a windfall gain.

Contemplating this, Eldrin Chen nodded and said, "Then let us set the Ascension Banquet [a grand feast to celebrate the clan's promotion in status] for three months from now. The Elder Council shall handle the preparations."

"For the major Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan and Purple Mansion Immortal Clan of Bianzhou, Kael and Caleb, the two of you will travel to Ling County and Feng County. You must ensure all the prominent immortal clans of those two counties are properly notified."

Sending Kael Chen and Caleb Chen as the clan's representatives to the other two counties of Bianzhou was, in fact, a most fitting choice. Support the author by reading on www . audio-novel.com.

Within the Chen Clan, the status of the Clan Patriarch and Eldrin Chen had become vastly different. For many years now, cultivation had been their foremost priority, and they seldom involved themselves in the clan's mundane affairs.

Matters great and small within the clan were essentially handled by the Elder Council. Only issues of significant importance would reach the ears of the two of them.

In truth, this was the way for the vast majority of immortal clans in this realm. The Clan Lord and the Ancient Ancestor were the clan's strongest pillars, upholding its prestige. However, aside from their cultivation, these leaders did not need to manage daily clan operations.

Unless a major decision required their attention, ordinary affairs were naturally dealt with by the Clan Affairs Hall and the Elder Council. They simply needed to report these matters to the Clan Lord during the Year-End Summary Assembly.

Furthermore, as the cultivation of Eldrin Chen and the Old Patriarch gradually deepened, the duration of a single seclusion could lengthen. In the future, this reporting might shift to once every few years, or even once every few decades.

Therefore, the elders had to handle many matters themselves. For issues they couldn't resolve alone, they would convene the Elder Council for discussion.

Eldrin Chen and the Old Patriarch concerned themselves only with crucial matters, rewards, and punishments. If anyone engaged in favoritism, corruption, private profiteering, or committed acts that provoked the wrath of both heaven and man, the two of them would not let it pass lightly.

As long as these two stabilizing pillars, Eldrin Chen and the Old Patriarch, remained, the clan would not descend into chaos even amidst great turmoil. These Foundation Establishment Elder would remain united, avoiding the kind of internal strife that had plagued the Green Sun Sect.

This was the power of leading by example. They dedicated themselves wholeheartedly to the clan and severely punished those who betrayed it. Those below naturally followed their lead.

Returning to the main point, both Kael and Caleb were still quite young. One was exceptionally youthful, and the other had achieved Self-Guided Foundation Establishment [a rare and difficult method of advancing to the Foundation Establishment Realm without external aid]. Both had now broken through to the Foundation Establishment Fourth Layer.

Though the Chen Clan now boasts thirteen Foundation Establishment Cultivator [cultivators who have solidified their foundation in the Dao], the truly exceptional among them are merely the two siblings and Kael Chen.

Others, such as Seraphina, Nianfeng, and Nianzhen, fall somewhat short; their temperament, innate talent, and remaining lifespan are not particularly outstanding among Foundation Establishment Cultivator. In fact, they are less diligent in their cultivation than Lior Chen and Chen Elara of the Qing Generation.

Among the clan's many elders, these two hold positions of significant importance and status. They have earned the regard of both Eldrin Chen and the Old Patriarch. Having them deliver the Invitation [a formal request for attendance] also demonstrates respect towards the various great families.

"Speaking of hosting a banquet, it reminds me of the clan's Foundation Establishment [the realm of solidifying one's Dao foundation] celebration nearly forty years ago."

"Back then, the clan produced three Foundation Establishment cultivators in succession, and I was the one running the errands. Who could have imagined such tremendous change within a mere forty years?"

Eldrin Chen said with a smile. Four decades had passed in the blink of an eye, and now he stood as a figure of Ancient Ancestor [a venerable progenitor of a clan] stature.

Given his current standing, it was no longer appropriate for him to deliver Invitation Letter [a formal written request for attendance]. Even a Purple Mansion Immortal Clan [a clan with cultivators who have opened their Purple Mansion, a higher spiritual realm] could scarcely bear the weight of such an honor, let alone those mere Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan [clans whose power is anchored in the Foundation Establishment realm].

The assembly deliberated further, seizing the opportunity to discuss several other matters of importance. A full day passed before their conclave drew to a close.

Once all arrangements were settled, Eldrin Chen and the Old Patriarch began the work of establishing a Formation [a mystical array or defensive enchantment] for the Mysterious Iron Mountain Dao Field.

After surveying the lay of the land, the Old Patriarch addressed Eldrin Chen.

"To connect the Mysterious Iron Mountain Spirit Vein with the Metallic Essence Earth Vein, it would be best to use a metal-attribute magical treasure as the formation's core artifact."

"Only then can its maximum power be unleashed."

Eldrin Chen's eyes flickered slightly as he retrieved a Third Rank Magical Treasure.

It was precisely the Xuluo Diamond Banner. This treasure was a versatile Third Rank Magical Treasure whose contained divine abilities, the Glazed Diamond Barrier and the Xuluo Heaven-Smiting Seal, were both of the metal attribute.

The Old Patriarch glanced at it, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "This treasure possesses formidable power. Would it not be better for you to keep it, to bolster your own combat strength?"

"Now that I have broken through to the Purple Mansion [the third major stage of cultivation, where one forms a spiritual mansion within the dantian], this item is merely an added luxury for me." This content originates from audio - novel . com. Please respect copyright.

"This Dark Iron Mountain will become one of the clan's greatest lifelines in the future. Using this treasure to establish a Third Rank Formation to secure the Dark Iron Mountain's Earth Vein [a subterranean conduit of concentrated earth-element spiritual energy] is simply making the best use of its capabilities."

Eldrin Chen shook his head as he spoke. Although this treasure offered both offense and defense, he already possessed the Luofu Diamond Seal for protection and was hardly lacking in offensive means. While the banner still had its uses, its significance to him was no longer paramount.

Seeing his resolve, the Old Patriarch acquiesced to his view and began the work of setting up the Mountain Guardian Grand Formation.

Working together, the two spent several days before finally completing the grand formation. Gazing upon the completed Formation [a complex arrangement of energy channels and artifacts designed to produce specific magical effects], Chen Thalion said with evident satisfaction,

"With this grand formation standing guard, even if a Purple Mansion Cultivator [a cultivator who has established their Purple Mansion, the spiritual core within the dantian] were to attack in the future, it would likely be able to hold them off for a considerable time."

"Mm."

Eldrin Chen also nodded, a smile gracing his features.

Once completed, this Formation [a structured arrangement of energy channels and nodes designed to produce specific magical effects] proved to be truly extraordinary. The two divine abilities of the Xuluo Diamond Banner [a powerful banner-type magical treasure] would see their power greatly amplified by it, making the formation difficult for even a Purple Mansion Cultivator to breach in a short span of time.

However, the spiritual energy from the Second Rank High Grade Earth Vein [a high-quality vein of earth-aspected spiritual energy] was ultimately somewhat insufficient. To unleash the formation's full potential, it would need to be elevated to a Third Rank Spirit Vein [a vein of spiritual energy of the third rank, suitable for Purple Mansion cultivators] in the future.

Yet that would require an expenditure of three hundred thousand Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation]. Even after the Chen Clan ascended to become a Purple Mansion Immortal Clan [a clan with at least one Purple Mansion cultivator as its pillar], gathering that sum of Spirit Stone would likely take twenty to thirty years.

Fortunately, the Chen Clan had seized a large quantity of second-rank Heaven and Earth Treasures [rare natural materials imbued with spiritual power] from the Metallic Essence Earth Vein [an earth vein rich in metallic essence spiritual energy]. Selling them off would cover a large portion of the cost.

With the clan providing a small subsidy on top of that, the Mysterious Iron Mountain Dao Field [the cultivation sanctuary established at Mysterious Iron Mountain] could be elevated to Third Rank Low Grade [the lowest grade of the third rank] within five years.

Once a Third Rank Spirit Vein was in place, the scale of the Spirit Farmland [land enriched with spiritual energy for growing spirit crops] at the Mysterious Iron Mountain Vein [the ore vein within Mysterious Iron Mountain] would expand once more, bringing increased harvests and income for the clan—a virtuous cycle would be set in motion.

Of course, the primary reason this was feasible was the presence of a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root [a supreme-grade spiritual root of exceptional purity and affinity] within the Chen Clan, which eliminated the advancement energy loss for the Spirit Vein [a natural conduit of concentrated spiritual energy] at three locations: Pingyang City, Verdant Chariot Mountain, and Spirit Isle Lake.

Otherwise, even advancing just two Third Rank Spirit Veins would force a newly ascended Purple Mansion Immortal Clan [a powerful clan whose patriarch has reached the Purple Mansion cultivation realm] into a state of severe austerity, necessitating a full century of rigorous frugality to even have a chance of amassing sufficient Spirit Stones [minerals that store and radiate spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation].

After deploying the Third Rank Grand Formation [a powerful, large-scale defensive or offensive magical array] at Mysterious Iron Mountain, the clan's Foundation Establishment Cultivators [cultivators who have established their foundational cultivation base] were finally freed up from their garrison duties.

The Chen Clan left five Foundation Establishment Cultivators—Elara Chen, Kael Chen, Nianzhen Chen, Seraphina Chen, and Nianfeng Chen—to garrison the location. All others returned to Verdant Chariot Mountain and their respective Spirit Veins [natural conduits of concentrated spiritual energy within the earth]. The story continues at audio—novel.com.