Chapter 200: Later Generation
Qiaoshou Sect and Golden Blade Sect have been allied for many years, maintaining a close relationship. The two sects have cooperated seamlessly, taking advantage of the vacuum left by the demise of Twin Success Valley and reaping the most fruitful rewards. Even Taiyi Sect, led by Meng Zhang, has had to step back in the face of the united front formed by the two sects.
However, any alliance must be built on a foundation of relative equality between the parties involved. In the Cultivation World, achieving equal status requires a reasonable balance of power. Aunt Jin of Qiaoshou Sect, with her mid-level Foundation Building cultivation base, was already above Ruan Dadao. However, due to the fierce and valiant disciples of Golden Blade Sect, Qiaoshou Sect's female cultivators, who excel in production, are slightly weaker in terms of combat strength. This balance allows the two sects to maintain their equal standing.
Now, with the addition of a Foundation Building cultivator in Qiaoshou Sect, the power gap between the two sects has widened significantly. Meng Zhang is starting to ponder whether the alliance between the two sects will remain as stable in the future. He wonders if there might be an opportunity to undermine their alliance.
Although the four sects are currently united and maintaining a good cooperative relationship in the face of external pressures, Meng Zhang harbors deep concerns about the alliance between Qiaoshou Sect and Golden Blade Sect. However, he knows that rushing into such matters is not advisable and that he needs to patiently seek opportunities.
Guests from various sects continue to arrive one after another. In reality, there are only three sects and Singing Sand City present, which is far less impressive compared to the grandeur of the Forest Mountain School's Lin Shenpo's Foundation Building dharma meeting in the past. Even Meng Zhang, who is still young, feels a sense of nostalgia for the changes that have taken place in the surrounding situation in just a few short years. Many familiar faces have disappeared without a trace.
At this moment, Aunt Jin, a Foundation Building cultivator of Qiaoshou Sect, comes out to receive the guests from all sides. Ruan Dadao's expression noticeably becomes somewhat unnatural when facing Jin Qigu. Seeing a junior he has known for many years suddenly attaining a similar status to his own, while his own highly anticipated disciple fails to achieve Foundation Building, makes Ruan Dadao uncomfortable, despite Jin Qigu's respectful attitude.
Lin Shenpo of Forest Mountain School, Gu Tanghai of Singing Sand City, and Meng Zhang of Taiyi Sect sincerely congratulate Jin Qigu on his Foundation Building. After all, the strengthening of their small group's power is always a good thing.
Apart from the interactions between the Foundation Building cultivators, the younger disciples of each sect also make their appearances. As the host, Qiaoshou Sect has the largest number of disciples present, while the other sects are represented by the elite of the younger generation who have the privilege of accompanying their Foundation Building seniors to the dharma meeting.
Meng Zhang secretly activates his Deception Breaking Eye technique and carefully observes the younger disciples of each sect. The young disciples of Forest Mountain School are average, neither outstanding nor mediocre, which is fitting for a Foundation Building sect like theirs. The two members of the Shi Family brought by Gu Tanghai have ordinary aptitude.
Golden Blade Sect has the most disciples present, and their cultivation bases are quite strong, with no shortage of individuals at the Refining Qi Ninth Layer. However, Meng Zhang observes that these individuals have average aptitude and have relied on long-term accumulation to gradually improve their cultivation bases. Their future prospects are limited, and Foundation Building will be difficult for them.
On the other hand, Qiaoshou Sect has several promising disciples, especially a female disciple named Jin Qiao'er. She is exceptionally intelligent, with a restrained brilliance that sets her apart. Meng Zhang deduces that she possesses at least a middle-grade spiritual root and likely possesses some kind of special talent.
Jin Qiao'er appears to be around fourteen or fifteen years old, lively, innocent, and outgoing. Not only is she dearly loved by Aunt Jin and Jin Qigu, but the other disciples in the sect also dote on her. The disciples from the visiting sects are also eager to approach Jin Qiao'er, except for Yang Xueyi of Taiyi Sect, who maintains a respectful distance from her.The disciples got together to discuss important matters. Several factions had been planning for years to open up trade routes and establish a path to Jiuqu League. Now, all the preparations were almost complete. After some discussion, they set a departure date two months later, when they would form a caravan and hit the road together.
The next day, Jin Qigu gave a public lecture on the path of cultivation. However, Meng Zhang found it dull and uninteresting. Having already achieved Foundation Building, he had a deeper understanding of the principles Jin Qigu was discussing. Moreover, he found her lectures to be mostly empty words with little substance. The Refining Qi disciples listening to her talk felt confused and unable to comprehend the abstract concepts she presented. Even the most intelligent among them gained little insight.
After Jin Qigu's lecture, the guests did not stay long and returned to their respective sects. With the journey ahead, each sect had many things to arrange.
As the departure date approached, Meng Zhang made arrangements for the affairs of his sect. When he was away, General Affairs Elder Tian Zhen handled daily affairs, while Deep Earth Spirit General was responsible for emergencies. The disciples in the sect had their own roles, so Meng Zhang did not have to worry about them.
Li Xuan, the Foreign Affairs Elder, and Yang Xueyi, the Hall Master of the Symbol Hall, accompanied Meng Zhang on the journey. Wen Qiansun, who had recently broken through to the Refining Qi Seventh Layer, also wanted to go out and explore, so Meng Zhang brought him along. In addition, more than ten disciples were responsible for various tasks on the road.
One storage bag after another was loaded into the cabin of the Second Rank flying boat. These storage bags were filled with various goods for sale by Taiyi Sect, mainly minerals. Since deciding to trade with Jiuqu League two years ago, Meng Zhang had ordered the full-scale development of all the mines they owned. Except for the white hidden earth mine, which was entirely supplied to Forest Spring Watch, they had accumulated a lot of scarlet copper ore, mysterious iron ore, and other minerals.
The most precious of these was the Xunfeng Stone produced by Singing Sand Mountain. Gu Tanghai had managed to restore production in the Singing Sand Mountain mine in a short time. He had worked hard to extract Xunfeng Stone from the mine with the help of many cultivators. According to the original agreement, Taiyi Sect could also get a large share of it. After several years of accumulation, the quantity was considerable. Another precious spiritual material was a large amount of Warm Jade. When Meng Zhang stayed at Date Spice Oasis, he went out several times to raid various loose cultivators. Not far from Date Spice Oasis, he discovered a Warm Jade mine that had originally belonged to Twin Success Valley. The quality of the Warm Jade produced there was very high, and it had been an important source of wealth for Twin Success Valley. After discovering the mine, Meng Zhang immediately took it over and organized a large-scale mining operation, despite the shortage of manpower in his sect. The mined Warm Jade was transported to Date Spice Oasis and regularly sent back to Taiyi Sect via flying boats.
Shi Weida looked on enviously, but he did not dare to compete with Meng Zhang for resources. Moreover, he was unable to manage Date Spice Oasis, let alone come up with any other ideas.
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