Liang Country is divided into five provinces and seventy-two commanderies.
Among them, Mizhou is located in the Northern Territory and has always been regarded as a poor and bitter land. The Spirit Veins within the province are not abundant, and there are few Grotto Heaven Blessed Lands.
Black Mountain County, because it borders the Black Mountain Range, has slightly richer resources. However, most of the Spirit Land is deep within the mountain range and difficult to utilize, so the number of Cultivators it can support is also limited.
"Who would have thought that the power that looms over all the Cultivation Families and Loose Cultivators of Black Mountain County is just an ordinary Sect in the grand scheme of Liang Country, nothing special at all."
Bai Zichen closed the scroll and let out a long sigh.
Read ten thousand scrolls, travel ten thousand miles.
In recent years, he had nearly finished reading all the scrolls in the library, gaining a superficial understanding of the world beyond Black Mountain County.
The seventy-two commanderies of Liang Country were vast. A smooth journey from the southernmost edge to the border of the Northern Territory would take more than ten years. This didn't even account for the bandits, robbers, and various natural disasters along the way. Only Cultivators could possibly leave their footprints across the entire nation.
To say nothing of the boundless lands beyond Liang Country... For instance, the Bitter Cold and Desolate Land where the Naihe Sect was located was separated from Liang Country by four or five other kingdoms.
'I really want to go out and see this magnificent world...' he thought. 'But I'd better forget it. Inter-kingdom travel is probably dangerous even for a Great Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Only at the level of a Core Formation True Man would one have the power to protect oneself.'
After indulging in a moment of longing, Bai Zichen quickly pulled his thoughts back to the present.
Next month, the Five Mountains Temple's Inheritance Stele would be accessible. Therefore, today the Elders had to decide which two people would represent the Bai Family and receive the precious spots.
The Qingfeng Sect had already sent a clear decree: regardless of what a Clan Cultivator obtained from the Inheritance Stele, it would be considered their personal fortuitous encounter, and the Sect would absolutely not seize it.
However, if it was a shareable item like a Cultivation Technique that the Qingfeng Sect didn't possess and the finder was willing to offer, they would definitely compensate the corresponding Clan based on market value, with no upper limit.
They even included the Foundation Establishment Pill.
As soon as this news broke, it ignited the entire Cultivation Realm of Black Mountain County.
The value of a Foundation Establishment Pill wasn't just its price—though at over ten thousand Spirit Stones a piece, it was certainly expensive enough—but also the difficulty in acquiring one.
Not only were the Alchemy Materials monopolized by the Qingfeng Sect, but even if one managed to collect the materials from other commanderies, finding a suitable Alchemist was another challenge. Many Tier Two Alchemists had no experience refining Foundation Establishment Pills. Who would dare entrust tens of thousands of Spirit Stones' worth of Alchemy Materials to an Alchemist with no practical experience in making them?
As for buying a pill or hiring someone to perform the alchemy in another commandery, the risks and uncertainties involved were even greater.
A single Foundation Establishment Pill was enough to make a normally kind-faced and well-respected Righteous Dao Cultivator transform into a ruthless Tribulation Cultivator, willing to do anything to obtain it.
There was precedent for this. The Zeng Clan, one of the Top Five Families, had three Great Foundation Establishment Cultivators at its peak, with over a thousand clan members and unparalleled prestige. But in order to help a talented clan member reach Foundation Establishment, two of their Great Foundation Establishment Cultivators personally went to an auction in another commandery to buy a Foundation Establishment Pill, which they successfully acquired.
However, on their way back, word got out, and they were targeted by a vicious group of Tribulation Cultivators.
Of the two Zeng Clan Foundation Establishment Cultivators, one died and the other was severely injured, and they lost the Foundation Establishment Pill they had won at auction.
This incident crippled the Zeng Clan, causing them to fall to the bottom of the Top Five Families.
Thus, the spots for comprehending the Inheritance Stele became even more sought-after. It was no longer just a matter of an individual's fortuitous encounter, but a major event that concerned the entire Clan.
Last week, a notice was posted within the Clan, allowing all eligible Clan Cultivators to sign up.
Basically, no clan disciple under the age of twenty passed up this chance. They all submitted their registration forms, hoping they might be chosen.
But after a round of selections, the Elders had narrowed it down to a list of just four people.
Bai Zichen walked toward the Clan's Grand Hall with determined steps. He was resolved to win one of those spots.
...
The Clan hadn't added any new Elders in recent years, so the three existing Elders were in charge.
The Tier One Mid-Grade Array Master, the Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Second Elder—who, of course, was now to be called the Grand Elder.
The Tier One Top-Grade Spirit Plant Master, the Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Fourth Elder—now the Second Elder.
And the Tier One Top-Grade Talisman Master, the Eighth-Layer Qi Refining Elder Honggu, who ranked third.
Besides the three Elders, several other Late-Stage Qi Refining clan members stood in the Grand Hall. Bai Jiu'an stood to the right, not drawing any attention to himself.
These individuals could be considered the backbone of the Bai Family, second only to the Elders. The matter of the Inheritance Stele was crucial to the Clan's future, so their presence demonstrated its importance.
Of course, the real decision-makers were the three Elders. The Clan Leader, Bai Xianzhong, was at a critical point in his cultivation of a new Magic and was in seclusion, unable to appear.
Besides the sister and brother pair of Bai Ling and Bai Wei, whose inclusion was no surprise, the other person on the shortlist with Bai Zichen was a clan member named Bai Chongwu.
Bai Chongwu was already nineteen, just a few months shy of the twenty-year-old age limit. His Qi Refining Fourth Layer cultivation was the greatest source of his confidence for being here.
"Since everyone is here, let's discuss this and come to a decision," the Grand Elder said. During the desperate defense of Hanxiu Peak, he had nearly been drained dry by the Four Symbols Heaven Element Array, which had damaged his foundation. Coupled with his advanced age, he had no hope of reaching Foundation Establishment. He had poured all his energy into Arrays, hoping only to become a Tier One Top-Grade Array Master before he died, so his life's efforts would not have been in vain.
But it was clear that his constant study of Arrays was taking a toll on his already waning vitality.
Among the Hundred Skills of Cultivation, the path of Arrays had the highest requirement for talent. Without it, no amount of time spent would be anything but a waste of effort.
After all, array deployment involved the use of Divine Sense, which was supposed to be exclusive to Great Foundation Establishment Cultivators.
One could only imagine the mental strain it placed on a Qi Refining Cultivator to study Arrays.
"These two spots should naturally go to the siblings, Bai Ling and Bai Wei," Elder Honggu began. "They have Dual Spirit Root Talent and are exceptionally intelligent. Bai Ling reached the Qi Refining Third Layer at a young age, and Bai Wei is already at the Qi Refining Second Layer. Furthermore, they are biological siblings who share a close bond. They'll be even more formidable if they fight together in the future."
Ever since entering the clan grounds, Bai Ling and Bai Wei had grown up under Elder Honggu's guidance. She had taught them meticulously and already considered them her chosen successors.
And no one could find fault with this nomination; the two were indeed exceptionally talented.
Although, to have reached this stage in just a few short years, it was certain that Elder Honggu had secretly supplied them with Elixirs. Otherwise, even with Dual Spirit Root Talent, their progress wouldn't have been so rapid.
"Mm, Bai Ling and Bai Wei are indeed excellent. What are the others' opinions?"
"This old man feels that the boy, Bai Zichen, is also quite good," the Second Elder, who had been squinting his eyes like a true farmer, suddenly spoke up, nominating Bai Zichen. "He reached the Qi Refining Third Layer half a year ago. Moreover, back on Hanxiu Peak, he acted with composure and competence. He's a promising seedling!"
The Grand Elder perked up slightly. The bloody battle of Hanxiu Peak was an indelible scar for every Bai Clan Member who had participated. "So he's one of the children who went through the Clan's calamity. It hasn't been easy for them."
A flash of surprise appeared in Bai Zichen's eyes. He hadn't expected the Second Elder to support him so openly. 'Surely it couldn't be just because of that one meeting in the storehouse all those years ago,' he thought.
Then, he saw Bai Jiu'an shift his gaze away from the Second Elder, and understanding dawned on him.
'It seems my uncle is pulling some strings. I didn't realize he was so close with the Second Elder...'
Following the two Elders' lead, a few of the Late-Stage Qi Refining seniors also spoke up. The majority supported the siblings, Bai Ling and Bai Wei, while only one or two spoke in favor of Bai Zichen.
The most pitiful of all was Bai Chongwu. It was as if he had been completely forgotten. Not a single person mentioned his name, causing his face to shift between pale and flushed with unbearable shame.
Everyone in the Grand Hall understood, of course. If the other three were given until Bai Chongwu's age to cultivate, reaching the Qi Refining Fourth Layer would be easy. His slight advantage in cultivation couldn't cover for his significant disadvantage in age when competing for a spot at the Inheritance Stele.
The situation was gradually tipping in favor of Bai Ling and Bai Wei. This was mainly because Elder Honggu had cleverly bundled them together, creating an all-or-nothing proposition.
Otherwise, Bai Wei, who was the same age as Bai Zichen, had the advantage in Spiritual Root but was one layer lower in cultivation. One could only say that each had their own strengths.
"Since the discussion is more or less over, I believe we can decide on the participants for the Inheritance Stele now." Elder Honggu seized the opportunity to rise, reclaiming control of the conversation. "Bai Zichen, you are still young. Go back and cultivate diligently. You will have other opportunities in the future."