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Qing Clan Territory.
The Young Master arrived with the others after boarding his personal flying boat—a special clan edition shaped like a bird, faster than even a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Qing Xuanling stood on the flying boat's railing and looked toward the clan as they finally arrived. She sighed in relief.
Surprisingly, the clan itself was completely intact.
However, the area surrounding the red walls marking the clan's territory was an entirely different matter. The ground was riddled with craters and smoldering fires that hadn't fully extinguished, while not a single building remained standing—leaving the land utterly flattened.
In stark contrast, though nearly empty of people, the area within the clan's red walls was in perfect condition. None of the mortals' houses were damaged or destroyed.
This filled Qing Xuanling with immense relief. Things were exactly as Qing Tanwei had said. Though the clan had suffered losses during the tournament attack, the situation at the clan itself was entirely different—here, it was they who had inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy.
The Young Master guided the flying boat but didn't descend immediately. Instead, he flew straight to the clan's inner ring—something that was normally prohibited.
He didn't stop until they reached the Green Heaven Palace, the clan's main meeting hall.
"Young Master, are you going to meet with the clan chief and elders?" Qing Muyu asked hesitantly. "Can we attend the meeting too…?"
Qing Xuanling's ears perked up—she wanted to attend as well.
The Young Master's response, however, was surprising.
"You'll attend whether you want to or not." He smiled faintly. "Today's experience undoubtedly changed your perspective. Combined with the fact that you have the highest chance of reaching the next great realm, the clan has decided to groom you as future leaders. So this is the perfect time for you to witness meetings that shape the clan's future."
Qing Xuanling sighed in relief—but also felt a weight of pressure. She realized she could no longer afford to live carefree as before. From today onward, she too would shoulder the responsibility of ensuring the clan's survival.
Yet she wasn't afraid. Though she hadn't expected this, the Young Master was right—her mindset had shifted. After Qing Zhu, Qing Meipon, and others sacrificed their lives so she and the rest could survive, rejecting this duty was unthinkable.
The Young Master led the three youths—and the unconscious Qing Huomei and Qing Xuyun—into the Green Heaven Palace. Statues of the clan's past heroes lined the grand corridor, but Qing Xuanling didn't pause to admire them as she had on her first visit. She followed the Young Master straight to the meeting chamber.
He threw open the chamber doors, where a heated debate was already underway.
"We must attack those bastards immediately!" Qing Rufeng roared furiously. "Not only did they conspire with demonic cultivators, but they dared strike us! We'd betray everyone who died today if we don't annihilate the Ink Sword Sect!"
Qing Zizhai cut him off sharply. "And how exactly do you plan to do that? Though we killed four of the demonic cultivators who attacked the clan, eight others escaped! Don't forget—they belong to an organization whose true strength is unknown! What if they strike again while most of our strongest members are away attacking?"
The two elders locked eyes, neither willing to yield.
Clan Chief Qing Yunkang sat with closed eyes, listening to both sides. His usual reckless aura was gone—replaced by the seriousness of one whose decisions affected hundreds of thousands people.
The Young Master intervened then.
"Elder Zizhai is right—it's not time to attack. It's far too risky." He shook his head. "We can no longer treat the Ink Sword Sect as just another familiar sect from Ziyu City. They're now vassals of those demonic cultivators. They will most likely receive reinforcements soon due to their recent failure in their attack on the clan."
Everyone turned simultaneously to the Young Master, frowning at the state of Qing Huomei and Qing Xuyun.
Qing Wangu rose and appeared beside them, first checking Qing Xuyun's pulse. "What happened? Sister Huomei is stable—just physical wounds. But this one… his soul is severely damaged!"
"The demonic cultivator he faced specialized in soul attacks and seduction arts," the Young Master said helplessly. "By the time I could assist him, he was already like this. It seems he traded wounds to kill the female demonic cultivator."
Qing Wangu's expression darkened. "You old fool. Why didn't you just play it safe and defend yourself? Who knows how much the clan will have to spend gathering materials to heal his soul…"
She continued examining both for a while before leaving with them. As the clan's primary healer and alchemist, treating their injuries naturally fell to her.
She didn't say much despite her early departure from the meeting. Several elders were still present, so her absence didn't have much of an impact. However, she did remember to greet her disciple with a smile.
Qing Xuanling returned the greeting politely before focusing on the elders' debate.
"Yenglan is right—attacking the Ink Sword Sect is too dangerous now," Qing Chenweng agreed with the Young Master. "Nor should we exploit the Mo clan's weakness to strike them. That'd give the Lan clan an excuse to send forces into the city. It'll be too late to mourn if that happens!"
Qing Rufeng scoffed. "Won't those arrogant bastards do it anyway?! They've held back only because they lacked an excuse—but I doubt those greedy crows will miss this chance to seize full control of Ziyu City!"
"If we do nothing and the Lan clan sends reinforcements, the Qing clan will be trapped between two giants—the Lan clan and those demonic bastards of unknown strength! I don't care which we attack, but we must eliminate one! The clan can't survive under the oppression of both!"
Though somewhat reckless, Qing Rufeng's words held merit. Qing Xuanling couldn't help but nod.
But the Young Master disagreed.
"That's where you're wrong, Elder Rufeng. From today onward, we're already under their oppression." The Young Master's smile was bitter. "Just as you say, the Lan clan will send reinforcements regardless of the situation. But luckily, according to the Celestial Orchid Sect's agreement with them, the Lan clan won't send their own men directly—but rather forces from their second-tier vassal clans. But I don't know what they'll do if we destroy the Mo clan."
"Although it's not official, the Qing clan actually has the strength of a second-tier force, so facing a vassal force is much more convenient than facing the Lan clan directly. Especially because according to recent reports—the Celestial Orchid Sect is currently at war with the Crimson Mist Sect. They lack the personnel to enforce the agreement."
The Young Master's expression grew complex. "Moreover, I'm not sure they'd help us even if free. We've offended them by hiding our true strength."
His words laid bare the clan's dire predicament, silencing everyone.
"So there's nothing we can do?" Qing Yunkang spoke for the first time, looking at his disciple with hope. Though this brat always caused trouble, he was reliable in crises.
Unfortunately, the Young Master smiled weakly. "What else can we do? We must prepare for war. At best, the Celestial Orchid Sect will be displeased when they learn what happened today."
"Their non-intervention will come from petty individuals wanting to teach us a lesson. Things will change once we've suffered enough and proven our worth. Controlling Ziyu City matters enough to them that they'll tolerate a slightly treacherous sword in their hands."
As Qing Xuanling listened, her mind raced. There were so many complex issues she'd never considered—she suddenly felt she'd lived in ignorance her whole life.
She'd always thought that, despite recent hardships, the clan enjoyed relative peace. But now she understood: the clan's peace was bought through meticulous planning and anticipating the moves of truly powerful regional players.
The meeting continued for hours, detailing preparations for the coming conflict. Convinced by the Young Master's reasoning, all agreed to ready the clan for a long, brutal war.
The three youths brought by the Young Master listened intently, awed by the sheer complexity of mobilizing even a hundred cultivators.
They also understood why he'd brought them today. There was so much they needed to learn—to start thinking like future decision-makers.
Qing Xuanling sighed deeply, mentally exhausted. Trying to understand everything that was being said in such an important meeting consumed a lot of mental energy. Fortunately, the meeting ended after three hours.
She watched the elders rise from their seats, hesitated, then voiced the question gnawing at her for hours:
"Clan Chief, Elders—wait!" Qing Xuanling bit her lip. "Could you clarify what really happened in today's attack? After returning to the clan, I couldn't help but think that the attack wasn't entirely unexpected..."