Chapter 518 367: Rewards and Enterprise
"Jiang Tianfang is hereby promoted to Law Enforcement Peak Master. He is bestowed a Second-Order Top-grade Magical Artifact, the 'Five Elements Spirit-Gathering Seal,' and awarded fifty Top-grade Spirit Stones."
As the disciple standing at the entrance announced the decree, Jiang Tianfang walked from the doorway, step by solemn step, into the grand hall atop Celestial Eagle Mountain.
At this moment, many disciples of the Qingyuan Sect, all dressed in green robes, had gathered here to silently witness the scene.
"This disciple, Jiang Tianfang, thanks the Sect Leader."
Jiang Tianfang first knelt and bowed to Fang Qingyuan, who was seated on the main throne above. Only after the announcing disciple called out "Ceremony complete" did Jiang Tianfang rise and reach out to receive the Dharma Seal and the Spirit Stones.
The Dharma Seal was crafted from Spirit Jade, inscribed with Five Elements Runes on its surface. When activated, it could summon Five Elements Spiritual Beasts to aid in battle. This seal was both a Magical Artifact for combat and the token of office for the Law Enforcement Peak Master.
Jiang Tianfang felt the Dharma Seal was quite heavy in his hand, much heavier than the bag of Spirit Stones in his left. Before he could savor the moment, he heard Fang Qingyuan speak from the throne above:
"Take your seat."
Following Fang Qingyuan's gentle words, Jiang Tianfang, his expression solemn, turned and walked to the side of the great hall, taking a seat in the third chair on the left.
After he was seated, Jiang Tianfang realized his hands were trembling slightly. Under the watchful eyes of over a hundred Cultivators, he had finally taken one of the few seats available in the entire hall.
'The position of a Peak Master... Isn't this like ascending to the heavens in a single step?'
Jiang Tianfang glanced sideways. Seated above him were Chen Huicheng, who was in charge of construction, and Vice Sect Leader Liu Xun. Both men noticed his gaze and gave him a smile.
And seated below him was Jie Xuanli, a disciple who had newly reached Foundation Establishment in recent years.
Jiang Tianfang's current cultivation was still at Qi Cultivation Perfection. Although he had already sensed his Foundation Establishment Opportunity, he had not yet achieved Foundation Establishment. He was able to sit in this position purely due to his merits over the past three years.
After returning to the Qingyuan Sect with everyone, Fang Qingyuan began to distribute rewards for merit. During the three years of battle in Moyun Valley, the disciples led by Jiang Tianfang had accumulated a great number of merit points for the Qingyuan Sect. These points could be exchanged with the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect for Spirit Stones and various cultivation resources.
They could even be used to offset the land payment that Lechuan had mentioned.
Of course, the overall strength of the Qingyuan Sect's disciples was relatively weak, so they hadn't obtained that many merit points. Fang Qingyuan couldn't expect that three years of battle would be enough to buy back all the territory currently held by the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect.
But in any case, fighting for the sect for three years was a contribution that naturally earned one the capital for advancement within the Qingyuan Sect.
Therefore, as soon as Fang Qingyuan returned, he began rewarding their merits and determining their compensation. He wanted to promote this group of meritorious contributors to the middle echelons of the Qingyuan Sect.
Jiang Tianfang was merely the most outstanding among them. There were several others remaining, and Fang Qingyuan intended to reward them one by one.
"Ning Changhong is hereby promoted to Beast Cage Steward, You Yulang to Operation Steward, and Lou Jiguang to Chief Guest..."
As the disciple announced the names, those who were called stepped into the great hall with unconcealable joy on their faces and began to bow to Fang Qingyuan.
Fang Qingyuan acknowledged them all. Once this group had received their rewards, the Spiritual Light emanating from the bestowed Magical Artifacts and Spirit Stones filled the entire hall with overflowing spiritual energy.
Jiang Wanqin sat in the first seat on the right. Watching these newly appointed Stewards, she felt a spontaneous happiness for them in her heart.
The number of Cultivators in the Qingyuan Sect was now approaching two hundred. Most of them were Household Slaves with clean backgrounds, Cultivators who had grown up on the lands of the Qingyuan Sect.
Only a small portion of the Cultivators were Loose Cultivators that the Qingyuan Sect had recruited from the outside, like Jiuyan. He was currently sitting below Jiang Wanqin, his expression somewhat dazed.
The man had been refining new Elixir Pills recently. Judging by his state, he must have run into a small snag in his research and development.
The newly appointed Stewards had no seats at this time. In this great hall, only Foundation Establishment Cultivators, or Peak Masters like Jiang Tianfang, were qualified to be seated.
The disciple hierarchy in the Qingyuan Sect was currently divided into two categories and three tiers. The first category comprised the most basic and numerous disciples: the Mundane Disciples.
As long as these disciples were born in the Qingyuan Sect's territory and possessed the aptitude for cultivation, the sect would be responsible for raising them. Upon reaching adulthood, they would automatically become Mundane Disciples.
The tasks required of these disciples were to manage the basic operations of the Qingyuan Sect, such as patrolling the mountains as guards, escorting goods, or working at the sect's posts in various Marketplaces—in short, the most fundamental jobs.
After serving as a Mundane Disciple for a long time, or by accumulating merits, they could be promoted to Deacon Disciple.
A Deacon Disciple was the supervisor of a particular trade. For example, a Beast Cage Steward, who was specifically in charge of the Beast Cages and caring for the various Spirit Beasts, could manage five to seven Mundane Disciples.
When a Deacon Disciple had served for a certain number of years, or had accomplished something highly beneficial to the Qingyuan Sect, they could, like Jiang Tianfang, be personally appointed as a Peak Master.
They might be responsible for law enforcement, construction, or the merchant caravans.
These disciples were the Peak Masters, and they could have three or four Stewards serving under them.
This was the most numerous type of Cultivator in the Qingyuan Sect. The promotion path was: Mundane Disciple → Deacon Disciple → Peak Master.
The other category of Cultivator was, by comparison, much smaller in number.
These disciples did not need to be distracted by mundane affairs and could focus solely on cultivation. Their promotion path was: Elite Disciple → True Disciple → Elder.
Because this type of disciple did not engage in production, only consuming without producing, a large number of them would put significant pressure on the Qingyuan Sect's development.
Therefore, a Qingyuan Sect Cultivator who wished to become an Elite Disciple had to come from a good family with a loyal background. Furthermore, a Top-grade Spirit Root was the minimum requirement for their Spirit Root aptitude. If they could not reach the Late-stage of Qi Cultivation before the age of thirty, they would be transferred to mundane duties.
The same applied if they failed to reach Foundation Establishment by the age of forty. Jie Xuanli, the disciple who recently succeeded in his Foundation Establishment, was a former Elite Disciple and now held the status of a True Disciple.
Of course, the line between these two paths was not strictly defined. A Mundane Disciple with insufficient aptitude might encounter a fortuitous opportunity that led to an astonishing cultivation speed. Such disciples could also be transferred into the ranks of Elite Disciples.
This was the current promotion system for disciples in the Qingyuan Sect. Among the nearly two hundred disciples, there were fewer than twenty Elite Disciples and, for now, only a single True Disciple. As for Elders at the Golden Core Stage, there were currently none.
Jiang Tianfang was already sixty years old. If he didn't achieve Foundation Establishment soon, his life would likely reach its limit. That was why Fang Qingyuan had given him fifty Top-grade Spirit Stones, which was more than enough to cover the resources needed for his breakthrough.
By the time all this was done, most of the day had passed. Although not many people were rewarded, the division of powers and responsibilities involved had forced Liu Xun to rack his brains.
The Qingyuan Sect was now the undisputed powerhouse in the vicinity. The news that Fang Qingyuan had become a Golden Core Cultivator was already known to everyone.
Although outsiders found it strange that Fang Qingyuan had yet to hold a Core Formation Ceremony, they all wisely submitted to the Qingyuan Sect, swarming over to curry favor.
Faced with these gestures of goodwill from nearly a thousand Cultivators, Liu Xun didn't dare allow a single one into the Qingyuan Sect without Fang Qingyuan's word. Thus, he kept them all waiting for Fang Qingyuan to make a decision.
As for the Far East Alliance, which had originally existed in this territory, it was now a mere shadow of its former self. First, it was torn apart by the schemes of the Li Huo Alliance, and then the Qingyuan Sect rose unexpectedly. Which of the nearby Cultivator Clans and sects still considered themselves part of the Far East Alliance?
At the height of its power, the Far East Alliance had gathered just over two thousand Cultivators, more than ninety percent of whom were at the Qi Cultivation stage, with not a single one at the Golden Core stage.
Back then, when the Far East Alliance conducted military exercises with this force, it only drew ridicule from the Spirit Wood and Li Huo Alliances. With their millennia of history, the two alliances paid no mind to the Far East Alliance, which had been established for less than fifty years.
Even the Pill Alliance, which had started with Alchemy and Artifact Refining and was not adept at fighting, had a thousand years of experience in conflict and had fought numerous battles, both large and small. When they saw the Far East Alliance's war games, which looked like children playing house, they actually thought to themselves, 'Finally, a power even more pathetic than our own.'
Under these circumstances, the Li Huo Alliance didn't even have to act itself. With just a little incitement, constant internal strife broke out within the Far East Alliance. Several sects came to blows, and the surrounding territory knew no peace.
Only the Qingyuan Sect, with its transcendent status, was unaffected. Otherwise, it too would have been dragged into this mess.
However, the Li Huo Alliance's attention was currently focused on the Pill Alliance, so they naturally had no time to spare for the Far East Alliance. Or rather, the resources they were investing in this area were pitifully small compared to before.
It was at this time that an idea sparked in Fang Qingyuan's mind. He wondered if he could take this opportunity to bring the Far East's territory, an area of nearly 10,000 square kilometers, under his sect's control.
After the ceremony concluded, Fang Qingyuan dismissed the disciples who had been observing. He asked the several Peak Masters, as well as Vice Sect Leader Liu Xun, to stay behind.
As for the two Guest Ministers, Jiuyan and Qi Wenchu, they were not yet involved in such confidential matters.
Jiang Wanqin had never been fond of such affairs. Furthermore, after returning from the Barbaric Wilderness, she felt she was on the verge of breaking through to the Mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. Thus, she had been focusing on her cultivation. If it weren't for the fact that this ceremony was for her comrades who had fought alongside her for three years—which was also very important to her—she would not have attended.
Thus, a moment later, only four people remained in the great hall of the Qingyuan Sect: Fang Qingyuan, Liu Xun, Chen Huicheng, and Jiang Tianfang.
"The Li Huo Alliance is currently stretched thin. On one hand, at the request of the Spirit Wood Alliance, they have stationed troops in the southeast to blockade the Pill Alliance's territory and cut off its contact with the outside world. If the Pill Alliance weren't protected by a fourth-grade top-quality Array, the Li Huo and Spirit Wood Alliances wouldn't be stuck in this stalemate.
"On another front, they face a fierce offensive from the White Mountain Sword Sect and the Illusion Sword Alliance, leaving the Sharp Metal and Thick Earth Alliances struggling to defend. According to our sources, the Sharp Metal and Thick Earth Alliances have repeatedly requested aid from the Li Huo and Spirit Wood Alliances. The Li Huo and Spirit Wood Alliances did indeed dispatch nearly ten thousand Cultivators to help, but they are being blocked by the Hehuan Sect, which stands in their way. The three powers are now haggling at the border, unable to break free.
"Therefore, now is truly the perfect opportunity for us to become the sole master of the Far East Territory. Otherwise, once this great chaotic battle in the White Mountain region concludes and the Li Huo Alliance frees up its hands, if we try to meddle in the Far East then, we will have to confront the Li Huo Alliance directly."
Liu Xun spread out the White Mountain Terrain Map and began to explain the current situation in the White Mountain region to the three of them. Fang Qingyuan was naturally aware of these matters; Liu Xun was mainly speaking for the benefit of Jiang Tianfang and Chen Huicheng.
However, seeing the bewildered expressions on their faces, Fang Qingyuan knew that this kind of high-level strategic thinking, focusing on the affairs of entire sects and factions, was still a bit of a stretch for the two of them.
Of course, this was a case of 'one does not plan the politics of a position one does not hold.' They would gain experience after a few more trials.
"Present your plan."
Fang Qingyuan prompted Liu Xun to reveal his strategy. He was prepared to listen, and if it was suitable, he would set it in motion. More than fifty years had passed since the founding of the Qingyuan Sect after the Reclamation War, yet its territory remained a mere 2,000 square kilometers, which was no longer enough to contain its rapidly growing population.
Previously, Fang Qingyuan had focused solely on cultivation. Now that he had achieved Core Formation, he did not lack martial strength—this was the 'human element.' With the Li Huo Alliance distracted and unable to intervene, 'timing' was also on their side.
All that remained was to forge alliances and expand the sect's borders, carving out a vast new territory for the Qingyuan Sect.
Receiving Fang Qingyuan's command, Liu Xun's finger traced a path across the map. He pressed down slowly, then slid his finger upward at an angle. The final position where his finger came to rest was on the territory of the Spirit Wood Alliance, where a place name gleamed:
"Bomu City."