Chapter 37
Seven years passed.
Inside the main hall, Zan Wei was giving his routine report.
"Father, recently several noble families have requested to send their children to join the Zan Clan."
"They're willing to offer land, gold, and resources in exchange for a disciple position."
Zan Yunxiao listened calmly from the patriarch seat.
In the past, accepting more disciples would have been beneficial.
But now.
The clan had already grown too quickly.
Resources had to be distributed.
Disciples needed guidance.
And the number of people entering the clan increased every year.
After pondering briefly, Zan Yunxiao shook his head.
"The Zan Clan will stop recruiting disciples for the time being."
Zan Wei nodded.
He actually agreed with the decision.
The current disciples still required years of training before they could become the clan's backbone.
Adding more people would only create management problems.
Zan Yunxiao continued,
"Announce it publicly."
"Only descendants of the Zan Clan and exceptional talents discovered through special circumstances may be accepted in the future."
This effectively closed the clan gates.
Only true geniuses would have a chance to enter from now on.
Zan Wei bowed respectfully.
"As you command, Father."
After receiving the instructions, Zan Wei left the hall to carry out the order.
The moment he departed, silence returned.
Zan Yunxiao leaned back against the patriarch seat while looking outside the hall.
Zan Yunxiao sat leisurely in the patriarch courtyard while enjoying the peaceful atmosphere.
With a thought, his spiritual sense spread throughout the entire Zan Clan grounds.
One disciple after another appeared within his perception.
Most outer disciples were between the 3rd and 5th Qi Refinement Realm.
The more talented disciples had reached the 6th and 7th Qi Refinement Realm.
Seeing this, Zan Yunxiao nodded in satisfaction.
Compared to the early days of the clan, this growth was already remarkable.
Then a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
"A tournament..."
The more he thought about it, the more reasonable it sounded.
Competition would motivate the disciples.
The stronger disciples could showcase their abilities.
The weaker disciples could learn from observing others.
Naturally, winners needed rewards.
Spirit stones.
Pills.
Weapons.
Techniques.
But the moment Zan Yunxiao thought about the rewards, his expression became awkward.
"...I don't have any."
The clan possessed some resources, but nothing worthy of being a grand tournament reward.
Spirit stones were abundant thanks to the mountain near the Zan Family.
Pill refinement was practically nonexistent within the clan.
As for weapons and techniques.
The clan only possessed a few suitable ones.
"...Forget it."
"It's too troublesome."
He immediately stopped thinking about it.
What was the point of worrying about tournaments when he could simply leave such matters to others?
As the Patriarch, he only needed to make the decision.
The actual work could be handled by his sons.
Thinking this way, Zan Yunxiao felt much more relaxed.
Then another thought crossed his mind.
"Maybe I should let Shenyuu handle it."
The moment he remembered Shenyuu's strict management style, he nodded approvingly.
Among all the clan members, she was probably the most suitable person to organize such an event.
The disciples feared her almost as much as they respected her.
No one would dare cause trouble under her supervision.
. . .
Twenty years quietly passed.
Inside the mountain cave, dense spiritual energy continued to swirl endlessly around Zan Yunxiao.
His eyes slowly opened.
After twenty years of cultivation, his aura had become even deeper and more unfathomable.
Zan Yunxiao slowly stood up and stretched his body.
"It has been twenty years already and I already in 8th Nascent Soul Realm."
The next moment, he stepped out of the cave.
However, the moment he exited, he was greeted by a young man standing respectfully outside.
The young man immediately bowed deeply.
"Greetings, Ancestor."
Zan Yunxiao paused.
Ancestor?
This was the first time someone had been waiting for him outside after emerging from seclusion.
He carefully observed the young man.
The youth appeared to be in his early twenties and wore the robes of the Zan Clan disciple.
More importantly.
Zan Yunxiao had never seen him before.
A strange thought immediately appeared in his mind.
"Did Wei arrange this?"
Zan Yunxiao looked at the young man and asked,
"Are you new?"
The young man respectfully nodded.
"Yes, Ancestor."
Hearing this answer, Zan Yunxiao frowned.
Something felt wrong.
Before entering seclusion, he clearly remembered ordering Zan Wei to stop recruiting disciples because the clan was growing too rapidly.
Yet now there was a completely unfamiliar disciple standing before him.
Zan Yunxiao intended to fly directly to find Zan Wei.
However, after spending twenty years in seclusion, he suddenly felt like walking instead.
The clan had changed greatly during his absence.
It wouldn't hurt to take a look around.
Thus, he looked at the young disciple.
"Lead the way."
The disciple immediately bowed.
"Yes, Ancestor."
The two slowly start walking..
Along the way, Zan Yunxiao observed the current Zan Clan.
Several unfamiliar buildings that he had never seen before.
The more he looked, the more suspicious he became.
"Just what has Wei been doing during these twenty years?"
Soon, his gaze landed on a large building in the distance.
The structure was three stories tall.
Several disciples entered and exited while carrying herbs and jade bottles.
A faint medicinal fragrance drifted through the air.
Zan Yunxiao stopped walking.
He pointed toward the building.
"What is that place?"
The young disciple respectfully answered,
"Ancestor, that is the Alchemy Pavilion."
Hearing those words, Zan Yunxiao raised an eyebrow.
"Alchemy Pavilion, huh?"
For a moment, he thought he had heard incorrectly.
Back then, the Zan Clan didn't even possess a proper alchemist.
Yet now there was an entire Alchemy Pavilion.
The young disciple continued proudly,
"It was established eighteen years ago."
"Many pills used by the clan are refined there."
"Our Alchemy Pavilion is quite famous within the Zan Family."
Zan Yunxiao's expression became increasingly strange.
"Eighteen years ago?"
"Famous?"
"Many pills?"
The more he listened, the more confused he became.
He clearly remembered that before entering seclusion, the clan lacked pill refiners entirely.
Yet after twenty years, they suddenly had an Alchemy Pavilion.
At this moment, Zan Yunxiao's desire to find Zan Wei became even stronger.
No.
Forget scolding him.
First, he needed an explanation.
What exactly happened during these twenty years?
Soon, they arrived.
At that moment, Zan Wei was reviewing clan documents when he sensed a familiar aura approaching.
His eyes widened.
"Father!"
He immediately stood up and walked outside.
Upon seeing Zan Yunxiao, Zan Wei respectfully bowed.
"Congratulations on successfully emerging from seclusion, Father."
However, Zan Yunxiao waved his hand.
He wasn't interested in greetings right now.
Instead, he pointed toward the distant building he had seen earlier.
"Can you explain why there's an Alchemy Pavilion in the clan?"
Hearing this question, Zan Wei immediately understood.
Then a smile appeared on his aged face.
"Father, that's actually good news."
Zan Yunxiao folded his arms.
"Explain."
Zan Wei nodded.
"Before you entered seclusion twenty years ago, an old man came to the Zan Clan."
"He requested shelter for himself and several disciples."
"I naturally declined."
After all, Zan Yunxiao's order at the time had been very clear.
The clan would no longer recruit people casually.
Zan Yunxiao nodded approvingly.
At least Zan Wei remembered his instructions.
However, Zan Wei continued.
"But the old man refused to leave."
"He said he didn't seek protection for free."
"He was willing to work for the Zan Clan."
This finally caught Zan Yunxiao's interest.
"Work?"
"Yes."
"At first I thought he was simply another wandering cultivator looking for shelter."
"But then..."
Zan Wei paused slightly.
"He took out several medicinal pills."
"Then he refined another pill in front of me."
Zan Yunxiao raised an eyebrow.
An alchemist?
Zan Wei smiled.
"After seeing that, I changed my mind."
"The old man promised to produce pills for the clan."
"In exchange, he only requested a place for himself and his disciples to stay."
"After considering the benefits, I accepted."
The more Zan Yunxiao listened, the stranger his expression became.
This sounded less like recruitment.
And more like someone delivering an alchemist directly to the Zan Clan's doorstep.
Zan Wei continued proudly.
"Since then, the Alchemy Pavilion has been established."
"The old man's disciples also became alchemists."
"Many of our disciples now use pills produced by the pavilion."
"Several talented disciples even advanced faster because of it."
Hearing this, Zan Yunxiao couldn't help but look toward the Alchemy Pavilion in the distance.
When he entered seclusion, the Zan Clan lacked many things.
Now they suddenly possessed a functioning alchemy branch.
Even he had to admit.
This was a pleasant surprise.
Then he asked,
"What is the old man's cultivation?"
Zan Wei immediately replied,
"4th Golden Core Realm."
Zan Yunxiao's eyes narrowed slightly.
A 4th Golden Core alchemist.
That was not a simple figure.
Such people were highly valued almost everywhere.
Yet he voluntarily came to the Zan Clan.
Zan Yunxiao became curious about this mysterious old man.
"Take me to meet him."
Zan Wei smiled.
"I knew Father would ask."
Then the father and son immediately headed toward the Alchemy Pavilion.