The grand council hall of the Lu王府.
After the beast tide, only five core elders remained in the Lu王府, all of them now seated in the hall.
“Damn it! Those three families dared to take advantage of our weakened state! They are utterly despicable!”
“If our Lu王府 hadn't suffered such a loss, those three families wouldn't dare to act so brazenly!”
The faces of the five core elders were filled with anger and resentment, their voices echoing with indignation.
Just then, Lu Qing Xuan, clad in a purple robe, entered the council hall and took his seat on the main throne.
The five elders immediately rose to their feet, bowing respectfully to Lu Qing Xuan.
Lu Qing Xuan waved his hand in acknowledgment, but a system prompt echoed in his mind.
【Ding! Blue investment target detected. Host can initiate investment!】
【Invest a True Origin Golden Elixir, gain three bottles of Xuan Soul Pills, a Heaven-Rank Lower Grade Spirit Gathering Array!】
【Invest an Earth-Rank Top Grade Martial Technique, "Heaven Seal Art", gain a Heaven-Rank Top Grade Martial Technique, "Human King Seal Art"!】
【Ding! Green investment target detected. Host can initiate investment!】
【Invest a scroll of Heaven-Rank Alchemist's Dan Refinement Insights, gain a Heaven-Rank Upper Grade cultivation technique, "Great Yin Yang Harmony Secret Technique"!】
【Invest a scroll of True Origin Golden Elixir Dan Formula, gain three flasks of Purple Clear Spirit Yuan Pills, one flask of True Origin Golden Elixir, five hundred Earth-Rank spirit herbs!】
【Invest a Purple Bronze Medicine King Cauldron, gain a Heaven-Rank Lower Grade Artifact, Heaven Luo Qing Yun Umbrella, one hundred thousand medium-grade spirit stones!】
Hearing the system's barrage of investment prompts, a gleam of excitement flashed in Lu Qing Xuan's eyes.
Following the system's guidance, Lu Qing Xuan identified two investment targets: the second elder, Lu Chang Feng, a peak Purple Mansion Realm cultivator, and the seventh elder, Lu Jing Yu, an Earth-Rank Dan Master.
However, Lu Qing Xuan didn't immediately invest. Instead, he suppressed his elation and listened to the second elder's report on the urgent matters at hand.
“Royal Highness, after the beast tide, our Lu王府 has suffered severe losses. Now, the other three families are seizing our Lu王府's mining veins.”
“Three Xuan-Rank veins have already been taken by the three families. The Zhou family even injured several of our clan members. This matter requires your judgment, Royal Highness!”
By the end of his report, the second elder's face was contorted with fury.
In the Bei Yuan County, resources were primarily divided among the five major forces: Lu王府, Zhou Family, Fang Family, Han Family, and the County Governor's Mansion.
Previously, all five were Sixth-Rank forces.
However, the Lu王府, with a Soul Palace Realm ancestor, had long been the leading force in the Bei Yuan County, controlling half of its resources.
But due to the recent beast tide attack, the Lu王府 had suffered heavy losses in powerful figures, causing them to plummet from a Sixth-Rank force to a Seventh-Rank force, unable to compete with the other families.
The three families, who had always had friction with the Lu王府, now bared their fangs.
They relied on their powerful backing within the dynasty and had little fear of the Lu王府.
After a moment of contemplation, Lu Qing Xuan inquired, “Were there any casualties among our clan members?”
“No clan members were killed, but some suffered varying degrees of injuries,” the second elder replied truthfully.
Hearing this, Lu Qing Xuan understood. While the three families had seized the Lu王府's mineral resources, they were still hesitant to completely alienate the Lu王府.
The reason was simple: the current Emperor Ling Yun had bestowed his fifth princess upon him in marriage.
With this connection, even if the three families weren't afraid of the Lu王府, they still had to be wary of the Emperor Ling Yun's royal family.
As for these minor disputes over resources, the imperial family wouldn't bother intervening.
After a moment of silent pondering, Lu Qing Xuan sighed softly and offered words of comfort.
“With our current strength, it's unwise to directly confront the other three families. Our Lu Family must prioritize raising its overall strength.”
“When I formally welcome the fifth princess, I can use the occasion to instill some fear in those three families, to make them hesitate.”
“They are currently enjoying the resources they stole from us. Consider it feeding the wild beasts. I, the Lu Family, will ensure they return it, with double the amount.”
The others remained silent in response to Lu Qing Xuan's words.
They all agreed with his assessment. With their current strength, the Lu王府 was indeed unable to directly confront the three families.
But the thought of their resources being controlled by their adversaries filled them with a deep sense of unease.
Meanwhile, Lu Qing Xuan stood up and approached the second elder.
He retrieved a pill and a black-gold scroll from his person and presented them to the second elder.
“Second elder, you are the most likely among us to break through to the Xuan Dan Realm. This True Origin Golden Elixir should help you achieve your breakthrough.”
“And this scroll contains the "Heaven Seal Art" martial technique. Study it well and enhance your combat strength. I hope to see a Xuan Dan Realm expert in the Lu王府 as soon as possible.”
The second elder was taken aback.
As a core elder of the Lu王府, he was well aware of the value of the True Origin Golden Elixir and the "Heaven Seal Art."
The True Origin Golden Elixir was the best pill for breaking through to the Xuan Dan Realm. Even as a core elder, he wouldn't be able to easily obtain such a pill.
As for the "Heaven Seal Art," it was the strongest martial technique of the Lu王府, considered the clan's treasure.
Only the successive clan leaders and core direct line elders were allowed to cultivate it.
He, a core collateral elder, was now being offered such a precious technique.
“This… ”
The second elder stared at the two items in front of him, unsure whether to accept them.
“Take it. Our Lu王府 is in the midst of vigorous development. We need your dedicated efforts, second elder.”
His doubts quelled, the second elder carefully accepted the two items.
“Thank you for your grace, Royal Highness. From this day forward, I will dedicate myself to the王府, living up to your expectations!”
【Ding! Investment successful. Congratulations, host, on gaining three bottles of Xuan Soul Pills, a Heaven-Rank Lower Grade Spirit Gathering Array, and the martial technique "Human King Seal Art"!】
【Xuan Soul Pills: Earth-Rank Top Grade pills. Consumed by peak Xuan Dan Realm cultivators, they can increase the chances of breaking through to the Soul Palace Realm by 50%, with no toxic side effects!】
【Heaven-Rank Lower Grade Spirit Gathering Array: Can concentrate the spiritual energy within a radius of a thousand miles. The spiritual energy density within the array increases by double, masking any anomalies!】
【Human King Seal Art: Heaven-Rank Top Grade martial technique. Contains Mountain Breaking Seal, Earth Covering Seal, Sky Flipping Seal, and Human King Seal. Each technique possesses the might to overturn mountains and seas, to devour heaven and earth. Upon mastering the four seals, it becomes comparable to a King-Rank martial technique!】
Seeing the investment returns in hand, a flicker of brightness appeared in Lu Qing Xuan's eyes.
"Human King Seal Art" was a Heaven-Rank Top Grade martial technique.
Only forces of the Fourth-Rank and above had access to such techniques. They were virtually nonexistent among other levels of forces, highlighting their immense value.
And the Xuan Soul Pills were incredibly rare, almost unheard of in the entire Bei Yuan County!
Wherever they appeared, they would be met with a frenzy of competition, showcasing their incredible value.
Calming his mind, Lu Qing Xuan turned his gaze to the other elders.
Since he had made an exception and granted a collateral elder access to the clan's treasured technique, he decided to treat everyone equally to strengthen their cohesion and strength.
“From now on, any clan member who reaches the core elder level, whether direct line or collateral, will be allowed to cultivate the "Heaven Seal Art!"
“Even those with exceptional talent among the younger generation can be granted permission to learn it.”
Having obtained the even more powerful "Human King Seal Art" himself, he didn't hesitate to share the Earth-Rank Top Grade technique with his clan members.
The Lu王府 was now in a period of rapid growth. He needed to break through the barriers of his clan members' strengths as quickly as possible.
As Lu Qing Xuan's words echoed through the hall, the faces of the five core elders lit up with excitement. They all bowed respectfully and said in unison, “Thank you, Royal Highness. We will dedicate ourselves to the王府, living up to your expectations.”
In the next instant, a mechanical voice rang out in Lu Qing Xuan's mind.
【Ding! Host's family cohesion has increased. Reward of five hundred family fortune points!】
“Hmm, an unexpected bonus!”
Lu Qing Xuan was surprised. He hadn't expected that his actions would inadvertently increase the family's fortune.
According to the system's previous explanations, family fortune was directly related to family strength and clan fortune, making it incredibly important.
Immediately, he spoke again, "Any other elder who reaches peak Purple Mansion Realm will also be granted a True Origin Golden Elixir!"
“I hope you all will strive to improve your cultivation and elevate the overall strength of our Lu王府.”
Hearing this, the remaining four core elders' eyes sparkled with anticipation. They once again expressed their gratitude to Lu Qing Xuan.
With such a rare opportunity in front of them, how could they not redouble their efforts to achieve their breakthroughs?
At that moment, they all resolved to work even harder to reach peak Purple Mansion Realm, hoping to receive a True Origin Golden Elixir.
Lu Qing Xuan nodded slightly and turned his attention to the seventh elder, Lu Jing Yu, the alchemist.
He walked over to Lu Jing Yu and said, “Seventh elder, while I was training at the Qing Yun Dao Zong, I collected some items related to alchemy that should benefit your skills.”
As he spoke, Lu Qing Xuan presented two scrolls and a cauldron, introducing them, “This scroll contains the alchemy insights of a Heaven-Rank Dan Master. This other scroll is the Dan Formula for True Origin Golden Elixir.”
“As for this cauldron, it's called the Purple Bronze Medicine King Cauldron. It's an Earth-Rank Upper Grade alchemy furnace. Using it to refine pills can increase your success rate!”
“I'm giving you these three items. I hope they can help you, Seventh elder, improve your alchemy techniques and refine more and better pills for our Lu王府.”
Lu Jing Yu was stunned at the sight of the three treasures.
As an Earth-Rank Dan Master, he could clearly see how valuable these items were to an alchemist.
Especially the scroll containing the alchemy insights of a Heaven-Rank Dan Master. If he obtained it, he was confident he could become a Heaven-Rank Dan Master himself and refine Heaven-Rank pills.
Breaking through to the next rank was the ultimate pursuit of every Dan Master.
Now, with such an opportunity presented before him, how could he not be moved and amazed?
“Accept them. I only hope you elders can all diligently enhance your strengths and accelerate the development of our Lu王府, making its overall strength even greater.”
Hearing this, Lu Jing Yu was reassured. He solemnly accepted the three items and bowed deeply, expressing his sincere gratitude, “This old man will surely live up to your expectations, Royal Highness!”
【Ding! Investment successful. Gain Heaven-Rank Upper Grade cultivation technique, "Great Yin Yang Harmony Secret Technique," three flasks of Purple Clear Spirit Yuan Pills, one flask of True Origin Golden Elixir, five hundred Earth-Rank spirit herbs, Heaven Luo Qing Yun Umbrella, one hundred thousand medium-grade spirit stones!】
【Heaven Luo Qing Yun Umbrella: Heaven-Rank Lower Grade defensive artifact. Can withstand a full-force attack from a peak Soul Palace Realm cultivator!】
【Great Yin Yang Harmony Secret Technique: Heaven-Rank Upper Grade dual cultivation technique. This technique embodies the principles of Yin Yang heaven. If a man and a woman practice together, they can complement each other, accelerating both of their cultivation!】
The Great Yin Yang Harmony Secret Technique!
Upon seeing this technique, a flicker of amusement crossed Lu Qing Xuan's eyes. What was this system trying to do?
Did it know he was getting married soon and was sending him this technique as a gift?
Should he give the system a thumbs up for this?!
His thoughts racing, Lu Qing Xuan glanced at the other rewards, pleased with what he saw.
Then, he inquired about the reconstruction of Zhen Bei City with the other elders.
After instructing the elders to prepare for the Lu王府's wedding to the fifth princess, he finally dismissed them.