Chapter 570 - 308: Overworked, Reasonable Tax Avoidance (Part 2)

"If the Zhao Family asks, just say this is an old grudge between us and Zuiyun Pavilion. It has nothing to do with the Zhao Family, and we will continue to recognize them as our leaders."

As long as we deal a heavy blow to Zuiyun Pavilion, the Zhao Family’s upper echelons won’t likely have a complete falling out with us, even if they’re displeased. They’ll have no choice but to endure it.

"That’s impossible. Fellow Daoist Yi, you’re thinking about this too simply!"

Zhong Yan Tian shook his head. "As for Zuiyun Pavilion, they’ve likely already anticipated our reaction and will surely be on guard.

Besides, Shangguan Qingying won’t just stand by and do nothing. If she insists on pursuing the matter to the end, our losses could be unpredictable."

Yi Zhoudian said angrily, "Are we just supposed to sit back and watch the Zhao Family grow stronger and stronger? If we don’t act now, none of us will be able to escape our fate in the future!"

Zhong Yan Tian sighed. "But even if we act now, there’s nothing we can accomplish."

This predicament couldn’t be resolved simply by teaching Zuiyun Pavilion a lesson. That would only make the situation worse.

Besides, the Female Cultivators of Zuiyun Pavilion are no pushovers. What price would we have to pay to deal a heavy blow to their Sect?

If our losses are too great, won’t we just be playing into the Zhao Family’s hands in the end?

It was precisely because of these many concerns that Zhong Yan Tian didn’t dare to support Yi Zhoudian’s proposal. The risks were simply too great and uncertain.

"So... are we choosing to lay low for now?"

A wrinkle-skinned, white-haired old woman in a white robe slowly asked, rubbing the Prayer Beads on her wrist.

She was Zhou Qian, the current Sect Leader of Pan Yun Cliff, with a Middle Stage Nascent Soul Cultivation. Her Sect was also home to two other Nascent Soul True Monarchs.

Wang Shouzong nodded. "This is the safest approach. If we have a falling out now, the alliance treaty we just signed with the Zhao Family will be nullified, and who knows how many people will die!"

If we flipped the table prematurely, Shangguan Qingying might not be able to handle all the Nascent Soul powers, but she would have little trouble wiping out two or three of them.

Who would be the unlucky ones then? That would be anyone’s guess, and Wang Shouzong didn’t dare to take that gamble.

Besides, the Yi Family’s territory had a Grade Five Spirit Vein, making them the most likely target for the Zhao Family. The other dozen or so powers didn’t have one. As long as they behaved themselves, they would be safe for the time being.

Yi Zhoudian understood this perfectly, which was why his reaction had been so vehement after learning of Zuiyun Pavilion’s move. He had summoned the envoys of all the powers to discuss a counterstrategy.

"Mm, I agree with Fellow Daoist Wang’s opinion."

Another round-faced old Daoist spoke up, flicking the White Jade Horsetail Whisk in his hand.

He was Wu Zhangshui, the Sect Leader of the Tingjian Sect, with a Late Stage Nascent Soul Cultivation and a somewhat detached temperament.

"I agree."

"I agree as well."

"I can approve of Fellow Daoist Yi’s opinion..."

The remaining envoys stated their positions one by one. The majority supported Wang Shouzong, while only two powers sided with the Yi Family.

"Fellow Daoists..."

Yi Zhoudian’s face darkened instantly. Without the support of these powers, his plan was doomed to fail. Wouldn’t his family’s foundation be in grave danger?

"Fellow Daoist Yi, we can understand your concern,"

Zhong Yan Tian said meaningfully, "it’s just that in the current situation, one wrong step could lead to eternal damnation. Cultivation isn’t easy for any of us, so..."

’Better you than me.’

This was what they truly thought. Just because they were allies didn’t mean they would make sacrifices for him for free. When disaster strikes, every man for himself—that was the norm.

In the end, the secret meeting broke up on bad terms.

After the meeting, Zhou Qian, Zhong Yan Tian, Wang Shouzong, and the others ignored the Yi Family’s attempts to make them stay and departed that very day.

Whether Yi Zhoudian was willing to accept it or not, the fragile alliance originally aimed at the Zhao Family had, for all intents and purposes, collapsed after Zuiyun Pavilion switched sides.

...

「The Zhao Family’s territory.」

After several months of hard work, the family’s new batch of Immortal Seeds had finally been filtered through multiple rounds of selection from various regions. They were escorted by Steward Elders all the way to the family’s main headquarters to participate in the final selection.

Compared to the Ling Family, the Zhao Family’s territory had a much larger mortal population, meaning there were more young men and women who met the requirements. However, due to the family’s limited resources, the number of Immortal Seeds shortlisted each year had always been fixed.

This time, however, with their financial and material resources significantly increased, the Zhao Family’s upper echelons had the confidence to expand the scale of the Immortal Seed program.

With Ling Changqing personally overseeing the screening, the margin for error could be minimized, ensuring that no Immortal Seed worthy of cultivation would be overlooked.

At the center of the high platform, Shangguan Qingying, magnificently dressed and exuding an inner majesty, gazed coldly upon the tens of thousands of young men and women in the plaza below.

They stood in neat formations, all wearing uniform White Magical Robes. Each one held their breath and calmed their spirit, ready to hear the Matriarch’s instructions.

Beside her, Ling Changqing had already acted silently. Under his Majestic Divine Power, the phenomena of these young people’s Qi Fortune and their innate talents were laid bare before him, as clear as the lines on his palm.

When his own Magical Power was nearly depleted, Ling Changqing finally withdrew his technique and handed the Jade Scroll Register to Shangguan Qingying.

"You’ve worked hard, Husband."

Dressed in a snow-white gown, her charming face as beautiful as a luxurious peony, Jin Yuexi reached out to take his arm while handing him a Grade Four Elixir.

Ling Changqing took it and consumed it. As the elixir dissolved, a torrent of medicinal power surged into his organs, allowing his nearly depleted Essence, Qi, and Spirit to quickly return to their Peak.

"Alright, Husband, go and rest for a while. I’ll handle the rest,"

Shangguan Qingying said softly.

Ling Changqing agreed and left with Jin Yuexi and the Zhao Wanyi sisters.

Shangguan Qingying unrolled the Jade Scroll Register again. She first removed the small number of unqualified names, who were then sent back to their homes by the Stewards.

The remaining candidates numbered over twenty thousand, which was the quota Shangguan Qingying had set.

The Jade Scroll itself was a Top Grade Magical Artifact. As long as Shangguan Qingying projected her Divine Thought onto it, all the names within would appear in her sea of consciousness.

Over twenty thousand names shimmered with Spiritual Light of various colors, which Ling Changqing had marked.

Among them were eleven light-blue names and over a hundred pure-gold names. The light-gold names numbered over five hundred. These were, naturally, the best batch of Immortal Seeds.

Below them were yellow, red, white, and so on.

The different colors represented their future growth potential.

Pure gold meant they had the potential to reach the Golden Core Master level. Light gold corresponded to True Pill Cultivators, yellow could reach Pseudo Core, and red had a chance at Foundation Establishment.

As for light blue, as long as they didn’t die prematurely, they had the potential to step into the Realm of a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

Of course, nothing in this world was set in stone. Excellent Spirit Root Talent didn’t guarantee success in Cultivation; it was still subject to many unexpected factors.

Shangguan Qingying quickly scanned the list and understood the situation.

She raised her hand, took out a blank Jade Scroll, and copied down all the names of the Zhao Family girls who were ranked light-gold or higher. There were two hundred and thirty-seven of them.

Next was the list of Zhao Family girls with yellow-ranked names, totaling over six hundred. Shangguan Qingying copied these names down as well.

Immediately after, Shangguan Qingying began to make arrangements for these shortlisted Immortal Seeds. They would all be assigned their own residences.

In the future, they would receive monthly Cultivation Resources such as Elixirs, Talismans, and Spirit Stones. They would also have to attend classes on time, where Stewards from the Inheritance Hall would explain the secrets of various Cultivation Techniques.

After dealing with all this, Shangguan Qingying finally went to the Secret Hall. The girls she had singled out had already been brought over by an Elder.

In the spacious and luxurious hall, over eight hundred girls were gathered. Every one of them was a bright-eyed, radiant young beauty, a sight that left Shangguan Qingying quite satisfied.

Before arriving at the family headquarters, they had already gone through multiple rounds of rigorous selection, defeating thousands upon thousands of competitors. Thus, they were impeccable in every aspect.

Shangguan Qingying deliberated for a moment, then, using a ratio of roughly one in ten, chose the eighty-five most stunning young women with the most outstanding looks and figures. The rest were sent back to their residences to be cultivated as ordinary Immortal Seeds.

At that moment, Ling Changqing, who was resting in another hall, received a message from Shangguan Qingying, informing him that a new batch of selected Maids would soon be over to serve him.

Ling Changqing couldn’t help but give a wry smile. It seemed he was doomed to be overworked. In the future, he would have to think of some reasonable ways to avoid his taxes... oh no, he meant, to avoid his *tasks*.