Chapter 321: Brothers’ Talk and Stirring Turmoil!

White Tiger Mountain.

Inside a grand hall.

Lu Family disciples gathered to discuss today’s battle.

Although they didn’t do much, the events today deeply shocked them, making them realize the cruelty of the cultivation world.

“Big Brother, when did you break through to the late stage of Qi Refining?”

At this moment, Lu Caizhen noticed her brother Lu Quanzhen returning and eagerly approached him, asking quietly with excitement.

She knew her brother always worked hard in his cultivation.

But she didn’t expect him to be so powerful.

“Quanzhen, you’ve already reached the late stage of Qi Refining!”

“Quanzhen, you must have already reached the eighth layer of Qi Refining, right?”

“Quanzhen, you just let the Zhao Family go. What if they turn against us later and seek revenge?”

The other Lu Family disciples also began to speak when they saw Lu Quanzhen.

The highest cultivation among them was only at the sixth layer of Qi Refining.

The gap between the sixth and seventh layers of Qi Refining is a significant hurdle!

With their Spirit Root talent, breaking through this barrier requires a lot of time, or even relying on pills.

But the strength Lu Quanzhen displayed today clearly wasn’t from just breaking into the late stage of Qi Refining.

Especially in the previous battle, Lu Quanzhen not only showed superior combat strength but also remained calm under pressure, commanding a Second-Tier puppet and the Nine Abyss Mastiff in a fight with a Second-Tier demon beast. This made his image grow taller and more formidable in their minds.

“Hehe, I had a lucky breakthrough during a recent trip.”

“As for the Zhao Family, don’t worry about it.”

Lu Quanzhen smiled at his brothers and sisters, saying little more.

After all, his actions weren’t exactly righteous.

However, some guessed why Lu Quanzhen returned so late, looking at him with more respect in their eyes.

“Quanzhen, you’re back. I’ve already compiled the current situation of the Zhao Family.”

At this time, Lu Yun returned with Lu Ruyi, Lu Xiaoru, and others, immediately speaking when he saw Lu Quanzhen.

Although he was the head of the Lu Family, they were all brothers and sisters, so he didn’t put on too much of an air of authority.

Moreover, Lu Changsheng had said that all matters concerning White Tiger Mountain would be fully entrusted to Lu Quanzhen, so even as the head of the family, Lu Yun wouldn’t interfere too much.

“Thank you, Brother Yun.”

Lu Quanzhen smiled.

Because of the close relationship between Qu Zhenzhen and Lu Miaoyun, their siblings wer also very close to Lu Yun and his siblings.

The two of them went to a side hall.

Lu Quanzhen took the booklet and flipped through it, casually asking, “Brother Yun, do you have any suggestions for dealing with the Zhao Family?”

“Quanzhen, you’re better at this than I am. You can make the decision.”

Lu Yun replied directly.

He knew that Lu Quanzhen was more capable in handling such matters.

He was only chosen as the head of the family because their father valued his mother, Lu Miaoyun, and Qingzhu Mountan.

“It’s just a casual discussion between brothers. Besides, you’ll have to take over White Tiger Mountain sooner or later.”

Lu Quanzhen chuckled softly.

He had no interest in family affairs early on, only wanting to focus on cultivation and breaking through to Foundation Establishment.

But after meeting his uncle Qu Changge, he saw a broader world!

He realized that the cultivation world of Jiang Kingdom was too small.

He had to set his sights higher, targeting the entire Southern Wilderness cultivation world!

Only then could he fulfill his promise to his uncle and form a High-Tier Golden Core before the age of 100!

“Since the Zhao Family has submitted to us, the next step is to stabilize their situation and win their loyalty.”

“During this time, we should also draw support from some members of the Zhao Family. From what I’ve seen, besides the main branch, there are two other branches.”

Lu Yun hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“That’s right, we should elevate the side branches to suppress the main branch. In families like the Zhao Family, the side branches are usually overlooked and have less loyalty. If we give them some benefits, they’ll be willing to be our dogs.”

Lu Quanzhen chuckled and said, “But Brother Yun, schemes and tricks aren’t the ultimate solution. In this world, strength is the true king.”

“The Zhao Family submitted to us because they fear Father, Auntie, Uncle Li, and the Nine Abyss Mastiff.”

“So, we don’t need to put too much effort into stabilizing the Zhao Family. As long as Father and Auntie are here, the Zhao Family won’t dare to have any ill thoughts and will obediently serve us.”

“If you’re in a good mood, you can reward them with a few bones. If they dare to disobey or act slowly, just kill them. There are plenty of Zhao Family members willing to be our dogs.”

“You must know that cowards fear power, not virtue. The more polite and easygoing you are, the more they’ll take advantage once they figure out your temperament and bottom line.”

Lu Quanzhen casually commented as he read the information on the Jade Scroll.

“Fear power, not virtue.”

Lu Yun was stunned and then smiled awkwardly. “Quanzhen, I understand what you mean. But if this gets out and other families find out, won’t it affect our family’s reputation?”

“Brother Yun, as I said, strength is the true king.”

Lu Quanzhen looked up and smiled. “With Father and Auntie here, what can other families say? If we’re talking about reputation, our family took Bihu Mountain from the Yu Family and now White Tiger Mountain. Do you think that will enhance our reputation?”

“No one dares to talk behind our backs about such things. Why would they care about trivial matters? As long as our family is strong enough, no matter what we do, there will be people praising us.”

As he spoke, Lu Quanzhen patted his brother’s shoulder.

He knew that Auntie Lu Miaoyun, who had managed th household affairs for years, was strict with Lu Yun and his siblings.

But to set an example for the family, Lu Miaoyun had been very stric with their conduct.

Though Lu Yun had been somewhat spoiled by the Fourth Elder in his early years, Lu Miaoyun’s strict teachings radually made him timid and overly obedient, lacking in confidence and decisiveness.

In his actions, he always tried to emulate Father Lu Changsheng, but he only learned the superficial aspects, making him indecisive and overly righteous.

This wasn’t just Lu Yun’s problem; many Lu Family disciples had the same issue.

“I understand.”

Lu Yun nodded, then smiled bitterly. “Quanzhen, I’ve always thought you’d be more suitable to be the head of the family.”

“In two years, when it’s time for the next family head election, if you’re willing, I’m sure Father will agree.”

Lu Yun had always known he was indecisive and lacked the ruthlessness needed.

“Hehe, Brother Yun, don’t underestimate yourself. As the head of the family, you at least keep everyone in harmony, and all your siblings respect you.”

Lu Quanzhen smiled.

While Lu Yun lacked ruthlessness, he had always been diligent and fair in his duties, never abusing his power for personal gain. So, his siblings all respected him.

After chatting for a while, the two brothers finalized their discussion and began assigning tasks, mobilizing all the Lu Family disciples.

“Tsk tsk, the Zhao Family really is a family with nearly a thousand years of heritage. They do have some foundation.”

At this time, Lu Changsheng and Lu Miaoge arrived at the ZhaooFamily patriarch’s seclusion cave.

This was the spiritual eye of White Tiger Mountain’s spiritual vein, where the spiritual energy was extremely rich, reaching the level of a High-Tier Second-Tier vein.

It’s not that the spiritual vein of White Tiger Mountain was a High-Tier Second-Tier.

Rather, because White Tiger Mountain had only one Foundation Establishment cultivator, the Zhao Family patriarch, and a Second-Tier demon beast, the spiritual energy was more than enough.

As a result, with the help of a spirit-gathering formation, the concentration of spiritual energy in the cave easily reached the level of a High-Tier Second-Tier vein.

Using the Source Spirit Ocular Technique, Lu Changsheng noticed that this spiritual vein of White Tiger Mountain was showing signs of advancing to a High-Tier Second-Tier vein.

All it would take is a single spirit source bead to immediately upgrade it to a High-Tier Second-Tier vein.

“But this spiritual vein is destined not to advance to a High-Tier Second-Tier.”

Lu Changsheng sighed lightly.

He planned to extract part of the vein’s essence to nourish his own family’s vein.

However, to extract the vein, he still needed to make some preparations.

Although he had acquired the Dragon Seeker’s techniques, he hadn’t had time to prepare the basic tools.

Thus, Lu Changsheng and Lu Miaoge remained at White TTger Mountain.

Li Feiyu led Lu Xian’er, Lu Xiaoru, and the other children back to Bihu Mountain.

After all, these children had responsibilities in the family, and staying outside for too long would have consequences.

Only Lu Quanzhen, Lu Yun, Lu Ruyi, and a few others stayed behind to handle the affairs.

At this time, after reviewing the Zhao Family’s assets and expenses over the years, Lu Changsheng understood why the Zhao Family patriarch coveted his family’s Spirit Stone mine.

They were too poor!

Although the Zhao Family’s conditions were decent and they had once been prosperous, the loss in the Battle of Blackwater Pool had dealt a severe blow to the family, leading to a gap between generations.

As a result, the Zhao Family patriarch increased the resources for the younger generation, causing White Tiger Mountain to lose money year after year.

You must know that not every family has someone like Lu Changsheng, who doesn’t rely on the family’s income and constantly subsidizes the family.

White Tiger Mountain had a deficit, but the patriarch’s cultivation expenses couldn’t be reduced, leading to the sale of many assets and a growing financial hole.

Eight years ago, the Foundation Establishment seed White Tiger Mountain had been nurturing failed to break through, making the situation even worse.

These past few years have been extremely difficult.

“Sigh, although the Zhao Family is skilled in Equipment Refining, most of the family’s income comes from their mines.”

“Now that the mines are heavily exploited and they haven’t developed new sources of income, even without this incident, the family would face a crisis in a few decades.”

Lu Changsheng shook his head.

White Tiger Mountain’s environment wasn’t suitable for large-scale cultivation of spiritual herbs or fields, so it was difficult for the Zhao Family to develop new sources of income.

“The situation at White Tiger Mountain could be used to build factories or establish a Market.”

Lu Changsheng thought to himself.

However, he definitely wouldn’t use White Tiger Mountain to establish a Market.

He planned to wait until his children broke through to Foundation Establishment and then set up a branch family here, possibly building a few factories.

“But if I want to build factories, I must deal with the Jin Family first. Otherwise, with the two families so close, if White Tiger Mountain is attacked, I would suffer a significant loss.”

Lu Changsheng shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it for now, keeping White Tiger Mountain as it is for the time being.

Although White Tiger Mountain was poor, it still had some foundation as a family with nearly a thousand years of heritage.

For example, in terms of Artifacts and Spirit Tools.

The Zhao Family didn’t have many ordinary Artifacts and Spirit Tools, as most had been sold.

But the treasure vault still contained several high-quality Artifacts and Spirit Tools passed down through generations.

These were high-quality Artifacts and Spirit Tools crafted by previous generations of the Zhao Family patriarchs for the family.

If sold, they could easily fetch tens of thousands of Spirit Stones.

However, Lu Changsheng naturally wouldn’t sell these Artifacts, choosing to keep them for his family instead.

The next day.

The news about Bihu Mountain and White Tiger Mountain quickly spread like a boulder thrown into a pond, causing huge ripples in the surrounding areas.

This news spread rapidly throughout the Qingyun Region!

Because it was truly shocking!

It wasn’t that Bihu Mountain defeated White Tiger Mountain!

But that Lu Changsheng and Lu Miaoge joined forces to deeeat Jin Zan, the Great Elder of the Jin Family of Jinlong Ridge!

And during the battle, they even called upon a Foundation Establishment friend for help and revealed a Second-Tier demon beast!

You must know that the Lu Family of Bihu Mountain already had three Foundation Establishment cultivators: Lu Changsheng, Lu Miaoge, and Ling Zixiao!!

Lu Changsheng even had a Foundation Establishment Daoist partner in the Azure Cloud Sect!

Now, they had two more Foundation Establishment fighters, making a total of six Foundation Establishment cultivators!

This level of strength, looking across the entire Qingyun Region, apart from the Beast Taming Xu Family and the six False Core families, could be considered in the top tier!

Especially the shocking strength of Lu Changsheng and Lu Miaoge!!

During the Hongye Valley Marketplace battle years ago, it was rumored that the Lu couple practiced a Dual Cultivation Method, with battle strength comparable to the peak of Foundation Establishment, killing five Foundation Establishment cultivators. Although everyone was surprised, most thought it was exaggerated.

But now, Jin Zan, the Great Elder of Jinlong Ridge, a renowned Foundation Establishment cultivator with the potential to reach False Core or even Golden Core, was defeated by this couple. It was truly unexpected and astonishing!

“The Lu Family of Bihu Mountain has only been established for over a decade, but they’ve grown so much!”

“I heard that the Lu couple has just broken through to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. If they both break through to the late stage, wouldn’t they be able to defeat False Core cultivators and contend with Golden Core cultivators?”

“Could the Lu Family of Bihu Mountain become the seventh False Core-level family power?”

“Hmph, breaking through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment isn’t that easy. I heard that Lu Changsheng’s Spirit Root talent is average. For him to break through to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment so quickly, he must have had a great opportunity!”

“White Tiger Mountain is adjacent to Jinlong Ridge. Now that Bihu Mountain has taken White Tiger Mountain, it’s like a thorn in the Jin Family’s side. They’re sure to clash with Bihu Mountain!”

“Tsk tsk, if the Jin Family’s False Core patriarch attacks Bihu Mountain and perishes with the Lu couple, that would be interesting!”

“I heard that the Lord of Bihu Mountain loves beauties and having children, and treats his wives, concubines, and children very well. If we could marry off some of our daughters to this Lu patriarch, maybe our families could remain on good terms for a long time.”

“Ling’er, Meng’er, come with me to visit this Lu patriarch!”

“The Lu Family of Bihu Mountain is destined to rise, but now Jinlong Ridge is their biggest enemy. Ming’er, do we have any eligible girls in the family?”

As the news spread, countless people were amazed and discussed it. Many families and forces, upon hearing the news, immediately sought to visit Lu Changsheng or began preparing to discuss alliances and cooperation.

Qingzhu Mountain.

“Changsheng and Miaoge actually defeated the Great Elder of the Jin Family!”

Lu Yuanshan Ding and the Fourth Elder were left speechless when they heard the news.

During the Battle of Red Leaf Valley, they had thought Lu Changsheng’s words were just empty boasts.

They believed he deliberately spread such rumors to promote the Market.

But now, it turned out that the couple’s strength was truly astonishing, as they had defeated the Great Elder of Jinlong Ridge.

You must know that Jinlong Ridge and the Jin Family’s Great Elder were figures that Qingzhu Mountain could only look up to, people they could hardly even meet.

But now, they had been defeated by Lu Changsheng and Lu Miaoge..

“Will Auntie and Uncle Changsheng’s offense against Jinlong Ridge bring trouble?”

The newly promoted Lu Family patriarch, Lu Muping, was somewhat worried.

He had been stationed at Qingzhu Mountain for years and had not yet revealed his Foundation Establishment cultivation.

But as time passed, the Lu Family had already begun to subtly hint at it.

“Changsheng and Miaoge wouldn’t have acted this way if they weren’t confident.”

Lu Yuanshan Ding spoke firmly, his face showing worry, but his eyes revealing pride.

After all, they were his daughter and son-in-law!

How could he not be proud to hear such news!?

A Foundation Establishment cultivator with the potential to reach Golden Core was defeated by his daughter and son-in-law!

Doesn’t that mean his daughter and son-in-law have the potential to reach False Core, or even Golden Core in the future!

“Haha, I never thought I’d live to see this day. Even if I die, it will be worth it!”

Lu Yuanshan Ding laughed heartily.

“That’s something I should be saying, but it’s all thanks to you, Yuanding, for bringing Changsheng into our family back then.”

The Fourth Elder, though aged, had a healthy complexion due to consuming a Second-Tier Longevity Pill, and she smiled as she spoke.

“Great Uncle, Fourth Aunt, don’t say such things. Just focus on maintaining your health. You might even live to see Aunt and Uncle Changsheng reach Golden Core.”

Lu Muping respectfully addressed Lu Yuanshan Ding.

Although he was the Lu Family’s patriarch, he was always respectful towards Lu Yuanshan Ding and the Fourth Elder.

Not only because they were his elders but also because they were elders to Lu Changsheng.

“Golden Core.”

Lu Yuanshan Ding didn’t say anything.

But at this moment, both he and the Fourth Elder had a look of longing in their eyes, wondering if they would really see that day.

After all, this was the Golden Core stage!

Before this, even the False Core stage was something they could only dream of!

“If that day truly comes, even if I don’t live to see it, I will die without regret.”

Both Lu Yuanshan Ding and the Fourth Elder thought to themselves.