67: Chapter 67 is worth the gamble!

"Foundation Establishment at twenty-four."

"Our Sun Clan has finally produced a Qilin Child."

Sun Boan's tone was melancholic yet filled with relief and pride; in that moment, his entire being seemed to relax.

"A full thirty-five years faster than me."

Sun Boan sighed with emotion; he no longer had any regrets in this life.

He also felt fortunate for the choice he had made back then. Perhaps this was fate; a single choice of his had completely altered the destiny of his lineage!

The sliver of guilt in his heart was completely released at this moment...

Three days later.

The news of the decree passed down by White Cloud Temple caused a massive stir across the Nine Counties.

Personal Disciple, deacon elder, and Spirit Tax Supervisor.

With these three titles bestowed upon her, the entire cultivation circle of Baiyun Prefecture fell into a collective silence for half a day before everyone eventually gave a bitter smile.

Congratulatory gifts from various families and clans flooded toward Hongtian City as if they cost nothing.

Sun Boan accepted them all, refusing not a single cent.

He knew clearly in his heart that these gifts weren't for Sun Yao, but for the Sun Clan, and even more so for the one in the back mountain.

The celebration was set for seven days later, held at the southern city market of Hongtian City.

Sun Mao handled the arrangements personally. The scene wasn't overly extravagant, but it had immense prestige.

Every prominent Family Cultivator from the Nine Counties was present, and even White Cloud Temple sent two deacon elders to deliver a congratulatory gift on behalf of Immortal Master Daoist Yun Du.

Sun Yao did not return.

She sent a letter home with only a single line: [Busy with affairs, inconvenient to return home. I will return to visit and catch up during the New Year.]

After reading it, Sun Boan folded the letter and tucked it into his sleeve.

He understood that the girl knew the rules.

Running back home right after taking office wouldn't look good to outsiders. As long as her heart was in it, it was enough; after all, on the surface, she was still a Deacon of White Cloud Temple.

She was Daoist Master Yunxiao's Personal Disciple!

On the day of the celebration, the protagonist was absent, but the protagonist's reputation was already loud enough.

Sun Mao raised a cup during the banquet and gave a speech. It wasn't long, but every word carried weight.

"Thirty years ago, our Sun Clan was but a minor clan, barely scraping by to survive."

"That we can have such prosperity today is thanks to the Old Ancestor's protection, the unity of our clansmen, and the support of all of you!"

"Sister Yao becoming a Deacon of White Cloud Temple today is not the end, but the starting point."

"Going forward, the business between the Sun Clan and your families will remain at the same prices. Those who should offer concessions, offer them; those who should cooperate, cooperate!"

"The rules are still the same rules. If anyone dares to break them, don't blame me, Sun Mao, for being heartless!"

As his voice fell, the entire hall went silent.

Shi Mo lay at Sun Mao's feet, his slitted pupils half-closed. That patch of dark gold fur on his back shimmered with a cold light under the lamps.

No one spoke up, but everyone understood.

The Sun Clan's attitude was clear: we are stronger now, but the rules of the game remain unchanged, provided you don't do anything stupid.

After this warning, the various families understood perfectly.

After the celebration ended, Sun Mao returned to the back mountain to report.

Shi Jian was still lying on that old rock in front of the Immortal Cave.

"Not bad."

He then tilted his head and gestured behind him.

A giant bear walked over slowly following the gesture.

Shi Pan.

Of the three bear demons he had Enlightened, this one was the most robust in stature.

His fur was blue-grey, his limbs short and thick, and while his personality was slightly more cheerful than Shi Mo's, he was still taciturn. He possessed the Iron-backed Bear Bloodline.

He had an affinity for the earth element, and his Bloodline was not weak.

He was also a solid candidate for Foundation Establishment and possessed extremely strong perception; no fluctuations of spiritual power within several hundred feet could escape his ears.

This was innate and unrelated to his Bloodline.

"Send Shi Pan to White Cloud Temple to be with Yao'er. The little girl needs a reliable companion by her side; Shi Pan can become the sturdiest shield wall in front of her."

"Shi Pan has a quiet nature and strong perception."

"Having him watch her surroundings is much more effective than her own two eyes."

Sun Mao opened his mouth to say something but then swallowed it back down.

This was already the second one.

Shi Mo had been given to him, and Shi Pan was being given to Sun Yao.

The three bear demons were the result of the Old Ancestor's personal training and cultivation. Now, two had already been sent away, leaving only Shi Yin...

"Old Ancestor, you are keeping Shi Yin..."

"Shi Yin will not be sent away."

Shi Jian interrupted him, his tone brook no argument. "Shi Yin will stay in the back mountain. I have my own arrangements; you need not worry."

Hearing this, Sun Mao said no more and bowed to accept the command.

As he led Shi Pan down the mountain, he glanced back at the Immortal Cave. The Old Ancestor was still lying on the rock, looking no different from thirty years ago, still incredibly lazy...

But Sun Mao always felt that deep within those half-squinted bear eyes, something flashed.

It was very fast, very deep—so deep that he couldn't see the bottom...

...

On the day Shi Pan was sent to White Cloud Temple, Sun Yao didn't show much emotion; she just crouched down and looked at Shi Pan for a long time.

Shi Pan also looked at her, his blue-iron slitted pupils as quiet as two ancient wells.

"The Old Ancestor sent you?"

"Yes, the Old Ancestor told me to accompany you."

Shi Pan lowered his head, pressing his forehead against her palm.

Sun Yao smiled knowingly and reached out to pat that furry head.

"Then from now on, follow me well."

An equality contract was established, creating an invisible bond between the human and the beast. Many Disciples within White Cloud Temple came to watch, whispering among themselves.

Some said the Sun Clan had made quite a grand gesture.

Others said the bear looked like it wasn't very bright.

Shi Pan remained lying at Sun Yao's feet the entire time, turning a deaf ear to everyone's comments.

Only he knew that among the surrounding crowd just now, the spiritual power fluctuations of three people clearly carried hostility...

He remembered them.

...

After sending off Shi Pan, the Sun Clan's focus shifted entirely to two major matters.

The first was Sun Mao's Foundation Establishment.

His cultivation had reached the ninth level of Qi Refining, only a step away from Perfection, but the further one progressed, the slower it became. At the fastest, it would still take two or three years.

Combined with managing clan affairs and being distracted by the path of Alchemy, some time had been delayed, but this delay wasn't long and was within an acceptable range.

Sun Boan began systematically stockpiling to make preparations for Sun Mao's Foundation Establishment.

The second matter was equally costly.

The expansion of the thunder element fruit orchard.

Sun Caiya submitted a proposal. After Sun Boan finished reading it, his hands were trembling slightly.

Expanding the thunder fruit orchard to three acres, adding a grove of Thunder-Attracting Spirit Wood, and a matching second-grade thunder-gathering Formation—the initial investment alone would require four to five thousand Spirit Stones!

A good second-grade array cost at least several thousand to ten thousand Spirit Stones, nearly as much as a foundation establishment pill...

And this didn't even include the subsequent maintenance costs.

But when the proposal reached the back mountain, Shi Jian only replied with one word: Approved!

Sun Boan gritted his teeth and paid the money.

The even more expensive part was yet to come.

Sun Yao sent back a secret letter, saying that in her capacity as a deacon elder of White Cloud Temple, she had found a Medium Grade second-grade Lightning Attraction clan-protecting Formation in a Formation shop in Linshui County.

Price: seventeen thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

Purchased in the name of White Cloud Temple, it would be thirty percent off, still requiring twelve thousand.

When Sun Boan saw this number, he sat in his study for a full incense stick's time without moving, but in the end, he still approved it...

After all, this Formation was for the Old Ancestor's use.

Ever since the Old Ancestor returned from Qingfeng Mountain, he had been in closed-door cultivation to comprehend the Way of Thunder. Muffled sounds of thunder often echoed from within the Immortal Cave.

Planting thunder element fruits in the back mountain, collecting thunder-attribute spiritual plants, and now buying a Lightning Attraction Array.

Everything pointed in the same direction: the Old Ancestor was attempting to enter the Dao through thunder, using the Way of Thunder as a springboard...

This was the key to whether the Sun Clan could ascend to another level!

It was worth a gamble.

To buy these things, the Sun Clan had essentially emptied their coffers, pouring in all their savings from over the years.

But as long as it could aid Shi Jian's cultivation, then every bit of investment was worth it!