Pingyun Small Gathering

Half a month later, when Zhou Minghu arrived at Pingyun Market again, he found it far more bustling than before. The attitudes of the various immortal clans toward him had also undergone a considerable shift.

"Fellow Daoist, this way, please."

Huang Zhenghua smiled as he led the way, guiding Zhou Minghu to a pavilion situated at the outermost edge of the market.

The pavilion was built from fine timber, standing tall and imposing. Judging by its pristine appearance, it had clearly been constructed within the last few days, and a gleaming golden plaque hung directly above the entrance.

"Zhaonan Tower."

Zhou Minghu gazed at the plaque. To name it Zhaonan-this Huang family truly harbored no small ambition.

However, aspiring to be the leader of the southern commandery... he wondered if they could withstand the suppression of the Li and Song families.

He then stepped inside. Within was a broad hall with an empty center, surrounded by over a dozen chairs. The seats were packed with people. Cultivators from the immortal clans occupied the first eight chairs, while the rest were filled by rogue cultivators.

Huang Zhenghua led Zhou Minghu to the fifth chair. The immortal clan cultivators on either side looked over, and instead of mocking him as they had in the past, they stepped forward to flatter and curry favor.

Zhou Minghu responded to each of them in turn, remaining neither too intimate nor too distant.

This was the influence brought about by Zhou Ping's display of strength. Although the Qi Condensation cultivators of these families boasted higher cultivation realms than Zhou Ping, the difference was not massive-they were merely at the fourth, fifth, or sixth layer.

After all, their innate aptitudes were lacking. For these Qi Condensation cultivators, breaking through a single layer required several years, if not more than a decade.

Though Zhou Ping had relied on a powerful Magical Artifact to match those at the fourth or fifth layer, he was only in his forties. Standing among this group of Qi Condensation cultivators, he was simply far too young.

Even if Zhou Ping only managed to break through two layers over the next thirty years, his combat prowess would rival the sixth or seventh layer. Not to mention, he still had forty to fifty years of life ahead of him. The older generation of cultivators had few years remaining, and unlike the Huang family, their clans lacked worthy successors. Naturally, they wished to forge good karma with the Zhou family.

It was for this exact reason that the Huang family had seated Zhou Minghu in the fifth chair, a clear demonstration of their regard for the Zhou clan.

"In-law, in-law."

Zhou Minghu turned at the sound and saw Zhang Shoucheng, the Patriarch of the Fuyang County Zhang family, sitting behind him. He quickly cupped his hands in greeting. "Fellow Daoist, it has been a long time."

The Zhang family had shown them kindness in the past, and the two clans were connected by marriage. Both reason and sentiment demanded he treat them with respect.

Zhang Shoucheng wore a face full of smiles. Having heard of Zhou Ping's awe-inspiring display, his eyes brimmed with undisguised envy.

Although his own father was a powerful cultivator, his success and failure were entirely tied to the Immortals' Directorate. This left Zhang Ting utterly unable to attend to family affairs. The Zhang family bore the name of an immortal clan, yet they lacked its true foundation.

The clan possessed neither a protective formation nor spiritual plants and treasures. While this lack of wealth served as a form of protection, it also left the Zhang family stagnant, hopelessly mired in the mortal dust.

The two exchanged a few pleasantries. Having nothing precious on hand, Zhou Minghu instructed a servant to fetch a jar of Baixi Brew as a gift for Zhang Shoucheng.

Before long, the lighting in the entire hall dimmed.

A tall, graceful young woman appeared in the center. She smiled warmly. "Esteemed Immortal Masters and honored cultivators, today marks the inaugural gathering of our Zhaonan Small Meeting. We are deeply graced by your favor, having traveled thousands of miles to join us."

"We hope that this Zhaonan Small Meeting will live up to your expectations and allow you to return fully satisfied."

As the saying goes, where there are policies from above, there are countermeasures from below. Although the Li and Song families had successfully blocked the Huang family from expanding their Green Jade Pill trade outward, they had left the four counties firmly in the Huang clan's grasp.

Even if these four counties were barren, they still harbored very real demand.

However, with only a few immortal clans dwelling in the four counties, the demand for Green Jade Pills was naturally limited. It could not grow much further. After all, even at a price of eighty Spirit Stones per pill, they were still exorbitantly expensive.

Thus, the Huang family organized the Zhaonan Small Meeting with the specific intent of selling Green Jade Pills to the rogue cultivators of the southern four counties, cultivating the rise of new immortal clans.

The more immortal clans that emerged, the more prosperous the entire southern four counties would become. Naturally, the demand for cultivation resources would also experience a massive surge.

By monopolizing the trade in pills, talismans, and formations across the region, the Huang, Zhao, and Fang families could swiftly expand their own power by harvesting wealth from these newly established clans.

This approach appeared risky, as there was always the danger of a newly risen clan overtaking them. Yet, as long as they themselves remained powerful, the strong would only grow stronger, while the weak remained weak.

Huang Zhengming's strategy was undeniably bold, but if the Huang family wished to rise to prominence quickly, they had to embrace certain risks.

It was not that he disliked steady, methodical growth. It was simply that the Huang family could no longer afford the luxury of patience.

The Li and Song families feared a desperate counterattack from Huang Bailin, which was why they had acted as they did. But Huang Bailin had only a few decades of life remaining. If the Huang family failed to expand and produce one or two powerful cultivators capable of holding the line during this time, they would inevitably be crushed by the Li and Song families.

Now, however, the Huang family possessed over a dozen cultivators, including four at Qi Condensation. They had forged alliances with every immortal clan in the region. This was the peak of the Huang family's power since their founding.

They held absolute initiative in the southern four counties. If, despite all these advantages, they were still overtaken by some newly emerging immortal clan, then Huang Zhengming would simply accept his fate.

This meant that the immortal clans of the southern four counties would henceforth be structured like a pyramid. The Huang family would sit at the apex, monopolizing the pill trade. Just beneath them would be the Zhao and Fang families, controlling formations and talismans, respectively. Below them stood the Fan, Meng, Wei, Wan, and Zhou clans, holding sway over the medicinal herb and spiritual plant markets. At the very bottom would lie the newly risen immortal clans.

The Fan family was relegated to the third tier not merely because they lacked a pillar industry, but for another crucial reason: the Fan family's second cultivator had died!

Even a full decade after the Zhou family's breakthrough, ambitious fools still dared to scheme against them. The Fan family's newly ascended cultivator naturally faced far worse.

Not only had that newly advanced cultivator perished, but their clan grounds had been thoroughly ransacked, resulting in heavy casualties among their people. If Fan Yu had not arrived in time, the Fan family might very well have been wiped out.

As a result, the Fan family had suffered a devastating blow to their foundation, and it was unknown how many years it would take for them to recover.

The young woman's voice sent the rogue cultivators into a frenzy of excitement. Although they had heard of the terrifying events half a month ago, the immense temptation of pills, cultivation methods, and treasures still drew over a dozen of them to this gathering.

As the saying goes, men die for wealth just as birds die for food. As long as the profit was alluring enough, there would always be someone willing to brave a mountain of blades or a sea of fire.

"The first item: the Chaoyuan Guide Qi Method. This is a foundational cultivation manual for the Spirit Awakening Realm. The Spiritual Qi it gathers can purify the mind and calm the spirit. It also possesses the miraculous effects of marrow cleansing and extending one's lifespan."

Immediately, voices rang out from below.

"I offer one Green Origin Fruit."

"I offer three pieces of Purple Copper Ore."

...

As item after item was announced, the atmosphere in the hall grew increasingly fervent. Though rogue cultivators were often destitute, their constant wanderings through deep mountains and old forests meant they occasionally stumbled upon rare spiritual plants and earthly treasures.

During the auction, the Zhou family's Baixi Brew, the Zhao family's diverse talismans, the Fang family's Spirit Awakening formations, and the Huang family's Qi-Boosting and Qi-Replenishing Pills all caused quite a stir.

Finally, the reveal of the Green Jade Pill drove the rogue cultivators into absolute madness!

Over the past half month, Huang Zhengming had purchased the final medicinal ingredients from several families at premium prices, managing to gather six batches of raw materials. Out of those six batches, he had only succeeded once, producing five pills.

Spiritual herbs required time to grow. This meant that for at least a year, not a single new Green Jade Pill would be produced in the southern four counties.

Yet even under such strict constraints, he resolutely put one pill up for auction. He even allowed the final winner to take it on credit-provided they swore a solemn Dao Oath.

Zhang Shoucheng was ecstatic. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared fervently at the Green Jade Pill displayed above. "If I can secure this Green Jade Pill, Jiakong will have a chance to break through!"

As an active agent of the Immortals' Directorate, Zhang Ting had once exchanged his salary for a Green Jade Pill. Unfortunately, the junior who consumed it had failed their breakthrough.

"Eighty Spirit Stones!"

Zhang Shoucheng roared. Since the Huang family permitted buying on credit, he could simply repay the debt later.

The other rogue cultivators refused to be outdone and immediately began shouting their bids.

"Eighty-one!"

"Eighty-three Spirit Stones!"

...

Before long, the bidding price was driven up to ninety-five Spirit Stones.

Not a single cultivator from the established immortal clans spoke up. From the moment they arrived, they understood that this pill was prepared exclusively by the Huang family for the rogue cultivators. The pills truly meant for their clans were the others.

In the end, however, the pill was awarded to a rogue cultivator surnamed Lin who had bid only ninety Spirit Stones.

After all, since the Huang family was allowing the purchase on credit, they naturally would not blindly sell to the highest bidder. Instead, they had already investigated the participants' backgrounds, choosing to sell the pill to the rogue cultivator who offered a high price and possessed the greatest hope of a successful breakthrough. This ensured both absolute safety and maximum long-term profit.

Zhou Minghu paid little mind to these machinations. After the gathering concluded, he accepted three bottles of Qi-Boosting Pills from Huang Zhengqi-the payout for auctioning the Baixi Brew and several low-tier cultivation methods.

Gazing at the Qi-Boosting Pills in his hand, a complicated expression crossed his eyes. Years ago, it was the consumption of this exact type of pill that had shattered his cultivation and reduced him to a mere mortal.

"With these pills, Chengyuan and the others will be able to cultivate much faster."

Meanwhile, the rogue cultivator surnamed Lin swore a Dao Oath on the spot. This oath mandated not only the repayment of the Green Jade Pill but also dictated that for the next fifty years, thirty percent of the harvest from the Lin family's spiritual fields would be surrendered to the Huang clan. Even though the terms were incredibly harsh, the rogue cultivator swore it without a moment of hesitation.

Not long after, a strange, powerful aura surged through the market. It was the unmistakable sign of that rogue cultivator successfully breaking through to Qi Condensation.

And thus, in the southern reaches of Qingshui County, a new immortal clan territory was born: the Floating Water Lin Clan!

However, from the very moment of its founding, this Lin clan was shackled by staggering debts to both the Immortals' Directorate and the Huang family. Only the heavens knew how many long years it would take for them to finally clear their ledger.

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