Baixi Zhou Clan!

The Four Poles Origin-Stabilizing Formation, a middle-grade first-rank formation, cost three hundred merit points.

Although the exorbitant price pained Zhou Ping deeply, he knew this specific formation was the most suitable for his clan among all the choices.

Baixi Village was nestled among low, rolling hills with no high peaks. If he chose a different formation, it would only encompass a single hilltop. Since the hills were small, it meant they wouldn't be able to clear much spiritual land on them-and without land, how could they plant spiritual rice? To cultivate more spiritual rice and fruits, they naturally needed an array that could cover a larger territory.

The Four Poles Origin-Stabilizing Formation possessed one main formation eye and four subsidiary eyes. It could envelope a perimeter of several li, far surpassing ordinary arrays.

Of course, such an advantage came with inherent drawbacks. Its offensive and defensive capabilities, as well as its efficiency in gathering spiritual Qi, were only sixty to seventy percent of a standard formation.

But for the current Zhou family, the benefits far outweighed the flaws.

"Fellow Daoist, I choose this formation."

Zhang Ting looked over, and upon seeing it was the Four Poles Origin-Stabilizing Formation, he nodded slightly with a smile. "Fellow Daoist is truly a discerning man."

With a flick of his wrist, he actually drew five formation plates and eighteen formation flags from his sleeve.

Zhou Ping's eyes narrowed. He hadn't noticed anything unusual when Zhang Ting brought out the topographic jade token earlier, but now that the old man was producing so many items, it was clear he had a Storage Bag concealed within his sleeve.

A Storage Bag contained its own localized space and was extraordinarily precious. Each one commanded an astronomical price of several hundred spirit stones. Zhang Ting was merely a cultivator at the fourth layer of Qi Condensation, yet he actually possessed one.

Noticing the shift in Zhou Ping's expression, Zhang Ting smiled faintly. "Fellow Daoist, it is best not to harbor any wayward thoughts. This belongs to the Immortals' Directorate and bears the restrictive wards of a Core Formation grandmaster. It cannot be stolen by others, which is the only reason this old Daoist is permitted to carry it."

Hearing that it carried the methods of a Core Formation grandmaster, Zhou Ping's expression changed slightly. He hurriedly suppressed the stray thoughts in his heart. "Please do not take offense, Fellow Daoist."

"Haha, it is only human nature, only human nature." Zhang Ting chuckled, then took out another piece of jade. "This is the control jade for the Four Poles Origin-Stabilizing Formation. Once you reach the designated bounds of your territory, simply trigger the jade, and the array will deploy itself."

Zhou Ping paused, surprised. "Is Fellow Daoist not going to arrange it personally?"

Zhang Ting let out a bitter laugh and waved his hand.

"If I truly understood the profound art of formations, I wouldn't have to toil and travel so extensively."

Zhou Ping fell silent. The hundred arts of cultivation were incredibly difficult to acquire; every single craft was the foundational bedrock of an Immortal Clan. Even he, during his time in the Azure Cloud Sect, had been nothing more than a common spiritual farmer.

The Imperial Court sought to harvest the Immortal Clans, while the clans themselves sought to prosper for generations. This structural tension ensured that the hundred arts of cultivation would never be widely circulated, remaining heavily guarded secrets among the various factions.

On the exchange list, standard pills cost a mere handful of merit points, but anything involving the inheritance of a craft required hundreds, thousands, or even more.

Zhang Ting stroked his beard. "Go ahead and set it up first, Fellow Daoist. Once the array is established, I can depart with peace of mind."

Deploying a clan-protecting array-and specifically placing its formation eyes-involved the core secrets of a family. He naturally knew better than to involve himself.

"It was my oversight," Zhou Ping said apologetically. "Minghu, come and keep Senior company on my behalf."

Zhou Minghu walked out from the rear courtyard and bowed respectfully to Zhang Ting. "Junior Zhou Minghu greets Senior Zhang."

As for Zhou Xuanya, Zhou Ping had deliberately sent him into the mountains, fearing that Zhang Ting might sense the boy's cultivation.

"Truly a young talent, dignified and striking."

Zhang Ting looked at Zhou Minghu, his smile widening as he began calculating which young woman from his own clan could be married off to the boy.

The two exchanged pleasantries with great courtesy, maintaining a harmonious atmosphere that resembled a grandfather and grandson.

Meanwhile, Zhou Ping walked swiftly toward the eastern edge of Baixi Village.

Baixi Village was nestled within a branch ridge of Darong Mountain, surrounded by hills on all sides like a secluded basin. Toward the east, where four small hills converged, a narrow path only wide enough for two men side-by-side wound outward. Short of scaling the treacherous peaks, this path was the sole exit from Baixi Village.

Zhou Ping extended his divine sense into the jade token. Instantly, a powerful consciousness surged forth, manifesting into a phantom figure whose terrifying spiritual pressure made it difficult for him to breathe!

"A Foundation Establishment expert!"

Zhou Ping's heart trembled violently as he stared at the figure in sheer dread.

However, he quickly realized that the phantom was completely hollow and rigid, functioning like a mindless puppet.

The phantom swept its gaze across the surroundings and swept its large sleeve. The formation plates and flags in Zhou Ping's hands flew into the air, shooting like meteors toward the four surrounding hills.

Immediately after, a nearly transparent barrier enveloped the four peaks before rippling out of sight, turning completely invisible. The phantom figure then dissolved into thin air.

Far away, in Nanyang Prefecture City, a powerful cultivator who was currently inscribing a formation plate suddenly stiffened. A faint smile touched his lips. Someone had triggered an array he had crafted; he would be able to collect another three hundred spirit stones from the Immortals' Directorate.

Zhou Ping's heart was still hammering, but he gradually composed himself. He understood that the manifestation was merely a strand of intent left behind to execute a pre-set command.

The main formation plate in his hand emitted a soft, dark glow. Through it, he could sense the boundary covering the four hills, resembling four intersecting circles that were steadily drawing in the surrounding spiritual Qi. With the main plate under his control, a single thought from him could trigger the array's myriad transformations.

However, the spiritual Qi within the perimeter was currently very thin, so the array's true power had yet to manifest. Zhou Ping estimated that once the area was saturated with spiritual Qi, and with him presiding over the core, it would be difficult for three to five fellow Qi Condensation cultivators of the same realm to breach it.

Relieved and pleased, Zhou Ping turned back toward his estate.

When he returned to the main hall, Zhang Ting was waiting for him with a knowing smile. On the elegant topographic chart spread across the table, a new name had emerged to the west of Qingshui County.

Baixi Zhou Clan!

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist. From this day forth, your lineage is an officially recognized Immortal Clan," Zhang Ting said. "Keep that jade token safe; it serves as your family's proof of registration. Should you wish to exchange for resources in the future, you can activate the jade, and a cultivator will deliver them to your door."

"However, a word of advice: unless it is a massive bulk order or an incredibly precious item, you should travel to the prefecture city to do the exchange yourself. The distance is vast, and the Directorate charges a hefty delivery fee. Moreover, accidents often happen on the road."

"Zhou Ping understands," Zhou Ping replied with a shallow bow. He then probed the jade token with his divine sense, only to freeze in shock. He blurted out, "Fellow Daoist, why has the debt become five hundred merit points?"

Initially, his merits were flat zero. Even after selecting the Four Poles Origin-Stabilizing Formation, he should have only owed three hundred points. Yet the total now stood at a staggering five hundred.

Zhang Ting sighed. "Do not panic, Fellow Daoist. This is precisely why the Imperial Court allows newly established clans to buy on credit-the interest is fixed at a forty percent increase."

"The five hundred merit points you owe must be repaid every three years. Your clan will deliver two thousand five hundred jin of spiritual rice-equivalent to twenty-five merit points-to the Immortals' Directorate. The debt will be cleared in sixty years."

"Furthermore, every three years, you must pay an additional one thousand jin of spiritual rice as a maintenance levy for your clan's Dao field."

Zhou Ping stood rooted to the spot, ultimately letting out a quiet, weary sigh. Even after ascending to the status of an Immortal Clan, they could not escape being bled dry.

On the surface, the court was granting them land for a Dao field, but in truth, they remained firmly under the empire's thumb. Nothing had fundamentally changed; they had simply traded mortal grain taxes for spiritual rice.

By this metric, his family had to surrender three thousand five hundred jin of spiritual rice to the Imperial Court every three years. How many spiritual fields would they have to break their backs clearing just to meet that quota?

"Thank you for clarifying, Fellow Daoist."

Zhang Ting waved his hand and pulled out a bound ledger. "We are both of the Immortal Clans; none of us have it easy. If not for the crushing burdens, I wouldn't have joined the Directorate to endure this constant travel."

"This is a pictorial compendium gifted by the Directorate to all registered clans. It cataloges the majority of common heavenly materials and earthly treasures. Take care of it, Fellow Daoist."

Zhou Ping accepted it, but a cold sneer formed in his mind-not toward Zhang Ting, but directed at the Imperial Court.

The court gifted this compendium to newly minted clans not out of generosity, but out of fear that these rustic families might stumble upon a priceless treasure without recognizing it, thereby preventing the court from harvesting it.

When a minor clan discovered a treasure, their lack of the hundred arts meant they could only hand it over to the state as raw material in exchange for basic merit points. The Immortals' Directorate would then refine those materials into pills, artifacts, talismans, and formations, using the finished products to continue exploiting the clans.

It was exactly like the economic dynamics of his previous life: underdeveloped nations could only export cheap raw materials for razor-thin profit margins, while technologically advanced superpowers processed those materials into high-value goods, draining the wealth of the smaller nations in return.

The two exchanged a few more words, sharing a brief moment of mutual sympathy as men trapped in the same system.

Before long, Magistrate Zhu Zhen emerged from the side courtyard with a satisfied expression. He gathered his yamen runners and took his leave of the Zhou family, with Zhang Ting departing alongside them.

They left behind only the spiritual rice seeds, the manual for reclaiming spiritual land and cultivating spiritual grain, and a few basic Qi Condensation techniques-all of which, unsurprisingly, were tailored toward agricultural cultivation.

The Imperial Court's intent was entirely transparent: they wanted weak families like the Zhou clan to anchor themselves to a single piece of land, farming it for generations to be systematically harvested, while simultaneously acting as a buffer to guard the borders against wild beasts and rogue cultivators.

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