Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 1599: Chapter 986: Kou Ta and Hong Fuxiu Join

After checking the situation of Yun Xiao, Kou Ta and Hong Fuxiu also took a stroll around Jade City before returning.

Inside the Qi Hall, Kou Ta and Hong Fuxiu were full of excitement and surprise.

The Spirit Source Land brought them too many surprises. Although its foundation is quite shallow, its potential is immense, with much room for growth in the future.

The most crucial point is that the current strength of the Spirit Source Land is not considered strong.

Indeed, not being strong is not a disadvantage for them; rather, it is an advantage.

For instance, in the Ten Thousand Treasures Store, despite its overwhelming strength, they hold the position of Guest Elders, but their status there is negligible, and the resources they receive are minimal.

In contrast, the Spirit Source Land is different. As long as they join, they can become part of its upper echelon, and Yang Zhenshan is sure to provide them with enough resources.

A strong faction can offer protection, but a weaker yet potential faction can provide higher status and more resources.

“So, how about it? Do you want to join the Spirit Source Land?” Yang Zhenshan asked with a smile.

Hong Fuxiu beamed, “Alchemist Yang, if we join the Spirit Source Land, what kind of treatment can we expect?”

Yang Zhenshan replied, “You will be treated the same as Xuanzhen. Xuanzhen, share about your salary!”

Xuanzhen flicked his horsetail whisk and said, “Foundation Establishment Immortal Cultivators can enter the Immortal Hall of Taiwei Tower. According to the cultivation salary standards set by Ziwei Tower, a mid-stage Foundation Establishment receives eighteen thousand spirit stones and eighteen thousand merit points annually.”

“Besides the cultivation salary, the Spirit Source Land also provides position salaries. I am the Palace Master of Wuzhen Taoist Palace, equivalent to a master of one of the Twelve Floors, receiving nine thousand spirit stones and nine thousand merit points annually!”

Since the reform of the Twelve Floors, the salary system in the Spirit Source Land has undergone some changes. Salaries are still divided into cultivation salaries and position salaries, but only spirit stones and merit points are granted, with no other material benefits.

Of course, with the reduction of other material benefits, there has been an increase in spirit stones and merit points.

The reason for reducing material benefits is twofold: firstly, because Spirit Source Land now has a free economic market where many things can be bought with spirit stones at cheaper prices than outside, there’s no need to distribute them as benefits.

Secondly, it involves high-end resources, which are limited in quantity and cannot be shared with everyone, yet must be distributed. If distributed forcibly and unequally, conflicts may arise.

Therefore, Ziwei Tower directly ceased distributing high-end resources and instead allowed high-end resources to be exchanged for merit points.

For instance, Foundation Establishment Pills are prepared personally by Yang Zhenshan for his disciples, but others will need to accumulate merit points to exchange for them in the future.

As a result, Ziwei Tower has closed the exchange channels for merit points and spirit stones.

However, although Ziwei Tower closed the exchange channels, it did not prohibit private trading of merit points.

Currently, in the Spirit Source Land community, the exchange rate of merit points to spirit stones is one to five, meaning a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator in Spirit Source Land receives an equivalent of one hundred eighty thousand low-grade spirit stones in cultivation salary annually.

This level of salary is quite high regardless of the faction.

Yang Zhenshan hired Hong Fuxiu and Kou Ta at the Ten Thousand Treasures Store for only a hundred contribution points annually per person, which is equivalent to a hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones.

But that requires Hong Fuxiu and Kou Ta to complete tasks to receive task rewards, meaning no rewards if no tasks are done.

The cultivation salary in Spirit Source Land is different; it doesn’t require performing any task to receive such a salary.

Of course, in some aspects, Spirit Source Land cannot compare to the Ten Thousand Treasures Store; the Store can provide a lot of high-end resources, while Spirit Source Land currently offers very few.

“In general, that’s the situation. Currently, there are quite a few resources available for exchange with merit points, many of which you can use!” Xuanzhen produced a jade scroll and handed it over to them.

Both Hong Fuxiu and Kou Ta are at the mid-stage Foundation Establishment, and for now, Spirit Source Land can meet their cultivation needs.

If both reach the late-stage Foundation Establishment, the resources Spirit Source Land can provide may no longer be as attractive.

Hong Fuxiu took the jade scroll, examined it, and asked, “Alchemist Yang, if we join Spirit Source Land, can we still be Guest Elders in the Ten Thousand Treasures Store?”

Yang Zhenshan shook his head, “You don’t need to worry about that. I still hope you can retain your status as Guest Elders at the Ten Thousand Treasures Store, because it benefits both you and Spirit Source Land, but there’s a couple of things to be clear about!”

“First, after joining Spirit Source Land, you must not leave for five years. This period is for you to integrate into Spirit Source Land. If possible, I hope you can take on one or two disciples here.”

“Second, since you join Spirit Source Land, I won’t be paying you the contribution points from the Ten Thousand Treasures Store anymore!”

Other people joining Spirit Source Land must live there for twenty years before going outside, as part of the integration process.

But since Hong Fuxiu and Kou Ta are Foundation Establishment cultivators, Yang Zhenshan eased the restrictions for them.

As for the contribution points from the Ten Thousand Treasures Store, those were initially exchanged for elixirs by Yang Zhenshan.

Since they are joining Spirit Source Land, naturally Yang Zhenshan can’t continue paying them on the Store’s side, or he would incur a great loss.

As for being Guest Elders in the Ten Thousand Treasures Store, they are just external staff there, which doesn’t affect their membership in Spirit Source Land.

Of course, joining Spirit Source Land is a completely different concept from being a Guest Elder at the Ten Thousand Treasures Store.

Joining Spirit Source Land means they become its people, need to obey Yang Zhenshan’s commands, and must not betray Spirit Source Land.

Being a Guest Elder at the Ten Thousand Treasures Store is just an employment relationship where they are given contribution points to do tasks, and they can refuse tasks they do not wish to undertake.

Kou Ta and Hong Fuxiu exchanged a glance and immediately made a decision.

“Please accept us, Alchemist Yang!”

“Hahaha, having you join the Spirit Source Land is its great fortune!” Yang Zhenshan laughed heartily.

“Hehe, welcome, fellow cultivators, to Spirit Source Land!” Xuanzhen also laughed.

“We, as a couple, are willing to serve Alchemist Yang!” Kou Ta solemnly said.

With a smile on his lips, Yang Zhenshan nodded slightly, “From now on, we are family; no need to be so formal.”

Xuanzhen advised, “Don’t call him Alchemist Yang anymore; refer to him as the Tower Master instead!”

“Tower Master!” Kou Ta was a bit puzzled.

Yang Zhenshan said, “You can call me Tower Master. How about this, Kou Ta, you first serve as the Vice Hall Master in the Immortal Hall of Taiwei Tower, and Hong Fuxiu, you go to the Jingxuan Hall of Ziwei Tower as a Vice Hall Master!”

Yang Zhenshan had not appointed a master for Taiwei Tower, so it was not wrong for people there to call him Tower Master.

The Immortal Hall of Taiwei Tower belongs to the Immortal Cultivator Elder Hall, and all of its members are Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Meanwhile, the Jingxuan Hall of Ziwei Tower mainly oversees the businesses of Immortal Cultivators and consists mostly of Qi Refining Cultivators.

Previously, there was no main Hall Master at Taiwei Tower’s Immortal Hall, but Yang Zhenshan now planned to leave that position for Yun Xiao.

This appointment of Kou Ta and Hong Fuxiu as Vice Hall Masters was to help them quickly familiarize themselves with the Spirit Source Land and integrate into it.

“Xuanzhen, take them to settle in, and don’t forget to introduce them to Chengmao!” Yang Zhenshan instructed.

“Okay, leave it to me!”

“Then you follow Xuanzhen for now. I’m going to tally up this time’s harvest, and after that, I’ll distribute it to you.”

Yang Zhenshan gave a few instructions to Kou Ta and Hong Fuxiu, then left Wuzhen Taoist Palace.

However, after leaving, he didn’t return immediately to the Spiritual Spring Mountain Plateau. Instead, he first went to Jade City to keep an eye on the situation of the Sun Cave Heaven and various forces in the Yunxiao Mountain Range.

The Sun Cave Heaven is expected to fall completely soon, and after it drops, it will undoubtedly cause some conflict, primarily involving Golden Core Cultivators.

Yang Zhenshan had no plan to involve himself in the subsequent affairs, nor did he have the qualification to participate.

This time, it was uncertain how many would be lost in the Sun Cave Heaven.

Whether Jian Guyun and the others escaped was still unknown.

The losses of the Yun Que Clan of Cangyu Mountain were also unclear.

The Nether Prison Sect must have suffered heavy losses, even Wang Henglie was slain by Yang Zhenshan.

And as for Yun Ge and the others, it was uncertain if they were alive or dead.

It’s foreseeable that upcoming chaos will erupt in the Yunxiao Mountain Range.

But Yang Zhenshan did not plan to get involved in these disturbances, because he needed to make the final preparations for his Core Formation.

Returning to the Spiritual Spring Mountain Plateau, Yu Qingyi was busy with Red Cloud and Qingxia.

They had already planted eight Spirit Pines by the lakeside, and even the Scale Vine had been planted.

When Yu Qingyi saw Yang Zhenshan, her eyes suddenly reddened.

Yang Zhenshan was taken aback and asked with a bit of concern, “What’s wrong?”

Yu Qingyi reached out to touch his temple, tears rolling down like broken pearls, “Why is your hair white?”

At this moment, Yu Qingyi felt very flustered and distressed, unable to stop her tears from flowing.

Not only her, but Red Cloud and Qingxia were also misty-eyed.

Yang Zhenshan touched his temple, only then recalling he had lost a lot of his lifespan saving Yun Xiao.

“Oh, I thought it was something serious. Don’t worry, this will recover soon!”

He said with a carefree smile.

And he gently wiped away Yu Qingyi’s tears.

“Don’t cry, I’m not lying to you, it’ll really recover soon!”

Losing lifespan wasn’t a big deal for him.

In just one or two months, he could replenish his lifespan to five hundred years, only needing to absorb some vitality from spirit plants.

“Really?”

“Absolutely, when have I ever lied to you?”

Yang Zhenshan gently pulled her into an embrace, then signaled to Red Cloud and Qingxia, who covered their mouths and left with a smile.

“Crying at your age, isn’t it embarrassing!”

“You scared me!” Yu Qingyi complained.

Yang Zhenshan held her slender waist and kissed her on the forehead.

“I know my dear cares about me the most!”

“Stop talking nonsense!”

“What’s nonsense about it?” Yang Zhenshan’s hand began to misbehave, slowly climbing the peaks.

“Haha, my dear, why don’t we~~”

Yang Zhenshan raised his eyebrows, grinning mischievously.

Yu Qingyi’s oval face appeared exceptionally moist, like a porcelain doll, with skin so delicate it was flawless, and the soft touch from his palm made Yang Zhenshan feel a bit restless.

With a sly smile on his face, Yang Zhenshan was silenced by Yu Qingyi, who of course used her lips.

Yang Zhenshan simply took her back to the other courtyard, not bothering to inspect the harvest this time.