Chapter 605: Chapter 600: Qin Long’s Promotion and the Competitive Struggle between Families

Qin Guanbao was the Qin Family Head, his status within the family was beyond question, and his position was extraordinary. Everyone saw that day how deeply Qin Feng respected this elder.

Moreover, Qin Guanbao’s cultivation was not weak, and given Qin Feng’s degree of care for the family, no cultivators from these great families doubted that Qin Guanbao still had the chance to advance further.

Under normal circumstances, there really was no better prospect for an advantageous marriage than with the Family Head himself.

The problem was that the guy was somewhat old; although he appeared to have a trace of a youthful look despite his white hair, this image that made him look older than many of the present Family Heads truly made people reluctant to send their daughters to be ‘ruined’ by this old man!

More importantly, Qin Guanbao’s reputation outside was not very good.

With the rise of the Qin Family, which of the neighboring families wouldn’t know about this old man’s character and preferences if they inquired even a little?

Especially with the Qin Family on the rise and the Old Family Master’s status soaring alongside it, the quality of his pleasure-seeking had also increased considerably. He no longer frequented Baihua Pavilion as much and had shifted to visiting places of entertainment in other Commanderies, Royal Cities, and even beyond Chu Kingdom, willingly accepting invitations without spending a Spirit Stone himself.

However, as he enjoyed the pleasures of life, his reputation inevitably spread. To save face, these stories circulated only among the decision-makers of the families, but once they knew of his nature, they naturally disregarded the possibility of intermarriage with him.

After all, with Qin Guanbao’s status being what it was, ordinary concubine daughters did not befit his status as the Family Head, and most legitimate daughters were pampered from birth; how many would be willing to marry an old man who was also lecherous?

If a match was forced, and the girl married him unwillingly, it was feared that over time, far from drawing the families closer, it might create fissures instead!

So these families were somewhat troubled by this. Since they couldn’t establish marital ties, they decided to maintain cooperation in other matters, preserving good relations first and foremost. After all, with the Qin Family on the rise, the younger generation was rapidly ascending, given the ample cultivation resources. It might be that in a few years, a suitable candidate would emerge.

The only problem was that there were more wolves than meat; considering the number of families present, it was clear that not a few eyed the next generation of the Qin Family. When the time came, it would be a matter of who had the keen eye to first spot an excellent seedling in the Qin Family and make an early move.

It was an unavoidable situation, especially for these cultivator families, who firmly believed in the solid relationships and benefits that intermarriage could bring, and so they kept such a close watch on the young Qin Family cultivators.

They felt that only when the bloodlines of two families merged, with the Qin Family’s bloodline also containing theirs, would a truly inseparable alliance be formed.

As for how long such a relationship could be maintained, that would depend on the affections between the various families. However, cultivators have long life spans, easily living for hundreds or even thousands of years. If they became Immortals and achieved longevity, then this relationship would solidify completely.

Just as everyone was discussing matters of cooperation and debating how much benefit each should receive, suddenly those Dharma Image Realm and above cultivators felt a movement in their spirit and turned to look outside.

Atop Luofeng Cliff, clouds surged and Spiritual Energy gathered around, gradually forming a tide of energy.

“This is…”

Many cultivators in the hall, following the lead of those with profound Dao cultivation, also looked outside. Although the scenery remained as ever, they quickly noticed the anomaly, following the flow of Spiritual Energy and looking in its direction, they couldn’t help but be taken aback.

“Someone is actually advancing to Purple Mansion? Who could it be? Could it possibly be…”

The people exchanged glances, and quickly thought of Qin Long, whom they hadn’t seen since their arrival at the Qin family’s residence on Qifeng Mountain.

Apart from Qin Long, they couldn’t think of anyone else in the Qin estate.

Qin Guanbao was right in front of them, Qin Yang had just formed his Golden Core, and the only one in the Qin Family who had recently reached the peak of Golden Core was Qin Long.

But…

“Isn’t this a bit too fast?”

Some familiar Family Heads and Elders privately exchanged thoughts, expressing their surprise.

They knew that once Qin Feng achieved success, he would certainly help the family, just like how he previously took over Qifeng Mountain to build a better Cultivation Cave Mansion for the family, and found a vein as a financial source for the Qin Family. Now, with Qin Feng’s strength improving by leaps and bounds, he definitely wouldn’t just watch the family slowly increase its strength.

Yet no matter what, they had not expected Qin Feng’s actions to be so rapid. It had been only a few days since he returned to the family, and his father, Qin Long, had just reached the peak of Golden Core under the abundance of various resources, without having spent several years of accumulation, and yet, signs of advancing to Purple Mansion were appearing!

Leaving aside everything else, just how Qin Feng managed to help Qin Long advance in such a short time was enough to astonish the cultivators.

“Could it be…”

Someone secretly conveyed via divine sense, “Qin Feng fortuitously obtained a treasure containing the arcane Dao Principle and gave it to his father to refine, allowing Qin Long to break through his restraints and leap to becoming a Purple Mansion cultivator?”

“It seems that this is the only possibility left.”

“Hss…”

After guessing this possibility, many people drew in a sharp breath of cold air, and some even turned their gaze towards Qin Guanbao, their eyes revealing a strong eagerness, “Congratulations to Family Head Qin, your clan’s Qin Long has now comprehended the laws and grasped the mysteries of the Dao, advancing to the Purple Mansion. With a Purple Mansion cultivator, the Qin Family’s position will now be completely solidified.”

“Ah…”

Given that Qin Guanbao’s strength was much weaker than others, the cultivators of the major families present all had at least Purple Mansion cultivation, so he, as a Golden Core cultivator, naturally did not have as keen a Divine Sense as the others. Hearing what was said, he reacted, sweeping his Divine Sense over the area, and immediately understood.

After figuring out that the source of the spiritual energy surge was Qin Long’s cultivation cave mansion where he was in seclusion, Qin Guanbao’s face immediately revealed an uncontrollable ecstatic joy.

He couldn’t help but be overjoyed. Although Qin Feng’s cultivation was profound, he was not part of the family, only serving as a support for the Qin Family from behind the scenes, unable to offer much help on a regular basis.

That Ancient Tree, after advancing to the Purple Mansion, could indeed help deter outsiders, but a Tree Demon, after all, is a Tree Demon, and not a member of the Qin Clan, giving a different impression.

Now that Qin Long had advanced, the Qin Family would truly have a Purple Mansion cultivator belonging to the clan, who would sit in the family’s residence year-round. This represented that the Qin Family had formally become a member of the major families within the Chu Kingdom, no longer appearing somewhat illusory and reliant on others’ flattery as it had been in the past.

Having a Purple Mansion cultivator in the family, they would feel much more confident when negotiating various benefits with others.

“Family Head Qin.”

An old cultivator in the Primordial Spirit Realm, looking aged and infirm, a glint in his eye, looked towards Qin Guanbao and asked, “With Qin Long’s cultivation, it seems that it is not yet time for him to advance. But he has advanced right when Qin Feng has returned to the clan, could it be… that Qin Feng has some heaven and earth treasure that contains the laws of heaven and earth?”

“Correct!”

Regarding this, Qin Guanbao did not conceal anything. Each cultivator present was astute, and besides, such a matter, even if one wanted to hide it, could not be concealed; ordinary treasures did not have the effect of allowing one to directly comprehend laws. So, rather than hide it, it was better to admit it openly.

“According to Feng’er, he obtained this treasure during his trials in another realm. Since he couldn’t use it himself, he gave it to his father.”

“Is there more available?”

That old Primordial Spirit Realm cultivator quickly asked, “If there is more, the Qin Family can name a price. I have a legitimate grandson who has been stuck at the Golden Core Peak for many years and has not been able to advance, watching him grow old day by day, it really pains my heart.

I am willing to exchange a treasure that has been passed down in my family for many years, if it’s not enough, I’ll add a million Spirit Stones, what do you think, Family Head Qin?”

“A mere million Spirit Stones worthy to exchange for such heavenly and earthly treasures?”

Another great cultivator snorted lightly, “I’m willing to offer twice the price, be it Spirit Stones or Spiritual Treasures, I have them all here. Also, my family has a legacy from an Ancient Immortal, and we can provide the Qin Family with a copy for the Qin Clan members to cultivate.

Moreover, regarding the cooperation we discussed earlier, I can make a decision to give the greatest benefit. Our Rongyang Zheng Family will not only handle the transportation along the way, but for this cooperation, we will only take a ten percent share of the profits, what do you think, Family Head Qin?”

“And me, we also have legacies that lead directly to the Immortal Dao, Family Head Qin please consider–as for those heavenly and earthly treasures, if the Qin Family has any surplus, you must first consider the Cui Family from Qingzhou.”

For a moment, everyone in the hall was clamoring over each other, offering various advantages for a treasure they did not even know if it existed. Listening to them made Qin Guanbao’s heart flutter, almost wanting to persuade Qin Feng to sell the Fire Spirit Fruit prepared for him.

However, in the end, his own path was more important, so he firmly resisted those tempting offers and shook his head, “Everyone here is a senior and a great person in the Cultivation World. You should know how rare heavenly and earthly treasures containing the laws of heaven and earth are. My nephew, although fortunate, couldn’t possibly have obtained many, so how could there be any surplus to sell?”

Hearing Qin Guanbao say this, everyone finally calmed down.

Indeed, such treasures were extremely rare, like the Heavenly Connecting Lotus that had been popular in ancient times; to plant one not only required the sacrifice of a powerful individual but also needed a lengthy amount of time to ultimately produce a lotus that could help one comprehend the laws. Given Qin Feng’s fortune, it was unlikely he could have obtained too many of such high-level treasures, they thought.

The crowd glanced at Qin Guanbao. The old man was still at the Golden Core Late Stage of cultivation, and since only Qin Long had advanced, they naturally assumed Qin Feng had only obtained a treasure that was enough for one person to use during his trials. Although they felt some regret, seeing that no one around them had obtained the treasure, they were also at ease.

Qin Guanbao’s face was all smiles, but his heart was filled with eagerness.

He had known before that the kind of heavenly and earthly treasures Qin Feng possessed were extremely valuable, but he didn’t expect the Fire Spirit Fruit that Qin Feng had given would be so precious it could be exchanged for many treasures and Spirit Stones, as well as legacies that lead directly to the Immortal Dao.

And such a valuable treasure, he would absorb and refine in a short while. Just thinking about it made him quite excited!