The First Venerable of All Paths

After returning to the Fang family, Fang Xuan summoned a group of elders for a meeting.

Apart from the Grand Elder Fang Shanhai, who was in seclusion to heal his injuries, all the other elders were present.

"I have gathered you elders here today to announce three things."

Sitting in the main seat, Fang Xuan said directly, "First, starting today, all clan affairs, large and small, will be managed by the Second Elder."

Upon hearing this, many people showed expressions of surprise and doubt.

Although it was called a temporary appointment, it was essentially equivalent to temporarily designating Fang Shanhe as the head of the Fang family.

"Young Master, perhaps this is somewhat inappropriate?"

It was the Second Elder, Fang Shanhe, who spoke up first, saying, "You are the young master of the Fang family, and more importantly, the spiritual leader of the clan. How could I overstep my bounds?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Even if Fang Xuan wanted to delegate power, he should have handed it over to the Grand Elder.

"That's the second thing I want to talk about."

Fang Xuan's expression remained unchanged as he continued, "Next, I will be in seclusion in the secret realm to break through to the Qi Gathering Realm, and I won't have time to manage clan affairs."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions immediately became quite interesting.

Is the young master about to break through to the Qi Gathering Realm so soon?

"This is a major event for the Fang family, and we cannot afford to be careless in the slightest."

The Third Elder said in a deep voice, "Only when the young master is stronger can the Fang family's position be more secure!"

Everyone nodded in deep agreement.

Fang Xuan's current status is entirely due to Fang Xuan.

The higher his cultivation level, the better it is for the family.

However, it hadn't been long since Fang Xuan broke through to the Body Refinement Realm.

For an ordinary person to break through from the Body Refining Realm to the Qi Gathering Realm, it would take three to five years of painstaking effort.

The young master is indeed an extraordinary person, and cannot be judged by ordinary standards.

"As for the third thing."

Fang Xuan's eyes narrowed, and he said, "I don't know how long I will be in seclusion this time, so you will have to decide on the cooperation with the Li family and Tianbao Tower yourselves. If there are any issues that you cannot resolve, then you can consult the Grand Elder."

As the current strongest member of the Fang family, Fang Shanhai rarely manages clan affairs anymore.

Most of the time, he is in seclusion.

If something truly important happens, having Fang Shanhai step in is the most suitable option.

"You can discuss how to cooperate with these two companies and to what extent."

Fang Xuan looked around and said, "But I have only one request: we can make some concessions, but we cannot abandon our bottom line."

"I obey your command, young master!"

Fang Shanhe was the first to speak, his expression serious.

The others also voiced their opinions, firmly supporting Fang Xuan's decision.

Although an alliance has been formed with the Li family, the specific details have not yet been finalized.

Moreover, this involves the allocation of resources within the secret realm, so we must be extremely cautious.

As for Tianbaolou, the benefits of cultivating a good relationship with them are self-evident.

However, finding the right balance is also an extremely mentally taxing task.

Otherwise, if things go wrong, not only will the cooperation fall apart, but it will also affect the relationship between the two parties.

"Alright, that's enough for today."

Fang Xuan said, "I will enter the secret realm in three days. If any of you elders have any matters to attend to, please come and find me."

The crowd gradually dispersed.

It wasn't until evening that an elder entered Fang Xuan's room.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Fang Xuan showed a look of surprise.

"Greetings, young master."

The visitor clasped his hands in a respectful greeting, appearing somewhat reserved.

"Fifth Elder, please don't stand on ceremony, please have a seat."

Fang Xuan poured the other person a cup of tea and said with a smile, "I wonder what business Fifth Elder has with me?"

At the same time, he silently searched his mind for information about the Fifth Elder and his relationships within the clan.

The Fifth Elder, Fang Yuantong, is considered a neutral figure within the clan.

He was low-key and reserved, and his cultivation was not high, so he was not very noticeable within the Fang family.

"Thank you, young master."

Fang Yuantong accepted the teacup with both hands, thanked him, and then spoke in a restrained, low voice.

"Young master, may I ask you for a favor?"

Upon hearing this, Fang Xuan raised an eyebrow and said, "Fifth Elder, please speak frankly. If it is within my power, I will certainly not refuse."

"Then thank you in advance, young master."

Fang Yuantong's face lit up with joy, and he said, "It's like this, neither of my two sons had the aptitude for cultivation, and one of them died young. Now I only have one granddaughter left."

At this point, Fang Yuantong paused for a moment, observing Fang Xuan's expression.

Seeing that Fang Xuan gestured for him to continue, Fang Yuantong said, "It's like this, my little granddaughter is fourteen years old, but she failed to open her meridians a few years ago, which prevented her from cultivating."

Upon hearing this, Fang Xuan seemed to have guessed Fang Yuantong's purpose.

Fang Xuan said calmly, "You want me to help her open her meridians again?"

"yes!"

Fang Yuantong gritted his teeth, stood up, and said, "My words may be disrespectful to the young master, but the young master lost his cultivation due to damage to his dantian back then, but now he has shown martial arts talent far exceeding his former level. So I have shamelessly come to ask the young master if there is a way to open his meridians again, could you please help my poor granddaughter?"

"Logically speaking, if you fail to awaken your martial vein the first time, you should have two more chances."

Fang Xuan said, "Did your granddaughter fail three times?"

Fang Yuantong sighed heavily and said, "It's all my fault. I'm getting old, and my son is just an ordinary person, so I'm eager for my granddaughter to become a martial artist as soon as possible."

"However, I tried many methods, but I still failed to open the girl's meridians the first two times."

Fang Yuantong looked at Fang Xuan expectantly and said, "That girl is already fourteen years old. If she doesn't have her meridians opened soon, she may never have the chance to become a martial artist in this lifetime."

Upon hearing this, Fang Xuan shook his head helplessly.

Everyone does indeed have three opportunities to awaken their martial meridians.

However, the chance of awakening one's martial veins is greatest only on the first occasion.

If you fail the second time, almost no one can succeed the third time.

"The awakening of martial meridians is related to one's own physical constitution."

Fang Xuan shook his head and said, "Let alone me, even those martial arts experts with profound cultivation probably can't change it."

Upon hearing this, Fang Yuantong's face showed disappointment and dejection.

He is very old, and to put it bluntly, he doesn't have many years left to live.

My only concern is my little granddaughter.

"It was my rudeness."

Fang Yuantong, his body hunched over, said, "In that case, I won't disturb the young master's rest any longer."

"etc."

Fang Xuan suddenly called out to the other person, saying, "Since we still have one more chance, Fifth Elder, why don't you give it a try?"

"Young Master, do you really have a solution?"

Fang Yuantong suddenly turned around and looked at Fang Xuan excitedly.

"What can I do?"

Fang Xuan shook his head and said, "I just feel that even if the hope is slim, we shouldn't give up."

"Young Master is right!"

Fang Yuantong nodded emphatically and said, "Then I'll go and bring that girl to the young master for him to see?"

"No rush."

Fang Xuan chuckled and said, "Three days later, let that girl enter the secret realm with me."

"Thank you, young master!"

Fang Yuantong bowed deeply and said, "Whether this matter succeeds or fails, I will forever be grateful for this kindness!"

"We're all family, so there's no need to be so polite."

Fang Xuan raised his hand to support the other person and said softly, "As the young master of the Fang family, I will naturally not abandon any member of the clan."

"Young Master..."

Upon hearing this, Fang Yuantong, who was in his eighties, couldn't help but tear up, and his voice became choked with emotion.

After seeing Fang Yuantong off, Fang Xuan met with several family elders.

Their purpose was not complicated.

They were all reporting to Fang Xuan about the matters under their respective jurisdictions.

Fang Xuan only had one sentence to say about this.

From now on, just go directly to Fang Shanhe about these things; there's no need to report to him.

Finally, Fang Shanhe entered the room.

"Young Master!"

Fang Shanhe went straight to the point upon arrival: "Are you preparing to leave Qingyang County?"

Why would you ask that?

Fang Xuan looked at Fang Shanhe with a calm expression.

"Logically speaking, given your status and prestige within the clan, it would be only natural for you to become the clan leader directly."

Fang Shanhe took a deep breath and said, "But not only did you not do that, you also entrusted me with the temporary management of the clan affairs. Isn't that preparing to leave?"

"You really can hide anything from me."

Fang Xuan smiled, but a cold glint suddenly flashed in his eyes.

"But even if I have to leave, I will make sure to deal with the Su family completely."

As long as the Su family remains, the Fang family's crisis cannot be resolved.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the Fang family and the Li family have formed an alliance. The Li family will never agree to this and will join forces to deal with the Su family right now.

Therefore, Fang Xuan needs to wait for an opportunity.

"Dealing with the Su family will not be an easy task."

Fang Shanhe frowned and said, "Even if we join forces with the Li family, the Su family will still be no match for us and will seek help from the Dao Seeking Sect. Wouldn't that make things even more troublesome?"

"That's something we'll need to consider later."

Fang Xuan said, "For now, we just need to maintain the current situation."

"Oh, right."

Fang Xuan said, "We must be even more careful in our future cooperation with Tianbao Tower."

His experience at Tianbaolou today made him realize...

Although Tianbaolou claims it won't interfere in the internal affairs of any faction, that's because the rewards aren't enough.

When the returns outweigh the costs, Tianbaolou has countless ways to devour the entire Fang family, leaving them with nothing.

Putting everything else aside, that Elder Xiang alone is an unfathomable figure.

This is just what's on the surface; who knows how many powerful figures Tianbao Tower is hiding in secret?

Seeing Fang Xuan's serious tone, Fang Shanhe also said in a deep voice, "Young Master, rest assured, I will personally oversee this matter."

After explaining some other things, Fang Xuan handed a storage bag to Fang Shanhe.

"Young Master, this is..."

Looking at the storage bag in his hand, Fang Shanhe was puzzled.

"The resources here are for you alone."

Fang Xuan said, "If the Fang family wants to remain standing, relying on just one person at the Divine Realm level is not enough."

Upon hearing this, Fang Shanhe was shocked, his face filled with disbelief.

"Young Master, you..."

Fang Shanhe stammered, "You want to help me advance to the Divine Intent Realm?"

"The realm of divine intent is not so easily attained."

Fang Xuan smiled and said, "I'm just providing some resources. As for whether you can cultivate to the Divine Intent Realm, that depends on your own destiny."

"Please rest assured, young master!"

Fang Shanhe's face flushed red, and he said excitedly, "I will never let the young master down, and I will reach the Divine Intent Realm as soon as possible!"

For others, achieving the divine realm might be very difficult.

However, Fang Xuan bestowed upon him a low-level cultivation technique and provided a large amount of resources.

This already gives them a greater chance than many others to advance to the Divine Realm.

Simultaneously.

Fang Shanhe sighed inwardly.

Young Master, you have single-handedly supported the entire clan.

The night was dark.

Fang Xuan got up and walked to the window, gazing at the stars in the sky with a deep look in his eyes.

"The day I become a sword cultivator will be the day the Su family is destroyed!"