Beast Taming Immortal Clan

Chapter 672 The Nascent Soul Ceremony [Please Subscribe]

Qinglian Peak, inside Zhongping Hall.

Zhou Chun sat at the head of the table and personally presided over this family meeting before his Nascent Soul Ceremony.

He hadn't chaired such a meeting in a long time, and the reason he was chairing it again was because he happened to be free and it was a rare opportunity for all the senior members of the Zhou family to gather together.

As is customary when he chairs meetings, this time, a member of the clan responsible for various clan affairs reported on the current situation of the clan.

Leaving aside the number of high-level cultivators, the Zhou family now has 106 Foundation Establishment cultivators alone, including relatives, retainers, and servants.

In addition, the number of cultivators in the Zhou family clan has now reached 967, and if you include relatives and servants under their control, the number is as high as 2,466!

This number is nothing compared to major sects like the Moon Wheel Sect and the Flame Sun Sect.

However, for a cultivation family, this truly meant a large and powerful force.

It should be noted that most cultivation families in the cultivation world consciously control the number of their members in order to avoid dragging the family down.

Because family resources are limited, if we keep encouraging childbirth to increase the number of family members, then the family resources will soon be insufficient to go around.

At that time, ordinary family cultivators will not enjoy any benefits and will live a life similar to that of independent cultivators. So how can they still be loyal to their families and willing to serve them?

Therefore, cultivation families usually control the number of cultivators in the family, and then select those with outstanding talents to focus on cultivating, hoping to cultivate strong individuals who can lead the family to a higher level.

With a powerful cultivator at a higher cultivation level in charge, the family will be able to seize more resources and expand its number of cultivators.

Therefore, in a sense, the strength and power of a cultivation family can be inferred from the number of its members.

Generally speaking, the number of people in a Golden Core family is kept between five hundred and one thousand.

With such concentrated resources for training, the number of cultivators in the Purple Mansion stage within the family can reach six or seven, and dozens of Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Of course, this is the ideal situation.

In fact, like the Jing Kingdom before it, due to the continuous outbreak of many wars over the past few hundred years, the number of cultivators who died abnormally increased significantly, and all families suffered frequent heavy losses.

Therefore, neither the quantity nor the quality of family members can match their family status and the resources they can occupy.

Therefore, after the great war, all the families did their best to encourage their members to have children in order to increase the number of cultivators in their clans.

As for the Zhou family now, because they are already a Nascent Soul family, even if the number of clansmen increases to three to five thousand, they can still easily cope.

After all, with a Nascent Soul stage cultivator as a backer, even if the benefits and treatment haven't improved compared to before, not many mid-to-low-level cultivators would be foolish enough to leave their family.

This is a fundamental difference from those small and medium-sized families.

After listening to the reports from the cultivators below about the family's situation, Zhou Chun looked at everyone in the hall and slowly said, "This family meeting will mainly discuss three matters. The first is to adjust the status and position of family members, abolishing the rule that anyone who successfully forms a Core will become a Supreme Elder. From now on, the family's Supreme Elders will only be Zhou Zhengbai, Ancestor Mingde, and Uncle Daoyi. In addition, the status of Guest Supreme Elder Fellow Daoist Luo Qingni will remain unchanged!"

"In the future, if a cultivator in the family wishes to become a Supreme Elder, they must either successfully form their Nascent Soul or possess Golden Core cultivation and reach the Grandmaster level in a particular skill!"

"Similarly, to become a family elder in the future, one must have the cultivation level of the Golden Core stage, or be a member of the Purple Mansion stage who has reached the master level in both alchemy and formation techniques."

"The selection criteria for the remaining core clan members and elite clan members will be raised accordingly. Only clan members who have opened the Purple Mansion and successfully established their foundation are eligible for selection."

After he finished speaking, none of the Zhou family members below had any objections.

That's the rule in the cultivation world: when a cultivator with a higher cultivation level enters a faction, the status and position of the cultivators within the faction must be readjusted.

After all, under normal circumstances, the "Supreme Elder" is the cultivator with the highest status in a sect or family.

If Zhou Chun were the only one in the Zhou family with the Nascent Soul stage cultivation, then his status as the clan leader might be more transcendent, even surpassing that of the Supreme Elder.

However, there is now a fifth-tier demon king, Zhou Zhengbai, so changes must be made.

As for why Zhou Mingde and Zhou Daoyi were able to become Supreme Elders with their Golden Core cultivation, it was naturally because they were of a higher generation than Zhou Chun and had made great contributions to both Zhou Chun and the Zhou family.

The other Zhou family cultivators would not have any objections to this, nor would they dare to have any objections.

Moreover, Zhou Chun also provided another path besides cultivation.

If someone is truly exceptionally talented in the future and masters the skills of a Grandmaster with the cultivation of a Golden Core cultivator, they can also become a Supreme Elder, whose status and treatment within the family are on par with those of Nascent Soul cultivators!

After stating the first matter, Zhou Chun quickly continued, "The second matter is that the family will be readjusting the allocation of important resources such as Core Formation spiritual items, Spiritual items to assist in opening the Purple Mansion, and Foundation Establishment Pills. Family members who want to obtain such spiritual items must first obtain the qualification to exchange them."

"Every three, ten, or thirty years, the family holds a special family meeting where family members of relevant status jointly review which family members are eligible to exchange for these important resources."

"Special family meetings are composed of family members of different statuses and positions, depending on the value of the important resources to be reviewed and allocated. The three-year meetings are generally chaired by one or two elders, with core family members participating in the review and voting. The ten-year meetings are chaired by three or more elders, with core family members participating in the review and voting. The thirtieth-year meetings are chaired by the patriarch or the supreme elder, and only family members of the elder level can participate in the review and voting!"

"It should be noted that at the triennial small meeting, elders can cast five votes; at the ten-year medium meeting, elders can cast three votes; at the thirtieth-year grand meeting, the clan head or the supreme elder can cast five votes; and the number of redemption qualifications issued at each meeting will be announced by the host!"

"Before each special family meeting, the family will notify eligible family members one year, six months, and three months in advance. If a member is unwilling or unable to participate in the review and voting, they can proactively explain to the family; otherwise, it will be considered an abstention. Those who abstain three times consecutively will be disqualified from participating in future review and voting!"

"Under normal circumstances, any clan member who wants to apply for the qualification to exchange important resources must submit an application to the clan in advance before each special clan meeting, provided that their cultivation level meets the application requirements. The relevant clan members responsible for reviewing the application will then determine whether to approve it and grant them the qualification to exchange resources."

"The criteria for review should comprehensively consider factors such as qualifications, cultivation methods, lifespan, strength, and personal contributions. Clan members who have seriously violated clan rules are not allowed to participate in the application for the exchange of important spiritual items. Clan members who have slightly violated clan rules should also be punished with one or more rounds of postponement of their application, depending on the severity of their violation!"

At this point, Zhou Chun paused slightly, glancing at the family cultivators at the Purple Mansion stage below, whose expressions had all changed considerably.

Then he continued, "Besides the normal channels for obtaining exchange qualifications, there are also some unconventional channels. One is having outstanding spiritual root aptitude, such as a superior-grade spiritual root aptitude, which allows one to directly obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill exchange qualification. Another is having exceptional talent in a certain skill, which, after being approved by the family elders, also grants an exchange qualification. The third is being a person who has made outstanding contributions to the family and rendered great service, and who is specially rewarded by the patriarch or the supreme elder!"

"Of course, obtaining the qualification to exchange is only having the qualification. The merit points required to exchange for spiritual items are still unavoidable. When there is a shortage of relevant spiritual items in the family treasury, you will also need to wait for restocking."

"Furthermore, if any favoritism or fraud is discovered during the process of obtaining the exchange qualification, or if serious violations of clan rules occur after obtaining the qualification, the exchange qualification will be revoked, and the relevant personnel will be held jointly liable!"

At the end of his speech, Zhou Chun solemnly issued a warning.

After he finished speaking, the Zhou family cultivators who were hearing about this for the first time all had changing expressions and were extremely unsettled.

Was Zhou Chun's decision fair?

It is definitely fairer in a relatively speaking way!

However, things that are fair will not necessarily be accepted by everyone!

In the past, the Zhou family had plenty of options for exchanging for Core Formation spiritual items, not to mention the spiritual items that aided in opening the Purple Mansion and Foundation Establishment Pills.

Basically, cultivators at the Purple Mansion stage can easily exchange Foundation Establishment Pills for their descendants or those they value.

So if your father is a cultivator in the Purple Mansion stage, and he doesn't have ten or eight other cultivator descendants, you can basically be guaranteed to get a Foundation Establishment Pill within the family!

However, if voting is conducted according to Zhou Chun's latest method, even cultivators at the Purple Mansion stage who have the right to vote on Foundation Establishment Pill exchange qualifications may not be able to guarantee 100% that their descendants can obtain Foundation Establishment Pill exchange qualifications from their family!

If a cultivator at the Purple Mansion stage cannot obtain the qualification to exchange Foundation Establishment Pills from within their family, they will have to spend a lot of money to buy Foundation Establishment Pills at high prices from the outside market for their descendants to consume.

On the other hand, since cultivators in the Purple Mansion stage rarely interact with cultivators in the Qi Refining stage, having them participate in the review and voting to determine the eligibility for Foundation Establishment Pills can also ensure fairness as much as possible.

After all, if they are not familiar with most of the cultivators applying for the exchange qualification, they will truly vote based on the individual circumstances of each cultivator to decide whether that person can obtain the exchange qualification.

Zhou Chun's choice to introduce this system at this time was perfectly timed.

In less than half a month, it will be his Nascent Soul Ceremony. Under such circumstances, even if some of the Purple Mansion stage cultivators and Golden Core stage cultivators present are dissatisfied with his system, they are not in a position to express it now.

Otherwise, without him even having to say a word, other people who want to curry favor with him or protect him will naturally jump out and verbally attack him, offending him and a group of high-ranking family members for no reason.

So at this moment, although many of the tribesmen present were visibly shocked, none of them expressed any other opinions, which can be considered as tacit acceptance of the matter.

Seeing this, Zhou Chun waited symbolically for a while before bringing up the last matter.

"The third thing I want to talk about today is the emphasis and promotion of family traditions. As the family's power and status grow by leaps and bounds, you family leaders, and even some Foundation Establishment cultivators, will have extremely high status in the Jing Kingdom's cultivation world and will receive the flattery and ingratiation of many vassal forces and even other external forces."

"Therefore, what I want to emphasize here is that I do not expect you all to be completely incorruptible, but I strictly forbid you from doing anything that seriously violates the clan rules and tarnishes the family's reputation. Before you reach out for any gifts or benefits, you'd better think carefully about the clan rules!"

"Furthermore, if anyone is found to be taking advantage of the family's reputation to bully vassal forces or even independent cultivators, or to demand related benefits, the family will deal with them severely and without any leniency!"

"If you don't want anyone to know, then don't do it in the first place. You are all accomplished cultivators with long lifespans. I don't want you to have worked so hard to reach your current level, only to spend the rest of your lives in the cold prison because of some gold and silver!"

Those cultivators in the Zhou family who knew a little about their patriarch Zhou Chun knew that their patriarch was always very concerned about his reputation and was very principled in his conduct.

Therefore, his third point did not cause any controversy or dissatisfaction.

The Zhou family has always had a decent family tradition, no worse than those famous sects. Now, all they need to do is continue to uphold their principles and not be tempted by greed.

Amidst a chorus of approval, the family meeting concluded successfully.

However, the content of this family meeting only included the first thing Zhou Chun mentioned, so as not to affect the mood of other middle and low-ranking family members celebrating the Nascent Soul Ceremony.

Two weeks passed quickly.

On the day that Zhou Chun's Nascent Soul Ceremony began, the entire Qinglian Peak and the surrounding mountains were adorned with colorful flowers and red silk, creating a festive atmosphere.

Furthermore, auspicious beasts such as cranes, white apes, and spirit deer frolic and chase each other in the mountains.

The Zhou family cultivators in the mountains, the male cultivators all wore purple robes and the female cultivators all wore red skirts, and everyone had a smile on their face, their eyes filled with joy and pride.

Unlike the Heavenly Mirror True Man, Zhou Chun did not hold any sermons or Dharma assemblies for this Nascent Soul Ceremony; it was simply a celebratory ceremony.

This is partly because he himself is not good at preaching, and partly because the Zhou family does not need to rush to win people's hearts through preaching ceremonies like the Heavenly Mirror Master did back then.

"On behalf of the Su family, Su Changxin, the patriarch of the Jiangzhou Su clan, presents a congratulatory gift: a three-thousand-year-old Purple Yuan Ginseng, to congratulate True Person Zhou on achieving the Great Success of the Nascent Soul stage and attaining immortality!"

At the entrance of Zhoujiashan, Zhou Xinyan, an elder of the Zhou family responsible for announcing the ceremony, loudly proclaimed the first act of today's grand ceremony.

For celebrations held by cultivators who break through to a higher realm, the gift-giving ceremony is extremely important and is one of the most talked-about parts.

Many mid- to low-level cultivators enjoy discussing the congratulatory gifts sent by various factions.

If the gift is too insignificant, people will think it's disrespectful to the host, and then they will gossip about whether there is some grudge between the two parties, or whether the person is simply poor and can't afford a gift that matches their status.

Those who generously gave gifts naturally caused a stir and discussion, with people debating whether they were truly wealthy or just putting on a show.

In short, gift-giving at such important celebrations is a complex art.

As a related force of the Zhou family through marriage, the Su family of Jiangzhou was expected to take the lead, a decision that had been made long ago.

This gift was actually given to Su Yuzhen by Zhou Chun in advance; otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easy for the Su family to come up with a gift of this caliber.

Only after the Su family takes the lead will other forces have a chance to enter the fray.

However, while there are many forces that have come to offer their congratulations today, only those forces truly qualified to receive a greeting from Zhou Xinyan must be at least at the level of a Golden Core family.

Of course, if a cultivator presents a particularly precious gift, an exception can be made.

"Elder Jin Ziyan of the Xuanzhu Palace in Lingzhou presents a congratulatory gift on behalf of the Xuanzhu Palace: three pieces of flawless yellow jade, to congratulate True Person Zhou on achieving the Great Success of the Nascent Soul stage and attaining true enlightenment!"

As Zhou Xinyan's voice rang out again, a graceful and dignified woman in purple robes, surrounded by several beautiful female cultivators, slowly walked up to Qinglian Peak.

Yes, go up!

Today's Nascent Soul Ceremony is a grand event where, apart from Nascent Soul stage cultivators, no other cultivators are allowed to fly on the mountain, as a sign of respect for their master.

Next, one by one, the Golden Core cultivators, who were renowned figures in the cultivation world of Jingguo, presented their carefully prepared congratulatory gifts and walked step by step from the entrance of the Zhou Family Mountain Gate to Qinglian Peak, which was dozens of miles away.

Of course, although they can only walk, a Golden Core cultivator can easily cover ten zhang in one step, so even a journey of dozens of miles will not take long at all.

Once these people arrived at Qinglian Peak, they would all be invited by Zhou Daoyi to take their assigned seats.

Whenever someone takes a seat, a Zhou family cultivator, acting as a waiter, will bring spiritual fruits and tea to the table.

Zhou Mingde, Lin Hongyu, Xu Fu, and other Golden Core stage cultivators from the Zhou family would also greet some familiar cultivators and communicate with them privately via telepathy.

Time passed slowly, and by noon, the number of Golden Core cultivators visiting Qinglian Peak had exceeded twenty, including some elders of the Moon Wheel Sect and cultivators from outside Jingguo.

"On behalf of Master Kuang Lei Zhenren, Liu Zhenkong of Lei Cliff Valley of the Great Zhou Kingdom presents a congratulatory gift: a fourth-grade high-quality demon core, to congratulate Master Zhou on the great success of his Nascent Soul cultivation and his attainment of immortality."

Suddenly, Zhou Xinyan's slightly excited voice rang out throughout the entire Zhou family mountain gate.

On Azure Lotus Peak, many Golden Core cultivators showed expressions of surprise.

"Fellow Daoist Mingde, is this Mad Thunder True Person the Nascent Soul cultivator from another country who once fought against Heavenly Mirror True Person outside your noble mountain gate?"

In one of the seats, Wei Yong, the Golden Core Elder of the Moon Wheel Sect who had taken good care of Zhou Chun during the war between immortals and demons, looked at Zhou Mingde with a surprised expression and asked the question that had been bothering him.

Upon hearing his words, many Golden Core cultivators present who were unaware of the inside story turned their gazes toward Zhou Mingde.

Under the gaze of everyone, Zhou Mingde nodded slightly and said, "Fellow Daoist Wei is right. True Master Kuang Lei did indeed have a misunderstanding with my Zhou family, which is why he came to our door."

After saying that, he chuckled smugly and said, "However, the misunderstanding has now been cleared up. Senior Master Kuang Lei deeply regrets his presumptuous actions back then, and has specially prepared generous gifts to send to my Zhou family through his disciple to apologize!"

"So that's how it is! It seems the rumors were true; Master Zhou's strength is indeed as formidable as ever, far surpassing ordinary beings of the same level!"

Wei Yong nodded, and said with a look of sudden realization.

Upon hearing his words, the others quickly followed suit, showering him with compliments and not missing the opportunity to flatter him.

Upon seeing this, Zhou Mingde, Zhou Daoyi, and other elders of the Zhou family naturally all smiled extremely happily.

Although these people were flattering Zhou Chun, Zhou Chun himself is a member of the Zhou family, and the two are inseparable.

Therefore, praising Zhou Chun is tantamount to praising the Zhou family and all the cultivators in the Zhou family.

But Liu Zhenkong, who had delivered the congratulatory gift, quickly traveled dozens of miles and arrived at Qinglian Peak.

As a disciple of Master Kuang Lei and a late-stage Golden Core cultivator, this person was quite arrogant.

After ascending Qinglian Peak, aside from paying his respects to the two Zhou family elders, Zhou Mingde and Zhou Daoyi, he did not take the Golden Core cultivators from Jing Kingdom seriously.

This immediately displeased Wei Yong and the other local cultivators, but due to the occasion, they didn't say much. They simply tacitly avoided greeting him and isolated him.

Not long after this person ascended Qinglian Peak, the real highlight began.

"On behalf of the Yan Yang Sect, Sect Master Xiao Sheng presents a congratulatory gift: a top-grade magic treasure, the Azure Profound Seal, to congratulate True Person Zhou on achieving the Great Completion of the Nascent Soul stage and attaining immortality!"

As Zhou Xinyan's excited and resounding announcement rang out, the entire Qinglian Peak erupted in cheers.

The power struggle between Nascent Soul stage cultivators like Zhou Chun and Master Ziyang is known to only a very small minority; the vast majority of Golden Core stage cultivators would not know about such matters.

Therefore, upon hearing Zhou Xinyan's words, many Golden Core cultivators showed expressions of disbelief.

"Tsk tsk tsk, the Flame Sun Sect is really generous! They're even willing to give away top-grade magic treasures as gifts!"

After his initial shock, Wei Yong of the Moon Wheel Sect seemed to understand something, and he couldn't help but click his tongue and laugh with a strange expression.

He came on behalf of the Moon Wheel Sect, but he only brought a spiritual herb that was three thousand years old, so the gift was quite ordinary.

However, no one felt there was anything wrong with it. After all, the fact that the Moon Wheel Sect was willing to send someone to deliver gifts in the name of the sect was already a great honor for the Zhou family.

It's quite unusual that the Yan Yang Sect would present the Zhou family with the top-grade magic treasure, the Azure Profound Seal, as a congratulatory gift.

This will inevitably lead to various speculations and heated discussions.

However, such heated discussions are unlikely to occur on Qinglian Peak.

Because the Golden Core cultivators present were all pillars of their respective forces, they dared not openly point fingers at the Yan Yang Sect and speak sarcastically like Wei Yong.

At most, they would wait until after the event to gather information privately and speculate about the matter.

The presence of the Yan Yang Sect brought the gift-giving ceremony to a close.

When noon arrived, Zhou Chun, the main character, finally made her appearance.

Suddenly, magical fireworks rose into the sky. Amidst the dazzling fireworks, a flying chariot pulled by a fourth-tier azure dragon and a fourth-tier fire phoenix appeared in the sky. Sparks and lightning streaked along its way as it slowly flew towards Azure Lotus Peak, illuminated by the fireworks.

Nascent Soul cultivator Zhou Chun and fifth-order demon king Zhou Zhengbai are now sitting together in that [Thunderfire Flying Chariot].

This grand entrance, with dragons and phoenixes pulling the carriage, immediately stunned all the guests on Qinglian Peak and many members of the Zhou family, becoming a classic scene that many people will never forget!

I'm so tired! Only two days left, I don't want to mess up!!

(End of this chapter)