Cultivation Begins From The Desert

"In the past three years, the number of cultivators who have traveled to explore the New Cultivation Realm via Oasis No. 1 has reached more than two thousand three hundred, including thirteen Foundation Establishment Cultivators."

"According to the instructions of the Supreme Elder, our Zhou Family has provided each cultivator heading to explore the New Cultivation Realm via Oasis No. 1 with a map leading to the Rhino Horn Continent and informed them that they can stop at various man-made oases for rest and supplies."

"And after three years of continuous exploration, we have currently discovered eight oases in the New Cultivation Realm. Among them, there is a medium-sized oasis with a Tier Three Low-Grade Spiritual Vein, a medium-small sized oasis with a Tier Two High-Grade Spiritual Vein, two small-sized oases with Tier Two Middle-Grade Spiritual Veins, while the remaining oases are all micro-sized oases with even their Tier One Spiritual Veins being too insignificant to serve as a family's foundation."

"At the same time, throughout the three years of exploration, our Zhou Family has received information about seven ore veins, including two Tier Two ore veins and five Tier One ore veins, one of which is even a large refined iron ore vein."

...

Within the Zhou Clan's Domestic Affairs Hall, Zhouyang, who had recovered from his injuries, was here listening to reports on the development of the New Cultivation Realm from Zhou Family cultivators.

He had always been paying attention to this kind of news, and he even knew that the discoverer of that medium-sized oasis was actually a Zhou Family outsider cultivator. For this achievement, he personally awarded the individual twenty thousand clan contribution points.

However, he knew that the information he had was certainly not as detailed as that of the specific people in charge, which is why he came here to listen to a detailed report after recovering from his injuries.

After listening to the report on the exploration of the New Cultivation Realm, he silently pondered for a moment and then asked again, "What about the Rhino Horn Continent? Guangxiang and his team have been there for three years now. Have they thoroughly understood the situation there?"

"Currently, a total of twenty Spiritual Veins have been discovered on the Rhino Horn Continent, including one Tier Five Low-Grade Spiritual Vein, two Tier Three High-Grade Spiritual Veins, four Tier Three Low-Grade Spiritual Veins, seven Tier Two High-Grade Spiritual Veins, and six Tier Two Middle-Grade Spiritual Veins!"

"At the same time, seven ore veins have been uncovered on the Rhino Horn Continent. Excluding the spirit stone ore mine that has almost been exhausted, there are six ore veins left, including a small Tier Three ore vein [Profound Crystal Iron] and a large Tier Two ore vein [Platinum Stone] ore..."

"In addition, the family Beast Tamers have discovered several types of demon beasts with great taming value on the Rhino Horn Continent, roughly including the [Iron Armor Rhinoceros], [Cyan-spotted Deer], [White-tailed Black Sheep], and [Fire-Fierce Horse]."

"Oh, right, the Clan Leader sent a message a while back saying that they found a large underground dark river on the Rhino Horn Continent, and detected the presence of a Tier Three Water Demon there. He suspects that this river might be fed by melting snow from the Broken Cloud Mountain Range."

The resources on the Rhino Horn Continent are undoubtedly extremely rich. Although the last battle on the continent resulted in most of the easily extracted spirit herbs and elixirs on the oases being taken by cultivators, the Spiritual Veins and ore veins remained beyond anyone's ability to take away.

Currently, the Zhou Family has only occupied the Rhino Horn Continent for three years and hasn't even invested their full manpower for development, yet they've already found as many as six ore veins, indicating the abundance of resources there.

Zhouyang once believed that the Rhino Horn Continent could sustain the Zhou Family for a hundred years, and he was not making an empty claim.

"I understand the situation now. Next, we can have the Finance Hall cultivators sell off the low-tier artifacts, spirit talismans, and elixirs accumulated over the years. Our Zhou Family has put so much manpower and resources into opening the path to the New Cultivation Realm that it's about time we reaped some rewards!"

Zhouyang's eyes shone with a sharp light as he solemnly shared another of his strategies.

When he returned and called a family meeting, Zhou Guangyun, then Elder of the Zhou Family's Finance Hall, suggested temporarily reducing the supply of low-tier resources to the market, arguing that it was saturated, with supply exceeding demand.

At that time, his opinion was not only to reduce the supply of low-tier resources, but also to reverse-buy other places' low-tier resources for stockpiling, which baffled many Zhou Family cultivators.

Now, his strategy from back then was finally about to show its might.

"Fantastic! Currently, with more and more cultivators joining the exploration of the New Oasis, the demand for various low-tier resources has increased tremendously, especially for spirit talismans and healing elixirs and grain avoidance elixirs. Their prices have hit a century-high!"

"Our Zhou Family has stockpiled 350,000 Grain Avoidance Pills, more than 80,000 various Healing and Antitoxic Elixirs, more than 40,000 Tier Two Spirit Talismans, over 5,000 Tier Two Spiritual Artifacts..."

"Selling these items, even at a 20% discount to current prices, could still net us at least 500,000 in profits!"

The currently serving Finance Elder of the Zhou Family, Zhou Tongxin, couldn't help but shout out with excitement, his eyes gleaming with enthusiasm.

As the Finance Elder of the Zhou Family, the pressure he faced in recent years was no ordinary burden.

Not to mention the spirit stones spent annually on building new oases; with the Zhou Family cultivator numbers increasing year by year, the annual investments in purchasing various resources alone were worrying him to the point of losing appetite.

The resource benefits that brought prosperity when the Zhou Family had fewer people and more land in earlier years were almost exhausted now. To enjoy such benefits again, they would have to wait until the Rhino Horn Continent was fully developed.

As the elder in charge of finances, he understands better than anyone that given the distance between the Rhino Horn Continent and the Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm, it would take at least thirty years before the Rhino Horn Continent could bring significant revenue to the Zhou Family.

After all, whether mining or farming, it requires many mortals to join in, and it's almost impossible for the Zhou Family to relocate tens of thousands of mortals there as they did when moving to Red Tiger Mountain.

Over the twenty to thirty thousand miles' journey, even with twenty-five oases for rest in between, not even one in ten mortals would survive to reach the Rhino Horn Continent.

Under such circumstances, facing the increasingly large annual expenses, how can the Finance Elder not be anxious?

If the Zhou Family's finances showed expenses exceeding income under his management, then he would seem decidedly incompetent as a Finance Elder.

"Alright, I understand the family's financial situation, and the fault does not lie with you. Coincidentally, the second grand auction is due in two years. At that time, I will have Guangxiang take out some precious treasures from the inner treasury for auction. This should help the family weather the upcoming financial difficulties!"

Zhouyang glanced warmly at the eager younger generation member, sharing another piece of good news with a soft laugh.

Indeed, it has been more than thirty years since he returned to the family from the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm. The grand auction he decided to hold every thirty years is about to reunite for a second time.

The first auction earned the Zhou Family hundreds of thousands of spirit stones, enabling the "New Homeland Plan" to acquire its starting capital. Now, with the second grand auction imminent, the funding for the next phases of his plan will all be solved.

Following this, Zhouyang asked about some internal family matters and then set off for the Yellow Sand Sect.

After the battle at the Rhino Horn Continent, Jiang Yuyan indeed passed away within half a year after returning.

Since Zhouyang was too severely injured at the time to attend her funeral, now that he had recovered, he was obliged both by feelings and principles to go there and pay respects.

Moreover, there were also some matters he needed to discuss with Zhang Yunpeng.

With the help of the Tier Four Demon Beast Golden-winged Thunder Eagle, Zhouyang was at the foot of the Yellow Sand Sect's mountain gate in just a few hours.

Then, under the reception of Zhang Yunpeng, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, he first visited Jiang Yuyan's grave to offer his respects, after which he and Zhang Yunpeng got down to business.

"Sect Leader Zhang, you personally attended the last grand auction and witnessed the benefits of such events. Now our Zhou Family is about to hold the second grand auction. I wonder if the Yellow Sand Sect is interested in participating?"

In the grand hall that the Yellow Sand Sect uses to entertain distinguished guests, Zhouyang and Zhang Yunpeng took their seats after exchanging pleasantries. Zhouyang merely took a sip of the spirit tea on the table without engaging in small talk and directly stated the purpose of his visit.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yunpeng's expression shifted slightly, and he couldn't help but look at him, saying, "Oh, but how will this joining be accomplished?"

Last time, the Zhou Family made tens of thousands of spirit stones from a major auction, which he naturally admired and even considered organizing a similar auction upon returning.

However, considering this might make Zhouyang think he was deliberately targeting the Zhou Family, he had to abandon this idea.

Now Zhouyang actively mentioned having the Yellow Sand Sect join in the major auction, which naturally intrigued him.

"I understand that your esteemed sect has acquired a large batch of Foundation Establishment Pills and Purple Cloud Pills, along with other middle-to-high-grade spirit pills, from the Profound Sun Immortal Sect over the years."

"These spirit pills, I presume, cannot be normally consumed by your sect within several decades. Thus, why not take out ten percent of them to participate in this major auction for sale? This way, you can exchange them for a large amount of spirit stones to purchase treasures like the 'Purple Heart Jade Marrow' and 'Jade Liquid Golden Pill', benefitting the entire Cultivation Realm. Isn't it a win-win situation?"

"Moreover, I can promise that for any treasures consigned by your sect in future major auctions, the Zhou Family will not charge any commission fees."

Zhouyang smiled faintly, having already prepared his plan.

Besides Zhang Yunpeng himself, probably few others know the situation of the Yellow Sand Sect better than he does.

Now that the Yellow Sand Sect is connected with the Profound Sun Immortal Sect, obtaining the privilege to buy Foundation Establishment Pills at standard prices, they won't be lacking in Foundation Establishment Pills for the next few hundred years.

Nonetheless, concerning Purple Mansion Stage cultivators, it's a major shortcoming for the Yellow Sand Sect, as currently, including Zhang Yunpeng, there are only three Purple Mansion cultivators in the entire Yellow Sand Sect.

A sect supported by merely three Purple Mansion cultivators is a situation that could only happen in the Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm. In a place like the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm, such a weak sect would have been eradicated long ago.

Therefore, the Yellow Sand Sect urgently needs to increase the number of Purple Mansion Stage cultivators.

But the "Purple Heart Jade Marrow", used to aid in developing Purple Mansions, is an extremely rare treasure and not part of the trading list between the Profound Sun Immortal Sect and the Yellow Sand Sect. They can only acquire such treasures by attending various high-level auctions held in the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm.

However, auctions are places where spirit stones flow like water, and once treasures like "Purple Heart Jade Marrow" appear, their price will surely be inflated to twenty or thirty thousand spirit stones.

Previously, the Yellow Sand Sect, thinking for long-term development, would only purchase a piece of "Purple Heart Jade Marrow" at inflated prices once every twenty or thirty years for sect cultivators to exchange and use.

But that was before; back then, the Yellow Sand Sect always had Golden Core cultivators holding fort, maintaining over five Purple Mansion cultivators.

These forces were enough to suppress the entire Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm, ensuring the Yellow Sand Sect's dominance was as stable as a mountain. Naturally, they could take things slowly.

It's like the Zhou Family now; Zhouyang still has more than ten Foundation Establishment Pills and materials to refine dozens more. Why doesn't he refine a large batch of Foundation Establishment Pills for the clan cultivators to use, thereby creating dozens of Foundation Establishment cultivators overnight?

The reason is simple; it's not worth it.

It's important to note that the resources in the cultivation realm are limited, and every Foundation Establishment cultivator that appears takes away a portion of a faction's resources.

If Zhouyang created dozens of Foundation Establishment cultivators for the Zhou Family, he would not only have difficulty finding Foundation Establishment Pills for other juniors for the next several decades to a hundred years, but also wouldn't be able to afford the clan contribution points and various cultivation resources like spirit pills and magical artifacts required annually by these dozens of Foundation Establishment cultivators.

By then, if he doesn't want these self-trained Foundation Establishment cultivators to leave the clan, the only choice would be to wage war to loot the Yellow Sand Sect and its subjugated cultivation clans, leading to him falling victim to the "Nether Blood Contract" backlash!

Additionally, from another perspective, the Foundation Establishment cultivators forcefully created with large batches of Foundation Establishment Pills are unlikely to break through to the Purple Mansion.

Such Foundation Establishment cultivators, no matter how many there are, serve little purpose for the Zhou Family, which has practically become the foremost force in the Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm.

They are nothing more than a batch of "parasites" drawing clan offerings!

Thus, even major sects like the Profound Sun Immortal Sect, capable of refining large quantities of Foundation Establishment Pills, prefer to sell the pills to outsiders rather than giving them freely to sect cultivators in the Qi Cultivation Stage whose spiritual root talent doesn't meet requirements.

Things obtained too easily aren't cherished; the rarity of Foundation Establishment Pills not only stems from their unmet demand but also from the value control exerted by various forces.

The same logic applies to the even higher level "Purple Heart Jade Marrow".

In the past, the Yellow Sand Sect, if willing, could scour the resources of the entire Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm to purchase dozen(s) of "Purple Heart Jade Marrow" for the sect at once, raising the number of Purple Mansion cultivators to two-digit figures.

Yet what is the point in doing so?

Of those raised Purple Mansion cultivators, how many can cultivate to the ninth layer of the Purple Mansion before exhausting their lifespan?

If they cannot cultivate to the ninth layer of the Purple Mansion to attempt breaking into the Golden Core Stage, then these cultivators, to the Yellow Sand Sect, are leeches sucking the sect dry, consuming its resources and development potential.

Furthermore, they can use resources to pile up Purple Mansion cultivators, but can they pile up Golden Core cultivators?

If not, then it's better to keep the sect's legacy unbroken with a long-term strategy and focus resources on nurturing the true genius cultivators, hoping to foster genuine Golden Core cultivators who could elevate the sect, or even Nascent Soul cultivators!

Of course, these were the situations of the Yellow Sand Sect in the past.

The current situation is different; now the Yellow Sand Sect has only three Purple Mansion cultivators. Such a number not only fails to suppress the entire Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm, but barely suffices to protect the Yellow Sand Sect's current interests from falling.

Thus, the best approach now for the Yellow Sand Sect is to use reserves to first pile up a few more Purple Mansion cultivators for stability, then consider fostering Golden Core cultivators.

And to pile up a few more Purple Mansion cultivators would cost an astronomical amount of spirit stones, which the current stock of spirit stones in the Yellow Sand Sect can't cover.

"Alright, I agree. In this major auction, we, the Yellow Sand Sect, will offer seven Foundation Establishment Pills and one Purple Cloud Pill, along with other Tier Three and Four spirit pills for auction."

"However, I also have a minor condition, and I hope Fellow Daoist Zhou can agree."

Zhang Yunpeng pondered deeply. Although clearly aware that Zhouyang suggested the Yellow Sand Sect offer Foundation Establishment Pills as auction items to generate momentum for the auction, he still agreed.