Cultivation Begins From The Desert

After the word "reform" was spoken from Zhou Guangxiang's mouth, all the cultivators in Zhou Family Council Hall felt a surge of energy.

Regarding the reason for convening this clan meeting, before the official start of the meeting, the Zhou Family cultivators gathered at Red Tiger Mountain speculated in various ways and even tried to gather information from elder cultivators and friendly clan members.

But of course, they gained nothing.

Before Zhouyang officially announced the reform plan, only he and Zhou Guangxiang knew about the plan, and others, including their Dao companions Xiao Ying and Liu Xuanxuan, merely sensed they were plotting a major event without knowing the specific details.

So now, seeing Clan Leader Zhou Guangxiang solemnly and respectfully salute Zhouyang and say these words, the Zhou Family cultivators in the council hall instantly realized the true highlight of this clan meeting was about to be revealed.

Indeed, as Zhou Guangxiang finished speaking, Zhouyang immediately stood up and walked to the main seat, sitting down with a flash of light in his eyes, scanning authoritatively over the eight hundred Zhou Clan cultivators in the hall.

Instantly, every Zhou Clan cultivator below felt intense pressure, with the sensation that Zhouyang, the family ancestor, was gazing directly at them, causing them to lower their heads in fear of meeting Zhouyang's eyes, and even the Foundation Establishment cultivators were no exception.

Seeing this, Zhouyang nodded slightly, looking at the crowd with satisfaction and said in a deep voice: "What I am discussing today is a matter that will determine the prosperity and decline of the Zhou Family, a matter that will affect all Zhou Family cultivators and the family's future for thousands and tens of thousands of years!"

"So, gather your spirit and listen carefully!"

Whoosh!

The sound of breathing filled the hall as Zhouyang finished speaking, all Zhou Family cultivators couldn't help but take a deep breath and then held their breath, waiting eagerly for his groundbreaking announcement.

It is known that since the Zhou Family started hosting such large clan assemblies, Zhouyang had never spoken with such gravitas.

Therefore, regardless of the first-time attendees at the clan assembly, even the elder Zhou Family cultivators who had participated multiple times were aware that Zhouyang's upcoming words would be groundbreaking.

And Zhouyang did not keep these clan members waiting for long, for after a moment he looked at everyone, speaking in a deep voice about his long-planned reform proposal.

"Given the increasingly vast family territory and the growing number of clan cultivators, the original joint governance system by the clan leader and the seventh elder no longer perfectly maintains family operations, I have given this careful thought and decided to divide the family!"

"Dividing the family means separating by bloodline within the clan into main lineage and branch lineage, Guangxiang and my descendants from now on count as main lineage cultivators, and future Zhou Family clan leader will prioritize selections from main lineage cultivators, and the clan inheritance treasure vault can only be opened by cultivators with the main lineage bloodline!"

"Lingxi Peak and Red Tiger Mountain will be the inherent property assets of the main lineage, and only three-tenths of the income needs to be submitted to the clan, with the rest belonging to the main lineage."

"As for the branch lineage, all current foundation establishment cultivators in the clan can freely apply to establish branch lineage and obtain a Tier Three Spirit Mountain as the inherent territory of the branch lineage, and likewise, only five-tenths of the income from the inherent territory needs to be submitted to the clan."

"The founders of a branch lineage may be referred to as Patriarch, having the same authority over branch lineage cultivators as the clan leader, able to establish a branch lineage treasure vault to store assets, and may form a branch clan elder council to discuss internal matters of the branch, and can create rules that do not conflict with current clan regulations, punishing branch lineage cultivators who violate these."

"It must be clarified that whether main lineage cultivators or branch lineage cultivators, once possessing a fixed territory, they no longer enjoy clan-welfare offerings, nor can they hold the position of clan deacon elder, but still obtain the title of clan elder after foundation establishment, gaining consultation rights in family affairs while continuing to enjoy all clan cultivator rights aside from acquiring fixed welfare offerings."

"Additionally, if main lineage cultivators and branch lineage cultivators discover new territory, such land will be protected by the clan as long they continue to submit revenue, and if new territory is handed over to the clan, massive clan contribution points and spirit stone rewards will be granted."

"Also, main lineage and branch lineage are not immutable, any cultivator with Zhou Family bloodline who advances to the Golden Core Stage will merge into the main lineage along with their descendants, becoming main lineage cultivators, enjoying all rights of main lineage cultivators."

"Similarly, in the future, any clan cultivators outside the main lineage who succeed in becoming foundation establishment can apply to establish a branch lineage by spending ten thousand clan contribution points, and will be granted a spirit mountain by the clan as a branch foundation."

"Finally, main lineage cultivators and branch lineage cultivators who do not enjoy clan welfare offerings or take clan positions can avoid assignments from the internal affairs hall and miscellaneous affairs hall to complete relevant tasks, but must comply with clan law enforcement hall and battle hall during violations or mobilizations."

"As for other non-main lineage and branch lineage cultivators, previous welfare benefits remain unchanged, positions unchanged, can still accept tasks from the clan, and can additionally accept any tasks posted by main lineage and branch lineage cultivators for rewards."

Zhouyang's gaze swept over all Zhou Clan members seated row by row below in the hall, his powerful voice echoed throughout the council hall.

And his words were like a sudden thunderclap, resounding violently in the minds of all uninformed Zhou Family cultivators, shocking them to the point where their hair stood on end and leaving them dumbstruck.

Prior to this, no one expected that the Supreme Elder who single-handedly established the glorious Zhou Family of today would openly bring up the topic of family division in front of half the clan's cultivators.

Thus, after he spoke, everyone was confounded and stupefied, clueless about what to do next.

Even those Foundation Establishment Cultivators are the same.

Zhouyang did not urge these people, but patiently waited for them to digest this shocking news.

After waiting for about half a quarter of an hour, finally, a Zhou Family Elder first came to his senses and raised a question.

"May I ask, Supreme Elder, why do you have the idea of a family division when our Zhou Family is currently at its peak?"

"In the Boundless Sea of Sand Cultivation Realm, so many cultivation families all fear their family territory is not big enough, their population not large enough, all trying their best to gather family cultivators to accomplish things together. If our Zhou Family were to divide, wouldn't that just give others an opportunity?"

The Zhou Family Elder who raised the question was precisely Zhou Guangqing, considered one of the more senior among the current Zhou Family Elders.

Zhou Guangqing had also experienced multiple family conferences as an elder of the Zhou Family. When Tan Qiu, the first generation Foreign Affairs Elder of the Zhou Family, proposed attracting outside talent cultivators into the Zhou Family using Foundation Establishment Pills, all Zhou Family Cultivators collectively opposed it, leading Zhouyang to veto the proposal, an event he had personally witnessed.

Therefore, he dared to stand up at this time to question Zhouyang's decision and to ask the questions in his heart.

"Guangqing, your two questions, in fact, can be answered as one."

"Precisely because in the Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm, there has never been a family as prosperous as ours for over two thousand years, other families have not encountered the bottlenecks and difficulties that our Zhou Family currently faces, and thus would not have the idea of a family division."

"But I must tell you, any family with a millennium of heritage, with Golden Core Stage cultivators and a large number of Purple Mansion Cultivators and Foundation Establishment Cultivators stationed, will inevitably have a main branch and sub-branches within!"

"And I want to correct your thinking, dividing the family will not weaken the Zhou Family; on the contrary, as time goes on, it will make the Zhou Family more prosperous and stronger!"

"You must remember one thing: no matter when or where, you are all part of the Zhou Family. As long as you have not made a grave mistake or committed a major act of betrayal, no one, not even I, the Supreme Elder, has the right to strip you of the honor of being a Zhou Family cultivator or to take away the surname that brings you honor!"

Zhouyang solemnly looked at Zhou Guangqing, who was full of confusion, and loudly responded to his inquiry.

After he finished speaking, the Zhou Family cultivators in the hall were also stunned, bowing their heads in contemplation of the deeper meaning behind his words.

After a while, a Zhou Family cultivator finally mustered the courage to stand up and ask:

"May I ask the Clan Leader, according to what you said just now, that both the main branch and sub-branches would occupy the current spirit mountains of the family as their inherent territory, how should the various treasures originally belonging to the family on these spirit mountains and in the current clan treasure vault be dealt with?"

"Do we, who originally lived and practiced on these spirit mountains not belonging to the main or sub-branches, have to move to other remote and barren low-tier spirit mountains to practice?"

Zhouyang looked down and saw that the person asking this question was surprisingly the Finance Elder who had just reported on the financial situation of the Zhou Family.

From the previous financial report, he had already noticed that this person's business proficiency was quite high, and the question posed now further demonstrated a sensitivity and thinking not possessed by ordinary people.

A talent indeed!

He nodded secretly in his heart, but outwardly he smiled and said, "This is a good question. I can clarify for you that except for the Yuan Condensing Fruit tree, which remains a communal asset of the family, all other planted spiritual medicine and spiritual fruit, as well as reared spirit beasts, remain the property of the family for fifty years before being returned to the ownership of the main and sub-branches."

"As for you cultivators who live on the spirit mountains owned by the main and sub-branches, your residency can continue until your lifespan runs out and you pass away, with no possibility for descendants to inherit the residence. Meanwhile, main branch and sub-branch cultivators are not allowed to settle on other family spirit mountains."

"Furthermore, every Tier Five and Tier Four spirit mountain owned by the main branch must allocate ten caves to family management as places for clansmen needed to retreat and break through realms."

"If any low-tier clansmen indeed want to reside on the spirit mountains belonging to the main or sub-branches, they could negotiate with the patriarch, possibly using spirit stones or clan contribution points as rent or working in exchange for residence, helping to farm or rear spirit beasts in exchange for living rights."

"Also, those family elders who succeed in Foundation Establishment but do not wish to establish a sub-branch can likewise establish residences on any spirit mountain owned by the main or sub-branches; this is a privilege of family elders."

"Finally, regarding the disposal of the existing treasures in the family treasure vault, all treasures of Tier Four and above will be moved into the family legacy vault once established, and their ownership remains with the family. Any family cultivators wishing to exchange for usage may apply to the Clan Leader."

"Treasures below Tier Four will remain in the regular vault, managed by the Family Finance Hall, and the rules for exchanging treasures remain unchanged."