Cultivation Begins From The Desert

The division of interests involved after the family separation is, of course, not something that can be explained in just a few words.

In matters concerning personal interests, the authority of Zhouyang, the Supreme Elder of the clan, was automatically ignored by most of the Zhou Family cultivators.

Whether it was the Foundation Establishment Cultivators qualified to establish a branch lineage or the Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivators, all took turns speaking up for their own interests.

These Zhou Family cultivators all knew that since Zhouyang and Zhou Guangxiang, the two Purple Mansion cultivators of the clan, proposed the "family separation" plan and came up with a detailed scheme, it certainly would not be canceled just because of their opposition.

How can an arm twist a thigh!

In the Cultivation Realm, strength has always been respected. As strong individuals, Zhouyang and Zhou Guangxiang were willing to listen to the suggestions of these middle-to-low tier cultivators, which was their way of showing respect, considering the big picture.

But this did not mean that the suggestions of these middle-to-low tier cultivators would necessarily be adopted by the two highest clan authorities.

Since they couldn't cancel the family separation plan through opposition, they could only strive for the maximum benefit within this plan for themselves.

How should the Foundation Establishment Pills be allocated after the family separation?

How can branch lineage cultivators earn Clan Contribution Points to exchange for Foundation Establishment Pills if they do not receive family welfare offerings?

Will the various cultivation spiritual lands on the clan's main lineage Spirit Mountain be open to other clan cultivators?

Can branch lineage cultivators enjoy family subsidies when learning the Hundred Skills of Cultivation?

Do maternity allowances benefit the branch lineage cultivators of the clan?

If a genius cultivator emerges among the descendants of ordinary clan cultivators, should they still enjoy the previous benefits and subsidies of the clan?

If a Foundation Establishment Cultivator of a branch lineage passes away and no new Foundation Establishment Cultivator appears in that branch, should that branch be retained?

...

It could be said that what Zhouyang thought of, hundreds of Zhou Family cultivators thought of and brought up together.

And what Zhouyang had not thought of, these people also came up with through collective brainstorming.

From major issues like the exchange of Foundation Establishment Pills to minor issues like subsidies involving dozens of Low-grade Spirit Stones for low-tier materials, everything of interest to the people involved was questioned.

And Zhouyang did not seem impatient with these questions. Whenever clansmen brought up new questions, he would carefully consider before responding.

He knew that every seemingly small decision he made today would affect the interests of countless Zhou Family cultivators for hundreds of years to come.

Although he could still "patch up" the powers and responsibilities of main lineage and branch lineage cultivators after the family separation, the supplementary rules made at that time would never be as deeply ingrained as the initial ones.

Therefore, he preferred to endure some hardship now rather than make mistakes in the future and then put effort into remedying them.

After a whole day of discussion and debate, all matters after the family separation were finally settled.

In general, it did not deviate from the main direction Zhouyang intended. After the separation, the Zhou Family remained the Zhou Family. When facing outsiders, all Zhou Family cultivators, whether main lineage, branch lineage, or ordinary cultivators, had a single title — Zhou Family cultivator.

Internally, however, main lineage cultivators, branch lineage cultivators, and ordinary cultivators each enjoyed different rights and responsibilities.

With clear rights and responsibilities, internal conflicts over resource competition would be minimized.

For example, previously, to compete for the steward position of a mine, when the capabilities of some Zhou Family cultivators were not particularly different, they would first engage in all sorts of networking to secure a pre-determined spot for themselves.

Such "pre-determined personnel" would certainly cause great dissatisfaction among other cultivators, leading to resentment and hostility towards the "designated individuals" and their elders.

Everyone is a member of the Zhou Family, without distinctions of rank. If I am more capable than you, why should this steward position not be given to me?

But now, with the distinctions among main lineage cultivators, branch lineage cultivators, and ordinary cultivators established, in cases of competitive steward positions where capabilities are similar, naturally, main lineage cultivators take priority over branch lineage cultivators, and branch lineage cultivators take priority over ordinary cultivators.

If you ask why it's given to them and not to you, the straightforward answer is: The family rules are set this way, and it's because you weren't born as well as he was!

The same applies to exchanging Foundation Establishment Pills. The main lineage can obtain an exchange right for one pill every twenty years, while the branch lineage can obtain one every thirty years. This exchange right is a form of highest-priority privilege.

For instance, if the Zhou Family can only produce eleven Foundation Establishment Pills every thirty years, with ten main and branch lineages having Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation Cultivators who have accumulated enough Clan Contribution Points for the exchange, then ordinary clan cultivators can only exchange for the Foundation Establishment Pill after the Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation Cultivators within each main and branch lineage make their exchanges and if there are any pills remaining.

In Zhouyang's past life, some schools admitted new students, favoring foreign students over local ones and prioritizing local students over students from other regions, as long as they were above the passing line.

This system was naturally subject to criticism and mockery, yet it continued and gradually gained acceptance.

No world can have absolute fairness, especially in the Cultivation Realm, where the strong are revered.

The descendants of the powerful naturally have more privileges than ordinary people.

If such privileges aren't acknowledged, if there's an endless pursuit of absolute fairness and equality, then even a legendary figure like Zhouyang, who personally created an unprecedentedly powerful clan, would ultimately be betrayed and overthrown by those he uplifted.

Moreover, even if he could forcefully suppress those who betray him, the successive generation he supports will still betray him for the sake of their descendants' interests—unless he demands that everyone, like him, don't have offspring, don't take disciples, or marry.

But wouldn't that be even more cruel to those people?

Therefore, he must recognize these clan privileges, clearly displaying them for all to see, making people understand from a young age that privileges exist in this world.

At the same time, he also gave ordinary cultivators the chance to break privileges and obtain them.

If a descendant of an ordinary cultivator possesses a Top-grade Spiritual Root, they can immediately receive better treatment than the main branch cultivators, break privileges, and be directly designated as "Foundation Establishment Seed," gaining the right to use the Foundation Establishment Pill for Foundation Establishment.

If ordinary cultivators can successfully reach Foundation Establishment, naturally, they can "achieve the Dao and benefit their descendants," allowing themselves and their offspring to become part of the privileged class.

Also, adhering to the principle of cyclical change, if any branch of the Zhou Family loses its Foundation Establishment Cultivator for a hundred years and cannot produce new cultivators, their branch territory and status will be repossessed by the clan, demoting all members back to ordinary clan cultivators.

Regarding the main branch, the period is extended to three hundred years!

Of course, Zhouyang's intention to implement the branch plan was not limited to these reasons. His true intent was to use this enfeoffment model to better govern the clan's vast territory and prepare to venture beyond the Boundless Desert Sea.

Another undisclosed intention was to determine the legitimacy of the clan bloodline and affirm that his bloodline was the direct lineage of the Zhou Family.

After determining the branch matters with considerable effort, Zhouyang felt a weight lifted from his heart, as if a huge stone had fallen to the ground.

At this moment, he was quite thankful that this world hadn't birthed the concept of "equality for all." The ideology of "the strong reign" is the mainstream consciousness here, under which his reform establishing privileges and delineating classes didn't face significant resistance, avoiding the fierce opposition imagined.

Come to think of it, the cultivators of the Zhou Family are already part of a privileged class compared to those from small clans and unaffiliated loose cultivators.

From a young age, they enjoyed benefits that cultivators from small clans and loose cultivators did not, making them naturally more accepting of the notion of privilege accruing to the privileged class.

Having long been accustomed to these privileges, their desire to become branch cultivators or main branch cultivators is naturally stronger than opposition to privilege.

After understanding everything, Zhouyang's expression relaxed, and he smiled as he looked at the few Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Zhou Family in the hall and said, "Whether to establish a branch, decide after careful consideration. You, as the existing Foundation Establishment cultivators of my Zhou Family, can apply to establish a branch for free. This is a special privilege from the clan to you. Future cultivators will need to gather ten thousand clan contribution points to apply!"

Upon hearing this, several Foundation Establishment cultivators exchanged glances, their eyes flashing with hesitation.

Ultimately, the eldest Zhou Yuanyao spoke first, "I wish to establish a branch, but I wish to choose the Yuquan Lake Oasis as my branch's foundation. Is this allowed, Brother Nine?"

Zhouyang, upon hearing this, immediately replied, "Yuquan Lake Oasis is where the Zhou Family originated; it is our ancestral land. If anyone else wanted to choose this location as their branch foundation, I wouldn't allow it under any circumstances."

After speaking, he paused and looked at Zhou Yuanyao with an indulgent smile, "But you are different, Yao'Er. Since you have applied, the Yuquan Lake Oasis will henceforth be managed by your branch. I hope you and your husband can manage it well, so our ancestral land won't decline."

As for why Zhou Yuanyao was different, none present except Zhou Guangxiang knew, nor dared to ask.

In fact, the true identity of Zhou Yuanyao is an unsolved mystery within the Zhou Family, with various speculations circulating privately.

But no one dared to discuss these matters in front of Zhouyang or inquire Zhou Yuanyao herself, as officially, Zhou Yuanyao was Zhouyang's "sworn sister."

With Zhou Yuanyao taking the lead, other Zhou Family Foundation Establishment cultivators, except Zhou Fuyun, who had recently established Foundation and was clear in her refusal to establish a branch, Zhou Guangqing, Zhou Tongyao, Zhou Tonghua, and Zhou Tongmin all expressed their wish to establish branches.

Zhouyang immediately fulfilled his promise, allocating the Spirit Vein and Oasis of Haoyang Mountain to Zhou Guangqing as the branch foundation. He then chose three small oases in the New Cultivation Realm, where Rhino Horn Continent is located, promoting the Spirit Veins to Tier Three Lower Grade as the branch foundation for the remaining three and dispatched people to help them expand the oases.

Originally, he intended to let these people inherit a developed Spirit Mountain as their branch foundation.

However, during prior consultations, many ordinary clan cultivators expressed concerns about these branch cultivators using existing Spirit Mountains as their branch foundation, fearing future issues in transferring family industry resources.

Therefore, after careful consideration, he decided to use this new plan.

In doing so, he didn't feel anything unfair. Compared to Zhou Yuanyao and Zhou Guangqing, who contributed greatly to the clan, Zhou Tongmin, who succeeded in Foundation Establishment thanks to his father Zhou Guangtai's legacy, Zhou Tongyao, who benefited from the clan's "Seed Plan," or Zhou Tonghua, whose contributions to the clan were not significant, naturally couldn't be compared with the former two.