Translator: AnubisTL
Accompanied by three Outer Sect Elders, they swiftly arrived at Cloud Prefecture. Originally intending to head straight to the Sunset Glow Sect, they were intercepted by the family of the Cloud Prefecture Prince, who cordially invited Gu Feng to visit them.
As a shareholder, Gu Feng couldn't easily refuse, so he stayed for a few days. During this time, they discussed sending disciples into the marshlands.
"Send a hundred disciples into the marshlands. Their cultivation should at least be at the Postnatal Realm, and their talent should be as high as possible."
Gu Feng understood that they wanted their disciples to enter the marshlands not only because the conditions there were excellent and there was no danger, but more importantly, it was in preparation for next year's Grand Harmony Academy admissions.
All the shareholders knew that the Grand Harmony Academy had acquired eight percent of Gu Feng's shares. In addition to providing a portion of Spirit Stones, they also granted a thousand direct admission spots to the academy.
After a decade of development, the Grand Harmony Academy had become the top cultivation haven in the Chu Kingdom, attracting countless prodigies. The thousand special admission spots made the shareholders envious, all eager to get a piece of the pie.
Gu Feng supported this initiative, setting restrictions on the talent and cultivation level of disciples each faction could send into the marshlands. He also informed them that only one-tenth of these disciples would receive direct admission qualifications.
As for whether they would give these spots to the top performers or the stragglers, Gu Feng didn't care to intervene.
After all, some exceptionally talented and ambitious disciples might prefer to earn their way into the Grand Harmony Academy through their own efforts, and Gu Feng had no interest in meddling.
On the eve of his departure from the prince's family, the reception was exceptionally grand, with many young disciples in attendance.
The male disciples from prominent families, usually arrogant, appeared somewhat reserved in front of Gu Feng. As for the female disciples, they gazed at him with admiration, shyly raising their glasses to toast him.
This filled Gu Feng with a sense of pride. He couldn't help but marvel at the perks that came with power. If he were to express interest in any of the female cultivators, the prince's family would likely be more than happy to oblige.
However, Gu Feng wasn't particularly interested in women at the moment. His current strength was still low, and cultivation was his top priority. Having a woman around would likely complicate things and slow down his progress.
After leaving the prince's family, Gu Feng thought it would be unfair to visit one shareholder and not the others. As a shareholder himself, he needed to treat everyone equally.
So, he took the initiative to visit several other factions.
At the headquarters of the Myriad Harmony Guild!
"You've really made it big now, your worth far exceeds that of the entire Myriad Harmony Guild..."
During the banquet, Gu Santong also expressed his admiration, his attitude toward Gu Feng becoming noticeably warmer, no longer as sharp as before.
Su Qiu, Yan Xixi's mother, kept serving Gu Feng dishes, looking at him with the fondness of a mother-in-law eyeing her future son-in-law. She was so pleased that she nearly asked when he would come to the Yan family to propose, which made Gu Feng quite uncomfortable.
As for Yan Hanyun, he remained as serious and stoic as ever, but beneath his calm demeanor, there was an unmistakable hint of admiration.
The banquet was filled with toasts and lively conversation.
Later, Gu Feng discussed the progress of the marshlands project with Yan Hanyun and shared his idea of opening the checkpoint ahead of schedule.
"Good, we can earn money while continuing construction. The Myriad Harmony Guild fully supports this!
Santong, inform the guild's managers that all trade with Great Li will now go through the marshlands checkpoint!"
"Uncle Yan, there's no need to rush. The Spirit Boat for transporting merchants and travelers hasn't been completed yet," Gu Feng said with a smile.
"What's the big deal? Don't you have Elders from the Sunset Glow Sect there? Let them escort us for the time being. The merchants are also waiting to see, and our Myriad Harmony Guild can set an example!" Yan Hanyun waved his hand grandly, speaking with great enthusiasm.
"Let's toast to Uncle Yan!"
Originally, one of the agreements discussed during the Alchemy Conference was that Gu Feng would become a patron of the Myriad Harmony Guild. However, this now seemed unreasonable, as the Myriad Harmony Guild was essentially Gu Feng's partner. Moreover, many shareholders were watching, and they would not agree to Gu Feng becoming a patron of the guild. Thus, the matter was simply dropped.
As they continued their journey, Gu Feng visited the guilds of Wu Qi's family, as well as the families of Guo Renkai and Chao Yuan. In truth, if it weren't for personal connections, Gu Feng wouldn't have bothered to go. The families were delighted by his arrival, as they were in a weak position among the shareholders, with each family holding less than one percent of the shares.
Gu Feng had to visit the Bao family in Cloud Prefecture. The current head of the Bao family, Bao Tian, who was Bao Shaoqiong's father, was a straightforward and bold man—so much so that Gu Feng found it hard to believe he was an Alchemist.
"Gu Feng, how is my daughter doing by your side? Honestly, you didn't have to forgive her debt of 500 million Spirit Stones. If she can't pay it back, she can repay it with her person!"
This was definitely a father speaking. Only a true parent could say such a thing, and Gu Feng couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time.
Due to some personal reasons, Gu Feng was particularly focused on alchemy and spent a long time discussing it with Bao Tian. The main point was that most Alchemists in the swamp region came from the Bao family, but the Bao family's members still hadn't shaken off their exclusivity, often looking down on and excluding other Alchemists, which was detrimental to unity. Since the Bao family was contributing through technical expertise, they should fully honor the agreement by sharing some Pill Formulas and alchemy techniques.
At first, Bao Tian was hesitant, but after Gu Feng promised that the alchemy department in the swamp region would be led by Bao Shaoqiong and Yan Xixi, Bao Tian had no more reservations. He solemnly assured Gu Feng that he would inform the Bao family's Alchemists in the swamp region that anyone who caused trouble would be sent back immediately.
Gu Feng's performance along the way amazed the three Elders accompanying him. It was as if they were traveling not with a disciple, but with a seasoned veteran. His actions were steady and thorough, completely different from his time in the outer sect of the Sunset Glow Sect.
"He is a born leader!"
"Gu Feng will become the pride of the Sunset Glow Sect."
"..."
"I'm exhausted. We've visited almost everyone. Let's return to the Sunset Glow Sect!"
After being away for three months, as they approached the Sunset Glow Sect, Gu Feng felt a sense of familiarity, and some of his fatigue began to dissipate.
...
"Reporting to the Sect Leader, it is now almost certain that the Qiu family is planning to take action against Gu Feng!"
"A few days ago, there were reports that Gu Feng had arrived in Cloud Prefecture, but he hasn't appeared yet. It's likely that he was delayed by invitations from various factions along the way!"
"Sect Leader, what should we do next?"
Although he had already made up his mind, when the moment of destiny arrived, Lin Xinhua still felt some hesitation. Countless thoughts raced through his mind, and he remained silent and conflicted for a long time.
Finally, he abruptly stood up, clenched his fists, and pointed out five trusted Elders below, instructing them to locate Gu Feng and ensure his entry into the Sunset Glow Sect.
At the same time, he personally led a large force towards the Qiu family in Cloud Prefecture.
Merely rescuing someone might not be enough to sway Gu Feng, so he decided to wage war against the Qiu family, thereby increasing the stakes.
Throughout his life, he had always been cautious. Even when the inner and outer sects of the Sunset Glow Sect split, leading to a significant loss of strength, he had not acted impulsively.
However, now he wanted to take a gamble.
Attacking the Qiu family was undoubtedly a high-stakes gamble. If Gu Feng did not approve and instead accused the Unwavering Sect of indiscriminate slaughter, he and the entire Unwavering Sect might face annihilation in Cloud Prefecture.
"Sect Leader, are you sure about this?"
"Isn't this too risky? Shouldn't we inform Elder Liu of the Sunset Glow Sect's outer sect beforehand?"
"Let's resolve Gu Feng's crisis first. If Gu Feng wants to destroy the Qiu family, we can mobilize our forces then!"
"..."
The numerous objections from the Elders only strengthened Lin Xinhua's conviction that his decision was correct.
"Destroying the Qiu family now or at Gu Feng's suggestion would yield similar results for Gu Feng and most other factions, but for our Unwavering Sect, it's different.
We are already behind and must use extraordinary methods to overtake them!"
"Listen to my command! All disciples above the Postnatal Realm, assemble and secretly advance towards the Qiu family!"
This was a crucial order, unprecedented in the history of the Unwavering Sect and unlikely to be matched in the future.
...
The three Elders protecting Gu Feng came to an abrupt halt, their expressions grave as they surveyed their surroundings.
"Be careful, something feels off here!"
"Is someone trying to assassinate me?" Gu Feng shook his head in disbelief. Chu Youhuan had been right; he was indeed facing an assassination attempt.
"Three Elders, if the situation becomes untenable, you should leave first!" Gu Feng remained calm. If the enemy was too strong, he planned to trigger the Innate Tribulation.
"Nonsense! Old Jiang, Old Hu and I will hold them off. You're fast; take Gu Feng and head straight for the Sunset Glow Sect!" one Elder whispered to the other two, sensing the formidable strength of the hidden opponents.
"Don't worry, I may not excel in combat, but I'm definitely fast!" Old Jiang said confidently. He had focused on speed, lacking talent in Martial Skills, but his speed was unmatched in the outer sect of the Sunset Glow Sect.
"They're here!"
"Five experts; we can't win!"
"Old Jiang, take Gu Feng and run!"
Gu Feng had just opened his mouth to say "You go first, I'll handle this!"—
But before he could react, Elder Jiang already yanked him by the arm and blasted forward with explosive speed.
Whoosh—!
Old Jiang's legendary velocity lived up to its reputation. The five black-robed cultivators couldn't even graze them.
"Hmph! Think you can kill Gu Feng? Show me what you've got!"
The two Sunset Glow Sect outer elders fought fiercely. Though outnumbered, their coordinated defense barely held against the five assassins.
Suddenly—
Elder Jiang, who'd vanished into the clouds moments earlier, reappeared with Gu Feng in tow, landing back at the starting point.
"Old Jiang! What's the meaning of this?!"
"Ambush ahead! Five Unwavering Sect elders!" Jiang urgently reported. Given the historic enmity between Unwavering and Sunset Glow, their perfectly timed arrival with matching numbers made Gu Feng's group instantly suspect collusion.
Silence.
"Did the Family Head mention Unwavering Sect assisting us?"
"Never. They must've struck a deal after we left."
The location was ideal for murder—remote mountain passes where bodies could vanish without a trace.
Then came the revelation:
"So it's Unwavering Sect's fellow daoists! This humble one is Qiu Shiwei of the Qiu Family. An honor!"
"Greetings, Brother Qiu. I am Mao Mingnan of Unwavering Sect."
10 vs. 3. Victory was assured. The Qiu cultivators shed all pretense, revealing their true faces.
Gu Feng's brow furrowed. Activating his Innate Lightning Tribulation could annihilate all ten enemies—but at the cost of vaporizing Elder Jiang and the others too.
A truly thorny predicament.
(End of the Chapter)
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