Clan Cultivation: Starting from Beast Taming

Chapter 65: Chapter 65: Shop Crisis, Opening of the Qinglian Sect

Zhou Daoyi had erased the Spirit Sense Imprints of the previous owners from the two Magic Artifacts rewarded to Zhou Chun, so after Zhou Chun returned to Baozhi Peak, he quickly refined both artifacts for his own use.

Now he had four first-grade superior Magic Artifacts at his disposal.

Frankly, with his current level of Mana Cultivation, it was almost impossible for him to wield four first-grade superior Magic Artifacts at the same time.

Especially the “Mini Thousand Hills Seal,” which consumed too much Mana.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, his go-to Magic Artifacts would likely be the “Moon Blade Meteor Wheel” and “Bright Dawn Pendant,” reserving the special-purpose “Mini Thousand Hills Seal” and “Locking Gold Ring” for certain situations.

Of course, having benefitted greatly himself, Zhou Chun did not forget Liu Shiyun’s contribution.

After all, it was she who had discovered the valley of medicinal herbs and rightfully deserved a share of the credit.

Conveniently, he also needed to deal with a few Magic Artifacts that he had phased out. Thus, he handed over the Silver Short Sword and Copper Gourd he formerly used to Liu Shiyun, and additionally waived the one hundred and some Spirit Coins he had advanced to redeem her freedom.

Both of these first-grade, mid-quality Magic Artifacts were of decent quality, and if handled properly, could also yield her over a hundred Spirit Coins, so he considered this fair treatment for her.

For Liu Shiyun, this whole event amounted to little more than leading Zhou Chun and helping collect herbs later on, as she scarcely exerted any effort during the entire process.

Zhou Chun’s willingness to share one-fifth of the herbal valley’s yield with her was a pleasant surprise and left her quite satisfied.

She only felt grateful and appreciative, with not the slightest dissatisfaction.

Having spent a little over a day in the Zhou family’s residence at Jiufeng Ridge, the two then set off for Hongya Marketplace together.

This time, due to Liu Shiyun’s presence, Zhou Chun truly traveled the proper way for over a day before they both returned to the Marketplace.

Back at the Spirit Beast Restaurant, Zhou Chun began to lay low and cultivate quietly, following Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi’s instructions.

With Liu Shiyun helping to watch the shop, Zhou Jiasheng didn’t interfere much with him, only asking him to take over when he was not there himself.

Zhou Chun also utilized his connection with Liu Qingshan to find several Loose Cultivators who frequented the Marketplace, placing long-term orders with them to supply him with fresh Demon Beast meat once or twice a month.

Of course, he didn’t forget to visit the stall market every day to see if he could acquire some valuable Spiritual Medicines.

Zhou Chun still had quite a number of Spiritual Medicines in hand that he hadn’t had the opportunity to sell. If sold all at once, they would bring him a handsome profit.

Time slowly passed, and before long, half a year had gone by.

In this half-year, Zhou Chun had hardly left the Marketplace, and his Cultivation Level had steadily improved with the help of Elixirs.

Meanwhile, the Qiyun Alliance, which had caused such a stir in Lanzhou, had suddenly disbanded.

Its elite members, led by the three alliance leaders, went to Lingzhou to join Tianjing Villa, while the remaining Loose Cultivators became rootless and dare not even mention their previous affiliation with the Qiyun Alliance.

At the same time, the Red Shine Iron Ore mines exploited by the five great Cultivation families had begun supplying various buyers, steadily making a large sum of Spirit Coins for the families.

For the Zhou family, this vein of Red Shine Iron was not only the most lucrative source of income but also the foundation of their alliance with the other four great Cultivation families.

After the battle with the Qiyun Alliance, the Zhou family from Jiufeng Ridge had made a name for themselves and secured more recognition and support from local powers in Lanzhou, solidifying their foundation.

Going forward, as long as they continued to strengthen their relationship with the other four Cultivation families and establish more connections with local powers, in twenty to thirty years, no one would care where the Zhou family originated from anymore.

However, one matter greatly annoyed Zhou Chun and Zhou Jiasheng from the Hongya Marketplace branch of the Zhou family’s Cultivators.

A little over a month ago, Spirit Beast Manor, which had also split off from Sanjue Sect, finally opened a shop in Hongya Marketplace, using a name similar to Spirit Beast Restaurant: “Spirit Beast Pavilion.”

Due to the emergence of the “Spirit Beast Pavilion,” the business at Spirit Beast Restaurant was somewhat affected, with its revenue noticeably decreasing.

That’s because the “Spirit Beast Pavilion” not only sold all sorts of secret medicines available at Spirit Beast Restaurant, but also offered many special products that the Zhou family from Jiufeng Ridge currently did not have.

For instance, the Spirit Honey produced by Jade Spirit Bees, the sheep’s milk from White Jade Milk Sheep, the deer antler from Blood Sun Deer…

These items were originally high-quality Spiritual Objects cultivated and found by the ancestors of the Zhou Family and the previous generations of the Sanjue Sect. They used to be one of the flagship products for the sect’s external trade.

But with the Sanjue Sect divided, these Spirit Bees and Spirit Beasts, once tamed by the Zhou Family Cultivators, were all forcibly taken away by Yu Jinghua, that unworthy son, to the Spirit Beast Manor.

Now, they have become the signature products of their Spirit Beast Manor, used to suppress and rob the Zhou Family of their market share.

This behavior, how could Zhou Chun and Zhou Jiasheng not be filled with anger and frustration? They must have cursed the entire Yu family countless times in secret.

“One-third, compared to before the Spirit Beast Pavilion opened, our shop’s income has decreased by a full third this month!”

Inside the Spirit Beast Restaurant, Zhou Jiasheng, having tallied the new month’s revenue, had trembling hands as he clutched the ledger, his face ashen.

Zhou Chun, listening to him, also wore a worried expression, falling into silence.

For this issue, Zhou Chun really didn’t have any good solutions either.

After all, in the Cultivation World, a product is the foundation of a shop.

Now that the Spirit Beast Restaurant’s products were available at the Spirit Beast Pavilion, and they even occasionally released some rare items to retain popularity, items that they didn’t possess, what could they use to compete?

In the end, they could only sigh, “This is not our fault. Once the Clan Leader and the clan learn the details, they will surely understand us and not blame anyone!”

“I’m not afraid of the Clan Leader blaming us, I just can’t reconcile with this situation!”

“These items were originally ours, and now they’re used to undermine our Zhou Family’s foundations, to cut off our roots!”

“It’s simply, simply infuriating!”

Zhou Jiasheng, upon saying this, forcefully slammed the ledger onto the table with a “smack”, visibly seething with anger.

Zhou Chun deeply empathized with his words, feeling the anger in his own heart.

After all, Zhou Chun now truly saw himself as a member of the Zhou Family and sincerely wanted the best for the clan.

However, he wasn’t as hot-headed as Zhou Jiasheng, at least he could still control his emotions and not lose his composure.

After a short contemplation, he then spoke, “The only strategy right now is to come up with our unique products to attract customers, and it has to be something they cannot easily replicate!”

“Do you have any ideas, Nephew Zhengchun?”

Zhou Jiasheng immediately looked at him, his eyes filled with anticipation as he asked.

“Not at the moment.”

Zhou Chun shook his head, giving an answer that left him quite disappointed.

Seeing this, Zhou Jiasheng couldn’t help but let out a long sigh, “Alas, we must think of something. I will also report this matter to the Clan Leader and have him mobilize the clan cultivators to contemplate solutions!”

However, before the Zhou Family could come up with any good method to recover their lost market share, a major event occurred in Lanzhou, or rather, in several states in the south of Jingguo Country.

It turned out that the Green Lotus Temple, which effectively ruled over several states in the south of Jingguo Country, was preparing to open its doors widely to recruit disciples again, and this time they were accepting even half more disciples than in the past.

Big sects like the Green Lotus Temple typically only recruit a large number of disciples every twenty to thirty years. And each of these mass recruitment events is a significant occurrence in the Cultivation World.

For instance, this time, it was said the number of disciples to be recruited could reach as many as seven hundred plus.

According to past instances, the actual number of cultivators who could enter Green Lotus Temple was almost one-tenth of the qualified candidates.

One out of ten, that’s the value of being a disciple from a major sect!

Zhou Chun had also received a Flying Eagle message from the Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi, inquiring if he was interested in participating in this grand event.