Chương 139: The Tiger of Langya

Seven Days Later, Qingtai City All the Foundation Establishment forces that had participated in the Battle of Blood Lion Mountain gathered in the great hall. The atmosphere was suffocating. Fang Jisheng sat motionless at the head of the hall, his gaze sweeping over the Tier 2 cultivators from every major power. Their faces were pale, their spirits crushed, like men who had watched their own futures die before their eyes. Beside him stood Zhou Yuelong, the Zhou Family's other Tier 3 cultivator.

At the sixth level of Purple Mansion Realm, he had been stuck at this stage for five decades. The bottleneck to the late Purple Mansion realm had refused to budge, no matter how hard he pushed. In those fifty stagnant years, his younger cousin Zhou Yuezi had steadily caught up, cultivation by cultivation. Both of the Zhou Family's Tier 3 cultivators now stood at the same level (sixth level). And yet, even for a clan as ancient and powerful as theirs, raising a new Tier 3 cultivator was no simple matter.

But the spirit beast tide had claimed Fang Tianyu. He had broken through not long ago, a spark of hope for the Fang Family. In his final battle, he had taken two first level Tier 3 spirit beasts down with him. But in Fang Jisheng's eyes, those kills weren't worth a single strand of Fang Tianyu's hair. The Fang Family's ranks sat shrouded in gloom, their grief palpable.

"Everyone," Fang Jisheng said at last, his voice cutting through the heavy silence.

"This spirit beast tide is over. You've seen the cost with your own eyes. Blood Lion Mountain is lost. Our people of Qingtai Prefecture have suffered devastating losses." He paused, letting the weight of his words settle. Zhou Yuelong stepped in smoothly.

"We lost this battle, there's no hiding that. But our two families have not forgotten what each of you sacrificed. We are already calculating contribution merits. For every Tier 2 cultivator who fell, we will do everything in our power to issue Foundation Establishment Pills to your clans." A ripple of emotion passed through the hall. It didn't matter whether Zhou Yuelong's words were genuine or mere simple diplomacy, the gesture itself was enough to warm the cold dread in their hearts.

Fang Jisheng continued, "After this council ends, our two great houses and every Foundation Establishment clan with pill-refining capabilities will open their vaults. We will convert all reserve resources into Foundation Establishment Pills. Beyond what can be redeemed with merits, the rest will be sold at ten thousand spirit stones per pill. Those who have the stones, prepare them." The atmosphere in the hall shifted instantly. Eyes that had been dull with grief now gleamed with sharp, hungry light.

Huaijin observed quietly, nodding to himself. This spirit beast tide has truly wounded Qingtai Prefecture to the bone. The last tide had struck before the Foundation Establishment ranks had even fully recovered. Now, nearly twenty had fallen, most of them mid-stage or above. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Curiously, very few early-stage cultivators had died.

But the loss of so many seasoned warriors meant the next generation of Purple Mansion cultivators would be delayed. Fang Tianyu's death alone had been a blow the Fang Family would feel for decades. Qingtai Prefecture's overall strength had regressed by a generation, perhaps more. That threatened the interests of both Purple Mansion clans. They couldn't afford to stand idle. Now they would invest in the next generation. Not just the Tier 2 forces, but even the old Qi Refining clans felt a surge of hope.

Their moment had finally arrived. Zhou Yuelong's voice rang out again, stern and commanding.

"The next twenty years will be a time of endurance and humiliation for Qingtai Prefecture. I trust you all understand what that means. We must rebuild our strength. In twenty years, we will march on Blood Lion Mountain and take it back." Fang Jisheng gave a firm nod.

"Seize this chance. Blood Lion Mountain will be ours again." The hall erupted with renewed energy. Plans were whispered, alliances reconsidered, the fire of vengeance kindled in every heart. Over the following days, the surviving Tier 2 cultivators, guided by the two Tier 3 masters, held a grand trading session. Huaijin traded away his unused resources, converting them into ores and spiritual herbs. He walked away with a satisfying haul. Three days later, the merit lists were finalized.

Huaijin stood at the very top, undisputed champion among the Foundation Establishment ranks. Considering the tide had lasted less than seven days, and he had single-handedly slain over a dozen late stage Tier 2 spirit beasts, the numbers spoke for themselves. The other late stage cultivators had come back battered, broken, their kills pitifully few by comparison. For his merits, Huaijin claimed three Foundation Establishment Pills, and a generous stock of Tier 2 upper grade resources.

Word of his deeds spread like wildfire. His name echoed beyond Qingtai Prefecture's borders, whispered in awe by distant clans and sects. And because the Zhang Family was known for raising Purple Spirit Tigers, Huaijin earned his first alias (nickname): The Tiger of Langya. Even the two Purple Mansion clans treated him as an equal now.

They knew better than to look down on a man who, at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment Realm, had held his ground against three early stage Tier 3 spirit beasts, and walked away alive. Huaijin lingered in Qingtai City for several days, converting every last merit into resources he would need. He also took Liwei's merits and those of his other clansmen, trading them for cultivation supplies on their behalf. Fang Jisheng and Zhou Yuelong summoned him for a private audience, brief, but warm.

They spoke words of encouragement, of hope for the future. It was clear they saw him as a true Purple Mansion seed, a rising pillar Qingtai Prefecture desperately needed. After all, the threats were multiplying. Beyond the spirit beasts at Blood Lion Mountain, demonic cultivators prowled the shadows. The White Bone Demon Cave housed three Tier 3 demonic cultivators, one of them at the late stage. The Raging Blood Lion's chieftain had also broken through to the late stage.

The Fang and Zhou Families combined had only five Purple Mansion cultivators. Though all were at least mid stage, their clans were vast, they needed to guard their spirit mountains, their ancestral halls, their legacies. They could not commit all their strength to any single front. They needed him. They needed more like him. And Huaijin was no ordinary talent. When he had first broken through to Foundation Establishment, he had done so unaided, with no pills, no shortcuts.

His combat strength and physical body far surpassed ordinary cultivators of the same rank. Fang Jisheng had even sensed that Huaijin's physical body had already reached the Purple Mansion level. Such a man was worth cultivating, worth befriending. As for the old grudges, those had never been Fang Jisheng's doing. Fang Tianyu's scheme had been a moment of reckless impulse. The Jin Family had been the blade; Fang Tianyu, the hand that wielded it. And Fang Tianyu was dead, devoured by the Blood Jade Spider.

Fang Tao's faction, at least, had always treated Huaijin fairly. And now, with Qingtai Prefecture bleeding from a thousand wounds, the Fang and Zhou Families had no reason to antagonize him. On the contrary, they wanted him to grow, to ascend, to stand beside them and share the crushing weight of defending their homeland.

'Perhaps,' Huaijin mused, 'this catastrophic defeat was not entirely without mercy.' If Qingtai Prefecture had not been bought so low, the two Tier 3 clans would never have looked upon him with such open favor.