Chương 160: A Rising Tide

Following Huaijin's command, the Zhang family mobilized immediately, redirecting resources toward Qingtai City to secure commercial storefronts. They had been poised for this moment, every preparation made well in advance. Zhang Lixian personally led the expedition to the city to finalize the leases. Over the preceding two years, Huaijin's reputation had thundered across the entire Bing Province.

From a late-stage Tier 2 cultivator, he had risen to slay a Purple Mansion demonic cultivator in direct combat, a feat that left the cultivation world stunned. In the eyes of his peers, he was already the equal of any true Tier 3 master. During this time, emissaries from the Zhou and Fang families frequently appeared at the Zhang family's gates, seeking an audience with Huaijin. But he had retreated into secluded cultivation, and neither family dared to press the matter. Times had changed.

Once, Huaijin's greatest claim to fame had been surviving a prolonged siege by a Tier 3 spirit beast until reinforcements finally arrived. Now, he had openly killed a Tier 3 demonic cultivator in a fair fight, an achievement on an entirely different scale. When Weng Zho from the Heavenly Crane Sect, received the news, he fell into a long silence.

'Barely a few decades has passed,' he reflected, 'and he's already grown to this level. The Earth Fiend Spirit Body is truly a gift beyond measure.' He felt a deepening gratitude for that small kindness he had shown years ago, casually gifting a cultivation manual to the young Huaijin. That slender thread of connection had become a karmic bond worth preserving. Meanwhile, Zhang Renan threw himself into cultivation with renewed ferocity, breaking through to the mid stage Tier 2.

He was now a celebrated rising star within the Heavenly Crane Sect. Over the decades, the Zhang family had cared for Renan's parents with unwavering devotion. They never reached out to him seeking favors, they lacked the standing to do so. The only thing they could offer was to ensure his family wanted for nothing. Now, the Zhang family's star was ascendant. Among powers at the Foundation Establishment level, they ranked among the most formidable.

Given Huaijin's meteoric advancement, it would not be long before the Zhang family ascended to Tier 3 status. When that day dawned, their influence would expand beyond measure. With their current standing, leasing a few storefronts in Qingtai City was a trivial matter. They opened shops for spirit artifacts, pills, talismans, and spirit wine. They also launched a restaurant.

Beyond their two signature spirit dishes, the Blazing Sun Chicken and Pine Fish, the Zhang family had developed several innovative culinary creations. Qingtai city's permanent population exceeded a hundred thousand cultivators, and with visitors streaming in from the nine surrounding counties, the floating population swelled to nearly three hundred thousand. Though the vast majority were merely Tier 1 cultivators, this represented an enormous and profitable market.

The Zhang family had now established themselves as the preeminent clan in Qingtai Prefecture, subordinate only to the two established Tier 3 families. Their shops were wildly successful from the very first day. The Zhang's restaurant, in particular, with its signature Pine Fish and Blazing Sun Chicken dishes, caused a sensation, conquering the palates of countless cultivators. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Demand consistently outstripped supply.

Zhang Lixian and Zhang Liwei took charge of the new operations. One was at the mid stage, the other at the early stage. No one dared to look down on them, for behind the Zhang family stood Huaijin himself. Even the most storied Tier 2 families with late-stage ancestors did not dare impede their expansion. The Jin family, however, found themselves in a desperate predicament. Jin Chenpeng had already selected a contingent of the clan's younger members.

Escorted by two Tier 2 cultivators, they had quietly slipped away from Qingtai City, scattering to distant prefectures or fleeing the Tang Kingdom entirely. The Jins had attempted to offer their apologies, but the Zhangs had refused to even hear them out, slamming the door in their faces. They had only few options left, yet they could not simply abandon their ancestral home.

They had fought and bled for generations to reach their current position; they could not uproot the entire clan and flee Qingtai Prefecture over this single grudge. But against a force as fearsome as Zhang Huaijin, they were helpless. Fang Tianyu had fallen, and Fang Tao's faction was once again on the rise. Rumors swirled that the Fang family had produced yet another Tier 3 cultivator. They were now actively courting Huaijin's favor.

The situation in Qingtai Prefecture remained volatile, infested with demonic cultivators. In roughly a decade, to reclaim Blood Lion Mountain, the prefecture's two major powers would almost certainly be compelled to strike against the White Bone Demon Cave. Even if they could not destroy it entirely, they would need to purge the majority of the demonic forces within. Huaijin, a man who had already slain a Tier 3 demonic cultivator, was a natural ally for both sides to pursue.

The Jin family's current misery was entirely self-inflicted. Jin Guang had been stripped of his position as clan patriarch, devoting his days now to frantic cultivation, desperate to advance. After all, the family's ruin could be traced directly to his selfish decisions. But it was far too late for regrets. Jin Chenpeng could hardly execute Jin Guang and present his head to Huaijin as an offering. The grievances between the two families had festered far beyond the scope of any simple recompense.

In Langna County Town, the Zhang family was now the undisputed sovereign. The Yang family, thanks to a single Foundation Establishment Pill, now boasted two Tier 2 cultivators. After nearly two centuries of suppression, they were finally experiencing their long-awaited resurgence. Following the dying wish of their patriarch, Yang Jing, they had pledged themselves as a subordinate family to the Zhangs. The Miao family followed suit, latching firmly onto the Zhangs' coattails.

Everyone recognized this as the opportunity of a lifetime. The Tian family's position was one of bitter humiliation. Though they had recently promoted a new Tier 2 cultivator, giving them two in total alongside Tian Jianmo, they didn't even require pressure from the Zhangs directly. The combined opposition from the Miao and Yang families was more than enough to keep them cowed. With no other recourse, the Tian family also began making preparations to relocate elsewhere.

Of all the Tians, the only one who had held a personal grudge against Huaijin was Tian Jianwei, and he had perished decades ago. Huaijin himself barely spared them a thought. The cultivation world of the Eastern Great Wilderness did not permit clans to assault one another without just cause. But in a case as blatant as the Jin family's ambush against Huaijin, especially since he had escaped and turned the tables on them, even the Purple Mansion families had no face to mediate.

The Jin family had long since squandered their best opportunity to deal with the Zhangs. Whatever they might say now was meaningless... A final reckoning between the two families was inevitable. The only question was whether the Jins still possessed any hidden trump cards. Huaijin, however, was in no hurry. As his own cultivation continued to climb, the Jin family's threat would dwindle to insignificance. Besides, his own clansmen needed a worthy adversary to hone their skills.

In Qingtai City, the other families dared not provoke the Zhangs, but the Jin family had no such choice. The two clans were locked in a bitter, shadowy struggle, a dance of espionage, provocation, and covert skirmishes. Huaijin was content to let it play out, so long as no Tier 2 cultivators on his side fell. Everything else was manageable. —— That year, Huaijin turned fifty-nine. His body and soul cultivation had both reached the fourth level of the Purple Mansion realm.

His Qi cultivation stood at the eighth level of Foundation Establishment. Thanks to the Primordial Tai Chi Visualization Diagram, his spiritual sense grew purer and more formidable with each step forward in cultivation. His body was being relentlessly tempered by the spirit beast blood drawn from the Realm-Breaking Pearl and the lightning energy from his two acquired lightning seeds. Supplemented by occasional spirit medicines to restore his vitality, his foundation was solidifying with steadiness.

Huaijin's power was deepening by the day, his foundation growing ever more deep, and he was far from finished.