Chapter 23: Better and Better

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The five years Lu Qing spent in closed-door training passed in a flash. 1

He was a cultivator who had once reached the Golden Core Stage. He was naturally familiar with the feeling of long-term closed-door training.

However, it was different this time.

When he closed himself in for long periods in the past, it was for training. He had something to do. However, this time, he had absolutely nothing to do for his closed-door training.

His spirit form could not leave the chamber and could only stay within the enclosed space. He could not open the system and could not pass the time by looking at the boring statistics.

He just sat there for five years. His perception of the flow of time also seemed to become hazy.

However, the system was keeping records for him.

When the five-year time frame was up, a long series of system notifications immediately sprang up.

[Control over Pingyao County increased to 35%]

…

[Achievement: Qi Refining cultivator, Level One achieved] x3

[The clan has gained a Qi Refining cultivator. Reward: 5 Karma]

…

[Achievement: Setting up a merchant team, Level One achieved]

[A merchant team that is controlled by the clan has been set up. Reward: 10 Karma]

…

[Group of Water-Spirit Horses have been tamed. Annual income of 248 Spirit Stones]

…

[Achievement: New resources, Level Two achieved]

[The clan has gained a Level Two resource. Reward: 50 Karma]

…

[Conquest Matters. Please tap here for more details.]

******

After he finished reading the series of system notifications, Lu Qing realized that the Karma he had now… There were quite a lot of them.

He had gained 50 Karma for his five years of closed-door training. The clan also seemed to have gained three new Qi Refining cultivators in these five years. Each one of them gave him 5 Karma. The merchant team and the successful taming of the Water-Spirit Horses should count as capital resources and financial sources. Those also gave him Karma…

In total, he now had 126 Karma.

He tapped on the “Conquest” tab and took a look at the details.

[Wandering demonic creatures. Conquest Level: Level Two]

[Enemy Type: Undead-type, Devil]

[Quantity: 1]

[Average Power Level: Level Two mid-grade]

[Leader Power Level: Level Two mid-grade]

[Conquest Reward: 133 Karma, Level Two low-grade magic equipment: Binding Yin Water Rope]

[Conquest complete. One person sacrificed: Lu Tingzhi] 2

******

Lu Qing’s Karma increased again after he tapped and opened the details of the “Conquest” tab. He now had 259 Karma. However, Lu Tingzhi had died for that to happen.

Lu Qing had an impression of him. When Lu Qing had nothing to do in the past, he had taken a look at the records of all of the clan’s members.

Lu Tingzhi was from the “Ting” generation, which made him Lu Qing’s grandson. He was Lu Chaohe’s second child and was a sixth-tier Qi Refining cultivator. He was very young, just 37 years old. 1

Another member of the clan had died.

If he analyzed the situation coldly, the life of a sixth-tier Qi Refining cultivator in exchange for a Level Two low-grade magic equipment… That was worth it in the world of cultivation even if the sixth-tier Qi Refining cultivator was still young and had a future.

However, emotionally speaking, that person was his grandson. Lu Qing still felt a little sad.

More and more such incidents would happen in the future. It was unavoidable. He had to learn to adapt to it.

As for what had gone on with the “wandering demonic creatures,” he had to ask someone to explain it to him later.

He then tapped and opened the clan’s income tab and examined it closely.

[Total Annual Income: 1,245 Spirit Stones (Year). Elixir Room: 115. Forging Room: 122. Medicine Garden: 99. Energy Stone Mine: 210. Income from Pingyao County: 383. Group of Water-Spirit Horses: 298. Pingyao Merchant Team: 18]

[Total Annual Expenditure: 1,124 Spirit Stones (Year). Food and Clothes for Clan Members: 820. Resource Defense: 195. Territorial Defense: 109]

[Gross Income: 121]

[Savings: 447]

There was obvious growth in the clan’s income. It had increased from 750 to 1,245 Spirit Stones annually. That was roughly a 60% increase. Also, there was a small increase in the clan’s expenditure, though not that much. That expenditure was mainly for territorial defense. 1

Overall, it looked like he had managed to reverse the situation and turn a profit…

If the clan maintained this course in the future, they would obtain savings of 121 Spirit Stones every year.

When Lu Qing woke up for the first time five years ago, he had spent a great deal of Karma and changed many things. Those changes finally brought about some rewards and slightly reversed the situation faced by the clan.

Also, the population of the clan had increased from 106 to 112. 1

This population accounted for every member of the clan. If he only looked at the number of cultivators, he had gained three cultivators while one had died. That meant that there were now two more cultivators in the clan.

Now that he had over 200 Karma, Lu Qing could engage in another series of major operations. Even though he no longer had any options to choose from, it was not much of an obstacle given how much Karma he had. If he had to, he could spend 10 Karma to refresh the tab.

He did not rush to do many things, nor was he anxious to get his children over. Instead, he floated directly out of the chamber and arrived at the outside world.

Lu Qing made his way around Yuyan Mountain. He was satisfied to see that the mental state of the clan’s cultivators had dramatically transformed compared to what he saw during the first time he woke up. They were no longer filled with depressive energy. Even though the cultivators were not living happily or feeling bliss, they at least looked motivated enough to fight for improvement.

Lu Qing did not know if it was because of the Family Culture-type option Morale Boost or because the situation of the clan had improved considerably over the past five years. 1

Lu Qing assumed that it was a little of both. Furthermore, what was more important was the latter.

The cultivators of the clan would no longer have their benefits held back. They would even be able to obtain extra rewards if they accomplished missions for the family. It was no longer like the past, wherein they had to do things for the clan out of love. Of course, the members of the clan did love the clan; however, each of them had their own lives to live.

People could do things out of love and sacrifice themselves for the clan. However, these kinds of sacrifices had to have value. He could not expect the members of the clan to be willing to fight for the clan because of their blood relationship, even if the clan did not treat them well.

At the start, everyone in the clan was related by blood and had a close relationship with one another. Currently, there were already four generations between the “Chao” generation and the youngest “Wen” generation. There were over a hundred people in the clan. The “Wen” generation had “Lu” as their surname and were members of the Lu Clan. However, if they looked up their lineage, two people from the “Wen” generation might only have Lu Qing, a person five generations ahead of them, as their common ancestor.

Two people from the “Wen” generation might have a decent relationship with one another. However, they were quite far apart in terms of familial ties.

In the future, as the population of the clan increased and more and more generations appeared, the binding force brought about purely out of blood relations would become weaker and weaker. In the future, the most important factor that ensured the continued existence of the clan and the cohesion of its members was interests. 3

“Interests” was not a term with a negative connotation. The purpose of a clan was to ensure the interests of every single member. It was to allow people who did not have great talent and people who were unwilling to work hard to have a basic guarantee. At the same time, the clan should ensure people with talent and ambition to achieve an even greater future with the support of the clan.

If they could not do that, then the cohesion of the members within the clan would definitely decline.

The Lu Clan had treaded in that direction in the past, but the situation had been reversed slightly.

Lu Qing hoped that it would get even better in the future.

2 s

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