Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

But when all was said and done, the value of this item completely eclipsed the Celestial Vein Sect’s gift, even if it was a bit of a white elephant.

Song Xianming straightened his robes and bowed solemnly. "Many thanks for Golden Sun Master’s generous gift. The Song Clan will remember this for all time."

’This grand gift felt a bit disgusting, but could you really complain about the specifics when someone came to your door bearing presents?’

This was a grand gift, a generous gift, a momentous gift!

If they couldn’t use it, they would still owe the Golden Crow Sect a favor. If they could use it, the favor would be even greater.

"Our two families are one and the same. You are too kind, Fellow Daoist," Chen Tianyang said with a faint smile, taking his seat again.

The corner of Song Changsheng’s mouth twitched. Ling Province was nominally under the Golden Crow Sect’s protection, making the Sect the Song Clan’s nominal "Sect Leader." So, insisting they were one family wasn’t technically wrong.

It just felt as disgusting as swallowing a fly.

Shen Qingxiu rose with a gentle smile. "Such grand gestures from you two Fellow Daoists. Luoxia City has a meager foundation and can’t possibly compare. I can only offer a Great Demon’s Demon Pill and a piece of Yin Yang Profound Gold to express our humble sentiments."

The cultivators present had a muted reaction. After all, with such dazzling jewels presented beforehand, Luoxia City’s gift, though valuable, seemed rather ordinary in comparison.

But a look of delight appeared on Song Xianming’s face.

’In terms of value, it was indeed the lowest, but it was also the most practical.’

’What was the Song Clan lacking most right now?’

’A Golden Core opportunity?’

’Cultivation Techniques and Divine Techniques?’

’No, it was none of those. The Song Clan lacked overall strength. Among the various Purple Mansion Influences, the Song Clan was undoubtedly at the bottom.’

The Demon Pill could be refined into Foundation Establishment Pills, which could increase the number of Foundation Establishment Cultivators, allowing them to better control their home base of Ling Province.

The Yin Yang Profound Gold was a material for forging a Purple Mansion and was perfectly compatible with Song Changsheng’s Yin Yang Dao Foundation. As long as Song Changsheng’s comprehension of his realm was sufficient, he could attempt to break through to the Purple Mansion realm, saving him the time needed to gather the materials.

It was worth noting that Song Xianming had spent thirty years gathering materials for his first attempt at breaking through to the Purple Mansion realm, and another twenty for his second.

Materials of the Yin and Yang attribute were even rarer. With bad luck, one might not find a single piece even in a hundred years. Luoxia City’s gift was far more precious than the so-called Golden Core opportunity from the Golden Crow Sect.

"Many thanks for the Great City Lord’s generous gift. I hope you will convey my respects to the Master on my behalf," Song Xianming said, his smile incomparably sincere.

After the presentation of gifts came a series of ceremonies, including ancestor worship and a Dharma lecture. The entire Grand Ceremony did not conclude until evening. Some of the guests departed, while others stayed overnight on Vast Mist Peak.

After seeing off Yuann Tianshu, Jiang Shuming, and the others, Song Xianming sighed softly. "Sheng’Er, come with me to see those few."

Song Changsheng smiled faintly. "Haven’t we already made our choice? What are you worried about, Grandfather?"

"The worry comes precisely because we’ve already made the choice." Song Xianming shook his head, and with his hands clasped behind his back, he walked toward a brightly lit hall...

Inside the main hall, Shen Qingxiu, Chen Tianyang, and Li Siyuan were gathered together. All three held teacups in hand, and the atmosphere was somewhat delicate.

When Song Xianming and Song Changsheng entered, the three of them put down their teacups in unison and looked at the pair in perfect sync.

"We had many guests, my apologies for making you all wait, Fellow Daoists." Song Xianming swept away his worried expression, clasping his hands in greeting with a cheerful smile.

"Fellow Daoist Song, time is precious, so I’ll get straight to the point. In recent years, the Allied Army has been advancing through the Hundred Thousand Mountains like a hot knife through butter. The territory we now completely control is almost as large as Bian Province and Ling Province combined."

"However, we have some disagreements regarding the ownership and development of this region. We’d like to hear your thoughts," Chen Tianyang said, cutting straight to the chase.

Song Xianming took the main seat and, upon hearing this, smiled faintly. "My Song Clan has made no contribution to this war, so how could I presume to comment? It is best that you Masters decide for yourselves."

’No matter how he answered a question like this, he would offend someone. It was better not to speak if he could avoid it.’

Li Siyuan clearly had no intention of letting Song Xianming brush the matter aside. He smiled. "Isn’t it precisely because the Song Clan is not involved in the distribution of benefits that your opinion holds more reference value?"

Feigning contemplation, Song Xianming asked tentatively, "Why not distribute it according to each party’s Contribution Points?"

Hearing this, Shen Qingxiu smiled gently. "That is precisely our position, but it seems these two Fellow Daoists do not agree."

"Luoxia City wants to monopolize it all. How could we possibly agree to such a distribution method?" Chen Tianyang said in a low voice.

"Indeed. Fellow Daoist Shen, don’t you think you’re being a bit too greedy?"

Shen Qingxiu did not get angry. Unflustered, she said, "My Luoxia City has guarded the border for two thousand years. Do you all acknowledge our hard work and toil over these years?"

"Of course," Chen Tianyang and Li Siyuan said in unison.

’No one could deny Luoxia City’s accomplishments over the years. Even if the several Masters themselves were here, they’d have to pinch their noses and accept it.’

"During the last Beast Tide, my Luoxia City bravely made a sacrifice, willingly acting as the bait. Though our losses were heavy, our achievements were also plentiful. You two wouldn’t deny us this credit, would you?"

As soon as she said this, the faces of Chen Tianyang and his companion darkened. ’What do you mean, "bravely made a sacrifice, willingly acting as the bait"? You had no other choice, did you?’

But the reputations of the two sects and their five Masters were at stake, so they had no choice but to begrudgingly acknowledge Shen Qingxiu’s version of events. If they admitted that the two Major Sects had chosen to abandon Luoxia City as a pawn, the sects would likely lose the trust of their people.

Seeing them nod, the smile on Shen Qingxiu’s face grew even more captivating. She continued, "Then in the battle of the three kings, the intelligence was provided by our side. Doesn’t that count as the primary contribution?"

Chen Tianyang and Li Siyuan glanced at each other and nodded helplessly.

"Since our side has accumulated so much merit, why can’t this piece of land belong to us? You can have everything conquered after this. We absolutely won’t touch a single bit of it," Shen Qingxiu said leisurely, picking up her teacup.

Chen Tianyang was rendered speechless. Annoyed, he said, "Further talk is useless. Let’s do it according to the old rules: we’ll decide by a vote."

Hearing this, Song Xianming had a sudden realization.

Voting was a little-known rule in the Daqi Cultivation World, established long ago.

After all, one mountain cannot contain two tigers, and the two Major Sects often clashed over their interests.

But they couldn’t just fight it out every single time. A move by a Golden Core Sect would be a disaster for all of Daqi.

Thus, the major powers of the Daqi Cultivation World once sat down for a proper discussion and ultimately decided to resolve disputes through voting.

The vote was limited to Purple Mansion Influences and above within the Daqi Cultivation World. Each power that actually controlled a province held one vote, for a theoretical total of nineteen votes. The vote was cast for one of the Golden Core Sects.

Previously, Daqi only had two Golden Core Sects. Everyone split into two factions and pulled back and forth, gradually developing a tacit understanding.

But now, Luoxia City had emerged and quickly won over the Demon Suppression Hall and the Huansha Sect, forming a new faction.

In the last vote, the Golden Crow Sect and the Celestial Vein Sect each received five votes, while Luoxia City received four.

The outcome was clearly unfavorable for Luoxia City.

But right at that moment, Song Xianming broke through. The Song Clan that had once dominated Ling Province was back.

And just like that, an extra vote had appeared.

The Golden Crow Sect and the Celestial Vein Sect had the same number of votes. Whichever side the Song Clan supported would win.

If the Song Clan supported Luoxia City, all three parties would have a tied vote, and they would have to find another way to decide. Luoxia City could accept such an outcome, but the two Major Sects could not, as it introduced another variable.

And so, the Song Clan had suddenly become a hot commodity.

Under normal circumstances, how could the two Major Sects have possibly presented such generous gifts?

However, Chen Tianyang had his own little scheme and didn’t tell Song Xianming the current vote count.

Shen Qingxiu also wanted to see if the Song Clan was trustworthy, so she too chose to remain silent.

The final choice was now in Song Xianming’s hands.

Song Changsheng couldn’t help but look at Song Xianming. Although they had already discussed it, the final choice still depended on the old man.

He himself definitely favored Luoxia City, but there was some bad blood between his grandfather and Luoxia City, so he wasn’t sure how Song Xianming would ultimately choose.

He opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn’t say a word.

This choice concerned the future of the clan; he didn’t want to interfere with Song Xianming’s decision.

Chen Tianyang, on the other hand, seemed full of confidence. After all, the Golden Crow Sect was not only the strongest of the three Golden Core Influences, but it was also the Song Clan’s "Sect Leader." Furthermore, their gift this time was full of sincerity, outshining those from the Celestial Vein Sect and Luoxia City.

Although it seemed Song Changsheng had some unusual connection with Luoxia City, the enmity between Song Xianming and Luoxia City was also quite significant.

’In his opinion, as long as Song Xianming had his wits about him, he knew how to choose!’

...