The System Arrives: Leading My Clan to Become the Strongest

3: The other families mocked Zhang, while the Sun family went to the city lord’s mansion.”This...”

Seeing the Clan Leader’s furious expression and glancing at Su Ningshuang nearby, the man was instantly struck with fear.

”Whatever it is, speak.”

Looking at the stuttering clan member, Zhongli Muyang shouted in a low, helpless voice.

”Yes, it’s the City Lord’s Manor. News just arrived that Jiang Chen, the Clan Leader of the Jiang Family, has claimed a land reclamation token. The Yuan Kingdom will protect the Jiang Family for three years.”

Hearing the Clan Leader’s reprimand, the clan member blurted out everything in one breath.

He had originally been sent to monitor the Jiang Family, but he never expected to hear such news and immediately returned to the Family to report.

”You may leave.”

Upon hearing the news, Zhongli Muyang signaled for the man to depart.

Once the man had left, Zhongli Muyang looked toward Su Ningshuang.

”Immortal Master, this?”

”It is nothing. The Jiang Family is a mere trifle; they cannot cause any significant ripples. Just deal with those other families. For a mere Qi Refining Family to take a land reclamation token—there is no need even to strike; they are already destined for destruction.”

Su Ningshuang waved her hand dismissively. The main issue was that the Jiang Family was now protected by the Yuan Kingdom. Although the Yuan Kingdom was guarded by three Nascent Soul Ancestors, her Tianxuan Sect did not necessarily fear them.

The key was the land reclamation token. This token was not unique to the Yuan Kingdom but belonged to the entire Human Race; all who claimed a land reclamation token were considered to be expanding the territory for humanity.

”Understood.”

”Very well. Feiyan will return to the Sect with me tomorrow. As for those minor families, I will deal with them casually before I leave, so that Feiyan can Cultivate in peace.”

Su Ningshuang spoke nonchalantly, as if wiping out a few low-tier families was a perfectly normal occurrence.

”My deepest thanks, Immortal Master.”

Hearing this, Zhongli Muyang bowed deeply. He knew that she was only doing this for the sake of his daughter.

While leaving those families alone wouldn’t have mattered much to the Zhongli Family, it was better to have them dealt with, as he could then conveniently take over the resources they left behind.

Another benefit was that by accepting these resources, the other two Foundation Establishment families and the City Lord’s Manor wouldn’t say much; even if they had grievances, they would have to endure them.

If the Zhongli Family had dealt with them personally, they would have faced resistance, which would be detrimental to the Family’s development.

————

The news of the Jiang Family claiming a land reclamation token soon reached the other families.

The two Foundation Establishment families smiled with disdain; for a mere Qi Refining Family to take a land reclamation token was no different from seeking death, so they ignored it.

However, this news was shocking to the other Qi Refining families in Tianlin City. Although the Jiang Family was a Qi Refining Family like them, the Jiang Family’s Old Ancestor, Jiang Suhai, was at the Ninth Level of Qi Refining. This placed their strength second only to the four Foundation Establishment families—no, it was now second only to the three Foundation Establishment families.

Therefore, they paid exceptionally close attention to news regarding the Jiang Family.

The Zhao Family, Main Hall.

”Given what the Jiang Family has done, do you think we should prepare a response?”

At the head of the hall, Zhao Wuji, the head of the Zhao Family, looked at the gathered Elders and asked.

”Hahaha! Don’t you think this Jiang Family is insane? To actually go and claim a land reclamation token... it seems they’ve practiced Qi until their brains turned to mush. They probably think they can stand on equal footing with a Golden Core Family now.”

”If you ask me, they’re just afraid of death. Zhongli Feiyan’s Revered Master only destroyed the Lin Family; people like us aren’t even in her eyes. The Jiang Family is just worrying over nothing.”

”Exactly. We’ll just quietly wait for them to leave, and then we can take over their resources. It’s truly killing two birds with one stone.”

For a moment, the Elders of the Zhao Family shared their views one after another, acting as if they had seen through everything and that the matter was already settled, merely waiting for the time to come.

”Is this really wise? They did claim a land reclamation token, after all. The Jiang Family is now under the protection of the Yuan Kingdom. If we seize their things like this, will it provoke the City Lord’s Manor?”

Someone raised a doubt.

”You’re overthinking it. They only protect the people of the Jiang Family. As for the Jiang Family’s property, who can they blame if they can’t hold onto it? The City Lord’s Manor can’t be too overbearing.”

...On the other side, the Sun Family.

In a quiet courtyard with red flowers, green grass, and a babbling brook, a middle-aged man and a young man sat facing each other.

”Chen’er, the Jiang Family has already claimed a land reclamation token. What do you think we should do?”

The middle-aged man spoke slowly, breaking the silence of the courtyard.

These two were none other than Sun Chongan, the head of the Sun Family, and his son, Sun Yanchen.

”Father, we must go as well, and as soon as possible.”

Sun Yanchen looked at the flowing water and spoke with startling conviction.

”You think that Golden Core Immortal Master will strike against us?”

Sun Chongan asked in surprise!

In truth, his own thought was that for a Golden Core Immortal Master to act against the Lin Family was already a display of bullying power.

A tiny Qi Refining Family like theirs was like an ant in her eyes; there was simply no need for such measures.

”We must prepare for the worst, even if the odds are slim; we cannot afford to gamble. Although claiming a land reclamation token will lead to the Sun Family’s decline, if we succeed, we can gain far more than we have now. More importantly, as long as we survive this period and wait for her to leave, we only need to hold out in the Great Wilderness for three years before we can return.”

Sun Yanchen said firmly. Primarily, he felt a trace of unease—a feeling that had helped him escape many dangers since childhood, and he felt the same way now.

After considering for a long time, he felt that the Sun Family should follow the Jiang Family’s lead and claim a land reclamation token. Once this thought surfaced, he felt his unease slightly diminish.

Sun Chongan stared into Sun Yanchen’s eyes, as if trying to read something from them, but for a long time, he only saw eyes as deep as an abyss.

”Very well, I believe you. I will go and make the arrangements now.”

After a long silence, Sun Chongan spoke, then turned and left toward the City Lord’s Manor. As for the Elders, there was no need to notify them; the Sun Family was essentially under his absolute rule now.

Regarding his son, Sun Chongan knew that the boy always thought twice before acting. Furthermore, his Aptitude was excellent; otherwise, he wouldn’t have reached the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining at less than twenty years old, only one step behind himself.

The City Lord’s Manor.

Xiahou De hadn’t expected that right after the Jiang Family left, the Sun Family would follow.

However, after Jiang Chen’s departure, he had sent people to gather information and had learned of some circumstances.

Regarding a Golden Core Immortal Master destroying the Lin Family, even as the City Lord, he could say nothing. If she casually dealt with a few more Qi Refining families, he could only pretend not to see.

Because the Tianxuan Sect had a Nascent Soul Ancestor, the Yuan Kingdom would not offend a power with a Nascent Soul Ancestor for the sake of a mere Foundation Establishment Family, let alone a Qi Refining Family.

The world was like this: the strong were respected. If you were destroyed because your strength was insufficient, it was considered only natural.

Before long, Sun Chongan left with a land reclamation token.

The Jiang Family.

Jiang Chen returned to the main hall, where several Elders had also returned.

”Grand Elder, how did it go?”

Jiang Chen looked at Jiang Xuanting and asked.

”Everything has been handled. All shops were sold off at low prices, yielding a total of 80,000 Low-Grade Spirit Stones. Out of that, I bought 3,000 bottles of Inedia Pills for 3,000 Spirit Stones, which is enough for us to use for three years. The rest is all in here.”

After Jiang Xuanting finished speaking, he handed Jiang Chen a Storage Pouch, which Jiang Chen took.

Inedia Pills cost one Low-Grade Spirit Stone per bottle, with ten pills per bottle. One pill could keep a person from eating or drinking for three consecutive days; they were an indispensable Medicinal Pill for cultivators like them.