Li Yuanping returned to the town, his heart still aching with anger and sorrow. His eyes were bloodshot as he entered the main hall which was dimly lit, with two small flickering lamps barely illuminating the space.
Dragging his exhausted body along, he sat on the highest seat and picked up a document, only to find himself unable to focus. Frustrated, he coughed twice, swallowing the blood that rose in his throat.
Dou Yi hurried in, climbing the steps quickly. Li Yuanping spoke in a low voice, "Prepare the ink."
Dou Yi obediently ground the ink, and after finishing, Li Yuanping waved him away. Taking up the brush, Li Yuanping gradually calmed down, taking some time to think through his thoughts carefully.
The position of family head required balancing the external branches of the clan, managing the spirit fields, and distributing the clan's stipends. It involved managing the benefits of nearly the entire clan, from those in the Embryonic Breathing Realm to those in the Qi Cultivation Realm. Ever since Li Xuanxuan became the family head and established the four lineages, the rule of single succession had been set.
Now, with the Li Family firmly under the control of the main family endowed with the talisman seed, the family head could be appointed arbitrarily, with the wise ruling and the foolish obeying.
But once this precedent was set, future descendants of the main family, whose bloodlines would become more distant and whose backgrounds would differ, might begin to support different lineages, leading to internal strife.
"If it comes to that, the position of family head will become a tool for power struggles among the talisman seed-bearing cultivators, used to exploit the family... Moreover..."
As Li Yuanping's emotions settled, his thoughts became sharper, and he mused, "Seeing how things are with Ming'er, he is ultimately not fit for great responsibility. If the Li Family were handed over to him, how could he suppress the external branches? How could he control someone like Li Jiman?"
The hall was silent, with only Li Yuanping sitting high above in the dim light, his gaze fixed on the flickering lamps. His voice was low as he continued solemnly, "In the end, the family lacks a figure of great power to maintain order. Foundation Establishment Realm may be achievable, but the Purple Mansion Realm is far beyond reach. Without significant fortune, the family is destined for decline or division..."
He stared blankly ahead of him as the first light of dawn slowly crept into the hall. His elder brother, Li Yuanjiao, stood quietly at the entrance, unnoticed by Li Yuanping, who was deep in thought.
As the morning light climbed the steps of the main hall, Li Yuanping spoke in a muffled voice, "The current clan law was established by our great-grandfather. In those days, the family had only a few in the Embryonic Breathing Realm... how could he have foreseen today's situation? Simply following the old laws may not be the best approach..."
Only then did Li Yuanping notice Li Yuanjiao standing before him. His gaze was sharp as he spoke softly, "Brother, if I were to die, who in the family should take the lead, suppress the external branches, command Mount Yue, and manage the clan while nurturing the younger generation?"
Li Yuanjiao hesitated before answering slowly, "At present, only Xijun is capable of such a task. Aside from him, Xicheng is too kind, and Ximing is..."
"It is indeed difficult to pick among those in the generation of Xi and Yue! They are all highly talented. By right, none should be singled out to lead. But if their generation passes without a strong leader, and the next generation lacks a dominant figure, what then?" Li Yuanping asked.
Li Yuanjiao vaguely understood the meaning behind his words and replied, "If that happens, it cannot be helped."
"Brother, I intend to reform the clan system."
He suddenly stood up and declared, "The authority of the family head is far too great, a system established during the time of Lord Xiangping... But how many in the clan can match him? This method centralizes power and benefits, but it is truly too difficult to manage. Our descendants cannot always produce individuals with exceptional cunningness but moderate talent. What happened with Ximing may seem coincidental, but in truth, it reveals that our family can no longer sustain such a system of governance. Sooner or later, something will go wrong."
Li Yuanjiao looked at him intently, saying nothing for a long time. Finally, he replied gently, "Do what you must. I will support you."
Li Yuanping seemed to have fully recovered from his disappointment in his eldest son, but there was a lingering sense of melancholy as he said in a deep voice, "First, we'll measure the spirit fields, record everything... and begin to decentralize power!"
————
For prestigious clans, it was nearly impossible to fully account for privately held spirit fields. Even the Azure Pond Sect couldn't accurately assess the spirit fields of the clans under its jurisdiction, having to rely on a rough estimate based on the number of Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators when collecting tribute.
The reason was simple: as long as an illusionary formation was in place, a small piece of land could easily blend into the vast mountains and seas, making it virtually impossible to detect unless by sheer chance or a sweep of one's spiritual sense.
Although the Azure Pond Sect had specialized techniques for breaking formations, it was unrealistic to inspect every cun of land thoroughly, so they had to rely on estimations based on earth veins and spirit veins.
This same reason explained why so many remnants of the Immortal-Devil War still existed within the sea, with their protective formations so advanced that even if one were to bash their head against them, they still would not be able to find the entrance.
However, when Li Yuanjiao summoned the mirror, he was able to see every cun of the Li Family's land clearly. He could immediately identify which prominent families had secretly built small courtyards and demarcated spirit fields, as they were all exposed before his eyes.
"Indeed..."
This situation was inevitable. Every prominent family under the Li Family's rule had privately developed spirit fields. In the barren lands that the Li Family had deemed worthless, they had secretly enclosed courtyards and set up illusionary formations to plant spirit paddies.
This was considered the lesser offense. Over the years, as more external cultivators joined the family, they had come into contact with many cultivation methods from rogue cultivators. Not all children with a spiritual orifice were sent to the Li Family; some external cultivators even ventured out to seek other opportunities, never to return.
Li Yuanjiao's gaze swept over the area, noting that even some minor sect cultivators of the Xi and Yue generation were involved. He sighed quietly.
"These lands may be barren, but they are still free! After all, no matter how good the family's lands are, most of the yield still has to be handed over. It is far more satisfying to grow and harvest for oneself."
The family had inspected these spirit fields twice before, and those remaining were within the allowed regulations. Li Yuanjiao carefully documented everything and returned to the hall, where Li Yuanping had been writing furiously for some time.
When Li Yuanjiao returned, Li Yuanping took the map he had drawn and circled several immortal mountains. After pondering for a moment, he spoke softly, "Brother, I have carefully studied the old methods from Lixia Prefecture and the current practices of the Yuan Family... Take a look at my plan."
Li Yuanjiao lowered his head to examine it, and at the top were large letters: Dual Clan System, Peak and Town Counterbalance.
Li Yuanping, his face pale but eyes bright, explained, "Now that our family has more cultivators than ever, I want to separate the clan system from the sect system, placing the clan above and the sect below, separating immortals from mortals. Cultivators would join the peaks and form the clan, while mortals would descend the mountain and form the sect. Unless specifically assigned for demon extermination, none are permitted to descend the mountain.
"When an external or clan member develops a spiritual orifice, they will be sent to the main peak of Mount Lijing to cultivate, where our family cultivators will carefully guide them. Those with high aptitude will continue their cultivation, while those with lower aptitude will be sent to other peaks.
"Each immortal mountain will establish its own office, dispersing the descendants of the four lineages into them. They will have a peak master, an enforcer, and a clan chief... All spirit fields below the mountain will no longer be individually assigned but managed by the respective immortal mountains.
"The cultivators of each immortal mountain will rotate and be reassigned regularly. The collected spirit resources will be sent directly to Lijing and delivered to the cave dwelling on Mount Meiche. As for the family head... the head will handle promotions and assignments, while the clan chiefs and enforcers will monitor the clan's affairs. With the mirror in the family, any embezzlement of spirit resources is almost certain to be exposed!"