Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

Chapter 285 The Zhou Family's First Official Guest Elder

"Congratulations to Brother Ling on becoming the Chief Administrator!"

Before long, Chu Xing and the others also received the news and came to congratulate Zhou Ling.

Looking at Zhou Ling, who was full of energy and exuded a remarkable aura, Chu Xing couldn't help but sigh.

In just three years.

Zhou Ling, who was a freshman at Xuan Yuan Dao Academy, has now become the Chief Craftsman of the Heavenly Crafts Bureau in Qingyun Immortal City.

This talent is truly unimaginable.

Of course, he was also overjoyed, as Zhou Ling was even willing to give him a low-grade Foundation Establishment Pill.

He hoped that the more successful Zhou Ling became, the brighter their future would be in the Zhou family.

"Congratulations, Patriarch!"

"Congratulations, Master!"

Beside him, Yuan Hu, Bai Ji, and others also congratulated Zhou Ling.

"Good good!"

"Let's have an extra meal tonight to celebrate!"

Zhou Ling smiled and nodded.

"Husband, should we tell Master first?"

Wang Xin said with a smile.

"Okay, I'll go over right now!"

Zhou Ling nodded.

He knew in his heart that, given his master's personality, she didn't care about such things as upholding righteousness or not.

However, as her disciple, I must tell her this.

After all, having the title of Chief Clerk would completely change his treatment within the Heavenly Crafts Bureau.

It also provides great protection for the family and relatives.

It poses a significant deterrent to external forces.

This can also greatly boost the workshop's business.

At the same time, it will also be of great benefit to rebuild the Lingxiao Sect in the future.

Immediately, Zhou Ling went to the side courtyard to pay his respects to his master.

"You've become the Chief Justice!"

To Zhou Ling's surprise, Zi Ling was also quite delighted to hear the news.

After all, a high-ranking official carries considerable weight.

Of course, what she cared about even more was Zhou Ling's talent.

At the age of sixteen, he forged a top-grade third-tier magic weapon and became the head of the Heavenly Crafts Bureau.

It is evident that he possesses exceptional talent and comprehension, making him fully capable of shouldering the responsibility of rebuilding the Lingxiao Sect in the future.

Although being promoted isn't a big deal, it's already quite good for Zhou Ling at his age.

She was also very clear about her own personality.

Having her stay behind the lines is fine, but having her establish a sect is not.

She really couldn't be bothered to do that.

She was initially worried that Zhou Ling's growth had been too smooth and that she lacked experience.

It seems there's not a big problem now.

The fact that Zhou Ling has now become the head of the Heavenly Crafts Bureau at least shows that he is quite good at dealing with people and situations.

After all, becoming the leader of a sect cannot be achieved solely through strength.

It also involves the management of the sect, future planning, disciple training, and many other matters.

Over the years, the Zhou family has accumulated a great deal of experience since its establishment.

The family is now fully on the right track with a stable source of income, which shows that Zhou Ling's experience is also commendable.

However, establishing a sect is much more difficult than running a family.

Moreover, it's the Lingxiao Sect.

Given the original situation of the Lingxiao Sect, would other forces still allow the sect to exist now?

Once the sect is rebuilt, whether these forces will be suppressed is a question.

"Ling'er, it is a great joy that you have now become the Chief Justice."

"If we're going to celebrate, I plan to announce at the celebration that you are the new sect leader of my Lingxiao Sect!"

Zi Ling looked at Zhou Ling, pondered for a moment, and then said this.

Her idea was to first spread the word and see how other forces would react.
This would also greatly enhance Zhou Ling's background and status as the leader of the Lingxiao Sect.

In addition, he is also the Chief of the Heavenly Crafts Bureau, so other sects and forces dare not make a move against him.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling was taken aback and remained silent.

Master said he would wait until he successfully formed his core before passing on the position of sect leader to me.

After all, Lingxiao Sect now only consists of himself, his master, and two senior sisters.

Xin'er was only considered half a disciple.

Whether it's announced or not seems to make no difference.

He felt it was best to follow his master's original plan and announce it after he had formed his core.

After all, he was only at the late Foundation Establishment stage.

They really don't live up to the name of Lingxiao Sect.

Therefore, the effect will definitely be better later than it is now.

Looking at his master's expression, he knew that his master never cared about such things.

If she's saying this now on her own initiative, then she must have her reasons.

Perhaps they believed that their reputation for upholding righteousness would help the Lingxiao Sect return to the public eye?

After all, Zhi Zheng can have a significant impact on the entire Qingyun Immortal City.

"Master, I am only at the late Foundation Establishment stage. Isn't it a bit hasty to announce this now?"

Zhou Ling hesitated for a moment before speaking.

Originally, he had never offered any opinions on his master's words.

But this matter was of great importance, so he still voiced his doubts.

After all, it was based on the information about the Lingxiao Sect that his master had given him.

The sect does not have a good relationship with the other two branches.

These two branches now wield considerable power.

It was clearly not something I could shake.

Moreover, once they find out about his and his master's existence...

Who knows if they might secretly try to harm me?

With Master's strength, there's naturally nothing to fear.

But I am completely different.

For two renowned sects, dealing with a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator like myself is as easy as crushing an ant.

Therefore, it's better to develop discreetly and quietly than to expose it too early.

The master believed that once the Golden Core was achieved, it would be sufficient to demonstrate his identity, so the Golden Core process began.

If we encounter any danger, we will have the ability to deal with it.

Moreover, I don't have a very strong foundation in the Tiangong Division right now.

Qin Zhizheng is my only backer.

Compared to the Thundercloud Sect, Qin Zhizheng's strength is insignificant; he is simply no match for them.

Therefore, we still need to take it one step at a time and steadily develop our strength.

"I just felt that this time was appropriate."

"If you think it won't work, then you can decide for yourself. Just announce it when it's appropriate!"

Hearing Zhou Ling's words, Zi Ling nodded.

She was too lazy to think about it.

It's good that Zhou Ling has her own ideas.

She also decided to hand over all the decision-making power to Zhou Ling.

"Yes, Master!"

Zhou Ling nodded.

He then took his leave.

That night.

"These three water spirit orbs can serve as the foundation for the water spirit vein array."

"In this way, if we expand our territory and obtain spiritual veins, we can also use this spirit-gathering array as a foundation for fusion."

"In this way, the spirit-gathering array and the spirit vein can be perfectly integrated, and the overall effect will be greatly improved!"

Under the bright yet soft light of the crystal chandelier, Wang Xin carefully explained the setup of the family's spirit-gathering array to Zhou Ling.

"Alright, let's go with what you said, Xin'er. You can discuss it with Steward Luo again tomorrow."

After listening to his wife's explanation, Zhou Ling nodded.

Xin'er truly lives up to her reputation as a formation master, possessing extensive knowledge of formations.

Therefore, the focus is naturally not just on fourth-order spiritual veins. Currently, the Zhou family is a branch of a fourth-order spiritual vein of the Xuan Yuan Dao Academy, so the concentration of spiritual energy is quite good.

However, we need to consider the future development of the family, so we must make full preparations for the enhancement of the spiritual veins.

In Qingyun Immortal City, the only way to enhance spiritual veins is to expand one's realm and collect spiritual veins from other realms.

It merges into one's own spiritual veins.

After all, the highest grade of spiritual veins in Qingyun Immortal City is only fourth-order top-grade.

If a fifth-order spiritual vein appears, then Qingyun Immortal City can become a fifth-grade immortal city.

But it's not that easy.

Even for families of Nascent Soul cultivators, investing heavily in expanding their domains makes it difficult to obtain fifth-order spiritual veins.

Of course, it's too early for Zhou Ling to think about these things, and there's no need to think about them too much for now.

In addition to the spirit-gathering array, the daily consumption of spirit stones for the main array must also be taken into account.

The effects of spiritual vein condensation, etc.

Setting up a fourth-order spirit-gathering array requires a large amount of materials, as well as a significant amount of time and effort from the array master.

It can be described as a very large project.

With this foundation laid, the Zhou family's spiritual veins will not only have the opportunity to reach the fourth rank, but may even be able to advance further.

The couple chatted for a while longer before Wang Xin yawned, snuggled up to Zhou Ling, and fell asleep.

······.

It's time the next day.

Inside the Zhou family hall.

Luo Qin arrived as promised.

"Xin'er, this is Steward Luo from the Array Formation Hall of the Heavenly Crafts Department."

“Deacon Luo, this is my Daoist partner, Wang Xin.”

Zhou Ling led Luo Qin into the hall and introduced them to the two.

"Greetings, Steward Luo!"

Wang Xin wore a light blue dress, her belly slightly protruding, and bowed to Deacon Luo.

"Young friend Xin, there's no need for such formalities. You and Zhou Zhizheng are a perfect match. At such a young age, you are already second-tier array masters. Your future achievements are sure to be extraordinary!"

Luo Qin smiled and returned the greeting.

After learning yesterday that Zhou Ling had become the executive director, he surprisingly asked people to learn about Zhou Ling's background.

Given Zhou Ling's situation, it's no secret in Qingyun Immortal City by now.

Everyone knows that he was born a rogue cultivator and achieved his current status through his amazing talent.

But to his surprise, after getting to know him better, he discovered that Zhou Ling was actually the son-in-law of the Wang family in Qingyang Immortal City.

It should be noted that the Wang family is a very famous family in the Qingyang Immortal Realm.

Therefore, he didn't act like a senior at all towards Wang Xin.

Zhou Ling personally poured Luo Qin some spiritual tea.

"Young friend Xin, what are your thoughts on setting up this fourth-order spirit-gathering array?"

After taking a few sips of the spiritual tea, Luo Qin asked Wang Xin directly.

Because Zhou Ling had limited knowledge of formations, he discussed it directly with Wang Xin.

"This time, we will have to trouble Deacon Luo to set up the Great Spirit Gathering Array for us, which will lay a solid foundation for the future formation of a fourth-order spiritual vein for our family!"

"In the future, when integrating with the spiritual veins, we won't need to rearrange things, and the integration will be much easier."

Wang Xin said with a slight smile.

The Great Spirit Gathering Array is a type of Spirit Gathering Array, and this type of Spirit Gathering Array has the property of extension.

It can be improved based on the existing magic array.

Upgrading the magic array later will be much more efficient.

However, the materials and costs required to set up this kind of spirit-gathering array are more than double those of a regular spirit-gathering array.

In addition, the daily consumption is also high.

"If it's a large spirit-gathering array, it will take quite a while, the cost will be high, and the subsequent maintenance will be difficult."

Upon hearing Wang Xin's words, Luo Qin frowned slightly.

A large spirit-gathering array takes at least half a month to set up.

Luo Qin was a rather aloof person, and it wasn't easy for ordinary people to ask him to set up an array.

I agreed to Zhou Ling's request yesterday mainly because of Qin Zhizheng's sake.

But setting up a large spirit-gathering array is no small matter for him.

Of course, he also knew that Zhou Ling was already a senior official and would be his immediate superior from now on.

Moreover, Zhou Ling's age and talent are remarkable, yet he is extremely humble, which is something that makes him very fond of him.

"That's alright. As for the timing, it mainly depends on your arrangements, Deacon Luo. There's no need to worry about the materials!"

Zhou Ling smiled.

"In that case, let me take a look at the surrounding situation, and then I will discuss a plan with my young friend Xin!"

Luo Qin nodded upon hearing Zhou Ling's words.

Given the current situation, we have no choice but to proceed.

More time spent means more time.

Moreover, the way Zhou Ling and his wife designed this shows their confidence in themselves, and their future achievements will definitely be significant.

He is worth befriending.

"Deacon Luo, please come with me!"

Zhou Ling stood up and smiled.

Luo Qin then followed him out of the hall.

Wang Xin also followed beside Zhou Ling.

Afterwards, Luo Qin began to inspect the Zhou family's ancestral burial site.

Along the way, Wang Xin told Luo Qin the details of what she had discussed with Zhou Ling the night before.

Luo Qin nodded, agreeing with most of it, but pointing out some discrepancies.

Wang Xin also made adjustments accordingly.

In this way, after about an incense stick's time, they finished inspecting the Zhou family's sacred site.

Luo Qin has also basically finalized the plan and the key elements within it.

Zhou Ling also handed over the Spirit Gathering Pearl and Spirit Gathering Array that he had received from the Affairs Hall yesterday to Luo Qin.

"This spirit-gathering array will take at least half a month, and possibly a month if it takes longer."

"In addition, these are the materials needed for this formation."

After finalizing the plan, Luo Qin gave Zhou Ling a list and explained it to him.

"Alright, I'll prepare these materials in the next couple of days. When will Deacon Luo begin setting up the formation?"

After taking the materials list, Zhou Ling glanced at it and asked a question.

"All materials are ready, let's begin!"

Luo Qin smiled and nodded.

"Thank you, Butler Lauro!"

Zhou Ling bowed in thanks, then hesitated for a moment before looking at Luo Qin and saying, "Steward Luo, would you be interested in serving as a guest elder in my Zhou family?"

"A guest retainer of the Zhou family?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Qin looked surprised.

The Bureau of Heavenly Crafts has no explicit rule that deacons cannot hold other positions.

On the contrary, many deacons are still holding positions within the Taoist temple.

After all, in the path of cultivation, the more resources you have, the faster you progress.

He couldn't possibly improve his cultivation level solely through the offerings from the Heavenly Crafts Bureau.

Moreover, he is not alone; he has a family and disciples, who also need resources.

Of course, there were far too many families in Qingyun Immortal City who invited him to be a guest elder.

He had no interest whatsoever.

But Zhou Ling's invitation still made him want to think about it.

After all, Zhou Ling's potential is truly remarkable.

“Deacon Luo, my Zhou family was established not long ago and has limited resources in all aspects.”

"However, I'm already developing a third-tier realm, and I need the help of a formation master like you!"

Zhou Ling said this.

The Zhou family currently only has Sun Dajie as a nominal guest advisor.

If we could invite a guest elder like Steward Luo, it would be of great help to both the family's formation setup and the expansion of the Ancient Cloud Realm.

"Since you, Zhizheng, have invited me, I will naturally give you face. However, the Heavenly Crafts Bureau has many tasks, and even if I serve as a guest elder, I am afraid my time will be limited!"

Luo Qin thought for a moment and then spoke up.

As the chief of the Array Formation Hall of the Heavenly Craftsmanship Department, I have quite a few tasks.

"Okay, then it's settled!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling couldn't help but laugh.

(End of this chapter)