Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

Chapter 369 The First Immortal City Conference

Inside the main hall of Qingyun Immortal City, wine cups were clinked and the atmosphere was extremely lively.

One by one, the Nascent Soul elders stepped forward to toast Zhou Ling and celebrate.

Zhou Ling nodded and thanked him with a smile!
In the middle of the main hall, at a table behind the Nascent Soul cultivator.

The Zhou family was sitting there.

Aside from the two tables set up by Nascent Soul cultivators, this location was the most conspicuous.

Zhou Shan and his wife were sitting at the table, along with Wang Xin holding her daughter.

In addition, there are Yuan Hu and He Zijian, siblings, and several acquaintances from Lingxia Immortal City.

Seeing this scene, Li Ru was overwhelmed with excitement.

Who would have thought that in just over a decade, the little kid back then not only successfully formed his core, but has now even become the city lord of Qingyun Immortal City.

It made her feel like she was dreaming, so unreal.

Back in Lingxia Immortal City, her greatest hope for her child was that he would become a Foundation Establishment cultivator and find a relatively safe way to make a living in Lingxia Immortal City.

If he marries again and has children, then his life will be complete.

Unexpectedly, his son has now become the city lord of Qingyun Immortal City.

Not only her, but also Zhou Shan, Yuan Hu and others, all shared in the glory!

They were all Zhou Ling's closest people.

Naturally, they also hoped that Zhou Ling would achieve great success in his career and make great progress in his cultivation.

But no one expected that Zhou Ling's achievements would be so astonishing.

Not to mention in Lingxia Immortal City, it would be difficult to find someone of his age who could become a fifth-grade immortal city lord, even in the entire Qingyang Immortal Domain or the Dao Alliance.

They are now considered part of the Zhou family and are highly respected in Qingyun Immortal City.

If it weren't for Zhou Ling, they wouldn't have been able to enter the main hall with their Foundation Establishment cultivation level.

It occupies such an important position.

He Zijian and his sister were also full of admiration.

Nowadays, Zhou Ling is beyond their reach in every aspect.

Even Wang Qingshang, who often teased Xiao Ying'er, felt a little melancholy.

She naturally knew about her father's marriage proposal to Zhou Ling.

Although her father didn't tell her, she knew in her heart that Zhou Ling had definitely refused.

She was naturally furious.

There are plenty of aristocratic scions in Qingyang Immortal City who are pursuing their own interests.

I never took these people seriously.

However, when her father, the head of the Wang family, personally proposed marriage to Zhou Ling, he was rejected.

This left her feeling utterly helpless.

He was determined to teach Zhou Ling a lesson, no matter what.

But after this kid went to Five Spirits Immortal City, he came back and became the city lord of Azure Cloud Immortal City.

Moreover, it killed a fifth-tier demon king.

She was still somewhat incredulous when she heard the news.

If she were to say that Zhou Ling killed a fourth-tier demonic beast, she would definitely believe it.

A fifth-tier demonic beast was something she wouldn't even dare to dream of.

However, the family quickly confirmed it.

Furthermore, it was learned that Zhou Ling had already come into the sights of the Dao Alliance's higher-ups.

It has been decided that he will be the key successor to be groomed.

This shocked her as well.

It should be noted that those who are valued by the higher-ups of the Dao Alliance are all from prestigious families or major sects, possess astonishing talent, and have minds that are almost demonic.

She was confident that she had considerable talent in all aspects, but compared to these people, there was still some gap.

However, Zhou Ling has now become a key cultivator cultivated by the Dao Alliance.

In the future, a lot of resources will be poured into him.

It can be described as a tremendous opportunity.

With this opportunity, Zhou Ling's future achievements will certainly be remarkable.

Of course, not to mention the future, Zhou Ling's current situation is enough to crush all cultivators of his generation.

He can already be considered the number one among the Dao Alliance cultivators of this generation.

Of course, if Zhou Ling hadn't rejected her marriage proposal...

As Zhou Ling is the son-in-law of the Wang family, this is a great honor for the Wang family.

She's not the kind of person who holds grudges.

Knowing how to maximize the Wang family's interests is crucial.

To her surprise, Zhou Ling had even alarmed two late-stage Nascent Soul ancestors of the Wang family.

Surprisingly, they all supported her and Wang Xin marrying Zhou Ling together.

They weren't interested in Zhou Ling's current status.

Instead, they valued Zhou Ling's talent even more.

In their view, if she and Zhou Ling were to marry, their children would definitely have excellent talent and spiritual roots.

There is at least a 50% chance of becoming a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Therefore, she cannot give up the matter of marrying Zhou Ling.

After all, the good news does not flow to outsiders.

Since Zhou Ling has already married Wang Xin, it's perfectly normal for him to marry another woman, Wang Qingshang.

Moreover, the family has already reached an agreement.

Even the two patriarchs personally summoned Wang Yu, asking her to find a way to persuade Zhou Ling.

Wang Yu was also caught in a dilemma regarding this matter.

On one side is his daughter, and on the other is his family.

She didn't agree rashly.

This made Wang Qingshang even more indignant.

Now she feels like an unmarried spinster.

They also had to watch Zhou Ling's expression.

But she naturally dared not disobey her family's orders.

We can only let Wang Yu come up with a solution.

Since Zhou Ling refused, this matter has nothing to do with her.

While she was still in a daze, Zhou Ling had already started toasting everyone.

When we arrived at this table.

"Daddy!"

Little Ying'er called out in her childish voice.

Zhou Ling smiled as she took her daughter from Wang Xin and then toasted everyone with a smile.

Then, carrying his daughter, he went to other tables to offer toasts.

Logically speaking, as the city lord of the Immortal City, he should expect others to toast him.

But Zhou Ling was young and had no airs.

Naturally, these things weren't considered.

Seeing Zhou Ling holding her daughter, Wang Xin hurriedly followed behind.

I'm a little worried that my daughter might be shy around strangers.

"Lord Zhou, your daughter is truly beautiful. This third-tier crystal jade ring of mine is perfect for a child to wear; consider it a small gift!"

As Zhou Ling carried the child to the next table to offer a toast, the head of the Hu family smiled and took out a jade ring from his person, handing it to Xiao Ying'er.

"Master Hu, you mustn't."

"The child is too young to wear these precious items!"

Zhou Ling hurriedly refused.

Otherwise, if this wave of gifts continues, wouldn't we be receiving so many that our hands are sore from accepting them?

In the past, he would have been more than happy to do so.

However, having just become the lord of a fifth-grade immortal city, he still needs to be mindful of the impact.

The head of the Hu family smiled and nodded.

Whether Zhou Ling accepts it or not is not important; he has already achieved his goal of currying favor with the Zhou family.

Zhou Ling then handed the child to Wang Xin so she could take him back to her seat.

He then continued to toast the monks at the other tables.

The banquet lasted for nearly two hours before it ended.

······.

"Greetings, City Lord!" Inside the side hall, twenty-two Nascent Soul cultivators bowed to Zhou Ling in unison.

Sixteen of them came from Nascent Soul families, and six came from various departments or hall masters in the Immortal City.

After the celebration ended, Zhou Ling took advantage of the fact that everyone had arrived.

The first Immortal City Nascent Soul Conference was held.

After all, Qingyun Immortal City has now become a fifth-grade immortal city.

Next, with the introduction of fifth-tier spiritual veins, the spiritual energy and rules of the immortal city will be greatly different.

As natives of the Immortal City, the Nascent Soul families can be considered the first beneficiaries.

However, what specific benefits will be gained in the upcoming situation depends on the city lord's decision.

Whether or not a branch of a fifth-order spiritual vein can be introduced into their family is entirely in Zhou Ling's hands.

Moreover, with Qingyun Immortal City becoming a fifth-tier immortal city, a large number of Nascent Soul families will definitely move into the immortal city.

There might even be families that have reached the Nascent Soul stage, which would make the competition even more intense.

For them now, this is the only advantage they have: time.

"Next, the most important task for the Immortal City is to enhance the spiritual veins, and each family needs to set up the corresponding formations."

"As for the setup of the main formation of the Immortal City and the expansion of the Immortal City, the expenses for spirit stones will not be small."

"If we follow the plan for a fifth-grade immortal city, we need to expand the current Qingyun Immortal City by at least five times."

"Currently, the overall plan is based on a scale of six times."

"Therefore, the budgets of various departments need to be cut."

"The Heavenly Crafts Bureau needs to refine various magical artifacts and elixirs to assist aristocratic families in expanding their territories, so there is no need to reduce the Heavenly Crafts Bureau's expenses for the time being."

"In addition, the halls such as the Spirit Plant Hall and the Spirit Beast Hall need to expand their spiritual lands and must report in advance."

······.

Deputy City Lord Weng still oversees many affairs of the Immortal City and reported to Zhou Ling first.

They proposed a plan for the future improvement and management of Qingyun Immortal City.

Of course, almost no one else objected to his statement.

After all, cost-saving measures are only temporary, as long as the fifth-order spiritual vein is successfully established.

Then the situation will be very different.

As he finished speaking, Lord Weng pointed to a piece of jade.

A curtain of light then condensed.

What appeared on the light screen was an extremely vast immortal city.

Zhou Ling looked at the light screen and raised an eyebrow. This was the new planning map of Qingyun Immortal City.

Although it is not as large as Qingyang Immortal City, it is much larger than Qingyun Immortal City today.

To build such a massive immortal city in a short period of time would certainly require a huge investment.

No wonder that at the first meeting, Deputy City Lord Weng proposed a plan to reduce the budget.

Of course, this is because Zhou Ling is currently the head of the Heavenly Crafts Bureau.

He did maintain the Tiangong Division's budget unchanged.

However, the excuse is plausible.

After all, most of the runes and pills refined by the Heavenly Crafts Bureau are used for expanding the territory of aristocratic families.

Therefore, the aristocratic families would not object.

"Which department in the Immortal City currently has the highest revenue?"

Zhou Ling, who was sitting in the main seat, asked a question.

According to the information provided by Deputy City Lord Weng, Qingyun Immortal City currently generates a profit of over one million spirit stones annually through its overall operation.

However, he didn't care about the specifics.

"The main source of income for Qingyun Immortal City currently comes from two fourth-order realms."

"As for the Immortal City itself, the production of Crystal Source Spirit Rice in Qingyun Immortal City is also very high, which can bring a surplus of two to three hundred thousand every year."

Deputy City Lord Weng replied to Zhou Ling.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling nodded and smiled, "The cultivation of Crystal Source Spirit Rice will continue to be the main development direction of my Qingyun Immortal City."

"May I ask, City Lord, how will the sub-regions of the next five-tier spiritual veins be demarcated?"

At this moment, the head of the Ye family spoke up and asked a question.

This is the issue that all Nascent Soul families are currently most concerned about.

After all, the fifth-order spiritual vein has just been established, and it can usually only branch out into five or six sub-veins.

At that time, the two branches will merge into the four major academies.

The other three or four branch lineages are completely insufficient to cover the sixteen Nascent Soul families present.

Of course, it's impossible for all Nascent Soul families to be assigned a branch.

Among the sixteen Nascent Soul families, the Ye family is considered to be of medium to high strength. They may or may not be able to obtain a branch lineage.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling smiled slightly and revealed the idea he had planned long ago.

"It just so happens that the fifth-order spiritual veins have not yet been integrated into Qingyun Immortal City. We don't know how many branch veins will be formed by then."

"However, I've set a standard for now."

"To obtain a branch lineage, the family must have a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator in charge."

"In addition, the Dao Alliance's military merits exceeded 30,000."

"This will not only ensure that our Qingyun Immortal City can cultivate its own Nascent Soul cultivators as soon as possible, but it also meets the requirements of the Dao Alliance!"

Of the sixteen Nascent Soul families present, the Song and Weng families are the closest to the Zhou family.

Zhou Ling naturally wanted to find a way to allow both families to obtain a branch.

Both families have cultivators in the late Nascent Soul stage.

As for his military achievements, Zhou Ling had no idea.

However, as the original city lords of Xiancheng, the Weng family must have accumulated considerable military merits.

The Song family successfully expanded into a fourth-order realm just last year, so their military achievements must be considerable.

As for the Zhou family, as the city lord of the Immortal City, they naturally have unique advantages. At that time, the source of the fifth-order spiritual vein will naturally be arranged in the Zhou family.

Although there is now a small fifth-order spiritual vein.

But no one would complain about having too much of a spiritual vein.

Upon hearing this, everyone couldn't help but show expressions of surprise.

This rule for late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators is perfectly normal.

However, earning 30,000 military merits is not so easy.

Especially the military merits of the Dao Alliance, which are not something that can be earned easily.

But no one dared to voice their opposition.

"In addition, the key figures of each department will also need to be appropriately adjusted."

"The Dao Alliance will also send some powerful cultivators to assist!"

"However, I still prefer to appoint cultivators from Qingyun Immortal City to important positions!"

Zhou Ling glanced at everyone and said seriously.

In his mind, there are already quite a few candidates for the key departments.

Regarding the Battle Hall of Qingyun Immortal City, it would be best if Dean Gong were willing to take on the role.

On the Xuan Ting Si side, he wanted to push Wang Qingshang to the position.

Although her cultivation level was insufficient, her background was sufficient.

If she were appointed as the Chief Justice of the Xuanting Division, there would be virtually no opposition.

Then, Deputy City Lord Weng and Dean Zhong will take charge of the affairs hall.

He regained control of the Heavenly Crafts Bureau.

In summary, the main halls of the entire Qingyun Immortal City are under control.

Of course, as long as Song Yue can become a third-grade weapon refiner as soon as possible, he can let her take over as the head of the Heavenly Crafts Bureau.

As for others, we don't need to do that for now.

With Lu Yunxi around, his job was basically a sinecure.

It's just a few important issues to make decisions about.

The other halls are staffed by representatives from other Nascent Soul families, which serves to balance the power of Qingyun Immortal City.

"The city lord can decide on these selections!"

At this moment, Deputy City Lord Weng spoke up.

Now everyone knows that Zhou Ling killed a fifth-tier demon king and received full support from the Dao Alliance's higher-ups, so his future path in the Dao is limitless.

But no one would be foolish enough to challenge him.

He has complete control over these matters.

"I'm not very familiar with everyone's situation, so please make your own recommendations, and we'll discuss and decide on a decision later!"

Zhou Ling then spoke with a serious expression.

Although he had already made plans in mind, he couldn't be too unseemly in his behavior!
(End of this chapter)