"Wei Priest, these are some of the top forces within the Ying Ding Tribe—there's the Cangkun Alliance, the Wanfu Merchant Guild…"
Just then, Yu Tong stepped out from the crowd and quietly spoke to Wei Tu.
His face glowed with delight, looking as if he shared in Wei Tu's success.
He acted like they were old friends.
The gazes of the cultivators shifted from Wei Tu to Yu Tong.
"Recruitment?" Wei Tu picked up on the meaning behind Yu Tong's words.
Now understanding why the crowd had gathered, he glanced at Yu Tong with a half-smile.
As a seasoned cultivator, he didn't need much to guess why Yu Tong had rushed to his side the moment he exited seclusion.
It was nothing more than trying to ride Wei Tu's coattails to connect with these major powers and find a better place to land.
Still, remembering that Yu Tong had tossed him some spirit stones after coming out of seclusion—more generous than most—Wei Tu didn't call him out and gave him some face.
"When I find myself in a higher position, I'll definitely return the favor to Wei Priest with proper gifts," Yu Tong said with a hint of gratitude in his eyes, quickly making his intentions known.
Their conversation took place through voice transmission, inaudible to outsiders.
Wei Tu's expression softened a bit. He nodded slightly, tacitly agreeing to Yu Tong's clingy behavior.
Once the exchange ended, Wei Tu looked toward the gathered representatives of the various forces.
Though Yu Tong had tried to cozy up to him, it wasn't entirely a bad thing—he had also provided useful intel on the factions present and the benefits they offered.
Wei Tu found himself leaning toward the "Cangkun Alliance."
While the Wanfu Merchant Guild was wealthy and offered high potential, he was from the Cangnan region. Joining a faction outside the Ying Ding Tribe would be out of place.
As for the Left Virtuous King's household or the second prince of the Right Virtuous King—those were bound to involve political power struggles.
Wei Tu had come to the Kang Kingdom for a stable environment to cultivate, not to be dragged into these conflicts.
So those options were out.
After weighing everything, the Cangkun Alliance seemed the best fit.
—The Cangkun Alliance was made up of young elites from the various clans of the Ying Ding Tribe. It wasn't involved in direct power struggles, but because of its unique nature, it was a kind of reserve force for the tribe's upper echelon, standing naturally above political factions.
Joining the Cangkun Alliance would be like stepping into the future core of the Ying Ding Tribe's leadership.
And there'd be no need to deal with scheming and backstabbing.
However, before making the final decision, Wei Tu still needed to consult Great Mage Qu Bei—his backer from the Fen Shan Tribe.
It was only right to check in with his old superior first.
…
While Wei Tu was still weighing his options, the various faction representatives began making their offers.
Spiritual lands, resources, pills.
Cultivation methods, spells, even beautiful concubines and loyal servants.
Among them, the Wanfu Merchant Guild offered the highest price.
They even promised that if Wei Tu joined, the Ji Clan—who ran the guild—would marry him one of their legitimate daughters and support him in entering the upper ranks of the guild.
"A legitimate daughter of the Ji Clan? The Left Virtuous King has four princesses under his roof. If Wei Priest is willing, I'll report back immediately—we can hold the wedding by tomorrow night."
The steward from the Left Virtuous King's household sneered and thumped his chest as a guarantee.
"My royal sister is a wealthy widow…"
The second prince of the Right Virtuous King also jumped in.
Though the two Virtuous Kings were political rivals, when it came to undercutting the Wanfu Merchant Guild, they stood on the same side.
If Wei Tu joined the merchant guild, it would be seen as him stepping away from the Ying Ding Tribe—a real blow to the tribe.
They wouldn't care about losing a single Golden Core cultivator.
But losing two? That would hurt.
Not to mention, Wei Tu was a high-potential, skilled Golden Core True Lord.
"Which faction I join isn't just up to me—it also concerns the Ying Ding Tribe. I'll decide after consulting with the elder priests of my tribe."
Wei Tu interrupted the quarrel, apologizing politely with a sincere expression.
He had already made his choice.
He only said this to delay and avoid publicly choosing a side.
Picking openly would easily offend the others later.
When they heard this, a few faction representatives showed disappointed looks, gave a respectful nod, and left.
But a few others noticed Yu Tong standing beside Wei Tu.
Yu Tong had reached Golden Core at an old age, with little potential and weak strength—he wasn't someone worth personally recruiting.
But now that they were already here, they might as well do something.
—Yu Tong wasn't cost-effective, but there was still "value" in recruiting him.
Given his relationship with Wei Tu, recruiting Yu Tong might serve as a stepping stone to spend big on recruiting Wei Tu in the future.
And so—
The remaining representatives turned to Yu Tong and began offering him terms.
Yu Tong chose the Wanfu Merchant Guild, despite their modest offer, and agreed to join as a guest elder.
"This is three thousand spirit stones. Thank you, Wei Priest, for helping me with this small matter."
Before leaving, Yu Tong discreetly handed a pouch of spirit stones to Wei Tu.
Wei Tu was surprised at the amount and thought to himself, "Didn't expect Yu Tong to be this generous."
After all, three thousand spirit stones wasn't a small sum.
He hadn't done all that much to help Yu Tong.
Last time, when Gong Shulan excavated the tomb of Master Shentu, the apology gift she gave him was also exactly three thousand spirit stones.
"This is my token. If Priest Yu ever comes to the Fen Shan Tribe, I will personally welcome you." Wei Tu was moved and casually handed Yu Tong a guest token from the Fen Shan Tribe.
The Wanfu Merchant Guild was a major guild. Since Yu Tong had joined as a guest elder, there might come a day when Wei Tu needed his help in dealings with the outside world.
Connections like these were built bit by bit.
Having weaker strength or lower status didn't mean someone couldn't be useful.
Yu Tong's eyes brightened slightly at the sight of the token. He took out a jade pendant and handed it to Wei Tu. "This is my token. I hope Wei Priest will accept it."
Compared to Wei Tu befriending him, Yu Tong was even more eager to befriend Wei Tu, though he found it hard to say aloud.
The two parted ways.
…
Once the Wanfu Merchant Guild and Yu Tong left, the other faction representatives gathered at Wind-Raging Island also scattered like birds and beasts.
Wei Tu took the opportunity to leave Wind-Raging Island and returned to Immortal City of Hujie to visit Great Mage Qu Bei.
Compared to his second senior brother Yuan Xian, Great Mage Qu Bei was a bit younger. He had pale skin and dressed more like a scholar from the Cangnan region.
From what Wei Tu had learned, Qu Bei had been adopted by Cangnan people in his early years. So within the Ying Ding Tribe, he was more inclined toward "Cangnan people" who joined the tribe.
He and High Priest Mu Feng were both part of that group.
"You've thought things through. You didn't hastily agree to any faction," Qu Bei said, clearly pleased by the respect Wei Tu showed him.
If Wei Tu had gone behind his back to join a group like the Cangkun Alliance, Qu Bei might not have said anything openly, but he would definitely have been unhappy deep down.
He liked the Cangnan people because their cultivators knew how to respect rules, unlike the often brash Kang people.
"There are a few cultivators in the Cangkun Alliance that I know. I can put in a word for you," Qu Bei said after a moment of thought.
One more faction meant more resources.
The Cangkun Alliance was still under the command of several Divine Masters from the Ying Ding Tribe like Du Long.
"Thank you, Great Mage Qu Bei."
Wei Tu expressed his gratitude.
Disciples ranked highly under Divine Masters like Qu Bei and Yuan Xian weren't just powerful Golden Core late-stage cultivators. They also held a prestigious position within the Ying Ding Tribe and had far more authority than a High Priest like Wei Tu.
…
A few days later—
At Qu Bei's residence, Wei Tu saw Fairy Baohua again.
This time, beside her stood a young man dressed in white with a refined and gentle demeanor.
Neither of them wore Hu-style clothing.
"The Cangkun Alliance was founded over one hundred thirty years ago. Its goal is to revive the Ying Ding Tribe and replace Hu-style attire. That's the principle we've upheld since the beginning," the scholarly man said with a smile when he noticed Wei Tu's surprised expression.
"I see," Wei Tu replied with a smile, hiding the astonishment on his face.
Wei Tu had studied the history of the Kang Kingdom.
Originally, the Kang Kingdom was a nation of Kang people. There was no such thing as the "Two Mountains and One Palace." But as the Kang people declined and were invaded by other nations, three major sects of the Immortal Dao appeared.
These sects squeezed the living space of the Kang people.
Now, the Cangkun Alliance's "changing Hu garb" could be seen as a youth-led movement to save their people.
If attire could change, so could mindset.
First, aligning with Immortal Dao sects and blending into the Cangnan crowd could prevent the Kang people from being isolated and eventually destroyed.
After all, compared to the Immortal Dao forces of the four inner kingdoms, the spiritual path of the Kang people was too weak.
Second, absorbing and integrating the strengths of both Immortal Dao and Spiritual Dao could help the Ying Ding Tribe grow strong again.
For example, the Immortal Dao's various arts were all worth learning for those on the spiritual path.
The scholarly man spoke with enthusiasm, passionately explaining the benefits of the movement to Wei Tu.
Next, the two exchanged names.
"I am Yuan Jie," the refined man said with a slight bow.
The surname Yuan was that of the royal clan of the Ying Ding Tribe.
In Immortal City of Hujie, it was a prominent family.
Yuan Xian also had the surname Yuan.
So when Wei Tu heard the name "Yuan Jie," he wasn't surprised and showed no reaction.
"From now on, let's call each other Daoist friends. No need to refer to each other as priest or mage—it only sets up a hierarchy," Yuan Jie said with a smile.
After this brief conversation—
Wei Tu still wasn't sure whether he should join the Cangkun Alliance.
From Yuan Jie's words, he could tell that this young cultivator of the Ying Ding Tribe had ambitions to reform the clan.
Ambition was admirable.
But… it could easily bring disaster.
"Reforming a clan isn't something that can be done overnight. The upper echelons of the Ying Ding Tribe should still be supportive of people like Yuan Jie for now. Otherwise, they wouldn't allow so many young elites to join." That was Wei Tu's thought.
The cultivation world was not the same as the mundane world.
He couldn't judge changes in cultivation factions with a commoner's mindset.
After all, the Cangkun Alliance already held real power.