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Chapter 687: Chapter 693: Prestige
As the saying goes, a new official makes his mark with three actions, and Li Wenli certainly thought about how to gain the support of his clan members and quickly establish his own authority.
His first action, which was also the most crucial step, was to protect the interests of those clan members who had just stepped out from the mundane world and had not yet joined any faction!
As long as he accomplished this, Li Wenli would stand on invincible ground!
That’s because, among the several thousand clan members of the Li family, this group was the most numerous, even though they did not have much say within the clan.
After all, how could a cultivator who had just emerged from the mortal realm possibly compare to others who had several generations of inheritance and accumulation, even after two or three generations of hard work?
Miracles are called miracles because they are rare and scarce, which is why they are extolled by everyone.
After hearing Li Wenli’s thoughts, Li Darong furrowed his brows and said, "There will be significant resistance to this matter. The existing factions will not allow newcomers to enter the scene, and over time, they will become corrupt, forming new factions."
"Since you, Clan Leader, have been able to depose them, you must hold quite fatal evidence in your hands. With it, you’d be able to rightfully promote some factionless clan members."
Li Wenli shook his head and spoke softly, "As for forming new factions? That is inevitable. All we can do is to play one faction against another."
"Ah, you are right, and indeed it is so," said Li Darong with a sigh. "You go ahead and do it boldly, I’m here to back you up."
Having made up their minds, the two promptly took action against those major factions.
As Clan Leader, Li Darong naturally held sway over part of the Dark Department, whose collected data was so serious that some could be stripped of their cultivation and expelled from the family lands!
With such a powerful weapon in hand, how could those people dare to confront him? They could only obediently hand over their power.
Then came the selection of clan members from the mundane world to assume the positions of Elders, becoming the direct followers of Li Darong and Li Wenli.
After driving out some of the more significant factions from the upper echelons, Li Darong found a reason to make Li Wenli the Acting Clan Leader, in charge of overseeing and handling all family affairs.
In this way, those new Elders without any support base could do nothing but loyally gather around Li Wenli if they didn’t want to be ousted.
As for the fanciful idea of seeking support from other Elders? They would likely be stripped of their positions the very next day!
After all, Li Wenli had done so much not just to benefit others.
Through these actions, he initially established his authority but also offended those major factions.
Li Wenli did not stop at this; he ignited his second action!
When clan children came of age or broke through to the later stages of Qi Cultivation, they could no longer live under the same roof as their parents and elders, and under his deliberate arrangements, they would end up living quite far apart.
Previously, the family had partitioned different areas of the mountain for different cultivations based on the density of Spiritual Energy. Li Wenli’s approach went a step further, breaking up a large family into individual households.
Maybe at first, the separation would enhance their affection for each other, but with less frequent visits over time, their feelings would naturally fade.
After a few generations, once the ancestors of the older generation had passed away, even if they shared close blood ties, they would no longer be any different from ordinary clan members.
The malicious intent behind this practice was evident to many, but they were powerless to stop it because Li Wenli not only had the support of Li Darong but also the backing of several Elders.
The final action Li Wenli took was with regards to inheritance!
Any clan member who broke through to the middle stages of Qi Cultivation could learn from the family’s foundation in Alchemy, Artifact Refining, Formation, and other basic Cultivation Skills free of charge!
Before this, clan members could only choose to learn three, and if they had no talent for the three chosen, they would have to exchange Contribution Values for the others.
However, it is important to understand that the Li family’s Scripture Pavilion was home to several dozen varieties of Cultivation Skills!
Blindly selecting three from so many and finding one that fits one’s own skills was not highly probable, and although the cost of the basic methods was not high, it was still not something a mid-Qi Cultivation clan member could easily afford, as they needed to ensure their own practice.
Clan members backed by a faction could borrow Contribution Values from within to exchange for learning methods, continue their studies, and even receive guidance from their elders, while those without a faction would have to temporarily give up and wait until they had sufficient Contribution Values to learn.
Li Wenli’s three actions swiftly established his authority within the family!
"What a good tactic!" exclaimed an Elder.
"Yes, this new Clan Leader has dealt with those factions with his very first move."
"After Wenli formally takes charge, those factions will probably have an even harder time," they said.
"But for us, it’s actually a good thing," they added, indicating their hope of regaining some of the authority they had lost.
"From now on, those clan members without backing will have much better days than we had," they said with a flash of resentment in their eyes.
As for Li Wenli being caught out? That was hardly likely! Because he had neither a Dao companion nor descendants, and even news of his mortal parents and relatives had long been erased. He was also rather reclusive, devoid of any close relationships among the clan members.
Aside from handling family affairs, his life was incredibly monotonous, spending most of his time in his own cave dwelling.
"Firm as a rock wall, unyielding when free from desires," aptly described him.
Would those factions attempt to make secret moves against him? If they really dared to do so, Li Darong would not let them off easily!
Once Li Zhirui emerged from seclusion, their fates would be even more miserable, with the main instigators possibly being directly stripped of their cultivation and expelled from the family.
"It’s been several years already; I wonder when the old ancestor will come out of seclusion so that I can really break free from these shackles," Li Darong said with a troubled expression.
Now Li Wenli was just the Acting Clan Leader, and many things still required Darong’s intervention, even if he didn’t have to handle them himself; yet, even so, Li Darong felt irritated.
And at this time, Li Zhirui, who had become the object of concern, was at a critical juncture in his breakthrough.
He felt that everything was just right, but he just couldn’t break through, which made him very irritable.
Fortunately, Li Zhirui had never given up on practicing the Visualization Skill of Divine Turtle Calming the Sea, and he quickly resolved the issues of his mind-state. Calming down, he launched another assault towards the later stages of Nascent Soul.
He was like Yu Gong under Mount Taihang, tirelessly digging at the towering mountain in front of him without rest.
Time passed, maybe a day, or maybe a year.
Suddenly, a rumbling noise of falling rocks echoed in Li Zhirui’s ears.
It turned out that the towering mountain standing before him had collapsed!
