The Chen family was now eligible to claim a share of the Border Region's resources. Even if it reduced the profits of the two existing families slightly, the Chen family could still expect an annual increase of at least 6,000 spirit stones.
With the family's elevation to a Purple Mansion Immortal Clan, both Elian and the Patriarch's stipends would also increase significantly.
Generally, the annual stipend for most Purple Mansion cultivators in sects and families was no less than 3,000 spirit stones, with wealthier families offering as much as 5,000.
Without this fixed stipend, Purple Mansion cultivators would face difficulties progressing, often struggling to reach the mid- to late-stage Purple Mansion before their lifespan ran out.
This stipend was substantial. Before acquiring the Metal vein, the Chen family, while being a top-tier Foundation Establishment clan, had an annual income barely exceeding 9,000 spirit stones.
Securing a share of the Border Regions's spiritual stone mine and Metal vein would greatly improve the family's finances. Combined with the upgrade of Linghu Isle's spiritual vein to the third rank, the family's savings would grow substantially.
Apart from rewards and family missions, stipends were fixed. Under such conditions, every additional 1,000 spirit stones earned would directly translate into 1,000 spirit stones of surplus—pure profit.
Thinking of this, Elian nodded and said, "Then we'll hold the promotion banquet in three months. The Elder Council will oversee the preparations."
"Chen Nianchuan and Chen Xianling, you two will visit Ling County and Feng County to notify the Immortal Clans there."
Choosing Chen Nianchuan and Chen Xianling to represent the family in these counties was a fitting decision.
As the patriarch and Elian focused on cultivation as their primary duty, they rarely handled family affairs. Most matters were managed by the Elder Council, with only significant issues reaching their attention.
This was standard practice among Immortal Clans. The clan leader and ancestor were the strongest pillars of the clan, representing its power and prestige. Their main responsibility was cultivation, not day-to-day management.
Unless a major decision was required, routine matters were handled by the Elder Council or the family administration hall. The results were then summarized and reported to the patriarch during an annual meeting—or in some cases, every few years or even decades.
As Elian and the Patriarch spent longer periods in seclusion due to advancing cultivation, elders were expected to independently handle most issues, convening the Elder Council when needed.
Elian and the Patriarch dealt only with critical matters and rewards or punishments. Those who acted selfishly or committed grave injustices would face severe consequences.
As long as the two of them remained as the family's anchors, even significant challenges would not disrupt the family. The Foundation Establishment elders would remain united, avoiding internal strife like that which plagued the Qingyang Sect.
This exemplified the power of leadership by example. The two worked tirelessly for the family and harshly punished betrayal, naturally fostering loyalty among their subordinates.
Nianchuan and Xianling were young, with Nianchuan reaching Foundation Establishment on his own. Both had now advanced to the fourth stage of Foundation Establishment.
Although the Chen family boasted thirteen Foundation Establishment cultivators, only these two siblings and Chen Nianchuan stood out significantly.
Others, such as Nianfu, Nianfeng, and Nianzhen, were less exceptional in temperament, talent, or lifespan. In contrast, elders like Chen Qinghao and Chen Qingwan from the Qing generation were more diligent in their cultivation.
Within the family, Nianchuan and Xianling held relatively high importance and status. Entrusting them with invitations to the Immortal Clans demonstrated respect and formality.
"Speaking of banquets, I'm reminded of the Foundation Establishment banquet we held forty years ago," Elian remarked.
"Back then, the family celebrated the advancement of three Foundation Establishment cultivators, and I was the one running errands. Who would've thought the family would change so much in just forty years?"
Elian smiled as he reminisced. Now, as a senior figure, it was no longer appropriate for him to deliver invitations. Even Purple Mansion clans would feel uneasy about it, let alone Foundation Establishment clans.
After further discussion and deliberation over key issues, the meeting concluded after a full day.
With the arrangements in place, Elian and the Patriarch began setting up formations at the Xuantie Mountain grounds.
The Patriarch examined the terrain and said to Elian, "The spiritual vein at Xuantie Mountain is connected to the Metal vein. It would be best to use a metal-attribute artifact as the formation core."
"That way, we can maximize its power."
Elian's eyes flickered as he took out a third-rank artifact—the Vajra Banner. This artifact, capable of both offense and defense, contained the divine abilities of the Glazed Vajra Barrier and the Heavenly Seal, both metal-attribute techniques.
The Patriarch hesitated for a moment before saying, "This artifact is quite powerful. You'd be better off keeping it to enhance your combat abilities."
"Now that I've advanced to the Purple Mansion stage, this artifact is merely an enhancement for me," Elian replied.
"Xuantie Mountain will be one of the family's most critical assets. Using it to secure the Metal vein with a third-rank formation is the best use for it."
Though the artifact was versatile, Elian already had strong defensive tools in the Vajra Seal and plenty of offensive techniques. The banner's usefulness to him was limited.
Hearing this, the Patriarch agreed. Together, they began constructing the mountain's protective formation.
After several days of effort, the grand formation was finally completed. The Patriarch beamed with satisfaction.
"With this formation, even Purple Mansion cultivators will struggle to breach Xuantie Mountain quickly."
Elian nodded, a hint of a smile on his face. The formation amplified the Vajra Banner's divine abilities significantly, making it a formidable defense against Purple Mansion-level attacks.
However, the high-grade second-rank spiritual vein powering the formation was insufficient to fully unleash its potential. Upgrading it to a third-rank spiritual vein would be necessary, but that would require 300,000 spirit stones. Even for the newly elevated Chen family, it would take 20 to 30 years to accumulate such a sum.
Fortunately, the family had acquired a substantial amount of second-rank treasures from the Metal vein. Selling these would cover most of the cost, and with a small supplement from family funds, they could upgrade the spiritual vein to low-grade third rank within five years.
With a third-rank spiritual vein, the mine at Xuantie Mountain would expand its spiritual field production, creating a positive cycle of growth for the family.
This advantage was primarily due to the Chen family's natural Spiritual Roots, which minimized the resource cost of advancing spiritual veins at Pingyang City, Qingyuan Mountain, and Linghu Isle.
Otherwise, advancing even two spiritual veins to third rank would have financially strained a newly promoted Purple Mansion clan, requiring a century of frugality to amass sufficient funds.
With the third-rank formation in place at Xuantie Mountain, the family's Foundation Establishment cultivators were finally freed from guard duty.
The Chen family stationed Chen Qingwan, Chen Nianchuan, Chen Nianzhen, Chen Nianfu, and Chen Nianfeng to oversee Xuantie Mountain, while the others returned to Qingyuan Mountain and various spiritual veins.
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I need POWAAA! Gimme Power Stones :D