The White Feather Order was a Purple Gold Token. Its face was engraved with the lifelike totem of a White Feathered Eagle.
The moment Fang Yang grasped it, a sense of weight settled over him, tempering his joy.
The power of the Sen clan was even more terrifying than he had imagined.
This was no longer a helpful breeze; it was a full-blown hurricane!
If he handled it poorly, forget about riding the wind to the heavens—he'd be lucky not to be instantly smashed to pieces!
'You want to shelter me from the wind and rain, but you don't realize that you're the one who brings most of it.'
The thought came to Fang Yang out of nowhere.
An instant later, he cast the meaningless notion aside.
Since things had already reached this point, all he could do now was try his best to maintain his relationship with Sen Hui.
Whatever became of his relationship with Sen Hui was a problem for another day.
Besides, Sen Hui had likely just acted on impulse. It was entirely possible that once she calmed down, she would start ignoring him.
If that happened, their relationship would eventually grow distant.
"Second Uncle, Seventh Uncle."
Inside the small bamboo hut, Fang Yang said after a moment's thought, "Regarding taking charge of the White Feathered Eagle tribe, I want to try handling it myself first. If I can't manage, then you can step in to help."
At that moment, the faces of Second Uncle Fang and Seventh Uncle Fang still showed a hint of excitement.
But as they heard Fang Yang's words, they gradually composed themselves.
They nodded in unison.
"Ah Yang, your reasoning makes a lot of sense. It's highly likely that this is a test of your abilities from the Dao Seed Level prodigy, Sen Yue. If we were to interfere rashly, it would reflect poorly on you."
"That's right. These Dao Seed Level prodigies are all peerless talents, dragons among men. They're terrifying!"
"Sigh... It's just a pity Ancestor Fang Nian passed away so early. Otherwise, our Fang Clan wouldn't have gone hundreds of years without a single Dao Seed emerging!"
The mention of Ancestor Fang Nian cast an immediate silence over the room.
In truth, it wasn't that Ancestor Fang Nian didn't want to cultivate one or two Tier Six Saints for the Fang Clan; it was that he couldn't. There wasn't enough time.
For one thing, Saints were incredibly difficult to cultivate; one could only try their best to nurture such talent.
For another, the path Ancestor Fang Nian had pioneered was still in its infancy, making it extremely difficult for others to follow.
By the time Ancestor Fang Nian perfected the path after reaching Tier Seven, he perished abruptly in a tribulation, leaving no time to cultivate the next generation.
To be frank, the Fang Clan was not weak.
But compared to the entire Changkong clan, they seemed to be in decline.
The reason Fang Yang was so highly regarded was that he had manifested a Fire Eagle Spirit Body upon his Enlightenment, following the exact same growth trajectory as Ancestor Fang Nian.
This made it all but impossible for the Fang Clan elders not to believe that Fang Yang was sent by the Thunder Ancestor to save their lineage.
Fang Yang, they thought, truly had a chance to become a Saint, lead the Fang Clan back to glory, and make their name renowned far and wide!
...
「Night.」
Starlight dappled Fang Yang's face.
His head was bowed as he sat at the desk by his window, frantically flipping through intelligence reports.
He was looking for a suitable 'white glove' or 'black glove.'
A 'white glove' was typically a silver-tongued businessman acting as a front for powerful figures who were unwilling or unable to appear in public.
A 'black glove,' on the other hand, leaned more toward violence.
'Lingfang... Lu Yao... Both of them possess the qualities for either role. I need to think this over...'
Fang Yang lowered his gaze, lost in thought.
In truth, he didn't care much for power and status; those weren't his priorities.
But having them would make his path of cultivation much smoother.
However, Fang Yang was unwilling to neglect his own training for the sake of scrambling for power.
After all, an eagle only reveals its killing intent the moment it strikes, and not every piece of prey is worthy of its effort.
The rest could be left to his black and white gloves.
After some deliberation, Fang Yang finally chose Lu Yao.
After he had left the Wanqin Silver Tribe, Lu Yao hadn't lost her way.
On the contrary, she had shown the determination and courage to gather her scattered clansmen bit by bit.
What Lu Yao lacked was an opportunity and a powerful backer.
Of course, the most important factor was Fang Yang's consideration that Lingfang was not only his Second Uncle's disciple but also the daughter of the Wanqin Silver Tribe's Clan Leader.
Fang Yang wasn't influential enough to have a Tier One Pill Master like Lingfang work for him directly. He would have to leverage his elders' connections, which made her a less-than-ideal choice.
「The next morning.」
With a nervous heart, Lu Yao came to the bamboo forest behind the mountain to meet with Fang Yang.
"My lord, it has been a long time. You are as imposing and extraordinary as ever." Lu Yao bowed. Compared to the last time they met, she had a distinctly more mature air about her.
Fang Yang's eyes narrowed, and then he suddenly smiled.
"Little Deer, you are very interesting. Very interesting indeed."
"Become my subordinate. One day, when I reign supreme over the world, I will share the glory of the ages with you."
Fang Yang extended his hand, his invitation direct and to the point.
His directness, however, took Lu Yao by surprise.
At that moment, her eyes welled with tears. She recalled how Fang Yang had once ignored her, and now, how he valued her. It was as if she had reclaimed her lost dignity.
For some reason, a part of her desperately wanted to refuse his request, to turn and walk away, leaving him with nothing but the sight of her defiant back.
In reality, however, she took the initiative to kneel in submission, resting her chin on Fang Yang's outstretched hand.
She firmly believed that Fang Yang's future would be extraordinary, that he was destined to rule over a vast domain!
"My Lord, this servant still possesses her Primordial Yin Body. From this day forward, I entrust my everything to you. I will be at your command, completely obedient. I only hope you will favor me."
"Seductive eyes and overflowing affection... I never realized you possessed such an innately alluring charm. Stand up. I, Fang Yang, am not a man ruled by lust."
A bamboo forest. A subordinate kneeling in utter submission, promising absolute obedience... For any man, it was a scene that would make the blood boil, a powerfully striking image.
But Fang Yang simply pulled Lu Yao to her feet and slowly turned to business.
He wanted Lu Yao to gather as many of her Cyan Deer Tribe clansmen as possible and have them merge into the White Feathered Eagle, a Bronze Tribe.
This request made Lu Yao weep with joy, her eyes instantly brimming with tears.
'They're saved!'
'My people are saved!'
'I really did it! I saved them all through my own efforts!'
Her face was flushed and her breath was as fragrant as an orchid. She gazed at Fang Yang, utterly infatuated.
Objectively speaking, she was an exceptionally beautiful woman.
Her beauty was different from that of Sen Hui or Sen Wei. It was more vibrant, and she was more keenly aware of her own strengths.
Sen Hui would never be able to perform some of the coquettish actions that came so naturally to her.
Yet for Lu Yao, they seemed perfectly natural, enough to make a man's blood run hot and stir a tingling in his loins.
The next moment, however, Lu Yao shivered and was jolted back to her senses.
Fang Yang was standing over her, staring down at her coldly.
He was like an eagle staring down a deer, his killing intent slowly rising.
Yet the more he acted this way, the more certain Lu Yao felt that she had chosen the right person to follow.
She didn't need a gentle master.
Cold, powerful, rational... Fang Yang embodied nearly all the traits Lu Yao idealized in a leader, to the point of an almost pathological obsession.
Lu Yao felt that she could finally get a peaceful night's sleep, no longer having to exhaust her mind scheming just to survive.
...
「The Changkong Clan.」
「The Sen Clan.」
BOOM! The cauldron exploded again. Black smoke billowed out, spreading through the surrounding palace halls.
Sen Hui pressed her lips together tightly, saying nothing.
She was just one step away. One step from advancing to a Tier Two Pill Master and surpassing Lingfang!
'Why is this one tiny step so difficult?'
With a soft sigh, Sen Hui crouched down and began to slowly examine what had gone wrong.
Failing at alchemy yet again, she felt her spirits sink.
But the moment she thought of her promise with Fang Yang, she was filled with renewed strength.
"After the war ends, I'll come find you to study the pill master's arts. I just hope you won't look down on me then."
Sen Hui had held onto those words from Fang Yang, keeping them close to her heart.
In the distance, Saint Fan Liu and Sen Wei watched all of this unfold.
Their gazes were profound as they both silently repeated Fang Yang's name in their minds, each with different thoughts.
The former, Saint Fan Liu, hoped the Fang Clan would soon crumble under the pressure from the Carp Eagle Blessed Land, forcing Fang Yang to submit to Sen Hui.
The latter, Sen Wei, was content to let Fang Yang grow freely, confident that she herself would grow even faster and suppress all in her path.
As a member of Fang Yang's generation, Sen Wei did not need to act with as many reservations as her elders...