152: Chapter 152 I have long admired your family.

The Su Family actually had no right to refuse; there were only two paths before them: either die now, or potentially die in the future.

Rather than hesitating and incurring the other party's displeasure, it was better to take advantage of their friendly attitude to secure some benefits for the Su Family.

Su Yang's eyes flickered slightly as he answered directly, "Senior may not be aware, but the output of Spirit-Attached Artifacts is extremely low. We cannot provide them in large quantities to the Zhou Army for the time being. We need to wait a while until the people below have learned the Spirit-Attaching Technique, then the output will gradually increase."

"Secondly, if the matter of the Su Family providing Spirit-Attached Artifacts to the Zhou Army becomes known to Great Wei, it would mean the destruction of our Family."

Zhou Xuanji was a smart person and understood his meaning immediately.

The Su Family was stating their neutral position. They were not opposed to providing Spirit-Attached Artifacts to the Zhou Army, but the prerequisite was that the Zhou Army could protect the Su Family from being destroyed by Great Wei, or that the transaction would not be discovered by Great Wei.

Su Yang's neither humble nor arrogant, and non-hypocritical performance increased Zhou Xuanji's favorable impression of him.

The corners of her mouth curled slightly as she chuckled, "Clan Chief Su, rest assured. The Zhou Army will keep the transaction with the Su Family strictly confidential. If the matter is discovered by Great Wei, my Zhou Army will provide protection for the Su Family."

She raised her hand, and a token flew into Su Yang's hand.

"This is my Zhou Army's Request for Aid Token. Once activated with spiritual power, it will be sensed by the Zhou Army. No matter where the holder is, nearby Zhou Army forces will do their utmost to come to your aid."

"The token can be activated three times. Your Su Family has the authority to mobilize the Zhou Army three times. Even if you ask them to come and help with mining, they will strictly follow orders."

Zhou Xuanji's phoenix eyes stared straight at Su Yang. "Clan Chief Su, what do you think of the Zhou Army's sincerity?"

Unbeknownst to them, the area around the two had already been enveloped by a Spell, isolating their figures.

To outsiders, it only looked like Su Yang was gazing at the Drunken Immortal Tower, drawing no attention at all.

Su Yang looked at the token in his hand and smiled calmly. "The Su Family needs to receive payment before delivering the goods."

"Good!"

Zhou Xuanji nodded with satisfaction, left behind a Sound-transmitting Talisman, and then her figure suddenly vanished.

The Sound-transmitting Talisman was used for contacting the Zhou Army. Upon returning home, Su Yang gave both the talisman and the token to Su Xuanming and explained the cooperation with the Zhou Army.

"Father, are you sure this token can mobilize the Zhou Army?"

Su Xuanming was clearly somewhat skeptical. "Besides, how many people can this Zhou Army have? Even if the token works, I doubt they can call upon many people."

The Zhou Army claimed to be spread across the four seas, but in reality, only they knew their true numbers. After all, before they arrived at Qingyuan Market, no one had ever heard of the Zhou Army.

"Perhaps there aren't many now, but there certainly will be in the future," Su Yang said meaningfully.

Su Xuanming's brows rose. "It seems Father has already looked into it with the Heavenly Secret Arts and anticipated the arrival of the Zhou Army?"

Su Yang shook his head and said, "The Heavenly Secret Arts are not omnipotent. They only show a possibility. No one knows if the result of a deduction will change."

Since heavenly secrets could peek into the future, there would be Cultivators who chose to defy heaven and change their fate, thereby altering the future outcome.

If even his shallow Heavenly Secret Arts could detect signs of the two countries' downfall, how could Great Qi and Great Wei not know? They might already be secretly trying to reverse the heavenly secrets.

...

The Zhou Army stayed in Qingyuan Market for over two months, successfully attracting a group of followers. Not only were there homeless Refugees following them, but servants from various major forces also joined one after another.

For these servants, the Zhou Army would personally visit their former masters. After a round of 'friendly conversation,' they would successfully redeem their freedom for them.

With the departure of the Zhou Army, Qingyuan Market suddenly became much quieter.

But the Su Family knew that a small team of Zhou Army Cultivators was quietly stationed in the market. Using the identity of Su Family servants as cover, they operated an inconspicuous shop, responsible for contacting the Su Family and receiving and transporting Spirit-Attached Artifacts.

The person in charge was named Chu Yutang, with an unremarkable appearance—the kind that would completely disappear in a crowd.

On the surface, he was a Qi Refinement Stage Cultivator, but in reality, he was at the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment. He often sought out Su Yang to drink tea and chat, discussing world affairs and occasionally sharing insights on Daoist techniques.

Su Yang benefited greatly from this. He noticed that this person's understanding of Daoist techniques was extremely deep, and he also understood why the other party proactively sought him out.

It wasn't because of his status as the Su Family Clan Chief, but because he also possessed a diverse understanding of Daoist techniques.

"Brother Chu, there is one thing I truly wish to ask."

"Brother Su, feel free to speak."

"The Daoist techniques you are proficient in are so diverse. Have you ever worried about being a jack of all trades but master of none?"

Facing Su Yang's question, Chu Yutang laughed heartily.

"Brother Su may not know, but the Daoist techniques I Cultivate are quite special. The more Daoist techniques and things I understand, the more profound my cultivation becomes."

Su Yang was suddenly curious. "Then isn't this kind of Daoist technique very exhausting?"

"Isn't it?" Chu Yutang smiled helplessly. "But someone must walk this path in order to assist Your Majesty in the future."

Good heavens, he directly called him Your Majesty!

"Brother Chu, could it be that you are walking the National Teacher Path?" Su Yang asked in surprise.

Chu Yutang nodded with a smile. "Precisely the National Teacher Path. Only by knowing all things in the world can one point the way for the world."

"Impressive!"

Su Yang raised his teacup to show his respect.

In his heart, he wondered if the other party was bragging, or if he really intended to be a State Preceptor, or if there were multiple Cultivators in the Zhou Army all walking the National Teacher Path, being raised like Gu, with the final winner becoming the true State Preceptor?

The two were sipping tea and discussing the Dao when they suddenly sensed the commotion of a Foundation Establishment Breakthrough in the market.

"That direction is..." Su Yang's Divine Sense swept out. "The Li Family!"

It was Jiang Linyuan establishing his foundation!

This result was both unexpected and within Su Yang's expectations.

The surprise was that Jiang Linyuan's cultivation speed was too fast, almost identical to his own. But thinking of him as a Robber Cultivator, it felt reasonable.

After all, murder and arson bring wealth; the riches of a Robber Cultivator are greater than those of an ordinary Cultivator. Jiang Linyuan had moved through several Family forces, and the one he stayed in longest was the Li Family.

Su Yang couldn't help but suspect now that the Li Family had already been usurped by Jiang Linyuan.

Otherwise, where would he get the resources to Cultivate so quickly?

While he was pondering, strong spiritual power fluctuations continued to erupt from the direction of the Li Family. Jiang Linyuan's Aura was like a surging rainbow as he broke through three gates in succession. He had succeeded in Foundation Establishment!

"The process was a bit dangerous, and the Spiritual Sense Gate was broken with some difficulty, but in the end, the Foundation Establishment was successful."

Chu Yutang clicked his tongue in wonder. "It looks like he used a rather ordinary foundation establishment pill. This person has no small amount of luck to succeed in Foundation Establishment with that."

The spiritual power fluctuations of the Foundation Establishment Stage instantly swept through the entire market, and the faces of the five veteran Foundation Establishment Cultivators suddenly darkened.

Another piece of the Qingyuan meat was about to be torn away!

"Hahahaha!"

A clear, long whistle resounded from the Li Family courtyard. Jiang Linyuan soared into the air on his sword, his body radiating the pressure of Foundation Establishment.

His figure was like a flash of lightning, appearing before Su Yang and Chu Yutang in an instant. He cupped his hands and said, "Clan Chief Su, I have long admired your noble residence's reputation. Today, I boldly request to join the Su Clan's ranks. I will certainly serve with all my heart to repay your kindness!"