437: Chapter 437 Choice

Star Space.

Liu Xuan's main purpose for returning this time was to retrieve the Circumference of Heaven Stars Grand Array Formation Plate and take it to the Peach Blossom Sect to set up.

The Circumference of Heaven Stars Grand Array Formation Plate was at the peak of the fourth rank. If supported by sufficient Spiritual Veins, it could block a Spirit Transformation Dao Lord. Since the Red Pine Sect only had a single third-rank Spiritual Vein, leaving it here would be too wasteful.

Previously, there was no other way, but now the Peach Blossom Sect had a fourth-rank High Grade Spiritual Vein, which was enough to bring out more than half of its power. Combined with the Peach Blossom Demon Lord's Peak Nascent Soul cultivation and the quasi-fifth-rank blood fiend tree heart, its full potential could almost be realized.

If the Peach Blossom Demon Lord was strong, Liu Xuan was strong. Rather than leaving the Formation Plate to gather dust at the Red Pine Sect, it was better to set it up at the Peach Blossom Sect.

"Buzz~"

As Liu Xuan manipulated the Formation Plate to retract the Formation Flags, the Spiritual Qi throughout the Red Pine Sect experienced a momentary stagnation.

The Red Pine Sect's Formation was quite complex. Years ago, Liu Xuan had performed a Fusion of the Star Array with the original Red Pine Formation, and its edges were even connected to the Feiyu City Formation, creating a composite Formation.

If he were to dismantle it forcefully to take the Star Array, the original Red Pine Formation would collapse, and even the Feiyu City Formation would be damaged.

Fortunately, Liu Xuan had set everything up himself. His Formation level was high enough that he only needed to spend a bit more time to resolve it perfectly, extracting the Star Array without damaging the original Formation.

It took a full half-day for all the Formation Flags in the Spiritual Vein to be extracted and integrated into the Star Disc.

The fourth-rank peak Formation Plate was itself a top-quality Spirit Treasure. Having absorbed star power for so many years, it appeared even more dazzling and bright than when Liu Xuan first obtained it.

The Star Space had not disappeared either; it remained within the star Formation Plate. However, without the support of the Spiritual Vein and star power, the concentration of Spiritual Qi inside had temporarily decreased slightly.

Seeing Liu Xuan take away the Star Array, Yue Li and Lin Xue'er understood that the Red Pine Sect was truly no longer important to him. They no longer had to stay here and could leave with him... The next day.

Liu Xuan held a Family meeting in the West Courtyard. All the Concubines and children staying behind had to attend.

Once everyone had arrived, Liu Xuan announced the Family's future development plan: the Red Pine Sect would gradually be marginalized.

"Marginalization does not mean complete abandonment. The Red Pine Sect is still my Liu Family's territory. Those willing to stay can obtain high positions within the Sect, and the Family will also provide you with support."

Currently at the Red Pine Sect, besides those children under thirteen, there were also over forty of Liu Xuan's Concubines and over twenty adult children.

The Concubines were mostly beauties sent by local families of the Red Pine Sect, as well as many maids Liu Xuan had taken in during his early years in Yongning.

These people generally had low talent. Even with Liu Xuan's help, their cultivation only progressed slightly faster than ordinary Cultivators, and it would be difficult for them to ever Breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment cultivation level.

The maid Xiao Hong, the servant girl Meier bought in Yongning, the failed Junior Sister he married from the Dual Cultivation Hall over thirty years ago... Liu Xuan saw several relatively familiar faces. After so many years, these women still retained their charm, but in reality, most were already over fifty, nearing sixty. Upon closer inspection, fine crow's feet had begun to appear at the corners of some of their eyes.

If they could not reach Foundation Establishment, once they passed the age of sixty, these changes would become increasingly obvious.

Watching familiar people slowly age while the path of immortal cultivation grew increasingly dim, Liu Xuan felt slightly dejected.

Despite his low spirits, it was just a bit of sentimentality. Liu Xuan had five or six hundred women; it was impossible to Cultivate all of them to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

The worse the talent, the more resources were needed for a Breakthrough. The Liu Family still had so many Genius children to Cultivate, so the consumption of resources had to be balanced.

Even if there were extra resources, giving them to women with stronger talent and abilities like Xiao Ran, Zi Ling, Zi Lan, and Lu Ping would be more useful—not to mention Golden Core True Persons like Yue Li, An Yunxi, and Shen Yunshu, who required a massive amount of resources.

The Concubines would certainly go with Liu Xuan; his words just now were directed at those twenty-odd children with ordinary Aptitude.

Liu Xuan had over five hundred offspring, with nearly two hundred of them being adults. Their overall talent was extremely high, but there were still some who were relatively average.

Especially the early batch of children; because Liu Xuan's cultivation was not high then and their mothers' talent and cultivation were also average, many didn't even have a Spiritual Root and only barely possessed a Ninth-Grade Spirit Root thanks to the blessing of the Family tree.

The nineteenth, Dao Hong, the twentieth, Ling Zi, as well as several children born in the Liu Manor of Yongning City—their talent and Comprehension Ability were all relatively much worse.

"Father, if we choose to stay, will we still be able to see you in the future?" Dao Hong's voice choked up, his eyes red. In this moment, he regretted that he had clearly had opportunities back then but lost a great Opportunity due to laziness.

"Of course!" Liu Xuan smiled. "You will always be my, Liu Xuan's, children. You can come back anytime you have the chance."

Liu Xuan prioritized profit, but he wasn't heartless. One reason he let them stay at the Red Pine Sect was that it was more suitable for their growth.

The children of the Liu Family were growing rapidly and required more and more resources. Internal competition was destined to become increasingly intense, and they wouldn't be able to win.

Rather than competing with those Genius brothers, it was better to stay peacefully in a small place like the Red Pine Sect and develop well.

With the background of the Liu Clan, they could easily control power within the Red Pine Sect, which would be more than enough for their own cultivation or for developing the Family.

If they obtained an Opportunity and their cultivation progressed in the future, or if they raised a Genius descendant, they would still have the chance to return.

"I am willing to stay and manage the Red Pine Sect for the Family. From now on, I will go to Father's side in the last month of every year to fulfill my filial duties!"

"I don't want to stay at the Red Pine Sect. If I go anywhere, it will be to the Peach Blossom Sect. There are more opportunities there!"

"I... I haven't decided yet. Father, could you allow me a few days to consider?"

...Of the twenty-plus children, only seven were willing to stay. Over a dozen wanted to go to the Peach Blossom Sect. Even if they couldn't stay at the Peach Blossom Sect's main gate, they wanted to develop in subordinate cities like Great Sun City. A few others hadn't decided and planned to think it over for a few days.

Among the seven children who stayed, Dao Hong was the most determined. He now had a Family to support, with many wives, Concubines, and children, making it difficult for him to leave.

Because Dao Hong had strayed from the path of cultivation early on, he had started taking over much of the Red Pine Sect's power many years ago, pushed by the families behind his wives and Concubines.

This power radiated downwards, affecting many of his relatives and friends. The resistance he would face if he wanted to leave was no small matter.

Everyone was well aware of the Liu Clan's rules. Liu Xuan was not stingy with his children; even those ranked at the bottom still had basic resources to maintain their daily cultivation.

If Dao Hong chose to leave with Liu Xuan, his life would still be comfortable, and the impact wouldn't be very large.

However, Liu Xuan was not so generous toward other relatives. If Dao Hong's performance was poor, his fathers-in-law and mothers-in-law, as well as his wives, Concubines, and children, would not be able to get by in the Liu Family.

People are self-interested. If Dao Hong stayed at the Red Pine Sect, everyone would have a livelihood. If they raised a Genius descendant in the future, they might even have the chance to become the masters of the entire Red Pine Sect!"