As it turned out, Fang Qingyuan's worries were unfounded. A mere Outer Disciple at the Qi Refining Fourth Level like him wasn't important enough to be interrogated by the Great Zhou Academy.
「Three days later」, people from the Great Zhou Academy arrived. They whisked away the Villa Master, the head of the Inheritance Hall, and seven or eight Core Disciples, apparently on their way to Celestial Gate Mountain to confront Wei Tong.
The remaining disciples were placed under the strict supervision of several cultivators in scholarly robes to await the final outcome of the matter.
These cultivators in scholarly robes were all at the Foundation Establishment Stage. Any one of them could have been the Clan Leader of a Cultivator Clan in the lands around Celestial Gate Mountain, yet here they were, merely soldiers following orders.
Fortunately, the Great Zhou Academy had to show the Beast Taming Sect some respect. They didn't stuff Fang Qingyuan and the other disciples into cage-like Magical Artifacts, as they had with other Cultivator Clans.
Fang Qingyuan and the rest of the disciples were all gathered inside the Inheritance Hall.
Inside the great hall, Fang Qingyuan sat cross-legged in a corner, silent.
Zhang Yuan was right next to him. A moment ago, Zhang Yuan had tried to strike up a conversation, but a cultivator at the entrance sealed his mouth and nose with a Spiritual Finger. He was still unable to move.
A short distance away, Jiang Kui sat cross-legged in front of Fang Qingyuan. The faint outline of a stunning figure was visible beneath her loose Daoist Robe.
Fang Qingyuan glanced over before closing his eyes to rest. His mind was not on such things at the moment.
After breaking through to Mid-stage Qi Refining a few days ago, Fang Qingyuan had been planning to make some big moves. He never expected such a tumultuous turn of events.
There were no bottlenecks between the Qi Refining Fourth Level and the Sixth-Layer Qi Cultivation; he just needed to cultivate step by step.
Fang Qingyuan had calculated that with his medium-grade Wood Spirit Root, even with diligent daily practice, it would still take him a little over two years to break through to the Fifth-Layer Qi Cultivation.
This speed wasn't slow. For someone with a Lower-grade Spirit Root, even three or four years might not be enough to make the same breakthrough.
Cultivation was all about aptitude. Someone with a Celestial-grade Spirit Root, not accounting for bottlenecks, could reach Foundation Establishment in their twenties.
Unfortunately, a Spirit Root of that quality was one in ten thousand, and Fang Qingyuan had yet to see one.
'Logically, while Celestial Spirit Roots are rare, it's not as if they never appear,' Fang Qingyuan mused. 'The most likely explanation is that as soon as such children are born, they are whisked away in advance by the great, prestigious sects.'
'They're cultivated in secret and not allowed to make a public appearance until they reach the Golden Core realm.'
It was useless to dwell on it. After sitting cross-legged in the hall for a full day, Fang Qingyuan started to worry about his humpbacked ray. 'Without me around to look after it, I wonder if that guy can even manage to catch fish from the pond by itself.'
....
After a long day and night, the cultivators in scholarly robes at the entrance finally began to release people. As Fang Qingyuan stepped out of the great hall and into the sunlight, he had the surreal feeling that a lifetime had passed.
This was the first time he had ever been forcibly confined. Whether in his past life or in this Cultivation World, it was a first in every sense of the word.
It was an experience Fang Qingyuan truly never wanted to have again. The powerlessness of waiting for others to decide your fate—who could possibly enjoy that?
Outside the hall, Fang Qingyuan saw that the Villa Master and the head of the Inheritance Hall had already returned. He couldn't decipher much from their expressions.
The Villa Master announced with a wooden face:
"Effective immediately, Tianshan Villa and the Wei Family are reconciled. Past grievances will be forgotten."
As his words fell, an uproar erupted among the disciples below, who completely lost the composure expected of Cultivators.
"What's going on? So many people died, and there's no explanation at all?"
"I want to see the two Grand Uncles! We must ask the ancestors to seek justice for us!"
The disciples were in an uproar, but the Villa Master's expression remained as still as an old well. He ignored the clamor from below and continued speaking.
"Furthermore, I will soon be stepping down from my position as Villa Master. Uncle Zhao will be taking my place."
After dropping this bombshell, the Villa Master turned and left, his departing figure exuding an indescribable desolation. Fang Qingyuan saw Jiang Kui hurry after him, apparently wanting an explanation.
Fang Qingyuan blinked. Both pieces of news were completely unexpected.
'The Villa Master held this position for nearly thirty years. How did he become a disposable pawn in just a few days? Not only did his Early-stage Golden Core Spirit Beast die, but his position was also snatched away.'
'And for a Golden Core Cultivator like Zhao E Lian to become the master of a mere Villa... isn't that a waste of his talents?'
'Unless...' A possibility suddenly struck Fang Qingyuan. 'Unless Tianshan Villa is no longer just a Villa, but a Sub-Branch.'
The more he thought about it, the more Fang Qingyuan felt he was on the right track. A villa was just a remote outpost; a Foundation Establishment Cultivator accompanied by a Golden Core Spirit Beast was sufficient to manage it.
But if it was being promoted to a Sub-Branch, then it made sense for Zhao E Lian to be stationed here.
As one of the superpowers of this world, the Beast Taming Sect's unique Cultivation Technique required a wide variety of Spirit Beasts. They had to cultivate beasts from every kind of environment: oceans, skies, forests, volcanoes, deserts, and more.
From what Fang Qingyuan knew, the Beast Taming Sect had over a hundred villas but only twenty-some sub-branches, and every sub-branch was assigned a Golden Core Cultivator.
The Golden Core Cultivator wasn't even the most critical component. The Spirit Beasts they controlled were typically at the Late-stage Golden Core, and some were even at the Nascent Soul Stage.
Zhao E Lian's Golden Silk Silver-backed Manta Ray was a Late-stage Golden Core Spirit Beast, making him a perfectly suitable choice for the local Sub-Branch Leader.
As the thought flashed through his mind, Fang Qingyuan felt he had connected all the dots. Zhao E Lian wanted to become the leader of this sub-branch, so he had set a trap for Wei Tong of Celestial Gate Mountain.
One mountain cannot contain two tigers. Since Zhao E Lian wanted to put down roots here, Wei Tong had to be driven out.
From the looks of it, Zhao E Lian had achieved his goal. The secrets of how he did it, however, were not for outsiders to know.
The surrounding disciples were still venting their dissatisfaction, but Fang Qingyuan quietly slipped away and headed back home. It was best not to get involved in the affairs of powerful figures. The proper course of action was to focus on earning Spirit Stones and raising his cultivation level as quickly as possible.
When he arrived home, his humpbacked ray was lying motionless on the ground. Fang Qingyuan was startled. 'Why isn't this guy making a fuss? Don't tell me it starved to death?'
'That's impossible. It's only been a day without food. A Spirit Beast at the Third-Layer of Qi Cultivation wouldn't starve to death even if it went half a month without eating.'
As Fang Qingyuan drew closer and gave the creature a pat, it finally opened its hazy eyes. The moment it recognized Fang Qingyuan, it instantly perked up and began nudging him forcefully with its head.
Feeling the strength behind the humpbacked ray's nudges, Fang Qingyuan breathed a sigh of relief. 'Still so full of energy. It must be fine.'
After catching a few Pig Fish from the courtyard and feeding them to the humpbacked ray to calm it down, Fang Qingyuan entered his Quiet Chamber to begin his daily meditation.
After completing one full cycle of energy circulation and feeling his cultivation advance by another sliver, a faint smile touched Fang Qingyuan's lips.
He had been stuck at a bottleneck for a long time, and every meditation session had felt futile. The frustration had been enough to nearly give rise to a Heart Demon.
Now, he made progress with every meditation session. 'This feeling is amazing.'
As he calculated the days until the next sect stipend, Fang Qingyuan grew worried. He only had a dozen or so Spirit Stones on him from selling Pig Fish. That was enough to buy Spirit Rice, but where was he going to find the money for next month's dock rental fee and the fifty Spirit Stones for the humpbacked ray's lease?
'After today, I have to get serious about making money. Otherwise, I won't even be able to afford to keep this guy.'
Listening to the humpbacked ray causing a ruckus outside, Fang Qingyuan secretly steeled his resolve.