sbdcsierra Chapter 281 He Family
Chapter 281 He Family
As you enter Shikuang, what comes into view are buildings covered with all kinds of flowers, plants, and evergreen vines, scattered everywhere.
No wonder that even on a clear, sunny day, the summit of Tulong Mountain appears lush and green in satellite images; it turns out that all the buildings here are concealed by flowers, grass, and trees. Each building, though seemingly only one story high, is actually seven or eight meters tall.
Inside the main hall of an ancient building named "Zhonglingdian," a man over fifty years old, dressed in a purple robe, sat cross-legged with his back to the door, meditating before an unidentified deity at the head of the hall.
Suddenly, Lin Feng rushed in, stood respectfully behind the man, bowed to him, and called out respectfully, "Father."
This man's name is He Jingde, the head of the He family. Judging from how Lin Feng addresses him, he is Lin Feng's father.
He Jingde didn't speak, only grunted an "Mm." After a while, he slowly opened his mouth and asked, "Feng'er, didn't you go down the mountain with Lin Yun? Why are you back so early?"
Lin Feng said respectfully, "Father, the reason I returned so quickly is that I have something to report to you."
He Jingde took a deep breath, placed his hands parallel to his chest with his fingers touching and palms facing down, pressed down, and exhaled deeply. Then he asked, "What is it?"
Lin Feng quickly said, "Father, I have encountered a cultivator who is two or three years younger than me."
He Jingde smiled slightly and said, "Just because of this?"
Lin Feng replied, "Yes, this person's name is a bit strange, it's called Chao Bufan. He's not from one of our eight great cultivation families, but his cultivation level is far above mine."
"kindness?"
He Jingde was slightly startled and asked, "Feng'er, are you sure this person's cultivation level is above yours?"
"Yes, I am absolutely certain, which is why I have come back to report to you, Father."
He Jingde slowly turned around, sitting cross-legged as if on a rotating futon. Then he stood up, frowned and pondered for a moment, then exclaimed in surprise, "In the entire HX, all cultivators come from the eight great cultivation families. Could it be that in HX, besides our eight great cultivation families, there are other cultivation families?"
He Jingde thought about it more and more and felt that it was impossible, but then he remembered the strange thing that happened in the southwest a few days ago, and his brows furrowed deeply. After a moment, he asked, "Feng'er, have you ever fought with this person?"
Lin Feng replied, "No, but I chatted with him for a while and asked him where his cultivation came from."
"Then what did he say?"
“He said that his skills were taught to him by a senior, which I found strange, so I came back to report it. Oh, right, Father, Senior Brother Lin Yun, Senior Brother Feilong from the Situ family, Senior Sister Yan Hong, Senior Brother Bei Xiao from the Murong family, and Senior Sister San Mei were all present at the time. Senior Sister Yan Hong and Senior Sister San Mei also went back to report the matter.”
He Jingde nodded and said, "Yes, this matter is of great importance. Fortunately, the other seven families have not yet left. Feng'er, go and invite Uncle Chu Tian and the others over immediately. Tell them I have something urgent to discuss."
He Jingde raised his hand and said, "Yes, I will go right away."
Let me explain the structure of HX's eight major cultivation families. As a large, reclusive cultivation family, they naturally have their own hierarchical system, with distinct levels. Generally speaking, each family has a strict hierarchy of status, with inner disciples, outer disciples, and core disciples.
Within a clan, the lowest-ranking and least influential group is the outer disciples. Since each clan typically has several thousand members, and so many people need to eat and drink, each clan has its own source of income. The outer disciples bear the heavy responsibility of supporting their families. Therefore, these outer disciples are often scattered throughout HX; some run companies, some engage in business, and some even have connections with national leaders. They hand over most of their earnings to their clan. This is what outer disciples do. Of course, they have no cultivation whatsoever and are no different from ordinary people. Most importantly, they have virtually no status within the clan, regardless of whether you are an entrepreneur or a high-ranking official.
Every five years, each family holds a selection competition for outer disciples. Those who have made outstanding contributions to the family are promoted to inner disciples and then taught cultivation by specialists. Therefore, becoming an inner disciple is often the lifelong dream of these outer disciples and an important indicator of whether they are recognized by the family. Once they become inner disciples, their status and position undergo a significant transformation.
Inner disciples in each family usually do nothing but cultivate every day. They are served three meals a day. That's what inner disciples do every day.
For ordinary people, the threshold for entering the path of cultivation is very low. You can embark on the path of cultivation in one or two years, or even a few months, which is the early stage of the Heaven Realm. However, it takes seven or eight years, or even ten years, to cross the early stage of the Human Realm and enter the middle stage of the Heaven Realm. Therefore, ten years is often the balance that measures the strength of a cultivator, and it is also the watershed for a cultivator to enter a better level of cultivation. It is the first chasm on the path of cultivation.
Therefore, every ten years, each family holds an inner disciple selection competition. They conduct comprehensive tests and assessments on each inner disciple, and those who meet the requirements and pass the tests become core disciples. Once you become a core disciple, your status, position, and treatment within the family will undergo a significant change, which is the dream of those inner disciples who have worked hard for ten years.
Core disciples are vastly different in status and position from inner disciples. They are able to participate in the vast majority of missions within the family and are the family's key personnel for training.
They are the hope of the family, the pillars of the family.
This is the hierarchy of disciples in each family. Above them are the main members of the family, whose status and position will be different.
The highest-ranking member and core figure in every family is naturally the family head. The family head is equivalent to the head of state; he has absolute authority, control, and the power of life and death within the family.
Secondly, there are the elders within the families. Each of the eight major cultivation families has several elders, some with as many as eight, others with as few as six. However, they also have varying ranks within the family, such as First Elder, Second Elder, Third Elder, and so on. Therefore, the First Elder usually holds the most power, followed by the Second Elder, and so on. But each elder holds a pivotal position within the family, almost like someone second only to the head of the household.