Recommending Genius Physiognomist by Tie Kou Zhi Duan: A single divination is worth a thousand gold pieces. The young Ye Tian accidentally inherits the physiognomist legacy, delving into the intersection of heaven and man, grasping the changes from antiquity to the present, continuing the lost arts of the ancient sages. Zong Shou silently nodded; a thousand Xuanjia Wind Dragon Riders—that was a weighty contribution. He didn't wish to speak his thanks, only engraving the gratitude deeply in his heart.

"Naturally, in this world, absolute loyalty is impossible. So, Young Lord, don't let him down either."

As he spoke, Xuanyuan Tong beckoned again. From the troop of riders, the foremost man, astride the most magnificent Wind Winged Dragon Beast, rode up beside Xuanyuan Tong. When the faceplate was lifted, it was none other than Tan Tao, who inclined his head in greeting toward Zong Shou.

"The two beside you, Zong Hu, are both outstanding talents among martial cultivators, capable of holding off ten. However, if you encounter the Xuanwu Sect, you might still be at a slight disadvantage. As for Ruo Shui, although he personally taught her, making her like a disciple, her poison wounds have not yet healed. I am having Tan Tao follow you; the matters of Yunxia Mountain and Blazing Flame Mountain were his provocations—this time, let him atone for his crime!"

Upon saying this, Xuanyuan Tong still seemed annoyed and glared fiercely at Tan Tao. The latter could only offer a wry smile before his expression turned solemn: "City Lord, I swear that on the journey to Qiantian Mountain, I will never let the Young Lord die before I, Tan Tao!"

Only then did Xuanyuan Tong smile in satisfaction. Zong Shou secretly felt a headache coming on—why this treacherous fellow? He would have much preferred Xuanyuan Tong send Luo Nao to him instead.

However, at this moment, refusal was impossible. He could only say helplessly, "Thank you, Father-in-law. These one thousand Xuanjia Wind Dragon Riders—I, Zong Shou, guarantee their complete return within three months!"

"No need. You are the Young City Lord of Xuanshan City. These Xuanjia Wind Dragon Riders were meant to be yours anyway; use them as you please from now on. Naturally, you will also be responsible for feeding this entire contingent."

Seeing Zong Shou momentarily stunned, Xuanyuan Tong chuckled again, "I know your father left you a large sum of Beast Crystals and Spirit Stones at the Three Continents Bank before he went into seclusion in the Sinking Cloud Sea. This small retinue shouldn't be too much for you to maintain, should it?"

Zong Shou was speechless. What did he mean by 'this small retinue'? Ten Martial Ancestor experts, fifty Innate Martial Masters, two hundred Secret Martial Masters. The rest were all above the fifth pulse of the Earth Wheel realm. And one man, three beasts, totaling three thousand Wind Winged Dragon Beasts. These people require food and forage, plus stipends. Without at least four hundred fourth-tier Spirit Stones, or four thousand fourth-tier Beast Crystals, annually, there was simply no way to sustain them.

The few Martial Ancestors alone accounted for half; the Spirit Pills and Spirit Stones required for their cultivation each year consumed about two thousand fourth-tier Beast Crystals. But how many fourth-tier Beast Crystals and Spirit Stones did Qiantian Mountain yield annually? There were quite a few Spirit Stone mines, but most had to be shared with those secluded sects. He recalled that Qiantian Mountain's total annual revenue—all silver tax, spirit stones, beast crystals, tributes from vassal cities, plus his own dealings in elixirs, weaponry, and various materials—converted to only about thirty thousand fourth-tier Beast Crystals. The gains from hunting beneath the Cloud Sea each year were considerable, likely reaching two hundred and fifty thousand crystals.

In other words, supporting just these one thousand Xuanjia Wind Dragon Riders consumed nearly one-eightieth of Qiantian Mountain's total annual income. Even after he returned and inherited the Demon King's position, this amount of wealth was not something he could use freely. Now, he could only hope that the fortune left by Zong Weiran was massive enough.

Xuanyuan Tong seemed to see through his thoughts and smiled faintly, "Don't worry! Don't forget that six years ago, Brother Weiran was already a Heavenly Rank Martial Ancestor. And he was a Heavenly Rank who could venture alone beneath the Cloud Sea to hunt the seventh-tier refined beast, the Charm Monster, completely unscathed! Just by himself, he could harvest over ten seventh-tier Beast Crystals annually. For years, he has almost daily visited those famous perilous lands to hone his martial dao. Can you imagine how vast his wealth is now? His private savings accumulated over these years could probably buy my Xuanshan City."

Zong Shou's gaze immediately narrowed, and his heart settled. Yet, waves of emotion surged within him. In this era, on the Cloud Continent, refined beasts above the fourth-tier were extremely rare. Even if they existed, they were in large packs or lived in extremely treacherous wildernesses. Most, like Little Zhi, had developed sentience and were no longer killable by a single Innate Martial Master. This was why the price difference between the fourth and third tiers spanned nearly a hundredfold.

But while they were absent on the Cloud Continent, beneath it lay countless Demon Abyss evil grounds, teeming with refined beasts, evil charms, and demonic monsters. If one possessed sufficient strength, they could descend to hunt using Floating Cloud Airships. However, this was essentially risking one's life; it was incredibly perilous. Even a Heavenly Rank Martial Ancestor, a Spirit Master of the Day-Roaming Realm, could not guarantee their survival. Legend held that many ferocious beasts exiled from the Cloud Continent during the Cloud Wasteland Era resided below, along with countless powerful refined beasts corrupted by demonic energy. Even after ten millennia, incidents of Heavenly Rank Martial Ancestors or Day-Roaming Spirit Masters being besieged and killed occurred almost every year. Thus, besides those secluded sects, only major powers like Qiantian Mountain were qualified to organize fleets to hunt for Beast Crystals.

This was why countless Martial Ancestors and Innate Martial Masters attached themselves to Qiantian Mountain and Xuanshan City. The Beast Crystals obtained in those Demon Abyss evil grounds, after handing over half to the City Lord, allowed the remainder—including furs and materials—to be kept by the individual hunters. Qiantian Mountain's annual tax revenue was actually quite meager; more than half of its wealth originated from beneath the Cloud Sea. It was because the casualties during each descent and ascent were minimal that they could dominate the west of the East Lin Cloud Continent. He had guessed Zong Weiran was strong, but to be strong to this degree was astonishing! Venturing alone beneath the Cloud Sea and slaying seventh-tier refined beasts completely unscathed—even a Martial Venerable might not accomplish that. And according to Xuanyuan Tong, Zong Weiran had concealed this strength for a full six years! This meant that for six years, while slaughtering refined beasts and charm monsters below, he had gone entirely unnoticed by the powerful figures of those sects!

Zong Shou immediately began calculating in his mind exactly how much wealth Zong Weiran had left him. One seventh-tier Beast Crystal was equivalent to ten thousand fourth-tier Beast Crystals. Ten per year for six years meant sixty thousand fourth-tier Beast Crystals. Wouldn't that equate to Qiantian Mountain's total income for two years? Even Zong Weiran himself must have used a substantial amount. Beyond the Heavenly Rank, the required elixirs and spirit stones were immense. But the remaining sum was likely vast beyond his wildest imagining.

Taking a deep breath, Zong Shou forced his turbulent emotions to calm down. Then, a cold sweat broke out—right! He remembered that in a few days, the price of the first wave of Beast Crystals and Spirit Stones would plummet, and this drop would be quite significant; he had completely forgotten. Before, he had assumed the amount of Spirit Stones and Beast Crystals he held in the Three Continents Bank wasn't excessively large and hadn't paid much heed to it, confident he could quickly earn back any losses. Now, a distinct pang of heartache arose.

Suddenly, a thought struck him. He recalled that near their return route, at the eastern entrance of the Ruohai Mountain Range, there seemed to be a Fuxu City, a famous cultivator marketplace. Countless martial cultivators, spirit masters, representatives from various factions, and even secluded sects traded there. The Three Continents Bank must have a branch there; it was conveniently along the way.

Seeing Zong Shou's expression shift rapidly between pale and flushed, Xuanyuan Tong was secretly puzzled. He then smiled faintly, "Are you shocked by this immense wealth? Weiran didn't leave behind a precise amount of wealth, but I assume it must be considerable. Enough to support my thousand Xuanjia Wind Dragon Riders for three to five years, without a doubt. Don't worry! Speaking of which, Zong Shou, do you know about Spirit-Martial Unification?"

This question was extraordinarily abrupt. Tan Tao and Hu Qianqiu, standing nearby, both had their eyes narrow briefly before returning to normal.

"Spirit-Martial Unification?" Zong Shou raised an eyebrow slightly. This term, considered an achievement of the highest order in both the spiritual and martial paths, how could he not know it? He was just puzzled why Xuanyuan Tong would ask such a thing out of the blue.

"I've heard of it, but it seems possible only when both the spiritual and martial paths reach the Immortal Realm or above. Below the Immortal Realm, some people manage it, but the numbers are extremely small—reportedly only seven people since the Cloud Wasteland era..." Among these seven, the most famous were the Lord of the Sword Sect and the current Sovereign of the Cangsheng Dao. All of them had stepped into the Immortal Gate and left the Cloud Realm in a short time; they were figures of terrifying strength.

Spirit Masters and Martial Cultivators were roughly categorized into Heaven, Earth, and Body ranks. Beyond Martial Venerable and True Form Spirit Master, the levels did not end there.

"So it was only achieved unconsciously while drunk..." Xuanyuan Tong muttered, filled with regret, until he saw Zong Shou staring at him with surprise, then he smiled again, "You cultivate both spirit and martial arts; have you never considered trying to merge the two paths into one?"

Hearing this, Zong Shou decisively shook his head: "How could I not have thought of it? But I heard that Spirit-Martial Unification relies on sudden enlightenment, inspiration, and opportunity. Forcing it only makes it impossible..."

Xuanyuan Tong nodded slightly and stopped dwelling on it, then clapped his hands. From behind the knights, another Cloud-Flipping Carriage emerged. Zong Shou looked curiously and glimpsed inside, seeing only jars upon jars of wine. He felt strange; Xuanyuan Tong should know he couldn't drink alcohol, right?

But then Xuanyuan Tong explained, "This is my wine cellar collection spanning several decades; I'm giving it all to you today. It would be greatly beneficial if you drank a bottle every time you practice martial arts. And if you encounter a powerful enemy, being half-drunk would be best?"

Zong Shou was instantly rendered speechless. How could drinking benefit his cultivation? In terms of martial experience, his father-in-law couldn't compare to him by ten thousand miles. Still, he reluctantly accepted it. Just as Zong Shou was about to turn back toward his own Cloud-Flipping Carriage, he suddenly adopted a doubtful expression: "Oh yes, I recently heard Hu Zhongyuan mention that the Beast Crystals harvested in Qiantian Mountain have doubled in the past two years. The circulation of Beast Crystals on the market is also much higher than in previous years. Is it the same on your side, Father-in-law? If so, I plan to go to Jiefu City and exchange all the Beast Crystals my father left behind. For some reason, your nephew feels uneasy..."

Xuanyuan Tong had initially paid little attention, but upon hearing the latter sentences, his pupils immediately constricted.