Yu Daoyan's words were weighty, but they spoke the plain truth.

Without a Purple Mansion Ancestor of its own, would the Yu Clan be devoured by the alliance of three clans? Even if it escaped total annexation and was merely cast out of the alliance, the danger would be immense. Lacking the shelter of a Purple Mansion expert, establishing a firm foothold on the edge of Qingzhou would be exceedingly difficult.

The news struck Yu Ruyi hard. With dual Spirit Roots and the clan's support, he had reached Foundation Establishment young and grown full of ambition. He had even wanted to take over as clan leader. But what was the point of leading a clan that no longer existed?

It would be far wiser to focus all efforts on cultivation and reach the Purple Mansion Realm as quickly as possible.

At this moment, a Qi Condensation Elder finally broke the silence.

"The Gu Clan's new Purple Mansion Ancestor is most likely Gu Xuanzhan. In his youth, he was known as the foremost Foundation Establishment expert in the Nine Perches Mountains! There were suspicions back then that he possessed dual spirit roots, and seeing him break through to the Purple Mansion Realm now proves those speculations true."

Another senior Foundation Establishment figure from the Yu Clan, Yu Daochang, chimed in.

"I have heard similar rumors. If this man had failed to break through to the Purple Mansion Realm, his lifespan would likely have been nearly exhausted by now."

"Could we dispatch someone to sound out the Gu Clan's stance? Our four clans have been allied for over three hundred years, and there are numerous marriages between our mortals as well. We are bound by ties of kinship. Since neither the Fang Clan nor the Zhang Clan moved against us or the Gu Clan previously, how will the Gu Clan respond if those powers make a move now?" another elder asked.

A thoughtful silence fell over the gathering.

"It is simply a pity that our Yu Clan lacks its own Purple Mansion expert. Otherwise, we would not find ourselves caught in such a difficult dilemma," an elder sighed.

"We still have Ruyi," Yu Daoyan said. "If we get through this, then in a little over a century we may have a Purple Mansion cultivator of our own!"

She still held high expectations for Yu Ruyi.

"You give me too much credit," Yu Ruyi said, ashamed. He had wanted the clan leadership without understanding its affairs. Now he saw how presumptuous he had been.

"We have a marriage alliance with the Fang Clan. Attacking us would earn them criticism. We should draw closer to them for protection, and offer the other three clans a share of our market profits.

"After the Gu Clan's celebration, I'll find a way to sound them out."

With those words, Yu Daoyan laid out her stance.

They discussed other ways forward before the meeting ended two hours later.

All of the Yu Clan's anxieties and worries, however, had little to do with Gu Wanchang.

He was currently engrossed in preparations for the upcoming Purple Mansion Celebration.

Because the Gu Clan had never hosted such an event since its founding, they had to look to the Zhang Clan's past celebrations as a reference and make adjustments accordingly.

Though these were all trivial administrative matters, any misstep on the day of the celebration would bring shame upon the entire Gu Clan.

He worked late into the night, only to report to Gu Xuanzhan the following morning regarding the major events unfolding across the Nine Perches Mountains.

"So the Yu Clan is forming a marriage alliance with the Fang Clan?" Gu Xuanzhan asked leisurely, taking a sip of spirit wine.

"Yes. They're fortunate. If they'd waited until after your breakthrough to arrange it, the Fang Clan might not have agreed," Gu Wanchang said.

"Fortunate?" Gu Xuanzhan glanced at Gu Wanchang.

"What do the Nine Perches Mountains lack most?"

Gu Wanchang thought, then answered sheepishly, "I hadn't thought it through. You've put your finger on it, Twenty-first Uncle."

The region had resources. What it lacked was people.

The Fang Clan's ancestor saw that clearly, and the Zhang Clan's ancestor was no fool either. Without enough people, more territory and businesses were of little use.

That was why the Fang and Zhang clans had caused them little trouble over the past century, even without Purple Mansion cultivators of their own. They had only asked the Gu and Yu clans to give up some benefits from time to time.

"Since that is the case, we might as well grant the Yu Clan a favor. No doubt Yu Daoyan will attend the Purple Mansion Celebration in person."

Gu Xuanzhan remained indifferent to such political maneuvers. "Handle it as you see fit. Is there anything else?"

Only then did Gu Wanchang recall the most crucial matter he had come to report.

"Changhuan did very well in the test we arranged.

"He also found an ancient cave abode and reported it to us. It was well hidden, beside an underground river. Its owner had reached the ninth layer of Purple Mansion. We found plenty of cultivation arts and treasures, but the most important find was a low-grade fifth-tier incense burner. Please have a look, Twenty-first Uncle."

Gu Wanchang retrieved the purple-gold incense burner from his Storage Bag and handed it over.

"We haven't worked out what it does. Perhaps I don't have enough Spiritual Power to activate it."

Gu Xuanzhan summoned the purple-gold incense burner into his palm.

After examining it closely for a moment, he channeled a stream of True Essence into the vessel.

The incense burner remained completely unresponsive.

Was there a restriction sealed upon its surface?

Gu Xuanzhan tried several ways to break the restriction. At last, after he cast a black spell, light flickered over the burner's surface.

Seeing this, Gu Wanchang felt a surge of hope.

It was working!

Gu Xuanzhan infused his True Essence once more, and a wisp of delicate smoke rose from the burner, accompanied by a faint, unusual fragrance.

The moment Gu Wanchang caught the scent, he realized his Divine Sense had expanded by a perceptible sliver!

"This treasure can actually strengthen Divine Sense!" he exclaimed in astonishment.

The moment Gu Xuanzhan cut off the flow of True Essence, the smoke within the burner vanished.

"It's a fine treasure, but it only helps people whose cultivation is lower than the user's. I've removed the restriction. Try activating it now."

Although Gu Xuanzhan had also inhaled the fragrance, his own Divine Sense experienced no growth whatsoever.

Gu Wanchang tried. With the restriction gone, he could just manage to activate the burner. But now its fragrance did nothing for him.

"It is a pity the clan has little immediate use for such an item," Gu Wanchang said with a trace of regret.

Though valuable for Foundation Establishment cultivators, they could hardly come to disturb Gu Xuanzhan every time they wished to use it.

Once the clan had more Foundation Establishment elders, they could use it to train some of the Qi Condensation disciples. Stronger Divine Sense had many benefits. For Gu Wanchang, an artifact refiner, it could even improve his success rate a little.

"You have grown far too greedy of late," Gu Xuanzhan remarked, closing his eyes to resume his meditation.

Hearing these words, Gu Wanchang jolted as he realized the truth in them.

Things had been going too well. A new Foundation Establishment cultivator, a Purple Mansion cultivator, then a cave abode full of treasures and new land to develop. One success after another had gone to his head.

As Patriarch, if he lost his steady composure over such matters, he could easily invite disaster upon both himself and the Gu Clan.

With that sobering thought, Gu Wanchang bowed deeply to Gu Xuanzhan.

"Thank you for the reminder, Twenty-first Uncle. I'll guard against pride and impatience, and work on my state of mind."

"Cultivation requires you to cultivate your mind too. I'm glad you understand. The clan still needs you to manage it. If you stay steady, so will the Gu Clan."

Gu Xuanzhan felt considerable satisfaction with this junior. Over the years, Gu Wanchang had managed the clan without a single major lapse in judgment; his momentary lapse today was simply the result of being overwhelmed by an unbroken chain of good fortunes.