Chapter 222: CH. 222 | Important Matters for Qin Kingdom

Lin Tian clasped his hands together with a smile. He genuinely felt grateful for the invitation as well. The Qin Emperor laughed heartily at his words.

"Haha! You and the Lingxian Sect were the last pillar standing between us and the Yuanmo Sect. Of course you had to be here."

The Qin Emperor gestured toward a seat already prepared for Lin Tian, positioned right next to Yun Zhao’s table from the Yuntian Sect.

The man in crimson robes returned to his throne, accompanied by the crown prince and his daughter, the princess.

The princess was caught glancing briefly at Lin Tian, her expression clearly showing interest in him.

He settled onto his throne and opened the meeting of the Qin Kingdom’s sects. The Prime Minister of Qin arrived, carrying a stack of scrolls in his hands.

He bowed his head, paying respect to the Qin Emperor and every sect leader from the sects still standing across the kingdom.

"I am Meng Hao. I serve as Prime Minister of the Qin Kingdom."

"Today, on behalf of His Majesty the Qin Emperor, I’ll be presenting the key points of our meeting."

Lin Tian listened, his eyes on the man, though the corner of his gaze kept drifting elsewhere. He sensed a cultivator watching him closely from a distance.

Meng Hao unrolled the scroll and laid out the main points, starting with security stability, the economy, and finally a decision to redistribute territories based on sect affiliation rather than clan lineage.

He presented a significant proposal shaped by input from the Emperor and other ministers, asking the assembled sect leaders for their support.

Yun Zhao rose to his feet, turning to face the Qin Emperor. He clasped his hands together and bowed his head.

"My sect and I have worked closely with the Qin Kingdom for a long time. We have absolutely no objection to helping," Yun Zhao said.

Following his lead, other sect leaders rose and echoed the same sentiment. Only Li Qingxue and Si Lingxi remained seated, their eyes turning toward Lin Tian instead.

Decisions like this were already starting to expose cracks between the sects. Some still leaned toward supporting Yuntian, while others sided with Lingxian.

Even so, the numbers were lopsided. Far more sects backed the Yuntian Sect than the Lingxian Sect.

The Qin Emperor smiled with satisfaction, then turned to Lin Tian as the Lingxian Sect Leader. "What do you think, Master Lin Tian?"

Lin Tian drew a long breath, then rose to his feet, clasping his hands together, his eyes fixed on the Qin Emperor.

"Mortal lives matter just as much as matters within the cultivation world. The Lingxian Sect is willing to contribute spirit stones as assistance," Lin Tian answered.

Hearing Lin Tian’s statement, Si Lingxi from the Yingzun Sect and Li Qingxue from the Yunlan Sect rose to their feet as well, informing the Qin Emperor that they too were willing to help the kingdom.

Every sect fell into agreement, and a wide smile spread across the Qin Emperor’s face at the sight of it. Meng Hao nodded and expressed his gratitude on the Emperor’s behalf.

"Our next topic concerns security stability."

"Ever since the Qin Kingdom lost so many soldiers, chaos has spread across every region. Bandits threaten the common people, stealing valuables and hoarding essential goods."

"With our limited forces, we’re struggling to cover the entire territory."

"The Qin Kingdom proposes forming a cultivator alliance to deal with these bandits, made up of cultivators drawn from every sect."

"The exact numbers can be adjusted as needed. What matters most is choosing a leader for that alliance," Meng Hao said.

Yun Zhao rose to his feet again, the first to speak up, drawing everyone’s attention, Lin Tian and the Emperor included.

"I’m confident that the Yuntian Sect understands every corner of the Qin Kingdom better than any other sect. I’d like to volunteer myself to lead this alliance."

The Qin Emperor responded with a nod, then looked around the room. The other sect leaders voiced their agreement with Yun Zhao, prompting the Emperor to turn back to Lin Tian.

"Master Lin Tian? You’re the one who saved us all. Aren’t you interested in leading the cultivator alliance?" the Emperor asked.

Lin Tian drew a long breath, then stood straight and offered a bow of respect. "Forgive me, Your Majesty. My sect and Sect Leader Yun Zhao’s sect are quite different. We don’t know this kingdom’s territory nearly as well. It would be best to give this position to someone truly capable of it."

"Very well. I accept your reasoning, Master Lin Tian."

Following Lin Tian’s remarks, Meng Hao confirmed that the Yuntian Sect would lead the cultivator alliance tasked with handling the bandits.

He formally handed leadership over to Yun Zhao, who accepted the responsibility without hesitation.

"Finally, we come to the matter of foreign cultivators and territorial distribution. We’ve grouped these two points together, since they function as a single, interconnected issue."

"The clans have proven unable to manage cities and territories effectively. His Majesty recognizes this and has chosen a new approach. He’ll allow sects to govern territories under a tax revenue sharing system."

"We’ve already divided the territories based on discussions with the ministers. If any sect leader disagrees, please raise it with us directly," Meng Hao said.

Palace attendants came forward, handing out scroll maps to each sect leader one by one.

Lin Tian received his and opened it immediately, finding the Qin Kingdom divided into ten distinct regions, each marked in a different color.

"Wait! Why does the Guizhou Sect control the southeastern region along the Yang River? Isn’t my sect the largest presence there?" another sect leader objected.

"We took the history and cultivation foundations of each sect into account. The Nandao Sect might be large and powerful, but the Guizhou Sect is the oldest sect established in that region," Meng Hao replied.

"So you’re saying we’re not fit to lead that territory?" the Guizhou Sect Leader shot back.

Lin Tian watched the dispute unfold. He looked over his own assigned region and his sect’s location.

His territory had been assigned to the Northern Wasteland, poor and among the hardest hit by the recent devastation.

The Yunlan Sect had been named leader of that region. Lin Tian turned toward Li Qingxue, who gave a brief nod in response.

The Lingxian Sect had no ambition to control any territory at all. In his view, the Northern Wasteland would be handled well under Li Qingxue’s capable leadership.

Even so, he continued watching the disputes flare up among the other sect leaders. To them, controlling a territory meant wealth and growing strength for their sect.

Lin Tian had no need for that. The Lingxian Sect’s reputation, boosted by their role in stopping the Yuanmo Sect’s invasion, was already substantial.

Without needing to govern any territory, cultivators would come flocking to join the sect regardless.

Meng Hao and Yun Zhao managed to settle the dispute and redistribute that particular region. Lin Tian stayed largely uninvolved, content to sip his warm tea.

In the end, the disagreements were resolved smoothly enough. Meng Hao felt genuinely relieved about it. He rolled up the scroll in his hands and moved on to the final matter.

"Since foreign cultivators from other kingdoms continue to arrive, the Qin Kingdom grants full autonomy to every sect in defending their own territory."

In short, they were washing their hands entirely of the foreign cultivator issue.

No one objected. They all accepted what the Qin Emperor had decided.

Lin Tian showed no reaction either way, since to him, foreign cultivators weren’t a pressing concern at the moment.

Meng Hao brought the meeting to a close, explaining that Qin Kingdom envoys would visit each sect to collect on the assistance they’d pledged.

One by one, the cultivators left the palace hall, starting with Yun Zhao, with Lin Tian leaving last.

But before he could go, his steps halted as the Qin Emperor called out to him.

Lin Tian turned back to face him. The man approached, his daughter walking beside him.

"Allow me to introduce Qin Yuxiu, my daughter, currently training at the Yuntian Sect."

Lin Tian clasped his hands together in greeting. Qin Yuxiu did the same, though with a far more graceful bearing.

"She’s currently struggling to break through to Nascent Soul due to limited resources. I hear you’re not yet married, Master Lin Tian?"

"Unfortunately, I already am. We just held our wedding yesterday," Lin Tian answered.

"Oh, is that so? What a shame. I was actually hoping to offer my daughter to you. I thought the two of you would make a fine match," the Emperor said.

"Your Majesty thinks far too highly of me. I’m hardly a man worthy of her."

"No woman as lovely as her would ever want to marry the leader of a sect once branded as a corrupt demonic faction," Lin Tian said.

"About that... that’s all in the past now, Master Lin Tian."

"We can start fresh, with no suspicion between us at all," the Emperor said.

Lin Tian nodded at his words. "I don’t have any issue with that at all. But if I ever discover proof that you’re plotting to betray me again, I will destroy the Qin Kingdom with my own hands!"

The Qin Emperor froze in shock, his face twisting with anger as he pointed forward.

Lin Tian reacted sharply, slamming the man with a wave of cultivation pressure that forced him to his knees, coughing up blood. Qin Yuxiu suffered the same fate beside him.

"How dare you... defy me?"

Lin Tian swept his hand, lifting the pressure and freeing them both. A faint smile crossed his face.

"No."

"I was simply making a threat."

"After everything you and the Qin Sect Alliance did to the Lingxian Sect, I’m not ready to accept your apology just yet."

"But I’ll try to work with you regardless. After all, the Lingxian Sect still needs a stable kingdom to keep growing."

"I’ll take my leave now!"