Chapter 532 - 46: Major Development, Prefecture and Commandery System?

A streak of light shot across the distant sky. A massive, pitch-black warship pierced through the clouds and came into view, a banner emblazoned with the Song Clan emblem flying high, as if announcing to the land that it had a new master.

"Changsheng." Dressed in black, practical attire, Song Lutong stood on the bow of the ship and waved to Song Changsheng.

"Uncle Tong," Song Changsheng waved back with a smile.

The warship rumbled as it descended, crushing a section of the forest and sending dust billowing into the air.

"COUGH, COUGH! Ptooey! Couldn’t you have picked a better place to land? You got dust all over my face!" Song Lutong spat out a thick wad of phlegm. He leaped down from the Black Star Ship and immediately pulled Song Changsheng into a bear hug.

His fan-sized hands slapped Song Changsheng’s back with a loud THWACK, THWACK. "Hahaha! Good lad! You’ve really brought honor to the clan! The number one expert beneath the Purple Mansion realm! Just telling people that makes your old uncle proud!"

"It was just luck, Uncle Tong. How many people did you bring this time?" Song Changsheng asked, pushing away the overly "enthusiastic" Song Lutong with a wry smile.

Song Lutong puffed out his chest and pointed a thumb back at the Black Star Ship. "A full fifty elites! Chang’an and Changxuan came along, too."

"So many people? Can the clan manage back home?" Song Changsheng was surprised. He hadn’t expected the first batch to include so many people; after all, they were also short-handed back in Ling Province.

"It can’t be helped. The clan is desperate for resources. You’ve truly solved our most pressing problem. If Great Uncle hadn’t been so strongly against it, Twenty-first Uncle would have come to oversee this place himself."

"We’re just the first wave. Once Changlian, Changrong, and the others have their breakthroughs, the clan will invest even more. At that time, we’ll migrate at least a hundred thousand people over to excavate the mine veins."

’One hundred thousand people.’ Song Changsheng nodded to himself. That was a reasonable number. There were quite a few mine veins around Five Elements Peak, and without enough manpower, developing them would be difficult. The land was simply too vast.

If the Song Clan’s population weren’t so small, Song Changsheng estimated they would have sent several hundred thousand people.

"That will take a few years, at least. Before that, we need to lay a solid foundation. ’One generation plants the trees so the next can enjoy the shade,’ right?" Song Lutong was brimming with ambition and raring to go.

"I’ve already scouted the surrounding area. We’ve cleared out basically all the Tier Two and higher Demon Beasts, so you shouldn’t have too much trouble getting started."

"But you must pay special attention to the Canglan River. It borders the Demon Race’s territory. You have to set up sentry posts and maintain a twenty-four-hour watch. Otherwise, the Demon Beasts could easily push straight through," Song Changsheng warned grimly.

"Don’t worry. When your old uncle does something, he does it right." Song Lutong thumped his chest loudly, then pushed Song Changsheng aside to look at the people behind him. "Well, look here, Fairy Zhuang is present too. Changsheng, aren’t you going to introduce these two fellow cultivators?"

"This is Xu Yunhe, a Loose Cultivator. We went through life and death together in the Griffin Mountain Range."

"And this is Zhu Yiqun. He comes from a Hidden Sect and is a Tier Three Low-Grade Medicinal Chef. He’s a brother I’d die for, and I’ve now recruited him as an Honored Guest of our clan."

"Both of them are brothers I would entrust my life to," Song Changsheng said with great solemnity.

"I see! Your brothers are my brothers. I am Song Lutong. It’s an honor to meet you both," Song Lutong said, immediately cupping his fist in salute.

Song Changsheng’s face darkened. ’If you’re calling them brothers, what does that make me? We’re from different generations!’

"So, it’s Brother Song. Hey, little Sheng, come on, call me ’uncle.’"

Zhu Yiqun wore a shit-eating grin that made Song Changsheng want to punch the damn fatty to death.

Just then, Song Lutong finally caught on. He looked at Song Changsheng and gave a dry laugh. "We’ll just stick to our own relationships."

"Clan Leader." At that moment, Song Chang’an and Song Changxuan approached with the assembled clan Cultivators, who had fallen into formation. They bowed respectfully.

"Thank you for your hard work, everyone. Rest for now. Later, I will explain the situation here in detail," Song Changsheng said with a nod and a smile.

Zhu Yiqun took out the flesh he had previously harvested from the Five Elements Spirit Beast and grilled up a huge feast of roasted meat for everyone.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, Song Changsheng took out a map he had recently drawn and gave a detailed report on the surrounding area.

Afterward, Song Lutong, Song Changxuan, and Song Chang’an split into three groups, using Five Elements Peak as their center to survey the minerals and resources within a three-thousand-li radius.

Meanwhile, Song Changsheng began to use the materials brought by Song Lutong’s group to set up a Tier Three Low-Grade Spatial Array.

This was a tremendous challenge for Song Changsheng. Although he had experience setting up a Space Transmission Array, the one he had built in Luoxia City was a Tier Two Top-Grade Teleportation Array.

There was a fundamental difference between that and a Tier Three Low-Grade Teleportation Array. However, after preparing for so long, Song Changsheng was fully confident.

「Two months later.」The Tier Three Low-Grade Teleportation Array was successfully completed and connected to the Main Teleportation Array on Vast Mist Peak, ensuring Five Elements Peak was no longer an isolated enclave.

With this achievement, Song Changsheng broke through to become a Tier Three Low-Grade Array Master, joining the ranks of the few great Array Masters in the Daqi Cultivation World!

Inside the newly built Garrison Mansion on Five Elements Peak, Song Xianming, Song Changsheng, and the other high-ranking members of the clan were gathered.

Xia Yunxue stood up, her face beaming with joy as she held a small booklet. She reported to the group, "After two months of prospecting, the map of the area around Five Elements Peak has been completed. The main resources have been tallied as follows."

"In the surrounding area, there are two large-scale Tier Three Mine Veins. One is a Meteorite Stone Ore Vein, and the other is a Cyan Nether Steel Ore Vein. Their purity is extremely high. With sufficient manpower, we can refine three thousand kilograms and six thousand kilograms from them annually, respectively. This will not only satisfy the clan’s needs but also leave a significant surplus."