Chapter 470: Increasing Strength

"Over twenty people?"

Su Fan nodded upon hearing this; he also knew the Clan Head had done his best.

"However, from the Bai family side, we can absorb another ten or twenty to join the Su family."

The Clan Head then added, which made Su Fan's eyes light up. The Bai family had many disciples, but their family resources were only so much.

"Clan Head, we can continue to recruit from the Bai family. Anyway, their family resources are only so much, and many disciples have to go outside to make a living. It would be better to join the Su family."

"Anyway, the Su and Bai families have such a close relationship. Just tell them that when I refine the Foundation Establishment Pill, I will give them one."

More than ten years had passed, and Su Fan's alchemy had reached the level of third-tier high-grade, and he had already met the minimum requirements for refining the Foundation Establishment Pill.

And because the Clan Head agreed to become a Guest Elder of the Yunyang Sect and proposed to exchange a third-tier low-grade spirit vein for the Foundation Establishment Pill formula, the latter also agreed.

Furthermore, they had already sent over the Foundation Establishment Pill formula that used third-tier demon beast inner cores as the main ingredient.

It could be said that as long as Su Fan slew a third-tier demon beast and took its inner core, he could start refining the Foundation Establishment Pill.

"One Foundation Establishment Pill—isn't that too much?"

The Clan Head was somewhat reluctant; after all, one Foundation Establishment Pill could sell for 20,000 spirit stones in Zheng State.

"Rest assured, Clan Head. There is gain only if there is loss. Moreover, it's not like we are giving it to the Su family for nothing."

Su Fan said with a smile. Naturally, he couldn't just give the Bai family a Foundation Establishment Pill for free. After all, this Foundation Establishment Pill was too precious and required the Bai family to take out a portion of spirit stones, plus a portion of cultivators.

The Bai family had a full two hundred plus cultivators. Over these years, the Bai family had also been like the Su family in the past, with expenses exceeding income.

After all, the Bai family's income was only so much. Aside from the few hundred spirit stones they could get from the Liuyun Market every year, the Bai family had opened eighty mu of spirit fields, which could bring in about two thousand spirit stones a year, plus other scattered income. The Bai family's net profit was about three thousand or so a year.

Compared to the Su family in the past, it wasn't much more, but the Su family disciples were far fewer than the Bai family—less than half.

So over these years, the Bai family had no surplus at all.

Several times when the Taihe Mountain Range sold Foundation Establishment Pills, the Bai family could only watch.

Because they didn't have enough spirit stones. They would probably need to save for seventy or eighty years to afford one Foundation Establishment Pill.

Now that the Su family was reaching out, a Foundation Establishment Pill at half price could be said to be very cheap, and it could also reduce the Bai family's portion of cultivators, which could be called killing two birds with one stone. He believed the Bai family would definitely agree.

This was originally a win-win result.

And the Bai family had Su family bloodlines. Over these hundred years, the bloodlines of both sides had been intertwined.

It had to be said that the Clan Head indeed had foresight.

Once the Su family established a sect in the future, the Bai family could be swallowed up in one go.

"If that's the case, I can recruit another ten or twenty cultivators from the Bai family, but their spiritual roots probably won't be very good."

"If the spiritual roots aren't good, that doesn't matter."

Su Fan nodded. He naturally understood that even if the Bai family was willing to send a portion of their family disciples to the Su family, it was impossible to send those with good spiritual roots.

At most, they would be four-spiritual-root or five-spiritual-root cultivators. These cultivators cultivated very slowly.

However, Su Fan didn't care. Su Fan felt that these mixed spiritual roots also had their uses. Let them learn a craft, whether it was alchemy or artifact refining, or go to be spirit planters; it would all be beneficial to the Su family.

Especially the spirit beast breeding industry the Su family had opened, which required a large number of cultivators. Perhaps they didn't need the ability to control beasts, but as long as they could watch over them.

The Su family's Black Fire Chicken industry had expanded again.

After all, the feathers of this Black Fire Chicken could serve as materials for refining artifacts, the meat could become food, and the blood could be refined into spirit sand for low-tier spirit talismans.

It had already formed an industry. As long as there was a spirit vein, it could be vigorously developed. And relying on this Black Fire Chicken, the Su family had also opened a restaurant in the Taihe Mountain Range.

Business was also quite good. The taste of this Black Fire Chicken was very tender and delicious, coupled with a spirit wine brewing technique Su Fan had created in the Evolution Space.

Providing a new type of spirit wine for the Su family, the business of the Su family's restaurant was getting better and better.

In the past, the Su family was still worried, but now they didn't need to worry. The Su family had enough strength to protect all of this.

"Clan Head, some time ago, we absorbed foreign cultivators. How is it now?"

The Su family cultivators now numbered only 156, including six Foundation Establishment or higher cultivators, and 36 young children under twelve who had not yet cultivated.

The remaining 114 cultivators were all at various stages of early and late Qi Refining.

Late-stage Qi Refining, because the family's resources were becoming more and more abundant, had increased quite a bit in the last twenty years, now reaching 37, among whom there were 19 family Elders at the ninth layer of Qi Refining.

Having only 156 family disciples was indeed very few. Compared to when Su Fan traveled here, at that time, the Su family only had 80 or 90 cultivators. In these sixty years, it had almost doubled.

It was indeed quite a lot.

But in Su Fan's view, there were still too few cultivators.

Among the five major Foundation Establishment families of Yu County, which family didn't have over two hundred cultivators? Even the Bai family now had over 280 cultivators, and the Liu and Liu families had existed the longest.

The family cultivators were even more numerous; the two families combined were almost reaching one thousand.

And those Purple Mansion families had at least eight hundred cultivators.

Compared to these families, the Su family was far behind.

And once the family took down the Liuyun Mountain Range, there would be more resources than they could use; wouldn't that be too wasteful?

"We have recruited over twenty people, and about half of them are ready to marry into the Su family."

Clan Head Su Wanjun said helplessly upon hearing this. Although rogue cultivators were easy to recruit, the Su family needed cultivators who were loyal to the Su family. Such cultivators were not easy to find and required slow screening. ===== CHAPTER 471 =====

"Under normal circumstances, it is normal for a cultivator with three spirit roots to break through one level every twenty years during the Foundation Establishment stage."

"Of course, with sufficient resources, it might be a little faster."

Therefore, Su Fan did not count on them, so he thought of the Bai family's clan leader, Bai Yuan. His current cultivation has reached the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment, and by the time of the next demon invasion, he will certainly be able to reach the peak of Foundation Establishment.

If he can open up a Purple Mansion, then for both the Su and Bai families, there will be three Purple Mansion cultivators.

By then, they could be called the third largest force in the Zheng Kingdom, and with the Yunyang Sect holding the fort, he believes that even without Su Fan, the safety of the Liuyun Mountain Range can be guaranteed.