Chapter 43: New Rules
Chapter 43: Chapter 43: New Rules
Li Ping’s gaze swept over the other six.
Under his scrutiny, Zhang Tie was slightly dazed, Gumu Sheng forced himself to remain calm, Cheng Yao was uncomprehending, Qi Hanmo was lost in thought, Teng Feng looked a little surprised, and Bai Qing was utterly astonished.
The six wore varied expressions, each representing their reaction to Gumu Sheng contributing 100 Spirit Stones.
Zhang Tie hadn’t yet figured out Gumu Sheng’s motive, while Gumu Sheng worried Li Ping would favor Zhang Tie and stop him outright.
The other four—Cheng Yao, Qi Hanmo, and the rest—understood Gumu Sheng’s intention but were surprised and puzzled by his methods.
...
To be honest, among the six remaining sworn siblings, Li Ping was indeed closest to Zhang Tie.
Zhang Tie was simple and honest, trusting his Big Brother implicitly. He had silently contributed for nearly twenty years for the sake of his Big Brother’s Foundation Establishment.
Gumu Sheng, on the other hand, had always had his own agenda, and Li Ping could tell he wasn’t one hundred percent convinced of his leadership.
If he had to choose between the two of them, Li Ping would undoubtedly pick Zhang Tie.
But in handling Gumu Sheng’s move, he couldn’t just blindly favor Zhang Tie.
Not to mention, Gumu Sheng’s contribution of 100 Spirit Stones would speed up the collection for the Foundation Establishment Fund, allowing the Friends Association to achieve its goal of ’mutual Foundation Establishment’ sooner and releasing Li Ping from his oath.
Stopping him would, on the contrary, dampen everyone’s enthusiasm for contributing, making the Friends Association’s goal of ’mutual Foundation Establishment’ even more distant.
This would undoubtedly be most disadvantageous to Li Ping himself.
Besides, Gumu Sheng’s action didn’t violate the rules Li Ping had originally set, so Li Ping had no reason to forbid him from contributing more Spirit Stones.
After all, the Friends Association didn’t belong to just him and Zhang Tie; it belonged to all seven of them present. If he were to disregard the rules and insist on favoring Zhang Tie, he would, in fact, be breaking his oath!
Thinking of this, Li Ping couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
Although he had many reasons to convince himself, he couldn’t just ignore Gumu Sheng’s actions.
His actions were within the rules, but they were unreasonable and had damaged the bonds between the sworn siblings of the Friends Association.
’If Gumu Sheng can use his family’s wealth of Spirit Stones to cut in line for Foundation Establishment, what will the others think?’
’Qi Hanmo is a Tier One Upper Grade Musician; his future speed of earning Spirit Stones will surely be faster than Cheng Yao’s. Will he follow suit and try to cut in line as well?’
’Bai Qing comes from the Bai family, a Cultivation Clan. Will he subtly hint for support from his family to snatch a chance at Foundation Establishment?’
What worried Li Ping even more was whether the others, unable to compete, would resort to desperate measures—becoming rogue cultivators and treading a dark path just to earn more Spirit Stones.
Would it even escalate to a point where they fought to the bitter end, turning on each other and spilling blood in the streets, all for a spot to reach Foundation Establishment first?
It was entirely possible. In mortal dynasties, for instance, it was common for people to kill their fathers, brothers, and sons—to shed rivers of blood—all to seize the throne.
And the status of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator was immeasurably more esteemed than that of an emperor in a mortal dynasty.
’For the sake of Foundation Establishment, what’s a little bit of sworn brotherhood worth? Who would care?’
But while they might not care, Li Ping did.
’After all, if things ended up like that, could his oath still be considered fulfilled?’
...
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Li Ping made a decision.
First, he would not stop Gumu Sheng’s actions.
However, if he insisted on doing this, Li Ping would make him pay a certain price, which would also serve to patch a loophole in the association’s rules.
...
Because Li Ping remained silent, the room was quiet for a moment.
When Li Ping’s gaze once again swept over the group, he saw that they had all regained their composure, except for Zhang Tie, who seemed to have only just now understood Gumu Sheng’s intent.
A look of frustration crossed his face, and his lips trembled slightly, but in the end, he said nothing.
Seeing this, Li Ping sighed inwardly, but his expression remained unchanged. He looked at Gumu Sheng and said with a smile, "I personally am in complete agreement with Musheng’s willingness to contribute more to the Foundation Establishment Fund."
Hearing Li Ping’s words, Zhang Tie’s expression fell, but Gumu Sheng didn’t look particularly pleased either.
He could clearly sense that Li Ping wasn’t finished speaking and that there was more to come.
"I can understand everyone’s eagerness to achieve Foundation Establishment, but..."
As he spoke, Li Ping looked at Gumu Sheng again, making him shudder inwardly and think, ’Here it comes.’
Li Ping continued, "Considering you are all Qi Refining Cultivators, your own cultivation consumes a lot of resources, and your income isn’t necessarily stable. Take you, for example, Musheng. You might earn over a hundred Spirit Stones this year, but the Cultivation Realm is volatile and circumstances are unpredictable. If the general situation in the Immortal City changes next year, your income could drop drastically. Am I right?"
Faced with Li Ping’s question, Gumu Sheng nodded quickly, affirming that his Big Brother was right.
"In such a situation, if you have to contribute even more Spirit Stones, I’m worried it will affect your own cultivation."
Li Ping’s gaze swept across the group. Seeing their varied expressions, he finally stated his idea. "My previous considerations regarding contributions to the Foundation Establishment Fund were incomplete. I now propose adding a new rule: after someone makes a Spirit Stone contribution, the amount cannot be lowered in the future. All subsequent contributions must be at least that amount!"
He added with a smile, "The purpose of this suggestion is mainly to remind everyone to act within their means and not to be shortsighted in the rush for Foundation Establishment!"
"I’ve said my piece. Who agrees, and who objects? If anyone has an opinion, you can voice it now."
...
Li Ping’s meaning was simple. He wouldn’t object if Gumu Sheng insisted on contributing 100 Spirit Stones. But from now on, Gumu Sheng’s annual contribution could never be lower than that amount.
In other words, an individual’s contribution amount to the Foundation Establishment Fund could only increase, never decrease.
Even if he received the opportunity for Foundation Establishment, failed, and did not become a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, he would still have to continue contributing 100 Spirit Stones every year!
Taking the benefit and then running was something Li Ping would absolutely not allow!
It was the same for everyone else. If they wanted to increase their contribution to cut in line, they first had to weigh whether they could bear that contribution amount indefinitely!
After Li Ping finished speaking, the other six fell into deep thought.
A moment later, to Li Ping’s surprise, the first person to speak was actually Gumu Sheng. After all, this new rule Li Ping had proposed was subtly aimed at him.
Gumu Sheng said, "I completely agree with Big Brother’s proposal. However, I’m confident in my future income, so I still plan to contribute 100 Spirit Stones."
For Gumu Sheng, his biggest worry had been that Li Ping would disregard the rules and forcefully protect Zhang Tie. In that case, there would have been nothing he could do.
Now, although the new rule Li Ping proposed seemed somewhat targeted at him, it was still within his expectations.
He was confident he could earn 100 Spirit Stones every year.
Hearing Gumu Sheng’s agreement, Cheng Yao, Qi Hanmo, and Bai Qing also voiced their approval. After a moment’s hesitation, Teng Feng agreed as well.
Only Zhang Tie, though he also agreed, was not very enthusiastic.
He understood that he couldn’t blame his Big Brother for this. He could only blame himself for not living up to expectations, for being less capable than his Third Brother and not earning as many Spirit Stones.
Next, after they all swore an oath to establish the rule, Gumu Sheng was about to hand over his Spirit Stone contribution.
But Li Ping held up a hand to stop him. "Since the contribution rules have changed, everyone should go back and think it over carefully first. We will meet again in ten days, and you can decide on your contribution amounts then."
To this, of course, no one had any objections.