Tall Order

"Alright."

Shu Wei's answer was loud although it sounded uncertain.

"In that case," he said, "then let me set things straight.."

"Eh!?"

"As I will be spending time in a closed door cultivation..," Shu Wei said evidently in response to Qai's idea, "..everyone else should also diligently raise their cultivation.."

Everyone thought it was an obvious statement since they would naturally do so, but the Shu family head wasn't done with his words.

"So..," Shu Wei emphatically said with a wide grin, "..all of you should raise a 'stage' in one year.."

"A stage!?"

"In a year!?"

Everyone was dumbfounded by the demand of the family head. Shu Wei was not only asking all of them to simply raise a level, but to raise it in a whole new stage.

It was apparently difficult but not actually impossible. That was because aside from Shu Wei and Shu Wu, everyone else was only in the Expert realm—and breaking through in this realm was way easier than in the higher realms.

But that would also mean that Qai and Shu Liang would now have to breakthrough to Sage realm in one year.

Right now, both of them were in the mid Heaven stage of the Expert realm—and the more difficult part of it was to cross from Expert realm to Sage realm.

The other members of the family would have lesser difficulty. But just the same, a whole new stage was truly a tall order.

Moreover, those who were already at the peak of a stage like Old Yu and Yu Yue, at first thought, would have easier time to cultivate and breakthrough to the next stage. But since the two were special cases, they were in no better position either.

But since the venture inside the Wasteland gave the Shu family plenty of resources, especially thousand-year herbs and bottles of Spirit Milk, there would be, without a doubt, more 'Sages' in the Shu family after a year.

This kind of opportunity, in the eyes of the Shu family, should not let be passed. Shu Wei thought that all should strive to reach higher realms.

As a matter of fact, should the family possess more Sages or as the stronger the family could become—the easier for the family to even more garner and concoct higher cultivating pills.

So it was actually logical for the entire Shu family to get stronger as it was the natural order of things—and that was, to focus first on the strength of the core members. It was basically the right way to becoming a clan.

***************

After that meal, everyone readied themselves.

Xiao Ning immediately harvested plenty of aged herbs in the garden and sent them to Qinlun and Bing. Old Yu, on the other hand, picked plenty of cores inside the Treasury Hall and asked Shen to bring them as well to Qinlun and Bing.

Qinlun and Bing, meanwhile, the two alchemists in the family, would have the crucial tasks in the progress of each one's cultivation.

They would have to provide all the necessary cultivating pills for everyone. Although the family had purchased plenty of pills back in the event, those would not be enough for all of them for the entire year.

And in order for the family to never run out of resources in the coming year, each one would have to take turns in their closed door cultivation. And those who would be out of turn shall take the responsibility of taking care of the herbs and cores and other necessary materials.

Thus, while some would be cultivating others would obviously be hunting and collecting. At least that was the system Qai and Shu Wei came up with.

And so, all of the members of 'The Hunters' Plateau' started to take seriously upon themselves the task to reach a new stage within the span of one year.

And to add a little bit of motivation, Shu Wei came up with a little reward.

"The first to enter a new stage shall have the opportunity to request one thing," She Wei announced.

"Ah."

"And for as long as it is within the ability of the Shu family..," he paused, "..it shall be granted."

All of them who just heard Shu Wei's words felt elated as they immediately started to imagine what would their request be.

And with that, the race to a new stage in a year was on.