Chapter 122 - 124: The Storm

In just a moment, the Green Boat came to a stop outside the clan’s territory, its speed far surpassing that of the paper crane. This greatly satisfied Li Zhirui, who decided to retire the paper crane and use the Green Boat until he could find a suitable second-tier flying artifact. Having made up his mind, he put it away into his storage bag and took out his Identity Jade, passing through the Clan Protection Array. The first thing he did upon returning to his courtyard was to check the few storage bags he had. Unfortunately, the cultivators who possessed them were not very strong and came from the ranks of Loose Cultivators. In total, they amounted to about a thousand Spirit Stones and a few tier-one Magic Artifacts. Li Zhirui curled his lip, collected these bits of "garbage" together, and planned to sell them to the family the next day, thus making use of waste materials. After dealing with that matter, he cast aside all distractions and began his daily cultivation routine. In the following few days of the trade fair, whenever Li Zhirui felt bored, he would stroll around to relax his mind. As for the auction, he did not participate again because he barely had any Spirit Stones left. The Li family, however, was focused on operating their exhibition booth, hoping to attract more merchant convoys to sign trade treaties with them. After the trade fair concluded, the Li family signed contracts with three small Foundation Establishment level merchant groups from Green Mountain State, selling Consolidating Yuan Pills, Jade Spirit Pills, and various other small Spiritual Objects. With this development, the family no longer had to worry about being unable to sell their Spiritual Objects. Instead, they had to start thinking about how to increase production to earn more Spirit Stones. Most of the time, Li Zhirui stayed in his room on the island to cultivate, perform Alchemy, manage his space, and most importantly, observe Da Qing’s condition! More than a month had passed since Da Qing fell into a deep sleep, without any signs of movement. Li Zhirui had no idea how much longer it would take for Da Qing to breakthrough, so he carefully checked on Da Qing’s condition every day. And today, Da Qing remained unchanged. On another matter, Li Zhirui was considering whether he should start modifying the Spirit Clearing Pill. "As a Spirit Pill that is paired with the ’Wanling Sutra’, it’s not very difficult to refine. Otherwise, this cultivation technique would not have been handed down to this day, instead of being discarded as trash," Li Zhirui muttered, making up his mind to start modifying the Spirit Clearing Pill. This modification only took him a dozen days, and after hastening the maturation of the Ghost Grass in his space, he successfully refined two Spirit Clearing Pills after about twenty attempts. "Indeed, the difficulty of refining isn’t high," he thought. How else could he have succeeded so quickly? Because neither he nor any other members of his family had contracted a second Spirit Beast, Li Zhirui did not continue refining Spirit Clearing Pills. Time flew by, and another half a year passed in the blink of an eye. Li Zhirui did nothing today; the previously dormant Da Qing had started showing signs of activity a few days ago, indicating that a breakthrough was imminent. That afternoon, Da Qing stretched its limbs and head out from its thick shell, opening its mouth wide and inhaling Spiritual Energy. Such a big commotion naturally did not escape the notice of others, and soon a large number of clan members came to watch. "Zhirui, is your Qingxuan Turtle about to make a Foundation Establishment breakthrough?" asked one of the clan members. Li Zhirui nodded. This affirmation made many clan members envious; after all, it had only been a few years since they obtained the Qingxuan Turtle, and now it was on the verge of advancing to the second tier. In contrast, despite their hard work in cultivation all their lives, they couldn’t even approach the gate to Foundation Establishment. The commotion accompanying Da Qing’s breakthrough was not small, but it quickly subsided as it successfully advanced to become a second-tier Spirit Beast! Li Zhirui had no time to accept the congratulations and best wishes from his clan members before he hurried back to his quiet room to refine the pure Spiritual Energy that Da Qing’s breakthrough had brought him. Your next chapter is on novelhall.Côm As the sun rose and set, another day passed. "Congratulations on your breakthrough!" After refining the Spiritual Energy, the Mana in his Dantian had greatly increased, equivalent to consuming more than a dozen Consolidating Yuan Pills. Cheep cheep! Da Qing excitedly and loudly expressed its feelings. After understanding its intent, Li Zhirui paused for a moment, surprised as Da Qing actually took the initiative to request going out for training. Had it not been for witnessing Da Qing’s behavior over the past six months, Li Zhirui would have suspected that his Da Qing had undergone Soul Possession. "No rush, you’ve just broken through and your realm hasn’t yet consolidated. You still haven’t mastered the Spells you derived from your bloodline. Wait a bit longer," Li Zhirui soothed Da Qing’s restless heart. But inside, he shook his head with a wry smile. Initially, he had longed to go out for training, and now he found himself persuading Da Qing not to be so impulsive. Cheep! Da Qing signaled that it understood and did not pester Li Zhirui further. It returned to the edge of its small pond and closed its eyes to digest the new Spells it had learned. "Now that Da Qing has reached the second tier, it’s time for me to find a second Contracted Spirit Beast," Li Zhirui mumbled to himself. However, Li Zhirui had high standards, and thus far, the Rare Beast Pavilion hadn’t contacted him. Not long ago, the Rare Beast Pavilion opened a branch in Yunqing Marketplace and started selling some low-tier adult Devil Beasts and younglings. When they opened, they specially invited him to the inauguration, but he was busy refining the Spirit Clearing Pill at that time and couldn’t attend. He had to trouble Li Shiren to go on his behalf and present a few Consolidating Yuan Pills as a gift. The Rare Beast Pavilion was very generous, returning the favor with a pair of second-tier Blackfoot Cranes, and the female crane was even pregnant. In a short time, the Li family would gain another second-tier Spirit Beast. Speaking of which, the Li family had maintained for several hundred years just five small groups of second-tier Spirit Beasts related to the Five Elements: the Jade Beak Eagle, Green Pupil Tiger, White Crane, Fire Crow, and Stone Ape. Such Spirit Seeking Beasts, being second-order Spirit Beasts with special abilities, were also raised by the Li family in small numbers. As for Li Shiting’s Green Scale Snake and Li Zhizhun’s Liquor Monkey, they were obtained through fortuitous encounters, and since their talents were not as high as the original five types, the family did not waste resources on their cultivation. The Blackfoot Crane sent over by the Rare Beast Pavilion was indeed somewhat stronger than the family’s original Aquatic Spirit Beast, the White Crane, but the Li family was not going to invest heavily in its cultivation now. Given that they now had better choices with the third-order Spirit Beasts like the Qingxuan Turtle and Water Spirit Turtle, they were no longer interested in the second-order Blackfoot Crane. Li Zhirui’s suggestions to the family had been discussed by the Elders, and in the end, were temporarily set aside. The reason was simple, with no younger generation members of the family having sufficient talent, it was a waste to spend a lot of money to purchase Spirit Beasts, whether or not they signed a contract with them. Furthermore, Li Ziyan had already broken through to the eighth level of Qi Cultivation, and there was hope for her Foundation Establishment within three years, meaning the family needed to start saving up Spirit Stones. Though the family’s annual income had increased by quite a bit, so too had its expenditures, and they were not able to save more than a few tens of thousands of Spirit Stones by the end of the year. But coming back to it! Li Zhirui was aware that with the stringent criteria he had set, finding a suitable Spirit Beast quickly was unlikely, and he was not in a hurry, especially since he did not have many Spirit Stones on hand right now. What he needed to do now was focus on refining more Consolidating Yuan Pills. —— "How goes the investigation of the Li family?" Suddenly, a cold voice sounded in the darkness. "To answer my master’s uncle," a Qi Cultivation cultivator bowed and answered, "The Li family has six Foundation Establishment cultivators, one of whom is in the late stage of Foundation Establishment and is said to have started his retreat a few years ago, attempting to break through to the Golden Core, but his current status between life and death is unknown." "Besides, there are two mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, three at the early stage, and their Contracted Spirit Beasts’ strengths closely match their own cultivation levels." "A minor Foundation Establishment family capable of nurturing so many second-order Spirit Beasts? They must certainly have a Secret Technique." The Foundation Establishment hidden in the darkness murmured to himself, then asked, "What else have you found out?" "Please forgive me, uncle, but the Li family keeps their own information well hidden. There isn’t much that is circulated to the outside world." After speaking, the Qi Cultivation disciple bowed his head, fearing his uncle’s dissatisfaction. "Well then, you may leave." The disciple, as if pardoned, quickly exited the hall. As he opened the door, a sliver of dim light shone in. If Li Shiren were there, he could have recognized the identity of that Foundation Establishment cultivator - the very Shopkeeper of the Rare Beast Pavilion! "Five Foundation Establishment cultivators in the early to mid-stages? In that case, there’s no need to ask the family for help, I just need to find the right time to sneak into Da Rong Island," the Shopkeeper muttered to himself. As for what to do after landing on Da Rong Island? If the Li family handed over the Secret Technique honestly, he might let them off the hook, but if they stubbornly resisted, they would be choosing their own path to death! At this thought, a hint of murderous intent flashed in the Shopkeeper’s eyes. The Rare Beast Pavilion was making its move against the Li family because someone from the Wang Family behind it had accidentally heard that Yunping State also had a Beast-Taming Family, using methods radically different from theirs, beginning in the juvenile stage. If that were all, the person would not have paid much attention, as it was the simplest method of Beast Taming, even known to Loose Cultivators. However, as he was leaving, he overheard that Loose Cultivator’s sighs about how the cultivation levels of the Li family’s Spirit Beasts closely matched their owners’ and that it wasn’t just an isolated case. It was this statement that caught his attention, then he reported the matter to his family, which promptly piqued the family’s interest. The problem was that the Wang Family was located in the southern part of Green Mountain State, some distance from Yunping State, and with the Li family being a dependent force of Shen Leishan’s Yuanming Sect, it was not appropriate for them to investigate directly. They had been considering opening a branch of the Rare Beast Pavilion in Yunping State for some time as a cover. They hadn’t come up with a plan yet when the Yuanming Sect staged a grand trading event, after which the Rare Beast Pavilion found an excuse to stay in Yunqing Marketplace. Since there were other business associations that remained, theirs did not stand out as overly conspicuous. Although there was only one mid-stage Foundation Establishment Shopkeeper from the Rare Beast Pavilion publicly known, there were two late-stage Foundation Establishment and one mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators lurking outside of the Marketplace. Sigh—— Even though it was bright noon, the day was dreary, with gusts of wind sweeping through and causing unsecured doors and windows to clatter noisily. "The wind has picked up," the Shopkeeper stood up and walked to the window, looking at the overcast sky with a touch of regret and an indifferent voice, "A storm is approaching, which means a few days’ wait." Though they were Foundation Establishment cultivators, they were still as insignificant as ants in the face of such natural disasters. Rustle rustle—— Before the violent storm hit, the Market Grand Array was activated by fifty percent, shielding all of the wind and rain outside. Hundreds of miles away on Da Rong Island, the Li family’s cultivators had not anticipated the storm’s sudden onset. Protected by their Great Array, they were not affected, but it was a disaster for the mortals on the island. Luckily, due to a recent beast tide disaster, many had homes that were newly reconstructed, and with the wind coming from the east, East Mountain’s tall range reduced the storm’s ferocity. Furthermore, the Li family’s cultivators responded promptly; as soon as the storm hit, Li Zhizhun arranged for family members to venture out in the wind and rain to reassure and rescue the afflicted mortals. However, among these people, Li Zhirui, Li Shilian, and a few other Foundation Establishment cultivators were notably absent! That’s because they were currently standing in front of the rear hall, looking anxiously and expectantly at the firmly closed Broad Beam Vermilion Gate.