Chapter 211 - 217: Misguided

Words : 1385 Updated : Oct 7th, 2025

Li Zhirui’s first action upon returning to his family was to join the clansmen in cleaning up the battlefield and also to acquire Spirit Materials from the Loose Cultivators. Continue reading stories on novelhall.Côm Despite the large quantity of Spirit Materials, the Li family did not deliberately lower the buying price, reducing it by only about ten percent from usual times. This already had many Loose Cultivators excitedly praising the Li family, knowing that Yuanming Sect’s prices for acquiring Spiritual Objects were at least twenty percent lower! Of course, the Li family did not have the ability to absorb all the Spiritual Objects, and after acquiring about forty percent from the Loose Cultivators, they had to stop. After several busy hours, by the time Li Zhirui and the others returned to Da Rong Island, the sky had already darkened. "Uncle, you’ve finally come back. How did the monster tide go?" Li Shilian asked repeatedly. "It was tense but without peril, our clansmen did not suffer too much in the way of casualties." But even with him in charge, a few unlucky clansmen still died at the hands of Water Devils. "Zhirui, you..." Only then did Li Shilian shift his attention, and at first glance, he saw Li Zhirui standing to the left of Li Shiqing. "Everyone has been busy all day and is also tired. Let’s talk about any issues tomorrow," Li Shiqing interrupted Li Shilian, glanced at Li Zhirui, and said, "There will be a family council tomorrow, and you cannot be absent." He knew Li Shiqing had many questions to ask. He nodded in agreement and then dispersed with the other clansmen. Li Zhirui walked to the entrance of the small courtyard, looked at the courtyard that was still as clean as new after several years of absence, and instantly felt a solid sense of belonging surge in his heart. "Home at last!" He let Da Qing and Xiaoqing out to move freely, while he himself entered his room and began his daily cultivation. Early the next morning, Li Zhirui left to attend the family council meeting in the main hall. When he arrived, there were already quite a few Elders there, but Li Zhirui was not familiar with them. Since stepping down from his position as Acting Clan Leader, he had hardly ever attended family meetings. Moreover, he had spent these years either in secluded cultivation or training abroad, with very little time spent with the family, which naturally meant he was not close with these Elders, and they merely exchanged polite greetings with one another. Before long, all the clan members who were supposed to come had arrived. As the Clan Leader, Li Zhizhun was the first to speak, "A preliminary count shows that this monster tide caused the death of five clan members and injuries to several dozen others, though none of the injuries are serious." "And the monster tide was kept off the island chain, causing no significant damage to the Red Pine Trio of Islands..." As for Da Rong Island, only a very few Water Devils had attacked, as clansmen often practiced nearby during peaceful times. This had two benefits: one was to improve strength through combat, and the other was to reduce the number of Water Devils. Consequently, the Water Devils within a hundred miles had been wiped out by the clansmen. The several dozen Water Devils that attacked Da Rong Island had likely only turned into Devil Beasts recently. All things considered, this monster tide did cause some losses, but for the Li family as it stands now, it can only be seen as a minor setback without much impact. "As for gains, we acquired various Spiritual Objects from the Loose Cultivators, and after processing, the family should be able to earn a considerable amount of Spirit Stones," he continued. After Li Zhizhun finished speaking, Li Shiqing said, "This monster tide shows that although the family has developed rapidly, there are still deficiencies in many areas." "For example, there weren’t enough preparations of Spiritual Objects, responses were not quick enough, and there was weak capability in terms of preparations, to the point that there was a period when various Spirit Pills and Talismans could not be purchased..." During that time, many Loose Cultivators, for safety’s sake, left the battlefield, since everyone lacked Spirit Pills to recover Mana and were unable to replace them in a timely manner. If it hadn’t been for Li Shiqing, the Golden Core Cultivator, who acted several times to help, the island chain wouldn’t have been able to stop the Water Devils at all. And most of the clan members who fell or were injured also met with accidents during this time. "The monster tide is over now, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be more in the future. We must learn from this experience and ensure that similar events don’t happen again next time." Everyone bowed their heads upon hearing this, as most of the Elders had stayed with the family, organizing and preparing logistics. "After today, I won’t mention these matters again, but you all had better remember them!" Li Shiqing spoke in a deep voice, "Zhizhun, prepare the funerals for those five clan members. Everyone in the clan must attend!" "Yes!" "If there’s nothing else, then go about your business." Li Shiqing waved his hand and turned toward Li Zhirui, who sat in the corner silent, "Zhirui, come with me; I have some questions for you." Li Zhirui got up and followed him out of the main hall, and Li Shilian thought for a moment before following them. "Tell me, are you planning to retreat and make a breakthrough to the Golden Core on your homecoming this time?" As soon as they entered the back hall, Li Shiqing eagerly asked. Li Zhirui nodded with a smile, "Have I not disappointed you, Uncle?" "Very good! Our Li family finally has a worthy successor!" Li Shilian, who stood by, was also filled with excitement and joy, but after calming down, he frowned and said, "Zhirui’s breakthrough is indeed a great matter but if the news leaks, the Yuanming Sect might harm Zhirui!" It wasn’t so much about there being a spy within the family but rather that the Yuanming Sect would definitely know as soon as Li Zhirui began his Tribulation Transcendence, and they might very well try to interfere. "This..." Upon hearing this, both Li Zhirui and Li Shiqing were stunned; indeed, they had not thought of this. "Would it mean that Zhirui shouldn’t retreat and undergo Tribulation Transcendence on Da Rong Island?" Li Shilian nodded, which was exactly what he had in mind. He had even made inquiries and said, "In Green Mountain State, there are special caves provided for Cultivators to retreat and undergo Tribulation Transcendence." "As long as enough Spirit Stones are paid, they will specifically arrange for Cultivators to act as protectors, ensuring no one interrupts the process of Tribulation Transcendence. Later, Zhirui can secretly head to Green Mountain State, and the family will pretend he’s in seclusion on the island, so we don’t have to worry about the Yuanming Sect interfering." Actually, these caves for Tribulation Transcendence are mainly provided for Loose Cultivators to use. The price is indeed not cheap – the rent starts at a year minimum, with a cost of fifty thousand Spirit Stones, and if it goes over by even one day, the price for a full year will be charged. Many Loose Cultivators actually can’t afford so many Spirit Stones; after all, to increase their cultivation as quickly as possible, they simply can’t save up Spirit Stones. At that time, the shop would considerately offer a second option, which is to join the forces behind them, become a Guest Elder, and serve that power. And this is the true purpose of offering the caves for Tribulation Transcendence. However, Li Zhirui need not worry about the issue with Spirit Stones, as even if he couldn’t pay, the family would help with the payment! "Good!" Li Shiqing said without hesitation, "In a few days, Zhirui, you will leave the family secretly and head to Green Mountain State to retreat and undergo Tribulation Transcendence. Meanwhile, we will arrange for some clan members to spread false information, misleading the Yuanming Sect."

Chapter 211 - 217: Misguided

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