Chapter 54: Yujing

"This formation looks incredibly sturdy and indestructible; I fear it has already surpassed the Fetal Breath Realm."

Li Xiangping fired two more arrows. Seeing that the formation remained unmoved, he let out a soft sigh.

"Young Clan Leader, our Li family has no inheritance in the Dao of Formations. Breaking this will be no easy task. Perhaps we should join with the Wan family..."

Li Qiuyang gazed around for a while, pacing back and forth on the hillside. Finding no clue as to how to proceed, he inquired immediately.

"We cannot."

Li Xiangping shook his head and said softly

"My second brother is about to break through to the Jade Capital stage. There must still be a turning point in this matter. Why share it with the Wan family? Once the time comes, whether we succeed in breaking the formation or not, we would be forced to give them a piece of the pie."

"If any precious spiritual treasures emerge, the two families might even turn against each other. Why take such a risk?"

"The Clan Head is right!"

Li Qiuyang apologized and calmly retreated to the rear.

"I called you all here because I have made several arrangements."

Li Xiangping waved his hand and said in a heavy voice

"Ye Sheng, go prepare the manpower from Jingyang Village. Discuss it thoroughly with Uncle Ping'an. Over the next few years, we will begin building mountain roads and courtyards on this mountain. We must ensure these plots of land are demarcated and guarded."

"I have surveyed the surrounding ley lines. The land around the hillside is rich in spiritual energy, forming a vast spiritual field. If we plant two crops of spiritual rice every five years, it can produce at least a hundred catties of spiritual rice. From now on, I will leave its management to you, Qiuyang."

"Understood!"

Li Qiuyang responded in a low voice. At Li Xiangping's signal, he and Li Yesheng descended the mountain to negotiate with Ren Ping'an at the foot of the hill.

"Adding this to our Li family's current production of three hundred catties, we will have a surplus of two or three spiritual stones every five years. In a few more years, our resources will become more abundant."

Watching the two descend the mountain and disappear from view, Li Xiangping turned to the smiling Li Xuanxuan and asked with a grin

"What is it?"

"Uncle is truly trusting of Brother Qiuyang."

Li Xuanxuan looked up at Li Xiangping with a face full of smiles.

Li Xiangping laughed heartily and whispered

"Li Qiuyang's family is low-profile and sensible, especially his father, Li Chengfu, who knows when to advance and when to retreat. You and I can use them with complete peace of mind. Currently, our Li family has vast land but few people; there is no need to be stingy with power. Let these people do as they please."

"He, Li Qiuyang, may reach the Fetal Breath Realm, but he may not necessarily reach the Qi Refinement Realm. Even if he reaches Qi Refinement, he may not produce offspring born with spiritual apertures. He can never compare to our main lineage. There is no need to guard against him growing too powerful right now. As for the Liu family of Jingyang, they have already become in-laws to our Li family, and their only cultivator has become one of our own, so there is even less to worry about."

Seeing Li Xuanxuan looking thoughtful, Li Xiangping leaned down close to his ear and chuckled softly

"Besides, how could I truly be at ease with him? His father and brother are both right here at the foot of our Lijing Mountain. Li Qiuyang has low cultivation and is young, and in Jingyang Village, he still has Ren Ping'an and Li Yesheng to manage him. What kind of trouble could he possibly stir up?"

Li Xuanxuan's brow immediately relaxed. He replayed these words in his mind several times before smiling and saying

"Your nephew has learned much!"

Only then did Li Xiangping lift his head. His brow furrowed, but his eyes held a hint of warmth as he said solemnly

"Stay by your uncle and learn well. This Li family will eventually be handed over to you. I did not enter the path of cultivation until I was sixteen or seventeen; I won't be able to keep up with you. Moreover, life and death are unpredictable. The demonic beasts in these mountains increase day by day, and no one knows what might happen. Our Li family must seize the time, and you, Li Xuanxuan, must also seize the time."

"Life and death are unpredictable."

Li Xuanxuan repeated the words softly. The image of the father he had never met suddenly surfaced in his mind, bringing a sudden pang of bitterness.

————

"The essence of the Fetal Breath Realm lies in the Jade Capital. The Jade Capital Wheel is located in the Shengyang Mansion, which is the fifth wheel of the Fetal Breath stage. After this, one must condense the sixth wheel, the Spiritual Origin Wheel, within the Shengyang Mansion to swallow a mouthful of Heaven and Earth spiritual energy and advance to the Qi Refinement Realm."

Li Tongya slowly woke from his meditation, his heart filled with immense joy. Feeling his newly born spiritual sense wandering around his body, the world before his eyes had completely changed; he could see wisps of spiritual energy drifting around him.

As his spiritual sense covered the formation flags in front of him, the Mist Illusion Formation on Lijing Mountain shuddered. Li Tongya gained a sense of control as if his will were his own; everything on and below the mountain was within his grasp. Even the blood seals left by the family's cultivators in the formation flags could be erased instantly.

"After condensing the Jade Capital Wheel, mortals will find it difficult to harm me again."

After carefully adjusting the layout of the mountain's Mist Illusion Formation to ensure it fully covered the new small paths and exits created over the years, Li Tongya picked up a small piece of bluestone from the ground and easily crushed it into powder. Everything within a ten-foot radius was vividly clear in his mind.

He could easily dodge flying arrows and use his magic power to catch a gleaming blade with his bare hands. A cultivator of the Jade Capital Wheel could easily defeat dozens of mortals and, through guerrilla tactics, could even crush armies of hundreds or thousands.

Pushing open the back courtyard door, Li Tongya saw Li Xiangping sitting cross-legged in the courtyard, practicing. Under the detection of his spiritual sense, the four spiritual wheels on Li Xiangping's body shone as brightly as points of light.

"So this is how spiritual sense observes cultivation. Four spiritual wheels mean the fourth level of the Fetal Breath Realm, the Azure Origin Wheel."

Seeing Li Xiangping slowly open his eyes, Li Tongya smiled

"Congratulations, Third Brother, on breaking through to the Azure Origin."

Li Xiangping, however, gave a bitter smile and replied

"So this is the spiritual sense of the Jade Capital Wheel? You saw through it in a single glance."

Li Tongya laughed heartily. He and Li Xiangping exchanged a glance, both seeing the look of anticipation in each other's eyes.

The two walked through the back courtyard and into the small room at the very end. Li Mutian was already sitting inside, watching the two as they stepped in together.

"Father, I have birthed my spiritual sense. I can now examine this dharma tool."

Li Tongya cupped his hands. Seeing the old man nod slowly, he stepped forward cautiously and used his spiritual sense to touch the mirror.

Lu Jiangxian had woken up when Li Tongya broke through to the Jade Capital Wheel. Feeling the power fed back by the Mysterious Pearl Seed, he estimated the power of his Taiyin Profound Light.

"It is equivalent to a single attack composed of the concentrated essence of the entire body at the peak of the Fetal Breath Realm's Spiritual Origin Wheel. If someone is caught off guard, it should be able to kill a cultivator in the early stages of Qi Refinement."

"My current magic power can likely support three consecutive uses. After that, I will need to breathe in moonlight or spiritual energy for several days to recover."

As he felt Li Tongya's spiritual sense slowly enter the mirror, Lu Jiangxian felt as if he had been poked by a tiny tentacle, much like the feeling of a girl in his class poking him with a pen during a lesson back in his school days.

Feeling a momentary gloom, Lu Jiangxian refocused his thoughts on the young man before him. Cooperatively, he released a dazzling white light that rose slowly from the stone platform.

Pure white moonlight continuously surged forth, enveloping the body of the mirror. Pale white moonlight spread from the stone platform like mist, submerging half of the room and overflowing through the windows and thresholds before finally dissipating outside like smoke.

Li Xiangping and the others were instantly awestruck by this display of flickering white light and flowing moonlight. Feeling the cool moonlight flowing past their ankles and wrists, their minds became clear, and they gazed at the stone platform with expectant eyes.

(End of Chapter)