Chapter 53: One Year

After understanding Li Shiqing's meaning, Li Zhirui calmed down and asked, "Why choose me?"

"Because besides you, I have no other choice." Li Shiqing did not reveal the true reason; he only told Li Zhirui that it wasn't that he had chosen him, but rather that there was no choice but him.

Li Shilian was no longer young, Li Shiting was cold in temperament, and Li Shiren was not clever enough. As for the other clansmen, they either had no hope of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage or still had a long way to go before reaching it. Only Li Zhirui was perfectly suitable.

Of course, if it were merely a matter of suitability, Li Shiqing would not have chosen him. He simply did not want to voice those words of praise for fear that Li Zhirui might become arrogant.

"I have been delegating power to the various elders during this period. When you take over the position of Clan Leader, you won't have to be as busy and exhausted as I am." At the same time, this was also a form of restraint and a test.

It was a restraint to ensure that Li Zhirui, and future Clan Leaders, could no longer make decisions based solely on personal likes or dislikes; it was a test to see how Li Zhirui would maintain his duties as Clan Leader without being sidelined by the elders who held actual power.

"Can I refuse?" Li Zhirui asked.

He had little interest in managing the entire clan. He would much rather refine more and better medicinal pills, increase his own cultivation, and venture out to experience the vast world. He was willing to contribute to the clan's development, but he did not want to be bound to the clan by this responsibility.

Li Shiqing was momentarily stunned. He had long ago selected Li Zhirui as his successor, but he realized he had never actually asked for Li Zhirui's thoughts. He had assumed Li Zhirui would accept this responsibility, especially given that, based on his performance, Li Zhirui possessed deep affection for the clan.

With a faint sigh in his heart, Li Zhirui said, "I am willing to take on this responsibility after I reach Foundation Establishment, but I will not become the Clan Leader. I will only act on the Clan Leader's duties until you emerge from seclusion or until another more suitable candidate is born."

His previous refusal was merely to express his stance; Li Zhirui knew he could not truly refuse!

Just as Li Shiqing had said, the clan had no other choice in the short term, unless he gave up his seclusion and abandoned his pursuit of the Golden Core stage.

But Li Shiqing was already quite old!

Although he was of the same generation as elders like Li Shile and Li Shize, based on the elders' ages, Li Shiqing—the second elder of the "Shi" generation—was at most a little over a hundred years old.

But that wasn't actually the case. Between the second son, Li Shiqing, and the fifth son, Li Shize, there were actually many others who had perished due to certain accidents.

In fact, because of that accident, the Li family did not even dare to perform ancestral rites for them; their names had even been struck from the genealogy, as if they had never existed in the Li family at all.

It was also because of that accident that the Li family had encountered a crisis and nearly faced extermination. It was only after Li Shiqing took power that he thought to establish a branch to preserve the Li bloodline.

Therefore, in reality, Li Shiqing was several decades older than his peers; he was now approximately one hundred and seventy or eighty years old.

It seemed that Li Shiqing still had several decades before reaching the lifespan limit of the Foundation Establishment stage—four sexagenary cycles—so there was no need to be in such a hurry. But how easy was it to break through to the Golden Core stage?

To seize this final opportunity, Li Shiqing had to hand the clan over to Li Zhirui. And for Li Shiqing to form a core and for the Li family to take a step forward, Li Zhirui had no choice but to shoulder the responsibilities of the Clan Leader.

"I did not consider things thoroughly enough; I forgot your feelings," Li Shiqing sighed.

How could he have forgotten? The clan had trapped him for over a hundred years, and now he actually wanted to trap another person for decades—and a clansman who was even more likely to break through to the Golden Core than himself.

Li Zhirui, however, broke into a smile and said, "Then, Grandfather Clan Leader, you must succeed in forming your core."

Li Shiqing did not speak, merely nodding with a heavy expression.

"If there is nothing else, then I shall head back." Seeing that Li Shiqing agreed, Li Zhirui turned and left the main hall.

Upon returning to his own courtyard, Li Zhirui let out a heavy sigh. "Being part of a clan, some responsibilities are unavoidable!"

Da Qing looked over, confused. He didn't know what had happened, but he sensed that Li Zhirui was in a bad mood.

*Ji!*

Da Qing comforted Li Zhirui in his own way, which was to send a jet of water straight at him. It wasn't a spell, but water that Da Qing had held in his mouth and then sprayed out—or rather, his saliva.

Caught between laughter and tears, Li Zhirui raised his hand to block it with a water curtain, but the negative emotions in his heart were also dispersed by Da Qing's actions.

*Ji!*

Da Qing's fledgling intelligence could not yet grasp complex expressions. He only saw the smile appearing on Li Zhirui's face, felt that his method had worked, and sprayed several more mouthfuls of saliva at him.

After playing with Da Qing for a while, Li Zhirui brought him into the Space and said, "Since you like playing with water, you can help me water the spiritual herbs from now on."

Previously, Li Zhirui had not dared to let Da Qing help because he could not yet properly control the power of his spells, but after such a long period of training, Da Qing could now do it very well.

*Ji!*

Da Qing let out a happy cry. Following Li Zhirui's finger, he summoned a large spiritual cloud toward a spiritual field planted with Water-Moistening Grass. A drizzling spiritual rain fell, nourishing the spiritual herbs.

"Well done!" Li Zhirui praised him unreservedly. Once Da Qing finished watering, he led him to another spiritual field.

With Da Qing's help, the labor that would have normally taken Li Zhirui one or two hours was completed half an hour early today.

"Good work." Li Zhirui patted Da Qing's head, took out two Jade Spirit Pills to feed him, left him in the Space to refine the pills, and departed alone.

For a long time afterward, Li Zhirui spent his days refining pills, cultivating, tending to spiritual herbs, and playing with Da Qing.

Although he was busy every day, Li Zhirui felt very fulfilled. Furthermore, he did not neglect his own cultivation; his mana growth was not slow, though he still needed more time to accumulate strength to break through to the ninth level of Qi Refinement.

Moreover, he had made greater progress in the way of alchemy. He had now learned a large number of water-based refining techniques, and after multiple practices, the success rate of the Jade Spirit Pill had reached ninety percent.

Aside from Li Zhirui, the Li family also saw significant development in various aspects during this year.

Another clansman had become capable of refining Jade Spirit Pills. Although many forces in the Yunqing Market were already selling water-refined pills, this remained the Li family's largest monthly source of income.

The business of the Cloud-Top Pavilion remained at a good level, serving as the family's second-largest source of income.

Additionally, the scale of the Cloud Fish obtained after escaping White Wave County had expanded. Some could be brought out for clansmen to exchange or use as rewards, but because of the Cloud Fish's preciousness, the Li family did not dare to sell them.

Although Li Zhirui had two pairs of Cloud Fish in his possession, because the current scale was still small, he had not had the chance to taste their deliciousness.

Therefore, when the clan put Cloud Fish on the market, he immediately ordered two to taste. The Cloud Fish indeed lived up to its reputation; the meat was tender and smooth, melting in the mouth, and the spiritual energy it contained was very pure and easy to refine.

If it weren't for the limited supply and the clan's rule that no one person could buy them all, Li Zhirui would truly have been willing to empty his contribution points to have two Cloud Fish every single day.