Guest Elder

Hearing this, Liu Changdie waved his hand and smiled. "Allow me to be frank. Those fifty or sixty spirit stones are just the cost of materials. I do not ask for these spirit stones, but I do have a favor to request!" Li Xuanfeng nodded in sudden realization and replied, "Brother Changdie, please speak freely. If it is within our family's power, we certainly will not refuse!" Liu Changdie paused slightly to organize his thoughts, then said softly, "I have immersed myself in formations for many years. As I delve deeper into the dao of formations, discerning formation principles and patterns has grown ever more difficult. If I could obtain an ocular technique, it would surely yield twice the result with half the effort, allowing me to take another step forward! "Regrettably, though I have searched bitterly in this commandery for many years, every immortal cultivation family jealously hoards their own treasures, guarding their clan techniques with utmost secrecy. I searched in vain with nowhere to turn. If your noble clan has such an ocular technique and would permit me to study it, not to mention this Huaqian Earth Lock Formation, I would gladly lay down another formation as well..." Naturally, Liu Changdie knew the Li family possessed an ocular technique called *Spirit Eyes and Clear Pupils*. He had coveted it in his past life, yet had never managed to obtain it. Now that he was on good terms with the Li family, he intended to seize the opportunity to request this spell. "Oh?" Li Xuanfeng's eyebrow shot up, giving Liu Changdie a sudden jolt of trepidation as he set down the teacup in his hand. Li Xuanfeng mused silently to himself: *Could it still be a coincidence? Liu Changdie is quite eccentric, yet he bears goodwill toward our family. Previously, we did not know his background, and our clan only had Qi Refinement cultivators, so we did not dare invite him to be a guest elder. A few days ago, I discussed this matter with Brother Xuanxuan. Why not seize this opportunity...* And so, deliberately holding back to build suspense, he furrowed his brows and said, "So that is how it is. By coincidence, our clan does possess an ocular technique. However, there has never been any precedent for imparting it to anyone outside the clan." "It was Changdie who was presumptuous!" Liu Changdie lowered his head in dejection and apologized. Li Xuanfeng, however, could no longer hold back a hearty laugh and replied: "If Brother Changdie thinks well of our clan, registering under our name as a guest elder would mean it no longer counts as breaking precedent!" "Is that true?!" Liu Changdie was naturally overjoyed and blurted out the question. He had been currying favor with the Li family all along; had he not feared that being overly eager might be mistaken for harboring ulterior motives, he would have brought up the matter of becoming a guest elder long ago. Seeing Li Xuanfeng nod, he beamed with delight. "Splendid, truly splendid!" Good fortune raises one's spirits. In his past life, Liu Changdie had spent the better part of his years bowing and scraping to achieve breakthroughs, scolded and pushed around by others; he had never been any grand figure. Now that he was about to become a guest elder of the Li family, his tone immediately turned attentive and eager as he asked, "I heard the master family relocated the formation disc from Mount Yuting to Mount Huazhong. Is it working smoothly?" "Speaking of that... I was actually going to ask you, Brother." Li Xuanfeng shook his head and asked, "Back on Mount Yuting, this grand formation possessed the power of mid-to-late Qi Refinement, yet once moved to Mount Huazhong, only early Qi Refinement power remains. Brother, do you know the reason?" Liu Changdie wore a matter-of-fact look and replied, "A formation disc is not something that forms a formation simply by placing it anywhere. If I am not mistaken, the disc on Mount Yuting was tailored to Mount Yuting's ley line spiritual energy. Moving it directly to Mount Huazhong naturally caused its power to diminish drastically!" He waved his hand and took the task entirely upon himself. "In a few days, I shall pay a visit to Mount Huazhong and make some adjustments to the formation disc. Leave it to me!" Li Xuanfeng naturally thanked him repeatedly. After chatting and laughing for a while, Li Xuanfeng said, "I will go report this to the senior now. As for Mount Huaqian, my nephew is stationed here to watch over it. Brother Changdie, you may simply discuss things with Yuanjiao." Both Liu Changdie and Li Yuanjiao voiced their agreement. Li Xuanfeng then took his leave and flew off riding the wind. Li Yuanjiao turned back and asked, "Senior, what spiritual materials will you require, and how much manpower will be needed? I shall go prepare immediately." The corner of Liu Changdie's mouth twitched awkwardly. "Do not call me Senior... Brother Yuanjiao, allow me to write down a list of the requirements, and you may go make the purchases." *** "This humble one... this humble one would not dare be negligent..." Cold sweat broke out across Shamoli's brow. He kept his head bowed low, staring fixedly at the bluestone floor, his mind in a complete muddle as he mumbled a vague response. Seated at the head of the room, Li Tongya glanced at him and spoke: "Step forward!" Shamoli hurriedly rose and took two steps forward. Li Tongya looked him over twice, his brow knitting slightly as he mused silently: *The Purple Lightning Secret Origin Method is indeed formidable, yet it also corrodes essential vitality. This Shamoli indulges in wine and lust, reveling night after night just to sire offspring. From the looks of it, he also indulges in consuming all kinds of spiritual ingredients in the Shanyue lands. His vitality has withered. If he continues like this every day, he probably will not even live to a hundred.* Seeing his timid and cowering demeanor, and considering that this man had been diligent and conscientious over the years, Li Tongya merely gave an admonition: "Your cultivation method requires nourishing your vitality and resting. Do not overexert yourself." Not knowing whether he had truly taken the words to heart, Shamoli answered meekly in deference. Li Tongya left it at that. His thoughts turned warmly toward the juniors of his clan, musing: *With Shamoli as an example, I should seek out some spiritual herbs and elixir pills for Qinghong to nurture her vitality and consolidate her foundation...* Li Tongya was the most devoted to these juniors, even placing his own child behind the offspring of his brothers. Committing this matter carefully to mind, he spoke: "Your eldest son has already begun cultivating. He went up the mountain to petition Xuanxuan and was granted the Li surname. He is a promising youth. When the child achieves Qi Refinement, step aside and yield the position to him, then come up the mountain to cultivate in earnest." Li Tongya's words left no room for discussion. Yet upon hearing this, Shamoli felt no resentment at all; instead, he felt a faint stir of gratitude and emotion. Foundation Establishment and Qi Refinement were worlds apart. Li Tongya was already being very courteous; back then, the band of great shamans on Mount Wu used Qi Refinement cultivators like medicinal herbs. The Shanyue people had long learned to bow their heads and await commands, and Shamoli was no exception. He said immediately, "Thank you! Thank you, Old Ancestor!" "Mm." Seeing how obedient and docile he was, Li Tongya smiled. "A proper ruler of Shanyue, yet when the time comes, you can only sit in meditation in a secluded room on the mountain. It must feel like quite a comedown for you." "This humble one has never harbored such thoughts!" Shamoli had ruled Shanyue for four or five years after all; how could he fail to realize this was the moment to pledge his loyalty? With a thud, he dropped to his knees and said in a trembling voice, "If not for the master family, this humble one would have died in who knows what forsaken corner of Shanyue long ago! Now that I have attained Qi Refinement and govern the Shanyue nation, what could I possibly be dissatisfied with? The one inheriting the throne is my own flesh and blood, which is only natural and right. It will free me to focus on cultivation and partake in the immortal mountain's spiritual energy. This humble one cannot thank you enough!" Hearing this, Li Tongya kept his eyes on the sword in his hands and nodded. "Good. You have made no small progress. Stay on the mountain for a few months. In a few months, the family will be capturing some demonic beasts; you shall accompany them and lend a hand." "This humble one understands." "You may withdraw." Only then did Shamoli slowly exit the courtyard, realizing his back was soaked through with sweat. He made his way down the mountain in a daze, the gleaming cold light of that sword still lingering in his mind. Only after a long while did he come to his senses, muttering softly, "The Li family... The master family already has a Foundation Establishment cultivator holding the fort. That is a wonderful thing. It puts my heart at ease, and the master family has no fear of me causing trouble, so there is no longer any worry of them slaughtering the donkey once the grinding is done." Walking along the stone path, the members of the Li family surfaced in Shamoli's mind one by one—from Li Xiangping and Li Tongya to Li Xuanfeng and Li Xuanling, and from Li Xuanxuan and Li Yuanxiu to Li Yuanjiao and Li Qinghong. His heart was filled with both relief and profound emotion. *Coming to the master family all those years ago was just an impulse born of a single turn of thought, yet I boarded this great ship... A single difference in thought: one path leads to becoming another's slave or a pile of bones in the forest, while the other leads to becoming the ruler of a nation, riding the wind in Qi Refinement. *A life of a thousand hardships, a mind of ten thousand schemes—none compare to that single turn of thought. The rise and fall of fate between heaven and earth is truly absurd beyond measure.* He was only in his forties, yet the peaks and troughs he had traversed were more than tenfold those of ordinary men. Walking along the mountain path, his steps grew lighter and lighter.