Qingchi Sect.
A gentle breeze swept along the secluded trail, where a cultivator walked at swift speed, bundled tightly from head to toe. White light radiated from his feet, clearly empowered by the Divine Movement Technique.
‘I’m finally back.’
Disheveled and frowning deeply, Li Xizhi trudged silently along the trail at the base of Qingsui Peak. The black robe he wore was quite tattered, making him look rather travel-worn.
‘A single stationing assignment lasted two whole months, and down the mountain, the chores were as plentiful as the hairs on an ox... Had I not gained some experience back home, it really would have been tricky to handle.’
Not all disciples of Qingchi Sect could cultivate peacefully upon the mountain. They were frequently assigned all manner of secular duties—some leisurely, some grueling. As for how these duties were allotted, it largely depended on the influence of their respective peaks within the sect.
Qingsui Peak had been in decline for years. Back when Li Chijing cultivated here, he had Si Yuanbai’s protection and never faced significant trouble; after all, Si Yuanbai’s talisman cultivation was profound, and he had strong backing in the sect, so he did not even need to perform these secular duties.
Now, however, Yuan Tuan was gentle-tempered, possessing neither authority nor a backer within the sect. Naturally, when duties fell to her disciple, it was no pleasant task. He had gone down the mountain to settle many affairs and had been run ragged.
On top of that, quite a few sword cultivators from the various peaks had come seeking him out by reputation, so Li Xizhi dared not show his face openly, inwardly lamenting his bitter luck.
These sword cultivators were mostly Qi Refinement cultivators who claimed they would suppress their cultivation base. Yet they had cultivated for decades longer than him; not only was their sword dao equally profound, but their discerning eyes were exceptionally sharp. How could he possibly match them?
Fearing he would bring shame upon his family and Qingsui Peak, Li Xizhi had to sneak up and down the mountain day after day, wrapping himself tightly and keeping as low a profile as possible to avoid courting trouble.
Having finally climbed onto the terrace at the summit, Li Xizhi let out a long breath and suddenly looked up.
Before him, northern winds gusted through the bamboo forest. Amid the slowly drifting bamboo leaves stood a person-tall green deer, upon which sat a Daoist nun of lovely countenance, gazing at him quietly.
“Master!”
Li Xizhi called out respectfully. Yuan Tuan nodded calmly, not asking why he was dressed in such attire, as if she had long anticipated it. She said softly,
“I have retrieved the cultivation method for you.”
Flicking her delicate hand, she handed over a pale yellow jade slip. Li Xizhi hastily received it, and with a stir of his spiritual sense, five characters came into view:
*Morning Glow Dew-Gathering Mantra*
Li Xizhi instantly breathed a sigh of relief. Then he heard Yuan Tuan say softly:
“This technique is also fourth-rank. While it cannot compare to the legacies of the direct lineages of those prominent peaks, it is no worse than the methods commonly practiced in the sect. It is rather difficult to cultivate, so few in the sect practice it, and it only contains the contents up to Foundation Establishment.”
Li Xizhi did not ask his master why she was unwilling to choose the superior *Yuanqing Rain-Guiding Mantra*; he only listened in silence. Then he saw Yuan Tuan’s lips move, and a soft murmur sounded by his ear:
“Most of the dao complements for this technique have been lost, with only a few fragmented inheritances in the State of Wu. You need not worry.”
Li Xizhi did not know how much pains Yuan Tuan had taken to acquire this method. Deeply moved, he could only say respectfully,
“Master’s grace is like—”
Yet Yuan Tuan spoke up suddenly, bluntly cutting him off, and said gently,
“It is as it should be.”
She stared into Li Xizhi’s eyes and whispered,
“To cultivate this technique, you must gather—”
Xiao Yuansi was knowledgeable and experienced. With a brief examination and a comparison against several volumes of books, he determined the origins of this item.
Seeing Li Qinghong’s puzzled expression, Li Yuanjiao answered:
“This item is a variety of heaven-and-earth spiritual water, comparable to a precious herb. It is called Earth Fiend Cold Spring. It can dispel fire poison and augment fiendish qi... and can harmonize with many cultivation methods. It is quite a fine spiritual water.”
“Comparable to a precious herb?”
Li Qinghong tightened her grip on it slightly.
Precious herbs were by no means as simple as ordinary Foundation Establishment spiritual items. Spiritual items like the Wanling Flower could only be called Foundation Establishment spiritual items, not precious herbs; the difference between the two was immense.
Foundation Establishment spiritual items were merely items effective for Foundation Establishment cultivators, whereas certain top-grade precious herbs possessed miraculous effects, reaching the point where even Purple Mansion cultivators would covet them.
The two of them put away the heaven-and-earth spiritual water before taking out Li Xizhi’s letter to read it carefully.
A full ten-odd breaths passed before Li Yuanjiao silently put the letter away. Standing with her spear in hand, Li Qinghong had seen everything clearly with a sweep of her spiritual sense. Gritting her silver teeth, she said in a heavy voice:
“One hundred and twenty spirit stones? Have they gone mad? What kind of heaven-and-earth spirit qi demands such a price?! This is blatant extortion against our family!”
Though she spoke thus, Li Qinghong looked at her silent elder brother, unsure of his true thoughts, and probed tentatively:
“Should we still scrape it together for Zhi’er...”
Li Yuanjiao gently tucked the letter away. Gritting his teeth, he raised an eyebrow, his expression turning somber:
“Scrape it together... Even if we must sell off the clan’s spiritual items, we will scrape it together for Zhi’er!”
Pausing, he asked in a deep voice:
“How many spirit stones are left in the family?!”
From the side, Li Yuanping stepped forward and answered:
“There are still eighty-odd left.”
No sooner had Li Yuanping finished speaking than he hurriedly emphasized:
“The day to pay tribute isn’t far off, Brother! We already gave a sum of spirit stones to Qingxiao, and we are already struggling just to get by. We cannot take out any more to spend!”
Chapter 360