Li Ximing tore open the Great Void and emerged atop Mount Zhijing. Stepping down, he sent someone to invite Li Zhouwei over, then took a seat by the table. Cui Jueyin did not dare sit, standing attentively to one side to wait on him.
He asked Cui Jueyin about affairs overseas. In the span of a few brief questions and Cui Jueyin's respectful answers, he noticed someone ascending the mountain.
The newcomer was tall and slender, lean and powerful, vigorously built without appearing overly burly. A cursory glance gave only the impression of a man not to be trifled with, without anything outwardly extraordinary about him—save for those golden eyes, which inspired instinctive awe and dread.
Yet Cui Jueyin had only to look at those golden eyes for his mind to fall into complete turmoil for the first time:
*An imperial scion? The Wangyue Li clan possesses the orthodox bloodline!*
His Cui clan might mistake anything else, but they could never mistake the bloodline of the Wei Li. The man before him might not match Crown Prince Li Xunquan of the past, but he was certainly on the level of Li Xuan, who had once restored the empire. Filled with indescribable shock, Cui Jueyin stepped forward and bowed first, saying respectfully:
"Greetings, Your Highness!"
Li Zhouwei seemed to be in high spirits. Not recognizing the man before him, he slightly raised his chin, gave a brief acknowledgment, and cast a questioning glance. Li Ximing chuckled and said:
"Minghuang, this is a direct scion of the Cui family."
Li Zhouwei understood at once. He nodded and said:
"So it is a member of the Cui clan. No need for ceremony."
Cui Jueyin respectfully stepped aside. Behind Li Zhouwei, another figure walked up the mountain—burly and thickset, with broad shoulders and a stout waist, clutching golden hammers in both hands. Li Zhouwei said with a hint of joy:
"Reporting to the Real Person, Li Wen has succeeded in his breakthrough and achieved Foundation Establishment!"
The man before him was indeed Li Wen, who had been in secluded cultivation within the spirit jade mine of the Helin Mountain Range. Hearing this, Li Ximing raised an eyebrow and smiled:
"What splendid fortune!"
How could it not be? Li Wen could be said to be the one among all the Li family members whose Foundation Establishment breakthrough had enjoyed every advantage of heaven, earth, and human harmony. Li Ximing had assessed him long ago; this burly fellow's chances of Foundation Establishment were actually far inferior to those of the fallen Li Chengliao... yet he had succeeded against the odds.
Looking at him with deep emotion, Li Ximing said:
"You cultivate the Yuzhen path. Your natural talent was hardly any different from An Zheyan's, and you were never fated for Foundation Establishment. Yet back when you were in Qi Refining, a True Lord attained the Dao, causing jade across the world to flourish, granting you a sliver of opportunity.
"Then, when you entered secluded cultivation to attempt your breakthrough, the family found itself in the midst of the North-South conflict, leaving us with a surplus of Suiyuan Pills that we had previously been unable to obtain by any means. Furthermore, we discovered the spirit jade mine in the Helin Mountain Range, granting you the blessing of an entire area filled with matching spiritual aura. Even the direct scions of Qingchi received no better treatment than this.
"You remained in secluded cultivation for seven years; the breakthrough must have been unimaginably difficult. Yet just then, that venerable figure of Mount Changhuai fell, and the spiritual atmosphere became 'Juxin Chongxuan,' favoring Binggu, the Immortal Dao, and secluded cultivation... 'Yuzhen' belongs to the Binggu lineage, so every advantage aligned in your favor!"
Li Wen was a simple, honest fellow. He merely knelt on the ground and nodded. Li Ximing laughed heartily and said:
"With all that behind you, how could your Foundation Establishment possibly fail?"
Li Zhouwei nodded with a smile, while Li Wen said in a muffled, resonant voice:
"Li Wen merely relied on luck. But I must congratulate the Real Person—with a Violet Palace atop the lake, it is worth more than a hundred Li Wens."
Li Wen was an old retainer. Since childhood, Li Ximing had seen him standing guard beside Li Yuanping. When his father died, this old man had wept bitterly; Li Ximing remembered it all in his heart. Feeling thoroughly gratified now, he uttered several "good"s in succession.
Cui Jueyin watched attentively from the side. Although this rough fellow might not last fifty exchanges against him, he seemed close to Li Ximing, so Cui Jueyin took careful note. Then he heard Li Ximing ask:
"Jueyin, what cultivation method do you practice? What scriptures have you studied, and what spells have you cultivated?"
Cui Jueyin hurriedly answered:
"I cultivate 'Changming Steps' using a fifth-rank method. As for our family's Mingyang records and scrolls... I have read most of them. Spells, radiance arts, ocular techniques, and movement arts are all mandatory studies in our clan, and I rank among the top three of my generation on the island.
"When it comes to battle, demonic cultivators and rogue cultivators go without saying; as long as the lineages do not counter one another, I can hold my own against mid and late Foundation Establishment cultivators. Against noble sea beast demons of equivalent cultivation, I can fight them toe-to-toe as well..."
Li Ximing nodded with satisfaction and instructed Li Wen:
"Take this young master of the Cui family down and arrange living quarters for him on the isle."
Cui Jueyin rose in response, still unable to resist observing Li Zhouwei. Li Ximing smiled:
"Once everything is settled, you can have a proper conversation with our Minghuang."
The two hastily withdrew. Only then did Li Ximing's expression sober as he said:
"This trip truly yielded no small harvest."
He recounted his gains from the journey, took out the Precious Scripture of Body Guarding Tiger Pass for Li Zhouwei to examine, and finally said:
"Cui Jueyin is not one for boastful words. Since he claims he can hold his own, his strength is likely on par with his claims. He has cultivated many spells and possesses deep attainment. In our family, you are probably the only one who can suppress him. If Cheng and Weizeng were to fight him for a hundred rounds, they would at least end up at a disadvantage; past a hundred rounds, they would be in danger."
Cui Xianye had clearly not brushed him off. Though it could not compare to their all-out assistance during the times of Li Xunquan and Li Xuan, they had nonetheless dispatched one of their most outstanding young talents. Li Zhouwei nodded:
"The Cui and Li both hail from the Great Wei. Of the four True Lords of the Wei Li, the Cui clan held two. The Cui clan's generational loyalty and righteousness are beyond reproach. Though they have fallen just as we have, leaving behind only a single branch, their character remains true to their heritage."
The Chongzhou Cui clan was a genuinely traceable branch of the Cui clan, unlike the Li family who publicly denied the connection, and their situation was far better. Li Zhouwei took a letter from his sleeve and placed it into Li Ximing's hands—it was precisely the matter regarding the Three Mifan Sects reported by Li Cheng.
Li Ximing read it carefully, feeling rather stirred:
"Since the Three Mifan Sects possess inheritances, could there be..."
He was naturally referring to the fragment of the magical mirror, which their family had previously obtained from a Mifan cultivator. Though he left it unsaid, Li Zhouwei already understood, answering:
"Matters concerning the Violet Palace must never be judged solely on one party's one-sided word. This matter might not be as simple as it appears on the surface. Our family still has many affairs before us, and crafting some magical artifact is not the work of a year or two. Let us watch and wait for developments.
"As for Wenhu... he holds the Miyun lineage, so we cannot kill him haphazardly. Let him recuperate under house arrest for a while as we gradually pry information from him. If this matter proves true, our family will not be without cards to play."
"Just proceed boldly as you see fit."
With Li Zhouwei handling things, Li Ximing was naturally at ease. He brought out Refining Divine Ability in Fire at the Viewing Pavilion given by Changxi, telling Li Zhouwei to begin planning the construction of the raised terrace, and then asked:
"How is the jade court for 'Red Dust upon the Court' coming along?"
The lake's Scripture of Baishou Kouting was also a Violet Palace cultivation method, but 'Red Dust upon the Court' required an immense jade court. The Li family's mining in the Helin Mountain Range had been for this very purpose. Li Zhouwei replied:
"The materials were gathered years ago, and work in the Helin Mountain Range mines has already ceased. It is just that over these years our family has been inundated with troubles, leaving us with no mind to build any jade court. Those quarried jade stones that piled into mountains are mostly still in the Helin Mountain Range, never transported back.
"Besides, this jade court... is truly a massive undertaking that wastes manpower and wealth!"
Hearing Li Zhouwei mention this, Li Ximing understood at once. When it came to moving mountains and hauling stone, who could compare to neighboring Xuanyue? It was nothing more than a matter of a nod from him. Thus he said:
"This matter is easy. Write a letter to Kong Guxi and ask him to dispatch a few Earth Virtue Foundation Establishment cultivators to help us haul them back and then utilize their immortal foundations to construct the jade court. We can take advantage of these three years to resolve this as best we can.
"Furthermore, ask Kong Guxi to obtain a letter in Changxi's hand so we can transplant our family's Foundation Establishment spiritual root onto the isle."
With these matters settled, Li Ximing prepared to enter secluded cultivation. As he finished his instructions, he withdrew a small purple-fire cauldron from his sleeve and said:
"This is Yu Yuwei's relic artifact. Send someone to deliver it back..."
To say nothing of the Tuoba family's mark on the cauldron, even without it, the Li family harbored no greed for his belongings. The Yu family was fractured, and Yu Yuwei had stopped returning to his family long ago; sending it to Li Quantao to decide its fate would not be doing a favor for an outsider either.
Having wrapped up the miscellaneous affairs, Li Ximing cautioned:
"Our family is currently in a flourishing age unseen for a hundred years. In 'Mingyang,' we have you holding the ground; in 'Yuzhen,' An Siwei and Li Wen; in 'Xiaolei,' Cheng; in 'Zhenhuo,' Minggong; in 'Shangwu,' Chenghuai; in 'Zhenqi,' the White Ape; and externally, 'Tude' Qu Bushi, 'Heshui' Miaoshui, Cui Jueyin who also practices 'Mingyang,' and 'Hengzhu' Ding Weizeng...
"Not counting those in the dungeon, those sealed away, or Jiang Huzi whose death approaches, our family has eleven Foundation Establishment cultivators, catching up to the Yuan family of back then. What is more, I sit in oversight... At a time like this, we must be all the more cautious."
With this tally, Li Ximing realized their family's eleven Foundation Establishment cultivators still fell short of the twelve required by Refining Divine Ability in Fire at the Viewing Pavilion. Moreover, not everyone was free; each was so busy their hands were tied, and hands were still in short supply. He could only ask:
"Who else in the family has a chance at Foundation Establishment?"
Li Zhouwei was intimately familiar with this and replied:
"Had Chen Mufeng, An Siming, and the others of that year not died, they could have attempted Foundation Establishment by now. The two from the Tian family died during their secluded breakthrough attempts, and a third has already fallen during a breakthrough attempt among the Jade Court Guard. The Xu clan has declined. However... the Fei family has a Fei Qingyì, and there are many Qi Refining descendants of Xitan... but being remnants of a bygone lineage whose vitality was heavily damaged when they changed their surname, none are yet capable of Foundation Establishment.
"Only Chen Yang is almost ready."
"Chen Yang..."
Li Ximing finally remembered such a person and said:
"He cultivates Kanshui... That is somewhat regrettable, but he can relieve others and free up their time. As for the Fei family... there was originally a Fei Qingyī who served by my elder brother's side; he could be considered usable as well."
Speaking of Foundation Establishment breakthroughs, Li Ximing suddenly fell silent for a moment. Then he spoke:
"The Suiyuan Pills bestowed by Qingchi back then—are there any remaining? Bring them for me to look at."
"Naturally there are."
Li Zhouwei dispatched someone to fetch them. Before long, Chen Yang arrived. Li Ximing glanced at him, took the pills, and immediately dismissed him.
"In total, we received seven pills from Qingchi: Father, Aunt, Uncle, Siwei, Li Wen... leaving two remaining."
Celestial light surged between Li Ximing's brows as he swept his gaze across the pills one by one. Finally, he closed his eyes and gritted his teeth:
"Splendid!"
Now the Li family possessed the pill formula for the Suiyuan Pill and could refine it themselves. No longer did they need to plead everywhere as in the past, nor were they ignorant of its workings. Li Ximing had only to read the formula and inspect the pills to immediately spot the telltale signs.
The Dao principles underlying the Suiyuan Pill were actually not much different from the Violet Palace's wondrous path-extending methods or Violet Palace spiritual items assisting in cultivating divine abilities. Li Ximing had some understanding of both. Though his Dao arts were unexceptional, his attainments in alchemy were profound; grasping the matter now came effortlessly and with utmost clarity:
"For the Suiyuan Pill, no matter how many precious auxiliary herbs are used, the crux lies in a single sovereign medicine. In ancient times, 'Lanhu spirit grass' was used, which was dreadfully precious. Nowadays, it is tailored to the individual: for the Kanshui lineage, it is best to use Kanshui as the medicine, and refining it with a divine ability is better still. Then the increase is far more than a mere five or ten percent—it becomes a true Suiyuan Pill."
Back then, their ancestor Li Tongya had consumed just such a precious pill meticulously refined by a Violet Palace master, allowing him to break through to Foundation Establishment with ease. Li Ximing sighed inward and said:
"For this sovereign medicine, the supreme choice is a cultivator of the same dao complement; next is a demon beast; and lower still is refining with precious herbs. Three is best, but at the very least there must be one.
"Thinking back now, it is no coincidence that direct scions of Violet Palace sects produce so many Foundation Establishment cultivators. They merely guard the secret of the Suiyuan Pill together and never make it known. The Suiyuan Pills released to the outside offer only a five or ten percent boost; letting guest elders and peak masters take them is already considered 'inner sect treatment.' In secret, they give better ones to those who are obedient and poorer ones to those who are rebellious or threatening—or they even sabotage them by using a sovereign medicine of a conflicting lineage. How much efficacy remains is anyone's guess!"
Li Zhouwei looked up at once, a sudden realization dawning on him. The calm in those eyes rapidly gave way to startled fury and venomous coldness as he asked:
"The ones Qingchi gave our family?!"
"Naturally the worst—and not just the worst!"
Li Ximing finally tore away all restraint from his face, his voice harsh with venom:
"Those sovereign medicines—I inspected them one by one, and every single one was a Jueyin or Xi Qi medicine! Why did Chengliao fail his breakthrough?! A Mingyang Dao foundation! Taking a Jueyin or Xi Qi Suiyuan Pill! What preposterous malice!"
Though those five Suiyuan Pills from Qingchi had gray patterns, having been made from demon beasts and precious herbs, and Li Ximing had personally inspected them before letting the family use them, back then he had been completely unable to distinguish the differences in immortal foundations.
Li Zhouwei closed his eyes. He finally understood why his father, Li Chengliao, had failed and perished so quickly after only a few years of secluded cultivation, without even a prominent phenomenon appearing. They were all Suiyuan Pills... Why had his aunt Li Minggong and An Siwei passed through without mishap... while his father Li Chengliao, whose temperament and cultivation method rank were the highest of all, had failed...
Li Ximing let out a breath, the light in his eyes growing sharp:
"I still remember... back then, Lord Xuanfeng exchanged for a Suiyuan Pill from Qingchi for Second Uncle Li Yuanjiao. Finding it to be a human elixir, he refused to take it and gave it to Yuan Huyuan, who unexpectedly achieved Earth Virtue Foundation Establishment in one fell swoop... Thinking back now, that was precisely an Earth Virtue Suiyuan Pill. Earth suffocating Kanshui... What a splendid trick of earth suffocating Kanshui..."
After digesting the thought for a while, Li Ximing said:
"The Chi family has been destroyed, and Chi Fubo and Ning Hejing are dead too, without a trace of their bones remaining... Otherwise, I would tear those bastards apart with my bare hands!"
Though Li Ximing said this, he understood in his heart that Si Boxiu must have known about this, and even Si Yuanli might have known full well! They merely kept it hidden in their hearts, unwilling to speak.
*After all, under the circumstances back then, weakening our family was something the Si family was only too happy to see... There was no reason for them to give a warning...*
Seeing Li Zhouwei keeping his head down in silence, Li Ximing did not know how to comfort him either. He merely sighed:
"Among the three carts of spiritual items sent by the Xiao family, there are two Kanshui precious herbs. Bring them to me so I can refine the pills! Once this pill is finished, I will enter secluded cultivation to refine my divine ability... A formidable enemy draws near."
As he finished speaking, Li Zhouwei had already composed himself. He nodded, stepped back, and said:
"Leave the family to me. Rest assured, Real Person."
...
Spring went and autumn came over the lake as time slipped quietly by. To a Violet Palace cultivator, a year or so was nothing more than a brief period of seclusion. Though Li Ximing had mastered his divine ability, he was truly unskilled in spells, so he took the simplest, Shangyao Fuguang—the Subduing Light of Ascendant Radiance—to cultivate first.
Fortunately, having mastered a divine ability made cultivating spells vastly faster. Li Ximing had read Shangyao Fuguang before, so he made some progress. Midway through, he made a trip to Xuanmiao Temple.
Su Mian was just as warm toward him as before, but when asked about the Mifan Sect and discussing old matters, he could not provide any definitive answers when pressed for details. After thinking it over repeatedly, Li Ximing realized he would likely have to ask Real Person Changyun behind Fanyun Cave.
Yet before he could set out, merely passing through Xuanyue territory, he already saw faint ripples stirring within the Great Void. Gen Earth spiritual aura surged, and when he landed on the ground to inspect the earth veins closely—a new mountain had appeared in Xuanyue territory.
"Who failed their breakthrough and perished?!"
With this occurrence, Changxi was sure to be even more grieved. Yet it was well within the expectations of the various Violet Palace cultivators and Li Ximing. The weakening of earth and suppression of demons under 'Juxin Chongxuan' was no trifling matter; even Changxi's own remaining lifespan had sharply dwindled, let alone a few Foundation Establishment cultivators.
"I should return to the mountain first. Changxi might come looking for me."
Chapter 722