The Cape.
Inside the Coral Cave, brilliant light shone brightly. The seawater churned, sweeping up billows of fine white sand that spilled out of the cave like a cascade and drifted in layered drifts across the seabed. A swarm of white clams darted through the sands, stirring up glistening ripples of light.
With both hands resting upon his knees, the Daoist in platinum-colored robes breathed in and out. Billows of Mingyang spiritual qi rolled around him, with faint violet flames fluttering out to circle his body.
Li Ximing had refined three Xuanque Cloud-Extraction Pills in succession, wearing down and suppressing the majority of the flames within his Juque Court. His condition had improved drastically.
He still carried many spiritual objects and precious herbs, and even more spiritual waters. Prescribing the right cure for his ailments, he had used the White Cascade Cold Water received from the Violet Palace Dharma Conference along with his family's Taiyun Flowers to concoct a furnace of pills. After swallowing them all in one go, the glazed, scorched hue on his Dharma body gradually returned to normal.
More than a year slipped by in a flash. Estimating that his injuries were sixty to seventy percent healed and that Qingxu Temple should have finished most of their collecting, Li Ximing finally opened his eyes, flooding the cave with radiance. He retrieved the jade pendant from his sleeve and inspected it; no great crisis had occurred at home.
"I nourished this jade pendant with my divine ability and secretly gave it to Grandfather. It has not been crushed yet... which means the clan has encountered no life-or-death calamity."
Casually stowing the formation plate within the cave, he emerged outside. Li Ximing found that while the seawater remained azure, the seabed had completely transformed. Looking out, it was blanketed with fine white sand, and a few white clams at the Embryonic Breathing realm could be faintly seen bustling across the sea floor.
"How curious..."
Li Ximing understood with a single glance. He knew nothing of formations and had not sealed away his divine aura; a Violet Palace cultivator of the Mingyang path meditating here had instantly altered the local spiritual environment. The Coral Cave ought to have continuously spewed forth Mingfang stones day and night, but because the Cape lacked sufficient spiritual qi, it had only produced layers of fine white sand.
Even so, it had enticed passing beasts to settle down. Looking at its state, it was almost turning into a minor spiritual plot. Li Ximing glanced around; not far off were one or two signs of excavation. He did not know whether people from Qingxu Temple or another faction had come to quarry here.
'Not easy... Back in Jiangnan, Mingfang stones are used to build palaces—the bigger the block, the better. This is the first time I've seen anyone gather it as spiritual sand.'
Since the affinity had presented itself and the seabed beneath his feet had achieved such rare vitality, Li Ximing simply raised his hand, held two fingers to his lips, and exhaled a puff of Mingyang purple fire.
As the purple fire hovered before him, Li Ximing produced a jade pot. It was merely a Qi Refinement item, carried purely for drinking tea. Pinching an incantation and channeling his divine ability, he imprinted three to five small inheritances within it before sealing the purple fire inside.
Li Ximing's mastery over fire was formidable. The jade pot instantly shifted to a purplish-crimson hue, scalding hot and radiating wave upon wave of Mingyang brilliance. With a flick of his wrist, Li Ximing tossed it into the cave.
The dormant cascade of white sand began flowing once more. Li Ximing estimated that as this breath of purple fire slowly dissipated, it could keep flowing for seventy or eighty years. Struck by a whim, he lifted a brush and wrote:
"Valley Wind."
Flicking his sleeves, his figure vanished into thin air. Traversing a hundred li in a heartbeat, he reemerged in the sky above Qingxu Temple.
He saw the wind rippling through waves of wheat across fertile fields, with temple buildings arranged in orderly succession. After just a little over a year, Qingxu Temple looked completely different. The yellow-robed monks below no longer swarmed the mountains; instead, they were scattered among farmers dressed in coarse linen shirts.
Riding his light, he descended into the highest temple courtyard. The surroundings appeared sparse and deserted. Qingxu Temple's monks had indeed dwindled; evidently, most had stripped off their monk robes to reclaim wasteland.
Li Ximing took a seat at a stone table in the courtyard. Footsteps approached, accompanied immediately by Xia Shouyu's reprimanding voice. The woman was thoroughly displeased, snapping:
"It's just a single pill recipe! A whole half-month has passed, and you still haven't secured it?! How much skill could they possibly have to make things so difficult for you?"
"Shouyu... even the cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice. Without resources... what are we supposed to trade with?"
A clamor followed; evidently quite a few people had arrived. Fending them off with mounting irritation, Xia Shouyu sneered:
"No resources? Do you think I can't see through your petty schemes? You just want those pills the Real Person gave me! I'd dare to hand them over... but do you little scoundrels dare take them?"
The men trailing behind her were obviously members of the Xia clan. Their expressions varied. The leading man glared, wanting to curse her out, but swallowed his words out of fear and replied:
"There's no point talking like that. Who knows when the Real Person will return... How could the temple have so many resources to spare?"
"Bah!"
Xia Shouyu pushed the door open, but her scolding died in her throat. The courtyard was bathed in brilliant light. A man in platinum-colored Daoist robes sat by the stone table, holding an alchemy treatise and reading casually. Heavenly light flickered between his brows, inspiring dread.
Thud!
Having only taken half a step into the courtyard, Xia Shouyu dropped to her knees with a thud. The men behind her blanched; one after another, they tumbled down like bowling pins.
In an instant, people were kneeling outside the courtyard, kneeling within the courtyard, and kneeling on the steps. One had slipped over the threshold, his backside sticking high in the air, yet he dared not twitch, everyone frozen across the ground like statues.
Evidently, whether it was Qingxu Temple's island-protecting grand formation or the formations inside the courtyards, none of them existed in the eyes of this Real Person. Xia Shouyu was scared half to death, stammering:
"The Real Person graces us with his immortal presence... This humble one failed to welcome you from afar. Please forgive me..."
Seated at the head, Li Ximing lifted his gaze from the alchemy book and gave a noncommittal nod. In dealing with overseas cultivators, one could not be too lenient after all. He merely raised an eyebrow and said:
"The pill recipes."
The pill recipes!
Xia Shouyu kowtowed and immediately produced a jade box from her storage bag. Turning to look at the trembling crowd behind her, every single one of them had become thoroughly obedient, frantically fishing recipes out of their sleeves to press into Xia Shouyu's hands.
She glared furiously at the men, then turned back to present everything reverently in both hands. Atop the jade box lay a thick stack of animal-hide scrolls. Shuffling forward an inch, Xia Shouyu said respectfully:
"This past year, this humble one dispatched every cultivator in the temple to search high and low. We checked everything visible, renowned, or rumored across the Cape. All our findings are gathered right here."
Li Ximing picked them up and read them one by one. No one on the ground dared move. Soon, Old Temple Master Xia hurried over as well; taking in the scene, he dared not utter a peep and hastily dropped to his knees.
Li Ximing flipped through them. As expected, most were fabricated nonsense. Only three pill recipes appeared credible, all utilizing ancient spiritual materials and resources.
"One is a Qingxuan recipe, the Baoxuan Sacred Peak Pill, using the Fuyuan Supreme Mystery as its primary ingredient. One is a Taiyin recipe, the One-Qi Heart-Soaring Pill, using Pure Yin Mother Medicine as its primary ingredient. And the last is a Duwei recipe, the Purple Water Immortal Grace Pellet, refined with Crimson-Headed Dark Soul and Immortal Pure Qi."
One had to admit that ancient cultivators were truly dripping with wealth; not a single spiritual object listed here was below the Violet Palace grade. Among them, the Fuyuan Supreme Mystery was a supreme Qingxuan treasure—who would squander it to concoct pills?
As for the subsequent Pure Yin Mother Medicine, he had never even heard of it. The Immortal Pure Qi was a Violet Palace spiritual object of the Pure Qi path, and the Crimson-Headed Dark Soul was nine times out of ten an invaluable spiritual object of Duwei...
The only one Li Ximing harbored any hope for was the One-Qi Heart-Soaring Pill. If he substituted the main ingredient with Taiyin Moon Splendor, tinkering with the formula might yield some result.
While he was reading the recipes, someone rushed up below. Daring not approach, the person merely handed over a jade slip, which was passed from person to person among the kneeling cultivators until it reached Xia Shouyu.
Xia Shouyu recognized at a glance that it was the recipe they had been arguing about just moments ago. It had clearly been acquired long ago; they had simply stalled and haggled to demand a pill from her in exchange, aiming to pocket it for themselves.
Though seething with indignation, she could only present it respectfully. Li Ximing's eyes brightened, and with a thought, the jade slip flew into his grasp.
And for good reason: among all these ancient pill recipes, at last there was one recorded in a jade slip!
He swept his gaze over it. This jade slip was not newly engraved; it appeared to be the original, recording a Heavenly Mind Single Intent Pill Method from the lineage of the Mifan Sect.
Although this Mifan Sect sounded somewhat similar to Mount Xiaoshi's Mifan Temple, this lineage was no stranger; its name had long been known in Jiangnan. In the East Sea lay the Mifan Sect ruins, from which both Li Encheng—once renowned in the Qingchi Sect for his Bishui Pellet—and the Chi family ancestor Chi Wei had benefited greatly.
Yet looking at the jade slip in his hand, suspicion immediately arose. He raised his brows and asked:
"Since you bought this from someone else... shouldn't you have made a transcribed copy? How did you bring back the original?"
A man behind Xia Shouyu edged forward, trembling violently:
"My... my Lord... that person robbed someone of it too... His grasp of alchemy was crude... The mysteries in this jade slip are so vast and intricate that minor cultivators like us... our heads spin from a single glance, let alone copying it down..."
Li Ximing narrowed his eyes and asked:
"Oh? And he was still willing to sell it?"
Questioned thus, the man became so nervous that the muscles in his calves seized up. He cried out:
"Real... Real Person! He tried refining it by the book himself, but this alchemy art no longer works! That was the only reason he sold it!"
Li Ximing slowly straightened his back and solemnly probed inward with his spiritual sense. Sure enough, he found words as vast as a sea within.
"At the origin of heaven and earth, Yin and Yang were first formed. The Sovereign of Humanity established his foundation, and the Five Virtues came into being. Bestowed upon the world were the Three Mysteries, thus constituting the First Dao Treasury. Surrounding the Three Mysteries, four paths assist them; beneath the Three Mysteries, only then lie the twelve courts... The lineage of Mifan succeeds Douxuan above..."
Li Ximing suddenly came to a realization:
'The Mifan Sect is already an ancient lineage, yet it also descends from the Douxuan lineage... This is truly unheard of... With such an immense background behind the Douxuan lineage, no wonder a mere opportunity or two could produce figures like Changxiaozi, Ye Gui, and Guo Shentong...'
Now regarding this Heavenly Mind Single Intent Pill Method with even greater esteem, he read it on the spot. The more he read, the stranger and more regretful it felt. In the end, he rested the jade slip against his hand, at a total loss for words.
The Heavenly Mind Single Intent Pill Method was extraordinarily bizarre. Instead of seeking pills through nature like the Path of Violet Palace and Golden Core, it sought pills through destiny. It was exceedingly complex; after a cursory review, Li Ximing found its difficulty astonishingly high.
'No wonder the cultivators of the Cape could not refine it. Even for me, attempting this would be exceedingly difficult. The Cape is filled everywhere with cultivators of the Path of Violet Palace and Golden Core... how could they possibly succeed? Even if one learned all of it... in the end, one would only refine away their own life...'
Looking at the jade slip in his hand, thoughts turned in his mind:
'If that is the case... there is good reason why Guo Shentong and Changxiao were so ruthless in murdering those favored by heavenly destiny. Those two must have obtained some technique from the Douxuan lineage, perhaps seeking to scheme along these lines as well.
'This time, Changxiao targeted my clan's heir as well... Alas, I never expected him to be so decisive and so ruthless. As a Violet Palace-level power, for him to strike abruptly with the intent to offend us to the death...'
Regrettably, what he held was merely a single pill method. He could not even catch a glimpse of the Mifan Sect's complete lineage, let alone the far more ancient Douxuan lineage. Stowing the jade slip, Li Ximing sank into deep thought:
'The Three Mysteries... Douxuan is already one. I wonder if Tongxuan can match them. As for the remaining one, who knows whose it is... The Qingsong lineage holds absolute dominance in Jiangnan; tracing it upward, perhaps it is also one of the Mysteries.'
He said nothing, leaving Xia Shouyu and the others kneeling in agony below, waiting in trepidation until Li Ximing raised his brows and commanded:
"You stay. The rest of you may disperse."
Like a gust of wind, everyone in the courtyard scrambled out, leaving only Xia Shouyu kneeling. Li Ximing looked her over and asked:
"What lineage do you cultivate?"
Xia Shouyu hurriedly answered with reverence:
"This humble one cultivates the Subduing Fire Dispelling Cold Formula. The Immortal Foundation achieved from it is called the White Chi Heart. As for what lineage it belongs to, no one among my ancestors has ever succeeded in cultivating it, so I do not know what it is."
She immediately produced the cultivation manual. Li Ximing glanced over it; sure enough, it was an unranked ancient art. Its contents did not appear particularly profound, likely third or fourth rank at most. He raised an eyebrow and remarked:
"Rare... It's actually Hong Fire, truly a lineage seldom seen in Jiangnan... Good, good, good, an unexpected delight!"
Li Ximing had long intended to bring Xia Shouyu back to the lake. Each lineage had its strengths and weaknesses, and the lineage she practiced was naturally better off being as different from the Li clan's as possible. Even if this woman failed her breakthrough, this Subduing Fire Dispelling Cold Formula was still a rare lineage manual.
He nodded with a smile and contemplated the pills:
'Pity I do not know the mutual generation and overcome principles of the Hong Fire lineage. I only recall descriptions of suppressing dampness and banishing rain, of turning cold into heat. Avoiding Water Virtue and cold qi while choosing Fire Virtue is the safest bet.'
Thus he raised his brows and said:
"Are there any beasts nearby that spit fire and manipulate flames? The Foundation Establishment path I promised you should be granted to you."
Hearing this, Xia Shouyu was practically dizzy with joy. Kowtowing repeatedly against the ground, she cried out:
"My Lord's benevolence cannot be repaid in nine lifetimes! If you have any commands in the future, I will not hesitate even upon pain of ten thousand deaths..."
Without lingering on flattery, she reported respectfully:
"I have only heard that the Peacock Sea to the east has many islands and many peacocks, each as large as a courtyard, swallowing gold and spewing fire, ferocious and menacing. In the sea there are also one-horned bovine monsters. All of them are beasts that spit fire and wield flames."
Li Ximing remembered that the Peacock Sea was home to a Violet Palace power, Mount Jiuqiu, whom he could reasonably visit. But looking at how shrewd this woman was, he secretly schemed:
'Given Zhouming's character... he might not even succeed in Foundation Establishment... His reputation has always been poor, making him easy to manipulate, so he certainly cannot marry any direct descendant of a Violet Palace lineage! This Xia Shouyu is clever and quick-witted, possessing extraordinary talent and a clean background... What's more, she has striking looks... She could not be more suitable.'
As for Li Zhouming's own thoughts, Li Ximing was not worried in the least. That boy was lustful to the extreme; there was no fear he would refuse to marry her. He thus said:
"Prepare well. Once you achieve an Immortal Foundation, there will be further opportunities awaiting you."
His figure dispersed like flowing light. The sky had already been dim, and the courtyard instantly faded into shadow. Yet Xia Shouyu's eyes sparkled with fierce light. She rose to her feet, thinking secretly to herself:
'As long as there's a chance to get out of this wretched place... without having to die trapped on this barren island... it is already an immense blessing from heaven!'
Chapter 791