Five years passed as swiftly as an arrow shooting past the treetops. Lijing Village had grown into Lijing Town, and prominent families like the Lius, Chens, Xus, and Rens had all moved their entire households into it. The authorities claimed it was a reward—being close to an immortal mountain was a blessing.
Li Xuanxuan had grown a mustache. Having broken through to the Qingyuan Wheel, the fourth layer of Embryonic Breathing, he was appointed clan rector by Li Xiangping. The young man's demeanor had shed its former naivety and gentleness, replaced by a mature calmness that inspired awe in the younger disciples of the Li clan.
Yet what the people of Lijing Town relished talking about most was the twelve-year-old Li Xuanfeng. They spoke of how the boy had laughed wildly on the drill grounds as he snapped six bows in a row, hurling the broken limbs out of the arena and shouting:
"Bring another!"
Li Xuanfeng had paid no heed to the horrified gazes of the clan guards around him, throwing his head back in raucous laughter. One might say the boy was born wild and unruly; once he raised a bow, no beast or fowl could escape his aim. Li Tongya had wryly brought him back a pitch-black longbow from Guanyun Peak. It possessed no virtue other than exceptional toughness and resilience, but it finally allowed Li Xuanfeng to shoot to his heart's content.
By the Meichi River.
"Brother Feng, what are you doing?"
Li Xuanling was just over ten years old. A few years prior, tests had shown he possessed no spirit apertures. As Li Tongya's eldest and only son, he had naturally received a Xuanzhu talisman seed. Right now, he trailed behind Li Xuanfeng with a sullen face. Seeing him peek sneakily from behind a boulder, he could only ask under his breath.
"Look!"
Li Xuanfeng shoved Li Xuanling forward with a wicked grin. The boy stumbled a step, catching an unexpected glimpse of a woman's plump shoulders and rounded hips in the river. Terrified, Li Xuanling clamped a hand over his mouth and scrambled back, glaring fiercely at Li Xuanfeng. "Li Xuanfeng, you're awful!" he whispered.
Li Xuanfeng grinned, eyeing Li Xuanling's flushed cheeks. "Looks good, doesn't it?"
"Not at all."
Disappointed not to hear any praise, Li Xuanfeng gave the boy's rear an indignant swat and muttered, "What does a brat know?"
"You really have nothing better to do, Li Xuanfeng." Li Xuanling shook his head, an expression of composure on his small face. "Did you break through to the third layer of Embryonic Breathing?"
Li Xuanfeng chuckled. "I've already stepped into the fourth layer."
Li Xuanling froze in disbelief, staring blankly. "You've already caught up to Brother Xuan?"
Li Xuanfeng nodded nonchalantly with a smile. "Naturally. Watch this."
He drew the massive pitch-black bow from his back, planted his left foot on a bluestone, and pulled the string. His entire presence underwent a drastic transformation. The wild, careless air vanished, replaced by a bone-chilling sharpness that made Li Xuanling involuntarily tense beside him.
Li Xuanfeng grinned and slowly aimed the bow at Li Xuanling. Even though there was no arrow nocked, Li Xuanling's hair instantly stood on end. He felt a biting wind slice across his face, and his ears rang.
"Fierce..."
Li Xuanling swallowed hard and slowly stepped out of Li Xuanfeng's line of sight. He watched Li Xuanfeng remain intently focused, aiming, the sharpness radiating from him continuing to mount until the surrounding bushes trembled.
Li Xuanling's eyes went wide. The quiver at Li Xuanfeng's waist gave a slight hop. Rubbing his eyes, he saw every single arrow inside vibrating continuously, as if quivering with anticipation.
"Strike!"
Li Xuanfeng released the string. Dozens of paces away, a massive tree detonated with a deafening crack, splinters flying in all directions. A see-through hole was gouged clean through the trunk. After lingering for a few breaths, it crashed crookedly to the ground, startling a flock of birds into flight.
"Brother," Li Xuanling said, staring in a daze for a while before whispering, "have you already reached Qi Refinement?"
"What are you thinking?" Li Xuanfeng took a few deep breaths, his cheeks slightly flushed, and smiled. "This is an archery technique I came up with myself. You just channel it through the spirit apertures in your palms and match it with the arrow intent when drawing the bow. It's not that hard."
Li Xuanling shook his head silently, but then saw Li Xuanfeng's expression turn awkward. The older boy grabbed him and bolted, dragging him dozens of paces in an instant.
"Which little bastard is peeping at me bathing?!"
Hearing the curses echoing from behind, Li Xuanling's face drained of color. He pushed harder into his stride, crying out in terror, "Is that Aunt Xu from the village entrance?! Li Xuanfeng! Th-this..."
Li Xuanfeng gave an embarrassed laugh and whispered, "I was just curious..."
***
Out upon Lake Wangyue.
Li Tongya trod lightly on the water, hovering step by step in midair. Clear, transparent River true essence surged through the grayish-white longsword in his hand, coalescing into flickering sword rays. Looking down at the scaled beast circling in the depths, he formed a hand seal and stood suspended in silence.
Deep crimson blood slowly dispersed in the water. Growing restless, the river beast stirred, light rippling across the surface as dozens of transparent air blades tore through the air toward Li Tongya.
Li Tongya stepped forward, evading most of the attacks, while water light shimmered around him to deflect two curving air blades. He thought to himself:
*The Clear Qi Shield from the River Unity Qi Formula is quite sturdy. Lacking any cultivation techniques, this river beast relies entirely on mindless heaps of magic power. Not only is it terribly wasteful, but it cannot breach my shield.*
The river crocodile had no heritage to speak of; it had relied purely on brute effort to cultivate to the peak of Embryonic Breathing, and after exhaling and inhaling for who knew how many years, it had formed a wisp of Xiaoqing spirit qi, thereby advancing to Qi Refinement.
Seeing its attack fail, the river crocodile dove quickly, fighting the current to flee upstream. Li Tongya followed in close pursuit.
Li Tongya had broken through to the first layer of Qi Refinement two years ago and wanted to slay a Qi Refinement monster to offer as a sacrifice to the magical mirror. He had searched the mountains for over a year, but the monsters he encountered were either cunning as foxes or overpoweringly strong. It had not been easy to finally corner this clumsy river crocodile, and he would not let it slip away.
In the Qi Refinement realm, one could tread the void. Though without a flying shuttle he was far from fast—only thirty to forty percent faster than an Embryonic Breathing peak cultivator sprinting at full speed—the river crocodile had been wounded in his ambush earlier and could not get far.
The *Mystic Water Sword Art* harmonized remarkably well with the *River Unity Qi Formula*, augmenting the power of his sword rays by ten to twenty percent, much to Li Tongya's delight. Two pale arcs of sword qi struck the river crocodile's back, making it thrash in agony.
Wary of a dying counterattack, Li Tongya merely trailed behind, slashing a sword strike from time to time to wear down its stamina.
Unable to endure any longer, the river crocodile roared furiously and burst from the water in a violent spray, leaping into the air to snap at Li Tongya. Li Tongya landed a backhand strike against its back and fell back, keeping his distance as he steadily added to its wounds.
After wearing it down for half a shichen, the river crocodile finally collapsed limply upon the shore. Li Tongya had deliberately held back from killing it, instead infusing River true essence to lock down its life force and cultivation, fearful of accidentally battering it to death.
Once certain the river crocodile was in no danger of dying, Li Tongya took hold of the tip of its tail and dragged it toward the village like hauling a small mountain.
Chapter 84