Plume Beneath the Neck

Li Ximing stood up at once and alighted above the white pool in the center of the hall, filled with anticipation. Stretching out a hand, he communed with the grand formation through his spiritual sense: "Arise!" The waters of the white pool rippled instantly. Faintly visible at the bottom of the basin, the characters 【Transformation of Plumes】 glowed bright. Six motes of flowing light unexpectedly surged up from within, tumbling over one another to land in his palm, where they transformed into six pure white plumes. Each plume was six cun long and entirely immaculate. Though termed feathers, each was an unbroken, seamless whole, appearing as though cast from pure silver with razor-sharp edges. Under the faint magical glow of the grotto-abode, a dense pattern of delicate scales emerged across the feathers' surfaces, shimmering like rippling water. Fushui Violet Palace spiritual material—【Plume Beneath the Neck】! Li Ximing immediately produced a jade box and eagerly placed the six Plumes Beneath the Neck inside. Then, drawing up a swath of Bichen Water, he gently guided it into the box to nourish the Violet Palace materials. Strangely enough, once removed from the pool, the Bichen Water instantly turned limpid and transparent, making the six plumes inside the box shimmer with even greater radiance. The water swayed and rippled as though alive. With these six Plumes Beneath the Neck in hand, Li Ximing felt even more pleased. Though he did not cultivate Fushui, Plumes Beneath the Neck were Violet Palace spiritual materials regardless, and six of them was by no means a small amount. Lowering his gaze, he made a quiet calculation: "Six white plumes represent six hundred years, and the Bichen Water in the pool takes up seventy percent, which means seventy years—a total of six hundred and seventy years… Six hundred and seventy years ago, the Yuan family fled south of the river, and the Qingchi Sect had only just been founded… To think there was a cultivator with such profound attainment in Fushui back then!" He stepped across the pool and communed with the grand formation. Crisp, glassy chimes rang out in all directions, and six ornate grand portals surfaced upon the smooth walls surrounding the main hall, each facing a different direction. These were the other side halls! Li Ximing stepped through. The first opened into a long corridor leading into an expansive space of its own. A sweep of his spiritual sense revealed sixteen small chambers meant for storing spiritual items. Each was bare and tidy. The first chamber bore faint traces of bottles and jars, while the rest were locked fast and completely spotless—whether nothing had ever been placed within or everything had been cleared out long ago was impossible to tell. Li Ximing could only push open the door to the first chamber and search it. In the end, he retrieved merely two caskets of Baizhe Origin Spring. This Foundation Establishment-grade Fushui was adept at nourishing and preserving other treasures; Tinglan's Tianyi Pure Element had been preserved in it back then. Now the caskets were empty, the preserved contents evidently having been removed. 'The master of Zhentao Mansion seemed to have had neither disciples nor descendants. He preferred to build sixteen storerooms for spiritual materials only to use one, without leaving even a single grotto-chamber for low-level cultivators to train in…' 'Still, now that it has fallen into my family's hands, once people are sent over, we can renovate and modify it. These sixteen storehouses can be converted into grotto-abodes for the younger generation.' Stepping out and heading to an adjacent hall, a wave of heat struck him. It was a weapon-refining workshop built of dark stone and black bricks. In the center stood a furnace crucible, with all manner of spiritual implements suspended all around. Pure black Fushui cascaded down with a gurgling rush, flowing along grooves etched into the floor. To the side was another small pool, clearly used for quenching. The Bichen Water within was starkly different from that in the center of the main hall, being crystal-clear and bearing a faint azure tint. 'This truly is a Fushui weapon-refining method. This black liquid is Wudu Spiritual Water, used in the outside world for practicing spells or stored in spiritual flasks and magical artifacts to ward off enemies…' Li Ximing knew little of weapon refining and naturally could not fathom its subtleties. Giving it a cursory glance, he finally spotted an ink-colored saber within the quenching pool. With a single look, Li Ximing understood: "An ancient magical artifact—in all likelihood, a degraded spiritual embryo." He stowed it away and quietly pondered the Fushui Violet Palace cultivators of Jiangnan. After deliberating back and forth, an idea swiftly formed: 'Senior Chen Yin cultivates Fushui. Though his lineage lacks a successor, there are no other Fushui Violet Palace cultivators to speak of. I must pay him a visit!' He quickly moved on to the next chamber, which turned out to be the rear hall of the master of Zhentao Mansion. Compared to the opulence of the main hall, this place seemed rather austere. Though spacious, it was merely the size of a single courtyard, mostly paved with plain, ancient cyan bricks, and furnished quite simply. Without a bed or couch, it resembled a study. The only notable item was an ordinary ink brush resting across a sheet of paper on the desk. Li Ximing's gaze swept over it, taking in the graceful, undulating strokes of calligraphy: "Deep winter subdues the weak; swelling marshlands harbor and contain—such is the image of Fushui. With Cold Qi and Female Water already complete, why should Fushui not be attained? Alas, the yue usurps the abyss, the Xuan Yuan loses its vastness, and henceforth their natures can scarcely harmonize!" The ink was pure black, devoid of the slightest luster. Yet having borne such words, this sheet of white paper—made of some unknown material—had taken on the appearance of white jade, its curled edges radiating a soft halo. The desk was bare except for this brush and paper. Set before them was a jade slip without seal or lock, containing nothing more than a Qi Refinement technique. Li Ximing probed it with his spiritual sense; it could not have been more familiar: River Unity Qi Formula—attaining the immortal foundation 『Vast Sea』! Li Ximing gazed quietly at the handwriting. Reaching into his sleeve, he drew out a jade box, lifted the jade-like sheet of white paper, placed it within, and stared at it for a long while: 'Why should Fushui not be attained? Alas, the yue usurps the abyss, the Xuan Yuan loses its vastness, and henceforth their natures can scarcely harmonize!' Vast Sea was the foundation attained by the Li family's first Foundation Establishment cultivator, ancestor Li Tongya. Not to mention Li Ximing, every cultivator in the Li family knew it by heart: 'Kanshui Vast Sea, anciently termed the Jing Dragon King… It must be referring to this vastness!' 'Yue… So one of the aspects of Kanshui was originally the yue. As the records say: In the streams and ridges south of the river, water-shooting inch-bow insects assail a man's shadow with qi, killing without remedy… That certainly fits…' Kanshui was the water of rugged torrents and brooks. Li Ximing had grown accustomed to the notion long ago and had never doubted it. Looking at it now, however, he sensed something amiss: 'Why change its name? How could Kanshui ever be renowned for vastness? There must have been some great upheaval. Fushui is known as lakes and marshes; now that the lakes and marshes have withered, it matches this loss of vastness…' 'Yet I have never heard of any clear dominance or restraint between Kan and Fu. One only hears of Heshui and Fushui being harmonized with Qi Gold, whereas between Kanshui and Heshui there is no way to reconcile…' A chill of quiet astonishment crept over him. Though his cultivation was not exceedingly profound, he grasped many underlying implications: 'Kanshui usurped the vastness of Fushui. Vast Sea… With the despotic, overbearing nature of the dragons, how could they ever tolerate another lineage claiming the name of Vast Sea? If Senior Xiao wishes to attain Kanshui, dealing with the dragons will likely prove troublesome as well!' His gaze shifted slightly, settling once more on the jade slip before him. 'The River Unity Qi Formula… Even if it is not related to Lingyu Sect, it must be tied to the Ning State Chen clan… And Chen Yin happens to cultivate Fushui. Even if these two Chen clans are not the same family, the pieces still align!' The thought left him somber. The Xiao family and the Chen clan shared an ambiguous relationship, their ancestors having crossed paths frequently; everything seemed rooted in ancient origins. Vaguely anticipating how many tribulations lay ahead on Xiao Chuting's path, he quietly exited the hall and moved soundlessly toward the next room. Of the remaining three chambers, one was vast and utterly bare. On the floor was a circular, altar-like platform engraved with water ripples, completely vacant. Li Ximing pondered it briefly and ventured a guess: "A spiritual tree was once planted here. The master of Zhentao Mansion must have taken it along before departing…" Another chamber was a scripture pavilion. Though splendidly decorated, the grotto-abode's master had clearly treated it with perfunctory indifference. Not only was the room small, but the shelves were completely empty—not as though things had been cleared away, but rather as if nothing had ever been placed upon them. Having found nothing in those two rooms, Li Ximing finally came before the dark portal symmetric to the weapon-refining hall and pushed the door open with high hopes. Sure enough, it was an alchemy hall! The chamber was immensely broad, adorned with motifs of Fushui. In the center stood an azure-gold alchemy furnace towering like a pagoda into the heights. At its six corners stood sculptures of roaring Xuan Yuan turtles, each three to four times the height of an ordinary man, their open mouths facing the furnace and shedding faint light. As he stepped inside, the surroundings brightened at once. Lampstands cast ripples of light like shifting lake waters, weaving together to illuminate the entire alchemy hall in shimmering reflections. "What a furnace!" Li Ximing's eyes lit up immediately. Stepping forward, he rested a hand against the furnace and sensed it carefully. 'Indeed, it utilizes the Fushui method of pill refining…' The central furnace was named 【Guanghu】. It was not a single standalone magical artifact, but rather formed by forging several component artifacts and assembling them together. Only through such stacking and joining did it become the immense furnace seen today, interlocking with the formation into a complex alchemy array system embedded right here. The roaring Xuan Yuan sculptures at the six corners were also part of the whole. If Li Ximing was not mistaken, once the furnace was ignited, the six roaring Xuan Yuan would instantly spout Fushui from their mouths, connecting in unison to the central furnace to assist in the refinement. 'If the grotto's master used Fushui pill-refining arts, this furnace might well rival the Violet Palace rank. As for ordinary fire refining, it would be far less effective, yet it remains leagues beyond the Baoxiang Furnace.' He circled it as though inspecting a prized treasure, marveling at the design of the Guanghu alchemy formation: 'Could this grotto-abode have belonged to more than one Violet Palace cultivator? Unless one is born with innate knowledge, who could possess such profound mastery in both alchemy and weapon crafting at the same time!' He stepped down, thoroughly satisfied. Forcing down the urge to ignite the flame and test the furnace, he secretly rejoiced: "Even though this furnace belongs to Fushui and might not harmonize easily with Kanshui, making it hard to fleece Dingyangzi for a couple more cuts, it will surely come in handy down the line…" Having reaped a rich harvest, he pushed open the door of the alchemy hall and returned to the main hall. Though the spiritual energy here could not compare to the Sun and Moon Shining Together World, using it for the clan's younger generation to cultivate would be an utter luxury! Beaming, he walked over to the pool and looked down at the rippling Huayu Pool, lost in thought for a moment. 'The wonder of Cun Ling can condense Bichen Water, taking a century to fill a pool and transform it into the Violet Palace spiritual material Plume Beneath the Neck.' His expression turned intriguing. Vanishing on the spot, he transformed into a streak of light and darted into the weapon-refining hall. An instant later he reemerged, having already drawn out the pool of Bichen Water used for quenching, condensing it into a sphere of water held in his palm. With a gentle flick of his finger, the Bichen Water plunged straight down, pouring entirely into Huayu Pool! 'Must one simply wait for it to condense on its own? Can I not collect Bichen Water myself and pour it in?!' Sure enough, as the pool water rose and gradually filled the basin, its hue grew lighter. The clear, transparent Bichen Water turned pure white the moment it entered the pool, and the formation within the grotto-abode began operating rapidly. The foundation of Xuan Fu coalesced, radiating various wondrous properties that acted upon the waters in the pool. Gauging from the feedback of the formation, Li Ximing estimated that in merely one year, this portion of Plumes Beneath the Neck would successfully condense! Delight instantly showed on his face as he looked down at the water beneath his feet with immense excitement: "So that is how it is meant to be used! If not for this, who could wait a hundred years? How many centuries does a Violet Palace cultivator even have!" "This is a true money tree… It is equivalent to a Violet Palace spiritual tree that can continuously yield Violet Palace spiritual materials—and not even every Violet Palace spiritual tree can produce one every year! This is the true power of this wonder; this is its true purpose!" "It cannot produce them out of thin air, though. One must gather quite a substantial amount of Bichen Water. Over time, prices will inevitably rise, so the main thing is finding a source of massive production… But what a marvelous thing it is to convert low-grade spiritual items into Violet Palace materials?! In the past, I found Bichen Water too much of a waste of space to even keep in a storage bag!" He watched in satisfaction for a while, studied the grotto-abode inside and out once more, and finally brought himself to leave. Reaching the entrance, he watched the stone doors slowly close, then stared up at the words "Zhentao Mansion," lost in contemplation. 'The connection to the Ning State Chen clan cannot be shaken off. Regardless, my family must station people on Changzhou Island.' After all, this Violet Palace grand formation was anchored to the terrain and could never be relocated. Probably not even all the formation masters of the Taiyang lineage combined could guarantee that the formation's wonders would still function if moved elsewhere. The only option was to dispatch personnel here. "What is more, there is a fiend lake outside that cuts off spiritual energy, serving as a natural barrier against Violet Palace cultivators." Streaking in a beam of light, he did not forget the spring eye of the Earth Fiend Cold Spring within that fiend lake. Plunging into the water, he indeed saw thick black ice encrusting the bottom of the lake. The Kanshui qi manifested by the wonder of Shi Kan blew endlessly across the surface of the black ice like billowing gray winds, converting the Earth Fiend Cold Spring into Youqian Fiend Liquid. Yet taking a closer look, he realized that the so-called Xuan Fu foundation of the Xuan Yuan Manor-Guarding Spiritual Formation was situated right at the eye of the Earth Fiend Cold Spring! The water vein, earth vein, and spiritual vein had merged into one; the Earth Fiend Cold Spring and the fiend lake were themselves products of this Xuan Fu foundation! 'The formation was not established here because of a preexisting natural fiend lake; rather, the profundity of this formation caused this fiend lake to come into being a century later… This barren, spiritless barrier of a fiend lake had long been part of his calculations!' 'Furthermore, with the three veins merged into one, should anyone forcibly breach this formation, the grotto-abode would inevitably collapse. Never mind the Donglu Dark Water—not even the halls within could be preserved! Such mastery of formations is truly miraculous!' Observing this Xuan Fu foundation in disbelief, Li Ximing marveled inwardly: 'This is the handiwork of someone from the heavens above! Even Master Zimu, the cultivator with the highest attainment in Jiangnan, might not be able to set up a formation that functions with such seamless, natural perfection!' Sweeping his gaze around and probing with his spiritual sense, he estimated there were three or four portions of Earth Fiend Cold Spring beneath the black ice, but no other treasures to speak of. Traveling as light through the earth veins, he soon broke through the ground and surfaced. Outside, the night wind blew fiercely over the pitch-black sea, with scattered pinpricks of firelight on the island. In high spirits, he rose upon the light and set off on his return. His pretext for venturing out had been journeying to the Southern Border to seek traces of spiritual fire, so he naturally could not return to the lake so hastily. With time more than plentiful, he stepped into the Great Void, looped southwest, and flew toward the Southern Border. Characters Appearing in This Chapter: ——— Li Ximing [Early Violet Palace] [Violet Palace Alchemist]