Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan

Chapter 44: Breakthrough

Like the others of his clan, Li Zhirui had stayed on the barren island for over a month before they fully mined the Spirit Stone vein, an endeavor hastened by enlisting their respective Spirit Beasts. Otherwise, they would have had to spend another month in the cave.

The hard work, however, was worthwhile, as they collectively dug up more than 60,000 Spirit Stones. Along with those Li Zhirui had unearthed earlier, the total was comparable to the value of a Foundation Establishment Pill.

”Thank you for your hard work, everyone. For this mission, each person will receive three hundred Contribution Values,” Li Shilian announced after declaring the rewards. He then cautioned them once more, ”However, I also hope that everyone will keep this a secret after returning. Do not tell anyone!”

The crowd was tremendously excited, for three hundred Contribution Values theoretically equaled three hundred Spirit Stones. Although not directly exchangeable, they could be used as credits for purchasing Magic Artifacts and other Spiritual Objects within the family. Moreover, Contribution Values could be exchanged in the Scripture Pavilion for Spells and Cultivation Techniques.

After everyone had left the cave, Li Shilian took action to seal off the tunnel to prevent anyone from discovering there had once been a Spirit Stone vein here.

The Spirit Boat piloted by Li Shilian was exceedingly fast, taking only one day to return to Da Rong Island.

”Go back and rest,” Li Shilian said before heading straight to the main hall; he needed to hand over the Spirit Stones to Li Shiqing as soon as possible.

When Li Shiqing heard the number reported by Li Shilian, his face showed surprise and he said, ”Are there really that many Spirit Stones?”

Li Zhirui had given him a rough estimate, and coupled with the years the Black Bear Devil had stayed in the cave, it was roughly calculated that the Spirit Stone vein could produce up to 90,000 Spirit Stones!

This quantity was not far from the upper limit of a micro vein, and just a bit more would qualify it as a small vein capable of nurturing mid-grade Spirit Stones.

Although a mid-grade Spirit Stone was worth a hundred low-grade Spirit Stones, the Spiritual Energy contained within was more tranquil and pure, something low-grade Spirit Stones could not match.

Moreover, mid-grade Spirit Stones had many uses, such as setting up stronger Formations, serving as the core for golems, and most crucially, they were indispensable for advancing to higher tiers of Spirit Veins!

It was just unfortunate that this Spirit Vein fell slightly short, perhaps due to not being fully nurtured, or it was damaged by the Black Bear Devil, causing the leakage of Spiritual Energy and limiting it to a micro vein.

At this thought, Li Shiqingʼs excitement quickly calmed down, ”It really is a pity.”

...

After bidding each other farewell, Li Zhirui hurried back to his small courtyard and upon closing the gate, vanished into the space.

Over the past month, Li Zhirui hadnʼt been able to spend much time in the space. He could only take brief moments out to relax and hastily take care of the various Spiritual Medicines.

Fortunately, the space held its own wonder. Even without Li Zhiruiʼs meticulous care, the Spiritual Medicines remained vibrant, avoiding problems like withering or yellowing leaves.

Li Zhirui, like an experienced farmer in the fields, skillfully and carefully tended to the various Spiritual Medicines, while Da Qing crunched away at Spirit Fruits on the side.

A few hours later, Li Zhirui stretched wearily and approached Da Qing, only to find him asleep. He had originally wanted to frolic with him for a bit, but now he had no choice but to quietly leave the space.

Li Zhirui rested well for a day and, from the next day onward, returned to the monotonous routine of Alchemy and cultivation.

One day, while cultivating, Li Zhirui suddenly heard a faint cracking inside his body. He instantly understood and began to speed up the operation of his Cultivation Technique. The scattered Spiritual Energy from the surroundings began to gather around him, forming a layer of visible Spirit Light.

More than a year had passed since Li Zhiruiʼs last breakthrough, and with his aptitude, plus the abundant supply of Spirit Pills for assistance, he should have achieved it much earlier.

The reason for delaying until today lay in the time Li Zhirui had spent on alchemy, practicing the Visualization Skill, gaining experience through adventures and mining, among other pursuits.

However, these activities had also brought benefits to Li Zhirui, such as this breakthrough coming naturally as a reward for his recent efforts.

Li Zhirui activated his Divine Sense, drawing in the Spiritual Energy that lingered around him into his body. After being refined through his meridians and reaching the Dantian, the Spiritual Energy had turned into his Mana.

In the Qi Cultivation Stage, emphasis is placed on the ”cultivation” part, by refining Spiritual Energy and converting it into Mana, then using it to assault the barriers of the Dantian, expanding the area of the Sea of Qi, thus breaking through to a higher realm.

This time, Li Zhiruiʼs Dantian barrier had already been breached unconsciously, so there was no need for any deliberate effort. Once he absorbed enough Spiritual Energy and the Mana filled the Sea of Qi, he would be considered successful in breaking through to the eighth level of Qi Cultivation.

To consolidate his realm, Li Zhirui went into seclusion for nearly half a month before leaving his quiet room for cultivation.

As soon as he came out, he noticed several Communication Talismans pinned on his door. Li Zhirui took them down one by one. Among them, Li Shile had left two, both roughly asking what he was up to and whether he still had any Jade Spirit Pills.

Then there were two from Li Shiren, one mentioning that he had taken over from Li Shiting and had gone to preside over the Marketplace, and the other asking if Li Zhirui had broken through, and if so, to remember to report the joyful news.

With Li Shiren not on Da Rong Island, Li Zhirui had no choice but to look for Li Shile. Upon seeing Li Zhirui, Li Shile exclaimed, ”You lad, lately... Have you made a breakthrough?”

”Mhm, I had an insight during cultivation and decided to enter seclusion to break through. I saw your Communication Talismans as soon as I came out, so I hurried over to find you,” explained Li Zhirui with a flattering smile.

”Enough, thereʼs a reasonable excuse,” Li Zhiruiʼs breakthrough was a matter for celebration, so Li Shile didnʼt press the issue further. However, there was an urgent need for Jade Spirit Pills, and it might be too late for Li Zhirui to start alchemizing now; all they could hope for was that he still had a fair amount of Spirit Pills on hand.

”I donʼt have many Jade Spirit Pills left, just a few hundred that I made before my seclusion.”

”That should be enough to manage for a day or two,” said Li Shile, somewhat sheepishly, as he turned to Li Zhirui, ”Youʼll have your work cut out for you in the coming days.”

Li Zhirui, with a sharp sense, noticed something was amiss and asked, ”Has something happened to the family recently?”

”Itʼs nothing major. Remember how I mentioned that other powers had started selling Water Refinement Pills?” sighed Li Shile, ”Theyʼve taken advantage of the familyʼs inability to produce enough Spirit Pills and have swallowed up a good portion of the market.”

Li Shile then smiled and said, ”The quality of the Li familyʼs Spirit Pills is the best. As long as we have enough Spirit Pills, we can definitely pull the business back.”

”Youʼre right,” Li Zhirui nodded affirmatively. He still held the Pill Condensation Scripture and Nurturing Pill Skill in his possession, and if he used these two alchemy scriptures to create Jade Spirit Pills, the business would naturally return.

Li Shile suddenly spoke up, ”If youʼre not busy, go to the main hall and report your breakthrough to the Clan Leader, will you? Itʼll cheer him up.”

”Alright,” Li Zhirui initially had no intention of doing so, since it was only a minor breakthrough and did not warrant widespread knowledge.

Yet, after hearing Li Shileʼs suggestion, Li Zhirui understood that the Clan Leader had been troubled by the loss of business in the shops these past days.

Despite his earlier nonchalance, when the troubles truly fell upon him, he still felt irritation.