Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan

Chapter 172 - 178: Exercise

”Damn it!”

Li Zhirui had Xiaoqing dive into the nearby sea to wash away their scent with the help of the water and then hide in the space, waiting a while before coming out.

But as they were about to touch the water, Li Zhirui suddenly heard a piercing sound behind him, as if the space was being torn apart.

Crack!

The Water Cloud Pearl, which had been with him for several years, shattered instantly. Fortunately, this bought Li Zhirui a sliver of time, allowing him to sink into the water and vanish in an instant.

”How could he suddenly disappear?” The third-order Peng bird, with a gloomy expression, flew to the area above the sea where Li Zhirui had vanished, as its Spiritual Soul frantically expanded outward.

What puzzled him was that there were no traces or fluctuations left by the use of water escape talismans, as if Li Zhirui had disappeared into thin air!

This mysterious situation left him utterly baffled, but the anguished screams of the young Peng bird brought him back to his senses. For the time being, he had to put this matter aside and hurriedly turned to check on the young Peng birdʼs condition.

”Pfft!”

The moment Li Zhirui entered the space, he violently spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. His back was injured due to the impact, and the shattering of the Water Cloud Pearl had obliterated his Divine Sense, affecting his Spiritual Soul.

Li Zhirui endured the intense pain, took out medicinal ointment, applied it to his wounds with his Divine Sense, and then swiftly swallowed a healing Spirit Pill. He closed his eyes to refine the medicinal power and heal his injuries.

Da Qing and Xiaoqing, beside him, didnʼt dare to make a sound, fearing they would disturb Li Zhirui. They could only stand guard anxiously not far away.

Fortunately, these two injuries were not too severe. In just a few days, he was already partially healed.

After opening his eyes to comfort his pets and assuring them not to worry too much, he continued to heal.

As one story blooms, another unfolds.

Meanwhile, on Da Rong Island, two years after Li Zhiruiʼs departure, an event drew the dispersed family members together once again.

That was because Li Zhixuan had reached the critical moment of her Foundation Establishment breakthrough. Whether she could succeed or not depended on this very attempt!

If she succeeded, the Li family would gain another Foundation Establishment cultivator. But if she failed, another Foundation Establishment Pill would be wasted by the Li family.

Although the Li family could now produce Foundation Establishment Pills, the Spiritual Medicine had not yet matured, making refinement impossible.

As for purchasing them from the Yuanming Sect? With three Spirit Islands and over ten thousand mu of Spirit Fields for lease, the Li family earned a vast amount of Spirit Stones each year, a feat other Foundation Establishment families couldnʼt match. However, to limit the Li family, the Yuanming Sect flat-out refused to sell to them.

As a result, if the Li family wanted to buy a Foundation Establishment Pill, they would have to journey thousands of miles to Myriad Thunder State, a perilous trek where a Foundation Establishment Cultivator could encounter serious dangers, potentially leading to both loss of life and property.

And Li Shiqing, as the Li familyʼs sole Golden Core master, did not dare leave Da Rong Island, especially with the Yuanming Sect eyeing them closely.

Nobody knew whether it was because Jiang Tianming had indeed been injured, and seriously at that, in the joint effort to kill Yu Qing a few years back. Ever since he had wiped out the Green Sword Sect, he had not appeared again in the past two years.

Furthermore, with the Yuanming Sect currently being extremely severe, brutal, and radical, one could sense an atmosphere suggesting that something significant was about to happen, as if a storm was brewing.

This made Li Shiqing and the others extremely uneasy, fearing that Jiang Tianming, should he be unable to heal from the severe injury, might descend into madness at the end of his life and drag the Li family down with him.

But there was little the Li family could do, except quietly prepare and set up some defensive measures.

But letʼs go back to our story!

Li Zhixuan, cultivating in solitude and continuously condensing her Mana, eventually succeeded in transforming her Mana into ”Spiritual Liquid” and smoothly breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage, becoming the Li familyʼs eighth Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

The family members outside, observing the situation, saw a vortex of Spiritual Energy form above the roof and displayed joyful expressions on their faces.

”Sheʼs succeeded!” Li Zhizhun said with a bright, beaming smile.

Foundation Establishment is difficult for those without resources. For loose cultivators who want to break through, it must cost them their lives to fight for it.

However, for someone like Li Zhixuan who holds Foundation Establishment Pills and has refined her cultivation through numerous trials, as long as there are no accidents, they wonʼt fail.

In the midst of the jubilant crowd, there was a young woman who seemed to have thought of something. A touch of melancholy flashed in her eyes, but it soon turned into resolve.

Or rather, it was Li Zhixuanʼs breakthrough that cemented an idea she had hesitated over for two years in her heart.

Li Zhiyue made up her mind to go out and gain experience! She wanted to prove that she was not only not inferior to Li Zhixuan, but even more outstanding! She would not be a Trose Flower that could only grow under the shelter of her family!

When Li Zhiyue shared her thoughts with Li Shiting, her face became complicated, and with a hint of helplessness, she said, ”Actually, you shouldnʼt take Zhiruiʼs words to heart. With your talents, plus the familyʼs nurturing, you will definitely break through to the Golden Core, but...” Li Zhixuan canʼt.

But, considering Li Zhiyueʼs sensitivity towards that name, Li Shiting swallowed her remaining words.

”Mrs. Ting, I know!” Li Zhiyue said with resolute expression. ”But I donʼt want to limit myself only to the Golden Core!”

Li Shiting looked at Li Zhiyue steadily, sighing inwardly: This girl had been told off by her most admired Li Zhirui, seemed unconcerned on the surface, but in reality, it had always been on her mind.

”You should ask your second uncle about going out for experience,” she said.

Li Shiting knew going out would be beneficial for Li Zhiyue, but personally, she was not very willing.

After all, this was a younger generation she had raised for over a decade; not by blood but as close as mother and daughter. If any misfortune befell her, Li Shiting couldnʼt imagine how sad and heartbroken she would be.

Therefore, she really hoped that Li Shiqing would refuse and even dispel Li Zhiyueʼs idea.

Unexpectedly, after seeing Li Zhixuanʼs breakthrough, Li Shiqing started his seclusion to craft his Life-bound Magic Treasure!

Having no other options, Li Zhiyue had to wait on the island.

After two years of collecting materials, considering, and learning the basics of Artifact Refining, Li Shiqing finally began to craft his own Life-bound Magic Treasure.

In fact, the so-called learning of Artifact Refining is just mastering some simple refining techniques, and most importantly, the enchantments of Magic Artifacts!

The former is quite simple but affects the quality of the artifact; the latter adds various functionalities, such as sharpness and durability.

Of course, you could also ask a professional Artifact Refiner to craft it, provided you trust them enough not to tamper with the artifact and have the patience to spend decades removing another personʼs aura from the treasure.

The Life-bound Magic Treasure that Li Shiqing was about to craft was a Spirit Sword named Wandering Dragon, made from several third-grade Spirit Materials such as Green Steel Wood Core, Silver Scale Vine, and Green Heaven Spirit Leaf.

Li Shiqing planned to add basic enchantments like sharpness, toughness, and Wind Integration to the Wandering Dragon.

Since the enchantments were not too difficult, coupled with the uniqueness of a Life-bound Magic Treasure—intertwined with its ownerʼs fate and able to grow with the cultivation level—Li Shiqing succeeded after just two or three months in seclusion.

But what he didnʼt expect was that as soon as he came out of seclusion, he saw Li Shiting and Li Zhiyue coming to visit together.

”What brings you here?” he asked.

Li Zhiyue immediately said, ”Uncle, I want to go out and gain experience.”

”How did you suddenly come up with this idea?” Li Shiqingʼs face showed a trace of confusion.

If the visitor had been Li Zhixuan today, or even any of the other Foundation Establishers, he wouldnʼt have been surprised at all, but Li Zhiyue was the last person he had expected.

”I just want to temper myself and hope to quickly advance my cultivation.”

Li Shiqingʼs penetrating gaze sensed that Li Zhiyue was hiding something. He turned to question Li Shiting telepathically.

After learning that it was all because of Zhirui, and that Li Zhiyueʼs decision was made firm by Li Zhixuanʼs recent breakthrough, a hint of resignation flashed in his eyes.