Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan

Chapter 431 - 437: Leaving the Retreat

This is also one of the reasons why, after the breakthrough to Nascent Soul, the speed of cultivation significantly declines!

It is not merely because the higher the realm, the greater the mana required, but also because the Sea of Consciousness is fragile, and one must cultivate the Spiritual Soul with utmost caution.

However, these matters are still quite distant for Li Zhirui, who has only just broken through and has not yet solidified his realm!

——

As Li Zhiruiʼs Contracted Spirit Beasts, Da Qing, Xiaoqing, and Cang, received a pure and massive mana feedback after his breakthrough to Nascent Soul.

Having accumulated over many years, Xiaoqing, stimulated by this mana, broke through the late third stage, becoming the leader of all the Spirit Beasts in the family.

Xiaoqingʼs accumulation was slightly lacking, but with the boost of this mana, the breakthrough was getting closer, and it wouldnʼt be long before he could also break through the late third stage.

But Li Zhirui knew that without some opportunity, both Da Qing and Xiaoqing would remain in the Golden Core Realm for a long time.

Because the grade of their birth and the bloodline in their bodies determined their future achievements, and both were only third-grade Spirit Beasts.

If they lived in the wild, let alone reaching the fourth stage, even advancing to the third stage would be fraught with peril and uncertainties.

That is the sorrow of Devil Beasts—they place too much emphasis on bloodlines and aptitude, more than anything else.

And Li Zhiruiʼs third Contracted Spirit Beast, Cang, too weak in strength, was knocked unconscious by the overwhelming mana, despite his intentional control, falling into a deep slumber.

If nothing unexpected happened, once Cang had digested this mana, he would very likely make a push for the Foundation Establishment Realm!

Keep in mind, it has not been ten years since Cang hatched, and he is about to reach the second stage, which is truly astonishing.

But all of this is just a matter of chance and coincidence. It just happened to coincide with Li Zhiruiʼs breakthrough and the mana nourishment, allowing such a rapid cultivation speed.

——

”Sigh! When will such days come to an end?” lamented the third-stage Bear Devil with a sigh.

In the past, he roamed the mountains freely, lively, and unrestrained, but since he came to Wanxian Island, although the food is not bad, and occasionally Devil Beasts come to satisfy their physiological needs, sadly, they could only roam about a small patch of land, utterly deprived of freedom.

Of course, that was not just him, all the Mountain Guardian Spirit Beasts felt the same, but they were too far apart from each other to make contact.

However, with these benefits, the Devil Beasts gradually got accustomed to the life on Wanxian Island and became true Guardian Spirit Beasts for the Li family.

——

With a large number of Spirit Stones obtained from the rental of the Spirit Vein, the Li family was no longer in want of Spirit Stones. Hence, a vast amount of Spiritual Objects were shipped to Wanxian Island from various places. After an inventory check, they were stored in the warehouse, ready for Li Zhirui to finish his closed-door training. They would then send out invitations and prepare the grand ceremony at the fastest speed.

”I wonder when Uncle Shiling will be out of his retreat? Iʼm already impatient to see the day of the Nascent Soul ceremony!”

”Itʼs a pity our cultivation level is too low, and we can only celebrate with other clan members in the background.” With too many cultivators and the Li family unable to allow all Qi Cultivators to participate, a separate seat was specially prepared for those clanspeople who couldnʼt attend.

Even though they could see the ceremony through a water mirror, the difference was vast. For instance, they couldnʼt feel the atmosphere of being there; the two experiences were incomparable.

”Speaking of which, the clan really bled cash for this matter, having invested no less than two hundred thousand Spirit Stones, right?” A clan member suddenly said, ”The clan is really generous! All those Spirit Stones, if used to cultivate our people, would be so much better.”

”If you could make a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul, the clan would never be stingy either.” Someone, disliking his jeering tone, immediately retorted.

It was an affair that would bring glory to the clan, yet there were people who couldnʼt grasp the significance!

”Hmph!” Seeing that the others were overwhelmingly against him, the man dared not stay any longer, and with a cold snort, he turned and left.

As the number of clan members increased, a variety of ideas and philosophies emerged, naturally leading to many contradictions and conflicts which the clan simply could not and did not attempt to resolve.

After all, where there are people, there are rivers and lakes of conflict!

As long as no one did anything against the fundamental principles, the clan turned a blind eye to these matters.

Time hurried by, and in the blink of an eye, a year had passed since Li Zhiruiʼs breakthrough to the Nascent Soul.

Ever since his return to the clan and entering the quiet room to consolidate his realm, he had not shown his face for the entire year.

At first, no one thought much of it; after all, consolidating oneʼs realm indeed required some time, but as half a year passed with no sign from him, many clan members began to panic.

They had never encountered such a lengthy consolidation of cultivation before and were extremely worried about Li Zhirui, fearing he had encountered some serious problem.

Outside, rumors were flying everywhere, some saying Li Zhirui had gone to pursue his assailant because his realm was unstable, leading to complications.

Some even more exaggerated claims stated Li Zhirui had long since fallen, and the Li family, worried about retribution from their enemies, had kept his death secret all along.

In response, the Li family clarified a few times, but to no avail; the rumors only grew wilder, clearly indicating the involvement of many hidden hands stirring trouble from the shadows.

Gradually, the Li family became too tired to argue further, waiting for the day Li Zhirui would safely emerge from seclusion, on which day their detractorsʼ faces would be soundly slapped!

And what was Li Zhirui doing at this time?

Thinking there was nothing much happening outside, after stabilizing his realm, he simply tried spiritual soul cultivation. Despite sustaining considerable injuries at the beginning, he eventually pulled through, becoming so engrossed that he lost track of outside time.

It was Da Qingʼs breakthrough that finally snapped Li Zhirui out of his immersion.

”Has it really been a year already? I didnʼt feel it at all!” It seemed his sense of time had dulled after his breakthrough to the Nascent Soul.

At the heart of it, the longer lifespan granted by his advancement to Nascent Soul was the reason Li Zhirui now cared less about time than before.

”Itʼs also time to come out of seclusion!” Li Zhirui, stretching lazily, applied a Purification Spell on himself and slowly made his way towards the outside world.

As it happened, when he emerged, Jiang Fengwu, Li Chengsheng, and Li Chengshuo—the mother and her two sons—were all in the courtyard.

”Dad, you finally came out of seclusion! If you hadnʼt come out soon, grandfather and the others were going to burst in and drag you out,” Li Chengshuo immediately noticed Li Zhirui and excitedly shouted.

Jiang Fengwu also said, ”The family has started preparing for your grand and solemn Nascent Soul ceremony a long time ago, and you didnʼt seem to take it to heart at all.”

Li Zhirui felt somewhat embarrassed; he indeed had been so immersed in cultivation that he had forgotten about time.