Clan Cultivation: Starting with Building an Island Immortal City

24: Building a foundation and establishing a business, the art of small clouds and rain.The awe-inspiring Spirit Awakening Ceremony by the volcanic lake ignited an unquenchable spark in the hearts of the young people.

The next day, at dawn, the sky was still dark, and the cold was biting.

Li Yinglong stood in the center of the temporary camp, with ten youths silently gathered before him, each exuding ample Aura and bright eyes.

“From today onwards, your daily routines must all follow my commands.”

Li Yinglong’s voice cut through the morning mist, leaving no room for doubt.

“Before sunrise, you must all go to the eastern beach, face the vast sea, practice Qi Circulation, and capture that wisp of purple Qi coming from the east. This is not a Martial Skill Mind-Cultivation Technique; there’s no need to exert force, only to seek a clear and empty mind, long and deep breaths, and a sense of the interaction between heaven and earth.”

“During the day, each of you will have your own lessons.”

His gaze swept over everyone:

“You must Cultivate the methods I have tailored for each of you, and you must not be negligent.”

“In the afternoon, explore this island on your own, familiarize yourselves with every plant, every tree, every stone, and every body of water, and work together to improve your dwellings. This place is our Foundation; every brick and tile must be built by your own hands.”

“After nightfall, gather here, and Qingzhu and I will teach you about the knowledge and fundamentals of the Cultivation world.”

He paused briefly, his voice turning solemn.

“Furthermore, everyone, from this moment on, cease Cultivating all Family-inherited Internal Skill Mind-Cultivation Techniques.”

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was shocked.

Family-inherited Martial Skills were the Foundation of their existence; how could they be easily abandoned?

Li Yinglong’s gaze was like lightning, having already anticipated this.

“The old methods are crude; the ways of circulating Qi and blood are contrary to the Dao we will walk in the future. Forcing their practice is useless and will only cause harm. From now on, only Cultivate the Evergreen Qi Nurturing Chapter. This is a supreme Mind-Cultivation Technique for strengthening the Foundation, cultivating the origin, and calming the mind, and it is also the cornerstone of our future Immortal Path.”

He said no more, turning and walking away.

“Follow me.”

Everyone suppressed the myriad doubts in their hearts and followed closely.

Li Yinglong had already surveyed the location, leading everyone to the flat and open area at the foot of the volcano.

“This place has a gentle terrain, convenient water access, and an open view. It is suitable for living and also for daily Martial Skill practice.”

He then pointed to a cave entrance at the foot of the mountain, covered by vines.

“This cave is naturally formed; it is deep and dry inside, with clear air. What’s even rarer is…”

He was the first to push aside the vines and enter, followed by everyone in an orderly fashion.

It was a bit dim at first, but after walking only about ten zhang, their vision suddenly opened up. A huge domed grotto appeared before them, with grotesque rocks and fresh air, without the slightest feeling of stuffiness.

Upon entering, they felt a faint, almost imperceptible cool Qi lingering around them, making their minds involuntarily calm down.

“There is faint Spiritual Qi escaping from the Spiritual Vein here, which will greatly benefit your current Cultivation of the Evergreen Qi Nurturing Chapter. In the future, you will meditate and Cultivate here.”

The commands were given, swift and decisive.

Under the coordination of Li Changyu and Li Changyun, the youths worked together, felling sturdy wood, collecting large leaves, and mixing mud for ramming earth.

In just two days, several simple but sturdy and neat wooden houses were erected on the plain, enclosing a small courtyard.

A clear space was leveled in the courtyard for daily practice.

And the depths of the grotto were also tidied up, with dry meditation cushions laid out, serving as a quiet room.

Li Yinglong then ordered Li Qingzhu to set up a small stone room at the innermost part of the grotto, separated by a large stone.

The stone room had no door, only a coarse cloth curtain hanging.

Inside the curtain, a stone platform was set up, on which three handwritten copies were solemnly placed — the Evergreen Art, the Five Elements Spirit Control Art, and an abstract of the records of strange tales of the universe.

“This is the first Scripture Pavilion of our Li Immortal Clan.”

Li Yinglong said solemnly:

“Although simple, its significance is extraordinary. Li Qingzhu is responsible for its safekeeping, and no one is allowed to enter without permission.”

Everyone looked at it with a sense of solemnity.

At the same time, Lin Xiaowan’s work had also begun.

With the assistance of Li Qingzhu, she chose a spot next to the wooden houses that received ample sunlight, had deep soil, and was close to the stream.

Based on the rudimentary methods recorded in the Miscellaneous Talks and her own perception of plants, she carefully planned out neat rectangular plots of land.

She then led everyone to clear away rubble and weeds, and diverted stream water to irrigate them.

She even attempted to slowly transfer the faint, almost non-existent wood-elemental Spiritual Qi within her body into the roots of several of the best-growing sea soul moss, carefully observing their changes.

Although progress was slow, a rudimentary medicinal garden was already taking shape.

The System detected that the host has successfully established the Family’s basic industries: Scripture Pavilion (rudimentary) and Spiritual Plant Medicinal Garden (rudimentary).

Mission Two: Foundation Establishment and Industry Establishment, 2/2, completed.

Reward issued: one Yellow Rank Low Grade auxiliary Cultivation Technique Jade Slip for the Minor Cloud and Rain Spell.

A cold System prompt sounded in Li Yinglong’s mind.

“Oh? There are extra rewards for this?”

His mind stirred slightly, and a cyan Jade Slip, emitting faint water vapor fluctuations, silently appeared in his palm.

Minor Cloud and Rain Spell: Condenses water-elemental Spiritual Qi to form rain, nourishing Spiritual Plants, which can promote their absorption of Spiritual Qi and accelerate growth.

“Qingzhu, Little Wan.”

After the evening lecture, Li Yinglong kept the two women, handing them the Jade Slip.

“This Spell is greatly beneficial to the medicinal garden, and when paired with the Five Elements Spirit Control Art, it will allow the two of you to control water-elemental Spiritual Qi more precisely. The two of you should jointly comprehend and Cultivate it, recording your insights so that you can teach it to the Clan members later.”

“Yes, Clan Chief!”

With all the matters arranged, Li Yinglong and Li Qingzhu’s own Cultivation did not fall behind.

By the volcanic lake, the Spiritual Qi far surpassed that at the foot of the mountain.

The two sat in meditation here, operating the Evergreen Art, and as they breathed in and out, Spiritual Qi flowed like a trickle into their Dantian.

Li Yinglong’s Cultivation was already at the peak of the First Layer, and now, with accumulated strength, in less than a month, the Spiritual Qi in his body suddenly flowed through, naturally reaching the Qi Refining Second Layer, his Aura becoming even more condensed.

Li Qingzhu, with her excellent natural talent and the aid of Spiritual Qi, even broke through a few days faster than him, successfully reaching a Breakthrough.

As for Lin Xiaowan, she was specially permitted to Cultivate with the two by the lake.

The Spiritual Qi here was immense for someone just entering the Immortal Path, requiring the two pioneers to guide and correct her.

Following the methods of the Evergreen Art, she guided the wisps of cool airflow to circulate along specific Meridians.

One morning a month later, as she was sensing a Spiritual Plant by the lake, she suddenly felt a warmth in her Dantian, and then a warm current, far clearer than usual, began to circulate on its own, making her feel completely refreshed, with heightened hearing and clear vision.

She had, in fact, silently drawn Qi into her body, officially stepping into the Qi Refining First Layer.

Li Yinglong sensed the Spiritual Qi fluctuations here, opened his eyes, looked over, and nodded slightly, a hint of approval in his eyes.

By then, the Li Family had three Cultivators.

Li Qingzhu and Lin Xiaowan jointly comprehended the Minor Cloud and Rain Spell, gaining some insights, and were able to condense small-scale rain clouds. With this, the irrigation of Spiritual Plants became more controllable and rational, and their growth was pleasing.

Li Yinglong temporarily handed over the various matters at the foot of the mountain to Li Changyu and Li Changyun for joint management, while he himself prepared for a “monthly exam” to assess everyone’s Cultivation lessons over the past month.

A month ago, he had designed a personalized training System for each Disciple, tailored to their individual talents as prompted by the System.

For example, Li Changyun’s talent was his unyielding tenacity.

Li Yinglong continued to hone his Martial Skill, but shifted the focus from “Moves” to “Concept.”

He had him practice his spear in the midst of the sea, where the waves were strong, to feel the “Aura,” preparing him for future chuyển Cultivation of spear-type Spells or becoming a Body Cultivator.

Li Changyu’s talents were wisdom and management; he was quick-witted, but his Cultivation talent was not strong.

So he had him begin to learn about and assist in planning the construction of the Spiritual Vein base, and exceptionally allowed him to study more introductory knowledge about various parts of the Cultivation world from the records of strange tales of the universe, with the goal of cultivating him to be a future “Family Administrator.”

Whether it was an Immortal Family or an Immortal Sect, the Clan Chief and Sect Master were often not the strongest in terms of combat power, but rather the ones most capable of strategizing and maximizing benefits for the collective.

Li Changyue, on the other hand, began to take over Li Qingzhu’s work, responsible for recording everyone’s Cultivation progress, the growth of Spiritual Plants, and the island’s ecology, training her in the direction of a Sect management Elder.

In short, everyone had a different Dao.

And today, he was here to assess how deeply these Disciples understood their own “Dao.”