Clan Cultivation: Starting with Building an Island Immortal City

25: Personalized instruction, answering questions and resolving doubtsInside the quiet room of the grotto, ten young boys and girls held their breath, standing as still as pines.

Their original silk brocade clothes had long been replaced with coarse cloth training attire suitable for movement. Although their faces showed signs of wear, their eyes were much sharper and calmer than when they first arrived.

Li Yinglong, clad in a black robe, stood before everyone, his gaze like an ancient well, slowly sweeping over each young face.

Li Qingzhu stood quietly beside him, holding a booklet that recorded everyone’s cultivation progress and observation notes from the past month.

”The one-month period is up.”

Li Yinglong slowly began:

”Today, I will not test your fists and strength, but only ask if the Dao in your hearts is clear? And if you have any confusions on your cultivation path?”

His gaze first fell upon Li Changyun, who stood tall and straight like a spear.

”Changyun, you speak first.”

Li Changyun stepped forward, cupped his hands, and bowed:

”Clan Chief, as I Cultivate according to the Evergreen Qi Nurturing Chapter, my Qi and blood grow stronger each day, and the ’Qi sensation’ within me becomes clearer. But... whenever I try to guide it precisely through my meridians, I always feel a faint stinging pain, as if I’m using too much force, making it difficult to move smoothly. Is it... is it that your grandson hasn’t practiced hard enough, or isn’t proficient enough?”

He still retained the mindset of a Martial Artist, viewing Cultivation as a charge on the battlefield, seeking only ferocity and rigidity.

A hint of understanding flashed in Li Yinglong’s eyes:

”Use your strongest power to strike that rock.”

He pointed to a piece of hard, half-human-tall volcanic rock nearby.

Li Changyun took a deep breath, the power of his Qi and blood surged, and he threw a punch!

With a dull thud, several cracks appeared on the rock’s surface, andgravel flew.

”Look again.”

Li Yinglong activated water Spiritual Qi, drew in a small ball of water, and then let the drops slowly fall from his fingers onto another smooth, rounded rock that had been eroded by water.

Water dripping on stone can wear it away, but the surface of that stone was only wet, not damaged.

”Now look at these two rocks.”

”Which is harder? Which lasts longer?”

He pointed to the angular, stubborn rock, and then to the smooth, enduring pebble.

Li Changyun replied without hesitation:

”The rounded stone lasts longer, of course.”

”Good.”

Li Yinglong nodded:

”Unrivaled ferocity can overcome a temporary difficulty, like your punch just now; a balance of strength and gentleness is the long-term Dao, like this stream and the rounded stone. Your spear technique needs the ’sharpness’ to charge forward, but your Dao Heart needs the ’resilience’ to understand turning and nurturing.”

”The Evergreen Qi Nurturing Chapter nurtures vitality, an endless power, not a momentary burst of might. Remember, sometimes, taking a step back is not cowardice, but to gather strength to leap further. If you insist on forcing it, you are using the thoughts of a mortal iron to control the methods of immortals, how could it not hurt?”

Li Changyun’s body trembled. Looking at the smooth stone and the dripping water, feeling the faint pain in his meridians from forcing his cultivation, his eyes showed contemplation.

He clasped his fists heavily:

”Your grandson will remember! Thank you for your Clan Chief’s teachings!”

At this moment, his obsession as a ”Martial Artist” began to shift towards the mindset of a ”Cultivator.”

Li Yinglong saw gratitude and a warning in his eyes.

But he knew that this child was inherently strong-willed and difficult to change. In the future, he might ultimately choose the most unyielding ”path of no retreat” to protect something. He only hoped... he could truly understand his painstaking efforts.

His gaze turned to Li Changyu:

”Changyu, what about you?”

Li Changyu stepped forward, his brow slightly furrowed, his voice carrying his characteristic caution:

”Clan Chief, I have read ’Miscellaneous Talks on Cultivation,’ which mentions that for a Cultivator to break through a realm, besides accumulation, an ’Opportunity’ is also needed. This thing is ethereal, unquantifiable, and difficult to plan. If the path ahead is filled with such uncontrollable things, what is the meaning of our diligent Cultivation and careful planning now? Is it possible that one might be stuck in a certain realm for a lifetime, unable to advance, simply because an ’Opportunity’ has not arrived?”

His confusion stemmed from overthinking, leading to anxiety about the unknown and fear of losing control.

Li Yinglong smiled slightly upon hearing this.

He raised his hand, pointing to the flowing clouds in the sky, and then to the tender sprout that had just broken through the soil:

”Look at that cloud, can you calculate its exact shape in the next moment? Look at that seed, can you deduce the exact time it will break through the soil?”

Li Changyu gazed for a moment, then shook his head:

”No...”

”Precisely.”

Li Yinglong stroked his beard and smiled:

”Diligent Cultivation is to firmly grasp the ’inevitable’ in your hand, making yourself strong enough; quietly waiting for Opportunity is to welcome the gift of ’chance.’ If you abandon the ’inevitable’ out of fear of ’chance,’ you are putting the cart before the horse, climbing a tree to catch fish.”

”Your calculations should be applied to gaining more qualifications and capital to welcome ’chance’ for yourself, rather than trying to control ’chance’ itself. The Dao path is long, and variables are both wonderful and challenging. Keep your heart set on the Great Dao, and press forward with determination; Opportunity will only favor those who are prepared.”

Li Changyu’s eyes, showing some understanding, made him a little worried.

Someone too clever, who thinks too much—this is his talent, but sometimes... it is also his tribulation.

Next, Li Yinglong guided the others one by one.

He had Thunder Frost close her eyes and, relying solely on hearing and perception, shoot an apple swaying in the wind a hundred paces away, telling her:

”The wonder of Divine Sense lies in the heart’s eye, not the physical eye. Your arrow, in the future, will shoot at ’Karma,’ not just a simple target.”

He praised Stone Iron Pillar’s stable stance, as firm as a mountain, and had him stand in a rushing stream, enduring the water’s impact without falling, saying:

”The Dao of protection lies in the Foundation. Only with deep roots can leaves flourish, and only with stillness can motion be controlled. Your strength, in the future, is to protect the ’roots’ of the Family.”

Stone Iron Pillar nodded honestly, his eyes filled with unwavering loyalty.

He arranged for Zhao Mingyuan to reorganize the material storage of their temporary camp, making it conform to a certain simple Formation layout, which significantly improved efficiency, and told him:

”All methods in the world have theirVeins. Finding theirVeins and optimizing their structure is theprototype of a ’Formation.’ Your Dao lies in discovering and building order.”

He had Li Changyue, relying on memory, draw a detailed map of the explored areas of the island, marking all discovered strange plants and potential danger points, and praised her:

”The importance of Legacy lies in precision. Every stroke and line is connected to the Dao. You are the future eyes and historical pen of the Family.”

He guided Li Changxue to close her eyes and feel the different scents carried by the wind, distinguishing a specific floral fragrance and a very faint Yao Beast stench from afar, encouraging her:

”Your intuition is a bridge to communicate with heaven and earth. Trust it, hone it, but it is not infallible; it needs to be combined with rationality.”

Finally, his gaze fell upon Li Changxuan, who stood at the edge, exuding an aura of ’do not approach strangers.’

”Changxuan.”

Li Changxuan took a deep breath and stepped forward.

His eyes were sharp, carrying an unyielding stubbornness, but also undisguised impatience.

”Clan Chief, the Evergreen Qi Nurturing Chapter progresses slowly. I feel I haven’t been negligent, so why is the growth of my Qi and blood not as rapid as when I Cultivated my Family’s martial arts? Is this method... not suitable for me?”

His voice carried doubt and anxiety.

He yearned for power, eager to prove himself, especially to the main Family, that he, a branch Family disciple, was not inferior to anyone.

Li Yinglong looked at him, without reprimand:

”Do you think firewood burns fiercely, or that deep-sea currents last longer?”

Li Changxuan was startled:

”Firewood is fierce, but... it burns out in an instant.”

”Your previous martial arts were like firewood.”

Li Yinglong replied:

”Explosive and swift, but it damages the Foundation, and its limit is set. The Evergreen Qi Nurturing Chapter is to guide you to unearth your own potential, like digging a spring. At first, the stream trickles, seemingly slow, but it flows far and wide, and in the future can become rivers, lakes, and seas. You only see the ’slowness’ in front of you, but not the long-term ’speed.’ The path of Cultivation is a struggle of hundreds, thousands of years, not a single day or night.”

He paused, his gaze like lightning:

”I know you are unwilling and want to surpass your peers. But a strong person first surpasses themselves, not competes with others. Your Dao lies in ’focusing on one point,’ transforming all your arrogance and unwillingness into motivation to refine yourself, not into sharp thorns to prick your companions. If your heart is not steady, your Qi will be restless; if your Qi is restless, your Dao path will be blocked.”

Li Changxuan’s body trembled slightly, his face showing shock.

After a long time, he bowed deeply:

”Changxuan... has been enlightened.”

Finally, everyone’s gaze turned to the young boy who had been keeping his head down, trying to minimize his presence—Li Changxing.

He was still the same, his aura weak, his eyes evasive.

Among his increasingly proficient companions, he seemed out of place, a true ”straggler.”