Chapter 72

Li Tongya descended the mountain and carefully savored Xiao Chuting's words, secretly pondering:

"What does this mean? Even the Xiao family knows about the Tangjin Gate's southward invasion. Why is the Qingchi Sect indifferent, letting the Tangjin Gate run rampant in the Mushroom Forest?"

As the thought moved, Li Tongya's heart skipped a beat, and he secretly thought:

"It's bad. Once the Wan family is destroyed, the Ji family will block my Li family in the Great Lishan. When the lips are gone, the teeth are cold. Xiangping will definitely sacrifice the magic mirror to make a move. I don't know how things are now. I should have returned home quickly."

"It's just that the Mushroom Forest is now filled with the flames of war. If I take a detour, the journey is long. It's better to wait two or three days."

Thinking about these things, Li Tongya's brows gradually furrowed, but then he heard a loud call:

"Brother Tongya!"

Li Tongya turned his head in surprise and saw Xiao Yongling hurrying over from behind. He smiled, grabbed Li Tongya's hand, and shouted:

"It's been many years. Why didn't you come looking for me when you arrived at the Xiao family? I patrolled around that broken tavern for several days and didn't see the two of you."

"By the way, why don't I see Brother Wan?"

Li Tongya sighed lightly and replied:

"When I left home, I passed by the Wan family and didn't see Wan Yuankai. I also heard that the Tangjin Gate had moved south. Now, I fear they have already broken through Huaishan. Brother Wan... I fear he is in grave danger."

Xiao Yongling froze, his expression filled with sorrow, and he sighed longly:

"Alas, people have misfortunes, and heaven has unpredictable weather. It's something that can't be helped."

Strolling through the market at the foot of the mountain with Li Tongya, Xiao Yongling chatted for a few sentences before saying sternly:

"I heard that Brother Tongya has cultivated the Jade Capital for many years and is only one step away from the peak of Qi Condensation, the Initial Wheel. I wonder if you have prepared a Qi Condensation technique, and which type of heaven and earth spiritual energy are you planning to absorb?"

Li Tongya gave a bitter laugh and said softly:

"I won't hide it from you, Brother Xiao. My family only has one second-grade technique, the 'Heavenly Origin Qi Condensation Technique.' This technique is also a Qi Condensation technique for absorbing Small Clear Spiritual Energy. My family has no method for gathering Qi, so I'm afraid I'll have to buy Small Clear Spiritual Energy in the market. It's truly a headache."

Li Tongya didn't care and silently calculated this year's harvest. Excluding the two hundred catties handed over as tribute, there were still over two hundred and sixty catties of spirit rice and seven White Origin Fruits left in his storage bag, worth about four spirit stones.

The three Wu-Zuo worms in his home had spun silk twelve times in five years, making three cotton silks worth half a spirit stone. As for the Spirit-Middle Talisman Method left by Li Chijing, Li Tongya had studied it for five years but had only just mastered some tricks, having successfully produced one or two finished products, but he hadn't dared to use talisman paper to draw them yet.

Li Tongya and Li Xiangping were meticulous in managing the family. One spirit stone could only buy thirty sheets of talisman paper, and a Qi Condensation talisman usually cost one spirit stone for three. One had to succeed once in ten tries just to break even on the paper, not counting the talisman ink, so he didn't dare to draw them casually.

Just as Li Tongya was thinking about finding a place to sell these spiritual objects, he heard Xiao Yongling say with a complex expression:

"This Small Clear Spiritual Energy usually costs about forty spirit stones. Has Brother Tongya prepared the spirit stones?"

Li Tongya shook his head and smiled:

"I'm not in a hurry. This Small Clear Spiritual Energy is expensive, worth fifty years of my family's income. I'll save up spirit stones and see. The lifespan of the Qi Condensation stage is often as long as a hundred and twenty years; I have plenty of time."

Xiao Yongling looked at him blankly and suddenly said softly:

"Brother Tongya cultivated the Jade Capital at thirty and is looking forward to Qi Condensation. Your talent can be considered quite good, yet you are burdened by your family... It's truly a pity. If you were born in a great family, you would definitely be a hundred times better than Yongling!"

Li Tongya raised an eyebrow. Yan Jianxiao Yongling quite emotional, he mocked:

"Hahahaha, what kind of talk is that? The world is difficult; it's always about huddling together for warmth. Don't look at my Li family's current predicament; it was the accumulation of a hundred years by our ancestors that allowed us to step into the immortal gate. It's not a burden of the family, but the achievement of the family."

Xiao Yongling nodded thoughtfully and smiled:

"Yongling has been taught."

Li Tongya shook his head with a smile, his gaze moving slowly across the stalls, and said sternly:

"Brother Yongling, this Qi Condensation technique... I wonder what the price is?"

"If it's one of those seven or eight common loose cultivator techniques, I'm afraid it won't cost many spirit stones. They can be sold at the stalls on the side of the road."

Xiao Yongling pointed to the pavilion ahead and explained:

"If you want to buy a second-grade or higher orthodox technique, you have to go to a few shops. They cost anywhere from dozens to hundreds of spirit stones. Some shops sell techniques together with heaven and earth spiritual energy, saving the time of searching and gathering Qi, but they are much more expensive."

"Of course, there are also some ancient methods and secret techniques. The prices fluctuate, depending entirely on the person."

Li Tongya frowned and asked back in confusion:

"Ancient methods and secret techniques?"

Xiao Yongling smiled lightly and explained:

"All techniques originate from one Qi. If you can't find the Qi required by the technique, the technique cannot be practiced. Often, as times change, either the Qi-gathering method is lost, or the environment that gives birth to the heaven and earth spiritual energy is destroyed. Some heaven and earth spiritual energy can no longer be found, so many matching techniques lack one Qi and become useless. This type of technique is called an ancient method."

Seeing Li Tongya listening attentively, Xiao Yongling nodded and smiled:

"There is another type of technique called a secret technique."

"Some families or sects inherited some miraculous ancient methods, but because they lacked one Qi and had nowhere to practice, they modified the techniques bit by bit, using another Qi or two to replace them. This is called a secret technique."

Li Tongya nodded suddenly and echoed his words:

"This method is not bad."

Xiao Yongling shook his head, his desire to confide growing intense, and smiled:

"The techniques modified hastily by later generations are not as safe as those tempered by predecessors for thousands of years. Not to mention that these secret techniques are weaker than the original version, they often have various defects. My Xiao family has several thugs who practice secret techniques. Slow cultivation is considered good; some even need elixirs to hang on to their lives."

"So that's it."

Li Tongya nodded and smiled:

"Regardless of whether it's an ancient method, a secret technique, or an orthodox method, my pockets are empty, and I can't afford anything."

Xiao Yongling shook his head and said sternly:

"Brother Tongya, don't belittle yourself. Your younger brother has extraordinary talent, and with Brother Tongya's frugality in managing the family, in a few years, the name of the Lijing Li family will resound throughout this Ancient Li Road."

Li Tongya shook his head with a bitter smile and exchanged a few polite words, but secretly pondered in his heart:

"This Qingchi Sect acts strangely, and there are many secrets in the ambush of the immortal mansion's successor. I only hope Jing'er can be safe in the sect and not get involved in those whirlpools." ===== CHAPTER 73 =====