Chapter 810

The effect of the 【Imperial Edict】 secret technique is to increase one's prestige and command others. Although its utility is not great, it is no problem to order and dispatch some mortals or low-level cultivators... The remaining two secret techniques have made progress but have not been mastered, showing no effects, and their usefulness is not significant. However, secret techniques are not Daoist arts for enhancing combat; I estimate that even if these nine are fully mastered, their help in combat would not be as good as the 【Jiazi Soul-Refining Halberd Technique】.

Li Zhouwei pondered slightly, suppressed the doubts in his heart, and prepared to go ask Li Qinghong again, then focused his mind and entered seclusion.

The cultivation of 【Yang Origin】 was not difficult, and time passed in a flash. A slight tremor came from outside the cave dwelling. He slowly opened his eyes, and the respectful voice of Yuan Zi came from outside: "Reporting to my lord, the Ying-Shou clan has reported personally that the magic treasure has been refined. I respectfully invite my lord to go and inspect it."

The gate of the cave dwelling opened with a boom. Li Zhouwei's figure turned into light and rose, appearing beside her. Yuan Zi bowed and led the way. The old Daoist priest still followed respectfully, and beside him followed a young man in a silver crown and feathered robes. He appeared to be a cultivator from the Bei-Hai Xi clan; he dared not speak much, following behind with lowered brows and a submissive expression.

Li Zhouwei deliberately slowed down by a step, but the young man was slow to speak. It was only when Li Zhouwei boarded the dharma carriage that he caught the opportunity and said:

"Xi Nanqing of Xiaoyun Temple, greets my lord."

Li Zhouwei gave an "en" sound, glanced at him through the gap as he turned to enter the carriage, lifted the corner of the curtain slightly, and replied:

"The Bei-Hai Xi clan has cultivated thunder for generations and is of the righteous path; we should interact more."

Xi Nanqing replied, and had nothing more to say. The carriage drifted and rose on thunder, passing through layers of clouds and mist upward. Li Zhouwei looked down briefly; the Daoist priests on the mountain dispersed in an orderly manner, while the old Daoist took out things like cushions and table mats from the cave dwelling and distributed them to the surrounding middle-aged cultivators, who were likely all elderly and without heirs.

He withdrew his gaze. The purple-white luster of the Lei Chi appeared in the clouds, with heavy black mist, as if infinite thunder was brewing within, emitting a dangerous and heavy aura.

Following the previous path, he stepped into the thunder liquid and boarded the silver-white pavilion. Li Qinghong was still sitting in her original seat. Her long hair was now draped down, and a blue-gold gourd had been added to the desk. The woman's light purple eyes stared at him, and she smiled:

"Minghuang, look at this magic treasure."

Li Zhouwei sat down and gently weighed the gourd; it felt much heavier. Li Qinghong said: "It is not much different from the previous prediction. This magic treasure has been transformed from 'Lu' to 'He', filled with Qi-Gold 【Tang Department Xin-Gold】, making it fourteen catties and seven taels heavier. It has added the ability to use 'He-Water' to attach to and erode the enemy's magic power, making it even more formidable than before. The Ying-Shou clan came to build the array; whether it is their refining technique or their Daoist cultivation, they are top-tier. This is not just a casual repair or a coat of paint; even its original owner would not recognize it if they stood before it."

"He-Water is the destination where all rivers flow, and with the addition of 【Tang Department Xin-Gold】—Qi-Gold being the gold of collection and maintenance—it can contain spiritual water, storing it in the gourd to nourish it. This can delay the dissipation of spiritual energy, and some talisman water created by immortal foundations can be stored within it."

"Thank you, my lord!"

Li Zhouwei nodded repeatedly as he listened, took it, tucked it into his sleeve, thanked her a few times, and said:

"Qi-Gold is indeed peculiar; I have not seen it many times within the sea. If it is a gold for storage, I estimate that several magic treasures in my family that can store spiritual objects have also been adjusted with this material."

Li Qinghong smiled slightly and replied:

"Although I do not cultivate the Jin De, I have read some secret archives in recent days. This guess is likely nine out of ten correct. Qi-Gold is now very rare, which is why ancient magic treasures could often preserve spiritual objects, while most modern magic treasures cannot."

"Speaking of this matter... the affair of the Three Golds has troubled my family for a long time. Even if the Water Virtue has not been fully verified, it is still called the Five Waters. Why is Gold the Three Golds? Brother Jiao and I have studied it privately several times, but we gained nothing. I have asked..."

"It turns out that there are people in both of these fruit positions, and both are outside the heavens; their states are hard to describe. The dragon's meaning is... these two paths are just hard to cultivate and cannot be verified, so they have reached this awkward, neither-up-nor-down state today."

"Although spiritual objects of these two paths are occasionally seen inside and outside the sea, Foundation Establishment cultivators are pitifully few, and spiritual objects of the Zifu level no longer appear in the world. They can only be passed down from ancient times or taken from ancient magic treasures... As for the Zifu cultivators of these two paths... I heard that there have been fewer than ten in these thousand years. They were all heaven-gifted, but they mistakenly entered the wrong paths of these two, eventually dying in the early Zifu stage. Only one remains in the world today."

Li Zhouwei felt suspicious and replied:

"I heard that there is a method of transfer and refining between various laws, such as the method of 'Lu' dissolving 'He-Water' and 'Dui' borrowing 'Geng'. Can these two Gold Virtues be obtained by similar methods?"

Li Qinghong shook her head and said:

"That is unknown."

Li Zhouwei was thoughtful, but he remembered the matter of the Jiang family and thought to himself:

'No wonder... no wonder the Wang family's True Person destroyed an ancient spiritual artifact just to obtain 【Six Xin Qi-Gold】... That empty shell is still left in the family. It turns out that Qi-Gold is no longer being born... The Wang family's 'Xiao-Gold' is supreme in the world; as long as there is a method of conversion, what can they not do? Why travel thousands of miles to destroy an ancient spiritual artifact? Since even the Wang family cannot do it, I am afraid it cannot be converted.'

His heart was clear, feeling he had gained a lot, so he nodded:

"No wonder it is said that when the Three Golds appear in the world, the Jin De is fully verified. If viewed this way, it is indeed complete."

After a cup of tea, Li Zhouwei asked:

"There is one more thing I would like to ask my lord... Do you know about secret techniques? Are there any examples of those who have cultivated to the late Foundation Establishment stage and already have some attainment in secret techniques?"

Li Zhouwei knew that asking Li Qinghong was asking the dragon. Fortunately, he bore his own destiny, and the dragon knew this, so he dared to ask boldly. Who knew that Li Qinghong was startled, shook her head, and replied: "I have never even cultivated secret techniques, so naturally I do not know about such matters."

Li Zhouwei could only give up. After chatting for a while in this Lei Chi, he finally stood up to bid farewell and replied: "This time, thanks to you, my lord. I will take a detour through the Reef Sea on my way back, exchange for magic treasures at Tai-E Island, then go down the sea to exchange for resources at Zhu-Lu Sea, and return to the vicinity of Zongquan Island to cultivate in seclusion."

Li Qinghong nodded, sent him out of the pavilion, and said softly:

"The old master is getting on in years; please ask him to take good care of his health. I am confined to this pool and cannot get away, and I miss him dearly as well... I have already cultivated the Thunder Body. If there is a thunderstorm on Wangyue Lake and it flashes across the surface, consider it me coming to visit my uncle."

"I will certainly convey this, junior."

Walking all the way to the edge of the Lei Chi, her red lips parted slightly, and she hesitated for a while. It seemed she had words of instruction, but considering her status, she swallowed them in the end.

Li Zhouwei saw this in his eyes, bowed deeply, and without making any promises or oaths, he raised his light and headed west.

Wangyue Lake.

The morning light rose as usual. A young man in crimson robes was standing at the high point of the pavilion, overlooking the entire lake continent. Behind him stood a young man in black robes, bowing. He looked no more than a few years older than him, with a sword at his waist, appearing very respectful.

The crimson-robed young man slowly withdrew his gaze, kept his eyes on the small letter in his hand, and frowned slightly, showing a bit of cold disdain, and said in a low voice:

"Kong Guli is dead..."

The young man behind him had a calm expression, bowed, and replied:

"This subordinate also received the news... The Muquan Sect is holding a very lively funeral; I am afraid we still need to send someone over."

The Kong family had only joined the Muquan Sect for a few years when the East Sea turmoil broke out. As one of the two remaining elders of the Kong family, Kong Guli was originally entrusted with important tasks in the East Sea, so he went to support Ziyan on behalf of the Muquan Sect. Unexpectedly, he was ambushed by the Chunyi Dao halfway and died.

When the news returned, Kong Guxi wailed loudly. But before he could cry much, True Person Zhu Gong went to the Chunyi Dao to find trouble with True Person Guanghou. After making a scene for several days, he returned and promoted Kong Xiaxiang to the powerful position of Dharma Protector, even bestowing several direct-line marriage contracts as compensation.

Kong Guli's funeral was also held in a grand manner, handled with the highest standards. The old man's descendants were almost all dead, so they found the youngest Kong family youth in the bloodline, and True Person Zhu Gong personally took him as a disciple, inviting various families to come for condolences and to observe the ceremony.

This big move lasted for several days, and Li Jiangqian was also paying close attention. He folded the letter in his hand and shook his head, saying:

"Chen Yang, the condolence team must be grand. The Muquan Sect must strengthen its connection with the Kong family to the point where they are inseparable. My Li family must avoid suspicion even more, and you need to lead the team personally."

He instructed:

"Also need to be careful... do not talk too much with the Kong family. Kong Guxi will not look for you, and since my family is now at the Zifu level, we will not do anything ugly to sever the relationship; you will just have to endure some cold shoulders."

"This subordinate understands!"

Going to the Muquan Sect was really not an easy job. Li Jiangqian was still secretly guarding against the Xuanmu Daoist tradition driving a wedge between the Li and Kong families, forcing the Kong family to cling to the Muquan Sect's thigh. If someone with a tough temper like Ding Weijin went there, they might cause a scene. Cui Jueyin's status was special, and Chen Yang always handled things thoroughly with deep thoughts, making him the most suitable.

Chen Yang bowed and retreated. Li Jiangqian was still standing on the high platform. After waiting for a moment, he saw Cui Jueyin come up from below, bow, and offer a jade slip with both hands, respectfully saying: "Reporting to the Family Head, the Dao Academy in the dense forest established some time ago has already been entered by many mortal clansmen for study. After testing them one by one a few days ago, there are now results."

"Even if mortals read Daoist scriptures, there are differences in talent. Some, although unable to cultivate, can read Daoist laws; some are diligent and can barely study one or two; or some have had cultivators in their family point things out, achieving slight success..."

Li Jiangqian frowned and said:

"With cultivators pointing things out, is there still a need to come to the dense forest to study the Dao?"

Cui Jueyin was slightly embarrassed and replied:

"The family established the dense forest Dao Academy originally for the poor children of the family, but after being established for a few months, most of the clansmen came to study... First, the cultivators in the family do not have much free time to point things out, and second... they cannot point out much."

Li Jiangqian was slightly stunned and shook his head: "I overestimated them."

If one really wants to talk about Daoist laws, ordinary loose cultivators only know one or two magic spells. Unless the family's guest ministers can draw talismans, plant spiritual herbs, or refine pills and treasures, they have no attainment to speak of even at the Qi Refining stage. Only when they reach Foundation Establishment and the immortal foundation is refined can they have some clarity about heaven and earth.

Although the Li family is an immortal clan with rich Daoist books, the direct line only has some attainment after Qi Refining. The few Qi Refining members in the family only have Li Zhoufang and Li Zhouyang brothers who have some free time. Even if these two cherish the children of the family, they cannot put down their cultivation to teach mortals.

Therefore, the large number of students in the dense forest Dao Academy was unexpected but reasonable. Li Jiangqian smiled and shook his head, replying:

"It is an unexpected good thing. The growing estrangement between those courtyards can also be resolved... You divide these children into batches... put those from different branches and those who are not familiar together, separate those from the same courtyard, and let them get familiar with each other..."

He was someone who took advantage of every opportunity and made slight changes. Cui Jueyin carefully recorded them and continued: "There are indeed a few who have a good understanding of Daoist laws and often have surprising remarks, but they cannot cultivate, so no matter how much talent they have, it is useless."

Li Jiangqian raised his eyebrows and thought: 'The talisman seed has the ability of spiritual orifices... perhaps these children can seek it... It's a pity that I don't know when they will show their talent, far beyond six years old, and it has long been exposed that they cannot cultivate... It is of no great use... Forget it, forget it. If they are truly gifted, like Quewan, the talisman seed will respond on its own...'

He waved his hand to let Cui Jueyin go down. Suddenly, he noticed clear energy floating on the top of the sky, wisps and strands, sweeping away the clouds and revealing the blue sky. It was light and soft, flashing only for a while before rapidly withering away.

Li Jiangqian pondered for a while, looking carefully:

"I have never seen this kind of celestial phenomenon before."

Not long after, he saw someone come to report, bowing in front of him, respectfully saying:

"Reporting to my lord, the old master of the Tian clan, Tian Zhongqing, failed to impact the Foundation Establishment and has passed away."

Li Jiangqian suddenly realized and shook his head: "So it was the 'Clear Qi' failing to impact the Foundation Establishment... In the entire lake, only this old master cultivated the 'Clear Qi' to impact the Foundation Establishment... In the past, when the lake was poor, he cultivated the 'Clear Qi' Daoist tradition. He was too old. Although he changed his cultivation method now, it was ultimately too late."

For a moment, he really felt some emotion:

"To think he lasted so long. Although 【Dwelling in the Heart and Rushing the Profound】 benefits the immortal path, cultivation in seclusion, and the twelve clear breaths, it had many benefits for him, but it was ultimately a step short... If he had cultivated third or fourth-grade cultivation methods early on and had more resources, he could have been ten or twenty years younger, and there would still have been a chance."

"In the early days, although there were no geniuses in the family, the few managers with different surnames were all very good. It's a pity..."

The person from the Yuting Guard bowed and quickly retreated. Li Jiangqian pondered on the platform for a while. The people from Qingdu followed closely and arrived, reporting the news:

"Old Master Tian left a last word that his spiritual remains should be buried by the Meichi River in Lijing Prefecture. I heard that Elder Chen shed tears upon hearing the news. Now, Lord Li Wen and Old Master An have both set off."

The paternal aunt of this old man, Tian Zhongqing, was the wife of Lord Xiangping. He himself had to call Li Xuanfeng 'cousin-uncle'. His status was very prominent, and he was also a meritorious official who rose all the way. Li Jiangqian sighed deeply and replied: "Give the Tian family some condolences. I remember the old master had no heirs in his son's generation. The person presiding over the Tian family now is called... Tian Ling, right? He is also at the Qi Refining cultivation level now. Although he is a nephew, he served him like a father. Bestow it upon him."

He immediately waved his hand to let the person retreat, stepped down from the high platform, and replied:

"I will go personally."

Characters appearing in this chapter

————

Li Zhouwei 'Visiting the Heavenly Gate' 【Foundation Establishment Peak】

Li Qinghong 【Zifu Spiritual Cultivator】 【Dragon-type Thunder】

Li Jiangqian 'Great Li Book' 【Foundation Establishment Early Stage】

Cui Jueyin 'Longming Staircase' 【Foundation Establishment Late Stage】

Chen Yang 'Jing Dragon King' 【Foundation Establishment Early Stage】