Chapter 421

(PS: I found that in any fantasy novel, once it reaches the middle and late stages, there will always be readers jumping out to say: experts are everywhere, and the strong are no better than dogs.

I can tell everyone directly now that the Great Lan Dynasty has no more than 3000 Dao Foundation Establishment martial artists, no more than 200 Martial Dao Masters, and no more than 50 Grandmasters; this was set from the beginning, and I even specified it for every force.

The number of Martial Dao Masters and Grandmasters appearing next will definitely be more than the number of Dao Foundation Establishment characters appearing; does that mean the number of strong people is more than the Dao Foundation Establishment?)

Li Fei walked into his mansion.

Witnessing with his own eyes two martial artists who were on the overall Fengyun list with him break through to become Martial Dao Masters, it would be impossible to say that he had no ripples in his heart.

If it weren't for the accident in the Tomb of Heavenly Water, Li Fei should have successfully incorporated the fifth implant by now, and most likely would have triggered a core-level supernatural ability, and could prepare to break through the realm.

However, Li Fei did not regret going to the Tomb of Heavenly Water, because if it weren't for this accident, even if he could break through the Martial Dao realm and become a Martial Dao Master, the subsequent Occult Dao realm would be very difficult to break through.

Now that he has embarked on the path of true integration of Law and Martial Arts, Li Fei believes more firmly than anyone else that his Great Dao will be a smooth path!

Passing through several courtyards, Li Fei returned to his secret room for practice, closed the doors and windows, and began today's practice.

He first activated the formation in the secret room to isolate the inside from the outside, and at the same time, it played a certain defensive role so that he would not be easily disturbed.

Then he picked up a vermilion block-shaped object and put it into the incense burner for incense.

Soon, a faint, elegant fragrance permeated the secret room.

Just smelling it once makes one feel refreshed and happy, with a feeling of floating like an immortal!

This is 'Ghost Immortal Fragrance', a precious incense that assists in Occult Dao practice, which can make a person's virtual intent easier to become calm and condensed.

The small piece Li Fei just put into the incense burner is worth more than one thousand yuan!

He needs to use two pieces of 'Ghost Immortal Fragrance' every day for his practice, and this has continued for more than a month; the money spent on incense alone has already exceeded sixty thousand yuan.

Occult Dao practice burns more money than Martial Dao practice; for non-wealthy families, it is absolutely impossible to afford!

In order to complete 'cultivating the Dao with Occult, refining the body as a vessel', Li Fei has almost exhausted all the resources he could exchange from the imperial court as a Marquis within five years.

The 'Ghost Immortal Fragrance' in his hand now is the last batch of resources he exchanged.

For the next five years, he will not be able to exchange resources through his title.

If he doesn't find a way to obtain resources through other means, the martial artists who have defected to him at the Xingcheng Hou Fu will have no resources to use.

In this way, he will not be able to cultivate his own personnel, and it will also affect his reputation as the Jingan Marquis.

However, as long as Li Fei becomes a reserve cabinet member of the Lanxun Cabinet, he can obtain a certain resource quota; if he can become a cabinet member, the annual resource quota can be comparable to that of a Marquis!

Besides reserve cabinet members and cabinet members, even ordinary consultants can possess a certain resource quota.

This is also an important reason why so many Jianghu people are flocking to the Lanxun Cabinet.

The imperial court wants to control the Jianghu; of course, it will not only give 'fame' but also 'profit'.

The carrot and the stick; even if many local forces know that the Lanxun Cabinet is a 'trap', they have to step into it.

Because if you don't join, other forces will join. After these forces obtain the 'fame' and 'profit' given by the imperial court, they will continue to grow, thereby widening the gap with you.

This is Ye Zean's open plot.

In the secret room, Li Fei soon entered a state of visualization with the assistance of 'Ghost Immortal Fragrance'.

He has successfully refined the Flying Sword Body for more than a month; during this month, he did not practice Martial Dao, but focused on practicing Occult Dao every day.

Now his Dao Foundation's bearing capacity has increased several times compared to before, but it still cannot reach a balance with the seventh-grade Heavenly Water Soul Bone, requiring him to use the power of Occult spells to guide out the excess Heavenly Water Soul Bone.

But the Occult spell power brought by the Flying Sword Body is not enough to completely suppress the Heavenly Water Soul Bone.

So Li Fei is constantly strengthening his Occult spell power.

From the God-Changing stage to the Possession stage, occultists need to refine magic treasures, and then use their own implants to constantly strengthen the connection with the implants inside the magic treasures until they can form resonance, which is considered stepping into the Possession stage.

This is also the reason why magic treasures in the Possession stage can only use lower-three-grade implants, because the occultist's own implants are only lower-three-grade, and can only form resonance with lower-three-grade implants.

After reaching the Possession stage, occultists need to strengthen the magic treasures while using the power of the magic treasures to feed back themselves, strengthening their own virtual intent.

Only after the magic treasures are completely perfected, the internal implants are fully grown, and their own virtual intent is strong enough to a certain degree, can they be considered to have reached the peak of the Possession stage and can start trying to break through the realm.

Li Fei refines the body as a vessel; his body is the magic treasure. With the physique at the peak of the Dao Foundation Establishment stage plus powerful and unparalleled vitality, the strength of this 'magic treasure' of his has far exceeded the Possession stage level and does not need to spend time to strengthen it anymore.

Similarly, because it is refining the body as a vessel, Li Fei's virtual intent and the 'magic treasure' combine very well, and there is no need for special practice at all; resonance is born naturally!

And the feedback brought by the Flying Sword Body also made Li Fei's virtual intent rapidly become powerful, even exceeding the peak level of the Possession stage.

So after Li Fei refined the Flying Sword Body, he only needed to let those Occult-type implants in his body complete their own growth.

Also benefiting from the dual cultivation of Law and Martial Arts, these Occult-type implants can continuously absorb Li Fei's Qi, blood, and force, and their growth speed is extremely fast!

In more than a month, the more than a dozen Occult-type implants in Li Fei's body have all grown to the limit.

At this point, Li Fei can finally start the next step.

From the Possession stage to the True Spirit realm, there are three barriers:

Building the Life Bridge.

Condensing True Force.

Refining True Soul.

The first step, 'Building the Life Bridge', is to build a 'bridge' between oneself and the magic treasure, thereby making the occultist and the magic treasure share the same life.

This is a necessary condition for refining a natal magic treasure.

Once the Life Bridge is built, a mysterious connection will be established between the void intent and the actually existing magic treasure; the occultist can further use the power of the magic treasure, thereby constantly condensing their own virtual intent, and finally turning the void into reality, cultivating True Force.

Reaching this step, one is only one step away from becoming a True Person.

The last step is to use True Force to turn the self-consciousness into a True Soul, and then separate a part of the True Soul to merge into the magic treasure, refining it into a True Spirit.

At this point, the magic treasure will evolve into a natal magic treasure, and the occultist will also step into the True Spirit realm in one step, becoming a True Person of the current age.

Li Fei now needs to start the first step of breaking through the realm—Building the Life Bridge!

If he still wants to refine the Rumeng Ling into his own natal magic treasure, then the difficulty of this step of 'Building the Life Bridge' will be very great; this is also a problem that will inevitably be encountered when taking a shortcut to use a magic treasure that has already been formed.

Back then, Zhao Renjie, the master of Zhao Yi, was stuck at this step; he stole the Rumeng Ling for more than ten years and still couldn't complete the 'Building the Life Bridge'.

Now Li Fei himself is the magic treasure, so the overall framework of this 'bridge' exists naturally; the difficulty for him to build the Life Bridge is many times smaller than that of other occultists!

In the secret room, in the consciousness world of Li Fei's visualization, more than a dozen places in his body are glowing; these light clusters are constantly dispersing golden silk threads towards the surroundings.

These golden silk threads merge into his flesh, bones, internal organs, and establish an invisible connection with the light clusters.

When night fell, Li Fei walked out of the secret room.

He had used up two pieces of 'Ghost Immortal Fragrance' and also ended today's practice.

The process of 'Building the Life Bridge' will simultaneously consume virtual intent and his own Occult-type implants; plus he himself is the magic treasure, so it will also consume his body, and it cannot be done for a long time.

However, his progress today was very smooth, which can simply be described as godspeed!

According to this speed, Li Fei expects that it will only take more than ten days for him to complete the 'Building the Life Bridge'.

"Marquis."

Just after walking out of the secret room, the butler of the Hou Fu who had been waiting outside walked over.

"What's the matter?"

Li Fei asked.

Butler: "Lord Lu is waiting for you in the hall."

"Okay, I know."

Li Fei walked towards the hall.

"Marquis."

In the hall, seeing Li Fei coming, Lu Wenxing stood up to welcome him.

"It's so late, is there anything else?"

Li Fei signaled Lu Wenxing to sit down, and he sat beside the other party.

"Marquis, the latest news: the reserve cabinet member of the Lanxun Cabinet reported by the Daluo Sect is Ning Chuan, and the one reported by the Lan family is Lan Ruoyun; the audits for both have been passed."

Lu Wenxing said to Li Fei.

Ning Chuan and Lan Ruoyun only broke through to become Martial Dao Masters in front of Li Fei this afternoon, and they became reserve cabinet members in the evening.

This was obviously premeditated.

Ning Chuan and Lan Ruoyun both had the certainty of breaking through the realm before coming to Lanling City, and the sects and families behind them had long decided to push them out.

The Daluo Sect is now in decline, and its reputation has fallen to the bottom; with Ning Chuan's breakthrough today, breaking the historical record, it is an excellent opportunity to raise their heads and exhale!

As for the Lan family, one of the seven great families, it is just the opposite of the Daluo Sect; in recent years, its momentum has been growing, and many talents have emerged among the younger generation of the family.

Lan Ruoyun broke through to become a Martial Dao Master at the age of 29; although she cannot compare with peerless geniuses like Ming Qi, Shentu Yue, and Ning Chuan, she is better than those below; looking at the current Great Lan Dynasty, apart from the three people like Ming Qi, no one is younger than her.

The ancestor of the Lan family just passed his hundredth birthday; according to the lifespan of a Grandmaster, he still has at least more than a hundred years to live.

And with the talent Lan Ruoyun has shown, she has a very good hope of breaking through to become a Grandmaster within sixty years!

This means that the Lan family is very likely to have two Grandmasters at the same time in the future.

In that case, the Lan family will surpass the other six Martial Dao families and will also surpass the 'three mountains and four sects', becoming a top-tier force second only to Pudu Temple, the three Daoist sects, Tianyilou, and Hongchen Pavilion.

This time, the Daluo Sect letting Ning Chuan become a reserve cabinet member of the Lanxun Cabinet is to strengthen their momentum and let the world know that the Daluo Sect has not fallen.

And the Lan family letting Lan Ruoyun become a reserve cabinet member is to further build up their momentum and let everyone see the potential of the Lan family.

"Is there anything else?"

Li Fei asked.

Lu Wenxing: "Also, Zhu Fenghua has also arrived in Lanling City; he will represent Tianyilou to become a reserve cabinet member of the Lanxun Cabinet."

Regarding the establishment of the Lanxun Cabinet, the joining of the two families of Buddha and Dao, as well as the Hongchen Pavilion, was foreseeable.

But whether Tianyilou would join was an unknown.

After all, that 'Supreme' has not given the imperial court face more than once or twice; if Tianyilou really refused, many people would also feel it was normal.

But now Zhu Fenghua has arrived in Lanling City and officially announced that he represents Tianyilou to join the Lanxun Cabinet!

In terms of foundation and comprehensive strength, Tianyilou cannot be counted as the strongest, but because it has Lin Tianyi, this 'Supreme', sitting in town, many people subconsciously regard it as the leader of the Jianghu!

Whether Tianyilou joins the Lanxun Cabinet is a very important sign.

Now that Tianyilou has joined, the significance of the Lanxun Cabinet to the Jianghu has truly reached its highest point!

Li Fei's mind flashed with that simple face, and he nodded:

"Anything else?"

Lu Wenxing: "Also, Marquis, you asked me to pay attention to the movements of the Mengyan Sect; I just received news that the Supreme Elder of the Mengyan Sect, Shen Zhen, will arrive in Lanling City tomorrow; she will represent the Mengyan Sect to join the Lanxun Cabinet and become a reserve cabinet member."

Back on Daluo Mountain, Li Fei encountered a True Person from the Mengyan Sect tracking him in the 'Dream Realm'.

Since then, he has intentionally kept an eye on the movements of the Mengyan Sect and privately asked Lu Wenxing to help him pay attention.

Lu Wenxing did not ask Li Fei why he wanted to pay attention to the Mengyan Sect, but just completed his work well.

"Shen Zhen."

Li Fei's mind flashed with the other party's information.

The Mengyan Sect has two True Persons; apart from the Sect Master, it is Shen Zhen, this Supreme Elder.

The Mengyan Sect is located within Qing Province; there are no top-tier forces in this province, so the Mengyan Sect, which possesses two True Persons, has a very good chance of becoming a Lanxun Cabinet member of Qing Province.

"I know; after Shen Zhen enters the city, don't send people to inquire about anything specifically; just pay attention to some basic movements."

Li Fei said.

The Mengyan Sect masters the art of the 'Dream Realm' and is very easy to spy on secrets, so Li Fei does not want Lu Wenxing to startle the snake.

After Lu Wenxing left, Li Fei stood up and walked into a courtyard.

"Marquis."

Xu Xiaotian, who was practicing martial arts in the courtyard, stopped immediately upon seeing Li Fei and saluted Li Fei.

"Hmm, how is the preparation?"

Li Fei asked.

"It's already prepared; we can start at any time!"

Xu Xiaotian nodded heavily.

"Okay, then let's start."

Li Fei said, walking into the room with the other party, and both sat cross-legged on the bed.

Li Fei sat behind Xu Xiaotian, with his hands against the other party's back.

Next, Li Fei performed his self-created 'Hundred-Day Breakthrough' method in Xu Xiaotian's body.

Xu Xiaotian showed a painful expression, but he was already very familiar with such pain and had gradually adapted to it.

More than two hours later, Li Fei took action to assist Xu Xiaotian in digging out a part of the flesh and blood in his body, 'exposing' that part of the implant branch intact.

Immediately after, Xu Xiaotian used force to maintain the 'channel' while gathering this part of the implant branch that had broken free from the flesh and blood, gathering it at the dantian.

After completing these, Li Fei urged 'Qingshen' to accelerate the healing of Xu Xiaotian's injured parts, making the flesh and blood recover.

At this point, tonight's practice could be considered to have come to an end.

Xu Xiaotian slowly opened his eyes, revealing an excited expression:

"With the assistance of the Marquis's core-level supernatural ability, I can persist for twice as long every day; I should be able to break through the realm within this month!"

Li Fei's self-created 'Hundred-Day Breakthrough Method' is built on his powerful perception ability and the 'Return to One' experience that is unique in the world.

Back then, he estimated that Xu Xiaotian, with his help, had hope of completing 'Return to One' within two hundred days and breaking through to become a Dao Foundation Establishment martial artist.

It's just that later he incorporated the Heavenly Water Soul Bone in the Tomb of Heavenly Water, and for the next half a year, he couldn't take care of Xu Xiaotian.

After the closed-door practice ended, during this month, Li Fei would extract a few hours every day to help Xu Xiaotian practice, apart from his own practice.

The core-level supernatural ability 'Qingshen' he triggered can not only heal himself but also heal others, and can heal mental trauma.

This makes his self-created 'Hundred-Day Practice Method' like a tiger adding wings!

Xu Xiaotian, under the condition of enduring great pain, obtains the healing of 'Qingshen' and can persist for a period of time longer than usual, thereby accelerating the practice progress.

"In about 10 more days, you should be able to completely complete the Return to One."

Li Fei's understanding of Xu Xiaotian's body is even more detailed than his own, and he made a more specific judgment.

"Ten days?!"

Xu Xiaotian clenched his fists upon hearing this.

Ten days later, he will be a Dao Foundation Establishment powerhouse?

He is only 24 years old this year; a 24-year-old Dao Foundation Establishment, according to the "Tianjiao Lun", he can also be considered a genius!

"Thank you, Marquis!"

Xu Xiaotian got off the bed, stood straight, and thanked Li Fei sincerely.

He knew very well that if it weren't for Li Fei's help, he would have to spend several more years to have a chance to complete 'Return to One'.

"No need to be polite, rest well."

Li Fei got off the bed and patted Xu Xiaotian on the shoulder.

He has been helping Xu Xiaotian practice every day during this period, apart from wanting to have one more Dao Foundation Establishment martial artist under his command, more importantly, he wants to win one more vote for himself in the upcoming referendum.

It's just a pity that Li Fei's time is also very precious, and the Hundred-Day Breakthrough Method has very high requirements for talent and willpower, making it impossible for him to cultivate Dao Foundation Establishment martial artists in large numbers.

Xu Xiaotian could reach the peak of the Qi-Changing stage at 23 and start 'Return to One'; such talent is already close to the level of a genius.

Plus powerful willpower, only then can he maintain the 'channel' with force while enduring great pain, and then gather the implant branches.

If it were someone else with weaker talent and willpower, even with Li Fei's help, they wouldn't be able to use this set of 'Hundred-Day Breakthrough Method'.

However, after Li Fei triggered a supernatural ability like 'Qingshen', he could appropriately lower the practice standard of the 'Hundred-Day Breakthrough Method'.

He has already passed the word to Xingcheng that his Hou Fu has two important indicators for martial artists who come to defect:

The first is the fine control over force and implants.

The second is willpower.

As long as these two indicators can meet the standard, and they reach the peak of the Qi-Changing stage, Li Fei has the certainty to make them complete 'Return to One' within one year at the slowest, becoming a Dao Foundation Establishment powerhouse!

In the next ten days, Li Fei helped Xu Xiaotian practice every night.

Sure enough, as he expected, on the night of February 23rd, Xu Xiaotian completed the 'Return to One' of all implant branches in his body.

At this point, although Xu Xiaotian has not incorporated a second implant, he can already be counted as a Dao Foundation Establishment martial artist!

Li Fei immediately let Lu Wenxing help Xu Xiaotian handle the procedures; next, Xu Xiaotian will join the Lanxun Cabinet in the capacity of a guest elder of the Jingan Mansion and become a Lanxun Cabinet consultant in the Feng Province area, possessing one vote in the upcoming referendum.

"Let Xingcheng send over a martial artist who meets the requirements."

After Xu Xiaotian's procedures were handled, Li Fei instructed Lu Wenxing.

He has been a Marquis for more than a year, and the Hou Fu in Xingcheng has been officially built; there are eleven martial artists who have come to defect in total.

There are four who have reached the peak of the Qi-Changing stage, and two who meet Li Fei's requirements.

After Xu Xiaotian became a Dao Foundation Establishment martial artist, Li Fei intends to continue creating Dao Foundation Establishment!

February 25th.

On the second day after Xu Xiaotian became a Dao Foundation Establishment martial artist, in the secret room, Li Fei was building the 'Life Bridge'.

At a certain moment, his whole body suddenly bloomed with golden light.

A sharp sword intent erupted from his body, instantly piercing the formation arranged in the secret room!

Then this sword intent rushed straight into the sky, as if to pierce a hole in the firmament!

Ning Chuan, Lan Ruoyun, Ming Qi, Zhu Fenghua, and other Martial Dao Masters living in the inner city almost all felt something and looked towards the direction of the Jingan Hou Fu.

On this day, more than half of the strong people in Lanling City perceived the movement from the Jingan Mansion!

(End of this chapter)