Chapter 1612: Cultivating Formations (II)

Regardless of the future, however, Li Suining’s answer was an excellent one.

Li Ximing raised his brows slightly, nodded with obvious satisfaction, and smiled. "Good!"

It seemed he had intended to say more, but his expression suddenly changed. Hastily setting down the tea in his hand, he glanced to the side and said, "It's rare for our family to produce a genius of formations. I've remembered your name!"

He offered no further explanation. Li Ximing lifted his head and, without even giving another instruction, dispersed into light and vanished from sight, causing Li Suining's heart to tighten...

With the lessons of his previous life before him, Li Suining always carried a sense of danger, as though walking on thin ice, no matter how favorable the circumstances seemed.

Unease quietly rose within him, There must be some urgent matter... I only hope nothing truly disastrous has happened!

The moment the Daoist Master departed, the atmosphere within the hall relaxed noticeably. Only then did Li Jiangzong begin handling the tedious matters of registering names, recording incense lineages, determining principal and secondary heirs, and the like. Beside him, Li Minggong withdrew her gaze with a smile and looked toward Li Zhouxun.

The middle-aged man, who had remained silent the entire time, nodded. "He's a clever child."

Although a Purple Mansion Realm inheritance was not something one could obtain merely by asking, and though Li Suining appeared to have let an opportunity slip by, there would be chances in the future. Yet that single word, 'Good,' from Li Ximing was enough to secure a place for him on the island in the years to come. One had to know that even Li Zhouda, who was currently at the height of his fame, had never received such praise!

The two patiently observed the younger generation below, examining each one carefully. Satisfied with what they saw, they departed one after another. Yet the ceremony in the hall had only just begun. Four hours later, after the bell had rung three times, Li Jiangzong finally breathed a sigh of relief, finished arranging the clan affairs, and dismissed the children.

Most of the children looked confused and uneasy. The younger ones had stood so long that their legs had gone weak. Li Suining simply took his younger brother by the hand and led him away

He said quietly, "This is only the beginning. Our residence is at the Hundred-Link Pavilion by the Seventh Western Pillar. In three days, there will be another clan gathering. The elders and senior family leaders will all attend, so we need to prepare properly..."

In truth, the gathering three days later was the truly important one. Li Xuanxuan had always personally questioned each child in turn. It was only because Li Ximing had appeared today that this ceremony, originally intended merely for preliminary arrangements, had become something special.

Li Suining escorted his younger brother back to their pavilion. After closing the door behind him, he showed no intention of resting and immediately headed back downstairs.

Once the clan bestows its pills, I'll soon be qualified to break through into the Qi Cultivation Realm. When that time comes, I'll have to make another trip to the island and waste several more days. I might as well use these three days to make my selection in the main hall!

He silently reviewed everything he had said earlier, pondering it carefully, Fortunately... Daoist Master hasn't yet attained [Radiance Under Heaven]. I can still harbor a few small schemes in front of him. Even so... his presence is hardly any less overwhelming...

As he thought, the image of Li Ximing hastily rising to his feet resurfaced in his mind, stirring unease within him, Impossible... Impossible... It shouldn't be happening this early, should it...

————

Zhijing Mountain.

Li Ximing appeared in a rush amidst a streak of light and came to a halt among the mountains. At a glance, he spotted the young man sitting by a table with a faint smile on his face.

Taking several quick strides forward, he exclaimed joyfully, "Minghuang, you’ve emerged from seclusion!"

The contemplative look in the golden eyes of the youth by the table quickly faded, replaced by a smile as he hurriedly rose to his feet. "Greetings, granduncle!"

"Enough, enough..." The Daoist Master simply pulled him back into his seat and began preparing tea for him, smiling as he said, "Do you have any good news to share? If you don't, then I'll be the one doing the talking!"

Li Zhouwei chuckled despite himself, his mood immediately brightening as he replied, "I was in seclusion recovering from my injuries. Where would I find so much good news? I merely borrowed the signs of Sovereign In Peril's successful attainment of the Peril-Treading path, along with the Pure Essence generated by the [Profound Vast Art], and spent the better part of a year healing. I should actually thank those two barbarians of the Xiangli Family. Without the aid brought by that successful Peril-Treading attainment, my recovery would have taken even longer.

"As for the remaining time... I simply refined my divine abilities and studied various arts. Hardly anything worth calling good news."

Li Ximing merely laughed. Reaching into his sleeve, he produced a round object resembling a Golden Core. It was none other than the spirit treasure, [Two Bright Rites of Layered Fire]!

After explaining the various functions of the spirit treasure, he handed it to Li Zhouwei. The young man accepted it and carefully read through the [Southern Radiant Method of Consumption] contained within.

After quite some time, a look of astonished admiration appeared on his face. "What an incredible Daoist scripture! If I cultivated the Radiant Fire Dao, studying this would undoubtedly be of immense benefit!"

Li Ximing replied, "I copied a portion and sent it to Jiangqian's cave dwelling. Two years ago, when there was news of him, I took the opportunity to ask about his progress. He's already finished cultivating the first secret technique, [Layered Fire], and has begun cultivating the second, [Heavenly Apricot]."

Li Zhouwei remained quite concerned about Li Jiangqian's progress. He nodded upon hearing this, though he was noncommittal regarding the usefulness of the [Southern Radiant Method of Consumption].

"If he's going to make use of the [Southern Radiant Method of Consumption], he'll need to be at least in the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion Realm. Reading it now is no different from reading it in vain. He's a clever one. After taking a glance, he won't waste any more time on it... How is Quewan doing?"

Li Ximing's expression grew serious as he said, "She's at the Zhen Tao Residence under Senior Changdie's protection. We received news not long ago. She's refined her cultivation and is currently cultivating the first secret technique, [Matter Transformation]. The [Golden Book of Singular Attunement] is exceptionally difficult. Progressing a little slower is entirely normal."

The golden-eyed youth nodded. "They've all done us proud."

Li Ximing took the remaining two spirit artifacts from his sleeve and laid them out on the table. He picked up the purple-gold thunder mace, purple-white lightning flickering across its surface as he said, "Over these past days, I've refined all the spirit artifacts. Of them, this Demon-Suppressing Gut-Cleaving Mace is by far the most formidable!"

Li Zhouwei's eyes lit up. He accepted the weapon as Li Ximing continued, "This mace commands thunder, suppresses and slays demons and evil creatures, and can discern ghosts and wicked spirits. It's a first-rate weapon of slaughter. Unfortunately, the [Demon-Suppressing Gut-Cleaving Mace] favors divine envoys of the [Profound Thunder] lineage. Unfortunately, neither of us cultivates Profound Thunder; otherwise, with the weapon in hand, its power would undoubtedly increase greatly!"

Li Zhouwei turned the mace over in his hands, feeling its substantial weight. "Naturally... The [Profound Thunder] lineage oversees all beneath Heaven. Such abilities are perfectly in line with the methods of Thunder Palace."

As Li Zhouwei used his spiritual sense to connect to it, Li Ximing continued his explanation, "Exactly. This artifact possesses three mystics. The first is [Thunder Surveillance]. Once the weapon is raised and its mystic activated, lightning will descend across a radius of fifty kilometers. Even without a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator driving it, the resulting power remains quite impressive. It's comparable to the [Huai River Map] of old, though somewhat more ferocious, making it ideal for guarding a region...

"The second is [Thunder Suppression]. The [Demon-Suppressing Gut-Cleaving Mace] contains a secret heavenly thunder radiance with shattering properties. There are three layers to it. I've already tested it myself. If all three layers strike together, they can shatter the vast majority of dharma lights and mystics.

"The third is even more unusual. It's called [Cloud Patrol]. It can guide lightning through the skies, gathering thunderclouds overhead and accumulating power over time. After up to three days of buildup, it can produce a Punishment Thunder of considerable might. More importantly, if it strikes someone directly, it inflicts an overwhelming agony that lingers for a very long time..."

His expression turned slightly strange as he finished, "It's an excellent method for ambushing people. But in my view, it probably wasn't originally intended for ambushes at all. Spirit artifacts usually display greater power in the hands of cultivators who share the same path and Dao lineage. To me, this seems more like a mystic designed for punishment..."

That assessment made sense. Li Zhouwei nodded thoughtfully and said, "Indeed. These three abilities are primarily supportive in nature. The mace's true offensive power hasn't really been revealed. Just judging from the words 'Gut-Cleaving' in its name, it likely possesses a Dao lineage-specific mystic. Whether any of our descendants will be fortunate enough to unlock it remains to be seen."

His eyes brightened slightly. As he nodded and infused divine ability mana into the weapon, a seal-script word slowly emerged upon the handle.

"Huan."

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