After dinner and finishing off a bottle of advanced nutrient solution under Anna's motherly gaze, feeling warm and bursting with energy, Li Xing felt complete.
She originally thought that coming to a world where even plants could kill, she wouldn't survive past an episode, yet not only did she come out unscathed, she even got to taste supreme Spirit Grass. Truly impressive!
But considering her lifelong deeds of kindness, ending up in a world where she could enjoy herself was deserved. (`へ´*)ノ
Later, Li Yi came to visit Li Xing, regretfully telling her that there was no clue about the Jade Pendant in the Star Network database. Seeking out Li Xing's family might take some time.
Li Xing knew this result in her heart, and she expressed sincere gratitude for Li Yi and Anna's help.
Before finding her family, Li Xing had to survive. As a child without a legal guardian, Li Yi decided to apply for a federal resident status for her. From now on, she officially settled in Datang City.
Besides that, Li Yi also contacted a social welfare organization for her. Datang City provided Li Xing with a living allowance under the standards for orphans, giving her monthly compensation until she turned sixteen or found a relative to take care of her.
After sending off Li Yi and his wife, and after the doctor's rounds, Li Xing locked the door, used her Divine Sense to sweep the room, and finding no abnormality, she went barefoot to the window, gazing out.
Outside, skyscrapers soared, neon lights flickered, and massive virtual screens projected onto the sky, rolling advertisements. Countless flying devices streaked across the air, leaving incandescent flames that heated the night sky. The scene before her was reminiscent of Blue Star in the 21st century, familiar amidst the unfamiliar, alleviating Li Xing's homesickness.
Li Xing drew the curtains, returned to her bed, sat cross-legged, and took out the top-grade Spiritual Pendant, sending her Divine Sense into it.
According to the clan leader, this Jade Pendant was left by the most formidable ancestor of the Li Family. Passed down to Li Xing's generation, thousands of years had elapsed, and nobody knew the purpose or function of the Jade Pendant. Besides the name of the Jade Pendant and the phrase "transmitted through generations, acquired by those destined," there were no explanations in the clan's annals.
Although the Li Family was just a small family in the cultivation world in the past, with few people and no resources, the ancestor was amazing, having ascended to the immortal realm. How could the things left by such a great elder be ordinary?
The descendants of the Li Family were convinced this Jade Pendant held mysteries and tried every means to unlock its secrets. As the Li clan grew and prospered, their desire to uncover the Jade Pendant's secrets grew, investing the stakes even higher:
Soaking it in clan members' blood, wrapping it with Divine Sense and polishing it, nurturing it in Spirit Veins over thousands of years, spending billions of Spirit Stones— even if it were a nightpot, it should have become a Spiritual Treasure by now.
Yet, the Jade Pendant remained just a Jade Pendant. Aside from being ugly, its only merit was being sturdy—unmeltable by fire, unbreakable by lightning—yet what use was that? In a fight, you couldn't exactly use it to smash your opponent, right!
The relentless resource investment never yielded returns, not even clues. The Li Family eventually realized that this was a losing deal, deciding to let go early to minimize further losses, yet they couldn't disregard the ancestral precepts.
Thus, the grandly named top-grade Spiritual Pendant became a tasteless inheritance, passed down to the most talented descendants of the clan for nurturing, eventually reaching Li Xing and accompanying her to the other world.
Li Xing never imagined that the secret that stumped her brilliant ancestors for generations would lay bare before her without reservation.
When Anna handed her the Jade Pendant, Li Xing's Divine Sense perceived an impulse, confirming the clan's guess. The top-grade Spiritual Pendant wasn't just a useless, ugly pendant but a Storage Space.
Li Xing's Divine Sense wandered inside the Jade Pendant, discovering the space wasn't small, several hundred square meters at least, most of it empty. At the center were placed more than twenty Qiankun Boxes, which had Spatial Arrays inside; even a few feet square could hold rivers and seas.
A Jade Scroll placed separately outside the boxes caught Li Xing's attention. When she sent her Divine Sense towards it, she found it contained an explanation about the top-grade Jade Pendant. No wonder there was nothing recorded in the clan; the instructions were here!
After reading the explanation, Li Xing finally understood why the top-grade Spiritual Pendant couldn't open.
Ten thousand years ago, the Chaos Qi on Blue Star was still abundant. Cultivators discovered that using Chaos Qi in Alchemy, Artifact Refining, and Talisman creation might produce results exceeding the grade. Therefore, most cultivators would specially add Chaos Qi during these practices.
The top-grade Spiritual Pendant was crafted as a Storage Treasure using Chaos Qi as a catalyst. Hence, it required both Divine Sense and Chaos Qi to open it. This was common knowledge in the cultivation world ten thousand years ago, so no special instructions were left behind.
Ten thousand years ago, most Li Family properties were in the secular world, with most members being mere mortals. Only a few were born with Spirit Roots, and even they were of poor quality with five or four Spirit Roots, lacking talent and perseverance in the path of cultivation. Achieving anything more than drawing Qi into the body for longevity was rare.
Later, a descendant named Li Zhan appeared in the family, with Wood and Fire Dual Spirit Roots, showing great potential for cultivation. But the family couldn't provide him with the resources for cultivation, so Li Zhan joined the Dan Ding Sect, starting as a servant disciple on his quest for immortality.
The two most costly professions in the cultivation world are Alchemy and Body Refinement. Li Zhan, lacking guidance from elders and following his own interests, chose to dual cultivate both Alchemy and Body Refinement, worsening his already strained financial situation.
Had he received family support, he might have persisted, but while the Li Family had sufficient wealth, they had a severe shortage of Spirit Stones. Despite expending the family's full force, they couldn't acquire more than a few low-grade Spirit Stones each year, utterly unable to aid him. Thus, Li Zhan had to rely on his efforts, completing sect missions and diligently practicing Alchemy to exchange for cultivation resources.
Perhaps due to substantial tempering and personal talent, coupled with a willingness to endure hardships, Li Zhan's cultivation speed was astonishing. He repeatedly won championships in sect competitions, quickly advancing from servant disciple to Inner Sect Disciple.
The tallest tree in the forest is always the first to be felled. Li Zhan's exceptional achievements highlighted the mediocrity of others in the sect, especially the spoiled offspring from cultivation families, who never lacked resources. They viewed Li Zhan as a thorn in their side.
During a sect mission, several of these spoiled disciples teamed up to injure Li Zhan and drove him into a Land of Absolute Spirit, hoping to use it to eliminate him. Fortunately, Li Zhan's fortune was great; he survived and discovered a Cave Heaven Blessed Land full of cultivation resources, where he cultivated to the Divinity Transformation Stage before reemerging.
When he returned, Ancestor Zhan regretfully found that in the decades of his absence, the Dan Ding Sect had never sought out their Inner Sect Disciple. And those who had plotted against him were not only unpunished but had become Manager Elders, enjoying springtime success within the sect.
Cold and angry, Ancestor drew his blade and marched into the Dan Ding Sect, challenging the entire sect alone and avenging himself by severing ties with the Dan Ding Sect as a disciple.
Afterwards, Ancestor Zhan returned to the family, becoming a Loose Cultivator while simultaneously refining his skills and accumulating resources for the family, guiding qualified juniors in the clan.