Li Yuan watched the rotund prince's flying sword disappear into the horizon. Only when the last trace of that disgusting presence vanished did the tightness in his chest finally loosen.
'Fat bastard.' He thought with a quiet, seething hatred. The man had been like an ugly caricature from his old world's internet. An amalgamation of every vile, smug, and arrogant NTR fat bastard stereotype he'd ever seen. The type who strutted around stealing other men's wives while laughing at their face.
The memory of what he'd seen in that vision almost made his blood boil all over again. To think that bastard would go for his own mother. It was a good thing that Zi Mo had been present in that vision, and had intervened, or his fury at the fat prince would've been infinitely greater.
In fact, it would not be wrong to say that the fat prince had firmly put him off from the idea of relying on the Empire's 'grace' every again.
It also made him lose any bit of respect he might've had for the Empire. After all, his family helped them greatly by handing over that Hundred Year Lifespan Gu, and the Empire returns that help with this?
He exhaled slowly through his nose, forcing the anger back down into quiet depths. Once again, his halo had saved him. To think he thought himself strong enough to deal with most of the opposition he might face. And the world threw this at him to humble him.
'I've become too arrogant.' He thought, wondering on what could've happened had Zi Mo not been present. If he did not have his Halo. Try as he might, he couldn't help but think of the worst case scenario, and that made him clench his fists hard enough that they bled.
He slowly unclenched his fists and looked up at the empty sky.
"I'm still too weak." He thought.
After all, if he had been strong enough to face and defeat a Golden Core Cultivator, then that fat bastard and his bodyguard would have to act cautiously around him and his family, and not the other way around.
At least the disaster had passed. So, despite the anger still shimmering in his chest, he felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.
"You need to work more on controlling your anger." Zi Mo's voice drifted from behind as soft arms wrapped around his waist. Her sensual body pressed against his back, as her cheek calm to rest upon his shoulder.
He leaned back to the embrace, enjoying the feeling of relief that came from her presence. Maybe it was a bit shameful for a man to rely on a woman's strength. But for now, he did not mind borrowing her strength to protect his family.
"Why do you say that?" He asked.
"I could feel your killing intent leaking out several times," she said, her tone calm but reproachful. "The bodyguard certainly noticed it. If I had not been present, he might have acted already."
Li Yuan let out a quiet breath and turned within her embrace to meet her gaze.
Zi Mo looked up at him with those deep, star-bright eyes of hers. And without thinking, he reached forward and kissed her gently on the forehead.
"Then I suppose I owe you my thanks," he said quietly.
Whatever her motives might be, and he had no doubt she possessed several, there was no denying how much she had done for him and the clan these past days.
"This whole situation would've been far worse without you." He said and pulled her into his arms. "Thank you, Zi Mo. For everything."
Zi Mo let out a soft, pleased hum and leaned fully into the embrace, pressing her face into his chest. For a moment she simply stood there quietly, breathing in his scent while her arms tightened around his back.
They remained like that for a while, the quiet courtyard settling around them. Then, Li Yuan's thoughts gradually drifted elsewhere.
If he wanted to ensure something like this never happened again… then the answer was obvious.
Strength.
His clan needed more of it.
Fortunately, the rotund bastard, disgusting as he was, had at least honoured the empire's official business before leaving. The reward from the Ninth Prince had been delivered in full.
Along with the Ten Foundation Establishment Pills, his family now had enough spirit stones to upgrade five of the clan's Low-grade Spirit Lakes to Mid-grade ones. And they had also been conferred with the title of an 8th Grade family, with all the privileges such a thing entailed.
With that said, the family currently had no plans to use those Spirit Stones just yet.
After all, with the fall of the Qin family, the Li family had absorbed much of their territory and resources. That alone had given them two Mid-grade Spirit Lakes and numerous additional Low-grade ones. Not to mention the mines, prominent shops, and much else.
There was also the wealth he had taken from the Qin family's treasury, which in itself was enough to upgrade one or two of their Low-grade Spirit lakes into a Mid-grade one.
The sudden influx of wealth was enormous. And the clan would need time to digest it properly.
Only after stabilising those gains would they be able to begin expanding toward the Ashen Ridge Mountains. A territory that was far richer in spiritual resources, and no doubt that a multitude of Mid-grade Spirit Lakes of its own.
"What are you thinking?" Zi Mo asked, her voice muffled against his chest.
He looked down to see her gazing up at him curiously. "Just thinking on how to make my clan stronger," he answered honestly.
"And?" she asked, tilting her head slightly. "Have you come up with anything?"
Li Yuan paused for a moment, his hand drifting up to brush lightly against her cheek as he admired her face.
"The first step is obvious. We use the ten Foundation Establishment Pills," he said. "Right now we have seven cultivators at the Peak of Qi Condensation who qualify to attempt a breakthrough. If all seven succeed, which they likely will thanks to the Heavy Spirit water, that'll give us seven more Foundation Establishment experts."
He counted quietly in his head.
"Add the eleven Foundation Establishment combatants we already have, and that makes eighteen." He said. "Add Qin Ling who'll soon marry into the family, and that becomes nineteen."
"Twenty, if they add you." Zi Mo said calmly, making him blink in surprise. "Did you truly forget to add your own self to you clan's strength. Your Qi Condensation realm does not show your true strength. In fact, I have no doubt that you alone are strong enough to defeat all 19 of them on your own."
Li Yuan gave a wry chuckle. "That's not exactly comforting when talking about the strength of my clan."
After all, the reason he had not added himself to his clan's strength was because he would soon return back to the Nine Peak Sect. And who knows how long it'll be before he would be able to return again.
"Because it shouldn't be," Zi Mo replied bluntly, her expression turned serious. "In the grand scheme of things, an Eighth-grade family like yours is insignificant. If a Ninth-grade family is an ant… then an Eighth-grade family is a worm. Slightly larger, yes. But still something that a truly powerful cultivator could crush without effort. No, you're looking at this the wrong way."
Li Yuan tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
Zi Mo stepped closer, her gaze locking firmly onto his. "Listen, and listen well, Li Yuan. Your clan's strength does not lie in its nineteen Foundation Establishment combatants. Nor in its wealth, its spirit lakes, or its mines." She said, as her voice quietened into a bare whisper. "It lies in you."
"If not for you, the Li clan would be nothing right now," she continued calmly. "You destroyed the Qin family. You brought wealth and resources beyond what this clan has ever seen." She raised a finger and pressed it gently against his chest. "If you rise… your clan will rise. And if you fall… your clan will fall with you."
She held his gaze firmly. "Remember that before you ever risk your life recklessly."
Li Yuan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. It didn't take a genius to see the truth in her words. The Nine Peak Sect wasn't powerful because of its many Golden Core cultivators. It was powerful because of its three Nascent Soul cultivators. Those three alone accounted for the overwhelming majority of the sect's power.
In a cultivation world, the strength of the top few in any group account for 90% of that group's total strength. Keeping that in mind, if he wanted his clan to grow stronger… then the fastest path forward was obvious.
Make himself stronger.
"It still feels… a bit selfish," he admitted quietly. "Focusing on myself like that."
Zi Mo raised an unimpressed eyebrow at his words. "You're still too naive. If you doubt my word, then go and ask your family members," she said. "I have no doubt they would tell you exactly the same thing I just did."
Her hand rested gently over his heart and she looked into his eyes. "Especially once they learn that you will soon enter Snow Peak… and become the personal disciple of a Nascent Soul elder."
Li Yuan nodded slowly, and for a moment neither of them spoke. He simply looked down into her eyes, losing himself in their deep starlight glow. Then he leaned forward and captured her lips.
When they parted slightly, he rested his head against hers and whispered quietly. "What would I do without you?"
Zi Mo didn't answer. She simply pulled him closer… and kissed him again.
—————
Li Yuan closed the door to his room, activated the 2nd Tier Privacy Formation and sat cross-legged upon the cultivation mat.
The events of the past few days still lingered in his thoughts, but he pushed them aside and focused inward for the task at hand.
With a thought, the Stele surfaced into the world, and lines of information unfolded before his eyes.
NAME: Li Yuan
AGE: 14
CULTIVATION: 7th Stage Qi Condensation
SKILLS
Heavenly Star Refining Sutra — 3/4000 (Major Accomplishment)
Mountain-Splitting Stillness Sword – 600/600 (Complete Perfection)
Shadow-Cloud Steps – 800/800 (Complete Perfection)
Veil of Borrowed Heaven – 2400/2400 (Complete Perfection)
Spirit Residue Following Technique – 1000/1000(Complete Perfection)
2nd-Tier Formation Breaking — 7/1600 (Perfection)
2nd-Tier Formation Crafting — 12/400 (Moderate Accomplishment)
2nd-Tier Spirit Herb Cultivation – 8/400 (Moderate Accomplishment)
Infinite Micro Slash Domain Art — 6000/6000 (Compete Perfection)
CURRENT POINTS: 6,372
His gaze went straight to the bottom of the Stele, toward the number he cared about most right now.
6372 points.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips. After the battle, he had not wasted any time and collected the corpse of all the cultivators scattered across the Qin family estate.
Five Foundation Establishment cultivators (four of which had been at mid-stage, and one at Late-stage), and over two dozen Late or Peak Stage Qi Condensation, most of whom had died at Zi Mo's hands by being frozen solid.
None of their corpses had been wasted, and all of them ended going into his Stele, which resulted in the large number currently in front of him.
Li Yuan exhaled slowly and controlled his excitement before he reached into his storage ring. A heavy alchemical cauldron appeared before him with a dull thud against the floor. After that came several bundles of herbs, each carefully wrapped and labeled beforehand.
Finally, he opened the jade slip containing the pill formula of the Qi Harmonising Pellet. A beginner's pill recipe used to teach Alchemy to Early Qi Condensation disciples.
For him, who had already reached 7th Stage of Qi Condensation, and had a much higher level of Qi sense and Qi control than even some Foundation Establishment cultivators, learning this pill recipe should be simple.
Simple, however, did not mean easy, as despite all his advantages, he didn't know anything about pill crafting. So, expecting a few failure, Li Yuan begin. The first attempt failed almost immediately. The spiritual flame burned slightly too hot, and some of the herbs had turned to ash before he could even do anything with them.
Li Yuan frowned slightly, and adjusted the heat before he continued. He had prepared over a dozen sets of pill ingredient with this exact problem in mind and wasn't worried.
The second attempt lasted longer. He regulated the temperature carefully this time, guiding the herb essences together step by step. The cauldron hummed faintly with spiritual energy as the essence of all the herbs came together, the mixture nearly stabilising before the balance suddenly shifted by a slight margin… and the mixture destabilised near instantly.
Another failure.
Li Yuan sat still for a moment, reviewing the process in his mind. After making several small corrections, he started again.
The third attempt lasted much longer. But when the cauldron finally stopped trembling and he opened the lid, his eyes widened at the faint fragrance that rose from within. Inside the cauldron rested three Qi Harmonising Pellets.
Considering that a single batch of ingredients could at most, produce thirteen pill, and all three of those pills were of low quality, this alchemy session would still be considered a failure as the price of the pills would not match the price of the ingredients.
But Li Yuan cared about none of that as his gaze went directly to the bottom of his Stele. And sure enough, a new line had appeared at the bottom of his Status Panel.
NAME: Li Yuan
AGE: 14
CULTIVATION: 7th Stage Qi Condensation
SKILLS
Heavenly Star Refining Sutra — 3/4000 (Major Accomplishment)
Mountain-Splitting Stillness Sword – 600/600 (Complete Perfection)
Shadow-Cloud Steps – 800/800 (Complete Perfection)
Veil of Borrowed Heaven – 2400/2400 (Complete Perfection)
Spirit Residue Following Technique – 1000/1000(Complete Perfection)
2nd-Tier Formation Breaking — 7/1600 (Perfection)
2nd-Tier Formation Crafting — 12/400 (Moderate Accomplishment)
2nd-Tier Spirit Herb Cultivation – 8/400 (Moderate Accomplishment)
Infinite Micro Slash Domain Art — 6000/6000 (Compete Perfection)
1st-tier Alchemy — 1/100 (Minor Accomplishment)
CURRENT POINTS: 1872
Li Yuan leaned back slightly and let out a small breath. Then, without hesitation, he began investing points.
100 points vanished from the Stele. And a deluge of memories entered his mind, taking his Alchemy skill to another level as if he had practiced it continuously for years. And he advanced from Minor Accomplishment to Moderate Accomplishment in an instant.
Then, he invested 200 and 400 more points, and his Alchemy skill jumped across Moderate and Major Accomplishment, finally reaching the Realm of Perfection. 800 more points, and he reached Complete Perfection before crossing over to 2nd-tier Alchemy. Starting with 1/400 (Moderate Accomplishment).
He did not stop there and continued pouring more and more points into the skill. After all, this was the kind of investment that would pay great dividends into the future, he had no doubt about that.
400 more points. Then 800 more. And finally… 1599 more points were invested into the skill, until…
2nd-tier Alchemy — 1600/1600 (Complete Perfection)
A flood of understanding poured into his mind. Techniques, heat control methods, herb compatibilities, alchemy ingredients, and alchemical theory that normally required decades of study suddenly became instinctive knowledge.
Then, just because he still had more than enough points left over and he wanted to be completely confident in making the next pill, he decided to invest a few more points into the skill. Except, a problem revealed itself.
The Stele refused to accept any more points on the Alchemy skill. He tried again, but the results remained the same.
He realised that it was some type of inborn restriction within the Stele itself. Likely, the Stele would only allow a skill to advance one major tier beyond his own Cultivation Realm.
Since he currently remained in Qi Condensation realm (the 1st realm of cultivation), the highest skill level he could reach was 2nd-tier Mastery. And if he wished to reach 3rd-tier Alchemy, then he would first need to step into Foundation Establishment realm.
Li Yuan leaned back and gave a thoughtful look to the Stele. This was really not something he was worried about. While he wouldn't mind reaching 3rd-tier of Alchemy, for what he intended, this level should be more than enough.
He then reached into his storage ring again and produced another jade scroll.
Ten-Thousand Vitality Reversion Pill Formula.
One by one, the ingredients appeared before him. Starting with the three vitality-type 2nd-Tier beast cores followed by their Heart Blood and Bone Marrow Essence. After that came out Heavenroot Lingzhi. A herb that, just by consuming it alone, could improve the vitality and lifespan of a low level cultivator.
Finally, came out several Secondary herb ingredients required to stabilise, mix and improve the medicinal essence of the pill. And all the ingredients were arranged neatly beside the cauldron.
Before beginning, Li Yuan activated a communication talisman and sent a message to the clan.
"I will be in seclusion for the next week. Unless the sky itself is falling, do not disturb me."
Once the message was sent, he sent another, more private message to Zi Mo before he sealed the room completely with a defensive formation and began to work.
Seven days passed.
When the door finally creaked open again, Li Yuan stepped outside looking like a completely different person.
His face had turned pale and gaunt, dark circles surrounded his eyes as if he had not slept for days, and his aura felt so weak that a strong breeze might knock him over.
A servant girl waiting outside froze when she saw him.
"Young master!" Her voice trembled with alarm as she rose up. "I'll go inform the clan—"
Li Yuan raised a weak hand. "No." He said hoarsely and the girl stopped immediately. "Help me to my grandfather's courtyard."
The girl hesitated for only a moment before moving to support him. He leaned partially against her shoulder as they walked across the hallway. Before leaving the courtyard, Li Yuan activated the Veil of Borrowed Heaven, cloaking both of them with it and concealing their presence from his family members.
After all, he was one of the main pillars of the clan and couldn't afford to let any rumours spread about him being weakened like this.
They eventually arrived at the door of his grandfather's study. And Li Yuan dismissed the servant girl, ordering her to keep news of his emergence to herself before knocking.
"Enter," came the voice from inside. He pushed the door open and stepped in. His grandfather sat behind a wooden desk reviewing documents. When the old man looked up and saw him, his expression changed instantly.
"Yuan'er!" The chair scraped loudly as the old man stood and hurried over. In a few quick steps he reached Li Yuan, grabbing his arm to steady him.
"What happened?" he demanded urgently. "Did your breakthrough fail?"
Li Yuan shook his head slowly and allowed himself to be guided into a chair. "I wasn't attempting a breakthrough." He said.
The old man frowned in confusion. "Then what were you doing for the past week?"
Li Yuan reached into his storage ring and produced a small jade pill box. "I was crafting a pill."
His grandfather stared at him in disbelief.
"…Since when do you know alchemy?"
"I'll explain later." Li Yuan said weakly. "First, come with me. Do not resist."
HIs grandfather nodded and the next moment, they arrived within his Ancient Spatial ring, standing atop one of the mountains.
His grandfather looked around the island in curiosity, raising a slight eyebrow when he saw a mountain in the distance with its cliff cut off smoothly. Finally, his grandfather turned to him and asked. "Why have you brought me here, Yuan'er?"
Instead of replying, he placed the jade box in his grandfather's hands. "Open it."
The old man hesitated before lifting the lid. Inside lay a single pill radiating a faint golden glow. Even a single sniff of it let Li Yuan regain some of the strength he'd lost from the past seven days of non-stop work. He could only imagine its effects were someone to consume it.
"This pill will extend your lifespan by at least fifteen years." He explained. "Likely more as it's a high quality pill."
The only reason the pill had not reached the highest quality was that the three 2nd Grade Cores he'd obtained belonged to Low and Mid-stage Spirit beasts.
His grandfather heard his words and fell silent. For several seconds, he said nothing. Then, the old man slowly closed the box and pushed it back. "No." He said, closing his eyes in sadness.
Li Yuan frowned. "Grandfather—"
"I won't take it," the old man said firmly. "Who knows what kind of life defying situation you must've put yourself into to acquire the ingredients for a pill like this. You should save it for yourself instead of giving it to an old relic like me."
"Grandfather, that's not how it is." He said and they argued for several minutes before Li Yuan finally managed to persuade his grandfather to accept the pill.
The old man sat down cross-legged and swallowed the pill. And Li Yuan followed suit, sitting down nearby as he took out several dishes from his spatial ring made from the meat ofSpirit beasts. He started consuming them rapidly to regain his strength.
Yes, a single health restoring pill would've probably done the job, and done it much more effectively than the spirit beast dishes, but unless it's a dire emergency, he would keep to his unwritten rule of never consuming any pill lest he destroy his own future potential.
Then, he waited.
An entire day and night passed before the pill's energy fully stabilised. And when his grandfather finally opened his eyes, a powerful surge of Qi burst outward. Li Yuan's eyes widened as he almost fell over from the burst of Qi.
The frailty that had plagued the old man had now vanished. His posture straightened, his breathing grew stronger, and even his hair regained a faint trace of black. Most importantly...
His cultivation had leapt from 6th Stage Foundation Establishment to 9th Stage in one enormous jump.
Li Yuan had not even known that the pill had the side-effect of improving cultivation. But then again, a 2nd Tier beast core is one of the primary ingredients of the Foundation Establishment pill. And a single batch could result in the creation of as many as 10 Foundation Establishment Pills, should the Alchemy Master be capable enough.
That went to show just how much energy there was within a single Beast Core. And his grandfather just consumed a pill made from three of them.
Li Yuan immediately stood. "Congratulations, Grandfather, on your breakthrough." He said as he cupped his hands and was about bow in respect.
But before he could complete the gesture, his grandfather blurred from his position and arrived before him in an instant, moving faster than Li Yuan had ever seen before as he stopped him from bowing.
"Never bow to me again." His grandfather said, his voice trembling as he pulled Li Yuan into a tight embrace.
They stood there for a moment before finally separating.
"Well… now that you've recovered, what next, grandfather?" He asked, and his grandfather's eyes narrowed as he replied quickly.
"No one can know about this." His grandfather said sternly. "News about my declining lifespan has already spread across the Redleaf Prefecture. If I suddenly reappear in public, healthy and far stronger than before, questions will inevitably follow. Dangerous questions."
"Then what should we do?" He asked.
The old man was silent for a moment before he replied. "Let the world believe I have died. Go as far as to hold a public funeral for me. That way, I could move in the shadows, and protect our family by quietly eliminating threats before they ever reached them."
Li Yuan contemplated those words before nodding. "That is a good idea, but I have a better one."
His grandfather raised an eyebrow and waited for him to continue.
"Grandfather… try to reach the Peak of Foundation Establishment."
His grandfather's eyes widened at those words and his entire body trembled. "Yuan'er, you can't mean?"
"I do." He said firmly, feeling an ember of excitement in his own heart. "No one else knows this yet, but after I return from this trip, I would likely become a disciple of the Nascent Soul Elder Wu Yuechan. At that point, arranging a Golden Core pill, or even a few treasures aiding in your breakthrough would not be impossible."
The old man looked completely stunned at his words. After all, reaching Golden Core was something that he had likely never even dared to imagine in his lifetime. Except now, there was a great chance that it might happen.
Li Yuan reached into his storage ring and produced several bottles. "A dozen bottles of Heavy Spirit Water," he said, handing them over. "The Heavy Spirit Water is a treasure that forms in a similar manner to Spirit Stones. Because of that, it does not lose its efficacy despite continuous usage. So just consuming these and slowly absorbing their effects over the next few years should be more than enough to help you reach the peak of Foundation Establishment."
The old man's hands trembled slightly as he accepted the bottles. Then, unexpectedly, he bowed deeply to Li Yuan.
"Our family has truly been blessed," he said hoarsely. "To have raised such a filial grandson."
Li Yuan quickly raised him up from the bow. "If you want to show gratitude, grandfather" he said firmly, "then reach Peak Foundation Establishment and then breakthrough to Golden Core. Doing that would be more than enough to repay me."
The old man nodded firmly, choking up a bit. "I will, Yuan'er. I will."
Li Yuan nodded and finally allowed himself to relax. If this worked… then even without his presence, the Li family would finally have someone strong enough to protect it.
And with that, he could finally focus on his own growth without feeling selfish.