Almost instantly after consuming the Jade Sprout Pill, Li Tongya felt a surge of mana throughout his body, his Qihai acupoint brimming with unbridled energy. This enabled him to ascend to the third heavenly layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm with great ease and barely any effort.
The Qi Cultivation Realm was much more straightforward compared to the Embryonic Breathing Realm, which was so filled with hurdles that some sects even split the Qi Cultivation Realm into three parts—early, middle, and late stages.
Qi Cultivation was akin to a buildup of cultivation, turning all hurdles into a strong barrier—which in itself was the foundation.
After spending a night to break through the realm and an additional two more days to stabilize his cultivation, Li Tongya took a moment to reflect on his progress.
I’ve now attained the third heavenly layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm, while Jing’er is likely already at its peak. I wonder how close he is to attaining the Foundation Establishment Realm given how the southern border is fraught with danger… I hope he’s unharmed.
A wave of concern washed over him as realization suddenly dawned upon him.
It’s been years since Jing’er has gone there; and yet… he hasn’t sent a single letter home.
Forcing himself to push aside his worries, Li Tongya exited the cave dwelling on Mount Meiche and summoned Li Xuanxuan.
“Have the Wuzha Worms produced silk this year?”
His clothes were dirty and he looked like he had a terribly sleepless night, having been occupied with taking care of the demonic creature Li Xuanfeng had hunted.
Li Tongya rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“Have someone weave the silk into a piece of spirit cloth.”
Li Xuanxuan nodded obediently, immediately heading off to carry out his order.
“Only a spirit cloth could conceal one’s identity as it can block the user’s spiritual sense. It’s a pity we don’t have more silk… making a cloak out of it would have been ideal,” Li Tongya mused as he retrieved the wooden slips Li Chejing had left behind on a shelf.
The cowhide rope holding the wooden strips together was extremely worn out at this point. Though Li Tongya had read these wooden slips countless times, each reading still never failed to provide him with fresh insights.
Likewise, Li Tongya has been reading the Celestial Moon Slash technique manual for over a decade now. He could recite the contents of the manual word for word, yet he rarely used the technique during battles as its execution was far too exhausting.
“None of our swordsmanship can compare to his…” Li Tongya remarked with a resigned smile.
By now, all the younger generations of the Li Family had studied the Profound Water Sword Technique manual and the Celestial Moon Slash technique manual written by Li Chejing.
It was only Li Tongya’s son, Li Xuanling, who showed true promise in swordsmanship. Li Xuanfeng and Li Xuanxuan, however, could not make heads or tails of those techniques.
After reading for some time, Li Xuanxuan returned with a piece of spirit cloth.
Li Tongya accepted the gray veil before testing it with his spiritual sense. Upon finding it impenetrable as he had expected, he nodded in satisfaction and carefully put the cloth away before exiting the cave dwelling.
He reached into his storage pouch, retrieving several jade bottles that were filled with healing pills before putting them away once again.
Li Tongya then took off his storage pouch and handed it to Li Xuanxuan for safekeeping.
It was right at this moment that he noticed Lu Sisi, who was riding grandly on the wind before alighting at the foot of the mountain.
Li Tongya soared into the air and landed silently beside the old man. He cupped his fist respectfully.
“Senior Lu!” he greeted with a loud voice.
Lu Sisi gave a mere nod in acknowledgment, and without wasting a moment, they both took flight and rode on the wind to journey eastward.
Following closely behind, Li Tongya noticed the thick pure qi emanating from Lu Sisi, whose true essence also seemed superior to that of the Qi Cultivators from Mount Yue.
I guess the Lu Family really practices authentic techniques… probably consuming Minor Pure Spiritual Qi.
Li Tongya recalled a conversation with Wan Yuankai years earlier when they were submitting tributes to the sect together.
Wan Yuankai had mentioned that the Lu Family’s cultivation techniques involved harnessing the Minor Pure Spiritual Qi, and Li Tongya has finally verified the accuracy of Wan Yuankai’s claim today.
As they approached Mount Huaqian, Lu Sisi abruptly increased their altitude without any warning. With a swift motion, he clapped his storage pouch and a talisman appeared in his left palm.
The talisman was launched into the sky, where it burst into a brilliant red bloom. Almost immediately, Li Tongya could see a few figures sprinting through the forest below them.
The response from Mount Huaqian was swift. A protective barrier sprang up instantly as two figures soared into the sky. One of them wielded a long saber with a solemn expression.
“You’re actually on Mount Huaqian, huh?” Lu Sisi remarked with a strange expression, his jade scepter shooting out from his hand.
With a smirk, he added, “Well… that’s fine by me. I guess we won’t have to ambush you now! Come out, Brother An…”
At Lu Sisi’s cue, another figure emerged from the forest. Li Tongya cast a quick glance at the figure’s direction.
It was a bald man with stubble all over his chin. Detecting the flowing true essence within the man, he knew the figure was clearly in the middle stage of the Qi Cultivation Realm.
“Lu Sisi!” Ji Dengqi’s gaze hardened at the sight of them.
“What’s going on in the Golden Tang Gate?” he asked, parrying Lu Sisi’s jade scepter.
Noticing the distressed look on Ji Dengqi’s face, Li Tongya was reminded of his own turmoil during Mount Yue’s unexpected assault on his family, remembering how he had received the same cold and indifferent response from the sect.
It dawned on him that the current situation mirrored the pact between Mount Yue and the Azure Pond Sect. The families abandoned in their sieges likely fell under the agreements made between the Azure Pond Sect and the Golden Tang Gate… which would explain why Ji Dengqi had been left in the dark.
As combat ensued between Ji Dengqi and the two men, Li Tongya faced a Qi Cultivator from the Ji Family.
The young man, wielding a long pole, appeared to be only twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old. He seemed extremely nervous, a stark contrast to Li Tongya, who unleashed a sword that easily repelled him with a mere flick of his wrist.
This kid shows great potential. However, his spellcasting reveals his inexperience despite his dedicated cultivation over the years.
With another swing of his sword, Li Tongya nearly disarmed the young man, sending his long pole flying.
Amidst the fray, Ji Dengqi, struggling against the two opponents, attempted to dissuade Li Tongya with a desperate plea.
“That friend with the sword! The Ji Family is favored by the young master of the Golden Tang Gate… do not be deceived by those two! Withdraw now, and the Ji Family shall forget what happened today!”
Li Tongya merely let out a cold chuckle as he knocked the young man’s weapon out of his grasp with barely any effort.
“I am from the Wan Family!” he bellowed with an air of defiance.
Ji Dengqi was taken aback by the revelation, and still parrying Lu Sisi’s jade scepter, he made a swift break to the north.
“Don’t let him escape!”
Lu Sisi and the man with the surname An attempted to block Ji Dengqi’s path, while Li Tongya swiftly caught the long pole the young cultivator from the Ji Family had hastily abandoned as he fled southward.
Li Tongya took note of the fleeing young man’s true essence and came to the conclusion that he too, had most likely consumed Minor Pure Spiritual Qi as well.
Li Tongya rode on the wind and gave chase, his own River True Essence granting him a slight speed advantage.
As his target launched a few talismans of the Embryonic Breathing Realm in a desperate attempt to repel his advances, Li Tongya felt a twinge of heartache.
“Those were supposed to be my spoils,” Li Tongya muttered to himself as he dispelled the incoming talismans with a simple swipe of his sword.
The true essence of those who had consumed River Pure Qi was markedly more potent than those who consumed the Minor Pure Spiritual Qi.
This enhancement in vitality not only increased his flying speed but also granted him an edge in agility. Although there was a slight delay in his ability to execute quick directional changes and leaps, this minor disadvantage had no significant impact on his overall performance.
After a chase that spanned a few miles, Li Tongya breached the true essence that was protecting the young man’s body with his sword. With a turn of his sword, he thrust the tip of the blade into the young cultivator’s back, eliciting a pained cry as he fell.
Li Tongya followed at a measured pace, watching coldly as the young man struggled in agony, unable to muster the concentration needed to cast a spell as he was blinded by the pain. As the youth reached out in a desperate attempt to retrieve his storage pouch, Li Tongya, with terrifyingly swift precision, severed his arm with a single slash.
He watched dispassionately as the young man writhed in agony before mercifully delivering the final blow, bringing a quick—but bloody—end to his suffering.