Li Tongya examined the sword, noting its pale white tassel swaying attractively. However, just as Xiao Yuansi had experienced, he could not draw it from its sheath either.
"That's proven."
Xiao Yuansi glanced sadly at the sword and continued, "Secondly, Jing'er had accomplished some feats in the southern border and...knowing your family lacked legacy in alchemy, he exchanged for one. Here it is."
He then produced a jade slip, radiant and inscribed with small characters. Li Tongya took it and read the words out loud.
"Secrets of Alchemy..."
Xiao Yuansi also handed over a storage pouch, explaining, "This contains miscellaneous items—over a hundred Spirit Stones, some talismans of the Qi Cultivation Realm, and a precious Essence Gathering Pill that can increase the success rate of breaking through the Foundation Establishment Realm by half."
Li Tongya quickly accepted, impressed by Li Chejing's thoughtfulness.
"That boy..." he muttered to himself, though fondness was evident in his voice.
Finally, Xiao Yuansi took out two jade slips—one large and one small—placing the smaller one on the table. "This is Spirit Eye Perception , a rare pupil technique good at breaking illusions. It's difficult to cultivate and was originally intended for Xiangping, who was known for his archery," he explained softly.
He then handed over the larger jade slip to Li Tongya with great care, instructing, "This contains Chejing's sword techniques, compiled into the Law of Celestial Moon . He claimed it could be considered a Grade Five technique, which is extremely precious! Be sure not to let the word of this get out... It's marked with Jing'er's mana to prove I've not read it."
Li Tongya was visibly moved by the revelation of a Grade Five technique, which would even tempt a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator—let alone Xiao Yuansi who might not have been at the Foundation Establishment Realm then.
He rose to his feet and bowed his head.
"Tongya is impressed by Senior's conduct!"
After exchanging a meaningful glance, all was understood without the need for words. Xiao Yuansi then settled down to drink a couple of sips of tea in the silent courtyard with only the two of them.
Li Tongya softly asked, "If I may inquire, Senior... how long do you think this matter can be kept a secret?"
Xiao Yuansi set down his tea bowl, having pondered Li Tongya's thoughts for a moment.
"Other than a few Purple Mansion Realm cultivators, probably only I and Chi Zhiyun from the Chi Family know about this. Chi Zhiyun spends his days in seclusion and dislikes social interactions. Given the disgraceful nature of the Chi Family's actions, he's unlikely to spread the word. Naturally, I won't speak of it either. Keeping it secret for another fifty years shouldn't be an issue."
"Fifty years..." Li Tongya hummed as he silently noted this timeframe and thanked Xiao Yuansi once more. The atmosphere in the courtyard suddenly grew heavy, both men opened their mouths to speak but found themselves at a loss for words.
After taking another sip of his tea, Xiao Yuansi, feeling restless, finally broke the tense silence.
"Great changes are looming over the Yue State... Among the peak Purple Mansion Realm cultivators of that generation, three are nearing the end of their lifespans, which will surely lead to turmoil. One is a rogue cultivator, whose whereabouts are unpredictable. Another is from Mount Yue, who has been extending his life with secret techniques but has recently encountered some mishaps, making things rather awkward. The last one is Chi Wei from the Chi Family. All three are approaching their death and seeking ways to break through to the Golden Core Realm. Though the chances are slim, it's best to stay vigilant."
Li Tongya listened attentively as Xiao Yuansi's eyes suddenly lit up. "By my calculations, those Snake Dragon Fruit should have grown six or seven by now... Since I'm here, let's refine those pills. It'll also prevent the loss of spiritual qi from storing them for too long!" he said with great enthusiasm.
"Oh... How could we possibly impose on you?" Li Tongya forced a laugh, feeling slightly awkward from Xiao Yuansi's enthusiasm. After a few courteous refusals he waved his hand, and Li Xuanxuan, who heard his transmitted voice, went to fetch the Snake Dragon Fruits hurriedly.
————
Xiao Yuansi stayed on Mount Lijing for a few days, refining pills during his stay and offering Li Tongya guidance on cultivation and his future.
"The River One Qi Technique when cultivated to the Foundation Establishment Realm, forms an immortal foundation known as Boundless Ocean, known for its vast and mighty surge of mana. Cultivators with this foundation could often withstand attacks from multiple assailants due to the rapid flow of their mana. The former master of the Moongaze Lake market cultivated this technique. It took three cultivators of the same realm, wielding special dharma artifacts, to besiege and kill him. However, this technique is somewhat slow but paired with your swordsmanship, it could indeed be perfect."
Li Tongya nodded, carefully noting this down. Suddenly remembering a disciple from the Yu Family who had been accepted into Yuanwu Peak, he inquired, "Senior, do you know of a disciple from the Yu Family by the Moongaze Lake who was accepted into Yuanwu Peak?"
Xiao Yuansi nodded, putting away the jade box in his hand before answering.
"Before leaving the Azure Pond Sect, I made sure to gather information about the surrounding clans, including the Yu Family. That disciple is named Yu Muxian, whose talent was decent but excelled in artifact forging, had gained the favor of Yuanwu Peak."
"Speaking of which," Xiao Yuansi chuckled softly and continued, "I heard a curious tale about Yu Muxian. He not only requested from Yuanwu Peak's master for a separate prefecture to rule but also arranged for the allocation of new disciples to be assigned to those associated with or under the influence of Yuanwu Peak, and this had already filled its quota of disciples in recent years."
In other words—unless by chance, for the next few decades, no one would go to Moongaze Lake to recruit disciples!
Li Tongya pondered for a moment and exclaimed, "What a clever strategy!"
The reason why the clans by Moongaze Lake had not aggressively annexed each other was primarily due to their deep entanglements with various peaks of the Azure Pond Sect. Any rash action might invite censure from within the sect, and the Yu Family often found this situation troublesome.
However, the peak masters were only somewhat obligated to look after these families since they were not their guardians. The deeds of the Lu Family remained fresh in everyone's minds, such entanglements were often related to personal relationships, with the death of one or two family elders causing protection to wane and entire clans to be annihilated.
Yu Family's strategy effectively severed most clans' future hopes. As the older generation slowly passed away, the day would come when protection faded, offering the Yu Family a chance to profit.
Moreover, preventing the peaks from recruiting disciples also eliminates a significant threat.
While accepting the medicinal pills handed over by Xiao Yuansi, Li Tongya continued pondering silently.
An Jingming's talent is definitely among the top in Moongaze Lake in a century... If he were to be accepted into the Azure Pond Sect, the Yu Family's path to expansion southward would be completely blocked. Moreover, having such a genius from a neighboring family join the sect would likely keep the Yu Family's head awake at night. Such a cunning plan... Yu Mugao and Yu Xiaogui must have spent a considerable amount of gifts to pave such a way for their clan. This father and son are indeed difficult to deal with!