Lingyanzi seemed genuinely earnest, and as Li Tongya scanned the array of items laid out before him, his gaze landed on a small collection of diverse Embryonic Breathing Realm dharma artifacts. There were gourds, longswords, and jade tablets—all likely spoils of combat.
It's not every day you catch a disciple from an immortal sect; I can't settle these debts with just any items... Li Tongya pondered deeply to himself.
The three sects and seven gates possessed an array of cultivation methods, secret techniques, and precious formulas. He definitely wasn't going to let Lingyanzi offset his debt with common items that could be found anywhere.
Noticing this, Lingyanzi smiled awkwardly and explained, "These Embryonic Breathing Realm dharma artifacts were reserved for new disciples that my sect plans to recruit. I saved them specifically for that purpose; otherwise, I would have exchanged them for Spirit Stones to pay you."
"Oh!" Li Tongya nodded, his mind suddenly racing, though he said nothing further. His attention turned to a few bottles of pills, the best among them being a Foundation Establishment Realm Rejuvenation Pill.
He held it briefly, contemplating, It is impossible to progress beyond the Foundation Establishment Realm without at least twenty to thirty years of diligent cultivation; this pill could merely advance my progress by two or three years. The Foundation Establishment Realm is as high as I can achieve in this lifetime... so this won't do much! I guess it would be better to find something beneficial for the younger members of my family.
Thus, he gently set the pill back down. This gesture surprised Lingyanzi, who thought to himself, Li Tongya is actually turning down the Rejuvenation Pill! He must be well taken care of by a sword immortal and is accustomed to using such pills, hence his disinterest. The items in my storage pouch might not catch his eye...
Li Tongya glanced at the remaining Qi Cultivation Realm pills and rummaged through the rest of the items, frowning slightly, then asked softly, "Lingyanzi, is this all you have left? Do you perhaps have any valuable cultivation methods or secrets that could offset the debt?"
Lingyanzi grimaced and replied, "There are some, but they are for Embryonic Breathing and Qi Cultivation Realms, which you may find too elementary and costly... it might seem like I am taking advantage of you."
Unlike his experience in the sect, Li Tongya wasn't just looking out for himself; he had a whole family to consider. Pleased, he urged, "No matter, please show me what you have."
Understanding his intent, Lingyanzi unfastened a red pouch from his waist and said, "Secrets from the sects are extremely valuable! This is a dharma storage pouch, linked to my life force; with just a single thought, I can destroy everything inside."
Li Tongya nodded as Lingyanzi laid out several jade slips. Picking one up, Li Tongya read, Supreme Jade Meridian Nourishment Technique, an Embryonic Breathing Realm Technique... Grade Three."
This piqued Li Tongya's interest immediately, and he could not look away. The best Embryonic Breathing Realm technique in the Li Family was the Supreme Yin Breathing Meridian Nourishment Sutra, which couldn't be written down, spoken of, or taught. Only those who received a talisman seed could practice it.
The next best were the Grade Two techniques collected over the years for the family's major and minor branches. The remaining was the Azure Essence Meridian Nourishment Technique, a Grade One technique left by Si Yuanbai, which was only given to external cultivators—merely a common good within the family, which explained the generally lower cultivation realms of external members.
There was also an Embryonic Breathing Realm technique, Guardian of the Courtly Path, which allowed Embryonic Breath Realm cultivators to quickly reach the Qi Cultivation Realm. However, advancing to the Foundation Establishment Realm would take much longer. Li Tongya planned to use it to train loyal clan soldiers, but considering the scarcity of Qi Cultivators in the main family and the lack of suitable candidates, he had not utilized it yet.
Li Tongya mused, Although there are no descendants from the main family without a talisman seed currently, as the family prospers, such descendants are bound to increase. Besides those who have received the talisman seed, the rest can only cultivate using Grade Two techniques, which are rather insufficient. It would be useful to acquire this Grade Three technique...
He then examined the other two jade slips presented by Lingyanzi, each containing a Grade Two Qi Cultivation Realm technique. Since similar techniques were already abundant in his family and these offered no advantage, they weren't worth exchanging.
Li Tongya then picked up the Embryonic Breathing Realm technique and inquired softly, "How much is this technique priced at?"
"It is just an Embryonic Breathing technique," Lingyanzi responded, waving his hand solemnly. "Since you have chosen this technique, there are things I must mention. This Supreme Jade Meridian Nourishment Technique comes from the ancient immortal gate known as Heavenly Jade Terrace... It's quite unique and incompatible with many other techniques. If cultivated to the peak of the Embryonic Breathing Realm, switching to a different technique to break through the Qi Cultivation Realm might shorten your lifespan."
"Shorten lifespan?" Li Tongya repeated softly, pausing.
Lingyanzi nodded and replied, "Fortunately, it is not by much, only about three to five years. If you are lucky and the technique suits your constitution well, the loss might be as little as half a year!"
Li Tongya was reassured by this, as the Grade Three technique could potentially speed up cultivation by three years. Weighing the pros and cons, it didn't really seem like a loss, especially since advancing earlier in life was more valuable than later years. Sometimes, advancing a few years earlier could mean the difference between the Embryonic Breathing and Qi Cultivation Realms, or even the Qi Cultivation and Foundation Establishment Realms.
Though internally convinced, Li Tongya feigned hesitation, scanning the various items before him with a look of displeasure. He then declared, "I guess there's nothing better to choose... We'll settle the debt with this item!"
"But..." Lingyanzi hesitated slightly. The items from the two Changxiao Gate cultivators he had organized for sale had been significantly more lucrative than those of common rogue cultivators, bringing in nearly two hundred Spirit Stones.
Yet, the technique at hand was Grade Three—valuable but not sought after, and two hundred Spirit Stones was about the price it was worth, especially considering he had already given Li Tongya twenty Spirit Stones earlier!
However, seeing Li Tongya's displeased expression, Lingyanzi ultimately decided not to argue further and sighed softly, resigning himself to the agreement.
Li Tongya's expression softened, and after a brief chat, he asked warmly, "I have heard that your peak is recruiting disciples. How is that going?"
Lingyanzi shook his head gently and replied, "My peak is in a particularly awkward position within the Purple Smoke Gate. Be it resources or techniques, status or power, we are at the lowest... Thus, there has been little progress."
With a look suggesting there was more he wished to say, Lingyanzi ultimately chose not to divulge the dirty secrets of the Purple Smoke Gate to Li Tongya. Instead, he fell deadly silent and simply drank his wine, clearly affected by painful memories.
Li Tongya offered some comforting words and then suggested warmly, "Why don't you leave me a note? If I come across any opportunities or promising disciples, perhaps I can send them your way to assist you in your predicament."
Lingyanzi, having not considered this possibility, was visibly excited by the suggestion. After a moment of thought, he clapped his hands in agreement, exclaiming, "That works too! Any help from Brother Tong-... Wan will help out my peak greatly...!"
As he swore solemnly to treat any disciples from the Li Family well, Li Tongya merely smiled, saying nothing. With the lessons learned from Li Chejing, he no longer took Lingyanzi's empty promises at face value. Besides, he was also aware of the Purple Smoke Gate's style now.
Li Tongya simply played along as Lingyanzi praised the arrangement lavishly, then added reluctantly, "Senior, please do not celebrate yet... I still have to consult the Sword Immortal."
"Of course, of course!" Lingyanzi chuckled. Given the weak position of the Purple Smoke Gate within the three sects and seven gates and his own peak's declining state, having a disciple from a Sword Immortal's family would indeed be a boon!
He then thought for a moment and pulled out a jade tablet from his storage pouch. It was inscribed with the words Purple Smoke on one side and Purple Gale Peak on the other.
Li Tongya nodded before accepting the tablet with a flip of his hand. He then thanked Lingyanzi quietly.
"Thank you for your time."
Lingyanzi laughed heartily and after a bit more friendly chatter, took a sip of his drink and cupped his fist in farewell.
Li Tongya nodded as he watched the old man fly away with the wind. He sat silently at the table for a while more before finally picking up his chopsticks to taste the food, but just then, an old voice reached his ear.
"Come to Xianyou Peak."