Xiao Yuansi scrutinized the formation diagram for a considerable time before shaking his head dismissively.
“I was expecting something novel, but this is merely a renamed Misty Maze Formation,” he remarked.
He handed the diagram back to Li Xiangping, adding, “While I’m not a formation expert, this one seems overly simplistic. It might deceive cultivators in the Embryonic Breathing Realm, but any cultivator who has condensed the Jade Capital Chakra could dismantle it easily. Cultivators in the Qi Cultivation Realm could effortlessly break the formation and capture the flags.”
Li Xiangping cupped his fist and replied with a wry smile, “Our Li Family isn’t very well-off, so even a basic formation would put us at ease.”
Xiao Yuansi chuckled while looking at Li Xiangping who was still at the Radiant Lure stage, and Li Tongya who was at the Celestial Whirl stage.
“It is indeed quite useful for those at your current level.”
Xiao Yuansi then pulled out six small flags from his pouch. These blue and white flags had profound runes drawn on them and were attached to brownish-red poles.
“These were the flags I used during my Jade Capital stage. They are crafted from white-striped crucian carp skin, and the poles are made of red birch wood. They’re quite valuable for those in the Embryonic Breathing Realm and can be used with your formation. They’re of no use to me now, so I’ll use them to set up a Misty Maze Formation for you here. If you find a better formation diagram in the future, these flags will still serve you well.”
Before Li Xiangping and Li Tongya could express their gratitude, Xiao Yuansi waved his hand to stop them. With a smile, he said, “That would be twelve Spirit Stones.”
Li Xiangping, taken aback, smiled awkwardly. “If I may ask, what are these Spirit Stones...?”
“You don’t have any Spirit Stones?” The smile on Xiao Yuansi faded slightly as he explained, “To immortal cultivators, Spirit Stones are like what gold and silver are to mortals. They’re commonly used for transactions in markets or stores, and larger families need them to pay tributes.”
Intrigued, Li Xiangping quickly asked, “How many Spirit Stones are the White Essence Fruits and Spirit Paddies worth?”
Xiao Yuansi rubbed his chin and pondered thoughtfully before responding, “You could exchange ten White Essence Fruits for one Spirit Stone. As for Spirit Paddies, that’ll be a hundred jin.”
Li Xiangping and Li Tongya were momentarily speechless, each thinking, A hundred jin of Spirit Paddies compelled the Wan Family to rent fields from us. These twelve Spirit Stones equate to an enormous twelve hundred jin of Spirit Paddies. Even our entire Li Family’s wealth can’t match up to that.
Noticing their silence, Xiao Yuansi quickly understood their predicament. “Don’t worry about it. Consider your Misty Barrier Formation as a partial payment, amounting to two Spirit Stones. The rest will be considered as debt for now. Once your family gathers the necessary amount, you can send it to Qingsui Peak through the officials who collect the tributes in Lixia Prefecture.”
Li Xiangping, managing a grateful yet strained smile, bowed in thanks. He then watched as Xiao Yuansi deftly performed a hand seal. The six formation flags in his hands levitated in the air.
With a commanding gesture from Xiao Yuansi, five of the flags soared into the air, trailing pale white flames, before splitting up and diving into the bamboo forest at the foot of the mountain as if they had minds of their own.
A dense gray mist instantly enveloped Mount Lijing, obscuring it completely.
After a while, the mist receded. From afar, the people on the mountain vanished, and the mountain appeared timeless and unchanging, as if frozen in that very moment.
“There you have it. I’ve set up the Misty Maze Formation from our sect for you, which is far superior to your Misty Barrier Formation,” Xiao Yuasi announced.
He then planted the remaining flag into the ground, revealing a small formation eye about the size of a palm. It glowed softly and divided into two segments.
“This formation eye has two sections—an outer layer and an inner eye. A glowing outer layer means there’s an intruder at the foot of the mountain. A glowing inner eye means that the intruder has breached the formation.”
Xiao Yuansi dusted his hands and gestured toward the formation eye.
“Once you’ve condensed the Jade Capital Chakra and infused your spiritual sense into this formation eye, you’ll gain complete control over the formation. Currently, with your Celestial Whirl Chakra, you can only place a drop of your blood on the formation flag here so that the formation will recognize and respond to you,” he explained.
“Thank you, Immortal Master!” Li Tongya and Li Xiangping expressed their gratitude as they stepped forward to drop their blood on the formation eye. The eye flickered, and they immediately sensed a subtle connection with it.
Witnessing this extraordinary event, Li Xiangping felt a lift in spirits, despite the looming debt.
He thought to himself, This Misty Maze Formation is better than I thought. It not only conceals and protects our mountain gate from prying mortal eyes but also allows for repeated use of the formation flag. These ten Spirit Stones seem like a worthy investment. As our younger members mature, we can make full use of the village’s spirit fields. It’s just a matter of time until we can fully establish our mountain gate, especially with the mirror...
Xiao Yuan Si concluded the spell and inquired cheerfully, “Is there anything else you wish to discuss?”
The brothers shook their heads. Xiao Yuansi laughed softly and said, “Then I’ll take a stroll on the mountain, kill some demons, gather some spirit herbs, and return at dawn tomorrow to refine the pills.”
“Take care, Immortal Master,” Li Xiangping and the others bid him farewell, watching as Xiao Yuansi summoned a flying shuttle and soared away.
Once Xiao Yuansi was out of sight, Li Tongya turned to Liu Linfeng.
“Uncle, this academy is no longer suitable for the mountains. We’ll move it down the mountain tonight.”
“I’ll start preparing,” Liu Linfeng agreed.
Li Tongya glanced at Li Xiangping and said, “Tomorrow, we’ll take the mirror and...”
“Brother!” Li Xiangping, ever vigilant, suspected that Xiao Yuansi might still be nearby and hastily interrupted before Li Tongya could say more.
Li Tongya caught on immediately. They exchanged a knowing look, then sat down cross-legged and began their cultivation practice.
Mount Lijing, though not a renowned peak, was part of the lingering veins of Mount Dali. It nurtured spirit roots like the Snake Dragon Fruit.
With the formation isolating the internal and external flow of spiritual qi, the earth’s vein began glowing with spiritual energy. Much to the brothers’ astonishment and satisfaction, the concentration of spiritual qi gradually increased until it was ten percent higher than the surrounding areas.
They cultivated until dawn when the first rays of sunlight pierced the mountain mist, condensing into dewdrops on the treetops.
That was when Xiao Yuansi returned, looking all tidied up. He gracefully descended from the sky on his flying shuttle and landed in the courtyard.
“Time to refine the pills!” he announced cheerily, producing a tall ebony-colored furnace which was as tall as a person from his storage pouch.
Sitting down cross-legged, he explained to the brothers, “This Snake Essence Pill, despite its name, is actually quite mild. Although it’s a pill for those in the Qi Cultivation Realm, it can also be safely consumed by those in the Embryonic Breathing Realm. They will be of great benefits to both of you.”
Xiao Yuansi then took a brownish-yellow wood block from his pouch. With both hands, he summoned a pure white Pill Flame from his dantian and lightly touched the wood block with it.
The block instantly ignited, emitting a ghostly blue flame. Tossing the burning block into the furnace’s base, he then took out the jade box containing the Snake Dragon Fruit. With a flick of his mana, he sent the fruit into the furnace.