Li Ximing had poor mental fortitude. Under intense pressure in his youth, he often fantasized about becoming a Dharma relic—one entirely devoted to cultivation and pill refinement, calmly sitting atop the fire vein.
As long as he could continue to contribute tirelessly, he would not have to worry about disappointing his father.
I guess I'm pretty much living my childhood dream right now!
Li Ximing tapped his storage pouch lightly, causing a furnace to emerge and land on the ground with a thud. It was pitch black and supported by three legs, adorned with intricate patterns of waves and beasts and engraved with the name— Furnace In The River.
He retrieved a white and yellow wooden block, an Embryonic Breathing Realm spirit item known as Precious Pearl Wood .
Bringing his palms together, he summoned a pale golden Pill Flame.
Li Ximing nodded with satisfaction.
As expected of a Grade Four cultivation technique, the Golden Palace Radiant Origin Manual is truly remarkable. Since its true essence is pure yang energy, the Pill Flame it conjures surpasses the original.
"To refine the Yangqing Pill, I should use the Precious Pearl Wood with Blazing Sun Tri-Nine Technique ."
This was the knowledge Xiao Yuansi had accumulated over time. Li Ximing placed the wooden block at the bottom of the furnace and took out a jade box. Using his mana, he picked up the Yangqing Fruit and added it to the furnace.
He slowly extracted the essence, then added a few supplementary medicinal ingredients, one after another.
Finally, he used the Pill Flame to continuously refine the mixture. After about an hour, six pale red spirit pills emerged from the furnace.
" Yangqing Pills , Embryonic Breathing Realm... complete!"
These six pills could sustain six Embryonic Breathing Realm cultivators for several months, but it had only taken him an hour to refine. Li Ximing stored them with a special method, feeling a deep sense of satisfaction within him.
"Father... Ximing has not failed his elders."
Had his Yang Essence not been broken, he would definitely have had a chance to refine an extra half of the pill. Reflecting on this, he bowed his head silently, then took out more spirit items from his storage pouch, and prepared to refine another batch.
————
Having relocated from Xu State, Profound Peak Gate had settled in Shanji Prefecture.
The gate's sole guardian was Daoist Master Changxi, and most of its members cultivated earth elemental profound techniques. Since Shanji Prefecture was quite large, there were many members in the Profound Peak Gate.
The Profound Peak Gate was relatively modest, with only a few Foundation Establishment cultivators and disciples who were not particularly arrogant.
While Li Xuanxuan's arrival was being reported, he was warmly entertained by two outer disciples. Being the weakest of the seven gates, Profound Peak Gate had only a handful of Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators and its disciples were quite humble.
Li Xuanxuan waited at the foot of the mountain with the old monkey until a cultivator came down to meet him.
Dressed in white, the cultivator's good looks were spoiled by the moles on both cheeks that somewhat diminished his temperament. Adorned with various jade ornaments, he smiled and said, "Greetings, fellow Daoist from Lijing! I am Kong Yu of Profound Peak Gate. May I ask for your name?"
Despite being a peak Qi Cultivator, Kong Yu was very courteous. Surprised by his humble demeanor, Li Xuanxuan quickly replied, "I am Li Xuanxuan from the Li Family."
Kong Yu smiled and asked, "And the Celestial Moon Sword is...?"
"He's my second uncle!"
Upon learning of their close relationship, Kong Yu nodded approvingly and added, "Our Daoist Master was present when Senior Tongya slayed the Maha with his sword. He praised your esteemed family's swordsmanship, noting that even within the Wanyu Sword Gate, the Li Family's sword skills are exceptional!"
"Senior is too kind," Li Xuanxuan replied modestly.
Kong Yu sighed and continued, "If it weren't for the devil plague and the ongoing conflicts between the Wanyu Sword Gate, Chunyi Dao Gate, and Crimson Reef Island over the Green Pine Temple Ruins, someone would have sought guidance from your family already. It's a pity that Senior Tongya missed his chance for greater fame!"
Li Xuanxuan thought to himself quietly.
Pity, huh? The current top swordsman in our family is Jiao'er, who is comparable to Xuanling from back then... But he can't possibly match Second Uncle, who had already grasped sword qi when he was only at the Jade Capital Stage of the Embryonic Breathing Realm. Without the rise of the Devil Plague, his reputation might have faded long ago...
Seeing that Li Xuanxuan was not interested in discussing this matter further, Kong Yu got straight to the point.
"Are you here to discuss changing the earth vein and relocating the immortal mountain, fellow Daoist?"
Li Xuanxuan nodded and replied, "I've heard that your immortal gate is reputed to be the best in Jiangnan when it comes to this sort of thing. After all, Mount Changxi was moved from Xu State and earned the acclaim of Profound Peak. I wonder if I could enlist one or two fellow Daoists to assist us..."
Kong Yu nodded. His gate was indeed specialized in such tasks, and while being hailed as the best in Jiangnan might be an exaggeration, being the best in Yue State was certainly well-deserved.
"Of course, we can assist you! The cost will depend on the earth vein, I'll need to inspect the land to determine the price. Once you decide, I will retrieve the dharma artifact immediately," he said.
Li Xuanxuan nodded in understanding and Kong Yu left to retrieve his belongings. Shortly after, he returned, hurrying down the mountain with a string of golden ropes around his waist.
"Let us be off then!" he exclaimed excitedly.
Kong Yu was an affable person. As they rode the wind together, he laughed and said, "Fortunately, my senior and junior brothers aren't here... Otherwise, this job might have been taken by someone else. Being stationed at the peak is a tough assignment! Nothing compares to enjoying the scenery and earning cultivation resources."
Li Xuanxuan chuckled. He had appreciated a lot of scenery and could agree that it was a nice change of pace compared to staying in the clan. He responded warmly, and Kong Yu let out a sigh.
"I have to say, Brother Xuanxuan, you and my eldest senior brother are quite alike. He governed the gate in his early years but was later killed by monsters... Seeing you, I'm reminded of him."
Li Xuanxuan offered some words of comfort, but Kong Yu seemed indifferent. Noticing that Kong Yu was heading west, Li Xuanxuan asked, "Why are we not passing through Yufu Prefecture? There are fewer devil cultivators there... Although you're from the immortal gate and quite powerful, there's no need to take unnecessary risks..."
Many disciples from the three sects and seven gates had fallen victim to the devil plague. Kong Yu shook his head at Li Xuanxuan's suggestion and replied, "We can't go through Yufu Prefecture. The gate has imposed a ban on it for the next three years. Trust me, if you go there, you might face dire consequences!"
"What?"
Li Xuanxuan's face paled. Having come from Yufu Prefecture with the old monkey, he found the area calm but was now deeply concerned and asked, "Why is that? I just came from Yufu Prefecture... Am I in trouble now?!"
Kong Yu took several steps back in the air. His face was filled with fear, and his voice trembled as he asked, "Did you linger there...? Did you say anything? Did you save someone's life?! I heard that Senior Li Tongya was closely associated with Daoist Master Chuting... How could you not have heard the news?!"
Li Xuanxuan shook his head and replied, "No... No, I just passed through. When I left home, the ancestor was still..."
"Then you should be fine!" Kong Yu sighed in relief, and a smile slowly returned to his face.
He assured, "Don't worry, as long as you haven't made any connections in the prefecture and haven't spoken a word there, you aren't implicated. There's nothing to worry about. If you get involved, it could be disastrous."
"Not knowing the details could lead to the destruction of your family though," he added.
He stepped forward, causing the jade pendants and jade buckles on his body to jingle, and he said mysteriously, "I've heard that even the Azure Pond has withdrawn its forces from Yufu Prefecture. The three Daoist Masters—Yuanwu, Yuansu, and Yuanxiu—are all focusing on sending this disaster out of Jiangnan and back to Mount Luoxia!"
Li Xuanxuan, still puzzled, asked, "Could you explain in more detail?"