Moongaze Lake...
In winter, Moongaze Lake took on a light blue hue, its waters clear with floating ice fragments. A streak of light cut through the air and plunged into the lake.
"Snake Demon Cave Dwelling... I wonder what it will be renamed to..."
Li Xijun performed a hand seal and cast a Water Avoidance Spell before diving into the lake and landing on the dark yellow lakebed. The Snake Demon Cave Dwelling, located on the lake's shore, had a shallow entrance and a simple formation set up by the Li Family themselves.
Upon performing another hand seal to enter the formation, he found himself in a spacious mansion. The sky above was a light blue color, and the floor and the walls around him were smooth and white.
The mansion was divided into several small courtyards, with more than a dozen cave dwellings created in the surrounding stone walls. Most of these caves were dim and empty.
In the center stood a massive icy blue column with a roughly polished surface. It supported the cave, linking the upper and lower earth veins and maintaining the spiritual qi at forty percent higher than the atmosphere outside.
The cave dweling's illumination came from this column. The Li Family identified it as Shuling Jade, a common material mainly used for crafting jade slips.
Though not particularly valuable, such a big piece of this size was certainly rare. Since it maintained the spiritual qi levels, the Li Family had no intention of mining it.
Li Xijun flew to the high platform in the center where Li Wen, who was wielding two maces, enthusiastically greeted him.
"Young Master!"
The Li Family's branch now boasted nearly ten thousand members, including many Embryonic Breathing Realm cultivators who had mostly moved to the peak to work. Li Qiuyang was the only unrefined Qi Cultivator, while Li Wen was the sole Qi Cultivator who could be considered a genius.
"Already reached the third heavenly layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm at thirty-five... That's impressive."
Li Wen found little use for his skills due to the recent restructuring of the clan and had been assigned here to cultivate in peace. Ever since Li Xicheng became the clan chief, they rarely saw each other.
Only a few people remained in this cave dwelling. Li Yuanjiao was still in seclusion on Wutu, but Li Qinghong had moved here. The other two promising disciples from the minor sect—Li Chengyou and Li Chengchu—were also cultivating here.
Li Xijun visited the courtyard of the two younger disciples and offered them some guidance. As he activated his true essence, white snowlight seemed to swirl around him, giving him an ethereal appearance that filled the disciples' eyes with admiration.
"That's amazing, Eighth Uncle!" they exclaimed excitedly.
These disciples were expected to achieve the Qi Cultivation Realm and eventually become the Peak Guardians, replacing the external cultivators. As such, it was only natural for Li Xijun to invest in their development. He took out two pills, intending to gift one to each of them.
As he pondered this, a purple light suddenly illuminated one of the cave dwellings in the wall. Li Qinghong emerged and landed beside Li Xijun.
"Uncle Xuanxuan is back!" she announced softly.
————
Li Xuanxuan and Kong Yu arrived at the Li Family's territory.
Kong Yu looked around in surprise and remarked, "I heard that Moongaze Marsh was once the premier dojo in Jiangnan. However, the great battles had damaged the earth veins and depleted its spiritual energy... I never imagined it would still be so beautiful!"
Kong Yu, whose lineage was known for moving mountains, immediately assessed the landscape. He praised it enthusiastically before pointing to Mount Yuting and saying regretfully, "That mountain has been damaged before... Otherwise, it would have made an excellent immortal mountain!"
"You have a keen eye, fellow Daoist!" Li Xuanxuan exclaimed.
The Li Family had only risen to prominence less than a century ago, so it was no surprise that Li Xuanxuan was oblivious to Mount Yuting's history. The revelation was certainly eye-opening, and the two continued their conversation.
Shortly after, Li Xijun and Li Qinghong approached to greet them.
"This is the granddaughter and great-grandson of our old ancestor," Li Xuanxuan proudly introduced.
Kong Yu observed the pair for a few moments as they glided over, then remarked softly, "I can't help but be captivated by seeing both of them. They have certainly inherited the immortal grace of Li Tongya, the Celestial Moon Sword ..."
This old man certainly knows how to flatter .
Li Xuanxuan chuckled inwardly.
In his opinion, Li Tongya exuded a heroic presence, while Li Xijun had a more ethereal, immortal grace, resembling Li Chejing more closely.
Li Xijun and Li Qinghong responded differently. Li Qinghong merely nodded politely, while Li Xijun offered a slight bow and said softly, "Senior possesses a majestic physique that lives up to the reputation of Profound Peak."
His voice was clear and composed.
Since Kong Yu's compliment was meant to be flattery, he could not help but look at Li Xijun again and joked, "It would be a disaster if a descendant as promising as Xijun were as mean and ungrateful as Situ Mo!"
Li Xuanxuan smiled wryly, never expecting Kong Yu to be such a petty man. He quickly shifted the conversation to the earth vein. Li Xijun flew closely behind them, listening intently.
Li Xijun's striking appearance, a divine gift he had been proud of since childhood, was something he skillfully leveraged. With just a single sentence, he had managed to elevate the Li Family's status in Kong Yu's eyes and made his elders feel proud.
Everyone in this world is shallow, Li Xijun reflected in disappointment, amused by his own tendency to exploit his advantages.
As they descended on the lake, Li Xuanxuan circled the area and asked, "Fellow Daoist, what do you think? Would it be appropriate to move the mountain here?"
Kong Yu looked around, cast a few spells, and then flew to the shore. He scooped up several handfuls of mud before returning with a smile.
"I see it now, fellow Daoist. Your family has a cave dwelling at the bottom of this lake and it's spacious... Moongaze Lake is truly an excellent location!"
Li Xuanxuan, not one to shy away from compliments, laughed and responded, "Your vein searching technique is truly remarkable, fellow Daoist. Securing this cave dwelling was no easy task for my family!"
Kong Yu nodded and continued seriously, "I've examined it closely. The earth veins here are shallow, but the water veins are abundant. We can't move a large mountain here, it would not only disrupt the spiritual qi of the cave dwelling but also cause the mountain to erode into sand and stone within a hundred years.
"Additionally, the water veins in this cave are cold and yin, which suits serpent dragons. Therefore, the mountain we move here cannot contain fire veins. You won't be able to perform alchemy or forge weapons on this mountain..."
Li Xuanxuan expected no less of Kong Yu's skill, given that the Profound Peak Gate was renowned for its expertise in moving mountains. Kong Yu meticulously outlined the potential issues and concluded, "To move a mountain here, it will likely require at least fifty Spirit Stones and twelve Qi Cultivators."
"That won't be a problem!" Li Xuanxuan said as he waved his hand. With ample manpower and resources at their disposal now, the Li Family agreed readily.
A smile broke across Li Xijun's face as he watched on from behind the group.
Uncle Yuanping's heart will probably ache soon!
"Excellent," Kong Yu replied.
Together, they surveyed the mountains near the eastern shore. It took a long time to examine each one thoroughly. Naturally, the dozen or so families on the eastern shore did not dare to interfere and allowed the inspection to proceed without protest.
By the time Kong Yu resumed his flight, dusk had settled. He reviewed the map, eliminating large mountains and those with fire veins as well as complex earth veins, and then declared, "The remaining options are all suitable. Choose whichever you prefer!"
The three of them were immediately delighted and landed on the Rui Family's mountain. Rui Qiongcuo, the head of the Rui Family, bowed and opened the formation, following respectfully behind. The two elders entered the mountain to inspect the earth vein.
Meanwhile, Li Xijun addressed Rui Qiongcuo warmly, "Apologies for the intrusion. If the Rui Family's mountain is chosen, the family head will offer your family a position on the peak with various compensations, including spirit fields and Spirit Paddies. Additionally, the children of your family will have the opportunity to study with us..."
Rui Qiongcuo nodded in agreement. Though the subsidies from the Li Family might not match the value of the immortal mountain, the chance to leave their current location and gain favor was a significant opportunity. He could only weigh the benefits in his own mind.
While Li Xijun reassured the head of the Rui Family, Li Xuanxuan, in the mountain, pointed to the spirit spring and asked Kong Yu, "This spirit spring has been affected by the Green Essence Copper and is freezing cold, it cannot be used to irrigate spirit fields. If we move this mountain, will there be another spirit spring that can nourish spirit plantations?"