Moongaze Lake was a thousand li away from Mount Azure Pond. Even a Qi Cultivator flying at full speed without rest would need two days and two nights to make the journey. Including time spent in meditation and resting, it would take about six to seven days for a round trip, meaning half a month would easily pass by.
Moreover, the Azure Pond Sect's territory was far from peaceful, with many large mountains that had to be avoided. Li Yuanjiao's letter was entrusted to the Yuan Family to deliver, and it took more than a month to receive a reply.
The Yuan Family valued the Li Family greatly. Since Yuan Huyuan was in seclusion, the letter was delivered by his eldest son. He respectfully handed it over, exchanged a few polite words, and then took his leave.
"...Handwritten on the evening of the 28th of Spring. Congratulations to Father for breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm... Does the family know about the Eastern Fire Grotto Heaven? If you have acquired items from there, those below the Foundation Establishment Realm can safely be used, but any Purple Mansion Realm spirit medicines, secret techniques, or manuals must be sent to Azure Pond without delay...
...I have benefited greatly from the Eastern Fire. Yesterday, I reached the fourth heavenly layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm. Brother Ming is still young, so I hope Father will not be too harsh on him... I have also obtained several pill recipes in the Eastern Fire Grotto Heaven, which I am enclosing with this letter. The family can profit from them, but do not spread them outside the family...
...As for Brother Jun's Cold Pine Dew Snow Technique Manual, I have asked the Yang Family, and they said that there is no Purple Mansion Realm legacy of this technique in Yue State. However, there are some traces in the far northwest of Wu State, so he can continue his cultivation with peace of mind without worry."
After reading the letter, Li Yuanjiao exhaled deeply, a hint of satisfaction appearing on his face.
"Zhi'er has already investigated and found the answer before I could even ask about Xijun's matter. With this information, Jun'er can cultivate that technique without any worries."
Attached to the end of the letter was a small bead containing several pill recipes. The bead was crystal clear and quite beautiful. Li Yuanjiao examined it thoughtfully, musing to himself, Azure Pond's methods are indeed impressive... This bead is much more convenient to carry around than a jade slip.
He then channeled his spiritual sense into the bead and saw two pill recipes— Three Aspects Breaking Realm Pill and Two Ways of Refining Renewal Spirit Pill , both of which were extremely difficult to refine and highly valuable.
Li Yuanjiao put the items away, thinking to himself, I should help Ximing break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm first and then study these two recipes... Azure Pond's spiritual qi is abundant, and Zhi'er is highly talented. With focused cultivation, he has even surpassed Ming'er.
With that thought, he leaped into the air, passed through the formation on Qingdu Peak, and descended toward the lake.
The weather was cold, and the dark green waters of the lake were still covered with pieces of floating ice. As he approached the lake's surface, waves surged and the dark green water rose, sending the ice crashing together with a crackling sound.
A large black serpent's head, as big as a carriage, slowly emerged from the water. Demonic qi surged, and spiritual light flashed as Li Wushao transformed into a black-clad youth, cupping his fist in greeting.
"Wushao greets Master!"
He bowed his head, exuding a powerful aura, and respectfully reported, "As per your orders, I have swept the five peaks along the shore and tamed three Qi Cultivation Realm demons and twenty-five Embryonic Breathing Realm ones, collecting twenty-six types of spirit items."
The demon lightly clapped his hands, stirring the water with his mana as he called out, "Come out, all of you!"
With that, the dark green waters split open as three demons flew out, clumsily standing upright in midair, suspended by demonic wind.
Li Yuanjiao glanced at them—a pair of fat green fish demons, one large and one small, were at mid and early stages of Qi Cultivation Realm respectively, and there was also a black lake turtle at the early stage of Qi Cultivation Realm, hovering nervously in the air.
With a casual wave of his hand, the three demons were dismissed with great relief. Li Wushao cupped his fist and continued, "Your servant has scouted the lake near the eastern shore and found no Foundation Establishment Realm demons. I have already sent some underlings to search deeper into the lake."
"As for the matter Family Head mentioned, Wushao has already identified several areas along the lake with strong spiritual energy. I have also sent the two green fish demons to seek out spirit juvenile fish that can channel spiritual energy for cultivation..."
Li Wushao continued, "I have also scouted the lakebed twice with An Zheyan and identified three locations with underground spirit veins that may contain mineral deposits. I have sent a group of lesser demons to dig and investigate; news should arrive soon."
"Good!" Li Yuanjiao nodded with satisfaction.
It had not been easy to tame a Foundation Establishment Realm demon, and to use Li Wushao merely as a bodyguard would have been a waste. Water creatures naturally admired strength and loved to gather in groups, and a Foundation Establishment Realm demon like Li Wushao held significant influence around the lake. Previously, the lake had only been a source of spirit items, but now, it could finally be fully developed.
Breeding spirit fish, collecting spirit items, mining veins, and gathering intelligence... These Qi Cultivation and Embryonic Breathing Realm demons are different from human cultivators. They don't need to rely on Water Avoidance Spell to move freely on the lakebed, making them very efficient workers.
A small smile appeared on Li Yuanjiao's face.
And most importantly, there's no need to pay these demons a clan stipend!
Li Wushao noticed that Li Yuanjiao appeared to be in a good mood and secretly breathed a sigh of relief before saying, "These little ones have already become my subordinates, but they lack any protective talismans. Whenever rogue cultivators pass by the lake, they often catch one or two of them on a whim..."
Li Yuanjiao nodded and instructed, "Go to the Jade Court Guards and retrieve some identification jade tokens. Distribute them to the creatures of the Jade Capital Stage for protection. For those below the Jade Capital Stage, organize them into groups. Passing rogue cultivators will give our family some respect and no longer cause trouble."
"Understood!" Li Wushao responded promptly.
Li Yuanjiao then asked, "Since the demons in the lake are difficult to track, in your opinion, are there any Foundation Establishment Realm creatures near the sea entrance of Lake Xian that we could capture?"
After recruiting Li Wushao, the Li Family now had one fewer Foundation Establishment Realm creature to offer as a sacrifice for Ximing and Xijun's talisman qi. Li Yuanjiao had sent Li Wushao to search the lakebed for a while, but the demons there were quite cunning and elusive. As a result, Li Yuanjiao decided to turn his attention to the Eastern Sea.
Li Wushao replied, "In my opinion, aside from that Azure Water Serpent Dragon, the others near the sea entrance are all mediocre. If you wish to capture one, I am afraid..."
Li Yuanjiao shook his head, and Li Wushao immediately understood.
"With the formation plate in your hand, the creatures in the lake won't be an issue, Master. To kill or capture them is merely a matter of your will."
Li Yuanjiao nodded.
"In that case, capture a creature quickly before Kong Tingyun comes."
————
As Li Yuanjiao and Li Wushao flew eastward, Li Qinghong went to Mushroom Forest Plain to enter seclusion, leaving Qingdu Peak rather empty. Li Ximing spent his days cultivating in the courtyard, with only Li Xijun guarding the mountain.
As the cold had not yet receded, Qingdu Peak, being quite tall, still had some snow at its summit. Li Xijun, who cultivated the Cold Pine Dew Snow Technique , had taken advantage of the heavy snowfall in the previous months to break through to the second heavenly layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm.
Having just come out of seclusion, he had not touched his sword for some time and was eager for a duel. He went around the mountain looking for opponents, eventually dragging Li Wen out of the Qingdu Cave Dwelling to spar with him.
Although Li Wen had reached the third heavenly layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm, he was no match for Li Xijun in combat. His pair of heavy mace were particularly cumbersome while Li Xijun's sword technique was swift and agile, leading to his repeated defeats.
Dressed in white, Li Xijun wielded his sword, parrying Li Wen's two heavy maces to either side and then lightly tapping his sword against Li Wen's chest. He won three matches in a row, giving the burly man a good thrashing.
The burly man muttered a word or two under his breath, unable to come up with any words of flattery. He simply dropped his maces and fell to the ground, then said, "Young master... you are truly formidable."
Having just broken through to the second heavenly layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm, Li Xijun's eyes sparkled with vitality.
"Brother Wen, your cultivation is commendable. Among the family branches, you are the only outstanding one. I hope you will continue to cultivate diligently and not fall behind," he said warmly.