Li Xijun rode the wind and then descended in the Great Jueting. He slowly closed his eyes and, with a calm focus, connected his spiritual sense to the exalted immortal mirror. Through it, the entire Great Jueting soon came into clear view.
He scanned the palace curtains, finding that nothing was out of the ordinary. Beneath the throne, there was a hidden passage that had been reinforced with protective formations. It had once been used by the kings of Mount Yue to escape, though it had been emptied out long ago when Mount Yue's army arrived at the mountain.
There was nothing there now.
Perhaps I've overthought it.
Li Xijun continued scanning the place and discovered several secret chambers belonging to Mount Yue's cultivators. A few Embryonic Breathing Realm spirit items were carefully hidden away in these rooms. Given the current state of the Li Family, these were of little interest to him.
"Several elders had visited here with a mirror in the past. If there had been any treasures, they would have found them long ago... It's no surprise there's nothing here now."
Though that was what he believed, Li Xijun had always been thorough in his task. His eyes continued to roam, and he carefully examined the northern slope of the Great Jueting.
Since the immortal mirror is with me now, I might as well take a closer look. It'd be wonderful if I could find one or two spirit waters or treasured panaceas!
The Li Family had never thoroughly explored this forest before. It was sparsely populated by demonic beasts, so finding a spirit item or two was a real possibility. Li Xijun spent most of the day meticulously searching through the expanse, and, eventually, something unusual caught his eye.
Within the dense forest, he used the immortal mirror to probe through the overlapping rocks. Suddenly, he spotted a dark and shadowy area. Stalactites hung from above and were shimmering with specks of light, and a turbulent winding river flowed beneath it.
It was an underground river.
Beside the river stood a massive rock, its vermillion surface glowing brightly. It was connected to a palm-sized, golden, diamond-shaped stone that was radiating a soft, colorful light.
A treasure!
Li Xijun had initially been searching for a treasured panacea, but even though he did not recognize the object in front of him, it clearly looked like something of great value.
Li Xijun landed unhurriedly and seized the opportunity to further examine the surroundings with the immortal mirror.
Elsewhere, the Yu Family was celebrating another wedding. Their residence was lively with music and celebration.
The current head of the family was the seventh young master, Yu Chengyi, who was only head because Yu Su had used a dharma artifact to kill his five brothers back then, allowing him to ascend to the position.
This man, disinterested in managing the family's affairs, had delegated all power to the clan elders. He spent his days parading through the streets, taking concubines, riding horses, and watching dog fights, living a complacent life.
Meanwhile, the power struggle among the clan elders raged on. Despite perpetually scheming against each other, all of them supported Yu Chengyi as the head of the family—this was how he had managed to stay in his position year after year.
Several Qi Cultivation Realm elders of the Yu Family had perished in their failed attempts to break through. Meanwhile, the external cultivators within the family seemed to be thriving, each supporting a different branch of the Yu Family. The internal politics were intense, and among them was an extremely influential guest cultivator surnamed Lu.
Li Xijun recalled the man. He was the one who had instigated the elders of the Yu Family to block Yu Mugao outside the formation back then. He searched with his spiritual sense for a while but could not locate his whereabouts.
The Yu Family had remained relatively stable over the years. Li Xijun checked a few times and confirmed that no new cultivators had reached the late stage of the Qi Cultivation Realm.
The few already at the late-stage Qi Cultivation Realm were all elderly men, in their seventies or eighties, with little hope of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.
The internal strife back then had damaged the foundation of their family and disrupted their system... I wonder when they'll recover from it.
Although the Li Family had many spies within the Yu Family, Li Xijun felt it was still necessary to inspect things personally to be sure.
After finishing his observations, he crossed the rippling lake, riding the wind toward the Fei Family's Glacial Cloud Peak.
The Fei Family was more prosperous than in previous years. Though they had to cut down their expenses and direct their resources toward supporting Fei Qingyi, they were clearly living a comfortable life with backing in the sect.
Despite lacking a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, the visiting cultivators still treated them with respect.
Additionally, Fei Qingyi had recently befriended influential masters and managed to reduce the tributes required from his clan. Although life had improved overall for the family, most of its members practiced various cultivation techniques now, with only very few following the Jade True Dao lineage.
The Fei Family had not sent anyone to visit the Li Family in years, and the two families had grown increasingly distant. Li Xijun was not interested in further observations, so he turned back and rode the wind in search of Li Ximing.
Li Ximing was absorbed in studying a spirit fruit and the Three Aspects Breaking Realm Pill that Li Xizhi had brought back. Though the pill's refining method was ancient and complex, his natural talent for alchemy allowed him to grasp the basic concepts and progress steadily.
Upon hearing that he had to leave just as he was reaching an interesting phase in his work, Li Ximing reluctantly set it aside, muttering under his breath as he stood up.
Li Xijun smiled and said, "Come on, you won't regret coming with me! You're the only one in the family without a Foundation Establishment Realm dharma artifact... If the artifact is of good quality, you'll definitely benefit from having it in your possession!"
Hearing this, Li Ximing's face lit up instantly, and he quickly followed Li Xijun with excitement.
"Since I broke through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, I've felt my cultivation progress speeding up. It's not like what the books say—how it gradually slows down due to talent limitations. Everything still feels smooth when I cultivate..."
He shook his Daoist robe and continued confidently, "If I focus solely on my cultivation, I'm sure I can reach the middle stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm within ten years. Even if I need to divert my focus on refining pills, it should only take a bit longer than that..."
Li Xijun walked ahead with his hands clasped behind his back.
"All right... The family can only provide you with resources. We don't have experience beyond the initial stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm, so you'll need to explore the future on your own," he said.
He then shared the findings from his investigations, and Li Ximing simply nodded in understanding. Together, they rode the wind toward Great Jueting, passing through the forest and landing beside a small hill.
"The entrance to this cave lies deep within the heart of the mountain, with layers of rocks blocking it. The earth vein here is shallow, and the spiritual energy is weak. No one would think of establishing a cave dwelling here, which is why it has remained undiscovered all this while," Li Xijun explained, transmitting his voice through his spiritual sense.
As Li Ximing saw him point out the location, wisps of light quietly emerged behind him, interweaving with each other. He shook his sleeves, and the wisps of light passed through his ribs, quickly condensing in front of him.
In the span of a breath, a bright ray of light began to form, and white stone bricks materialized one after another, fitting together perfectly. They soon transformed into a massive gate—bright, crystalline, and imposing.
The gate stood tall, with two white doorposts etched with mysterious shamanic patterns. Its eaves rose high above, towering and grand. The city gate shimmered with a hazy light, as if glowing under the heat of a blazing sun.
Li Xijun examined the door closely and noticed strange, blurry words on the two doors—glyphs resembling a talisman, unreadable at first glance.
Li Ximing, proud of his work, gestured toward the gate and explained, "The inscription on the right door reads Bright as the shining light , and the left door says Radiant as the rising sun . I had a moment of clarity when I established my foundation, and recognized the writings right away."
Li Xijun frowned, intrigued but confused.
"There are words on your immortal foundation, huh? I've never heard of such a thing."
He stared at the inscription for a moment longer but his eyes began to hurt, so he had no choice but to look away. Meanwhile, Li Ximing activated the immortal foundation, causing the Radiant Origin Pass to descend from the sky, landing gracefully on the mountainside.
The closed doors swirled with energy, and bursts of bright light cascaded down, turning the soil and rocks into flying sand which tumbled down in a steady stream.