After Li Qinghong explained her plans, Li Xijun nodded thoughtfully and said in a low voice, "With Situ Mo confined on Golden Sack Island, now is an opportune time to go out. Since you are headed to the Eastern Sea, Aunt, you can also meet Second Granduncle."
"As for the Purple Smoke Gate..." Li Xijun asked, "Which younger family member will we send?"
Li Qinghong pondered briefly, then replied softly, "Most of the Cheng and Ming generation have average talent. Chenghuai needs to remain at home... Yuexiang may be the only one with enough aptitude."
Li Xijun shook his head, "Without Uncle Yuanjiao's approval, it will not work. Let us set this aside for now. Aunt, go to the Eastern Sea and consult Uncle Jiao first, then return at your leisure."
"Very well."
Seeing his reasoning, Li Qinghong nodded in agreement. She gathered her things and set out alone, riding the wind. Li Xijun escorted her to the edge of Moongaze Lake, then returned to his cave dwelling to review his sword techniques twice more before sealing the stone door to resume his cultivation.
On Mount Qingdu, the spring breeze lingered, the grass and trees grew lush, and the immortal towers and pavilions stood with only scattered figures, soon swallowed by the deepening night.
————
As Li Qinghong left Mount Qingdu, a light rain began to fall, and looking out, she saw endless dark clouds stretching across the sky. The rain itself was gentle, but it was unrelenting. She rode the wind through it for a long time and still could not find the edge of this cloud cover.
Had she not received that message from the altar earlier, she would have thought it was just a heavy, lingering rainstorm. But now, she suspected it was the aftermath of a failed Golden Core Realm breakthrough—an ominous celestial phenomenon.
Continuing on her journey, she flew over Yufu Prefecture and Mount Dongli and soon spotted the territory of the Purple Smoke Gate in the distance. There, a female cultivator was standing in midair, dressed in the robes of the Purple Smoke Gate, staring up at the sky with a furrowed brow.
As Li Qinghong approached on a flash of lightning, the female cultivator quickly noticed her and politely bowed, greeting her in a soft voice, "Disciple Shen Yanqing of the Purple Smoke Gate greets the honored elder. May I know..."
"Li Qinghong of the Li Family from Mount Qingdu," Li Qinghong answered promptly.
The female cultivator, who appeared to be around Li Xijun's age and at the seventh heavenly layer of Qi Cultivation Realm, looked surprised.
"Ah, so it is you! Yanqing has long admired your name," the girl praised, beaming.
Li Qinghong was not well-known, so she assumed this was merely polite flattery, but then Shen Yanqing stepped forward, speaking sincerely.
"I heard recently that you successfully reached the Foundation Establishment Realm... Female cultivators who practice the way of thunder are already rare, and those who achieve Foundation Establishment Realm are even fewer! I greatly admire you."
Li Qinghong looked at her with some interest and asked, "You also practice the way of thunder?"
"I do!" Shen Yanqing replied with a warm smile as she continued,"I come from the Shen Family in Yue Cultivating Sect, and our Daoist Master once acquired a thunder technique early on. Thus, we have a long-standing tradition of thunder cultivation."
"So... you are a direct line of an immortal clan, then...?" Li Qinghong muttered softly.
The Shen Family was a long-standing immortal clan of the Purple Mansion Realm based in the Xu State's Yue Cultivating Sect. Shen Yanqing was as esteemed as the Xiao Family's Xiao Yuansi. Despite her high status, she showed no arrogance. She enthusiastically guided Li Qinghong down toward the Purple Smoke Gate's territory, asking, "What brings Senior here?"
Li Qinghong replied, "I have come to pay my respects to Senior Lingyanzi."
Shen Yanqing nodded in understanding, producing a purple token to lead her inside. Towering peaks rose into view, and countless summits lay shrouded in dense violet clouds, which coiled and wove in strands, forming various shapes that gave the entire place an ethereal, fairy-like atmosphere. The pavilions and towers stood exquisitely against the scenery.
The Purple Smoke Gate had claimed this wondrous land, gathering many techniques related to it over the years, transforming the mountain into an immortal sanctuary. Cultivators from various regions and even overseas often traveled great distances to gather qi.
Shen Yanqing introduced, "The Purple Smoke Blessed Land is well-known far and wide. It is said that six or seven parts of the world's violet qi flow from here, and all Dao lineages based in violet qi regard this place as a sacred land. If Senior is fortunate, you might even catch sight of the immortal landscape when the morning sun rises!"
Seeing Li Qinghong taking in the breathtaking beauty, Shen Yanqing continued with a smile, "The old peak master used to boast often about his friendship with your clan... I suppose he has finally been proven right."
Li Qinghong recalled that Li Tongya had described Lingyanzi as somewhat eccentric and gave a slight smile in response. Shen Yanqing then softly added, "I myself cultivate Celestial Thunder through the Celestial Cloud Thunder Technique . If I achieve Foundation Establishment Realm, it will become the Lightfall Thunder ... May I ask which technique Senior uses?"
Not sure why Shen Yanqing was asking, Li Qinghong still politely replied, "Profound Thunderpool."
Profound Thunderpool... Shen Yanqing pondered this for a moment, frowning slightly. After a brief pause, she muttered quietly, "I have not heard of that one..."
"It originally stemmed from Winter Thunderclap," Li Qinghong added.
Understanding dawned on Shen Yanqing, and she smiled brightly.
"Ah, so it is also a form of Celestial Thunder! If there is ever a chance, I would love to see the senior's thunder altar in action!"
This comment from the girl revealed quite a bit of information, and Li Qinghong felt a spark of insight, thinking to herself, So, it is a form of Celestial Thunder... It seems Celestial Thunder techniques have an affinity for altar-based spells. With the Shen Family's ancient heritage, perhaps I can learn something useful!
Seeing Li Qinghong nod with a smile, Shen Yanqing beamed, her eyes brightening as the conversation drew them closer. She added with a nod, "Our three thunder lineages differ from others; we avoid all blood qi. Because of this, we tend to be especially close to one another. Once I reach the Foundation Establishment Realm, I will be honored to demonstrate the thunder invocation technique for you!"
Li Qinghong paused, a little stunned, realizing for the first time that thunder cultivators should not consume blood qi. In an instant, many doubts in her mind unraveled, bringing her mind a sudden clarity.
No wonder... No wonder there are no thunder Dao lineages in Jiangnan! Thunder techniques faded in both the overseas regions and Jiangnan... That explains why this girl is so warm and friendly with me!
Most pills circulating in Jiangnan were made with blood qi, and if consuming such substances indeed harmed thunder cultivators, then it was inevitable that thunder Dao lineages would decline. Among the Three Sects and Seven Gates, there were few with thunder lineages, much less any capable of cultivating to the Purple Mansion Realm. Meanwhile, most clan cultivators and rogue cultivators did not fully understand this, making it even harder for thunder techniques to be cultivated successfully.
As Shen Yanqing continued, she explained, "There are certain pills, and I am sure Senior knows this as well, that will cause a thunder cultivator's progress to initially surge after consuming blood qi. But soon after, progress slows, and those unaware often take more, causing them to stagnate and face difficulty breaking through, eventually shortening their lifespan..."
Li Qinghong felt a surge of relief. When she was young, her family had been impoverished, without many pills to take. Later, she was sent to the Fei Family, where she similarly had no access to such resources.
By the time she reached the Qi Cultivation Realm, Li Yuanjiao had received the white talisman, and what little the family had went to him. Li Qinghong had taken only one or two pills, likely sourced from the Xiao Family, and somehow avoided further exposure. Years later, when Wang Xun revealed the truth, she had stopped taking them entirely.
Even so, Li Qinghong now understood why her cultivation had slowed around the third and fourth heavenly layer of Qi Cultivation Realm—it was likely due to those few pills.
She exhaled slowly, feeling a deep gratitude for her grandfather Li Tongya. She even began to wonder,
Could it be... that Grandfather suspected something and arranged everything so carefully?
Lost in thought for a moment, she quickly adjusted and gained another insight, No wonder this girl is so close to me. If thunder Dao lineages cannot touch blood qi, then they also cannot rely on Shared Dao for cultivation speed or divine ability training... This naturally removes many of the usual reservations.
Shen Yanqing continued to politely introduce the various sights of the Purple Smoke Gate up ahead, while Li Qinghong, now carrying a newfound appreciation and sense of relief, walked through this sect bathed in violet clouds with a lightened heart.