Chapter 110: Vein of Ore

Li Tongya had been in secluded cultivation for over a year when he heard a faint sound outside his stone door. He exhaled a stream of white spiritual energy and said in a deep voice, "Come in."

The stone door immediately creaked open, and a teenager, just over ten years old, walked in. His face bore a strong resemblance to Li Tongya's; it was Li Xuanling. He respectfully announced, "Father, the Lu family is here again."

Li Tongya shook his head, a helpless expression on his face. "Alright, hiding like this is not a solution. Come with me to meet them."

The Lu family had visited three times in the past year, always seeking Li Tongya. Li Tongya had been reluctant to show himself due to his significant cultivation advancement. However, Lu Sisui was very persistent, visiting every few months. Li Tongya worried that if he didn't appear soon, the Lu family might assume he was dead and start having ill intentions. After all, Qi Condensation practitioners, unlike Foundation Establishment cultivators who could sustain themselves through spiritual energy alone, still needed to drink water and move around every ten days to half a month. There was no such thing as being in absolute seclusion for several years. Once or twice was fine, but frequent, prolonged seclusion might arouse suspicion.

"The last time I saw a member of the Lu family was over three years ago. Back then, I was at the third level of Qi Condensation. Now I'm at the fifth level. Although Qi Condensation is a slow process, progressing a level every three to five years is considered fast. I can probably manage to pass this off..."

"Ling'er, did Lu Sisui say anything specific?" Li Tongya asked as they walked.

Li Xuanling replied in a low voice, "Lu Sisui is very arrogant. He doesn't think anything of us Fetal Respiration practitioners; he wouldn't deign to speak with us."

Li Tongya chuckled softly. "He's just a Qi Condensation cultivator. If he reached Foundation Establishment, wouldn't he be insufferably arrogant? Back then, Senior Xiao Chuting, at the peak of Foundation Establishment, could humble himself to befriend a Fetal Respiration cultivator. This truly shows the difference in character." As he spoke, Li Tongya felt a secret curiosity. According to Zhang Yun of the Golden Feather Sect, Xiao Chuting had already attained the Purple Mansion realm. He wondered how many years he had been hiding this, what opportunity he was waiting for, and how many changes he would bring about!

"Xiao Chuting has lived for over two hundred years. In the first half of his life, he single-handedly led the crumbling Xiao family to control the entire Lixia County, and then he quietly cultivated to the Purple Mansion realm. He is no ordinary person; his plans must be earth-shattering... My Li family is quite close to the Xiao family, so I don't know what will happen in the future..."

As he pondered, he found himself unconsciously in the main courtyard. Li Tongya looked up and saw Lu Sisui calmly drinking tea in the hall, with a vibrant young man seated beside him. The young man wore a fox fur coat, indicating considerable luxury.

"Senior Lu!" Li Tongya smiled and cupped his hands in greeting.

Lu Sisui rose to welcome him but suddenly stopped, exclaiming, "Fifth level of Qi Condensation?!" Lu Sisui himself was only at the sixth level of Qi Condensation. After three years of not seeing him, Li Tongya was almost catching up.

Li Tongya laughed heartily and explained, "Last time we parted, I was just on the verge of breaking through to the fourth level of Qi Condensation. Soon after, I acquired a spiritual fruit in the mountains and used over three years to achieve the breakthrough. I've only just come out of seclusion!" Li Tongya was, of course, fabricating the story. The last time he met Lu Sisui, he had just broken through to the third level of Qi Condensation, and now it had been nearly three years since his breakthrough.

Lu Sisui, however, suddenly understood. Hearing Li Tongya's explanation, he felt it wasn't so outrageous after all. Breaking through two levels in over three years seemed like merely a matter of sequential timing. He grumbled, "What good luck!"

Li Tongya smiled slightly. Lu Sisui turned and pulled the young man forward, introducing him, "This is Lu Yuanlu, a newly promoted Qi Condensation cultivator from my Lu family!"

Li Tongya quickly nodded and cupped his hands, saying, "A pleasure to meet you."

The young man, who looked to be in his early twenties, was quite arrogant. He merely waved his hand and said, "A pleasure." Li Tongya was momentarily taken aback, and Lu Sisui beside him gave a faint wry smile. To their surprise, Lu Yuanlu then raised his chin and declared loudly, "I hear Brother Tongya's swordplay is excellent. We should spar sometime!" With that, he raised his wrist, and a faint blue true essence enveloped the sword at his waist. Only then did Li Tongya realize, with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

"This guy is showing off that he cultivates a legitimate technique and absorbs Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, not just Minor Spiritual Qi!" After all, a Qi Condensation cultivator who practiced a legitimate technique and absorbed proper Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi could easily defeat two or three cultivators who absorbed miscellaneous spiritual energy. Naturally, they had reason to be proud. Li Tongya smiled faintly and cupped his hands, saying, "Brother Lu's true essence is truly admirable!"

Lu Yuanlu nodded with a smug smile. Lu Sisui, standing beside him, was utterly mortified and didn't know what to say. Looking at the young man, Li Tongya suddenly recalled another fool from the Lu family he had met on Guan Cloud Peak. That person seemed to have died at the hands of the Ji family. So he quietly asked, "I once met a friend on Guan Cloud Peak who practiced Qi Condensation using Minor Spiritual Qi. I wonder if that Lu Yuanping is..."

"He is indeed my elder brother!"

"Oh? Brother Yuanlu certainly surpasses Brother Yuanping by a great deal."

Lu Yuanlu raised an eyebrow, about to speak, when Lu Sisui, unable to bear it any longer, quickly interjected, fearing that he would reveal too much family information if he continued, "Yuanlu!" Seeing Lu Yuanlu look at him in confusion, Lu Sisui gritted his teeth and said, "What follows is not for your ears. Go wait for me on the road." Lu Yuanlu's eyes widened, and his lips twitched twice. Fortunately, he didn't speak aloud in front of outsiders. He stomped away, walking on air in indignation, without even saying goodbye.

"Heh heh." Li Tongya chuckled ambiguously. Lu Sisui sighed even more deeply, muttering, "My disciple is accustomed to acting like a tyrant at home. Please forgive him, young friend." What was supposed to be a show of strength had turned into an embarrassment. Lu Sisui appeared even more flustered. Looking at Li Xuanling below, he sighed, "I see your noble clan manages its household very strictly. We should learn from you."

"May I ask the purpose of your visit, Senior?" Li Tongya, unwilling to waste time with him, directly asked.

Lu Sisui finally collected himself. His white beard fluttered as he said gravely, "A few years ago, a Purple Mansion cultivator attacked Qingchi Mountain with great force. I heard that even the Heavenly Origin spiritual array was activated."

Li Tongya was startled, speaking with some disbelief. "Qingchi Mountain? Attacked the Qingchi Sect? Has someone gone mad?! What force dares to be so arrogant?"

"Who knows?" Lu Sisui's face showed a triumphant expression; he felt he had regained some standing. He chuckled, "Anyway, it was a major battle. The Qingchi Sect lost face for the first time in over a hundred years. Do you know how the Immortal Sect handled it?"

"How did they handle it?" Li Tongya asked, genuinely curious.

"They came out, explained, and let it go! The dignified Qingchi Immortal Sect just quietly dropped the matter! Do you know why?"

Li Tongya had some suspicions but maintained a look of disbelief, pressing, "Why?"

"I heard... a Purple Mansion elder of the Qingchi Sect is about to ascend!" Lu Sisui spoke in a low voice, his face flushed with excitement, his jade Ruyi scepter gripped tightly. He stated grimly, "It's said there will definitely be changes in the next few years! We must be prepared."

Li Tongya nodded repeatedly, knowing the old man from the Lu family wanted to do him a favor. He said seriously, "Thank you for informing me, Senior!"

Lu Sisui nodded with satisfaction and waved his hand. "This time, there's another important matter, concerning your Li family, my Lu family, and the An family."

"The An family possesses a vein-seeking technique, and they've been surveying my family's territory these past few days. They claim to have discovered an azure-black ore vein at the border between our two families."

Upon hearing this, Li Tongya's face immediately lit up with joy. He quickly asked, "What's the output like? And what's the direction of the vein?" Azure-black ore was a common material for forging magical artifacts for Fetal Respiration and Qi Condensation cultivators. If mined properly, an additional income of several dozen spiritual stones a year would not be a problem, naturally delighting Li Tongya.

Lu Sisui smacked his lips, regretfully saying, "It's a miniature ore vein, stretching several miles from east to west. If the vein weren't narrow, winding, and extending deep into your family's territory, we would have simply enclosed it and mined it ourselves."

Li Tongya immediately brightened, chuckling, "This matter is very important. I must go and see it for myself. Senior Lu, perhaps you could lead the way?"

Lu Sisui nodded and replied, "Of course. I'll take you there to investigate first. Afterwards, we'll need to discuss the mining and profit sharing."