Chapter 22: Immortal Sect

Lijing Village has 229 households, Lichuankou 101 households, Jingyang Village 297 households, and Lidaokou 158 households, totaling 785 households and 4,280 people.

Li Tongya and several others sat formally in the main courtyard of the Li family estate, while Li Yesheng, standing at the lowest position in the courtyard, read aloud the charcoal-written characters on a piece of cloth.

"Among 4,280 people, with three able-bodied adults per household, we should be able to find one or two individuals with spiritual apertures," Li Xiangping murmured, leaning against a wooden table.

"Last night, several elders of the Ye clan came to visit Yesheng... hoping to restore their ancestral surname," Li Yesheng said with a wry smile, glancing at the people seated at the head of the table.

"Ancestral surname?" Li Tongya asked, looking up in confusion.

Seeing Li Tongya and the other person's puzzled expressions, Li Mutian cleared his throat and explained,

"The Ye clan was originally a branch of our Li family. However, they made a mistake later, and their entire branch was expelled from the Li family and changed their surname to Ye."

"Originally, neither family mentioned this matter. But now that our Li family has gained immortal favor, the Ye clan naturally came clinging, hoping to revert to their ancestral surname."

Hearing this, Li Yesheng nodded as well. He had only learned of this long-kept secret last night, when the Ye clan elder tearfully recounted the story. The elder had wept bitterly; if it weren't for the Li family's recent acquisition of immortal favor, which prompted their attachment, Li Yesheng would have truly believed the man was loyal to their main family.

"If any branch of the Ye family produces an individual with a spiritual aperture, that branch will be permitted to revert to the Li surname and become a branch of our Li family."

After hearing Li Mutian's explanation, Li Xiangping immediately replied to Li Yesheng, instructing him to deliver the answer to the elder. Then he turned to Li Mutian and asked, "Father, concerning the administrators for these villages..."

"Chen Erniu is shrewd and capable, and he came from Lichuankou as a refugee, so send him there. Jingyang Village is the most populous and prosperous, so we need to assign a trusted person; let your Uncle Ren oversee it."

Li Mutian took a small sip of tea and continued, "Lidaokou is adjacent to the ancient Lidao Road, with many refugees, making the situation the most complex. Xu Wenshan is a shrewd one; let him go there with his group of refugee brothers."

"Father, you've thought of everything," Li Xiangping nodded, holding and examining the scroll containing the methods for cultivating spiritual plants.

"The immediate priority is to use the spirit-seeking technique from this scroll to examine the ley lines of these villages, identify the spiritual fields, and plant the spirit rice and white yuan fruit as soon as possible."

***

Li Chijing stood on the flying shuttle, watching the vast land beneath him, the ant-like houses, and the majestic cities all disappear into the distance. His sorrow of leaving home was immediately cast aside, and his heart surged with excitement.

"A true man should ride the wind and embrace the moon, wielding his sword across the land!"

After flying for about two hours, a towering mountain range appeared before Li Chijing. Pavilions and intricate structures stretched endlessly throughout the mountains, presenting a scene of immortal grandeur.

Flocks of immortal cranes and white birds wove through the mountains. Si Yuanbai, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, now opened them, waved his hand, tossed out a token, and waited quietly.

"So, Master Uncle Yuanbai has returned," a white crane said, slowly stopping in front of Li Chijing, holding the token in its beak, and curiously asked, "Who is this young man?"

Li Chijing, seeing a talking immortal beast for the first time, was too nervous to speak. Si Yuanbai smiled and said, "He's a new disciple of my Green Sprout Peak."

"Congratulations, Master Uncle," the immortal crane congratulated. Then, it gently flapped its wings, and a transparent barrier slowly opened a gap in front of the two.

Only then did Li Chijing realize there was a nearly transparent, vast protective barrier covering the entire mountain gate of the Green Pond Sect, isolating the spiritual energy inside from the outside.

Upon entering the Green Pond Sect's mountain gate, Li Chijing immediately felt a wave of comfort. "What high spiritual energy concentration," he remarked.

Seeing Li Chijing's surprised expression, Si Yuanbai chuckled softly. "This is the Green Pond Sect's Heavenly Origin Spirit Array, incredibly profound. It seals off the inside from the outside, ensuring the spiritual veins of Green Pond Mountain are exclusively enjoyed by our sect. With the power of this array, as long as an immortal cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage is present, even a Purple Palace cultivator would find it difficult to break through."

"How truly remarkable," Li Chijing echoed, secretly thinking to himself, "I wonder if I can learn this array and set one up for my family's back mountain."

Seeing Li Chijing's distant look, Si Yuanbai assumed he was awestruck and continued, "There are a hundred arts of immortal cultivation: array formations, alchemy, magical artifacts, talismans, beast taming, pulse divination, and more, all infinitely profound. It's best to choose one to specialize in."

"Master, which of the hundred arts of immortal cultivation do you practice?" Li Chijing asked curiously.

"Among the thirty-six peaks of Green Pond, Green Sprout Peak has always been renowned for its sword techniques..." Si Yuanbai replied, lifting his head proudly.

"Oh, I see," Li Chijing nodded in sudden understanding, looking at the precious sword at Si Yuanbai's waist.

"Therefore... your master cultivates the path of talismans," Si Yuanbai continued, looking at the stunned Li Chijing with a touch of embarrassment.

"Your grand-master died early, and I haven't yet mastered the path of the Sword Immortal. However, Green Sprout Peak constantly needed funds for daily expenses, so I had no choice but to learn some talismans. Who knew that the more I learned about talismans, the more proficient I became..."

"Oh, right," Li Chijing nodded repeatedly, indicating his understanding.

"First, I'll take you to meet a few of your senior disciples." Si Yuanbai led Li Chijing, weaving through the various peaks until they found the lower Green Sprout Peak and landed on its summit. A man and a woman walked towards them.

"You are the seventh in line among my disciples. This is your third senior brother, Xiao Yuansi, who has a Qi Condensation cultivation of the seventh level. And that is your fourth senior sister, Yuan Tuan, with a Qi Condensation cultivation of the third level."

Li Chijing respectfully bowed to the man and woman. Xiao Yuansi, who appeared to have thick eyebrows and large eyes, looking quite uninhibited and generous, handed over a jade slip and said, "This is a sword art scroll I happened to obtain while out. I'll give it to you, junior brother, as a welcome gift."

Yuan Tuan also smiled slightly and presented a jade pendant, saying, "This jade pendant can calm the spirit and steady the mind, aiding in meditation. It's a useful tool for the Fetal Breath realm, and I'll give it to you, junior brother, as well."

Li Chijing naturally thanked each of them, then curiously asked, "Are the other senior brothers and sisters in seclusion?"

Si Yuanbai chuckled softly and replied, "Your eldest senior brother had extraordinary talent. He achieved the Great Perfection of Qi Condensation last year, then went into seclusion to break through to Foundation Establishment, but he failed and perished."

Si Yuanbai's answer clearly surprised Li Chijing. He let out a low "ah" and looked at Si Yuanbai with a complex expression.

"As for your other senior brothers and sisters, some died at the hands of demonic beasts, some died in battles over treasures, and others succumbed to bottlenecks or inner demons. All are buried on this peak. You'll come with me to pay respects to them."

Seeing Li Chijing's mournful expression, Si Yuanbai gave a cold laugh and said, "Immortal cultivation is inherently a path of great struggle! You must fight, and you must fight to win! If you don't win, you die—what's there to regret?"

"You, Li Chijing, must fight; if you don't win, you die. Your Li family must fight; if you don't win, your clan perishes. My Green Sprout Peak must also fight; if we don't win, our lineage ends. The world is inherently a place where the strong prey on the weak—what is there to hide?"