Chapter 322: Peeping

Li Xizhi called out. Before Li Yuanjiao could react, Li Yuanping, seated at the head, smiled kindly and said, "Come, come, have a seat first. We're waiting for those two brothers from the middle branch; they're still on the mountain and will be here in a moment."

"Yes," Li Xizhi responded, nodding. He released Li Ximing's hand and went to stand beside Li Yuanjiao. Li Yuanjiao took a sip of tea and nodded slightly.

The two brothers Li Yuanping referred to were naturally Li Xicheng and Li Xijun, two Xi-generation brothers from Li Tongya's lineage. Li Yuanyun had many children, but only these two legitimate sons possessed spiritual apertures and were cultivating on the mountain.

No sooner had Li Yuanping finished speaking than two people entered from outside the hall. The one leading them appeared to be sixteen or seventeen years old, with a respectful expression, dressed in a gray robe, and of ordinary appearance. He carried a spear on his back and saluted with cupped hands, saying, "Xicheng greets the two elders."

Li Yuanping and the other person acknowledged him. Li Xizhi, from the side, then spoke with a smile: "Cheng'er!"

Li Xicheng's eyes lit up when he saw Li Xizhi, but out of respect for the elders present, he simply nodded a little awkwardly. Beside him, a six or seven-year-old boy with a handsome face raised an eyebrow and spoke cheerfully: "Jun'er greets the elders and Brother Xizhi."

Li Xijun was Li Yuanyun's youngest son, who had just been tested and found to possess spiritual apertures. He hadn't spent much time with Li Yuanyun; Li Yuanyun had gone to the market when he was only one year old, and Li Xijun had grown up on the mountain ever since, resulting in a much more outgoing personality.

His elder brother, Li Xicheng, who had grown up beside Li Yuanyun, seemed much more reserved, standing silently in the courtyard.

Li Yuanjiao observed carefully, taking in everything in the hall. He couldn't help but glance at Li Xijun, exclaiming with some admiration, "Jun'er truly has a fine appearance!"

Li Xijun had clearly heard such compliments before. He arched his eyebrows and said in a childish voice, "Thank you for the praise, Uncle."

"Indeed!" Li Yuanping had also been watching the child intently. He couldn't help but praise him, laughing, "This child has a naturally auspicious appearance for cultivation. He was famous even before his spiritual apertures were tested, people saying he was born to cultivate immortality. Now, after testing, he indeed possesses spiritual apertures!"

Li Yuanjiao nodded with a smile, his mood considerably brightened by the child's appearance. Then he said gently, "I've called you young ones here today because there are a few important matters to discuss."

Li Yuanjiao adjusted his teacup and said solemnly, "For years, there have been rumors that the Azure Sprout Sword Immortal has perished. The various families around the lake, seeing this as an opportunity, have spread the news widely. Everyone has heard something. As direct descendants of the Li family, you must know the truth of this matter."

Upon hearing the name of the Azure Sprout Sword Immortal, the young ones all looked up, their expressions slightly grave, clearly having heard news from their parents. Li Yuanjiao nodded, "The Sword Immortal has indeed passed on..."

The several young people immediately lowered their heads, and the atmosphere grew somber. Li Yuanjiao said in a low voice, "The news of the soul lamp extinguishing within the sect has been disclosed and is now widely known. Our family no longer has a patron within the sect, and with our information channels blocked, we fear being taken advantage of by others. Therefore, we have invited the Azure Sprout Peak Master to come... Li Xizhi!"

"Your child is here!" Li Xizhi lifted his robe, stepped forward, and responded respectfully. Li Yuanjiao said softly, "The clan requires you to enter the sect for cultivation, to train under Azure Sprout Peak, protect the clan, and establish a foundation for immortality... Do you understand?"

Li Xizhi bowed and replied, "Xizhi will not fail your trust."

Li Xijun and Li Ximing were still young and didn't perceive the gravity of the situation; they only felt a faint reluctance at the thought of being separated for many years. Li Xicheng, however, having read the clan's history, looked at Li Xizhi with concern, sighing inwardly.

"Good." Li Yuanjiao's eyes sparkled as he helped him up. Looking at the others, he said softly, "There is one more matter. The number of younger generations in the clan is increasing, and those from concubine lines and collateral branches are more numerous than before. Therefore, the generational naming system needs further distinction to avoid mistaking identities."

"From your generation onwards, sons born to the Elder Lake Duke's main branch shall have names containing characters from the '宀' or '日' radicals. Those from the Tongya Duke's middle branch shall have names from '山' or '辶'. Those from Xiangping Duke's uncle branch shall have names from '工' or '钅'. And those from Chijing Duke's youngest branch shall have names from '氵' or '禾'."

He stood with his hands behind his back and said softly, "My elder brother mentioned this long ago, and we have kept it in mind. Your names come from this system."

Li Xicheng and Li Xijun belonged to Li Tongya's lineage, so their names both contain '山'. Li Ximing, as the eldest direct descendant of the main branch, has a name from '日'. Li Yuanjiao had already been adopted into Li Chijing's lineage, which is why he gave Li Xizhi the character '治' in his name.

The young ones understood, and all agreed. Only then did Li Yuanjiao nod and say, "For this last matter, follow me up the mountain."

"All four sons are gone," Lu Jiangxian sighed softly as the white light in his hand slowly dispersed, having finished absorbing the power of the Profound Pearl Talisman Seeds.

Perhaps because Li Tongya's cultivation had dissipated, the feedback from the Profound Pearl Talisman Seeds was not as potent as Li Chijing's. Although it had given Lu Jiangxian a good meal, he still felt somewhat unsatisfied.

"The power of the Grand Yin Profound Light has improved; it can now obliterate ordinary peak Foundation Establishment cultivators. If struck by this Profound Light, unless one possesses a special immortal foundation, there is absolutely no way to survive."

He made a grasping motion in the air and produced five white pills. "Li Xuanling is also dead. Four Profound Pearl Talisman Seeds remain outside the mirror: Li Xuanxuan, Li Xuanfeng, Li Yuanjiao, and Li Qinghong..."

The number of Profound Pearl Talisman Seeds had not increased. According to Lu Jiangxian's calculations, the Dharma Mirror's power would likely need to recover to the Purple Mansion realm before another three could be regenerated.

"My perception has expanded considerably..." Lu Jiangxian's perceptive sight now covered a significant portion of Yue and Xu states. Except for the mountain gates of a few Purple Mansion cultivators, which he dared not probe, all other mundane lands and minor families were within his view. It was a pity that his perceptive sight could not penetrate grand arrays like divine sense, otherwise he would have thoroughly examined the ancestral secrets of various clans.

As for his divine sense, it already covered the entire Moon-Gazing Lake, with the Yu and Fei families, among others, clearly visible.

"How can a scholar's actions be called stealing!" He closed the "Changjin Heart-Questioning Art" in his hand and looked at the glowing points materialized on the jade table: "Jade Dao Harmony Art," "White Hair Knocking at the Court Sutra," "Minor Artifact Refinement on the Lake," "Essence of Talismans," "Brief Explanation of Alchemy"...

"What a solid family foundation!" The Yu clan had usurped the Jiang family's Dao heritage back then, inheriting a vast collection of records and insights on artifact refining and alchemy. However, there weren't many high-grade cultivation techniques. The Li family already possessed the "White Hair Knocking at the Court Sutra," a fourth-grade technique leading directly to the Purple Mansion realm.

After all, the Jiang family was founded by outer disciples of an Immortal Mansion, so there were only a few high-grade cultivation methods. Apart from a third-grade technique called "Sea-Gazing Mountain-Driving Art," which, when cultivated to form a Dao foundation, was known as "Ignorant Mountain Driver," the rest were all third-grade techniques of the same metal affinity.

It was clear that the Moon Blossom Primal Mansion had left paths to the Purple Mansion realm for its outer disciples, which conveniently benefited the families on this lake. Five or six cultivation techniques leading to Foundation Establishment were far better than those in the Mushroom Forest Plain, where everyone had to cultivate the first-grade "Grand Avenue Art" due to their fetal breathing state.

"In my previous life, I, Lu Jiangxian, was still quite benevolent..." He chuckled self-deprecatingly and pieced these Dao heritages together: "Jade Court General," "Green Jade Cliff," "Dao Harmony True," "Intertwined Dao Brocade."

"One more is missing..." Lu Jiangxian speculated for a while. Combining the deaths and dissipation of Yu Yufeng and Fei Wangbai, he mused, "Perhaps the next will be True Person Shangyuan breaking through to the Golden Core realm... the metal affinity he seeks is likely this path."

With this thought, Lu Jiangxian put aside all these highly perilous cultivation techniques. He organized three artifact-refining secret methods, one alchemy secret method, and six talisman secret methods.

Also, two other third-grade cultivation techniques: the Fei family's "Cold Pine Dew Snow Art" and the Yu family's "Sea-Gazing Mountain-Driving Art."

"I'll find an excuse to bestow these things," he pondered for a moment, thinking, "But since the Li family no longer has a Foundation Establishment cultivator, logically, the Dharma Mirror's talisman seeds should decrease from nine to six, leaving two remaining, which would align with the Li family's conjecture."

Lu Jiangxian hesitated for a moment. After all, back then, the number of talisman seeds had gradually increased, and Lu Jiangxian had deliberately timed it so that they increased precisely as Li Tongya's strength grew.

Therefore, Li Tongya's conjecture at the time was that the talisman seeds increased with the holder's strength. Now that Li Yuanjiao held the mirror, the talisman seeds should also change.

"Oh, well," Lu Jiangxian pondered for a breath. In the end, he released the five talisman seeds, musing, "I can't let caution hinder progress. Li Yuanjiao is a clever man; he will find an explanation himself."