Chapter 54: Jade Capital

"This formation looks solid and hard to destroy; it has likely surpassed the Spirit Breath realm."

Li Xiangping shot two more arrows. Seeing the formation remain completely still, he let out a soft sigh.

Li Qiuyang gazed around for a while, walking back and forth on the hillside, but couldn't discern any trick. He then immediately inquired, "Young Patriarch, our Li family has no legacy in formation arts, so breaking this formation will be extremely difficult. Perhaps we should cooperate with the Wan family..."

"No," Li Xiangping replied, shaking his head. He then spoke softly again, "Second Brother is about to break through to the Jade Capital realm. There's likely still a turn of events ahead, so why share this with the Wan family? If we do, whether we succeed in breaking the formation or not, we'll have to give them a share of the spoils. If any valuable spirit items appear, it might even lead to enmity between our two families. Why take such a risk?"

"The Patriarch is right!" Li Qiuyang offered an apology and calmly stepped back behind him.

"I called you all here because I've made some arrangements," Li Xiangping said with a wave of his hand and a deep voice. "Ye Sheng, go prepare the manpower from Jingyang Village. Discuss it thoroughly with Uncle Ping'an. In the next few years, we will build mountain roads and courtyards on this mountain. It's crucial to mark out and secure these plots of land. I've surveyed the surrounding ley lines. The land around the hillside is rich in spiritual energy, a large expanse of spiritual fields. We can plant two crops of spirit rice every five years, yielding at least one hundred jin of spirit rice. From now on, Qiuyang, you will be in charge of overseeing this."

"Yes, sir!" Li Qiuyang quietly assented, and at Li Xiangping's signal, he went down the mountain with Li Yesheng to negotiate with Ren Ping'an.

"Adding the current three hundred jin produced by our Li family, we'll have a surplus of two or three spirit stones every five years. In a few more years, we'll be much better off financially." Watching the two descend the mountain and disappear from sight, Li Xiangping turned his head to look at the smiling Li Xuanxuan and chuckled, "What is it?"

"Uncle truly trusts Brother Qiuyang a lot," Li Xuanxuan said with a smile, looking up at Li Xiangping.

Li Xiangping chuckled, then lowered his voice and said, "Li Qiuyang's family is discreet and sensible, especially his father, Li Chengfu, who knows when to advance and when to retreat. You and I can trust them completely. Currently, our Li family has vast lands but a sparse population, so we shouldn't be stingy with the power we wield. Be bold and let these people take initiative. Li Qiuyang might achieve Spirit Breath, but he might not reach Qi Condensation. Even if he does reach Qi Condensation, he might not be able to produce offspring with spiritual apertures. He's certainly no match for our main lineage. There's no need to guard against him becoming too powerful right now. As for the Liu family of Jingyang, they've already become our in-laws, and their only cultivator is now one of us, so there's even less to worry about."

Seeing Li Xuanxuan's thoughtful expression, Li Xiangping leaned closer to his ear and chuckled softly, "Besides, how much do I actually trust him? His father and older brother are both at the foot of Mount Lijing. Li Qiuyang's cultivation is low and his age is young. Ren Ping'an and Li Yesheng also oversee Jingyang Village. What kind of trouble could he possibly stir up?"

Li Xuanxuan's brows immediately relaxed. He mulled over these words a few times in his mind and smiled, "Your nephew has learned a lot!"

Li Xiangping then raised his head, frowning, with a gentler look in his eyes, and said in a deep voice, "Stay by your uncle's side and learn well. This Li family will be handed over to you sooner or later. Your uncle only began cultivating at sixteen or seventeen, so I won't be able to go as far as you. Moreover, life and death are unpredictable. The demonic beasts in these mountains are increasing day by day, and no one knows what might happen. Our Li family must seize the time, and you, Li Xuanxuan, must also seize the time."

"Life and death are unpredictable," Li Xuanxuan murmured in repetition. As he softly repeated the words, the image of his father, whom he had never met, suddenly appeared in his mind, bringing a surge of bitterness.

****

"The essence of the Spirit Breath stage lies in the Jade Capital. The Jade Capital Wheel is located in the Sun-Ascension Mansion and is the fifth wheel of the Spirit Breath stage. After this, one can condense the sixth wheel, the Spirit Prime Wheel, also in the Sun-Ascension Mansion, then absorb a mouthful of spiritual energy from heaven and earth to advance to the Qi Condensation realm."

Li Tongya slowly awoke from his meditative trance, his heart filled with immense joy. He felt the nascent spiritual sense wandering through his body, and the world before him was completely different; he could see wisps of spiritual energy flowing around him. As his spiritual sense enveloped the formation flag before him, the Mist Maze Formation on Mount Lijing immediately trembled. Li Tongya felt as though he could control it with a thought, and everything on and around the mountain was within his grasp. The blood imprints left by the family's cultivators on the formation flag could also be erased instantly.

"After condensing the Jade Capital Wheel, mortals will no longer be able to harm me." After carefully adjusting the layout of the mountain's Mist Maze Formation to fully cover the additional small path exits that had appeared over the years, Li Tongya picked up a small piece of bluestone from the ground and effortlessly crushed it into powder. Everything within a ten-foot radius appeared in his mind with exquisite detail. He could easily dodge swiftly flying hidden arrows, and also use his magic power to bare-handedly catch gleaming blade edges. A Jade Capital Wheel cultivator could easily defeat dozens of mortals, and through maneuvering and guerrilla tactics, could even rout hundreds or thousands of soldiers.

Pushing open the back gate, Li Tongya saw Li Xiangping sitting cross-legged in the courtyard, cultivating. Under the detection of his spiritual sense, the four spiritual wheels on Li Xiangping's body shone dazzlingly like points of light. "So this is how spiritual sense observes cultivation: four spiritual wheels indicate the fourth layer of Spirit Breath, the Azure Origin Wheel."

Watching Li Xiangping slowly open his eyes, Li Tongya smiled, "Congratulations, Third Brother, on your breakthrough to Azure Origin."

Li Xiangping, however, let out a bitter laugh and replied, "Is this the spiritual sense of the Jade Capital Wheel? You saw through it at a glance."

Li Tongya laughed heartily. Their eyes met, and both saw the anticipation in the other's gaze.

The two walked through the backyard and entered the small room at the very back, where Li Mutian was already seated, watching them step in together.

"Father, I have manifested spiritual sense and can now examine this magic artifact." Li Tongya cupped his hands, watched the old man slowly nod, and then cautiously stepped forward to touch the mirror with his spiritual sense.

Lu Jiangxian awoke when Li Tongya broke through to the Jade Capital Wheel, feeling the power fed back from the Mystic Pearl Rune Seed, and internally assessing the might of his Grand Yin Profound Light. It was equivalent to an attack formed by the concentrated vital essence of a peak Spirit Breath realm cultivator at the Spirit Prime Wheel. If caught off guard, it should be able to kill a nascent Qi Condensation realm cultivator. His current magic power could support about three consecutive uses. After exhausting it, he would need to absorb moonlight essence or spiritual energy for several days to recover.

Feeling Li Tongya's spiritual sense slowly enter the mirror, Lu Jiangxian felt as if a small tentacle had poked him, much like when his female deskmate in school used to secretly poke him with a pen during class. A momentary pang of sadness passed through his heart. Lu Jiangxian then refocused his thoughts on the young man before him, cooperatively releasing a dazzling white light and slowly rising from the stone platform.

Pure white moonlight essence continuously surged forth, engulfing the mirror body and lifting it. Pale white moonlight, like mist, diffused downwards from the stone platform, submerging half the room, overflowing from the windows and threshold, and finally dissipating outside like smoke. Li Xiangping and the others were instantly awed by the shimmering white light and the flowing moonlight essence. Feeling the cool moonlight washing over their ankles or wrists, their minds became clear, and they gazed at the stone platform with eager anticipation.