Chapter 72: Ancient and Secret Methods

Li Tongya descended the mountain, carefully pondering Xiao Chuting's words. He mused to himself, "What did he mean by that? Even the Xiao family knows about the Borer-Gold Sect's southward advance, so why is the Azure Pool Sect doing nothing, allowing them to rampage through the Mushroom Forest?"

A sudden thought made Li Tongya's heart skip a beat. He thought, "This is bad. With the demise of the Wan family, the Ji family will surely corner my Li family in Great Li Mountain. Like lips without teeth, if one falls, the other suffers. Xiangping must have already used the Dharma Mirror to intervene. I wonder what the situation is now. I should have returned home immediately."

"But the Mushroom Forest is now engulfed in conflict everywhere. Detouring would be a long journey; it might be quicker to wait two or three days."

As he pondered these matters, Li Tongya's brows furrowed, when he heard a loud call: "Brother Tongya!"

Li Tongya turned his head in surprise and saw Xiao Yongling hurrying up from behind. Smiling, Xiao Yongling grabbed Li Tongya's hand and exclaimed, "It's been years, Brother Tongya! Why didn't you come looking for me when you arrived at the Xiao family? I've been patrolling around that dilapidated tavern for days, but I didn't see either of you."

"Oh, and where's Brother Wan?"

Li Tongya sighed softly and replied, "When I left home, I passed by the Wan family but didn't see Wan Yuankai. Then I heard about the Borer-Gold Sect's southward advance. They've probably already breached Huaqian Mountain by now. Brother Wan... his fate is likely sealed."

Xiao Yongling froze, his expression turning sorrowful. He sighed deeply, "Alas, fortunes change unexpectedly, and fate is unpredictable. Some things are simply beyond our control."

As he strolled through the market at the foot of the mountain with Li Tongya, Xiao Yongling made some small talk before speaking seriously: "I heard that Brother Tongya achieved the Jade Capital stage many years ago and is only a step away from the peak of the Primordial Breath stage, just one step from the Spiritual Primordium Cycle. Have you prepared your Qi Cultivation techniques, and which type of spiritual energy of heaven and earth do you plan to absorb?"

Li Tongya gave a bitter smile and said softly, "To be frank, Brother Xiao, my family only possesses one second-grade cultivation technique, the Heaven-Origin Qi Cultivation Art. This art requires absorbing Minor Clarity spiritual energy. We have no method for gathering this energy ourselves, so I'll probably have to buy Minor Clarity spiritual energy from the market, which is quite a headache."

Xiao Yongling was stunned. All his life, he had taken pills according to the accumulation of their toxic effects, customized magical artifacts to his liking, and freely chosen cultivation techniques and secret arts. Li Tongya's answer clearly caught Xiao Yongling, who was accustomed to a life of luxury, off guard. For a moment, he was too shocked to speak.

Li Tongya, however, didn't mind. He silently calculated this year's harvest: after deducting the two hundred catties for tribute, he still had over two hundred sixty catties of spirit rice and seven White Origin Fruits in his storage bag, worth approximately four spirit stones. The three Wu Zuo worms in his family had spun silk twelve times over five years, producing three silk floss bundles, valued at half a spirit stone. As for the Spirit Talisman Art left by Li Chijing, Li Tongya had studied it for five years but had only just grasped some of its intricacies, producing one or two finished products. He still hadn't dared to use proper talisman paper to draw them.

Li Tongya and Li Xiangping managed the household frugally. Talisman paper cost one spirit stone for thirty sheets, while a Primordial Breath stage talisman typically sold for one spirit stone per three talismans. To break even on the paper alone, they needed to succeed in drawing one talisman out of ten, not even considering the ink. Naturally, they didn't dare to draw them casually.

Li Tongya was thinking of finding a place to sell these spiritual items he had when he heard Xiao Yongling, with a complicated expression, say: "Minor Clarity spiritual energy usually costs about thirty spirit stones. Brother Tongya, have you prepared the spirit stones?"

Li Tongya shook his head and smiled, "I'm not in a hurry. This Minor Clarity spiritual energy is very expensive, equivalent to decades of my family's income. I'll save up spirit stones for now and see. Those in the Primordial Breath stage often live up to a hundred and twenty years; I have plenty of time."

Xiao Yongling stared at him blankly, then suddenly said softly, "Brother Tongya, you achieved the Jade Capital stage at thirty and are on the cusp of Qi Cultivation. Your talent is quite good, yet you are burdened by your family... it's truly a pity. If you had been born into an aristocratic family, you would surely surpass Yongling a hundredfold!"

Li Tongya raised an eyebrow, seeing Xiao Yongling's emotional state, and chuckled derisively, "Hahahaha, what kind of talk is that? Life is difficult; people have always banded together for warmth. Don't look at my Li family's current predicament. It was our ancestors' centuries of accumulation that allowed us this chance to enter the immortal path. It's not a burden; rather, it's what the family has achieved."

Xiao Yongling nodded thoughtfully and smiled, "Yongling has learned a valuable lesson."

Li Tongya smiled and shook his head, his gaze slowly shifting over the stalls. He then spoke seriously, "Brother Yongling, these Qi Cultivation techniques... how much do they typically cost?"

"If you're talking about the common, run-of-the-mill rogue cultivator techniques, they probably won't cost more than a few spirit stones. You can find them at roadside stalls." Xiao Yongling then pointed to a pavilion ahead and explained, "But if you want to buy legitimate techniques of second grade or higher, you'll need to visit several shops. They generally cost anywhere from dozens to hundreds of spirit stones. Some shops even sell the cultivation method together with the corresponding spiritual energy of heaven and earth, saving you time spent searching and gathering, but they are much more expensive."

"Of course, there are also ancient and secret techniques. Their prices fluctuate wildly, depending entirely on the individual."

Li Tongya frowned and asked skeptically, "Ancient and secret techniques?"

Xiao Yongling chuckled softly and explained, "All techniques originate from a specific Qi. If the required Qi for a technique cannot be found, then the technique cannot be practiced. Over time, circumstances change; perhaps the Qi-gathering method is lost, or the environment that produced the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is destroyed. Some spiritual energies can no longer be found, so many accompanying techniques, lacking their specific Qi, become useless. Such techniques are called 'ancient techniques.'"

Seeing Li Tongya listening attentively, Xiao Yongling nodded and smiled, "There's another type of technique, called 'secret techniques.'"

"Some families or sects inherited wondrous ancient techniques, but because the required Qi was missing and they couldn't practice them, they gradually modified the techniques, replacing the missing Qi with one or two others. These are called 'secret techniques.'"

Li Tongya nodded in sudden understanding, then echoed his words, "That's a good approach."

Xiao Yongling shook his head, his desire to share burning bright. He chuckled, "How can techniques hastily modified by later generations be as reliable as those refined over centuries by their predecessors? These secret techniques are not only weaker than the originals, but they often have various flaws. My Xiao family even has a few enforcers who practice secret techniques; slow cultivation is considered good, some even need pills just to stay alive."

"I see." Li Tongya finally nodded and smiled, "What do I care about ancient, secret, or legitimate techniques? My purse is empty; I can't afford any of them anyway."

Xiao Yongling shook his head and said seriously, "Brother Tongya, don't be so modest. Your younger brother in the sect has exceptional talent, and with you managing the family frugally, it won't be long before the Li family of Lijing becomes renowned throughout the Ancient Li Dao."

Li Tongya gave a bitter smile, shook his head, exchanged a few polite words, but in his heart, he mused: "The Azure Pool Sect's actions are strange, and there are many hidden aspects to the ambush of the Immortal Manor inheritor. I only hope Jing'er can stay safe within the sect and not get caught up in those whirlpools."