"That guy is living quite comfortably these days!"
Li Tongya was both amused and exasperated, shaking his head helplessly as he watched him seated below that Perfected Person of the Ziyan Sect. He must have reached Foundation Establishnt by now, Li Tongya shook his head once more, thinking to himself:
"But now's not a convenient ti. I'll see if I can find a chance to ask about it. This Ling Yanzi once promised to deliver spirit stones to my family, but there's been no news for years—yet here he is, enjoying himself."
This person was, of course, Ling Yanzi, the Ziyan Sect cultivator who'd fled to Lijing Mountain back in those days. Li Tongya had joined forces with him to kill those two Changxiao Sect cultivators, but they were left with two storage bags under spell that neither could use. So Li Tongya let him take the bags to exchange for spirit stones, saying he'd send them back.
Li Tongya hadn't expected this guy to really deliver them himself. Sure enough, more than ten years went by and Li Tongya hadn't seen even a single hair of him. Now, seeing this man again, he was considering whether to bring it up.
"This old bastard is probably trying to cheat . I'll ask, but if it leads nowhere, I'll just consider the spirit stones lost!"
————
Xu Gongming rode his horse along the mountain path. It had just rained, and the ground was thick with mud; the horse's hooves splattered clumps of earth, while the drip of water from the forest and the now-strange sound of the wind made him furrow his brow.
He was already at the fourth layer of the Fetal Breathing Realm; if he ran, he'd be much faster than the horse beneath him. Yet people are lazy by nature, even those who've beco immortals are no exception—on a rainy day like this, he'd rather hole up inside than walk outside himself.
Xu Gongming was now over thirty. Old Master Xu had died last year, and soone from the mountain ca to pay respects. After all, the old master was Xu San's son, and there was so connection between Li Xuanxuan and Li Xuanfeng's branch.
Xu Gongming had thanked them repeatedly, escorted the envoy back, and in his gratitude, also felt a wave of desolation. This ant that the tie between Xu Family and the main clan had beco even more diluted. He arranged the funeral with urgency, then hurried to take office at Huaqian's various towns.
Upon arrival, he first went to pay respects to the resident affairs holder of the main family, then Xu Gongming rode straight to the small courtyard behind the town to et Tian Zhongqing, the Tian Clan's representative of interests in Huaqian Towns.
Xu Gongming dismounted; a young servant ca forth to take the reins and lead the horse away. Xu Gongming lightly knocked on the door, and said to the approaching doorman:
"Please inform the gentleman that old friend Xu Gongming is here to visit."
The Xu and Tian families were both old residents of Lijing Town, and their ancestral hos were nearby. When Xu Gongming was young, he used to play with Tian Zhongqing, but after years apart, neither could recognize each other well. They'd t again a few years prior, had many dealings since, and their relationship could be considered good.
The door creaked open, and out stepped a handso young man, sword at his waist. Taking a step forward, he greeted with joy:
"It's been months since we last saw each other, Gongming!"
Xu Gongming laughed heartily and entered the courtyard courteously. Tian Zhongqing closed the gate behind them, ordered the servants to bring tea, and after exchanging pleasantries, Xu Gongming made a calculation and offered congratulations:
"Congratulations, Zhongqing! Looks like the second Qi Cultivator from an external surna will erge in your clan!"
Tian Zhongqing laughed heartily. The Tian Clan's Fetal Breathing Peak cultivator had just gone up to Lijing Mountain a few days ago, received a main family-bestowed elixir, and was already heading to Huaqian Mountain for secluded cultivation. He realized Xu Gongming was congratulating him on this, and replied with a smile:
"All thanks to the main family's generous support—our gratitude knows no bounds. If there's congratulation due, it should go to the main family."
He then composed his expression and replied seriously:
"That uncle of mine is already over fifty, and was only found to have good root bone after re-examination among the older farrs. His talent is quite good, but he started cultivation too late and missed the best opportunity. Now, he can only gamble for Qi Cultivation; if he succeeds, wonderful. If not, he'll have to settle for a miscellaneous Qi cultivator's fate."
Xu Gongming nodded slightly. After Li Qiuyang's failed breakthrough, the Li Family had issued new regulations a few months ago, letting everyone know about the difference between proper Qi Cultivators and those of miscellaneous Qi. He offered his congratulations and spoke a few auspicious words.
Tian Zhongqing responded to each, then lowered his voice and said:
"Did you co here under family orders this ti?"
Xu Gongming shook his head and answered in a low voice:
"What orders could there be? I'm just sent here to Huaqian's towns—after all, Lijing Town has too many cultivators now, Spiritual Energy is less abundant than before, and cultivation isn't easy. The old fellows who have no hope of Qi Cultivation just muddle along without caring, but I can't afford to waste away there."
Xu Gongming accepted the tea and took a sip before continuing:
"My old master passed away a few months back; he had ties with those on the mountain, so soone ca down to pay respects. When I brought this up, I used the opportunity to get transferred out."
"I see!"
Tian Zhongqing nodded, raising his brows and clasped his hands in sympathy:
"Please accept my condolences, brother."
"Mm."
Xu Gongming waved his hand, his face revealing more bitterness as he answered:
"The blessings of the elders are used up; there's only as a cultivator in the Xu Family now. If I don't achieve Qi Cultivation, I'm afraid our family will decline, no different from ordinary commoners."
Tian Zhongqing was montarily stunned. His own Tian Clan, under the Li Family's rule, was now the most powerful, so he'd never had such worries. He could only offer comfort with a sigh:
"Brother, your talent is outstanding; Qi Cultivation will surely not be a problem."
But the ntion only made things worse; hearing "talent is outstanding" felt especially ironic. Xu Gongming gave a forced smile, his expression bitter:
"Zhongqing, you've been in Huaqian for a long ti, maybe news doesn't circulate here as fast. If you knew what's happening within my clan, you wouldn't say 'outstanding talent' quite so easily!"
"What do you an, brother?"
Tian Zhongqing was confused and couldn't help but interject. Xu Gongming raised an eyebrow, put down his cup, and smilingly said:
"Try to guess—what cultivation level have the two main family heirs reached now?"
"Those two?"
Tian Zhongqing thought for a mont; he knew Xu Gongming was referring to Li Yuanjiao and Li Qinghong. He laughed and replied:
"I'm not sure about the other one, but I've seen young master Yuanjiao's speed of cultivation—no doubt he's at the fourth layer of Fetal Breathing?"
"Fourth layer of Fetal Breathing?"
Xu Gongming snorted, answering:
"Both have ford their Yujing Wheel and reached the fifth layer of Fetal Breathing!"
"What?!"
Tian Zhongqing suddenly felt a sour taste in his mouth. In the Tian Clan, he had the highest talent, but he himself had only reached fourth layer of Fetal Breathing. Li Qinghong and Li Yuanjiao were only seventeen or eighteen, yet already at the fifth layer. He sighed:
"I've truly lived more than a dozen years in vain!"
Xu Gongming also sighed, remaining silent. Both fell into a hush. The courtyard was left with only autumn winds, the patter of raindrops; Xu Gongming drained two large mouthfuls of tea before quietly saying:
"What a noble bloodline of Foundation Establishnt—three generations as Qi Cultivators, truly enviable!"
"Qi Cultivators?"
This ti it was Tian Zhongqing's turn to sneer, cutting in quietly:
"The old ancestor hasn't exited seclusion in years—who knows, he might have refined Six Wheels and broken through to Foundation Establishnt, rebuilding the noble family!"
Xu Gongming was startled, calming his mind to think it through and realizing it was possible—though not fully convinced. He replied:
"It's only been three or four years; Foundation Establishnt is nine deaths for every life. The old ancestor is probably in seclusion attempting Foundation Establishnt, at a critical point. Whether he succeeds or not, it's yet to be seen."
The topic brought both n to silent contemplation, quietly sipping tea to cover up their embarrassnt and anxiety. After more than ten breaths, Tian Zhongqing cald himself and asked in confusion:
"But such rapid cultivation speed truly is shocking. The Yu and Fei Clans are also Foundation Establishnt noble families, but I heard only Yu Muxian from the Yu Family is a true genius. Aside from that Immortal Sect disciple, Yu Mujian and Yu Mugao were over twenty or nearly thirty when they reached Qi Cultivation..."
The Tian Clan had produced three generations of Spiritual Aperture Seeds, and with connections up and down the mountain, Tian Zhongqing's words amazed Xu Gongming, who nodded repeatedly, replying:
"Started cultivating at seven, reaching seventeen ans only ten years of cultivation—one wheel every two years..."
Their gazes t. Tian Zhongqing quietly said:
"Talent."
"Elixirs."
"Spiritual Energy."
"..."
Both n paused, mouths slightly open. Xu Gongming lowered his head like a thief, and Tian Zhongqing also slowly spoke. In perfect unison, they said:
"Cultivation Technique!"
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