Chapter 1134: Across The Mortal World (I)

Upon receiving the letter, he recognized the handwriting as that of his elder brother. As always, Li Xizhi's tone was courteous and measured. When he had first ascended to the position of Jiutian Pavilion Master, his letters to the family had been written in the same polite manner. Back then, it reflected humility; now that Li Ximing himself had become a Daoist Master, his brother's unchanged tone no longer seemed driven by pride or interest.

After finishing the letter, Li Ximing thought to himself,

Si Xunhui, Empty Response Dispersion.

Empty Response Dispersion was one of the three Dao lineages of Mount Xiaoshi. The Si Family's direct descendant had chosen to cultivate in that lineage and had even made a point to inform him of their intent to enter his mountain gate. The gesture spoke volumes.

Yuan Xiu's lifespan is nearing its end. If the Mount Xiaoshi lineage is now nurturing its own bloodline disciples, it might be a chance for them to inherit something significant. It seems Yuan Xiu intends to intervene.

This move allows the Si Family to enter Mount Xiaoshi through us while extending goodwill toward my family. Having their disciple study under my brother serves to secure an ally for their future.

Si Boxiu's gesture of goodwill was not a bad thing for Li Ximing. Azure Pond lay directly behind their main territory, so the more stable it remained, the better. He calculated silently,

Si Xunhui has only just reached the Qi Cultivation Realm, while Wang Quwan is already approaching the Foundation Establishment Realm. The two are unlikely to cross paths. Still, the whereabouts of Mount Xiaoshi's remaining two Dao lineages are uncertain; there may yet be opportunity.

He took out a paper and brush, wrote a reply, and handed it to Li Jiangqian to deliver. Then he asked, "You look rather pleased. Is there good news?"

Li Jiangqian smiled in reply. "Daoist Master, your insight is as sharp as ever. The Viewing Pavilion has been completed and stands tall beside Chengqing Gate. The Jade Court has also been built, stretching beneath Mount Yuting with rows of connected halls. All the court guards have relocated there. There is one Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, nineteen Qi Cultivation Realm cultivators, eighty-nine who have achieved Embryonic Breathing Realm, and more than twenty thousand mortal soldiers. In total, over ninety-six thousand people now live at the foot of the mountain. It's well beyond the threshold required for gathering spiritual energy.

"Just a few days ago, Dharma Protector Li Wen entered to draw in the spiritual energy, and there were indeed signs of Dust of the Court manifesting. At last, our family's Aged Courtly Path Scripture can be cultivated in earnest!"

"Excellent."

The Viewing Pavilion was an essential site for refining spirit embryos, and something Li Ximing had long paid attention to. He had refrained from urging progress earlier only because a suitable dharma artifact had yet to be obtained. He had not expected the construction to be completed so swiftly.

As for the Dust of the Court, the family had gained a new Purple Mansion Realm Dao lineage, and Li Ximing was naturally overjoyed. Moreover, the Aged Courtly Path Scripture was an ancient cultivation technique once practiced exclusively by the Jiang Family, the descendants of the Immortal Mansion. Now, with the flourishing abundance of jade in the present age, this art might not be inferior to any other.

Li Jiangqian smiled, bowed respectfully, and replied, "I have come to seek your decree, Daoist Master. How should this technique be arranged?"

Li Ximing tapped lightly on the jade table and said, "The household court guards cultivate the quicker method known as the Guardian of the Courtly Path. Though not remarkable in quality, it allows extremely rapid progress from Embryonic Breathing Realm to Qi Cultivation Realm. It is usually assigned to cultivators of humble birth with poor aptitude. However, when these guards encounter cultivators of the Aged Courtly Path Scripture, their Dao lineage is suppressed and cannot compete. Therefore, the cultivation of the Aged Courtly Path Scripture must be held firmly within our own family."

The Li Family's choice of the Guardian of the Courtly Path was not simply for its speed. More importantly, its energy-gathering requirement was minimal. It drew qi in using Jade Well Cold Armor, and needed only a single well to collect spiritual energy. The cost was astonishingly low, requiring no spirit stones at all.

He then asked, "The Jiang Family was destroyed, and this cultivation art spread among their descendants. Their remnants should still have records of it. Fortunately, most were exterminated long ago, leaving only the An branch. I recall my father had already severed that lineage's inheritance of the technique. Has this matter been verified?"

Li Jiangqian bowed and replied respectfully, "Reporting to the Daoist Master, I have already looked into it. A few households in Nanzhang were branch lines of the Yu Family, but they failed to breach the family treasury during the rebellion and thus never obtained the Aged Courtly Path Scripture. However, while studying the Yu Family's genealogical records, I discovered a small family surnamed Pu north of the eastern shore who were descendants of the Jiang Family. I sent Uncle Chenghuai to investigate, and he found that they had secretly kept a portion of the Aged Courtly Path Scripture."

Li Ximing gestured for him to continue, and Li Jiangqian said, "I invited the direct descendants of the Pu Family and had both father and son swear a spiritual oath to sever the transmission of the technique. As compensation, I granted them a hereditary post in the Jade Court that would protect their descendants. From now on, this branch will reside and cultivate in the Jade Court, leaving a newborn descendant to return and inherit the Pu Family name each generation. After two generations, the lineage of this technique will be considered completely severed."

"Good. Even though the qi is under our control and others cannot cultivate it effectively, taking precautions ensures no one glimpses the secrets of our Dao lineage." Li Ximing sipped his tea and voiced his approval, though his mind turned to other matters.

He had long known that Li Zhouwei's children were not close to one another. Over a hundred years had passed since their family's founding, and though the three main bloodlines remained somewhat connected, their numbers had dwindled.

Now, most of the cultivators within the province came from the main lineage's many offshoot branches. Through sheer numbers, some had produced talents and returned to the main family after years abroad, but such returnees were rarely close to the core bloodline. As a result, under Li Jiangqian's administration, the mid-to-high ranks of the province were increasingly filled with outsiders and returning branch descendants.

The virtue of a noble house fades after five generations. The youngest branch, with brother's support, had at least managed to bring forth Chenghuai and Zhouluo. But the first lineage, burdened by its vast mortal population, sinks into the lake island. It has many cultivators yet not a single true prodigy.

Li Jiangqian had handled the matter neatly, and Li Ximing nodded in acknowledgment without further comment. Yet he understood perfectly well that the An Family held significant influence within the Jade Court. Li Wen was a solitary loyalist, and the Pu Family branch there now undoubtedly stood as Li Jiangqian's supporters.

One could not view any cultivator in the family purely as an individual. Li Jiangqian was not merely himself; he was also a member of the second lineage, his maternal clan being the An Family. Whether it was Li Jianglong or Li Jiangxia, their thirst for power was innate, yet the influence they held was never theirs alone, it belonged to the factions behind them.

Behind Li Jiangqian stood an entire faction, the An Family, the second lineage, and numerous cultivators who supported the primogeniture family system. From another perspective, this maneuver was also the An Family's way of preserving its influence, a self-rescue effort after losing An Siwei and watching its hold on power begin to waver.

There was nothing wrong with that, and Li Ximing did not press further. He only said, "This technique is not weak. Someone from the main bloodline should cultivate it. If I recall, Jiangliang is still at the Embryonic Breathing Realm. The qi will have ripened by the time he advances; let him be the one to cultivate it."

"As you command, Daoist Master." Li Jiangqian replied, "However, Jiangliang was once engaged to someone from the Profound Peak Gate."

"They would not dare to bring it up anymore." Li Ximing answered casually but hesitated for a moment. If the Profound Peak Gate managed a Purple Mansion Realm breakthrough within a few years, the matter might yet resurface. Thus, he said, "Then let Jiangnian cultivate it... and Jiangliang... leave his matter to your father's arrangement."

Li Jiangqian acknowledged and withdrew. After waiting a moment, Li Ximing departed, vanishing into the great void.