A Rising Reputation

The spell battle involving the three households came to an end just like that, but their cultivators did not immediately disperse afterward.

The three Foundation Establishment Cultivators stood together, chatting and laughing, while the Qi Refining cultivators gathered to exchange insights on cultivation or make friends. The atmosphere was warm and convivial.

It was worth mentioning that Yang Tianyou and Liu Siyu, far from becoming enemies after their battle, had only gotten to know each other through the fight and had begun to form a friendship.

At that moment, four people sat casually on a large rock.

They were Yang Tianyou and Yang Tianxue of the Yang Household, and Liu Siyu and Liu Junxiong of the Liu Household.

It was worth mentioning that although Liu Junxiong had not had a chance to fight Yang Tianxue, his reputation was no weaker than hers.

Known as Liu Junxiong, the Little Heavenly General, he had been born with a Half-Spirit Physique and a Fire-Wood Dual Spirit Root. Though he cultivated the Azure Wood Returning Heaven Scripture, his combat prowess was anything but weak.

He had once fought two Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement Evil Cultivators at once and slain them both. His formidable reputation was well known, and he was considered one of the two people in the Liu Household most likely to reach Foundation Establishment next.

At that moment, fruit and wine were laid out before the four of them. They chatted and laughed, perfectly at ease.

Liu Siyu took out a piece of Demon Beast meat of a fairly high grade and tried to feed it to Fengling. But he disdained it and did not even lift an eyelid, making the fiery little fairy's slender brows bristle.

"Fairy Liu, please don't take offense. My Spirit Beast won't eat anything anyone else offers him, only what I give him."

Yang Tianyou spoke with a faint smile.

Hearing this, Liu Siyu put the Demon Beast meat away and returned to exchanging insights on cultivating Law Techniques with Yang Tianyou.

Both were little geniuses who had brought a First-Tier Superior-Grade Law Technique to Great Achievement in the Middle Qi Refinement stage, and both gained a great deal from their exchange.

Many of Liu Siyu's novel ideas made Yang Tianyou's eyes light up, while his understanding of the paths along which Spiritual Power circulated benefited her greatly as well.

After their exchange, their friendship grew a little deeper.

Elsewhere, the Foundation Establishment Cultivators were discussing loftier matters.

Yang Dangmo was direct by nature and did not beat around the bush. "By my reckoning, it's been more than fifty years since the last Cold Tide. The Jiazi Period is nearly upon us. What do you two Daoist Friends think?"

"Well..."

Hearing this, Liu Changqing narrowed his long, slender eyes slightly, seemingly pondering something.

Zhuang Beisheng, however, did not hesitate long. "Naturally, we should stand united and face it together."

"However..."

He changed tack, his face showing some difficulty. "My Zhuang Household has a weak foundation, and our clan is small and our strength meager. We would like to accomplish something, but our strength falls short."

Hearing this, Liu Changqing's eyes seemed to flash with amusement, while Yang Dangmo remained expressionless.

He had never liked such scheming against one another, but once you were in the jianghu, your fate was no longer your own. That was even more true in the cruel Cultivation World.

Sighing inwardly, Yang Dangmo spoke gently. "Brother Zhuang's concerns are naturally quite reasonable. However, when the Cold Tide strikes, no single household can withstand it alone. Supporting and looking after one another is the proper course for us!"

Zhuang Beisheng felt a flicker of delight at those words.

Compared with lineages like the Yang Household and the Liu Household, whose legacies stretched back a hundred years or several hundred years, his Zhuang Household had been established for far too short a time.

For precisely that reason, he was actually the one more eager for an alliance.

But begging others for an alliance and having them take the initiative to recruit him were two entirely different situations.

The latter would undoubtedly earn him more respect and a greater share when the benefits were divided.

Thus, after hearing Yang Dangmo take the initiative to recruit him, Zhuang Beisheng hesitated no longer. "Daoist Friend Yang is quite right," he said firmly. "A single household's strength is meager. Only by forming an alliance to await it can we follow the proper course. My Zhuang Household is willing to contribute."

"Haha, good! What about you, Daoist Friend Liu?"

Yang Dangmo laughed and turned to Liu Changqing.

Seeing this, the old man smiled faintly.

"Our three clans are the closest to one another, so we should naturally watch over and help one another. I agree to the alliance!"

With that, the three households settled the matter of the alliance. The specific details afterward were a matter for the heads of the respective households.

After forming the alliance, the atmosphere among the three Foundation Establishment Cultivators was undoubtedly more cordial. Though these allies might not be all that reliable, they were at least much closer than before.

They chatted, laughed, and discussed the Dao some more. An hour later, the three Foundation Establishment Cultivators each led their clanspeople away, bringing the spell battle to a successful conclusion.

Of the three, the Yang Household had undoubtedly gained the most from this spell battle.

Not only had they secured a ten-percent share of the Wood-Born Copper Mine, but, more importantly, they had also used the opportunity to take the lead in forming an alliance to deal with the Cold Tide.

Of course, such an alliance was not difficult to establish in the first place. When the Cold Tide came once every Jiazi Period, the various Foundation Establishment Lineages in the Three Counties on the border, and even Golden Core Forces, would seek alliances with forces of the same level.

But as the one taking the lead, the Yang Household would undoubtedly hold some measure of sway in the alliance. Though it was not much, it could not be underestimated.

The Lotus Dharma Seat became a streak of Azure Light that swept across the sky, returning to Purple Moon Mountain in less than an hour.

Afterward, the joy of victory naturally spread throughout the lineage, especially among the younger clanspeople in the Qi Refining Period, and Yang Tianyou's reputation rose a little higher once more.

The most indisputable achievements within a force were none other than expanding its territory and returning victorious. Yang Tianyou and the other two had defeated the disciples of other lineages, so the lineage's other members naturally shared in their glory and held their heads high.

Moreover, as word spread that he had defeated the Fire Spirit Fairy, Liu Siyu, Yang Tianyou's name became even more renowned within the Yang Household. He even gained considerable fame in several nearby towns, especially Dengzhuang and Qianmu.

Having spent his days immersed in cultivation and Talisman Crafting, Yang Tianyou was not very familiar with what went on outside, so he did not know of Liu Siyu's formidable reputation in the nearby towns.

That reputation had been smashed into being one Three-Flame Spirit Pearl at a time. Now that Yang Tianyou had defeated the famously belligerent fairy, he had naturally taken most of her fame for himself.

After returning home with Fengling, Yang Tianyou sat down cross-legged and reviewed every detail of the spell battle, especially his fight with Liu Siyu.

He picked out the details one by one, taking stock of his gains and losses and analyzing the advantages and disadvantages. This was a habit Yang Tianyou had consistently maintained.

Strength was never attained in a single step. Only by accumulating bit by bit could one forge a solid foundation and climb to the peak one step at a time.

A long while later, Yang Tianyou gently breathed out and opened his eyes. His white-gold pupils shone with a dazzling light.

The light then faded, leaving only a pair of beautiful, clear eyes that filled anyone who saw them with delight.

Patting Fengling's big head beside him, Yang Tianyou walked out of his room and went to the Spirit Medicine Garden.

Duan Hongyu, who was tending to the spirit medicines, merely smiled at him before continuing her work.

Yang Tianyou did not disturb her. He leaned against the porch as a gentle breeze wafted by, the fresh fragrance of flowers bringing a sense of peace to his heart.