Core Meeting

"Just kidding. Why so serious..." Li Qianyin rolled her eyes at Li Qianqing. She did not believe Li Qianqing truly could not tell.

But seeing Li Qianqing's especially serious expression, her playful mood vanished all at once.

"You, an Artifact Refiner, won't you lose yourself to death if you keep doing this?"

"This is only your privilege, Qianqing-ge. If other clan members come to me for artifact refining, I'll charge them all the same, just a little cheaper than outside. You don't need to worry about that at all." Li Qianyin told Li Qianqing to set his mind at ease.

So Qianqing had still been worried about this for her. At this moment, Li Qianyin understood even more what her mother had once told her.

"Right, Qianqing-ge, are you in a hurry to use this thing?"

"No hurry." Li Qianqing shook his head. If he wanted to cultivate Floating Shadow Blade, ordinary blades would do, and he had those on hand.

"Good that you're not in a hurry. When I finish refining it, I'll come find you."

With no deadline, she, Li Qianyin, could refine it even more carefully. First, she had to properly consider how to refine it.

This was the first magic artifact Li Qianqing had asked her to refine. Although Li Qianqing had said it did not matter even if she failed, in her heart, she was definitely extremely unwilling to fail. She had to refine it successfully, and it would be best if she could exceed Li Qianqing's expectations.

"All right. I'll wait for you."

The two of them stayed for roughly a little under Half an Hour.

Only then did Li Qianqing think that there was something slightly wrong with Li Qianyin appearing here at this time.

Li Qianyin had lost her bet with her father, Li Lilong. At this time, she should have been honestly staying at her own residence. Although with Li Qianyin's personality, she would indeed sneak out, this time she had clearly been out for rather long.

"It's been long enough. Yinyin, aren't you afraid Fourth Uncle will find out?" Remembering that Li Qianyin had also stayed behind the tree for two hours, that made the time even longer.

"Father knows."

"Oh." Li Qianqing looked at Li Qianyin in surprise. "What reason did you use to convince Fourth Uncle?"

"Wasn't that simple?" At this point, Li Qianyin looked a little pleased with herself. "Qianqing-ge, aren't you teaching those two little fellows? Coming out to observe is the best reason."

"That is indeed pretty good." Li Qianqing nodded.

Li Qianyin was bound to become one of the Li Family's core upper ranks in the future. Right now, it was only a matter of time. Perhaps in the future, Li Qianyin would be the one responsible for guiding the clan's children. Although that possibility was very small, it could not be ruled out entirely. With Li Lilong's meticulous way of handling matters, he indeed would agree to let Li Qianyin come out.

"Pretty good, right? I also think this reason is excellent."

Thinking that she had fooled her father, Li Qianyin became even happier. It was rare for her to succeed at fooling him.

After about Half an Hour, Li Qianyin went back. If she kept staying any longer, there would be a problem. Perhaps Li Lilong would come over to see what was going on.

After Li Qianqing returned to his residence, he prepared to refine one furnace of Rank 1 Mid-Grade Qi Gathering Pills before resting.

For the Qi Induction into the Body three days later, Li Qiantong did not disappoint him. He had completed it without his help.

Li Xingtian, who had Five Spiritual Roots, absolutely needed his help. If he did not help, Li Xingtian might still have to spend another ten days to half a month before officially becoming a cultivator.

Whether one completed Qi Induction into the Body oneself or completed it with the help of another cultivator, in reality, there was no difference. Future cultivation would be what it was.

But completing Qi Induction into the Body alone held great significance for Li Qiantong personally, because he had accomplished it by himself and had already set himself apart from Li Xingtian.

After the preliminary guidance was completed, over the next year, Li Qianqing would have to spare roughly half a day every half month to guide them and reinforce their thinking.

After a year, the time he spent on them would grow less and less.

Cultivation mainly depended on oneself. Li Qianqing only played a guiding role and could help them avoid many winding roads.

Li Qianqing's requirement for himself was to do his best to excavate each clan member's potential. This would require him to put in some thought.

Without repeated attempts and deep excavation, he could only judge what they were suited for from the surface, based on their Spiritual Root aptitude and personalities.

For example, Li Qiantong, who had Three Spiritual Roots. Li Qianyin had initially judged that he was very suited to the work of a Spirit Planter. If he truly had talent in this area, then in the future, the clan's Rank 2 and above spiritual fields and spiritual medicines would all have to be entrusted to him to care for.

Mid-December.

Light snow fell today.

To Li Qianqing, today was an important day.

The Li Family Core High-Level Meeting was today. This was his first time attending such a meeting.

At this meeting, he had to convince the others to avoid the great crisis that would arise later because of the Miniature Spirit Mine.

Calculating the time, around the year after next, the Miniature Spirit Mine should be discovered by a Qi Refining Cultivation Clan.

A mere Qi Refining Cultivation Clan fundamentally could not hold a Miniature Spirit Mine.

For a Qi Refining Clan, the profits from a Miniature Spirit Mine were truly too great. If they secretly mined it themselves and were discovered, there was very likely a danger of clan extermination.

Whatever ability one had determined what level of thing one could swallow; this was a truth of the Cultivation World. If one's ability was insufficient, danger was easily drawn in.

Inside Patriarch Li Cunliu's cave dwelling, everyone had already arrived.

Li Qianqing, whose seniority was the lowest, sat in the rearmost seat.

The clan's Core High-Level Meeting decided the clan's development over the next few years. If there were any changes to the clan's industries, they would also be raised at the Core High-Level Meeting.

Such meetings could also help the Patriarch better grasp information.

After all, a Patriarch at the Foundation Establishment level spent most of his time cultivating.

Only with a Foundation Establishment cultivator could one be called a Foundation Establishment Clan. The strength of a Foundation Establishment cultivator was crucial to the entire clan.

Li Cunliu was at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage. After he entered the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, the Li Family's influence could be expanded appropriately.

Li Cunliu sat in the main seat with his eyes closed, resting his spirit.

Under most circumstances, he was responsible for listening. At most, he would speak at critical moments.

The first to speak was usually Li Lilong, who was responsible for management and allocation.

"The clan has five shops in total. Three of them are in this county, while the other two are in Taolin County and Qingliu County respectively. As for Changqing Mountain's spiritual field industries, there are one-quarter mu of Rank 2 Mid-Grade Spiritual Field, one mu of Rank 2 Low-Grade Spiritual Field..."

When Li Lilong spoke, he looked at Li Qianqing the entire time.

The three elders naturally all knew the situation of the clan's industries. This was mainly being said for Li Qianqing to hear, to let him understand it.

Under normal circumstances, a Foundation Establishment cultivation clan could complete the production, processing, and sale of the clan's industries, achieving a cycle.

The annual income from the five shops was currently the Li Family's main source of spirit stones. The secondary source was things like tribute from Qi Refining Clans seeking protection.

Every year, after excluding the consumption of clan members, the Upper Sect's collection, the conversion of spirit stones issued as Contribution Points... the clan could store anywhere from five hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones to two thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones each year. This was the case most of the time. Over the past ten years, the average annual storage had been one thousand three hundred and forty-four Low-Grade Spirit Stones.