Green Maple Li Clan

[Brain storage]

[A family-centric novel with a bit of wish fulfillment? The protagonist isn't invincible. They may be too cold-blooded and brutal for some readers, so read with caution!]

[Realms, from lowest to highest: Body Forging, Body, Qi and Blood, Innate, Divine Mansion (to be determined later). Breaking through to the Qi and Blood Realm extends one's lifespan to 130 years; those at Qi and Blood Great Perfection can live for 200 years.]

[Talent: First grade is the highest, Ninth-grade talent is the lowest. Those with Ninth-grade talent have a chance of advancing to the Qi and Blood Realm; those with Eighth-grade talent have a chance of reaching Qi and Blood Great Perfection; those with Seventh-grade talent have a chance of reaching the Innate Realm, and so on (to be determined later).]

Great Zhou Dynasty.

Yang Province, Ascending Dragon Prefecture, Baihe County.

In the northeastern corner of Baihe County lay a vast natural valley.

Rows of Green Maple trees stood straight within the valley, like its natural sentinels. The locals called it Green Maple Valley.

Two hundred years ago, a family surnamed Li moved here and put down roots.

After two centuries of development, they had become one of Baihe County's renowned powerful clans—the Green Maple Li Clan.

Yet today, Green Maple Valley was draped in mourning white.

Members of the Li Family came and went in mourning clothes, their faces etched with grief and their expressions filled with confusion and unease.

It was all because, three days ago, Li Xuanzhong, the current head of the Green Maple Li Clan, had been found dead in his seclusion chamber.

Li Xuanzhong had not appeared in public for a long time—so long that outsiders had grown suspicious. Some even rumored that he had passed away.

Only when the Li Family could no longer withstand the pressure did they enter his chamber after receiving no response, where they discovered he had been dead for several days.

His death had come far too suddenly.

Li Xuanzhong had not only been head of the Green Maple Li Clan, but also its strongest member.

With the younger generation not yet grown, his death was a tremendous blow to the Green Maple Li Clan.

It could even be said that it would send the Li Family, now at the height of its power, into decline.

While Li Xuanzhong had been alive, he had offended far too many people in the course of expanding the family.

The Li Family had a poor reputation in Baihe County and had always been known for its domineering ways.

The mourning hall for Li Xuanzhong was packed with people.

Many members of the Li Family, dressed in mourning clothes, had gathered inside.

Those on good terms clustered together, murmuring among themselves. "With the old family head dead, things are going to be difficult for our Li Family from now on."

"Of course they will. The old family head was the only one in our Li Family who had broken through the Qi and Blood Heavenly Pass. Without a Qi and Blood Realm Cultivator to hold down the fort, how are we supposed to keep the petty troublemakers in check?"

"Alas..."

"I heard that the Zou and Zhang families have already started making trouble after learning of the old family head's death."

"They've long been unhappy with how the market profits are divided. Before, they could only behave themselves out of fear of the old family head's strength. Now that he's dead and they have nothing to fear, they're finally showing their true colors."

"The Zou and Zhang families are just clowns. With our Li Family's strength, what is there to fear?"

"That's all well and good, but how do you know they don't have someone backing them?"

"This..."

"It's a pity the new family head is only seventeen. With his talent, give him another ten years and he'll certainly break through the Qi and Blood Heavenly Pass and advance to the Qi and Blood Realm. Then all our problems will be solved."

"You're dreaming. Do you think our enemies are going to give us ten years?"

"The new family head may be gifted, but he's still too young. He hasn't matured yet, and he has no experience managing the family. Does he really have what it takes to lead the Li Family out of this crisis?"

"Watch your tongue... You dare question the family head? Aren't you afraid the family's law-enforcement squad will invite you for tea?"

"Heh... I didn't say anything!"

"..."

Meanwhile, inside the solemn Council Hall, with its antique elegance,

several figures with deep, powerful auras sat upright.

They were all elders of the Green Maple Li Clan, the true core of the Li Family.

Every one of them had reached Body Realm Great Accomplishment.

The most senior among them, First Elder Li Xuantong, had spent more than a decade at Body Cultivation Grand Perfection. He was only one step away from breaking through the Qi and Blood Heavenly Pass and advancing to the Qi and Blood Realm.

A sudden flurry of hurried footsteps sounded outside the door.

"The family head has arrived!"

At the loud, ringing announcement,

two clan guards slowly pushed open the doors to the Council Hall.

The Li Family elders all turned their heads, their gazes swiftly fixing on the entrance.

A young man in white strode inside. He stood seven feet tall, wore a jade belt at his waist, and had a handsome face that was refined yet masculine.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the young man walked toward the family head's seat, turned, and sat down.

Once he was settled, the five elders other than First Elder rose to their feet and cupped their fists. "We pay our respects to the family head!"

The young man was Li Xinge, the new head of the Li Family.

Li Xinge was the direct grandson of the previous family head, Li Xuanzhong, as well as the Green Maple Li Clan's chosen talent and the most gifted person the Li Family had seen in two hundred years.

He had begun tempering and refining his body at the age of five. At six, he broke through the Body Forging Realm and officially stepped onto the path of cultivation.

At ten, he reached Body Tempering Great Perfection. At eleven, he successfully broke through to the Body Realm, his strength already rivaling that of the clan's older generation.

Five years later, he reached Body Cultivation Grand Completion, shaking all of Baihe County.

Some busybodies called him a monster, saying that if he did not perish young, he had the makings of an Innate True Person.

However, only the Li Family's upper ranks knew just how terrifying the new family head's true talent was.

Body Cultivation Grand Completion?

That was a joke.

Li Xinge had reached that realm three years ago.

The Li Family had chosen to keep the news secret, both to avoid provoking other powers and to protect Li Xinge.

Now, three years later, even the Li Family's upper ranks had no idea what level of strength Li Xinge had truly reached.

But they assumed that reaching Body Cultivation Grand Perfection would be well within his grasp.

"Elders, there's no need for formalities. Please, sit."

Li Xinge sat in the seat of honor and spoke in a gentle tone.

Everyone returned to their seats, gathering up their robes as they sat.

"Elders, this is the first council meeting I've presided over since becoming family head. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss how we'll respond to the crisis facing the Li Family. First Elder, please explain the situation to everyone."

"Yes."

First Elder nodded and readily accepted.

He cleared his throat and turned to face the others.

"Elders, the old family head passed away three days ago. Not long after word of the Li Family's recent bereavement spread, the Zou and Zhang families swiftly joined forces at the urging of certain individuals. The heads of the two families met at Flying Snow Tower and only left two hours later."

"Since then, the Zou and Zhang families have changed their usual respectful attitude toward the Li Family and begun encouraging their shops to engage in malicious competition."

"Their younger members have even publicly declared that the Li Family should get out of the East Street Market."

"Even the powers formerly allied with the Li Family are showing signs of slipping out of our control."

"The Jin and Hao families have failed to pay their monthly tributes on time, dragging their feet with all kinds of excuses. And the Great Saber Sect Master drove out the members of our clan stationed at the Great Saber Sect the very next day."

As First Elder spoke, the expressions of the Li Family elders grew increasingly grim.

This was an undisguised provocation against the Li Family!

Second Elder, whose temper had always been explosive, abruptly sprang to his feet and addressed Li Xinge with fury. "These brats have gone too far! Family head, give the order. I'm willing to lead the law-enforcement squad myself and kill these traitors!"

Second Elder Li Xuanfeng was an elder of the Hall of Law Enforcement.

Li Xinge glanced at him and said expressionlessly, "Sit down. Let First Elder finish."

His tone was calm, yet carried an unquestionable authority.

Even though Li Xuanfeng was Li Xinge's elder, he did not dare defy him in the slightest.

Seething with anger, Li Xuanfeng reluctantly returned to his seat.

Only then...

did First Elder continue. "In addition, the Mangshan Su Clan and Baibo Song Clan have both sent envoys. They claim to be here to pay their respects, but in truth, they're here to pressure us. They want the Li Family to hand over the Silver Ridge Mine."

At this point, even First Elder, who was usually unruffled by any turn of events, looked grave.

The Mangshan Su Clan and Baibo Song Clan were nothing like the Zou and Zhang families. These two clans were genuine powers in Baihe County.

Each had Qi and Blood Realm Cultivators holding down the fort within their ranks. Together with the Li Family and the county's other six great clans, they were known as Baihe County's Nine Great Clans.

Even if Li Xuanzhong were still alive, he would have needed to be extremely cautious facing both clans at once.

What's more, Li Xuanzhong was dead. The Li Family no longer had the strength to negotiate with either clan as an equal.

But the Silver Ridge Mine was hardly something they could simply hand over.

The Silver Ridge Mine produced iron ore, and its annual revenue accounted for nearly half the Li Family's income. It was no exaggeration to call it the lifeblood of the Li Family's economy.

If they lost the Silver Ridge Mine, the Li Family would likely fall to the ranks of Baihe County's second-rate clans overnight.

Sure enough,

the other elders could no longer sit still.

They spoke up one after another. "Family head, First Elder, we can negotiate over anything else, but we absolutely must not hand over the Silver Ridge Mine."

"The Silver Ridge Mine is the lifeblood of the Li Family's economy. How can we cede it to someone else?"

"If we lose the Silver Ridge Mine, the Li Family will never have another chance to rise again."

"The Su and Song families have gone too far. Even if we have to perish together, the Li Family must never hand over the Silver Ridge Mine. Otherwise, when we're dead, how will we face our ancestors?"

"Exactly. Family head, First Elder, please think this through."

Looking at their agitated reactions, First Elder couldn't help sighing.

He rubbed his forehead and shut his eyes in pain, his voice low. "Perish together? They'd be delighted if we tried. That's easy to say, but does the Li Family have the strength to fight both the Su and Song families at once? We'd be throwing an egg against a rock."

"I know none of you fear death. But your deaths would be a small matter. Bringing the clan to ruin and ending our bloodline—that would make you the true sinners of the Li Family for all eternity."

The elders fell silent.

First Elder was right. If they chose to perish together, they might die satisfied.

But the two clans would slaughter all the Li Family's more than a thousand members.

The Council Hall fell into an eerie silence.

"Do we really have to hand over the Silver Ridge Mine?"

After a long while, Second Elder finally asked, his face full of reluctance.

"A man without sin is guilty for possessing jade. Without a Qi and Blood Realm Cultivator holding down the fort, the Li Family has no grounds to bargain."

First Elder's voice was full of dejection.

"It's all my fault for being useless. I couldn't break through the bottleneck of the Body Realm. Otherwise, how would the Su and Song families dare bully the Green Maple Li Clan like this?"

"First Elder, why blame yourself? Everyone can see how much you've done for the clan over the years."

From the seat of honor...

the family head, Li Xinge, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke.

For First Elder to have cultivated to Body Cultivation Grand Perfection, his talent was naturally far from poor. He was no less gifted than his grandfather, Li Xuanzhong.

It was just that managing clan affairs year after year had held back his cultivation.

Now that he was older, the Qi and blood within his body had declined, and he had missed his best chance to break through to the Qi and Blood Realm.

First Elder opened his mouth as if to say more, but Li Xinge raised a hand.

"First Elder, there's no need to say more. This isn't your fault. Isn't the Li Family in this predicament today because we have no Qi and Blood Realm Cultivator holding down the fort? What if we had a new Qi and Blood Realm Cultivator?"

At his words, a glimmer of hope shone in the elders' eyes.

But it soon dimmed.

If the Li Family produced a new Qi and Blood Realm Cultivator, the crisis it faced would vanish in an instant.

But was the Qi and Blood Realm really so easy to reach?

The Li Family had moved to Green Maple Valley more than two hundred years ago, and in all that time, it had produced only seven Qi and Blood Realm Cultivators.

Only two people in the Li Family were qualified to attempt a breakthrough to the Qi and Blood Realm.

One was First Elder; the other was the family head, Li Xinge.

First Elder's Qi and blood had declined. He had less than a one-in-ten chance of succeeding in a breakthrough to the Qi and Blood Realm.

As for Li Xinge, he was far too young. To have reached Body Cultivation Grand Perfection at his age was already astonishing.

No one dared hope he could break through to the Qi and Blood Realm.

As if he had seen through their thoughts,

Li Xinge chuckled softly.

His aura suddenly began to shift. Wisps of crimson Qi and Blood power rose from his entire body, gathering in midair into the phantom of a ferocious, domineering lion.

The lion threw back its head and roared. A terrifying pressure crashed into the elders' hearts like storm-tossed waves.

Under that pressure, they felt as though an invisible hand had seized their hearts in its grip, leaving them unable to breathe.

Their eyes widened. They had felt this kind of pressure only once before—when the old family head, Li Xuanzhong, was alive.

First Elder was the first to react. His cloudy eyes fixed on Li Xinge.

His voice trembled as he stared in shock. "Qi and Blood Manifestation? Th-this is Qi and Blood Manifestation! Family head, could it be that you... you..."

Under First Elder's anxious, hopeful, and fearful gaze,

Li Xinge slowly nodded.

"I broke through the Qi and Blood Heavenly Pass yesterday and advanced to the Qi and Blood Realm."

First Elder had already suspected as much, but when Li Xinge confirmed it himself, he first went blank, then burst into laughter.

As he laughed, his eyes grew moist.

"Good... good... good! The Li Family has a worthy successor! The Li Family has a worthy successor!"

If First Elder was this overcome, the other elders were even more so.

"I... I'm not dreaming, am I? The family head... really broke through to the Qi and Blood Realm?"

Second Elder slapped his own face hard, trying to check whether he was dreaming.

The searing pain confirmed that he wasn't dreaming, and tears welled in his eyes.

Who could have seen this coming?

The contrast between one moment and the next was simply too great.

The moment before,

he had still been worrying about the future of the Li Family.

The next,

he was being told that the family head had broken through the Qi and Blood Realm, giving the Li Family another Qi and Blood Realm Cultivator.

All the problems would cease to be problems.

Who could take that?

"My Li Family has a new Qi and Blood Realm Cultivator! Our ancestors bless us, and Heaven blesses us!"

"Heaven hasn't forsaken the Green Maple Li Clan!"

"As expected of the Li Family's genius, our family head! A Qi and Blood Realm Cultivator at seventeen! In all my years, I've never heard of such a thing!"

"A seventeen-year-old Qi and Blood Realm Cultivator—there's never been one in Baihe County's several centuries of history!"

"With the family head's talent, he may even have a chance of advancing to the Innate Realm."

"If our Li Family can truly produce an Innate Cultivator, then who in Baihe County could stand against us? And in the future, our Li Family will surely claim a place in Ascending Dragon Prefecture!"

"I'll spread the news of the family head's breakthrough into the Qi and Blood Realm at once. It'll steady our people and strike fear into those petty troublemakers."

The Grand Elder came back to himself, still overcome with excitement, and spoke with some impatience.

But as soon as he took a step, Li Xinge called out to him. "Grand Elder, wait."

The Grand Elder stopped and turned to look at Li Xinge. Li Xinge spoke slowly. "For now, keep my breakthrough into the Qi and Blood Realm under wraps."

The Grand Elder furrowed his brow, confused.

He asked, "Family head, why?"

Li Xinge gave a cold laugh. "The former family head has only just passed away, and already some jumping clowns are in a hurry to provoke the Li Family. They want to carve flesh from our bodies and drink our blood. This is intolerable. It seems the Li Family has kept too low a profile these past years, letting them forget what it means to fear us."

The Grand Elder's pupils contracted. He seemed to understand Li Xinge's meaning.

He drew a deep breath and asked quietly, "You want to use them to establish your authority?"

"Exactly."

Li Xinge's expression was icy.

Before this, he had been known as a genius, but in the eyes of outsiders, he was still just a junior.

Even after inheriting the position of Li Family head, some old-timers would likely have looked down on him, relying on their seniority.

Now, someone had conveniently delivered their heads to his doorstep so he could establish his authority. Why wouldn't he take the opportunity?

The Grand Elder pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

"The family head has thought this through. This old man cannot compare!"

The family head was right. The Li Family had lain dormant for far too long. It had been so long that people had forgotten whether the Li Family's blade was still sharp.