Resolve

"Asha, do you want a flying sword?"

When Li Fan returned to Qingyue Creek, he encountered Asha heading out early in the morning to practice her swordplay. In the dead of winter, the pheasants on the mountaintops were frozen to death, let alone crowing. This girl Asha actually managed to break free from the warmth of her bed and get up early to practice. Perhaps this is what they mean by great perseverance?

"... Senior brother, you can't even sit still after just one day..." Asha didn't even bother to look at him. "Thank you for your kindness, but I've only just learned the Lightning Style. I still need to practice my swordsmanship for a while. I'll ask you for guidance on Sword Control Technique in two years."

There's steamed spirit rice on the stove, and the tofu is for Senior Brother Kun. Don't steal any of it, Senior Brother. Okay, I'm going to practice my sword now."

"No, senior brother, I specifically..."

But as soon as Li Fan took out the stone box, Asha, brandishing her sword, skipped and hopped off to the training ground.

"Sigh... this girl is just not meant to be..."

Li Fan was also a bit speechless, and put the stone box away again. This sword pellet and sword box had been covered in dust for a hundred years, and its spiritual light had dimmed. It wouldn't recover in a short time. In the end, it would still need to be taken to the Sword Casting Pool for Xiao Yao to repair and polish it. There was no need to rush to find it a master.

So Li Fan ran up to the stove and peeked around inside.

He only feels good when he eats celestial food at the Golden Core level. Before, he would just grab a handful of rice, crush it, and stuff it into his mouth with fried rice from the Crimson Fiend Palm until he was full. Kun, being a picky eater, didn't want to team up with him. Every night, he would sneak out with Leopard for a late-night snack, catching mountain delicacies and studying the art of barbecue. They hadn't returned yet.

Now, Asha is in charge of cooking at Qingyue Creek. She's an expert in poisons and medicines, and her skills in preparing medicine are so meticulous that her cooking is naturally excellent as well. Of course, Li Fan's tongue can't really detect it now, and besides, it's all about adding a little bit of mood, so it's fine no matter what...

Today's dish is bamboo rice, made with the finest rice from the sacred bamboo of Ink Bamboo Mountain. At the bottom is a broth made with lingzhi mushrooms, divine herbs, and mythical birds and beasts. On top, a dish of elixirs is steamed on a bamboo rack. The ethereal aroma fills the air, steaming the rice grains into five colors. Each grain is large, plump, and smooth as jade, radiating a spiritual glow. Even Fuling cannot make such a divine dish.

Of course, this doesn't mean that Fuling is impossible to make; it's just that normal people usually wouldn't be willing to use so many Heavenly Treasure for breakfast. However, Li Fan obtained too much from Lei Marsh, and it would be a waste not to eat it. So, it gave Asha the opportunity to study cooking skills like Gu magic and alchemy, and to practice her three meals a day as if they were medicinal cuisine. Well, so it can be considered a serious form of cultivation.

Li Fan ate a tube of rice and helped Kun identify half a bowl of tofu, which made him feel full.

He usually goes back to his room to do practice questions at this time, but it's not an excuse. The fellow Daoist Qingting Peak found still needs to be sent to the mortuary for resettlement. In addition, he needs to buy some writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. He also needs to go to the academy to get a couple of classic works from Mo Shan to memorize. In short, he has to go to Lou Guan Tower to do some shopping today.

However, Li Fan had already left tens of thousands of coins in the Lei Marsh because they were taking up space, so he didn't have any cash on hand. Therefore, Li Fan rummaged through the warehouse and picked out some Ling Bao, jade stones, monster corpses, armor, and other junk, which he put in his Storage Jade in preparation for exchanging them for some money in town.

He originally planned to ride the leopard to town, but after packing his things and waiting for a while, neither Kun nor the leopard returned. They probably ate too much for their midnight snack and fell asleep outside.

Sigh, buying this mount is like not buying it at all. It follows Kun around all day without a trace, and it keeps getting fatter and fatter, which really affects Li Fan's demeanor as its master.

Li Fan, not wanting to wait any longer, flicked his sleeve and soared into the sky. He treated it as a practice session on his escape technique, using the <Qingcheng Wind and Cloud Dragon Ascent Technique> to fly north towards the Lou Guan Tower.

He made a hand seal and used the technique. The rain rushed towards him, the wind and clouds surged, and the mountains, bamboo forests, and the silver-clad world flashed past his ears like silhouettes. After only two flashes, he could see the reflection of the Li River in the distance.

It must be said that, apart from the huge consumption of spiritual energy, this technique is almost a perfect escape method, suitable for both surprise attacks, traveling, and escaping.

Li Fan estimated that if he took two more Golden Core pills to replenish his energy, he could probably travel four or five times to reach Lou Guan Tower directly from Moshan. However, he wasn't in a hurry to travel, and taking too many pills was bad for his health, as it would cause indigestion and make him feel weak...

So Li Fan slowly and leisurely flew through the air, breathing in spiritual energy to recover his Dao Breath. Occasionally, he saw mechanical flying boats coming and going from Ink Bamboo Mountain, and his mind started to wander again. He thought he could get a flying boat and drive it around. He wouldn't have to feed it or let Kun take it out to play. It should also be convenient to travel back and forth.

Li Fan was leisurely flying along, lost in thought, when he suddenly noticed a flying boat approaching him from the northeast over the Li River. Upon closer inspection, it didn't seem to be the mechanical flying boat from Ink Bamboo Mountain, but rather an old-fashioned flying boat with banners and talismans like those from the Immortal Palace. It seemed to be coming to ask for directions, so he stood on the cloud and waited for it.

As expected, the people on the spaceship were foreign cultivators. From afar, Li Fan saw a boy standing at the bow with bangs covering his forehead, who looked to be about the age of a middle school student. He wore a golden and jade flower crown on his head, had red lips and white teeth, and was quite handsome. It was hard to tell whether he was male or female at first glance. Although he was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, he was wearing a blue formal robe with a phoenix painted on it. However, it seemed to be just an embroidery decoration on the formal robe, and it was still impossible to tell which sect he belonged to. But the robe was of such high quality that he probably held a high-ranking position.

"Fellow Daoist, I bow in greeting. May I ask if this is the direction of the main mountain of Ink Bamboo Mountain?" The young man bowed politely, his voice quite clear and melodious, though it was difficult to discern whether he was male or female.

Li Fan also bowed, "Greetings, fellow Daoist. If you go west along the Li River, you will see the Lou Guan Tower, but the abbot is currently in Changsi City..."

Dressed so formally to visit the abbot, he's probably an envoy from another faction.

The young man explained, "Fellow Daoist, you misunderstand. I am not here to see Lou Guan, but to pay my respects to your sect's leader."

Are you here to see the mountain lord?

Just as Li Fan was about to speak, he looked behind the boy and suddenly froze.

It would be too impolite to use Divine Sense to scan everyone one sees, so he hadn't been investigating with hostility. But when the flying boat got closer, he looked up and saw the person standing behind the young man, which immediately shocked Li Fan.

If I'm not mistaken, those should be four fiendish corpses, and not ordinary mummies, but lifelike, just like living people. The demonic energy and fiendish aura within their bodies flowed like the breath of a living person, still functioning normally. Moreover, judging from their appearance, they were definitely not recently dead. They might even be immortal zombies specially refined, like the zombie king Jiang Chen.

Their foreheads were covered with large yellow paper talismans with vermilion characters, obscuring their faces and features. They were almost completely naked, bound only by crimson hemp ropes, with some talismans covering their private parts. Their chests, shoulders, backs, limbs, and lower abdomens were also marked with cinnabar-drawn chain-like runes. It seemed that the runes and funerary objects, such as jade cicadas and pestles, had sealed their pores, trapping their malevolent energy within, which was why Li Fan hadn't noticed anything unusual earlier. Oh, by the way, in their previous lives they were all...

Being suddenly bombarded with such grand displays of goodwill is really a bit overwhelming...

Li Fan's mood improved significantly.

Ahem! No, wait! Seriously, isn't this rope-and-bikini-clad zombie outfit a bit too outrageous for ancient times?! Anyone who sees it would be shocked! Wouldn't it be better to just wrap yourself up and put you in a coffin?! At least give me a bellyband!

Li Fan's mood improved significantly.

The young man was not surprised by Li Fan's astonished expression. He smiled helplessly and explained, "Excuse me, I am Bai Ling, a cultivator from Baiyue Mountain. I am here on my master's orders to deliver a message to the Lord of Moshan Mountain."

These are the flying immortals from my Baiyue Mountain lineage, specially bestowed upon me by my master as protectors. Because my cultivation is weak, I fear I cannot suppress these flying immortals and prevent them from going out of control, so I placed them in the sun to absorb some yang energy."

Oh, so he's a protector from their sect. He needs to absorb yang energy to suppress it, right? Makes sense. He also needs to sunbathe. No wonder he's completely naked. That explains it even more. Speaking of which, should I ask him to help me apply some sunscreen...? Wait a minute!!

"Ahem! I am Qingyue from Ink Bamboo Mountain. Greetings, fellow Daoist. The Mountain Lord is currently in seclusion, and only Inner Sect disciples can enter and exit the Ink Bamboo Mountain Grotto-Heaven. The reception of his envoys is handled by Lou Guan, an Outer Sect. Perhaps you would like to stay at Lou Guan's place temporarily? If you have any correspondence, Lou Guan's monks will also forward it. Also, please have your protectors put on some clothes; it's rather indecent..."

Li Fan focused his attention on his nose, mouth, and mind, trying his best not to let the eight balls B, C, D, and C in front of him interfere with his Dao mind.

"But my master said it was extremely urgent and told me to deliver it to your sect's lord personally... Alright, then I'll have to go to Lou Guan Tower first... Thank you for your advice, Li Daoyou."

You're welcome, you're welcome.

Li Fan swallowed hard, bent over, and watched as the guests from Baiyue Mountain departed...

However, these days there are all sorts of strange spells. Li Fan had already witnessed the power of the Fiend Corpse; it could easily destroy Golden Core cultivator, so it should be comparable to the Overlord Body Divine Essence Body realm.

These four Flying Immortal Corpses were even more... wow! Not in the obvious sense of "wow," but because of the numerous talismans sealing their meridians. They were clearly extremely powerful humanoid weapons, probably guardian corpses specially refined by their sect. They probably possessed combat power at the level of Martial God Body, right? Tsk tsk, I never imagined the Baiyue Mountain sect had this unique art of corpse refining. It's truly enviable...

Wait, Baiyue Mountain? Isn't that the force that Thunder Department is in charge of suppressing in Xun Kingdom? Isn't that a demonic sect suppressed by the Immortal Palace? Hmm... and refining those unorthodox corpses, ninety-nine percent of them are Demon Path. What do they want from the Mountain Lord?

Sigh, this world is a chaotic mess of intertwined forces, with even sects having their own internal divisions and factions. Li Fan was too lazy to think about it too much, so he ignored these messy side quests and decided to head to the mortuary to bury the guy from Qingting Peak who delivered the sword pill. After all, he was a 'talent with great perseverance,' right? He shouldn't have been kept in the Yin-Yang Transformation Bag for too long; it would be awkward if he died...

Lu Qi and Yuan Xuanbao both went to fight. They originally thought that Real Person Liang had become a lonely old man, but to their surprise, when Li Fan came to the mortuary this time, he found it to be quite lively. There were many young people practicing horse stance, boxing, and weightlifting in the snow. Real Person Liang was lying at the door with a grass root in his mouth, watching them and occasionally giving them some pointers.

"Hiss... Master, you've already started selecting new disciples! Could it be that those two have already...?"

Real Person Liang rolled his eyes at Li Fan, spitting out grass roots to hit him. "What nonsense are you talking about? Every year, besides those donated by their families and those specially brought back, there's also a sect competition at the end of the year in Ink Bamboo Mountain to select Outer Sect Disciple from those who haven't yet Foundation Establishment. These are all people who have to participate in the competition."

"Oh my? A sect competition? What kind of competition? Magic battles? Arithmetic? Killing monkeys?" Li Fan had always regretted not having participated in an Immortal Realm competition since his transmigration to the Immortal Realm, so he immediately became interested upon hearing this.

"Selecting Outer Sect Disciple for the Qi Refining Stage is nothing difficult. Just start from the Dao Tower, swim across the Li River Bamboo Mountain, find the Ink Bamboo Mountain Grotto-Heaven, and then go to the Scripture Pavilion to retrieve the Daoist books for Foundation Establishment stage cultivation."

A grass-digging triathlon!

Li Fan immediately lost interest in getting involved. Looking at these children, he noticed that some were already sixteen or seventeen, which wasn't considered young, but their Qi cultivation level was ridiculously low, and none of them had any real martial arts foundation. He couldn't help but mutter, "Their aptitude... seems a bit lacking, doesn't it?"

Real Person Liang yawned. "Where in this world can you find so many geniuses? Anyone with even a little bit of talent in Li Country has already been discovered. Although there are many people who admire the path to immortality, most of them can't even find the Ink Bamboo Mountain Grotto-Heaven. Even if it's right in front of them, they can't get in. Of course, they can't even ask for superior methods."

Of course, even if one's innate talent is lacking, there are still many Heavenly Treasure can awaken their spiritual intelligence and refine their physical constitution. In the past, if someone was particularly diligent and came to compete every year with a sincere desire to seek the Dao, our sect could make an exception and accept them. Such people who have the perseverance to work hard are actually a kind of talent.

However, the wealthy generally cannot endure hardship, and the poor, if they know they are not talented enough, will seek other ways to make a living early on. Therefore, recently, the number of disciples who have formally entered the sect through the grand competition has become increasingly smaller.

"Now, the mountain people are taking this opportunity to organize these families from the town to have some fun, get some exercise, and participate. Everyone who participates can receive some rice, flour, or money to go home for the winter, and those who win prizes also receive additional rewards."

Damn, it turns out it's the Ink Bamboo Mountain Winter Marathon...

That makes sense, though. These days, the cultivation Immortal Realm is desperately short of manpower, especially with Lou Guan's Golden Core Tribulation, which nine out of ten people can't overcome. The fact that the Mountain Lord only accepts Nascent Soul Nascent Soul Stage is even more absurd. So, there's no need to be so strict with the entrance tests for Qi Refining disciples. People with first-grade aptitude like Li Fan have already been specially recruited as disciples, and the scions of aristocratic families have even paid to start their training from the final stage. Those with slightly lower aptitude might even have a chance to become familiar with the place, but there still aren't enough disciples for Ink Bamboo Mountain to use.

"Why are you wandering over here again? Haven't you reached the Nascent Soul Stage yet?"

Li Fan came to his senses, took out his Qi-transformation bag, and said, "This disciple found the remains of a fellow Daoist on Qingting Peak. I wonder which senior it was, and I brought them here for you, Master, to collect."

"I'm not familiar with the Qingting Sect, but since we're fellow disciples, we should at least share a coffin."

Real Person Liang and Li Fan went to the backyard of the mortuary to collect the remains of their fellow Daoist. They even took a small piece of bone, wrapped it in a talisman, made it into a triangle, and handed it to Li Fan. "Take this to the back of Lou Guan Tower, to the lamp room where the disciples' soul lamps are kept, and see who it is. The original lineage of the Qingting Sect has been broken for a long time, but if there are still descendants, at least inform the family."

Li Fan agreed, took the triangular talisman, and was about to leave when Real Person Liang stopped him again, "Boy, with such high aptitude, your children will surely be outstanding as well. Why not have a few more to enhance the prestige of my Ink Bamboo Mountain?"

By the way, recently many refugees have fled from the north to seek refuge here, and many have sold themselves into slavery. I see you're not short of money, so why not take a few concubines and keep them in the outer courtyard...

Li Fan broke out in a cold sweat. So, it was you, old man, who instigated Yuan Xuanbao and Chen Daotong to have so many wives and concubines so early on!

However, Li Fan was also aware of his own limitations; he feared that if he really got into the Crystal Palace storyline, he wouldn't be able to concentrate on the math problems. So, he resolutely controlled his wicked thoughts. Damn it! Is this not considered great willpower?!

However, after Real Person Liang said so much, Li Fan also noticed that there were many more homeless people and beggars in the streets near Lou Guan Tower.

The towns near Lou Guan Tower are usually inhabited by the families of Ink Bamboo Mountain disciples. As long as there is a cultivator in the family, they will not be poor. Even if the pillar of the family has passed away, the Ink Bamboo Mountain disciples have a tradition of helping each other and there is also the hidden benefit of three reincarnations. The residents enjoy peace and tranquility for a long time. There is no war, chaos, or heavy taxes. They are not lacking in family property and savings.

But now there are clearly more poor people in the streets, most of whom are refugees from the northern Li Country. Moreover, signs of the previous famine are beginning to reappear. In addition, the Li Country is also politically unstable, and a major war with the Divine Sect is imminent in the north. I'm afraid that peaceful days won't last long for Ink Bamboo Mountain.