Leaving and a New Beginning

But Li Xiang wasn't only surprised by Li Yaoqing.

Li Yaotie, the blacksmith, hadn't fallen behind either.

Although he had lost an arm, cultivators had ways around that.

On the day he married Bai Rourou, the generous gift from the Su Family had been a prosthetic limb—a silver arm that could be attached to his body and made to move with a little spiritual energy. The only downsides were that it looked rather ugly and couldn't perform nimble movements; even the simplest motion consumed spiritual energy.

Still, it was enough to let Li Yaotie continue refining artifacts!

[Your descendant Li Yaotie used Azure Stone, Thousand-Jin Sand, the Gale Winged Tiger's bones, and the Gale Winged Tiger's inner core to forge the Black Iron Beast Blood Armor set into a mid-grade magical artifact!]

"It worked! Hahaha!"

After forging the first mid-grade magical artifact set of his life, Li Yaotie hurried to the ancestral hall to share the news. "Old Ancestor, even though we only have one Gale Winged Tiger, as long as I keep working hard and find materials from Foundation Establishment Realm demonic beasts, I'll be able to forge more mid-grade magical artifacts!"

Looking at the freshly forged set of equipment, Li Xiang gave a small nod.

It had to be said: when someone had even a little talent and pursued something they loved, success came easily.

Li Yaotie was exactly that sort of person.

Just look at how happy the boy was... he looked like he'd gotten married for the second time.

"Right, there are also the Chaoyang Beast's and Hundred-Eyed Demon Spider's corpses, as well as the corpses those experts in Tailin Town buried under the Beast Blood Fruit Tree. Soon, only their bones will be left, and I can use those to refine artifacts too. Hahaha!"

Li Xiang didn't find that strange. Using human bones to refine artifacts was perfectly normal, after all.

Soon, Li Xiang's gaze shifted to the Artifact Pavilion in Zhien Village.

After the Li Family and Zhien Village obtained a great deal of spoils, they began developing at a rapid pace.

More than a dozen artifact refiners had joined Zhien Village, all of them apprentices of Li Yaotie.

He had gradually realized that one person could only accomplish so much, and had begun training an artifact-refining force for the Li Family.

"Huh? They're already reclaiming Spirit Fields?"

Li Xiang watched the game screen in surprise.

Before, Zhien Village had been full of farmland and livestock.

But after the battle, only a portion of the farmland remained, just enough to meet their daily needs. The rest had all been leveled. On the screen, the villagers of Zhien Village were burying Spirit Stones underground.

Meanwhile, some outsiders were carving formations into the fields!

Only after checking the event log did Li Xiang understand why.

[After the great battle, Zhien Village had lost much of its labor force. Since they no longer needed to worry about food, Li Dalong decided to stop farming. He found the Wang Family's method of growing Spirit Rice among the spoils and invited formation masters from the county town to reclaim Spirit Fields.]

[Each mu of Spirit Field required ten thousand Spirit Stones and could operate for ten years.]

[Your descendants spent 300,000 Spirit Stones to reclaim 30 mu of Spirit Fields.]

Li Dalong had asked him about this beforehand.

Spirit Fields existed on Earth too. They produced spirit-infused rice, corn, and other crops. Eating them could strengthen the body and prolong one's life!

Ordinary people lived for less than a hundred years, but those who often ate Spirit Rice could live to be more than a hundred and twenty.

It could also slightly increase one's cultivation speed.

This kind of food was usually eaten by the wealthy. Since they had just acquired a large number of Spirit Stones from the Hu Family and the Wang Family, reclaiming Spirit Fields was ideal. They could either sell the harvest or keep it for themselves.

"Once the family earns more money, it'd be great if all of Zhien Village could become Spirit Fields."

Clearly, thirty mu of Spirit Fields weren't nearly enough to satisfy Li Xiang.

He continued reading the event log.

[Villager Wang Ergou of Zhien Village broke through to the first layer of Qi Refining!]

[Villager Cai Xukun broke through to the first layer of Qi Refining. Your descendant Li Yaowen rewarded him with the Wang Family Body Tempering Technique.]

[Villager...]

In a courtyard in Zhien Village, Li Yaowen sat beneath a peach blossom tree as the villagers lined up before her.

"Fourth Miss, here's this year's tax silver."

"Is your family from the Wang Family? Your Wang Ergou died in Tailin Town last year, so you don't need to pay tax silver. You have two children in your family, so go and collect a copy of the Wang Family Body Tempering Technique."

"Thank you, Fourth Miss."

"Next."

"Fourth Miss, I'd like to apply to join the guard team. I've reached Qi Refining."

"Application denied. You're the last one left in the Liu Family. How about this: become an instructor first and teach the village children to cultivate. You'll receive medicinal broth as your wages, which will speed up your cultivation. Once you have children, you can apply again."

"Thank you, Fourth Miss."

"Next..."

After reaching Foundation Establishment, Li Dalong had clearly become a strategic-level expert. He never showed his face, leaving many matters to Li Yaowen instead.

But that was how things usually worked in the family. Experts had to stay hidden.

They spent most of their time cultivating while also serving as the family's trump cards.

Entrusting the family to Li Yaowen had clearly been the right choice.

Only through Li Yaowen's careful arrangements had Zhien Village and the Li Family been able to develop so peacefully and steadily. Everything had been planned out.

[Year 35 of the Li Family.]

[A Daoist from the Litian Sect in Taiqing City passed through Zhien Village and happened to see Li Yunlin training in battle against demonic beasts. Impressed that the fourteen-year-old had already reached the peak of the fifth layer of Qi Refining and mastered his spear technique, he decided to take Li Yunlin as his disciple.]

"The Litian Sect?"

Li Xiang raised an eyebrow.

In the game world, Tailin Town was like a beginner's village, while Taiqing City was the county town, which governed the thirteen towns beneath it.

This world had more than just families. It also had sects.

Generally speaking, sects were far stronger than family lineages and controlled more resources. Li Xiang had heard that the town head of Tailin Town and even the city lord of Taiqing City both obeyed the orders of powerful sects.

These sects stayed behind the scenes, ruling the entire world and even the imperial court.

"Old Ancestor, this unworthy descendant plans to join the Litian Sect. There, I'll learn even more powerful techniques. Once I've mastered them, I'll return and serve the family!"

Li Yunlin hurried straight to the ancestral hall.

But the moment he stepped inside,

Li Yaoqing came in right behind him. "Hmph! What's so good about joining a sect? Does the Li Family have no resources or cultivation methods? Have you even mastered all the techniques and martial arts we obtained from the Wang Family and the Hu Family?"

"Second Aunt..."

Li Yunlin lowered his head. In the family and in Zhien Village, he always felt as if someone was calling him a traitor to the Li Family. He couldn't help thinking of how his mother had betrayed the family.

Li Yaoqing continued, "You don't know how those sects operate. Once you join, they'll tell you that the first step to cultivation is cutting off your worldly ties! They'll use all kinds of methods to make you forget who you used to be. You're young, and you might think you won't fall for their lies, but what about once you're actually at the Litian Sect?"

"Ten years? Twenty? Will you still remember that you're a member of the Li Family?"

Seeing the stubborn look on Li Yunlin's face, Li Yaoqing narrowed her eyes.

She knelt before the ancestral hall. "Old Ancestor, let me break this unfilial descendant's legs. Then we'll see how he gets to the Litian Sect!"

Watching the argument play out on the screen, Li Xiang fell into deep thought. What Li Yaoqing said was indeed what happened after joining a sect.

But Li Xiang understood Li Yunlin's situation too. This third-generation descendant had witnessed everything that happened when his mother was cast out of the family. It had likely become a mental barrier for him. Otherwise, with his talent and the resources the Li Family provided, he would surely have advanced beyond the peak of the fifth layer by now.

The boy was already fourteen. Perhaps it would be better for him to go out and see the world. Although the map hadn't revealed where the Litian Sect was, Li Xiang had heard of it. The sect even had a Nascent Soul Ancestor watching over it!

Li Yunlin might become stronger than anyone in the Li Family after joining the Litian Sect. Besides, every child had the right to pursue his own path.

As his ancestor, Li Xiang had no reason to stop him.

"Go."

Li Xiang clicked on the Purple Thunder Heavenly Sun Python's portrait and typed in the words. In an instant, the Purple Thunder Heavenly Sun Python opened its eyes and let out a hiss.

With Li Xiang's permission,

Li Yaoqing didn't stop him either. She simply cursed Li Yunlin, saying, "You useless thing. You'll regret this," and let it go.

Though her words were harsh, the Li Family still gathered to see Li Yunlin off. Li Yaoqing even gave him a Storage Ring filled with medicines to protect himself.

Soon,

the Daoist from the Litian Sect stood on a flying sword with Li Yunlin. With a sweep of his whisk, he soared through the air and disappeared.

Not long after Li Yunlin left,

"Ah!!!"

[Bai Rourou carried her child for ten months and gave birth to a son, naming him Li Yundou!]

[Congratulations, you gained 10 Incense!]

"Holy crap, the kid looks huge already!"

The newborn let out a loud cry as he entered the world!

The Li Family gathered in the courtyard once more. Li Yaotie held the baby and spun around in delight!

Li Xiang rubbed his hands together.

After the boy got married, he'd really put in the hard work. His wife was pregnant in less than two months.

And Bai Rourou was no ordinary woman either.

Only after she became a member of the Li Family did Li Xiang receive her personal information. Bai Rourou was only twenty, yet she had already reached the eighth layer of Qi Refining and possessed dual spiritual roots!

Their son, Li Yundou, had pretty good talent too, about the same as Li Yunlin's. And judging by how big he was at birth, he'd definitely grow up to be a carbon copy of Li Yaotie!

Before long, a banquet was underway on the screen.

After the wedding, people from Tailin Town once again came to the Li Family to attend the banquet.

Seeing the Li Family's astonishing transformation, Su Yun, the head of the Su Family, became even more certain that his original choice had been the right one.

This time, he presented them with a piece of jade.

"Nephew, this jade can nourish a child. If he keeps it close, he'll never fall ill. It's engraved with the story of how our two families met, fought side by side, and became as close as brothers!"

The Chen Family members nearby watched with dark expressions.

Chen Chuang gritted his teeth. "He's already sucking up to them? And he even engraved the friendship between the two families on the jade. He's trying to make this child feel warmly toward the Su Family from the moment he's born. Old Fox!"

In the real world, out at sea,

two days had passed since the excavation of the underwater ruins began.

The vastness of the ruins beneath the seabed was astonishing!

At the same time, all kinds of artifacts from an unknown era were gradually being cleared away by the workers.

Inside the historical research lab,

a woman in glasses and a white lab coat gazed at a piece of jade, her face brimming with delight.

"This piece of jade must once have been a special magical artifact. Its spiritual energy has long since dissipated with the passage of time, but the writing engraved on it has survived beautifully!"

"The Tailin Great War... The Su Family committed the full strength of its clan to help the Li Family achieve a great victory... Grandson Yundou has the makings of a Great Emperor..."

Xiao Qingling burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! As long as I record everything about this family, my discovery will shock the world!"