Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, Achieve Greatness!

With the war between the two sects, no one knew what the future held.

Yet Li Xiang knew clearly that if he wanted the Li Family to protect itself—or even profit—during this disaster, which could potentially last a hundred years, strength remained paramount. Otherwise, what qualifications did the Li Family have to discuss anything else?

However, a blade hanging over one's head is also a catalyst for progress.

[Amidst the news of the war between the two sects, your descendants have sensed an unknown danger. In order to ensure the family's survival through this catastrophe, they have begun to cherish every second and every opportunity to strengthen the family's power.]

[Your family has gained the trait: Strive Forward]

[Before the crisis ends, your clansmen's cultivation speed increases by 10%, and their comprehension increases by 10%. They will find it easier to discover opportunities for family development. Current family descendants will remember this crisis, permanently increasing the effectiveness of 'Strive Forward' by 10%.]

BUFF!

Li Xiang's tense mood began to ease. The vengeance BUFF had already vanished after resolving the trouble in Tailin Town, but this time, the Li Family had gained a collective trait once again.

Sure enough, no matter what kind of challenge it is, opportunity coexists with it, right?

Never mind the appearance of the game trait.

Even Li Xiang had an epiphany!

He suddenly slapped his thigh hard.

"That's right! If I don't view this matter as a danger, but instead as an opportunity, everything changes!"

Li Xiang immediately stared intently at the screen.

Admittedly, the war between the two sects would plunge the Li Family into unknown danger.

But as Li Yaowen had said before, in such a situation, the two major sects would be busy fighting each other; they would have no time to deal with other matters. Precisely because of this, there would be factions or individuals who could fish in troubled waters and seize the opportunity to gain benefits.

Then...

Why should the Li Family wait to be preyed upon by others, instead of becoming the hunter themselves?

"The train of thought is suddenly clear as day."

Li Xiang was about to have the Purple Thunder Heavenly Sun Python call his descendants over.

Just as he clicked on the avatar of the Purple Thunder Heavenly Sun Python, intending to bring up what he had realized, he froze.

The descendants had walked into the Ancestral Hall.

After everyone bowed as usual, Li Dalong said with a face full of joy, "Old Ancestor, today, when Yunbing came out of his cultivation in the Death-Stilling Heavenly Coffin, he said he had been getting beaten by the zombies on the first floor. Later, after he took the initiative to strike, the path toward the end of the first floor became much easier."

"So he asked this child, why can't our Li Family take the initiative during the disaster of the two-sect war?"

"Old Ancestor, this child does not know if this dull-witted boy is right or wrong. Please give us your guidance!"

"..."

Li Xiang's smile gradually vanished, and he stared with a numb expression at Li Yunbing in the game screen—the very guy with a pair of innocent eyes, his face practically written with 'I'm an idiot, come trick me'!

He remained motionless for a long time.

Li Dalong in the screen hadn't received a response from Li Xiang for a while and was getting anxious, wishing he could urge him with a 'Old Ancestor, please say something.'

I actually thought of the same thing as Li Yunbing, the guy who gets scammed daily in the family?

Li Xiang gritted his teeth and clicked on the avatar of the Purple Thunder Heavenly Sun Python.

[Good.]

After inputting the text, the members of the Li Family received the response from the Purple Thunder Heavenly Sun Python and were instantly overjoyed.

"The Old Ancestor agreed, hahaha!"

"I told you Yunbing isn't stupid; he can think of useful methods too."

"The grandson takes after me."

Li Xiang gritted his teeth, pinching the flesh of his thigh hard.

Calm down!

Must absolutely stay calm, don't smash the keyboard!

Following that, looking at the time flow on the screen, Li Xiang felt comforted.

"It's fine. Why should I doubt myself? Many days have passed in the game time, and I thought of it quite quickly."

"Yes, that's right. My descendants being able to think of the same thing as me is something I should be happy about; it proves he has grown up."

"I should laugh!!!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than his phone rang. Li Xiang answered, and Boss Qi's joyful voice came through, "Young Master Li, I've sold everything, made a huge profit..."

"Boss Qi, do I look like an idiot to you?"

"Ah? Why ask that all of a sudden?" Boss Qi's voice choked, then he said in a low tone, "I know my reputation wasn't good before, but Young Master Li, rest assured. I swear on my life that since I started working with you, I have never taken a kickback."

"Hahaha."

Li Xiang finally revealed a smile. "Talking to smart people is just simple."

After hanging up the phone, Li Xiang finally felt at ease.

[Your family has reached a consensus to take advantage of the chaos in Taiqing to secretly eradicate the Tingfeng Martial Pavilion. Li Dalong and his wife have borrowed the spirit beast 'Wind-Shadow Bright Spirit Bird' from the Silver Iron Forest to set out together.]

Li Xiang munched on a melon while watching this special operation.

As he played deeper into the game, Li Xiang understood that every special operation had a specific reason.

It was either a major event threatening the Li Family or an opportunity to gain significant benefits.

Although he had been keeping a close eye on the development of the Li Family's influence.

Li Xiang was well aware of this situation.

The Tingfeng Martial Pavilion, located within Tingfeng Town of Taiqing County, had a strongest member at only the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.

Although this small sect, supported only by the Foundation Establishment Realm, was weak.

The Li Family had still spent two months preparing to eradicate the Tingfeng Martial Pavilion, even utilizing connections with the Su Family of Tailin. The reason was that the Tingfeng Martial Pavilion was loyal to the Xuanwu Sect; if they didn't prepare thoroughly and evade the eyes and ears of the Xuanwu Sect in every aspect, the Li Family would likely face significant trouble.

The ultimate goal was to obtain the high-grade auxiliary magic tool within the martial arts hall--

[Martial Practice Spirit Pearl]

[Those in the Foundation Establishment Realm can use their insights to engrave cultivation techniques onto the spirit pearl for others to practice.]

The utility of this item seemed ordinary, but the reason the Li Family went to such great lengths was that they had learned through decades of experimentation by the Tingfeng Martial Pavilion that placing the Martial Practice Spirit Pearl atop a building similar to the training rooms in Zhien Village could further accelerate a cultivator's training speed!

At this moment, the Li Family had already begun dismantling those ten training rooms to combine them into one large training room, and they were all prepared to install the dome to house the Martial Practice Spirit Pearl.

Soon.

In the dead of night, Li Dalong and his wife took the spirit beast and headed toward the Tingfeng Martial Pavilion, situated on a small hill outside Tingfeng Town.

Amidst the quaint architectural complex, murderous intent erupted in the night!

Xu Cuihua, wielding a low-grade spirit tool, already possessed the ability to fight against those at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm. Coupled with the Wind-Shadow Bright Spirit Bird—which was as small as a sparrow yet impossible to track—there was no one in this small sect who could withstand a single blow from them.

The Tingfeng Martial Pavilion had only one Pavilion Master at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage and two elders at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage.

The Li Family couple and their spirit beast clearly knew exactly where to go and whom to kill, showing they had a plan and a target, having thoroughly scouted the Tingfeng Martial Pavilion. It was truly a dark night for murder.

It was crisp and efficient!

Just as he intended to switch screens to check on other descendants.

Li Xiang's hand on the mouse paused.

He saw the Li Family members quickly incapacitate the Pavilion Master of the Tingfeng Martial Pavilion and, after dragging him to a cliffside dozens of miles outside the mountains, Li Dalong gripped the man's throat tightly.

"What's going on?"

Li Xiang bit into his melon sharply. He saw a complex expression in Li Dalong's eyes: hatred, relief, and a sense of liberation?

"Do you still remember who I am?" Li Dalong's voice was hollow, trembling slightly.

"My friend, I don't know... I don't know how I have offended you? Let's talk this over. Do you want the Martial Practice Spirit Pearl? Just take it. I... I have many Spirit Stones, I can give you all the Spirit Stones and everything valuable in our martial pavilion!"

The Pavilion Master of the Tingfeng Martial Pavilion was no fool; he knew that if this group dared to come, they weren't worried about the Xuanwu Sect behind him, so he simply begged for mercy, hoping to save his life.

"You don't remember."

Li Dalong sighed deeply: "It has been forty-nine years. You don't remember me, but I remember you."

"You... who are you?!!" The Pavilion Master grew increasingly terrified.

Li Dalong ignored him and spoke to himself:

"Your Tingfeng Martial Pavilion claims to be a righteous sect within Tingfeng Town, but in reality, it is filthy to the core. Back then, you were at the peak of the Qi Refining stage, just as you were founding the Tingfeng Pavilion. Oh, right, you had another identity: a slave trader who kidnapped other people's children to sell."

"You..."

The Pavilion Master wanted to say something, but veins bulged on his forehead; Li Dalong had already choked him until he couldn't speak, and with a casual palm strike, he crippled the Pavilion Master's dantian!

"You would sell children with good aptitude to large sects."

"And for children with poor aptitude, you would use them as human cauldrons!"

Li Dalong calmly broke the Pavilion Master's limbs.

"Do you know that when the twelve of us cauldrons reached the age of twenty, it was exactly when you were going to use us to raise insect gu? To survive and escape that devil's den, I was the only one who made it out alive. I still remember my companions shouting at me to run!"

"Run... Agou, you must escape..."

"I escaped, my companions died, and I could only follow the memories of my childhood to find my former home, but I only saw my parents' graves. The thatched cottage was abandoned, with only the ancestral tablets remaining."

"When you kidnapped me, I was still just called Agou; the fortune teller hadn't even given me a name yet."

"I knew I was powerless, but I dreamed of your death, of your martial pavilion's ruin!"

Li Dalong let out a long breath. As Xu Cuihua placed her hand on his shoulder, Li Dalong finally offered a reassuring smile to his worried wife, then stared coldly at the Pavilion Master. "Now I am not called Agou. The nameless little dog who once lost his family and fled with his tail between his legs has a name: Dalong. Remember me in your next life; my name is Li Dalong!"

"Everything from the past should be let go."

Li Dalong truly let go. He placed the Pavilion Master at the bottom of the cliff, then borrowed the spirit tool from Xu Cuihua and flew down, bombarding the area until the Pavilion Master's flesh and blood were mixed into the filthy soil.

Watching everything on the screen, Li Xiang felt as if he were standing right next to Li Dalong, chilled by the cold wind of the night.

The melon in his hand suddenly lost its flavor.

He was also learning for the first time that Li Dalong's past was so miserable; perhaps this was the reason Li Dalong had acquired the trait 'Vigorous Striving', and the reason he kept changing after obtaining the cultivation method, wanting to secure a better life.

Many years ago, the Li Family already possessed the strength to help Li Dalong take his revenge.

Yet Li Dalong had not sought vengeance, perhaps because he had long known that the Tingfeng Martial Pavilion had a backer, and for the sake of the family's development, he had been suppressing his hatred all along. Even today, it was only because the family needed to take the Martial Practice Spirit Pearl; otherwise, Li Dalong might still not have risked everything for his own selfish desires.

Following the roaring sounds within the game screen.

[Your descendant Li Dalong has overcome the inner demon he suppressed for many years, and the trait 'Vigorous Striving' has undergone a transformation--]

[Trait: Achieve Greatness!]

[Your descendant Li Dalong has broken through--]

[Foundation Establishment Middle Stage!]