Li Sancai raised his teacup, signaling them to drink together. Only after taking a sip did he say, "Oh, right. There's something else you might be interested in."
Xu Changqing held his teacup in his hands. It felt a little hot, so he did not drink, merely asking curiously, "What is it?"
Li Sancai smiled. "In a few days, my cousin Li Lingbi will be celebrating his birthday. A banquet will be held over at Water-Control Pavilion."
Upon hearing this, Xu Changqing took out a spirit stone from his Small Storage Bag, gathered five Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, and handed them over. Then he said, "Wish him a happy birthday for me."
Li Sancai did not accept them. Instead, he waved his hand. "That's not what I meant. Don't misunderstand."
"Ah?" Xu Changqing looked somewhat surprised.
Li Sancai explained, "Since you successfully submitted eight hundred jin of Second-Grade Spirit Rice, it means you have officially joined our team.
"When the time comes, you can attend the birthday banquet as well."
Xu Changqing blinked. "Since it's a birthday, I should give him a birthday gift.
"These five Mid-Grade Spirit Stones can count as my gift."
Li Sancai shook his head. "No. The eight hundred jin of Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice is the birthday gift you gave him. It is far more precious than spirit stones."
These days, under the monopoly of the five great powers,
resources were becoming increasingly scarce.
Seeing the other man refuse repeatedly, Xu Changqing knew that insisting further might affect Li Sancai's impression of him. He could only put them all away.
Of course, the most important point was this.
He was not some bootlicker. There was no need to rush forward and fawn over someone.
Li Sancai revealed a satisfied expression. "When the time comes, I'll notify you through a Communication Talisman. We'll gather in advance, then head to Water-Control Pavilion together."
"Alright." Xu Changqing nodded, then asked in confusion, "Senior Brother, I heard Senior Brother Li Lingbi lives on an immortal mountain. Why is he celebrating his birthday at Water-Control Pavilion this time?"
Li Sancai set down his teacup and explained, "First, my cousin's master is the highest administrator of Water-Control Pavilion.
"Second, the Spiritual Root he mainly cultivates is the Water Spirit Root."
Xu Changqing gave an embarrassed smile. "I thought those with Mutual-Generation Spiritual Roots cultivated all three Spiritual Roots as their main paths."
Li Sancai shrugged. "They can indeed cultivate them all together, but that requires more time and vast amounts of resources.
"And my cousin wants to enter the Southern Radiance Secret Realm, which only opens once every fifty years. Only those who reach the Golden Core stage may enter that Secret Realm."
Xu Changqing understood.
Ordinary immortal cultivators had limited time.
Even geniuses chose to focus on cultivating one Spiritual Root.
Any additional Spiritual Roots were more inclined toward support.
After that, their conversation no longer revolved around Li Lingbi.
They simply chatted idly.
They talked about whatever came to mind.
After all, both Xu Changqing and Li Sancai lived alone.
It was not easy to find someone to talk to, so naturally neither wanted to leave too quickly.
Xu Changqing casually glanced toward the Spirit Fields behind them, then asked, "Senior Brother Li, would you like me to help you harvest?"
"Help me harvest?" Li Sancai asked in surprise.
Xu Changqing gave a brief explanation. "I want to practice my harvesting skills, but Spirit Rice can no longer satisfy me."
Li Sancai suddenly understood. "You want to help me harvest Rainbow Orchids!"
"Yes, yes, yes." Xu Changqing nodded vigorously.
Li Sancai harbored no doubts and agreed at once. "Alright. I'll notify you next month."
Xu Changqing was immediately satisfied. He promptly cupped his hands in salute. "Thank you, Senior Brother, for granting my wish."
By the time Xu Changqing returned home, it was already evening.
This time, he had talked with Senior Brother Li about many things, and for a long time.
He now understood the Spirit Field Core much better.
He also gained a general understanding of the entire Heavenly Origin Realm.
The Heavenly Origin Realm had three top-tier Immortal Sects.
They were:
Dongting Immortal Sect
Dragon-Tiger Immortal Sect
Moon-Inviting Immortal Sect
Among them, Dragon-Tiger Immortal Sect possessed the most ancient legacy, having existed for over ten thousand years.
Dongting Immortal Sect had existed for a shorter time, but it still had several thousand years of history.
As for Moon-Inviting Immortal Sect, it was rather mysterious, and female disciples made up the majority.
These three great Immortal Sects were the supreme ruling powers of the entire Heavenly Origin Realm.
Below them were the five great dynasties occupying the five domains.
They were:
Eastern Domain Plains—Great Moon Dynasty
Southern Domain Ice Plains—Qianyuan Dynasty
Western Domain Mountains—Blazing Fire Dynasty
Northern Domain Desert—Beiluo Dynasty
Central Domain Battlefield—Black Rust Dynasty
Below them came the more renowned immortal cultivation lineages.
Among the more famous ones were the Luohe Bei Clan, the Fuling Ouyang Clan, the Five Sons of Southern Peak, and others.
These immortal cultivation lineages had almost all been passed down for more than a thousand years.
Their ties to the three great Immortal Sects and five great dynasties ran deep.
The Li Family of Li Lingbi and Li Sancai was also a highly renowned immortal cultivation lineage.
The Zhang Family of Zhang Er and Zhang Su likewise held considerable status outside.
Within Dongting Immortal Sect, every type of Spiritual Root had at least one large immortal cultivation lineage.
At Water-Control Pavilion, because of the emergence of the Threefold Mutual-Generating Spiritual Roots genius Li Lingbi,
the Li Family's status had risen like a boat lifted by the tide.
If Li Lingbi could successfully break through to the Earth-Grade Golden Core,
the Li Family would stand alone above all others.
As for the Spirit Fields, what surprised Xu Changqing was this:
the number one was not the Zhang Family, but the Rong Family.
Yet up to this point, Xu Changqing had never seen a single Spirit Farmer from the Rong Family.
But it did not matter.
After all, no matter how ancient an immortal cultivation lineage was,
no matter how old a power's inheritance was,
in the end, they would gradually decline as time flowed onward.
Only someone like Xu Changqing, standing above the River of Time, could achieve true eternity.
In the blink of an eye, several more days passed.
Xu Changqing was not idle. On the contrary, he was extremely busy.
Over the past few days, he had reclaimed the cave beneath Stone Mountain.
Coupled with watering it every day with spring water,
although it still could not compare to that Grade-Two Spirit Field outside,
planting Spirit Rice or things like Four-Leaf Clover should not pose much of a problem.
At that moment, Xu Changqing sensed a fluctuation of spiritual power from his Communication Spirit Talisman.
So he took it out of his Small Storage Bag.
"Junior Brother Xu!"
"I'm here."
"Today is my cousin's birthday. Come over."
"Alright, I'll head over right away."
"Mhm—I'll wait for you."
The communication was brief.
Yet Xu Changqing's eyes lit up.
This was the birthday of Li Lingbi, a core disciple. He would surely meet many formidable people.
Therefore, he deliberately tidied himself up.
He also prepared Little Yellow Dog's evening meal.
Only then did he set out.
Following the same path, he crossed three hills.
Then he waded through the clear river.
Once more, he arrived before Li Sancai's wicker gate.
Li Sancai had been sitting in the pavilion all along, leisurely drinking tea while waiting patiently.
The moment he saw Xu Changqing arrive, rather than setting off immediately, he told Xu Changqing to rest first.
There was still plenty of time before the evening birthday banquet. There was no need to hurry.
Li Sancai seemed to see through his junior brother's nervousness and instructed, "Just follow me when the time comes."
Xu Changqing nodded. "Alright."
As a Spirit Farmer who had joined the Spirit Field Core less than a year ago,
being able to attend the birthday banquet of a core disciple like Li Lingbi
made it impossible for him not to feel excited.
He was even a little uneasy.
But more than anything else, he was looking forward to it!!!
Before you continue