After Cheng Yao left.
Li Ping returned to the training room to cultivate in seclusion.
As he cultivated diligently, another year slipped by unnoticed.
The Shared Boat Association's annual gathering was held on schedule.
Standing in the pavilion, Li Ping smiled as he looked at the four others gathered there with him.
There was no need to mention the other three. Even Bai Qing, whose cultivation was the lowest, had finally broken through to the ninth layer of Qi Refining. In two or three years, he would probably reach peak Qi Refining and begin preparing for the journey into the Qingyun Secret Realm.
The Qingyun Secret Realm would open in four years, so he still had plenty of time.
As usual, the gathering began with contributions to the Foundation Establishment Fund: three hundred spirit stones from Li Ping, one hundred each from Zhang Tie, Gu Musheng, and Cheng Yao, and thirty from Bai Qing, for a total of six hundred and thirty spirit stones.
The Foundation Establishment Fund now held a total of two thousand three hundred and eighty spirit stones.
Putting away the storage bag, Li Ping looked at the other four with a cheerful smile. "First, I have some good news to tell everyone."
"Oh?" His words immediately piqued their curiosity, and all four pricked up their ears to hear what good news their eldest brother had to share.
Li Ping had no intention of keeping them in suspense. Still smiling, he continued, "Not long ago, I received a letter Hanmo sent from Jixia. In it, he told me that he had successfully achieved Foundation Establishment!"
"Hanmo achieved Foundation Establishment."
"Fifth Brother achieved Foundation Establishment!"
At those words, all four faces instantly filled with surprise and delight.
They had spent so much time together that their joy at