Chapter 38: The Bai Family Has a Daughter
Chapter 38: Chapter 38: The Bai Family Has a Daughter
The Meng family had set up a Tier Two Upper Grade Array outside Immortal Peach Mountain, barring entry to outsiders.
Holding the array’s Jade Token, Li Ping passed through the barrier and found himself on a secluded, immortal mountain suffused with spiritual energy.
After getting his bearings, he flew straight toward his new cave-dwelling.
Before long, a wide cliff appeared in his view. Atop it sat a massive courtyard estate, spanning a thousand mu. The entire dwelling was enveloped in a faint blue Array.
WHOOSH!
Li Ping descended, landing on the cliff’s edge.
The view from the clifftop was superb. Leaning over, he could see a clear spring flowing at its base amid beautiful scenery, with wild birds occasionally taking flight.
’Not bad at all. I can even go fishing by the spring in my free time.’ Li Ping was extremely satisfied with the environment around the estate.
He then walked toward the estate, took out the Jade Token to control the Array, and opened an entrance.
Then, he strolled inside.
The Meng family’s Foundation Establishment Ancestor had told him that the Array enveloping his estate was a sub-array of the main one covering Immortal Peach Mountain. Each sub-array served as a core for the parent Array, and was itself a Tier Two Middle Grade Array.
Furthermore, because of this interconnected structure, the defensive power of these sub-arrays far surpassed that of a typical Tier Two Middle Grade Array. Not even a Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator could breach it quickly with a full-force assault.
But its most powerful feature was its ability to block Divine Sense. According to the Meng family’s Foundation Establishment Ancestor, the sub-array could repel the Divine Sense of even a Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
Li Ping was quite pleased with this. After all, no one enjoyed being spied on.
...
Upon entering the courtyard, the first thing he saw was a pond of over a hundred mu. The water was so clear he could see to the bottom, where several fish playfully swam beneath the lotuses at the water’s edge.
Dozens of houses were built on either side of the pond, meant for disciples and servants.
Directly opposite the main gate stood a bluish-purple palace, a hundred feet tall and occupying over ten mu of land. This was to be his residence and workshop.
Aside from the pond, houses, and palace, the rest of the grounds were planted with all sorts of exotic flowers and rare plants, each vying for attention with their vibrant beauty.
Li Ping was satisfied with nearly everything about the estate—except for all the decorative plants.
Most of them were purely ornamental, not the Spirit Medicines a Cultivator could actually use.
He planned to uproot them all after a while and plant Spirit Medicines instead.
This was a Tier Two Upper Grade Spiritual Land. Any Spirit Medicines planted here would surely grow quickly.
He also had a root section of Tier Two Middle Grade Purple-Vein Wood in his Storage Bag that he needed to find time to plant.
...
After stepping into the main hall and arranging his personal belongings, Li Ping sat down cross-legged and began to contemplate his future.
He had chosen this estate partly for the scenery, but his most important objective was to get close to Master Hu Feng and obtain his Tier Two Upper Grade Alchemist techniques.
Thanks to his Wetland Water Nourishing Skill, once he possessed Upper Grade Alchemy techniques and could absorb enough of a Pill’s ’Innate qi,’ he would have a nearly guaranteed path to Core Formation.
Therefore, mastering Alchemy was of the utmost importance.
Of course, an Alchemist’s Pill Furnace was different from a Talisman Maker’s Talisman Brush.
A Talisman Brush had a soft tip that would wear down with excessive use and eventually need replacement.
An Alchemy Furnace, on the other hand, was typically forged from precious materials and not easily damaged.
This was especially true for higher-grade Pill Furnaces.
Many an Alchemist could pass a single furnace down through three generations; the furnace outlasting its master.
Thus, it wasn’t easy to acquire an Alchemist’s personal Alchemy Furnace.
As for their legacy techniques, those were an Alchemist’s most guarded secrets, never even fully imparted to their own disciples.
He would have to plan carefully how to obtain the Tier Two Upper Grade Alchemy techniques from Master Hu.
Fortunately, the Nourishing Life Skill’s ability to absorb the ’Innate qi’ from Pills was mainly for breaking through bottlenecks, not for daily cultivation.
Li Ping estimated it might take him twenty to thirty years to reach the Perfection stage of Early-stage Foundation Establishment and attempt a breakthrough.
He just had to sort out the matter of the Alchemy techniques within that time. There was no need to rush.
’First, I need to convert my Magical Power! I’ll become a true Foundation Establishment Cultivator, then worry about the rest!’
Li Ping closed his eyes and settled into quiet meditation.
...
Several thousand li northwest of the Immortal City rose a majestic mountain range, soaring a thousand zhang high and stretching for hundreds of li.
In terms of height, this range was even taller than Cyan Dragon Mountain, where the Immortal City was located.
However, its internal Spirit Vein was far inferior to Cyan Dragon Mountain’s—only a Tier Two Lower Grade. Even with Spirit Gathering techniques, it could at most support the cultivation of a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
This mountain range was Gaoji Mountain, the home of the Bai family, a Foundation Establishment Immortal Race.
The Bai family’s ancestor had originally been a Loose Cultivator from the Chi Kingdom. After reaching Foundation Establishment, he and another Foundation Establishment Cultivator had jointly leased a Spirit Vein from the Sword Washing Pool to establish their families.
Around the same time that Fenglan Master founded the Immortal City, the ancestor saw an opportunity. He decisively seized the moment, leading his family’s Cultivators deep into the Cloud Mist Mountain Range to slay the Demon Beast that occupied Gaoji Mountain.
In doing so, he successfully seized a Spiritual Land exclusively for the Bai family.
The Bai family had been settled here ever since, growing their clan for nearly two hundred years.
Today, the Bai family consisted of nearly one hundred thousand mortals, several hundred Qi Refining Cultivators, and a single Foundation Establishment Ancestor. They were the undisputed hegemon within a thousand-li radius!
Deep within Gaoji Mountain, beside a misty pool dozens of zhang across.
The Bai family’s Foundation Establishment Ancestor was reclining in a lounge chair, basking in the sun with his eyes closed in a picture of leisure.
Suddenly, a figure landed nearby and hurried over to the ancestor, calling out respectfully, "Ancestor."
The Bai family’s ancestor opened his eyes. "Mingde. To see you in such a state, has something happened?"
"Yes." Bai Mingde nodded. "Qing’Er told me that Elder Li has already moved into the Meng family’s Immortal Peach Mountain."
At these words, the Bai family’s ancestor fell silent. After a long moment, he sighed. "He must have become a Tier Two Talisman Maker. It seems he no longer lacks for a Cultivation Technique or a Spiritual Land."
Previously, although Li Ping hadn’t agreed to become the Bai family’s Honored Guest Elder, he had permitted them to use his name.
But both the ancestor and Bai Mingde had secretly held out hope that Li Ping might hit a wall regarding his Cultivation Technique and Spiritual Land, change his mind, and agree to become their Honored Guest Elder.
They hadn’t expected, however, that Li Ping would so quickly reach Tier Two in his talisman-making skills and secure both a Spiritual Land and a Cultivation Skill, completely dashing their hopes.
After a moment’s hesitation, Bai Mingde spoke with determination. "Ancestor, Elder Li was a Loose Cultivator before. He has no one reliable at his side. I want to send Lin’Er to the Immortal City to help Elder Li manage his estate."
’Lin’Er.’ An image immediately surfaced in the ancestor’s mind.
She was a junior of the Bai family whose Spiritual Root had been detected at the Immortal Ascension Ceremony six years ago, allowing her to step onto the Immortal Dao. She was only eighteen this year.
Bai Lin only had Four Spirit Roots, making her aptitude average, but she was born with a graceful and stunning figure. Among the younger generation of Bai family Cultivators, she was the most beautiful.
When Bai Mingde suggested sending Bai Lin to manage Li Ping’s estate, the ancestor understood the unspoken intention.
If he were still in his prime, or if the Bai family had a second Foundation Establishment Cultivator, he would never have agreed to this.
But now...
SIGH! The ancestor sighed softly. "Fellow Daoist Li is, at least in name, our family’s Honored Guest Elder. It is only proper that we send a junior to attend to him. But the new year is almost upon us, isn’t it? Let Lin’Er celebrate at home and reunite with her family. We can send her to Fellow Daoist Li after the festivities."
Bai Lin was only eighteen. Her parents and relatives were still alive, her karmic ties to the mortal world were not yet severed, and she still held onto many habits from her mortal life.
For mortals, the new year was a very important holiday.
"Yes," Bai Mingde replied respectfully.