Translator: AnubisTL
Like many cultivation clans in the cultivation world, the Liu Clan was built upon a Spiritual Vein, allowing it to thrive and prosper.
However, the true foundation of the Liu Clan's strength lay in its affiliation with a powerful cultivation sect. Each year, the clan sent its most promising young members to the sect for training.
Being backed by a major cultivation sect was far more advantageous than relying on a clan founded by rogue cultivators.
Of course, this patronage was only possible because the Liu Clan's ancestor had once been a Foundation Establishment Elder of the sect and had made significant contributions to the sect. This legacy allowed the clan to establish itself and maintain friendly relations with the sect.
On this day, a subtle disturbance rippled through the Liu Clan's protective formation.
The two young disciples on duty, responsible for monitoring the formation, showed little surprise.
"Hmm? It seems the illusion array of the protective formation has been triggered. Liu Tianbao, go check it out quickly."
The tall, slender young man, seated cross-legged on a meditation cushion, urged the short, stout man beside him.
Liu Tianbao snorted coldly. "Why should I go? It's probably just another villager from that little mountain village outside who wandered into the valley. Let him starve for a few days first."
"That's true," the tall, thin man said with a chuckle. "We don't rotate guard duty for another two days anyway. We can just send him out before the shift change."
Liu Tianbao raised an eyebrow. "It's always those ignorant villagers from that mountain village who keep trespassing into the valley. Why don't we just drive them further away? They're always making noise and disturbing my cultivation. I don't know when I'll ever reach the sixth level of Qi Refining! Sigh!"
The tall, thin youth beside him, Liu Sheng, was clearly an optimist by nature. He waved his hand at the complaining, portly man.
"If the elders of the clan heard you say that, you'd probably get a spanking! You know, the Liu Clan had a Foundation Establishment Elder from that very mountain village many years ago!"
"Though it's small, that village is located near the edge of a second-tier Spiritual Vein. Every thirty or forty years, it's still possible for one or two seedlings with Spiritual Roots to occasionally emerge."
Liu Tianbao, the fat man, frowned deeply, his face etched with worry. He sighed repeatedly, his voice heavy with anxiety. "In six months, I'll be twenty. If I can't reach the sixth layer of Qi Refining by then, I won't be able to compete for a spot in the Heavenly River Sect. I'll miss my chance to become a disciple of an upper sect!"
"Heh, even if you get into the Heavenly River Sect, you'll still have to kowtow to others. It's better to cultivate leisurely in the clan," Liu Sheng said, taking a more relaxed view.
As the two men were talking, a stone tablet at the entrance to the clan's protective array suddenly lit up.
Noticing the commotion, they immediately stopped their conversation, their eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Hiss! The intruder actually has a Spiritual Root?!" Liu Sheng exclaimed, his voice filled with disbelief.
Liu Tianbao's breathing quickened. "This is wonderful! Heaven is guiding me to the Heavenly River Sect!"
"Liu Sheng, I beg you, let me be the one to bring this person into the clan. I desperately need the introduction reward to help me reach the sixth layer of Qi Refining. This is my last chance to join the Heavenly River Sect."
Hearing his companion's desperate plea, Liu Sheng remained unmoved. "Let's first assess this person's aptitude," he said.
"Tsk tsk, Fire Spiritual Root, Metal Spiritual Root, Earth Spiritual Root, Wood Spiritual Root... such a mixed bag! A Pseudo Spiritual Root!"
"Ah, what a pity!"
After confirming the newcomer's cultivation aptitude, Liu Tianbao, who had been so agitated just now, sighed deeply.
Bringing someone with a Spiritual Root to the clan did indeed come with a reward, but the extent of the reward depended on the newcomer's talent. For someone with such a mixed and poor cultivation aptitude, the clan would likely offer no more than twenty or so spirit stones at most.
"Wait, something's off. This person has cultivation!" Liu Sheng raised an eyebrow, his expression immediately turning serious.
Hearing this, Liu Tianbao let out a long sigh. "Ah? An outsider cultivator? Then we won't even get this measly reward?"
Because the formation of Spiritual Roots was so elusive, most cultivation clans, for the sake of their survival, were eager to absorb any seedlings with Spiritual Roots.
Especially those innocent, uncultivated children were the prime targets for absorption.
If the newcomer possessed cultivation, it likely meant they were a rogue cultivator.
The former were like blank slates, making it easy to change their surname to the family's and groom them as loyal confidants.
In the case of the latter, if their background was clean, the family would still consider absorbing them, but at most they would arrange a marriage between them and a young member of the clan to bind them through blood ties.
Currently, the cultivation world had only two methods to increase the likelihood of descendants possessing Spiritual Roots, neither of which was guaranteed to work.
The first involved two individuals with Spiritual Roots marrying, which might slightly increase the probability of their offspring inheriting them.
The second involved couples living atop a Spiritual Vein for an extended period, which might also slightly improve the chances of their descendants developing Spiritual Roots.
Of course, the effectiveness of these methods remained uncertain.
Even when both methods were employed, it was still common for descendants to lack the Spiritual Roots necessary for cultivation.
At this moment, the two young disciples of the Liu Clan clearly hadn't thought things through so deeply.
"Forget it," Liu Sheng said. "Though the intruder's cultivation is weak, we should still go and see. What if they're a spy sent by another faction?"
But Liu Tianbao, the chubby one, scoffed dismissively. "Go yourself if you want. I'm busy cultivating. With the Heavenly River Sect protecting us, no other faction would dare to target the Liu Clan!"
With that, he plopped down on his seat.
Seeing this, Liu Sheng shook his head repeatedly and finally decided to go and receive the cultivator who had intruded into the valley himself.
Meanwhile, Li Qing's expression grew grave.
A thick white mist had risen around him, though it posed no physical threat, it was proving incredibly vexing. No matter how far he walked, he always ended up back where he started.
"If there's a cultivation clan in this valley, judging by how they treat the intruding villagers, their hearts shouldn't be inherently evil," Li Qing mused aloud. "And this white mist blocking my path must be what they call a formation, right?"
He stared at the swirling mist before him, his mind settling into a calm focus.
Having encountered no immediate danger, Li Qing dared not attack recklessly. He feared damaging the formation and incurring the Liu Clan's displeasure, which would be counterproductive.
However, Li Qing was overthinking things. With his current cultivation level, even if he poured all his energy into it, he wouldn't be able to harm such a powerful clan-protecting formation in the slightest.
"The Dao of Formations is truly remarkable," Li Qing murmured to himself as he observed the formation.
Suddenly, the dense white mist around him abruptly dispersed!
Whoosh!
The mist swirled to both sides, revealing a clear path directly into the valley. The disorienting sense of spatial distortion Li Qing had felt just moments ago vanished, replaced by a clear view of the surroundings.
Then, a cheerful voice echoed through the air:
"May I ask why Fellow Daoist has entered the territory of the Liu Clan?"
Hearing this, Li Qing's expression relaxed. He clasped his hands together in a respectful bow and replied, "I am Li Qing, a rogue cultivator who recently entered the Immortal Path. I stumbled upon this wondrous formation and, captivated by its mystery, sought to explore it further. My intention is solely to make friends and broaden my knowledge, with no intention of causing offense. I beg your forgiveness!"
Soon, the voice that had been laced with laughter sounded again: "So it's Fellow Daoist Li. In that case, please come in and have a chat. The Liu Clan is not known for being inhospitable."
"Follow the white mist passage. But be careful not to wander off. Accidentally triggering a forbidden mechanism in the formation would be quite troublesome."
Li Qing breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed his guess had been correct: the cultivators here were indeed of a more upright and peaceful nature. Otherwise, if the villagers who often trespassed into the valley had truly angered them, the entire mountain village might have been slaughtered.
"Thank you, Fellow Daoist!"
With that, Li Qing urged Fan Tong toward the white mist passage.
The surrounding mist quickly thinned. After a long moment, they emerged from the formation, and the environment underwent a dramatic transformation.
The towering ancient trees of just moments ago had vanished, replaced by a cultivation clan nestled in the valley!
The scenery was breathtaking, and the spiritual energy was incredibly dense, leaving Li Qing deeply astonished. To cultivate here would be an utterly exhilarating experience!
Before Li Qing could continue marveling, a tall, slender figure emerged. Dressed in white robes and exuding an air of refinement, his eyes always seemed to hold a hint of a smile.
"I never expected Brother Li to keep a Demon beast! That's not something an ordinary rogue cultivator can manage," Liu Sheng exclaimed in admiration.
Li Qing shook his head with a wry smile. "It's just a tiger with mixed bloodlines. Hardly counts as a proper Demon beast."
At this, Fan Tong let out a displeased howl, "Awo!"
"Hahaha, if it were a Demon beast with pure bloodlines, it wouldn't have been so easy to tame. Moreover, I observe that this tiger is quite intelligent. Though it's only at the early stage of the first rank, it can understand some of your words. That's quite remarkable," Liu Sheng nodded approvingly.
"Not at all. I was just lucky enough to find it in the mountains when it was young. I've raised it since childhood, so naturally, it can understand some of what I say."
After exchanging a few more polite compliments, Li Qing secretly nodded in approval of the tall, slender young man before him.
It was clear that the other's cultivation level was higher than his own, yet he was willing to engage in this superficial flattery.
Such a keen understanding of social etiquette suggested that the young disciples of cultivation clans were far more shrewd than he had imagined.
(End of the Chapter)
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