Chapter 1727: Preparing For Purple Mansion (I)

Li Jiangqian ascended from the foot of the mountain and knelt in the forest, speaking respectfully, "Congratulations on attaining your divine ability, my lord. I am overjoyed and deeply honored."

Li Ximing had not seen him for quite some time. Li Jiangqian had spent the past few years cultivating in seclusion and rarely involved himself in worldly affairs. Even his attire had become simpler, consisting solely of a pale white Daoist robe that made him look rather different.

Li Ximing looked him over and smiled. "Your time is precious. I have kept you waiting."

Li Jiangqian bowed and replied respectfully, "It was hardly a long wait. While on the mountain, I heard about the changes over the past few years from Cousin Jiangchun. After reflecting on them at length, I realized that the situation is changing far more rapidly than anticipated. The matter of attaining a divine ability cannot be delayed..."

Li Ximing knew that he had always possessed ideas of his own and likely had his own views on the matter, so he asked, "I heard Jianglong has received orders to remain in the Wilderness, while Jiangxia is still in the imperial capital. Both brothers have ambitions of their own, and the Purple-Gold Hall presents a tremendous opportunity... What do you think?"

Li Jiangqian smiled and replied, "It is not for this junior to judge. My younger brothers are both thoughtful men and will certainly not neglect the family."

Li Ximing merely shook his head and asked, "How is your cultivation progressing?"

Only then did Li Jiangqian grow solemn. He answered quietly, "The [Heavenly Scripture of the Dimming Radiant Day] contains four secret techniques. I have mastered the third, [Snare], leaving only [Orthodox Flame]. It is extraordinarily difficult. I have studied it closely, but its profundities are as vast as the ocean. I fear it cannot be mastered within five or six years. Even if everything proceeds smoothly, it may take ten."

Li Ximing already felt a headache coming on. As a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator, he knew firsthand how difficult secret techniques could be. The Bright Yang secret technique he had studied back then had been thoroughly analyzed and explained, with every detail laid out clearly, yet it had been far simpler than the volume in Li Jiangqian's hands!

Not everyone can compare to his father, after all...

Li Jiangqian did not say much more about himself. Instead, he lowered his head slightly and continued, "Over the past few years, several secret letters have been sent to the family from the outer-sea, all written by Younger Cousin Quewan. Her progress has been swift. The [Golden Book of Singular Attunement] contains five secret techniques, and she has already mastered three!"

"Three?"

Li Ximing was slightly taken aback. Since she had to devote years to cultivating shamanic spell arts, Li Quewan's cultivation had once lagged considerably behind Li Jiangqian's. Back when Li Jiangqian was cultivating his second secret technique, [Heavenly Apricot], she had only just begun cultivating secret techniques herself. Yet now, her progress had surpassed his!

Li Jiangqian nodded and smiled. "The shamanic path she has cultivated over the years has greatly deepened her Dao conduct, and has been even more beneficial to her cultivation of secret techniques. Although her cultivation method is more difficult than mine, she is still progressing somewhat faster."

Li Ximing nodded with a smile and moved past the matter. He calculated with his fingers and frowned inwardly, [Orthodox Flame] will take ten years... and that is only if everything goes smoothly. Then he will need to enter seclusion and break through to the Purple Mansion realm... By my own standard, that will take another ten years. More than twenty years will pass in the blink of an eye. By then... Minghuang may already be a Grand Daoist Master.

Li Jiangqian was still extremely young. In Li Ximing's view, if the situation remained stable, they could afford to wait not merely twenty years, but even forty or sixty. At the same time, Li Ximing understood Li Zhouwei's predicament all too well.

If he wants to overcome the Buddhist cultivators, it would be best to have the support of another Purple Mansion Realm cultivator. Judging by the time Jiangqian needs to cultivate, over twenty years... is a little too long...

He quietly studied Li Jiangqian and asked softly, "Must you... cultivate [Orthodox Flame]?"

Li Jiangqian immediately understood what he meant. A solemn expression appeared on his face as he replied, "I came precisely to discuss this matter with you, Daoist Master. I might as well abandon this art and proceed directly toward attaining a divine ability!"

He paused briefly, a trace of regret appearing on his face. "When you were in seclusion, Daoist Master, I asked the old elder about it. However, he firmly rejected the idea and insisted that I master every secret technique before making the attempt... I had no choice but to return to my cave dwelling..."

Li Xuanxuan was more protective of him, but Li Ximing was different. He frowned, nodded, and replied, "If things do not proceed smoothly, it could take more than a decade. We truly cannot afford to wait that long. With that much time, coupled with the pills you will take, you could already cultivate an additional divine ability..."

Li Jiangqian had yet to receive a talisman. If everything proceeded smoothly, cultivating his first two divine abilities after breaking through to the Purple Mansion Realm would be extremely easy. Reaching the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion Realm would not only be virtually guaranteed, but would also happen at an astonishing speed!

Reaching the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion Realm more than a decade earlier... would be enough to change the entire situation.

Li Ximing contemplated the matter for a long time. Li Jiangqian, still kneeling before him, had considerations of his own, and his thoughts were both complicated and cautious.

Given his personality, he would never tolerate the slightest risk of error in something as potentially fatal as breaking through to the Purple Mansion Realm, nor would he forgo any opportunity to improve his chances of success. Yet the more he heard about the current situation, the more ominous it seemed.

Father seeks Bright Yang... and the conflict between the north and south is growing increasingly brutal. If anything goes wrong, it will inevitably become a catastrophe that devastates heaven and earth...

His heart grew heavy as he thought, I once thought father would have no trouble protecting us for three hundred years. Now, it appears he may fall far short of that. The pursuit of Gold depends, above all, on the tides of the world. It will certainly come to a head within a hundred years. In the most extreme case, there may be only sixty or seventy years...

Of everyone at Moongaze Lake, the person Li Jiangqian found hardest to gauge was his own father. He had no idea how confident Li Zhouwei truly was. Thus, under such circumstances, Li Jiangqian always prepared for the worst.

If anything happens to father, I must possess enough strength to protect myself... Ideally, I should already be a Grand Daoist Master, someone valuable enough for the great figures to take an interest in...

Under such circumstances, Li Jiangqian could no longer afford to wait. [Orthodox Flame] alone would take more than a decade, while opportunities vanished in an instant. How could he possibly have another decade to spare?

Reaching the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion Realm will not be difficult, but the Purple Mansion Threshold is notoriously formidable. I cannot wait any longer.

Driven by these considerations, Li Jiangqian bowed solemnly before the Daoist Master and declared, "Father is entangled in the conflict between the north and south, while calamities continually threaten the lake. In such perilous times, Jiangqian is unwilling to wait any longer!"

Li Ximing nodded gravely and reassured him, "There is no need to be anxious. I have considered this matter carefully."

He took a box from his sleeve and revealed the spirit item within.

Inside the box was a perfectly round and lustrous golden pearl. Layers of feather-like patterns drifted across its surface, while dense golden radiance gathered within, emanating an extraordinarily profound aura of Radiant Fire.

Li Ximing said solemnly, "I have already ascertained what this is. It is known as [Golden Radiant Treasure Amber], and is tremendously beneficial to Radiant Fire cultivators. It can enhance divine abilities and be used to forge dharma artifacts, but must never be consumed while injured... It is also an exceptionally suitable spirit item for making a breakthrough!"

This item had been obtained from the Radiant Fire Palace within the grotto heaven years ago. Senior Lu had prepared it for the successor of his Dao lineage, so it had clearly been selected with great care.

Li Ximing handed it to him before taking out a jade bottle and saying, "This is a [Feather-Embracing Heart-Joining Pill]. I obtained it in Poluoduo years ago while refining pills for a Radiant Fire Demon King. It is a Purple Mansion Realm pill. Since it was meant to be exchanged for a spiritual flame, only the finest ingredients were used, and it can enhance one's mystics... It is more than sufficient for you."

Li Jiangqian hurriedly accepted it, but before he could express his gratitude, Li Ximing raised a hand to silence him. He turned his palm over, revealing a perfectly rounded spirit treasure resembling a Golden Core. It was none other than the [Two Bright Rites of Layered Fire]!

Li Ximing explained, "This is an exceedingly precious spirit treasure that belongs to your father. He intended to give it to you long ago, but I have been keeping it on his behalf. It possesses a mystic known as [Dao Merit], which can assist in cultivating divine abilities of the Radiant Fire and True Fire Daos."

He smiled faintly and continued, "It is precisely because we possess such a wondrous spirit treasure that I am willing to let you enter seclusion ahead of time!"

Li Ximing had clearly put immense thought into these arrangements. He said meaningfully, "When your father hastily entered seclusion at sea years ago, even he did not enjoy conditions like these, much less I... Even an ordinary immortal sect would struggle to assemble all these treasures. Your father prepared each one for you. You must remember that."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.