Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan

"To show our gratitude for the support of all fellow Daoists at this auction, our Yuanming Sect will serve a pot of Green Ox stew, and tonight the auction hall will remain open, allowing fellow Daoists to trade amongst themselves." Ziyan bowed gently and turned to walk backstage.

At the same time, servants who had been prepared earlier came out with jade plates carrying six pots of Green Ox stew, serving one to each cultivator in attendance.

"Yuanming Sect is really generous" Li Zhirui marveled. As part of a Beast-Taming Family, he clearly knew about the Green Ox; his surprise arose precisely because he was aware of its value.

Although the Green Ox was only a first-grade Spirit Beast, its flesh was imbued with a hint of vitality and wood Qi, which made it excellent for nourishing the body and restoring vitality. There were even rumors that consuming a third-grade Green Ox could extend one's lifespan by sixty years!

In the presence of over a thousand cultivators, serving each a pot of Green Ox stew would necessitate the slaughter of at least a dozen Green Oxen, an expense that was probably worth upwards of ten thousand Spirit Stones.

"Had I known there were such benefits, I would have brought more clan members to enjoy the taste of this Green Ox meat," Li Shiren said with a laugh.

Soon, the door of the private room was pushed open, and it was the same dignified female cultivator. Besides carrying three pots of Green Ox stew, she also held the scroll that had been on Li Zhirui's mind.

Li Zhirui received the scroll, but the Spirit Stones flew out from Li Shilian's sleeve, thus avoiding letting others know that Li Zhirui was the true owner of the scroll.

Once the door was closed, Li Zhirui suppressed the excitement in his heart, walked up to Li Shilian, and silently mouthed a few words, which caused his eyes to overflow with light. It took quite a while before he calmed down again.

The reason Li Zhirui wanted to acquire the scroll of unknown origin was because he discovered that the Divine Turtle within it contained a Visualization Skill, and the scroll itself was a Visualization Chart.

This technique was called the "Divine Turtle Ocean-Suppressing Chart," and its cultivation method involved visualizing the Divine Turtle to outline its body in the Sea of Consciousness, thus suppressing the Sea of Consciousness and resisting the Heart Demon.

However, Li Zhirui only had a quick glance at it, and being outside, he dared not delve into it deeply, so he was not clear about the specifics of the cultivation method.

The reason for Li Shilian's excitement was simple—this Visualization Skill could be used to strengthen one's Spiritual Soul!

The stronger the Spiritual Soul, the more benefits it brought to a cultivator, such as better control over oneself, faster circulation of cultivation techniques, less distraction from external influences, and greater firmness in one's Dao heart, among other advantages.

Although there were no shortage of methods to amplify the Spiritual Soul in the world of immortal cultivation, Visualization Skills were the most impartial and harmonious.

If the Yuanming Sect knew that the scroll was a Visualization Skill, Li Shilian wondered if they would regret their oversight.

And why was Li Zhirui the only one among so many cultivators to discover this? One reason was his own good fortune.

The second reason was due to Li Zhirui's Contracted Spirit Beast, Da Qing, which had inexplicably connected him to the "Divine Turtle Diagram," allowing him to glimpse the true treasure within.

Li Zhirui finished the Green Ox stew in just a few bites. A vitality arose within him, but it quickly dispersed.

It wasn't that the Green Ox stew was ineffective, but rather that Li Zhirui, not yet twenty years old, was in his prime, with abundant Qi and vitality. Of course, it could also be because the serving was too small and the vitality too faint.

For Li Shilian and Li Shiren, the Green Ox stew only satisfied their gastronomic desires.

"Let's go down and take a look; we might find a third-grade water-attribute Devil Beast egg," he said, though they all knew the chances were slim.

By the time the three arrived on the first floor, many cultivators had already completed trades. On the auction platform stood numerous cultivators, holding their Spiritual Objects in hand, in the hopes of exchanging them for cultivation resources beneficial to themselves.

"Second-grade Thunder Strike Stone, imbued with robust thunder power, can assist in the cultivation of the Thunder Method, and also accelerate the cultivation speed of cultivators with Thunder Spirit Roots, in exchange for one second-grade Lotus Heart Pill."

Li Zhirui, hearing the three words "Lotus Heart Pill," glanced at the cultivator with some curiosity because the Lotus Heart Pill served the sole purpose of clearing Demonic Qi—someone must have been wounded by a Demon Cultivator.

However, Li Zhirui quickly looked away. He had no interest in the Thunder Strike Stone, didn't have a Lotus Heart Pill in his possession, and didn't want to delve into the other's story.

"Ten first-grade Ice Silk Worms, to be exchanged for an equivalent Cultivation Spirit Pill."

The ice silk spun by the Ice Silk Worms is an excellent material for first-grade vestment robes, far more precious than the White Silkworms cultivated by the Li family. However, Ice Silk Worms have high environmental demands and require a place of perennial snow in order to produce silk.

"Two bottles of Water Refining Jade Spirit Pills in exchange for these ten Ice Silk Worms," Li Shilian approached the cultivator.

In the tall mountain range to the east of Da Rong Island, there is a peak one thousand five hundred feet high, where the summit is a land of eternal snow. The only trouble is that the spiritual energy there is thin, necessitating the use of Spirit Stones to set up a Formation, and one must go up to replace the Spirit Stones every so often.

"Deal!" The man agreed without hesitation, then hesitantly sent a telepathic message, "I also have quite a few Ice Silk Worms on hand, as well as Ice Heart Grass seeds. Would you want those too, senior?"

Li Shilian maintained his composure, replying telepathically, "The price for the Ice Silk Worms remains the same. As for the Ice Heart Grass seeds, one bottle of Jade Spirit Pills for fifty seeds."

Ice Heart Grass is a first-grade Spirit Grass, considered symbiotic with Ice Silk Worms. The worms feed on the Spirit Grass for survival, while the Spirit Grass thrives on the sand left by the worms.

Aside from feeding Ice Silk Worms, Ice Heart Grass has another use—crafting the Ice Heart Meditation Mat, which can ward off Heart Demons, though its effect is quite weak.

"Deal!" This man was a Loose Cultivator by origin, who, by a stroke of luck, stumbled upon these spiritual objects in the Great Snow Mountain. The silk and mature Ice Heart Grass had long since been sold.

However, the worm seeds and grass seeds had garnered no interest until now. He had initially just wanted to try his luck, but to his surprise, someone was actually interested, and it was the recently renowned Li family at that.

After completing the transaction, the cultivator quietly blended back into the crowd. As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, Li Shilian's purchase of first-grade spiritual objects wouldn't attract any troubles.

During the remainder of the trading meeting, the Li family found no other gains, but considering Li Zhirui's acquisition of the "Divine Turtle Diagram," Li Shilian didn't feel any regret.

"My Li family wishes to purchase a third-grade water-attribute Devil Beast to serve as our clan protection Spirit Beast. The better the aptitude, the higher the price," Li Shilian announced from the auction platform, as the sky turned a pale green. Instead of presenting spiritual objects for a trade, he was seeking to purchase a third-grade Devil Beast from the present cultivators.

This third-grade Devil Beast referred to either beast eggs or younglings because, with the Li family's strength, subduing a grown third-grade Devil Beast was impossible. Of course, the cultivators present couldn't have possibly caught a third-grade Devil Beast either.

Li Shilian hadn't wanted to make such a public declaration; after all, there were still disciples from the Beast Taming Sect on the loose, and no one knew if they were lurking nearby.

If word of the Li family's quest for a Spirit Beast reached them, they might discern the origins of the Li family.

However, third-grade Devil Beast eggs were hard to find. Relying solely on the resources of the Li family, they might not fulfill their wish even in three years. After much deliberation, Li Shilian had no choice but to seek the help of other cultivators.

Moreover, Yunping State, situated near the Boundless Sea, was replete with water-attribute Devil Beasts. It was possible that a particularly lucky cultivator had obtained a third-grade water-attribute Devil Beast egg.

If the Li family could purchase two, or even more, third-grade Devil Beasts, that would be ideal.

While it was more appropriate for clan members with better Contracted Spirit Beast aptitude to make contracts with third-grade Devil Beasts, it wasn't impossible to form contracts with members of slightly lower aptitude. Moreover, doing so could accelerate the cultivation speed of these clan members and enhance the overall strength of the Li family.