Chapter 321

Chapter 321: The Truth Revealed at Mirror Lake

Huo Qiniang spread her people to frantically exchange for Miao Jade, elixirs, magical tools, and even treasures; anything that could be linked to sect points in the market was in her sights.

In summary, these points were worthless in hand; their value stemmed from the Haotu Sect’s credibility, which had gained recognition over many years, deeply rooted in people’s minds.

However, if someone at the top gave orders, blocking off this pathway of exchange was incredibly easy!

Three days later, Huo Qiniang, astonished, discovered that just as Li Hui had said, even with a large amount of sect points, she could not spend them.

It was blocked! Anytime someone attempted to make significant exchanges with their points, the merchants in the market would abruptly change the topic, going to the Treasure Pavilion and Task Office for inquiries. When word got out that the Mirror Lake faction wanted to exchange for supplies and issue tasks, the practicing cultivators below would claim that the people in charge were not present and that they needed to wait several days.

“Despicable! How can such a large sect allow this to happen?” Huo Qiniang was filled with rage and had no choice but to return to Mirror Lake with her findings.

Li Hui was instructing Mingming when he burst into laughter upon receiving the report: “Good job, Seven Niang! The enemies underestimated us, and their reaction speed is much slower than expected. Eighty percent of the points are still in our hands; that’s a great victory. After all, we will still need these points for the scripture hall and similar places. Next, we focus on our training and wait for the enemy’s next move so we can counter them accordingly.”

“Sir is right; we should indeed keep some points in reserve, though the remaining twenty percent is still substantial.”

“Not substantial; it’s actually quite little,” Li Hui shook his head. “Go to the Law Office, finalize your own identity and that of the chef, Zhong Yuan, Jin Feng, and Mingming as outer disciples. Have Song Zining directly enter the inner sect; managing things through sect points will be most convenient. Also, inform Huang Shiqin that each Golden Jade Peach is priced at a hundred thousand points, and we still need ten more. No matter the cost, we must obtain them.”

“A hundred thousand?” Huo Qiniang was shocked—what a huge sum.

“A generous reward will surely summon brave souls. Huang Shiqin will likely lose sleep over this and think of all sorts of plans.” Li Hui sighed. “But no matter how hard she tries, there aren’t many Golden Jade Peaches left in the sect. Obtaining four would be impressive. The sooner Yao’er can condense the magical peaches, the better. So you need to put in effort regarding people—bribe those disciples guarding the Golden Jade Peach trees and create an opportunity for me to approach once!”

Seven Niang sighed, “That won’t be easy! The Peach Trees grow on Cui Wei Peak, where the alchemists of the Haotu Sect reside. There are strict restrictions in place, and many Condense Essence Stage experts stationed there; three elders take turns watching, like a Den of Dragons and Tigers. Anyone suspicious venturing too close will be killed without mercy!”

Li Hui nodded, “Right, it’s difficult, but since there are many female cultivators on Cui Wei Peak, by deliberately befriending them and paving the way with sect points, we have to forge a path no matter how tough it gets. Strive to achieve this within six months.”

“Six months?” Huo Qiniang sighed in relief, as the time given by her master was abundant. With her skills in social navigation and observation, as long as money paved the way, even the wealthiest female cultivators on Cui Wei Peak could be overwhelmed.

In just a few days, Mingming had already embarked on her cultivation journey, using precious elixirs and rare ginseng, with exemplary teachers guiding her. She was indeed blessed!

Li Hui, in these days, made even greater progress. After returning from the Abyss of Darkness, he slept daily in the center of the spirit refinement array, sending out scattered thoughts into the universe, using the tiny creatures around him as vessels to comprehend the five elements and reflect upon mountains and rivers.

Once familiar with this state, it felt as if countless versions of himself were comprehending the Dao, allowing him to break through barriers and elevate the Cloud-Brush Dragon Claw Technique into the realm of Dao arts. When he used it, the heavens and earth resonated; the wind and clouds surged, increasing its power by twenty percent, and enabling him to execute it even faster.

Previously, the Cloud-Brush Dragon Claw Technique was one line away from reaching the Dao arts level, requiring significant amounts of profound qi to support from the inside out, making it impossible to escape the confines of established secret techniques. Now, it was truly a harmony of internal and external cultivation, allowing him to unleash sixty-eight strikes smoothly in one breath.

At night, he practiced spirit refinement, and during the day, he focused on body refinement!

The mystical crane bronze lantern obtained from Hongluan Manor was surprisingly forged from Qian Yuan Black Gold and Phoenix Eye Copper. While the proportion of Qian Yuan Black Gold was small, it was more than sufficient for cultivating the Ideal Body.

To lay a solid foundation, Li Hui was willing to invest significant resources, draining the potential accumulated in the treasure cabinet completely. Currently, it was manageable, but once the lower-grade Mixed-colored Miao Jade could no longer provide support, he would have to spend heavily to acquire rare medium-grade Miao Jade. Hence, he tirelessly cultivated the Mysterious Pearl spirit herb garden; there was no alternative.

Moreover, he consumed vast amounts of spiritual energy, practicing the Mystical True Explanation of the Three Elements at a thirtyfold time flow rate to continuously improve his profound qi cultivation.

Li Hui eagerly anticipated building up another year’s worth of power, yet expanding his cultivation was more challenging than he had expected. Especially after cultivating the Ideal Body, his profound qi was also conditioning his body, requiring about five to six months of meditation for four hours a day to gather. Additionally, the thirtyfold time flow was incredibly taxing; even with his current wealth, he had to proceed cautiously, balancing spirit refinement and talisman creation while managing his time effectively.

The advantage of cultivating profound qi was that the Heavenly and Earthly Arrays accelerated the speed of his practice, allowing rapid mobilization of the microcosmic and macrocosmic orbits. Once the pathways for cultivation were established, he could practice at any moment with the aid of the talisman formation.

Cultivators sought the Dao to pursue longevity!

Though no powerful beings that could break the limits of heaven and earth had appeared for a long time, whether they ascended to the legendary Celestial Palace after achieving the Dao or whether they could enjoy a lifespan equal to heaven and earth, no one could provide answers. Yet all cultivators strived tirelessly toward that direction.

For Li Hui, he remained constantly in a survival test, living in this “jianghu” world where one had no control over themselves.

The enemy revealed their fangs on the very next day after Huo Qiniang returned to Mirror Lake.

At dawn, Hongyin spread the news throughout the entire sect: “All peaks and factions listen closely! Given the seismic events within the sect, a multitude of variables have emerged. Ten days from now, please reveal the Jin Tian Treasure Mirror to preemptively examine the fortunes of the factions over the past three years. According to sect rules, those with declining fortunes will lose their claim to lineage. Remember, our Haotu Sect is the fifth sect under the Jin Tian Sect; we must ensure our strength and cannot afford to slacken or take this lightly. We must adhere to the responsibilities of Dao disciples.”

“The fifth sect under the Jin Tian Sect?”

Li Hui scoffed, “I thought Haotu Sect was merely flattering themselves by forcefully associating with the Jin Tian Sect. I can’t believe they are conducting fortune evaluations too. Because of the sect’s tremors, they are using the Jin Tian Treasure Mirror three years early. Ha! How clever they think they are; it’s obvious they intend to target our Mirror Lake faction under the pretense of finding excuses. Is this what a reputable sect does? Master has been too lenient. It has taken hundreds of years to accumulate this little debt; if I journey to become a formidable figure, I’ll have the elders from a hundred lineages write a letter every day!”

“Sir, what should we do?” Huo Qiniang felt immense pressure. Being in such a complicated upper sect, Master was the sole support for the Mirror Lake faction. Regardless of allies, how could they oppose sect rules?

“They’ve miscalculated; we will see what the Jin Tian Treasure Mirror reveals.” Li Hui stood up, unafraid but rather eager. He had never fully unleashed his own fortune before. With his master in seclusion, the disciple would bear the burden, and ten days later, he would naturally represent his master in the assessment.