Chapter 17: The Path to Advancement for the Second Generation of the Li Family

"Run! They're crazy, they're all insane!"

In the territory of the Li family, a real-life battle royale was underway. The remaining eleven members of the Wang family were fleeing frantically in every direction. However, the Li family had grown into a formidable force. As the family members matured, they had amassed nearly seventy common beasts of various kinds, including two spirit beasts.

As for the thousand residents of Zhien Village, a hundred able-bodied men had been hunting alongside the Li family. They had been training diligently, hoping to become guards for the household, and among them were already six Qi Refiners!

"Kill him! Master Li said that whoever kills a member of the Wang family will become a Li family guard and receive a reward!"

"Is there such a good deal? Don't anyone fight me for it!"

"Charge, brothers!"

At this moment, twenty men cornered a Wang family cultivator, twenty bows firing in rapid succession.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh—"

A long while later, the men retrieved the cultivator's corpse from beneath a pile of arrows, arguing over who had landed the final blow. It wasn't until Li Yaotie returned and smashed the last remaining cultivator against the wall with a single strike of his hammer—leaving him embedded in the stone—that the fighting ceased.

Li Xiang, in front of the screen, finally took a sip of water.

[Congratulations, the Li family and their affiliated forces have slain the invading enemies.]
[Received Incense +200!]

"Does this count as an invading enemy?"

With a large sum of incense added to his account, Li Xiang felt satisfied. Suddenly, an entry in the event log caught his eye!

[Your descendant Li Yaozu engaged in a fierce battle with a sixth-level Qi Refiner. At the cost of a minor injury, he landed a fatal blow and gained significant insight into swordsmanship during the slaughter.]
[Basic Swordsmanship proficiency increased to 50%. Acquired Sword Skill: Sword Glint!]
[Sword Glint: Use light and spiritual energy during combat to blind the enemy's eyes, striking them down in a single blow.]

"..."

What a devious insight.

Complaints aside, Li Xiang admired Li Yaozu. The man had developed his basic swordsmanship through his own efforts, and reaching 50% proficiency showed remarkable talent. Most others had barely reached 20%.

Li Xiang watched as the Li family cleaned up the battlefield and collected the loot.

[Obtained loot, Artifact: Soul-Confusing Pendant]
[Obtained loot, Martial Arts Technique: Autumn Wind Step]
[Obtained loot...]

The ground was littered with equipment again! It was no wonder people said war was the fastest way to acquire wealth. Li Xiang checked the items; while they weren't exactly what he wanted, they were of great use to the Li family.

"I thought I might find something as good as that mysterious spear again. I guess the odds aren't high." He touched the space ring on his index finger. Inside, a long spear emitting a blue glow and covered in mysterious runes stood out prominently.

...

"Ancestor, all members of the Wang family have been executed. I have taken them to nourish the Beast Blood Fruit trees," Li Dalong reported, arriving at the ancestral hall as always.

Li Xiang accelerated the game time, allowing the Li family to continue their development. He pondered his next move. Ultimately, he decided to temporarily halt the development of the black iron mine. They lacked the strength to defend it, and coveting it now would only lead to unnecessary casualties. It was better to focus on steady growth using their recent gains.

As for whether Tailin Town would launch a large-scale attack on the Li family? Li Xiang wasn't afraid. Just as he wouldn't dare send his Purple Thunder Sun Python or war golems into Tailin Town, the four major families of Tailin Town didn't know the true strength of the Li family and wouldn't dare approach. After all, every cultivator who had come to the Li family had died. With their own vast assets to protect, they wouldn't risk everything when they had no idea what hidden cards the Li family held.

In truth, as time passed, the Li family reached their 26th year, and Tailin Town still hadn't dared to invade, merely testing them from time to time.

[Year 26 of the Li family: A plague broke out in Zhien Village. Through Li Yaoqing, it was discovered to be a retaliatory act by the Wang family of Tailin Town. After Li Yaoqing used her medical skills, the plague was resolved.]
[Congratulations, Li Yaoqing saved the villagers and resolved the plague. Received Incense +200!]
[Li Yaoqing gained the trait: Healing Hands.]
[Healing Hands: When treating patients, the success rate increases by 20%!]

...

[A serial killer appeared in Zhien Village. Nine-year-old Li Yaowen, clutching a book, arrived at the scene, followed the clues, and discovered the culprit sent by the Hu family of Tailin Town to sow discord.]
[Received Incense +30!]
[Li Yaowen gained the talent: Sharp Insight.]
[Sharp Insight: The mind becomes calmer.]

There were many more troubles from Tailin Town, but the end result was always the same: they served as experience points for the Li family.

"My descendants are already capable of solving most problems on their own." Li Xiang was satisfied. However, he kept a closer watch on Li Yaowen. This sickly girl of the Li family still hadn't managed to cultivate a single shred of spiritual energy.

"Little Wen, your health is poor. Take care of yourself; there's no need to worry about family matters." Under the Beast Blood Fruit tree, another sapling had grown, reaching the height of a person under Li Yaoqing's cultivation. Seeing her sister approach, Li Yaoqing smiled. "Sister has hidden a fruit here for you. Eat it, and once you break through the Qi Refining stage, your health will improve."

Young Li Yaowen shook her head stubbornly. "I cannot, Sister. I am cultivating the path of man standing between heaven and earth, reading the books of the sages. My body is a sanctuary. I have heard that the contemporary Sage of Literature eats only grains, and once enlightenment is reached, the breakthrough happens naturally."

"How many literary cultivators are there in this world?" Li Yaoqing stroked her sister's head. "Sister, our family has resources. It would be better if you took the simpler path."

Li Yaowen shook her head again, showing no intention of turning back.

"Huh? She wants to cultivate literature?" Watching the small text bubbles appear above the sisters, Li Xiang finally understood why Li Yaowen had never become a cultivator. The little girl wasn't training at all, nor was she consuming any pills or resources! Even he knew of literary cultivators, but in his memories of the thousand-year history of the spiritual energy revival in China, there were only a handful of known literary cultivators, and none had achieved anything of note... As for whether figures like Confucius actually existed before the spiritual energy revival, Li Xiang couldn't say. But based on this conversation, the game world clearly had Sages of Literature. And Li Yaowen seemed to have set her sights on the literary path because of her lifelong love of books.

"I hope she succeeds." Li Xiang shrugged. Everyone had their own path, and he should respect her choice.

Time passed once more.

[Year 27 of the Li family: Li Dalong consumed a large quantity of Beast Blood Fruits and, having stumbled upon a spirit herb in the Silver Iron Forest, broke through to the ninth level of Qi Refining!]
[Li Yaozu, leading the Li family guards, raided the Tailin Wang family members mining the black iron, seizing a large quantity of ore!]

"Hahaha, you want to mine under my nose? Hand it over!" Li Xiang laughed out loud looking at the game intelligence. Although he had given up on mining the black iron himself, that didn't mean he didn't want the ore! He had long ago ordered Li Dalong to keep a close watch on the vein and let the people of Tailin Town do the labor for them. As expected, the Wang family of Tailin Town had developed the mine, and although they sent experts to guard it, there were always lapses.

He was joyfully watching Li Yaozu and his subordinates transport cart after cart of ore to their base when his phone rang. He quickly picked it up.

"Young Master Li, good news. Your blood fruits have found a buyer. 3,000 spirit stones." Boss Qi's voice echoed. "By the way, if you are satisfied with my efficiency and the price, there is more business to come. I suggest you find a way to launder your future earnings. As you know, as a student, such sudden large deposits will always raise suspicions."

3,000 spirit stones! He had only given Boss Qi 20 fruits. Li Xiang hadn't expected such a price! These fruits only contained 100 points of spiritual energy; normally, pills providing that much energy would only sell for about 20 spirit stones! If he could obtain 100 Beast Blood Fruits a day... Thinking of the massive sum, Li Xiang's heart leaped!

But he remained calm on the surface, his voice indifferent. "I am satisfied with this transaction. As for the spirit stones... that's easy to handle. I just wonder, can Boss Qi acquire some contraband?"

"Huh? Contraband?" Boss Qi paused, then said gravely, "Young Master Li, you know, if you want a star-annihilating cannon, you'll have to give me some time; otherwise, it's hard to transport."

"..."

I don't need a damn star-annihilating cannon! Do you think I'm starting an interstellar war?!

Li Xiang hung up the phone directly, sent a quick text to Boss Qi, and walked out of his room. He had been playing the game all day, and it was time to eat. Looking at the decor of his home, he found it hard to distinguish between the game world and reality for a moment.

"Man, I'm too obsessed with this game." Li Xiang shrugged.

Just as he was taking a cake from the refrigerator, he saw Yue Xian looking outside through the peephole. He frowned and asked, "Yue Xian, what's the situation?"

Yue Xian turned back and waved her hand. "Master, did you provoke someone?"

"Hmm?" Li Xiang felt something was wrong.

"Old Grandma Ling from next door has walked by several times, staring at our house."

Li Xiang's mouth twitched upon hearing this. "Let her stare."

Great. He didn't have classmates waiting for him at the school gate when he was a kid, but now he had a granny who had lived for who knows how many years squatting at his door. She was probably still angry about what happened earlier. If she caught him, he'd definitely end up with a couple of bumps on his head.

Not dwelling on it, Li Xiang went back to his room. If anything happened, he could just call Old Chen, the security guard.

He sat down and took a bite of cake. His eyes widened. The game screen was filled with the sound of "clanging" and sparks flying—Li Yaotie was forging!

[Your descendant Li Yaotie, after obtaining the black iron, tempered it continuously. While hammering the metal, he gained insight and forged the first iron sword using black iron and other materials. He stimulated the potential of the sword with the blood of a beast, drawing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into the blade.]
[Li Yaotie has forged the first artifact and gained the profession: Ninth-Rank Artificer!]
[Acquired trait: Fated with Iron...]