Chapter 574 435 The Appearance of Huanyuan Border

Li Xijun rode the wind out and landed atop the Great Jue Court. He slowly closed his eyes, his Spiritual Sense connecting with the Immortal Mirror, scanning past. The entire Great Jue Court appeared clearly before him.

As he swept through the palace curtains, he found nothing unusual. There was a secret passage beneath the throne of the Great Jue Court, reinforced and concealed by a Formation, meant for the Shanyue kings of past generations to escape through. However, it had already been completely exposed and emptied by various members of the Shanyue who welcomed the royal troops.

'Perhaps I thought too much.'

Li Xijun looked around and did find several secret chambers of Shanyue Cultivators, where Fetal Breathing Spiritual Objects were well-hidden. Given the current stature of the Li Family, they naturally had no interest in these.

"Several elders have come here with the mirror in the past. If there were any treasures, they should have been discovered long ago… It's normal for there to be nothing left now."

That being said, Li Xijun was thorough in his actions, scrutinizing everything around him, even extending his inquiry to the North Foothills adjacent to the Great Jue Court, pondering:

"Now that the Immortal Mirror has been invoked, it's worth a thorough examination. Finding even a single Spiritual Water or a Precious Medicine would be excellent!"

This area of the forest had not been explored by the Li Family before and was barely traversed by humans, with a significant presence of demon beasts. It was highly possible to find one or two Spiritual Objects here. Li Xijun patiently searched for most of the day and indeed discovered something peculiar.

In the dense forest, he used the Immortal Mirror to probe through layers of rocks and suddenly caught sight of a dark, gloomy area. Stalactites hung there, dripping with lucent droplets, and an underground river surged, meandering and twisting—an underground river indeed.

Next to this river, there stood a large boulder, emanating a deep, rich light, connected to a palm-sized golden rhombus-shaped rock above, radiating a hazy, colorful light.

"A treasure!"

Li Xijun had been searching arduously, originally in pursuit of Precious Medicine. Although he did not recognize the item before him, it did not hinder his recognition that certainly, it was a treasure.

He landed down, not rushing but taking advantage of the presence of the Dharma Mirror to take a look around the lake.

The Yu Family was abuzz with excitement, with the sounds of drums and flutes indicating yet another wedding festivity. The eldest son, Yu Chengyi, was now running the family. Yu Su had used a Magic Artifact to kill his five brothers, allowing him to assume the role of Family Head quite cluelessly.

This man was not fond of managing family affairs and left all the power to the Clan Elders, busying himself with frequent street outings, taking concubines, and reveling in dog-fighting, quite content. The alternating power struggles among the Clan Elders continued quietly yet consistently, all while upholding him. The years rolled by in this manner.

With a glance, Li Xijun noted that several Clan Elders at the Qi Cultivating Peak had died after failing to break through, while several outsiders under their influence were prospering. Amid the intense struggles, they each supported a faction, fighting openly and covertly. Among them, a Lu-named Guest Elder rose in prominence and wielded considerable power.

Li Xijun remembered this person well; he was the one who urged the Yu Family elders to keep Yu Mugao out of the Formation. He used his Spiritual Sense to search for a while but did not find this person's presence.

However, the Yu Family as a whole remained stable over the years. Li Xijun examined closely and indeed found no new Qi Cultivating Late Stage individuals. There were a few at the Qi Refinement Late Stage, but they were all old men who had slim chances of reaching the Foundation Establishment phase.

"The internal conflict that year damaged their foundations and disorder their system. Who knows how long it will take for them to recover."

Although the Li Family had many eyes within the Yu Family, Li Xijun still wanted to see things for himself to be reassured. He then crossed the shimmering lake surface, riding the wind toward the Fei Clan's Hanyun Peak.

The Fei Clan was indeed more prosperous than in previous years. Despite directing the clan's resources to support Fei Qingyi, causing some financial declines, they were clearly more comfortable with a backer within the sect. Though they lacked a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, the Cultivators who came and went treated them with the respect due to Noble Families.

With Fei Qingyi's recent social connections easing the tributes expected of the Fei Clan, life had once again improved. Yet, the clan members now focused on practicing various Cultivation Techniques, rarely engaging with the Jade True Taoist Lineage anymore.

Having not sent anyone for many years, the relationship between the two families had become distant. With a lackluster interest, Li Xijun turned back, summoning Li Ximing.

Li Ximing was holding a Spirit Fruit, researching the Threefold Boundary-Breaking Pill that Li Xizhi had brought back. The Elixir was difficult to refine due to its ancient crafting methods, but his talent in this field was prominent, and slowly he was finding his direction.

He was deeply engrossed in his work, and muttered to himself reluctantly as he stood up, setting aside the task at hand.

Li Xijun simply smiled and said,

"It's assuredly beneficial for you to come along, you're the only one in the family without a Foundation Establishment Magical Instrument. If the quality is sufficient, you will surely reap the benefits!"

Upon hearing this, Li Ximing's spirits instantly lifted, and he followed with quick steps, excitedly saying,

"Don't joke, ever since my breakthrough to Foundation Establishment, I feel like my cultivation is accelerating, unlike what is said in the books about talent limitations slowing progress. I find the practice to flow naturally..."

He shook his Taoist Robe confidently, continuing,

"Give me ten years, if I fully devote myself to cultivation, I'm confident I could reach the Middle Stage within a decade. Even with the effort spent on Alchemy, it wouldn't take much more than ten years..."

With hands clasped behind his back, Li Xijun walked ahead, softly saying,

"Enough… The family can only invest its resources in supporting you for now. Our family lacks experience beyond the early stages of Foundation Establishment; you'll have to blaze your own trail from here."

He then recounted his earlier discoveries to Li Ximing, who simply nodded. Together, they rode the wind to the Great Jue Court, gliding through the forest and finally alighting beside a small mountain.

Li Xijun conveyed through Spiritual Sense transmission: