The immortals of the two worlds started from farming and refining pills.

Chapter 40: The Fish King Belongs, Foundation-Building Resources

(PS: Please rest assured that the author is a firm supporter of the protagonist. No matter how the plot develops, the protagonist will not suffer any loss)

Li Zhuang was thankful: "After the Zhang family sank my boat, I bought two first-class water escape talismans. This time, by some strange coincidence, they saved my life."

Li Qing was still puzzled: "Even if you have the Water Escape Talisman, the Spirit Fish King is in Xuefeng Lake. With the blessing of heaven and earth, it should be difficult for you to escape."

"I don't know about that." Li Zhuang was also a little puzzled. "When I used the first water escape talisman, the Spirit Fish King was still chasing me. After I used the second one, it disappeared..."

The third elder, Li Ye, stroked his long beard and said, "Maybe the Spirit Fish King has been entangled by other spirit beasts or demon beasts in the water?"

Li Hui then asked Li Zhuang to describe in detail the waters where he met the Spirit Fish King.

Seeing that the elders had no more questions, Li Hui promised a generous reward and ordered Li Zhuang to wait in the side hall temporarily.

After he left, Li Hui asked, "According to the elders' opinions, how should this Spirit Fish King be dealt with?"

The second elder, Li Fang, said bluntly: "The Spirit Fish King is a second-level top-grade treasure, which is of great use to the great cultivators who are building their foundation. I'm afraid my Li family can't afford it!"

The great elder Li Yao was somewhat unwilling to accept the result: "If you don't take what God has given you, you will suffer the consequences. If we can obtain this Spirit Fish King, our Li family might be able to produce another foundation-building cultivator!"

The so-called spiritual fish, like spiritual plants, are treasures derived from the gathering of spiritual energy from heaven and earth.

Different from ordinary aquatic monsters, its spirituality is pure and contains no evil spirit, making it an excellent resource for spiritual practice.

There are many kinds of spiritual fish, with different uses. Most of those produced in Xuefeng Lake are first-level resources used by Qigong practitioners.

For example, the dragon-whisker golden carp, when practicing Qi below the ninth level, eating its meat can temper the body, and drinking its blood can temper magic power. It is a rare first-grade top-quality spiritual material.

The spiritual fish king that was transformed from a spiritual fish would be even more beneficial. Regardless of its strength or species, as a spiritual practice resource, it would at least be ranked as a second-class upper grade.

Apart from other things, the fact that it contains the essence of heaven and earth and can improve the quality of the foundation of a cultivator in the process of establishing his foundation is enough to attract people.

As far as Li Qing knew, there were at least thirty foundation-building cultivators gathered by the Xuefeng Lake. It would be difficult for the Li family to snatch food from the tiger's mouth.

After discussing for a while, Li Yao still didn't want to give up. He turned to Li Hui and asked, "Can Zhe Ge'er come back? He is also a great foundation-building cultivator, and he has Yanling Valley behind him. Maybe he can..."

"I'm afraid not!" Li Hui shook his head, "I went to the communication talisman the day the news about the Spirit Fish King came out."

"His master is preparing for the formation of the elixir, and all the disciples who are in the foundation-building stage have important matters to attend to, so they can't get away easily. His fellow disciples are all practicing Qi, so they can't help either."

Li Yao asked again: "Can we reveal this news to him? It would be good if he reports it to the sect or sells it to other fellow disciples."

Li Fang disagreed: "Yanling Valley is a long way away. Even if nothing goes wrong, by the time the news gets through and people come here, the hot spiritual food will be cold!"

Li Ye also said: "Why bother with all this. As far as I know, several foundation-building masters and deacons have come to Yanling Valley. It doesn't matter if we report it to them."

The three elders argued for a long time, but Li Qing was the only one who did not express his opinion from beginning to end.

Li Hui listened patiently for a moment before signaling for everyone to be quiet. He turned to Li Qing and asked, "What do you think, Fourth Elder?"

Li Qing did not hesitate: "The longer the night, the more trouble there is. I do not agree to send a letter to Yanling Valley. As for which great foundation-building cultivator to reveal it to, it depends on the connections of the family..."

Zhu Yuan and Liu Yuan from Yanling Valley did not leave a good impression on him. The exchange of interests under coercion was not enough to make him reveal such important information.

Seeing that Li Qing and the other two were against it, Li Yao had no choice but to give up.

Finally, Li Hui made the decision: "Then let's report it directly to the Great Zhou court. The dragon-whiskered golden carp is already special. If it becomes the queen of spiritual fish, maybe it will catch the eye of the state teacher?"

Li Ye stroked his beard and smiled: "That's great. The court has always been clear about rewards and punishments. If you catch the Spirit Fish King, maybe you can give me the visualization map?"

Li Qing was moved when he heard this: "If this is true, then it is a great fortune."

The matter was settled. Li Hui took Li Zhuang to visit the great foundation-building monks of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Li Yao and Li Ye left separately.

Only Li Qing was stopped by Li Fang and went to the family warehouse together.

In the spiritual plant warehouse, Li Yu was counting the Pingyang mushrooms sent by Lingfeng: "We harvested four more baskets today. The alchemists in the clan are too busy to handle it, so we can only send these to the market..."

Inside the medicine storeroom, the shelves were filled with porcelain bottles and jade bottles, which was very different from the last time Li Qing came.

"Thanks to you, Aqing, for imparting the secrets to all the alchemists. The utilization rate of the spiritual plants in the clan has increased, and all aspects of management have become much more affluent."

Li Fang took him on a casual stroll and finally had tea in the cave where he was in charge.

In the simple cave, there was only a cold jade bed, a coffee table and a few cushions.

If there wasn't a decent spiritual energy node below, he wouldn't be like the elder in charge of the family warehouse.

Li Fang brewed two cups of tea and drank by himself: "Ah Qing, in the past few years, I have always been thinking, was it right to send Li Zhe to Yanling Valley with so much effort?"

Li Qing picked up the teacup and took a sip: "After all, it was because Azhe achieved the foundation building that helped the family withstand the pressure from the Zhang family and the Chen family."

"Foundation-building cultivators are always different." Li Fang was silent for a moment, "But does it have to be Li Zhe? If the clan fully supports you in building your foundation, would the situation be different now?"

Li Qing was more open-minded: "My clan has done me no wrong. I learned to grow spiritual plants and refine pills. If it weren't for the support of my clan, I would never have been able to advance to the highest-grade spiritual plant and pill refiner..."

"As for foundation building, Azhe reached the peak of Qi training five years earlier than me. He also had the sect's advice, so his chances of success are much higher than mine."

Li Fang was speechless. After a long while, he finally made up his mind and took out a wooden box from under the Hanyu bed.

"Ah Qing, I know you have high aspirations and you will not be willing to live a mediocre life like the withered bones in the grave like us."

He personally placed the wooden box in Li Qing's hands: "This is a black crystal fruit I obtained in my early years. It is good for consolidating the foundation of Taoism. Although it is not as effective as the foundation-building pill, it can still help you."

Li Qing quickly refused: "This kind of treasure is enough to be passed down from generation to generation. I think Zhao Ge'er has good aptitude, and he may be able to break through to the foundation building stage in the future..."

Zhao Ge'er refers to Li Zhao, who is a direct descendant of Li Fang and currently learns alchemy from Li Qing.

Li Fang shook his head and smiled bitterly: "I am in charge of the clan's treasury, and I know it best. In the past fifty years, the clan has no possibility of supporting another person to break through to the foundation-building stage."

As the upper sect, Yanling Valley exploits these small Qi-cultivation families in hidden ways by accepting disciples and other means.

What the small family got in return was just a tiny bit of protection and a chance to see the success of their children.

If we can produce a great foundation-building cultivator who is loyal to the family, then all the investment will be worth it.

But how difficult it is!

A sect is not a charity. If a disciple is not absolutely loyal, how can he be trained with all his heart?

To break this situation, there are only two things that can be done: one is to have excellent talent so that the sect is willing to tolerate it; the other is to have a firm mind and be able to withstand exclusion and temptation.

Unfortunately, Li Zhe is neither of them, so he can only be assimilated by the sect's trend.

The Li family can rely on his and Yanling Valley's power and it will be fine.

If we want to rely on him to repay the family and train more foundation-building monks, we will have to wait until he has served the sect for most of his life and it is time for him to return to his roots when he is old.

Li Qing was naturally aware of this.

He pondered for a moment, took the wooden box, and bowed deeply: "I will not let you down! If I succeed in building my foundation, I will do my best to take Zhao Ge'er's foundation-building resources!"

(End of this chapter)