Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

The next day, the news of Li Fugui and Li Wenju's death spread throughout Qingshan Village.

The servants who were monitoring the Li family left soon. Mrs. Li Mi cried with joy. Li Dalong burst into tears and kept whispering, "Qinglan, Dad is sorry for you. God has eyes, God has eyes!"

Qinglan smiled happily and kept glancing at Chen Yuan.

She still remembered what Chen Yuan said yesterday, that Li Wenju would be punished, and it came true today.

Li Qingshan became much calmer, just smiling, not excited at all.

He killed two people with his own hands and saw a wider world. He was no longer the simple and innocent hunter boy.

Chen Yuan began to teach Li Qingshan Taoist scriptures. This time he didn't need to write on the sand by the river. He took out a yellowed Taoist scripture from the mustard seed ring and handed it to Li Qingshan.

Li Qingshan touched the book for the first time and flipped through it carefully. Chen Yuan's eyes showed a trace of nostalgia: "This volume of Taoist scriptures was given to me by an old gentleman. It was he who taught me how to read and write. Today, I will give it to you."

Li Qingshan said seriously: "Disciple will definitely take good care of it."

Chen Yuan said: "That old gentleman, like you, also possessed earthly spiritual roots, but he had no fate to become an immortal. His great talent was buried and he died of a serious illness in his later years."

"You have inherited the Taoist scriptures he left behind, and you also carry his regrets. Go on."

"The great road is difficult. I don't know how many people have turned into a pile of bones before they set foot on the road of seeking the truth. It is extremely rare that you can embark on the path of cultivation."

Li Qingshan stared at the Taoist scripture in his hand, and said solemnly: "Disciple understands, I will practice diligently in the future!"

Since he was teaching Taoist scriptures, Qinglan didn't have to study. For three consecutive days, Chen Yuan taught Li Qingshan during the day and meditated to recuperate at night.

He no longer ate with the Li family. Li Dalong and his wife were very surprised at first. Li Qingshan privately told them that Chen Yuan was an immortal cultivator and that he had already worshipped Chen Yuan as his master. The two were overjoyed and wanted to kneel down to worship Chen Yuan, but were stopped by Li Qingshan.

Li Qingshan knew that Chen Yuan didn't like these things, so he just asked them to treat Chen Yuan as usual, just be respectful and not spread the news.

Li Dalong and his wife then stopped insisting and repeatedly reminded Li Qingshan to respect his teachers.

After Chen Yuan's injuries recovered mostly, his five senses were as sharp as before. He heard the conversation between Li Qingshan and the two people, smiled it off, and continued to meditate to recuperate.

Li Qingshan also told Qinglan that Chen Yuan was an immortal cultivator, but she did not kneel down to Chen Yuan like Li Dalong and his wife did. Instead, she stared at Li Qingshan blankly, distraught, and it took her a long time to come back to her senses.

Two more days passed. One morning, Chen Yuan was meditating in the inner room of the west room, and Li Qingshan was eating breakfast. After he finished his breakfast, he would go to the river with Chen Yuan to study Taoist scriptures.

Li Qingshan didn't dare to keep Chen Yuan waiting for long, so he quickly finished his bowl of rice, got up and went into the west room.

He bowed deeply through the bamboo curtain and said respectfully, "Master, I have finished my meal."

After a while, Chen Yuan opened the bamboo curtain and said calmly, "Let's go."

The two walked out of the west room, and Chen Yuan suddenly smiled: "Wait a moment, I will be back soon."

Li Qingshan was stunned, not understanding what he meant, but he still responded respectfully, "Yes."

Chen Yuan walked out of the courtyard gate, his steps seemed slow but were actually fast. In just a few steps, he crossed dozens of feet and arrived at the foot of the hillside.

He stood with his hands behind his back and waited for a moment. Then a figure came running from the north of Qingshan Village, like a galloping horse. With just a step, he was several feet away.

This person was wearing a light grey gown, about twenty years old, tall, handsome, with a green jade pendant hanging around his waist. His face was gloomy, and he was full of spiritual energy, with the cultivation level of the eighth level of Qi Refining.

When he saw Chen Yuan blocking his way, he shouted angrily, "Get out of the way!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand and waved it, and a gust of wind blew up. If it blew on a mortal, it would be enough to make him fly several feet away and break bones.

Chen Yuan narrowed his eyes, took a step forward, and instantly appeared in front of the man. In his horrified gaze, he raised his hand and grabbed his neck.

Suddenly, the green jade pendant on the man's waist flashed and shattered, and a green flying sword shot out and slashed towards Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan glanced at the green flying sword, but his body did not move at all, allowing the flying sword to cut down.

This green flying sword gave off a very familiar aura, which was extremely similar to the righteous energy that Qingliu hermit exuded when he was fighting with the charming girl, but it was a hundred times thinner.

The man was overjoyed, but the next moment, the green flying sword slashed Chen Yuan's neck, and there was a sound of metal clashing. Chen Yuan was intact, but the green flying sword shattered into pieces.

The man was stunned. This jade pendant was a low-grade spiritual weapon given to him by his master. It could only be used once and turned into a flying sword. It could kill cultivators in the early stage of foundation building, but it couldn't even break Chen Yuan's skin.

He was about to beg for mercy when Chen Yuan exerted a little force, broke his neck, captured his soul, and performed the soul-searching technique to explore his memory.

This person was just a cultivator at the tenth level of Qi Refining, and Chen Yuan was too lazy to talk to him.

After a moment, he released a wisp of true energy, crushing the man's soul, and took the storage bag on his waist into his hand. Then he flicked his finger and a firebird flew out, burning the man's body to ashes.

The soul of a Qi-refining cultivator is very easy to search. This person's name is Li Wenqu, the eldest son of Li Fugui. He came here to destroy the Li family.

Chen Yuan's spiritual sense probed into the storage bag, which contained more than sixty low-grade spirit stones, two high-grade magic tools, several bottles of elixirs, three jade slips, as well as pens, ink, paper, and inkstones and other miscellaneous items.

He was naturally not interested in the things for Qi-refining cultivators, so this was prepared for Li Qingshan.

He had plenty of mustard seed rings in his hand, but he didn't have a storage bag. Li Wenqu was quite wealthy among the Qi-refining cultivators, and the storage bag was of good quality, with an internal space of six feet, which was enough for Li Qingshan to use in building his foundation.

Chen Yuan learned from Li Wenqu's memory that he was practicing in Zhouyang Academy, 300 miles away from Yunrui County. He came out of seclusion two days ago and sensed that the jade ring he left for Li Fugui was broken, so he hurried back.

After the death of Li Fugui and Li Wenju, the Li family reported the case to the authorities, but the circumstances of their deaths were strange and there were no clues. Even the beautiful woman who had slept in the same bed with Li Wenju was unaware of the incident. It was widely rumored in Qingshan Village that the two had died at the hands of an evil spirit, so the authorities dropped the case.

Li Wenqu returned to Qingshan Village today. Naturally, he knew that it was the work of the immortal cultivators, so he asked Li Fugui and Li Wenju whether they had made enemies with anyone recently.

He learned from the servants that on the day the two died, they came to the Li family to force Qinglan to become a concubine, so he rushed over immediately.

The jade ring he left for Li Fugui was a low-grade magic weapon that could not be broken by mortals, but it could not withstand the attack of a cultivator in the middle stage of Qi Refining.

However, Li Wenqu did not believe that there would be a high-level cultivator who specifically killed Li Fugui and Li Wenju but left the other members of the Li family alone.

Therefore, he did not hesitate at all and went straight to the front to hold the culprit accountable. If the cultivator who killed Li Fugui and Li Wenju was really related to Qinglan's matter, he would kill him to avenge his father.

If the cultivator had nothing to do with the matter, he would kill Li Qingshan's family to vent his anger.

But he could never have imagined that the heir to the Li family would be a Jindan cultivator.

Although Chen Yuan's strength has not yet fully recovered, it is easy to kill him. In addition to Li Wenqu's origins, Chen Yuan also got what he wanted most from his memory, and had a general understanding of the nearby immortal cultivation world within a thousand miles.

Renzhou has a vast territory. Although the Haoran Sect is powerful, it cannot govern the entire state. There are hundreds of sects and families, large and small, and they all have to rely on the Haoran Sect.

Influenced by the Haoran Sect, many of these sects are based on Confucianism and Taoism, and some sect families were even established by disciples of the Haoran Sect, and they only follow the lead of the Haoran Sect.

The inheritance of Confucianism and Taoism has a common feature, which is that one needs to study the classics of Confucian and Taoist sages, and even write books to cultivate a sense of righteousness.

Therefore, the clans and families in Renzhou often went to academies and official schools in various places to select scholars with spiritual roots as their disciples. Mortals with some knowledge knew about the existence of immortal cultivators.

This is not only true for Renzhou. The spiritual energy in Jiuxianzhou is even richer than that in Yuqinghai. In any place, the concentration of spiritual energy is above that of micro spiritual veins, and there are many mortals who possess spiritual roots.

Under the ten major sects, there are sect families as numerous as stars, and there are countless independent cultivators. All ordinary people in the Thirteen States know of the existence of immortal cultivators.

Fifteen years ago, Li Wenqu entered a secular academy in Yunrui County to study. He was discovered by a monk from Zhouyang Academy and found to have true spiritual roots. He then became a disciple of Zhouyang Academy and has been practicing there ever since.

Zhouyang Academy is not even considered a small sect. There are only three foundation-building cultivators in the academy. The dean Liao Yanlun is only a cultivator in the middle stage of foundation-building. Disciples with true spiritual roots like Li Wenqu are rare, so Liao Yanlun accepted him as a disciple and trained him with all his strength.

Li Wenqu himself was also extremely diligent. In fifteen years, he cultivated to the eighth level of Qi Refining. He often traveled around with the foundation-building cultivators in the academy and was quite familiar with the immortal cultivation world within a thousand miles nearby. This saved Chen Yuan the effort of personally making inquiries.

……

Chen Yuan returned to Li's house and Li Qingshan was still waiting in the yard.

The two came to the river, and Chen Yuan handed Li Wenqu's storage bag to Li Qingshan: "When you became my disciple, I didn't give you anything, so I'll make it up to you today."

Li Qingshan took the storage bag with both hands and asked curiously: "Thank you for the reward, Master. This is..."

Chen Yuan said: "This is a storage bag. It can store items. When you have cultivated your magic power, you can open it."

Li Qingshan showed a look of joy and put the storage bag into his arms.

Chen Yuan smiled and began to explain the Taoist scriptures to Li Qingshan: "It is the law of right and wrong. Look inward and think. Walk the constellations of the Big Dipper. The six Jia are based on the day..."

The valley is quiet, the water is gurgling, the breeze is blowing, and the branches and leaves are swaying.

Chen Yuan sat upright on the bluestone, his voice was distant and his words were profound. Li Qingshan sat on the grass, his body upright, listening attentively.

Time flies, and thirty days pass by in a flash.

Three days ago, the injuries to Chen Yuan's meridians and soul had fully recovered, and his strength had been fully restored. Only his essence and blood had been depleted too much, so he needed to draw starlight into his body to recover slowly.

He still had some eight hundred year old elixirs that could restore his essence and blood, but he was unable to refine them due to a lack of auxiliary medicines.

But Chen Yuan did not leave the Li family and continued to teach Li Qingshan Taoist scriptures every day.

He had a high level of cultivation and profound insights into the practice of Taoism. With a bird's-eye view, he was able to separate the essentials from the dross in the Taoist scriptures written by these ordinary Taoists. Li Qingshan was also extremely intelligent and learned very quickly. After a month, he had finished explaining five volumes of Taoist scriptures.

That afternoon, Chen Yuan continued to explain the Taoist scriptures to Li Qingshan. When he reached the most subtle part, he suddenly stopped, looked up at the horizon, and said calmly: "Qingshan, you should first comprehend it yourself. I will be back soon."

He stood up, and with a flash of light all around him, he flew into the air.

Li Qingshan looked up at Chen Yuan who was walking away, stunned. His hands loosened and the Taoist scripture he was holding fell to the ground.

"Flying into the sky and escaping into the ground... Flying into the sky and escaping into the ground..." He murmured in a low voice, with a look of fascination in his eyes.

……

North of Qingshan Village, Li Family Manor.

In the main hall of Li's mansion, a middle-aged scholar was sitting in the main seat, and a beautiful middle-aged woman was standing in front of him with tears on her face.

He frowned and said, "Wenqu came back a month ago and went to Li Dalong's house that day. He hasn't returned yet?"

The beautiful middle-aged woman cried, "Yes, Wenqu didn't come back, and we didn't dare to ask. We were worried all day. Director Liao, Wenqu is probably in danger. You must avenge Wenqu!"

The middle-aged scholar slowly stood up and said in a cold voice: "I want to see who dares to attack Liao's disciple!"

He is the principal of Zhouyang Academy, Liao Yanlun.

He had been practicing in seclusion for a year. Ten days ago, he came out and summoned his disciple Li Wenqu, but he learned that Li Wenqu had left the academy twenty days ago to return to his hometown to visit his family, so he had to give up.

He summoned Li Wenqu again yesterday, but Li Wenqu still hadn't returned. He felt something was wrong, so he went to Qingshan Village in person to investigate.

Now knowing that Li Wenqu had not returned for a month and his life was in danger, he immediately flew into a rage.

Although Zhouyang Academy is weak, it is also the overlord within a radius of 500 miles of Zhouyang Mountain.

He must kill the person who killed his beloved disciple with his own hands to relieve the hatred in his heart!

The middle-aged scholar walked out of the main hall with murderous intent in his eyes, but at this moment, a beam of light descended from the sky. He stopped and looked up.

The light faded away, revealing the figure of Chen Yuan, who was suspended in the air with his sleeves fluttering. He looked down at the middle-aged scholar and said calmly, "You are Li Wenqu's master, the headmaster of Zhouyang Academy, Liao Yanlun?"

The middle-aged scholar's eyes turned cold: "Who are you? How do you know my disciple's name? Did you kill him?"

Chen Yuan smiled, and the pressure from the middle stage of Jindan slowly dissipated: "Yes, Li Wenqu died in my hands, what do you think?"

The middle-aged scholar was stunned, cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and the murderous intent in his eyes disappeared without a trace.

The person who killed Li Wenqu was actually a Jindan cultivator. Even if he destroyed Zhouyang Academy, it would be a piece of cake!
He quickly took two steps back and bowed deeply: "Well done, senior! Li Wenqu has a bad character. I have long been dissatisfied with this traitor and was just about to clean up the mess. Thank you for your help, senior. I, Liao Yanlun, am grateful!"

The beautiful middle-aged woman was stunned when she saw this scene. After she realized what was happening, she shouted, "Director Liao, that's not what you just said..."

"Shut up!" The middle-aged scholar turned around and glared at her fiercely. He raised his hand and pointed. A water arrow flew out, containing a trace of righteousness, and shot towards the middle-aged beautiful woman.

Chen Yuan frowned and flicked his finger. A firebird flew out and caught the water arrow in its mouth. With a sizzling sound, the arrow evaporated in a moment.

Chen Yuan said calmly: "How dare you kill people in front of me? Get lost!"

"Yes, I will leave now. I dare not disturb you in your meditation!" The middle-aged scholar bowed deeply as if he had been pardoned, and immediately flew away on his flying light, not daring to delay for a moment. (End of this chapter)