Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 224 Spirit Pet
Danggui Mountain, Tailai Peak.

The Li family's clan gathering competition is in full swing.

At this point, there were less than seven or eight days left until the clan gathering.

People from other places returned from all directions, like rivers flowing into the sea, and finally gathered outside a giant arena in the central courtyard to watch the battle with their family members.

The approaching clan gathering has immersed the entire Danggui Mountain in an unprecedentedly lively atmosphere, which cannot even be compared to the solemnity of the annual ancestral worship.

For the younger generation, the family competition is not only a grand event for the family, but also a stage for them to showcase themselves.

All young members of the tribe have the opportunity to win generous rewards through competition.

If one can achieve a good ranking in the grand competition, the magical artifacts, elixirs, and cultivation techniques needed for cultivation will be readily available, and their value will far exceed the prizes of the Changyang Valley minor competition.

The Changyang Valley Fighting Competition was originally an event to add color to the Changyang Valley market, but the Li family intentionally restricted the participation of their own clansmen, using it as a platform open to outside cultivators.

Therefore, the Li family only brought out a lot of good stuff for the first time they held the event.

In subsequent editions, the awards became less significant.

Nevertheless, Changyang Valley remains a coveted opportunity for independent cultivators.

Even things that sects and aristocratic families look down upon are valuable resources to them.

Li Xiangming also participated in this family competition—four months had passed since he escorted the demon beast to Yuyuan.

However, his role was not that of a contestant, but rather that of a judge.

In order to expand the influence of the Xiang generation, Li Qianxiong specially arranged for Li Xiangren to coordinate this clan competition, and appointed Li Xiangru, Li Xiangyu and Li Xiangming as judges, replacing the traditional clan elders as judges.

This move drew criticism from the clan elders, but Li Qianxiong insisted on having the younger generation of the Xiang family take the stage, citing the elders' advanced age and his reluctance to burden them with too much work.

Li Xiangren has already reached the Foundation Establishment stage, which goes without saying; Li Xiangyu and Li Xiangming are both family elites at the ninth level of Qi Refining; Li Xiangru, although only at the eighth level of Qi Refining, is more than qualified to serve as a judge.

Although the elders were dissatisfied, they could not find a reason to refute it and had no choice but to acquiesce.

This deeply moved Li Xiangming.

Five years ago, during the clan gathering, Li Qianxiong went to great lengths to persuade his family to march into Puyin Mountain, resorting to compromises and negotiations on all sides. In the end, he only managed to get his family onto the path of beast taming by taking advantage of Li Xiangren's initial entry into the Foundation Establishment stage.
Ten years ago, Li Qianxiong couldn't even decide the fate of several abducted children, and was reprimanded by the clan elders, losing face completely.

However, time flies.

With Li Xiangren's successful foundation building, the power of the fourth branch, represented by Li Xiangming, has grown stronger day by day, and the original power structure of the family has been quietly broken.

Li Xiangren and Li Xiangming's clear stance on Li Qianxiong's side undoubtedly strengthened the authority of the family head.

Today, Li Qianxiong is able to stand on equal footing with the clan elders.

This clan gathering might be a turning point.

Li Xiangming pondered silently, trying to guess what Li Qianxiong was thinking beside him.

As the head of the family, Li Qianxiong naturally had to attend the family competition, and he was currently sitting with judges such as Li Xiangren and Li Xiangming.

Seemingly noticing Li Xiangming's gaze, Li Qianxiong turned around, a half-smile on his face: "You brought the Cao family's darling to our house, and Qianyou complained to me that he receives urgings and complaints from Yuyuan every day."

Li Xiangming gave an awkward smile and replied, "Soon, soon!"

Four months ago, Li Xiangming extended a warm invitation to Cao Yanjun to visit Danggui Mountain in Pushuifang Market.

His purpose was to ask her to help him take a look at the Blackwater Serpent.

Four or five years have passed since Li Xiangming captured the Blackwater Serpent.

Li Xianghong of the Beast Breeding House was close to him and spared no effort to use all the resources to help him tame the Black Water Serpent first. He even used the Demon Heart Grass that the Li family had received last time on the Black Water Serpent without hesitation.

However, despite this, the Blackwater Serpent is still only in the initial stages of domestication and is far from meeting the standards of a spirit pet.

Li Xianghong was also confused about this. Every time Li Xiangming asked about the progress, he would stammer and hesitate, as if he had no way to deal with the Blackwater Serpent.

Left with no other option, Li Xiangming had to seek help from Cao Yanjun.

Cao Yanjun initially thought it was just an ordinary demon beast and believed that the beast tamers of the Li family were not skilled enough to tame it.

After a brief hesitation, she agreed to Li Xiangming's request.

Upon arriving at Beast Breeding Peak, she was surprised to find that although the Li family's beast tamers were still far inferior to the Cao family's, they already possessed the ability to tame spirit pets independently, making them no less capable than ordinary beast taming families.

The demonic beast that Li Xiangming wanted to tame was the legendary Blackwater Serpent.

This shocked and excited Cao Yanjun.

Even though she was a second-tier beast tamer, she had never tamed a strange beast like the Blackwater Serpent.

Cao Yanjun immediately stayed at Yushou Peak and took over Li Xianghong's work.

However, the Blackwater Serpent did not listen to reason and remained defiant, regardless of whether it faced a first-tier or second-tier beast tamer.

Cao Yanjun held the Demon Heart Grass, yet he was unable to subdue it.

This stalemate lasted for four months.

The Cao family complained bitterly about this.

Because Cao Yanjun had promised Li Xiangming to keep the Blackwater Serpent a secret, he only replied to the Cao family that he would stay in Danggui Mountain for the time being to help the Li family tame the monster.

But Cao Fuyi and the others couldn't figure out what kind of demonic beast the Li family had that they needed to keep using Cao Yanjun, a second-tier beast tamer.
Although the Cao family has many beast tamers, second-tier beast tamers are extremely rare.

Cao Yanjun's prolonged absence has significantly impacted the operation of Yuyuan.

Since the beginning of this month, the Li family has received more and more letters from the Cao family urging Cao Yanjun to return to Yuyuan, almost one every three days.

Li Qianyou, who was in charge of both the guest rooms and the general guest room, was at his wits' end.

He not only complained to Li Qianxiong, but also confided in Li Xiangming.

Li Xiangming could only awkwardly respond each time. Now, it wasn't him asking Cao Yanjun to stay, but Cao Yanjun himself refusing to leave.

To be honest, Li Xiangming never expected the Blackwater Serpent to be so resilient, able to withstand the Demon Heart Grass with its own body.

However, Li Xiangming's statement that "it will be soon" was not just a perfunctory remark.

These are Cao Yanjun's exact words to him.

Of course, the actual quality of this "soon" remains to be seen.

Li Xiangming didn't know either.

He'd heard those two words from Li Xianghong so many times he was sick of them.

As time went on, the family competition gradually became more and more intense.

The young players' shots on the court were no longer as chaotic as they had been in the initial stages.

"Xiangye and Xiangxin are both doing well."

Li Qianxiong offered a couple of comments.

"These two children were students that Xiangming used to teach at Qingmiao Academy."

Li Xiangru smiled.

"Oh?"

Li Qianxiong looked at Li Xiangming: "Ji Hu was also trained by you, wasn't he?"

Li Jihu performed exceptionally well during the last pursuit of Yu Chong, and later joined Li Xiangming in the attack on the Mountain Moving Sect, where he also achieved some success, thus catching Li Qianxiong's eye.

Despite being a member of a branch family, Li Qianxiong defied public opinion and decided to prioritize training him to become a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

"That's right."

Li Xiangming's expression remained unchanged, and he did not deny it.

"There are many promising talents in the family. As the deputy head of the household, you must not show favoritism."

Li Qianxiong said calmly.

Li Xiangming quickly cupped his hands in greeting and respectfully replied, "Xiangming has learned a lot and will certainly treat all clansmen equally."

He knew that Li Qianxiong was giving him a warning.

Li Xiangming only led the Qingmiao Academy for half a year, so why are all his disciples so outstanding?

It was all because Li Xiangming secretly gave Li Jihu, Li Xiangxin, and others special treatment.

The Huangyadan that Li Xiangming couldn't finish eating was something that Li Jihu and his branch disciples desperately wanted.

With the resources he accumulated during his two terms as head of the department and one term as deputy head, he could allocate them slightly.

This would allow Li Jihu and the others to improve their cultivation levels.

But this would naturally be unfair to other young people in the tribe.

Everyone studied at the Youth Seedling Academy for eight years, but after graduation, the others struggled.

Li Jihu, on the other hand, not only has no shortage of resources, but also has renowned teachers to guide him.

Ultimately, this was reflected in the clan's grand competition, where Li Jihu and his associates were invincible.

Other ordinary members of the tribe were eliminated much earlier.

With such a disparity, how could no one harbor resentment?

As the head of the family, Li Qianxiong naturally did not encourage this.

But he only said a few words and did not explicitly forbid Li Xiangming's underhanded tactics.

Because this has always been the practice for the four branches of the direct line.

If the third wife hadn't nurtured him separately back then, and had only relied on the Green Seedling Academy, he wouldn't have achieved what he has today.

Similarly, he also gave himself special treatment.

If he hadn't used the Changlin branch to win over elites of the Xiang generation like Li Xiangren and Li Xiangming, he wouldn't be able to contend with the clan elders' council, and naturally wouldn't have the influence he has today.

"By the way, how's that 'Education Hall' you were working on at the Accounting Office doing now?"

Li Qianxiong suddenly asked.

"It's acceptable. The Youxue Academy only has a one-year curriculum, mainly teaching general knowledge and the Daoist canon to children of appropriate spiritual roots. After several years of exploration, it has become quite mature." Li Qianxiong nodded and said no more.

Li Xiangming's heart stirred; the patriarch wouldn't speak without reason.

He pointed out that he had been giving Li Jihu and other children extra lessons, and also mentioned the Youxue Academy, so he must be well aware of the shortcomings of the Li family's current education system.

Li Xiangming has always hoped that the Li family could reorganize the Qingmiao Academy and cultivate more talents like Li Jihu for the family.

But education is different from the economy; it has a much greater impact.

Should a family focus on the main branch or abandon the concept of the main branch altogether?

Li Xiangming shook his head at the thought.

Based on his previous life's ideas, he would naturally treat everyone equally, without distinguishing between primary and secondary.

However, the cultivation world is, to some extent, much more conservative than the mortal world.

His ideas are completely mediocre.

Even Li Qianxiong, who wholeheartedly supports the branch, is only doing so for the sake of balance.

It is by no means necessary to support the branch veins to the point of being able to rival the main veins.

Because once the straight pulse and the branch pulse are on equal footing.

The masses will inevitably split into smaller families, and the smaller families will inevitably split into individuals.

Even the most established and prestigious families, with their long-standing traditions and profound heritage, will crumble in an instant.

The arena returned to calm, with only the shouts of the young members of the Li family fighting and the booming of magical power remaining.

After a while, Li Qianxiong got up and left.

His appearance was more symbolic; just by showing his face, the clansmen would know that this clan competition was very important and that the clan head was also present.

Li Xiangming and others, however, were required to fulfill their duties by writing down the performances and comments of the young clansmen who were competing on the field, and these documents had to be submitted to the clan elders' meeting.

The clan elders and the head of the family would judge and decide which promising talents to focus on cultivating based on their written comments.

After an unknown amount of time, as dusk fell, the clan competition finally came to an end.

Although the competition is not completely over yet, there are still two days to go.

But today's competition has been more than satisfactory.

At the master of ceremonies' instruction, everyone left the stage, continuing to discuss the outstanding performance of a certain young clansman.

Li Xiangming and several other judges gathered together, exchanging opinions.

Just then, Li Xiangzhen burst in, shattering the peace.

"elder brother!"

Lee Sang-jeong's voice was hurried and excited.

Upon seeing this, Li Xiangming's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly asked, "Did Miss Cao send you?"

These past few days, he has had Li Xiangzhen guarding the Beast Breeding Peak, monitoring the progress of the Blackwater Serpent's taming.

"That's right, Cao."

Before Li Xiangzhen could finish speaking, Li Xiangming transformed into a streak of light and vanished.

Li Xiangru said knowingly, "It seems that Xiangming's Blackwater Serpent has been tamed. Shall we go and take a look?"

"Black Water Snake?"

Lee Sang-in and Lee Sang-yu exchanged a glance, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes.

They had only heard of these strange beasts before, but they never expected that Li Xiangming would actually have a way to tame the Blackwater Serpent into a spirit pet.

"Let's go take a look!"

The group quickly headed towards the Beast Breeding Peak.
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On the peak of the animal breeding mountain.

Li Xiangming soon arrived at the Blackwater Serpent's cave.

That's right, the Blackwater Serpent also has its own cave.

This fellow is too troublesome, so the Li family wants to better control and tame him.

The place where it was originally imprisoned was expanded into a water palace.

Li Xiangming had just arrived when the cave was already crowded with beast tamers.

Li Xianghong, Chen Chihe, and others maintained order, and the scene was lively and bustling.

"Xiang Hong!"

Li Xiangming called out, and the beast tamers quickly made way. Li Xianghong grabbed Li Xiangming's hand and said excitedly, "Miss Cao has successfully tamed the Blackwater Serpent!"

Li Xiangming was overjoyed and, without paying any attention to Li Xianghong, hurriedly entered the cave.

Inside the cave, there is a series of stone steps leading up to a pool of water. Above the pool is an artificial waterfall, and the sound of rushing water echoes throughout the cave.

Cao Yanjun sat upright in front of the pool, closing his eyes and concentrating.

The black water snake lay motionless on her knees, as if it had been completely tamed.

Li Xiangming gasped. In the past, anyone who dared to get so close to the Blackwater Serpent would have been swallowed whole.

"Miss Cao, the Blackwater Serpent."

Li Xiangming asked excitedly.

"It's already compliant!"

Cao Yanjun opened her eyes, revealing a tired look. She beckoned Li Xiangming over.

Li Xiangming dared not delay and sat down in front of Cao Yanjun.

The Blackwater Serpent looked up at him, flicked its tongue, but made no further move.

Li Xiangming was overjoyed and was about to say something when Cao Yanjun spoke first: "Ordinary blood curses may not be enough to control such a strange beast."

After a moment's hesitation, Cao Yanjun said, "I can pass on the Cao family's Dragon Binding Seal to you, but you must not tell anyone else."

"The Dragon Binding Seal?"

Li Xiangming's heart stirred; a spirit pet cannot be used simply by being tamed.

After all, it was tamed by a beast tamer, what does it have to do with you?
In order to control their spirit pets, cultivators often cast blood curses and gradually get to know their spirit pets based on these curses.

This adjustment period can last from two or three months to several years or even decades.

Of course, once the blood curse is cast, the cultivator and the spirit pet will be connected, and the cultivator will be able to control the spirit pet to a certain extent.

Because at this point, the life and death of the spirit pet are in the hands of the Blood Curse Master.

There are many kinds of blood curses, such as the Spirit Control Curse that Li Xiangming learned from the Spirit Control Technique, which is essentially a blood curse.

However, the Spirit Control Spell is different from ordinary blood spells; it is extremely domineering.

It can be used directly on untamed monsters, directly reducing the taming time.

The success rate is ridiculously low.

The results were also far from ideal; any spirit pet branded with the Spirit Control Spell lost all its potential.

Besides the Spirit Control Spell, the Li family's other beast-taming traditions also have their own blood curses.

However, the Cao family's Dragon Binding Seal sounds much more advanced.

Trusting Cao Yanjun, Li Xiangming didn't hesitate and immediately began learning the Dragon Binding Seal.

The Dragon Binding Seal was far more complex than he had imagined, resembling both a spell and a curse. The entire text was written in ancient language, making it difficult for Li Xiangming to learn. Fortunately, Cao Yanjun provided hands-on instruction; as a second-tier beast tamer, Cao Yanjun had his own understanding of the Dragon Binding Seal.

Soon, she guided Li Xiangming to release the first dragon-shaped spell seal using simple and easy-to-understand language.

"Use it directly on the Blackwater Serpent."

Cao Yanjun gave the instructions.

"Why don't we try it on other monsters?"

Li Xiangming was somewhat at a loss.

Seeing this, Cao Yanjun explained, "The Dragon Binding Seal is special. It has a miraculous effect when used for the first time. You can think of it as a kind of magical curse. The more times you use it, the weaker the effect becomes."

Li Xiangming immediately understood that the Dragon Binding Seal was specially prepared for him by Cao Yanjun.

Only special blood curses like the Dragon Binding Seal, which have a powerful effect when used for the first time, can be used on the Blackwater Serpent.

Moved, Li Xiangming no longer hesitated.

He directly applied the Dragon Binding Seal to the Black Water Serpent.

Upon seeing the dragon-shaped curse mark, the Blackwater Serpent clearly resisted, even hissing and displaying an aggressive stance.

But Cao Yanjun, standing nearby, chanted a spell, and the Black Water Serpent calmed down under a burst of blue light.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Li Xiangming struck the curse mark on his body, and then suddenly shuddered.

The scene before my eyes changed, revealing a raging, turbulent sea.

The sky was covered with dark clouds and there was lightning and thunder.

The thunder roared like the fury of the gods, and lightning ripped across the sky, illuminating the sea and revealing a giant serpent demon churning in the waves.

The serpent demon stirred up the seawater, creating huge whirlpools.

Its body was enormous, its scales gleaming with a dark light under the flashes of lightning, like a ghost from the deep sea, while its eyes were like two burning fireballs, radiating a chillingly fierce light.

This is an enlarged version of the Blackwater Serpent.

(End of this chapter)