Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 551 New Magical Artifact

"Nephew, please don't get agitated."

Seeing Li Xiangming's expression change drastically, Cao Fuyi raised his hand and said calmly, "The Cao family has no intention of controlling the Li family; we just want a satisfactory promise."

Li Xiangming frowned; he understood what Cao Fuyi meant.

The Cao family is not a philanthropist, nor does it need petty gains. This aid to Li is to ensure that the Cao family maintains the initiative and advantage in the cooperation between the two families for the next few decades.

And these things can only be guaranteed if he becomes the head of the family.

After all, in terms of relationship, he was the son-in-law of the Cao family; and whether it was Li Qianxiong or someone else who became the head of the family, the Li family could at most be called the Cao family's in-laws.

The Shen family is related to the Li family by marriage, and their relationship was once closer than that between the Cao and Li families.

How are things going now?
Even if they don't become bitter enemies, they will never speak to each other again.

As a family with a history spanning thousands of years, the Cao family knows best that the relationships between in-laws are not as reliable as one might imagine.

Rather than passively waiting for the Li family to experience some misfortune or change its business strategy, thus cutting off the supply of monsters to Yuyuan, it would be better to proactively intervene in the Li family's internal affairs to ensure that the Cao family's interests are not affected.

The Cao family's thinking is understandable.

If successful, Li Xiangming himself will benefit the most.

However, Li Xiangming still couldn't accept it. Not to mention that the Cao family's actions had already placed Qingliang Mountain above Danggui Mountain; once the Cao family tasted the benefits, if he and Cao Yanjun had a child in the future, the Cao family would inevitably take the opportunity to infiltrate the Li family even more deeply.

If this continues, the Li family will eventually become a vassal of the Cao family.

Thinking of this, Li Xiangming's gaze hardened: "The Cao and Li families have ample room for cooperation. If the Cao family desires a win-win situation, the Li family is always ready to welcome you. As for other 'satisfactory' promises..."

Li Xiangming paused, then his tone softened: "I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint Uncle Seventeen."

Upon hearing this, Cao Fuyi frowned and tapped the table: "Xiangming, as far as I know, the Li family is divided into four branches, and your branch, the fourth, has the smallest foundation and the weakest strength. Even if you are exceptionally talented, the other three branches will only support their own members. Without the support of our Cao family, it will be very difficult for you to become the head of the family."

Seeing that Cao Fuyi kept mentioning the "position of family head" in his sentences, Li Xiangming's gaze turned cold, and he cut off the conversation directly: "The important matter of succession should be discussed by the clan. Although I have my own selfish motives, I dare not violate the ancestral family rules. I ask Uncle Seventeen and the Cao family not to mention this matter again."

Cao Fuyi slowly put down the teacup he was holding and fell silent.

Seeing that he had nothing to say, Li Xiangming turned around and stepped out of the stone pavilion, thus leaving Yuyuan Garden.
-
Pushui Market.

East Street.

The cobblestone road was bustling with traffic, and shops lined both sides, with vendors calling out their wares incessantly.

Looking at this bustling scene, Li Xiangming felt a slight ripple in his heart. If he were not a cultivator from Pudong or a member of the Li family, and were merely in this noisy marketplace, how could he have imagined that Puxian County was now in turmoil?

But soon, Li Xiangming felt relieved.

As the last demon land to be developed in the cultivation world of Heng Kingdom, Pu County has an extremely uneven distribution of cultivation potential.

Decades later, Pubei remains the absolute core—more than 60% of the cultivators in Pu County are gathered here, and Pushui Market is the core of the core, with no fewer than ten thousand cultivators residing there year-round.

The vast majority of people are rogue cultivators who are not qualified to join a sect for cultivation but consider themselves extraordinary. They are always slow to sense the situation, and even if a large-scale beast tide breaks out in Pudong, it is difficult to alarm them.

"Xiangming, what are we doing in Pushui Market?"

Cao Yanjun, dressed in a plain white dress, returned to the place where she had met Li Xiangming years ago. Her eyes revealed a nostalgic joy, as well as a hint of curiosity.

Li Xiangming turned to look at her, a look of guilt flashing across his face: "Yanjun, I'm sorry to have wronged you."

He hadn't anticipated falling out with the Cao family, but he had to make his stance clear as soon as possible. Otherwise, if the Cao family cultivators took up residence in Dangui Mountain and suddenly staged a "donning of the imperial robes" drama, the consequences would be unimaginable.

However, this meant that the Li family lost a powerful external ally.

Cao Yanjun, who wrote more than ten letters in blood at Yuyuan Garden, also became an awkward figure.

Cao Yanjun lightly tapped Li Xiangming's palm with his fingers and shook his head: "It's alright. The Cao family has a wealth of experience in dealing with marriage relationships and won't blame me for this."

"hope so."

Li Xiangming gently brushed a stray strand of hair from Cao Yanjun's ear before explaining, "I've come to pay my respects to Master Guan of the Hundred Weapons Hall."

"Master Guan?"

Cao Yanjun was somewhat surprised, but did not ask further.

The two wandered around East Street for a while and soon arrived at the stronghold where Baiqitang was located.

This place doesn't resemble a shop; it's more like the residence of a high-ranking official, with its blue bricks and white walls, exuding a simple and elegant charm. If it weren't for the seven or eight cultivators eagerly waiting in the front courtyard, Li Xiangming would almost have thought he had wandered into the wrong place.

"Two more people have arrived!"

"What a beautiful fairy!"

"Whose fairy is this? She's even more radiant than Fairy Willow of the White Dew Sect!"

"Shh! Didn't you see how distinguished the young man beside her is? The two of them hand in hand must be a couple from a prestigious family. Don't be impolite!"

As soon as Li Xiangming and Cao Yanjun entered the courtyard, they caused a commotion.

Even bigger commotion was yet to come—just as the two stood still, the tightly closed central door quietly opened, and an ordinary-looking young man strode out, bowing to Li Xiangming and saying, "It is an honor to have Hall Master Li grace us with his presence. I, Tianyou, have failed to greet you properly; I am truly sorry."

"hiss"

"Who is this person that the young master of the Hundred Weapons Hall would personally come to greet him?"

As the newcomers passed through the door, a commotion erupted in the front courtyard. Someone complained indignantly, "Why can they just walk in like that? Why do we have to wait here?"

A person nearby hurriedly advised, "Be careful what you say! If you offend Young Master Guan, will you still want your magic weapon?"

"Hmph! Pushui Market may lack many things, but it certainly doesn't lack weapon refiners!"

"Exactly! Three-legged toads are hard to find, but those who know how to forge weapons are everywhere!"

However, despite their words, no one left the courtyard.

Li Xiangming followed behind Guan Tianyou, taking in all the whispers and looking thoughtful.

Guan Tianyou happened to turn around and saw his expression. He explained in a low voice, "Recently, the White Dew Sect and the Mang Sect have been at war, causing a great uproar in the city. The orders for the Hundred Weapons Hall have surged, especially the commissions from various sects that are hard to refuse. My father and the others are really overwhelmed and have to temporarily put some of the independent cultivators aside."

"understand."

Li Xiangming smiled faintly and let the matter drop.

Baiqitang's business model is somewhat similar to that of Yuyuan in the past.

Both were newcomers and lacked a foundation. Cao Yanjun initially sold spirit pets mainly to regular customers, and Guan Dongqing did the same, only customizing magical artifacts for acquaintances.

In order to expand sales, Guan Dongqing astutely launched a price war.

His ability to do so stemmed from the fact that he didn't come to Pushui Market alone, but with ten highly skilled weapon refiners. These ten people followed Guan Dongqing's lead without question, producing twenty or thirty inexpensive magical artifacts a month, which immediately impacted the magical artifact market in Pushui Market.

Pushui Market was actually a case of unorthodox methods becoming legitimate. Almost every larger shop had some involvement in the business of magical artifacts and elixirs, making it even more difficult for those merchants who specialized in magical artifacts.

Guan Dongqing was suddenly thrust into the spotlight.

Almost all the shops joined together to boycott the Buddhist artifacts produced by Baiqitang.

However, the independent practitioners revered Guan Dongqing as a "master".

Because they were always good at accounting, they found that patronizing Baiqitang was much more cost-effective than buying the same quality magical artifacts carefully offered by various merchants.

The Hundred Artifacts Hall also cleverly exploited the psychology of independent cultivators, allowing them to bring their own materials to visit and discuss the crafting of magical artifacts.

For independent cultivators, spirit stones are an important cultivation resource and are naturally very precious. However, some minerals and spirit wood that are obtained by chance are like "chicken ribs". Now that there is a way to turn chicken ribs into magic treasures, how happy is that?
In this way, relying on the favor of independent cultivators, Baiqitang managed to break through the encirclement and suppression by major merchants in Pushui Market.

However, the independent cultivators had limited financial resources; they could feed the Hundred Weapons Hall, but not help it make big money. In particular, Guan Dongqing had great ambitions and continuously recruited local weapon refiners, expanding the Hundred Weapons Hall to more than twenty people.

This forced Baiqitang to shift its focus to large orders.

The independent cultivators outside the gate naturally no longer received the same treatment as before.

"We've arrived, Brother Li, please!"

Following Guan Tianyou's direction, Li Xiangming saw a burly middle-aged man standing below the hall, who seemed to have been waiting for a long time.

Without any hesitation, he stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Junior Li Xiangming, along with his Daoist companion Cao Yanjun, pays respects to Master Guan."

Guan Dongqing appeared serious and reserved. He glanced at Li Xiangming and his wife, his expression remaining solemn, but he did not act impolitely. He waved to Guan Tianyou to serve tea and said, "You two need not be so polite."

After the guests and hosts had taken their seats and exchanged pleasantries, Guan Dongqing turned around and took a three-foot-long sandalwood box from the table. His tone was surprisingly more emotional: "I have put a lot of effort into making this."

After saying that, he handed the wooden box to Li Xiangming and said indifferently, "Master Li may wish to try it and see if it suits your needs."

Li Xiangming's gaze sharpened as he opened the wooden box, revealing the Weeping Spirit Desolate Sky Chain.

Guan Dongqing also looked over, his gaze quite complicated: "This rope is extraordinary. Its main body is woven from the tendons of the Desolate Sky Kui Ox, and it has even drawn water essence into its soul. It is clear that the craftsman who made it was aiming for a spiritual weapon from the beginning. Unfortunately, for some reason, it failed at the last minute."

He paused for a moment, then continued, “Your patriarch entrusted me with repairing it, but the Desolate Sky Kui Ox has not been seen for a long time, and I have not been able to find the raw materials, so I can only use Xuan Frost Spider Silk as a temporary substitute.”

The silk of the Frost Spider is even more resilient than the Heavenly Tendon of the Kui Ox, but there's less of it. After repairing the damaged areas, I could only manage to weave a semblance of its original form, no matter how hard I tried.

Li Xiangming felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

Guan Dongqing spoke casually, but in his eyes, this top-grade magic artifact, which was almost destroyed by the Burning Sky Violent Ape, had transformed from a simple, dark roadside item into a magnificent piece of dark blue with blood-red lines covering its surface in just one or two months.

What's even more amazing is that, besides repairing the damaged areas, Guan Dongqing painstakingly wove the Xuan Shuang spider silk into the Kui Niu Tian Jin. Although, as he said, it didn't cover the entire artifact, the silk was distributed perfectly. The flowing silver light resembled a green dragon entwined in snow, a breathtaking sight.

Of course, appearance was secondary. What excited Li Xiangming was that the aura of the Weeping Spirit Desolate Sky Rope was far superior to that of the past.

He suddenly grabbed his old friend's handle and poured his magic power and divine sense into it. After a long while, a deep joy appeared in his eyes.

This was not an illusion; the Weeping Spirit Desolate Sky Chain had truly changed, becoming more intimate with him, and even the magical power under his control had become more active.

Guan Dongqing explained, "This rope was severely damaged when it was first forged. Before it could be repaired, it was forged by several different owners. In particular, it was forcibly sacrificed with blood. The water spirit that originally served as the soul of the weapon almost lost all its spiritual energy and became completely dormant. This time, I wove Xuan Frost Spider Silk into it, which seems to have caused the water spirit to resonate with it."

"Water crystal?"

Li Xiangming muttered to himself, "Water spirits are also naturally occurring spiritual beings, similar to spiritual water."

But spiritual water is even more ancient and powerful! Like the Thousand-Faced Sorrowful Flame, it may be traced back to the Middle Ages, the Ancient Ages, or even the Primordial Age. From the very beginning, it has represented some kind of magical power in the world.

In comparison, crystal is much inferior.

Any river or lake rich in spiritual energy may give birth to water spirits; their ability is merely to manipulate some changes in water flow.

Don't underestimate these changes!
Water spirits may not possess the innate abilities of spirit water, but when it comes to "playing with water," they are the ancestors of both humans and demonic beasts. If a water spirit were to assist a cultivator in casting water spells, the power would be unimaginable.

However, this phenomenon is almost impossible to occur.

To the spirit water, humans are just one of all spirits. Staying with humans is no different from existing alone in the world, which stems from their long lifespan. However, the water spirits are attached to their birthplace and will basically never leave for their entire lives.

Even if the cultivators capture the water spirits, they cannot tame them.

Of course, this was no challenge for "wise" humans. If the water spirit wanted to leave, they would stop it!

Some people refine water essence into magical artifacts to gain their abilities. However, this destroys the water essence's spirituality, plunging it into chaos, and naturally, only a fraction of its original power remains.

Even with these remaining abilities, cultivators still flock to them, and they have even driven the development of new weapon-refining concepts.

The Weeping Spirit Desolate Sky Rope is a work created under this concept!

Despite its failure, the existence of the water crystal did not provide Li Xiangming with any feedback.

However, when Guan Dongqing used the Xuanshuang Spider Silk to remake the Qiling Huangtian Suo, the Water Spirit was stimulated and suddenly awakened a bit of its spiritual power, causing this "defective product" to undergo changes that would never happen to an ordinary top-grade magic weapon.

Li Xiangming grew increasingly delighted as he looked at the rope. He wrapped the Weeping Spirit Desolate Sky Rope around his arm and bowed to Guan Dongqing, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, Master Guan. I am deeply grateful. Please cover the cost of the Frost Spider Silk and other materials."

"I have already reached an agreement with your family head regarding the fees, so there is no need for you, Master Li, to worry about it."

Guan Dongqing waved his hand, then took out a silk bundle from behind him and said, "This is also something your patriarch prepared for you."

Li Xiangming's heart stirred, and he opened the bundle. It turned out to be a semi-transparent gauze robe with cloud-like scales floating on its surface, which was extremely extraordinary.

Guan Dongqing took a sip of tea and continued, "This item is called the Xuanlin Yunpo Armor. As you requested, it ensures defense while reducing the burden of using escape techniques. In times of crisis, it can also activate its built-in spells to release clouds and mist to obscure the enemy's consciousness."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiangming gently stroked the scale pattern on the gauze dress with his fingertips.

The design of this inner armor was inspired by the Cloud Concealment Armor he had seen in Xiaoganshan Market in Weixian County years ago.

He was eager to acquire the Cloud Concealment Armor, but the price of it was driven up to 750 spirit stones at the auction, and he was too short of money at the time, so he had to give up.

In the years that followed, he never encountered a suitable defensive artifact again.

It was rare for Li Qianxiong to be so generous. He not only agreed to repair the Weeping Spirit Desolate Sky Rope for him, but also allowed him to find Guan Dongqing to forge a new magic weapon. Naturally, he thought of the Cloud Concealment Armor.

It must be said that the magical artifacts crafted by Guan Dongqing are impeccable in terms of aesthetics.

Li Xiangming liked it very much.

However, the main reason he wanted to replicate the Cloud Concealment Armor was to make up for his lack of escape techniques. Now, he has already obtained the Wind Escape Technique in the Purple Yin Cave.

In other words, the Xuanlin Yunpo Armor is already somewhat "outdated" even though it's only been freshly made.

Li Xiangming couldn't help but look at Cao Yanjun and said softly, "Yanjun, why don't you give it a try?"

Cao Yanjun was taken aback at first, then shook her head: "This was prepared for you by the patriarch, I don't want it."

(End of this chapter)