Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 555 Intensive Preparations (Monthly Tickets! Please!!)
Danggui Mountain.

Li Xiangming finally breathed a sigh of relief after returning from Yuyuan.

His negotiations with Cao Fuyi did not go smoothly!

The Li family desperately needed outside help, and he was actually prepared to sign some less-than-equal agreements with the Cao family.

However, Cao Fuyi insisted on binding the aid to the Li family on the condition that he must become the head of the family.

The two argued for a whole day and night over this one disagreement, and by the early hours of the next day, they still hadn't reached a resolution.

Li Xiangming didn't want to accept the Cao family's kindness, but the Cao family was always an outsider. Could they help him win people's hearts?

Not only will it not work, it will have the opposite effect.

The Cao family's only advantage is its military strength!

This is also why the Cao family is so confident.

In the Cao family's view, sending a few more powerful Foundation Establishment cultivators would be more effective than anything else. Under such absolute power, would the Li family dare to ignore Li Xiangming?
This is precisely what Li Xiangming cannot tolerate.

The Li family has more than one in-law; behind him is the Cao family of Qingliang Mountain, and Li Xiangyu also has the Shen family of Fengmo Island.

How shrewd is that old fellow Shen Qiushui? If he knew that Li Xiangyu was using the Cao family as an ally to vie for the position of family head, he would probably immediately lead his team to support Li Xiangyu.

At that time, the second and fourth wives will have nowhere left to retreat.

If we also consider the eldest branch of the family, which missed out on becoming the "head of the family," and the third branch, which pins its hopes on Li Qianxiong's re-election as "head of the family," the Li family might be on the verge of an unprecedented internal strife.

Li Xiangming was absolutely unwilling to see this situation. He had already planned to focus his efforts on the fourth branch of the family, as well as Li Qianxiong and Li Huinan.

His four wives are his core group, needless to say.

Will Li Qianxiong be re-elected as head of the family?
Not necessarily.

The Li family has always placed great importance on cultivating successors.

For example, Li Chengsu and Li Qianxiao were both trained to be "heads of the family" when they were teenagers.

Although both generations of potential family heads met with misfortune and failed to reach the Foundation Establishment stage first, Li Chengkang and Li Qianxiong respectively inherited the position of family head.

But the Li family still values ​​this tradition.

Lee Sang-in is a good example.

Once a suitable successor is found, the current head of the family will naturally hand over power to the next generation and devote himself to cultivation, just like Li Huinan's Li Chengkang and Li Chengkang's Li Qianxiong.

Not only do the two sides have no conflicts, but they also have a deep-rooted relationship of inheritance, and they are interdependent, sharing both prosperity and adversity.

If Li Xiangming wants to become the head of the family, the first thing he needs to do is to get along well with Li Qianxiong.

Coincidentally, he was one of Li Qianxiong's confidants.

In other words, he didn't need to resort to any schemes or tricks. As long as he diligently assisted Li Qianxiong, demonstrating his abilities while maintaining a good personal image, he would naturally have the opportunity to become the next head of the family.

Of course, it's just a chance.

The first wife won't support him, and neither will the second wife!
Even the third wife behind Li Qianxiong may not necessarily favor him.

But each branch of the main lineage is independent. How can your eldest and second branches get the support of my fourth branch?

As long as Li Xiangming wins over the four branches of the family, no matter who he faces, he has at least a one in four chance of ascending to the position of family head. His cultivation level, achievements, and the prestige he has accumulated over the years are all plus points.

After his patient explanation, Cao Fuyi tentatively believed that he could become the head of the family, and also allowed Cao Fuchun, whom the Cao family had sent to guard Yuyuan, to temporarily go to the Li family with him.

As for other personnel and material assistance, Cao Fuyi did not budge.

According to him, it is still necessary to report to Qingliang Mountain.

This round trip will take at least a month.

Li Xiangming didn't expect anything either.

His initial plan was simply to seek the assistance of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Besides, Cao Fuchun was a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Inside the Changlin residence, the elders of the clan had different expressions upon learning that Li Xiangming had finally managed to bring in outside help. Only Li Chenglu beamed with joy: "Xiangming, with the Cao family cultivators overseeing Tailai Peak, you and Xiangyu can finally show your skills."

Upon hearing this, Li Chengweng immediately snorted.

The fourth branch of the family worried that the Cao family would interfere in the Li family's affairs, so they resolutely refused.

But what happens after you refuse?

Can't the Cao family help Li Xiangming?

it's not true.

Even if Cao Fuchun did nothing at Tailai Peak, Li Xiangming's prestige would still rise—because everyone knew that Li Xiangming had a powerful backer, and that backer had come in person.

Sixth Brother is still very shrewd and calculating!
After expressing his dissatisfaction, Li Chengweng sighed slightly.

Just a month ago, things were relatively peaceful within the Li family. Li Qianxiong was in his prime, and no one had thought about the change of the family head.

However, the sudden death of Li Xiangren has thrust Li Xiangru, Li Xiangyu, and Li Xiangming, all candidates for the family head of the Xiang generation, into the spotlight.

In particular, the frequent underhanded actions of the fourth branch of the family have pushed this wave to its peak.

Can the second wife relinquish her position as head of the family?

no way!

Even if it costs him his life, he will make sure Xiang Yu ascends to the position of family head.

Li Chengweng's expression grew increasingly resolute, but he did not question Cao Fuchun's arrival, after all, the Li family was currently facing a serious external crisis.

The other clan elders were largely in the same boat; none of them wanted to escalate family conflicts at this crucial moment. The topic of the Cao family's arrival to provide assistance was quickly dropped.

The first meeting Li Xiangming held at Changlinfang was certainly not to discuss how to settle Cao Fuchun.

Besides a few clan elders, people from each ancestral hall and branch of the family were present at the meeting.

After scanning the area, Li Xiangming quickly got to the point: "Although the beast tide is scattered, it could regroup at any time, so my Li family must be cautious. However, the clan has deployed all its elite forces to support the Yunhuang mines. How many combat-ready cultivators can you spare under your command?"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

Before the meeting, many people had already guessed that Li Xiangming was going to finalize the list of personnel to suppress the beast tide.

However, deciding how many people to send and who those people should be is a difficult question.

Some were deep in thought, while others whispered among themselves. For a long while, no one gave a definite answer.

Li Xiangming immediately frowned.

He was well aware of everyone's concerns.
Although the Li family has more than 500 cultivators, after deducting the elderly, weak, women and children, there are less than 300 people who can actually participate in the battle, and Li Qianxiong took 200 of them with him.

Currently, each hall and department is short-staffed. For example, Li Qianliang, the head of the guest room, and Li Xiangfeng, the head of the animal trapping department, have both gone to the Yunhuang mine. Important departments such as the Foreign Affairs Hall and the Guard Hall are currently being led by the deputy hall masters.

Now he has to draw on the elite troops from each department to fight the monsters, which is like adding insult to injury.

Furthermore, the demonic beasts are ferocious, and casualties are inevitable when cultivators from each clan go into battle. Who could bear to send their kin, with whom they have lived and worked day and night, to their deaths?
Li Xiangming also couldn't bear it.

But if the Li family doesn't step up, who will quell the beast tide?
Are we supposed to wait for Hengyue Gate?
By then, Dangui Mountain would already be besieged by the beast tide and in imminent danger. Li Qianxiong and his men, far away at the Yunhuang mine, would also be completely deprived of supplies and forced to fight alone.

"Gentlemen, this is the decision of the clan elders."

Knowing that his prestige was not as high as Li Qianxiong's, Li Xiangming had no choice but to invoke the clan elders' council.

The elders exchanged glances, and Li Chenglu spoke first: "Qianhe, can your accounting office spare some manpower?"

Li Qianhe immediately stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "The Accounting Office can provide a cultivator at or above the fourth level of Qi Refining."

One person is far from enough.

However, Li Qianhe's words broke the deadlock. Li Chenglu looked around and saw that all the high-ranking members of the four branches had stepped forward to express their support, although the number of supporters was rather small. Several managers and deputy managers spoke eloquently, but the number of cultivators they recommended in total was only seven. It wasn't until Li Xianghong spoke that the situation changed dramatically: "Our Beast Breeding Branch can send eight people and forty spirit pets to assist in the battle."

Forty spirit pets?
The Changlin House erupted in uproar.

It should be noted that although the Li family has been developing the art of beast taming for quite some time, only about twenty people have successfully become beast taming cultivators, most of whom are young cultivators from the Guardian Hall.

Now that the Beast Breeding House has produced forty new spirit pets, wouldn't the number of beast-taming cultivators in the Li family have to expand to sixty?

Li Xiangming already knew about this news.

Since the introduction of Chen Chihe and Gong Wan, and with the guidance of the Cao family, the Beast Breeding House has developed rapidly, especially in the last two years, with almost every month there have been examples of monsters being tamed.

The reason why there are not many beast-taming cultivators.

This is not unrelated to Li Qianxiong's restraint.

Spirit pets and cultivators are not always a case of one plus one equals more than two!
If a beast-taming cultivator is not careful enough with their spirit pet, they are merely commanding a puppet. And this "puppet" has many requirements regarding travel, accommodation, and food.

The Li family cultivators, who are used to fighting alone, are very likely to be unable to adapt to these troubles.

Therefore, Li Qianxiong has never "opened" the Beast Breeding Peak. Only direct disciples who he deems suitable for fighting with spirit pets are qualified to choose spirit pets and become beast taming cultivators.

There's an even deeper reason: the cost of raising spirit pets.

Li Xiangming's own Blackwater Serpent needs to consume six to seven bottles of Spirit-Feeding Pills every month.

Ordinary Qi Refining cultivators would probably be terrified if they heard this.

Of course, normal spirit pets aren't that exaggerated, but there are just too many of them!

If the Li family doesn't control the number of beast-taming cultivators, simply purchasing spirit-feeding pills will be a heavy burden.

In short, given the Li family's current financial resources, it's not suitable for them to directly transform into a beast-taming family. Li Qianxiong's greatest expectation for the beast-breeding center has never been to train powerful spirit pets.

Instead, it's about making a profit—in the past two years, the Lingguang Pavilion in Pushuifang Market has gradually shown signs of the Li family's spirit pets.

However, due to the strained relationship between the Qin and Li families, Li Qianxiong ordered a ban on the sale of spirit pets that could be temporarily converted into combat power, which led to the accumulation of such "pets" in the beast breeding center.

Everyone knows the name of the Beast Breeding House, but the Beast Breeding Peak where the Beast Breeding House is located is a secret place that has been sealed off for many years.

Most people are unaware of the work content and progress of animal breeding facilities.

Seeing the shock of the crowd, Li Xiangming did not explain, but instead took the opportunity to put pressure on them, saying, "The Beast Breeding Room is surrounded by brutal monsters every day. The taming of each spirit pet is extremely difficult. The Beast Tamers are still willing to dedicate their efforts to the family over the past few years. Don't you have any opinions?"

"Nineteenth Brother, I'm willing to go."

Just then, Li Xiangcheng stepped forward.

He was originally the head of the Shouyu Hall's direct administration office, but he resigned before going into seclusion. He then followed Li Qianhe in searching for someone and has not yet been reinstated to his original position, so he is considered a free man.

Upon hearing him speak, several members of the Direct Driving Division also stood up.

In a short while, the four families had gathered twenty people.

Upon seeing this, the elders of the other three branches of the clan all coughed.

The idea of ​​eliminating the monsters was not only Li Xiangming's, but also received unanimous approval from the clan elders.

Regardless of the circumstances, each branch of the family will eventually have to contribute manpower and effort; how can we let the fourth branch of the family continue to act arrogantly?
Under the call of the clan elders, the leaders could not withstand the pressure and each selected one or two people. Even the least prominent clan hall recommended three or four people.

Finally, an initial list of 67 people was freshly produced.

Li Xiangming glanced at it a few times, but was still not quite satisfied.

Too little!
Moreover, most of these people are at the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

After putting down the list, Li Xiangming looked at a burly middle-aged man with a serious expression: "Uncle Qianpeng, can your Logistics Department spare any more manpower?"

Li Qianpeng was originally the deputy head of the Internal Affairs Hall. Later, when Li Qianxiao established his foundation, he did not fill the vacant position of head of the hall, but was instead assigned to the increasingly important Service Department as the deputy director.

Li Qianshi, the head of the academy, is currently on campaign with the family head, while Li Qianpeng is in full charge of the affairs of the service academy.

In response to Li Xiangming's question, Li Qianpeng shook his head: "Half of the people the patriarch conscripted came from the Service Academy, and the Li family members in the Upper Academy are basically empty; there were originally quite a few non-Li family cultivators in the Lower Academy, but as news of the beast tide came, they submitted their resignations one after another, and now there are only a little over thirty people left. It's fine to let them cultivate the spirit fields, but it would be difficult to force them to fight against the demon beasts."

Li Xiangming couldn't help but rub his temples.

When the Demon Suppression Camp was established, there were also non-family cultivators from the Service Institute who participated.

Before the beast tide even arrived, these non-clan cultivators fled in droves, clearly having heard rumors of the Demon Suppression Camp's crushing defeat and dispersal.

This defeat was too devastating, resulting not only in the loss of a large number of cultivators and resources on the battlefield, but also weakening the Li family's influence outside the battlefield.

After a moment's thought, Li Xiangming looked at the clan elders and said, "We still have seven or eight guest elders. Let's include them all on the list."

Li Qianxiong's mission to aid the Yunhuang mine was a secret, and he did not bring any retainers with him.

Li Xiangming had no intention of discussing things with these people.

Li Chenglu and the others exchanged glances and nodded.

People like Chang Zhi, who had been living in the Li family for more than ten years, enjoyed the abundant spiritual energy of Danggui Mountain and a generous salary every month, but rarely did any work.

The Li family is still willing to support them, isn't it precisely because of their current needs?

Ultimately, after several adjustments, the list was finalized to include eighty cultivators at or above the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

Li Xiangming looked at it again and again, constantly calculating in his mind.

With just these people, trying to quell the large and small beast tides in Pudong is not only a pipe dream, but also a fool's errand.

But right now, the Li family only has so many people they can be proud of.

He couldn't ask for more.

As Li Xiangming pondered, he kept circling and scribbling on the list. After a long while, he finally looked up at Li Chengweng and asked, "Ninth Uncle, how is the preparation of the alchemy and weaponry room going?"

Li Chengweng slowly replied, "I personally supervised the alchemy workshop to refine healing pills. As for Qianwang, he is also working hard to forge crossbows, arrows, and red sand armor."

Li Xiangming then looked at Li Chenglu, who also stated that the talisman array room was operating at full capacity.

Dealing with the beast tide doesn't require the same level of sophistication as dealing with the Qin family cultivators.

In fact, any arrow forged from fine steel can harm monsters—the vast majority of the monster tide consists of wild beasts and half-demons.

The Explosive Talisman is an even more powerful weapon for killing large numbers of monsters.

Therefore, he ordered the alchemy workshop to forge one hundred crossbows within half a month, each crossbow equipped with one hundred short arrows with barbs, and to also forge fifty sets of red sand armor.

These crimson sand armors are no ordinary items; they were specially designed by the Li family for their people on the Nanbin battlefield. After being proven in actual combat, they can effectively reduce the threat posed by demonic beasts.

Of course, the Red Sand Armor is compared to ordinary armor. In fierce battles, it often needs to be affixed with a Vajra Talisman before it can be used even with difficulty.

Even so, the Crimson Sand Armor was still useless against true demon cultivators.

Something is better than nothing.

After all, which family can equip all its members with defensive magical artifacts?
Li Xiangming's task for the Talisman Array Room was to draw 200 Explosive Talismans, 100 Vajra Talismans, and inscribe 5 one-time self-destruct array plates within half a month.

The Li family is small, and every life is precious.

Li Xiangming hoped to equip them with more supplies to minimize casualties.

Li Chengweng and Li Chenglu, who were in charge of logistics, were also very dedicated in this regard.

As darkness fell, the people from Changlinfang finally dispersed.

Li Xiangming's mission was not over yet. He still had to "pay a visit" to the old members of the Demon Suppression Camp. Since these people were willing to retreat to Dangui Mountain, they were naturally loyal to the Li family.

Regardless, he had to personally win them over.

(End of this chapter)