Clan Cultivation: Starting from Foundation Establishment on Mount Luoxia

In the days that followed, Li Xiaoyao settled down at the Immortal Sect's headquarters.

On one hand, he was waiting in line for the Xuanxin Mirror; on the other hand, he also wanted to take this time to hone his third divine power.

He found a secluded cave dwelling in the Immortal Sect, paid three months' rent, and began his seclusion.

He has mastered this supernatural power, 【彩华谌】, for over sixty years.

Seventy-two rays of light: twenty-four from the morning glow, twenty-four from the evening glow, and twenty-four from the clouds, each with its own charm and its own unique variations.

What he needs to do is truly integrate them into one.

Inside the cave, Li Xiaoyao sat cross-legged, his body surrounded by shimmering light.

The robe covered his body, and seventy-two rays of light, like seventy-two threads, wove, disassembled, and reassembled around him.

The vibrancy of the morning glow, the serenity of the evening glow, and the ever-changing clouds—three distinct charms—alternately manifested in him, gradually merging together.

Cultivation transcends the passage of time.

Three months later, Li Xiaoyao opened his eyes.

The glow on the robes was more harmonious than before, and the boundary between the morning and evening glows was no longer so distinct. Clouds and rosy hues flowed within it, and the three kinds of charm began to permeate each other.

But there is still a long way to go before it is truly perfect.

He decided to go out for a walk.

The Immortal Sect headquarters has a famous market town called "Tian Shi Yuan".

This place is not like an official venue like the Good Deeds Pavilion, but a trading area spontaneously formed by True Lords, True Persons, and independent cultivators.

As long as there are good items, there's no fear of not getting a good price; as long as you have points, there's no fear of not being able to buy good things. Although Li Xiaoyao doesn't have many merits, he can still browse around.

Tian Shi Yuan was much busier than when he last visited. Li Xiaoyao walked on the stone-paved road, with shops and stalls lined up on both sides.

There were people selling pills, magical artifacts, cultivation techniques and jade slips, spiritual materials, as well as information, missions, and even slaves—of course, the buying and selling of humans was not allowed under the rule of the Immortal Sect, so most of those slaves were alien beasts.

He was strolling around when he suddenly heard a familiar voice.

"Fellow Daoist Shangyuan!"

Li Xiaoyao turned his head and saw a young Taoist priest in a blue robe smiling and waving at him. The priest looked to be in his early thirties, with a handsome face, bright eyes, and an aura at the early stage of the Purple Mansion realm.

"You are..." Li Xiaoyao didn't recognize him at first.

"This junior is Luo Yuansheng, whose Daoist name is Senyuan." The young master cupped his hands. "My father, Luo Tianyi, once served under you when we were in the Heavenly Demon Realm."

Li Xiaoyao remembered. Luo Tianyi, a Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Jiaomu Dao lineage, had been placed under his command in the Heavenly Demon Realm. Later, he was seriously injured in a battle and returned to the rear ahead of schedule. At that time, there was indeed a teenager with him.

"How is your father?"

Master Senyuan laughed and said, "My father had already reached the peak of Foundation Establishment and retired a few years ago to enjoy his grandchildren. I am a disappointment; I only barely broke through to the Purple Mansion realm two years ago."

Li Xiaoyao looked at him, feeling a surge of emotion. That boy from back then was now a True Person of the Purple Mansion.

"Good, good." He patted Senyuan Zhenren on the shoulder. "Your father shed blood for the Immortal Sect. He's happy for you in heaven that you've achieved what you have today."

Morimoto Masato's eyes were slightly red, and he nodded repeatedly.

The two chatted as they walked. Sen Yuan Zhenren was a lively person, and along the way he introduced Li Xiaoyao to the various shops and stalls in Tian Shi Yuan, which shops had cheap pills, which shops had reliable magic weapons, and which shop owners were unscrupulous merchants, as if he knew them all by heart.

"Fellow Daoist Shangyuan, did you know?" he lowered his voice, "Tian Shi Yuan recently opened a new dueling arena, specifically for True Immortals to spar. There are prizes for winning, and no loss for losing. Many fellow Daoists go there; it's quite a lively place."

Li Xiaoyao's interest was piqued: "A dueling arena?"

"It's just ahead, I'll take you there!"

The Fighting Arena is located on the east side of the Heavenly Market Enclosure. It is a circular arena built with special stone and surrounded by restrictive formations, capable of withstanding the aftershocks of battles at the Purple Mansion level.

A large crowd had already gathered around the arena, including Foundation Establishment stage juniors watching the excitement and Purple Mansion True Persons observing the battle.

On the arena, two True Immortals at the early stage of the Purple Mansion realm were exchanging blows. One wielded a sword, the other a whip, their attacks fierce and varied, sparks flying everywhere. Cheers and applause frequently erupted from below the stage.

Master Senyuan squeezed to the front, turned around and waved to Li Xiaoyao: "Fellow Daoist Shangyuan, would you like to go up and give it a try?"

Li Xiaoyao shook his head: "Just take a look."

He stood in the crowd, watching the battle on the arena. The two cultivators weren't particularly powerful, but they were fighting very seriously.

The swordsman's swordsmanship was fierce, each strike carrying the sharpness of metal; the whip user's whip technique was unpredictable, with countless whip shadows that were impossible to defend against.

The two fought for almost half an hour, and in the end, the swordsman was defeated by half a move.

"You flatter me." The master who used the whip put away his weapon and bowed to his opponent.

The defeated master was not angry. He jumped off the stage with a smile, took out a bottle of pills from his pocket and handed it to the winner—it was a prize.

Watching this scene, Li Xiaoyao suddenly recalled his time in the Heavenly Demon Realm. Back then, he had fought just like that, each move executed with utmost seriousness.

"Fellow Daoist Shangyuan?" Senyuan Zhenren called softly when he saw him lost in thought.

Li Xiaoyao snapped out of his daze and smiled, "Let's go, let's go look around somewhere else."

The two strolled around for a while longer before stopping in front of a shop selling Buddhist artifacts.

The shop was filled with all kinds of magical artifacts, ranging from first to third tier, and they were all in good condition.

The shopkeeper was an old True Person in the early stage of the Purple Mansion realm, and he was haggling with a young True Person while holding a flying sword.

"This flying sword is a prized possession of the Gengjin Daoist lineage, a top-grade third-tier weapon, and it's only selling for five thousand merit points—that's a fire sale price!"

The young master hesitated. Li Xiaoyao glanced at the flying sword; its blade was translucent, with a faint, cold light emanating from it—it was indeed a fine item.

He stepped forward and said to the young master, "This sword is nice; you can buy it."

The young master was taken aback, recognized him, and hurriedly bowed, saying, "Senior Shangyuan!"

Li Xiaoyao waved his hand and said to the boss, "Four thousand, I'll pay for it."

The boss opened his mouth as if to say something, but when he saw the elder's token at Li Xiaoyao's waist, he swallowed his words back: "Alright, four thousand it is."

The young immortal was both surprised and delighted, and thanked him repeatedly. Li Xiaoyao, having performed a meritorious service, handed him the flying sword: "Use it well, don't let it down."

The young master, holding the flying sword, had tears in his eyes: "I will!"

Master Senyuan, watching from the side, couldn't help but chuckle: "Fellow Daoist Shangyuan, are you going to become a philanthropist?"

Li Xiaoyao shook his head: "It's nothing."

The two continued walking. Reaching a corner, Li Xiaoyao suddenly stopped.

A dusty figure was crouching around the corner. She was a young female cultivator in the Foundation Establishment stage. In front of her was a tattered cloth with a few dusty stones on it.

Those stones looked unremarkable, but when Li Xiaoyao scanned them with his divine sense, his heart skipped a beat.

"What's this?" He squatted down and picked up a stone.

The female cultivator lowered her head and spoke softly, "This junior... this junior found it in the ruins. I don't know what it is, so I wanted to exchange it for some merit points to buy pills."

Li Xiaoyao examined the stone several times, turning it over and over, and then carefully probed it with his divine sense. Indeed, it was a Radiant Light Stone—an extremely rare spiritual material that could only be formed under specific conditions, and was of great use to cultivators who practiced Radiant Light cultivation. But to ordinary people, it was just a dull, grayish-brown stone.

"I'll take all of these," Li Xiaoyao said, trying to keep his voice calm. "Name your price."

The female cultivator glanced at him timidly: "One...one hundred merit points, is that alright?"

Li Xiaoyao took out 1,000 merit points from his storage ring and handed them to her: "This is the price for five. The extra ones are a bonus."

The female cultivator accepted the merit, stood there stunned for a while, then suddenly knelt down and kowtowed: "Thank you, senior! Thank you, senior!"

Li Xiaoyao helped her up, then took out a bottle of pills for Foundation Establishment stage cultivators from his pocket and handed it to her: "Cultivate well."

The female cultivator held the pills, tears streaming down her face.

Master Senyuan, watching from the side, suddenly sighed: "Fellow Daoist Shangyuan, will the merit you're doing be enough?"

Li Xiaoyao carefully put away the five Radiant Stones and said with a smile, "Spend what needs to be spent, and save what needs to be saved. On the path of cultivation, help each other out whenever you can."

After a moment of silence, Morimoto no Makoto suddenly said, "This junior has learned a great deal."

The two strolled around for a while longer, until it gradually grew dark. Li Xiaoyao treated Senyuan Zhenren to a meal at a restaurant, during which they discussed many things related to cultivation.

Although Sen Yuan Zhenren was young, he had a unique understanding of the Jiaomu lineage, from which Li Xiaoyao also gained some inspiration.

After the gathering ended, Master Senyuan took his leave. Li Xiaoyao walked alone on the way back to his cave, the moonlight casting a long shadow on him.