Establishing a Clan in the Eastern Wilderness: A Daily Divination, Cultivating Longevity in a Grotto

"Longevity! Longevity!" Grandfather shouted as he entered the door, "I've discovered an extraordinary treasure land, come and see!"

Li Changsheng went to greet him, and his grandfather spread the map out on the stone table in the courtyard without saying a word.

It was a detailed map of the terrain surrounding Qinglan Mountain, with mountains, rivers, villages, and roads all outlined in fine lines. My grandfather pointed to a mountain peak in the southeast of Qinglan Mountain, his fingers trembling slightly.

"Qilin Mountain!" His voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement. "Look closely, can you see anything?!"

Li Changsheng looked at the mountain peak marked on the map. Qilin Mountain is adjacent to Qinglan Mountain, and at its foot lies Qilin Town, one of the three major towns under the jurisdiction of the Li family.

Qilin Town has a very long history; it is said to have existed even before the Great Zhou Dynasty was established.

"There is a dragon vein in Qilin Mountain," Grandfather said in a low voice, as if afraid of disturbing something. "Although it has dried up and become a dead vein, it is indeed a dragon vein!"

Li Changsheng's pupils contracted slightly.

Dragon veins.

That is a higher level of existence than spiritual veins.

Spiritual veins nourish cultivators, while dragon veins benefit all living beings.

A single dragon vein is enough to bless a region and benefit future generations. Even a nearly dried-up remnant vein is a great opportunity for the Li family, representing the auspicious smoke rising from their ancestral graves.

"I searched all morning on the mountain," Grandfather said, pointing to a mark on the map. "This is where the dragon's head is located. If we enshrine the statue here and nourish the dragon vein with the power of incense and prayers, it may be able to regain its vitality in time."

Li Changsheng did not answer immediately.

He closed his eyes, communicated with the Heavenly Book through his thoughts, and the "Family Resource Preview" in the clan leader's permissions quietly started operating.

As the Heavenly Book's energy flowed, the outline of Qilin Mountain appeared in my sea of ​​consciousness.

At first, it was just an ordinary mountain peak, lush with vegetation and sparse in spiritual energy. But after a while, a nearly transparent dragon-shaped phantom faintly emerged from the depths of the mountain—the dragon's head faced east, its tail hidden in the mountain's belly, its entire body dim, as if it might dissipate at any moment.

But that was indeed a dragon vein.

Li Changsheng opened his eyes and immediately made a decision: "We'll choose Qilin Mountain."

Grandfather was overjoyed, stroking his beard and saying "good" three times. He took out a set of divination tools from his pocket, laid them out on the ground, solemnly burned incense and prayed, and threw three ancient coins on the ground.

The ancient coin tumbled a few times before settling down.

Grandfather looked down and his eyes lit up: "Today at sunset is the best auspicious time! If we miss it, we'll have to wait another two and a half years!"

Li Changsheng frowned slightly.

Today is sunset.

He also had to rush to Anyang County to participate in the second round of the competition.

Grandmother reminded him from the side, "Chang Sheng, Anyang County is a long way away. If you don't set off now, you might not make it in time. And you can't travel at night..."

Li Changsheng pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "It's alright. My younger sister and father will set off first, and I will head to Qinglan County early tomorrow morning, take the imperial teleportation array, and arrive directly at Anyang Prefecture."

Grandmother was taken aback: "A teleportation array?"

Li Changsheng nodded: "The patriarch of the Qi Refining Clan has the authority to use the teleportation array set up by the imperial court, but each time it requires consuming merit points. I've accumulated some in this competition, which is enough."

Upon hearing this, Grandfather laughed heartily, patting Li Changsheng on the shoulder: "Good! Good! Changsheng, you've become much smarter than before since becoming the clan leader, and you've learned to integrate and apply knowledge!"

Li Changsheng smiled but did not reply.

Time is tight and the task is urgent.

Now that Qilin Mountain had been chosen as the site for the temple, the temporary main hall had to be built before sunset. Li Changsheng immediately ordered all Qi Refining cultivators, except for the clansmen guarding the Qinglan Mountain base camp, to assemble and accompany him to Qilin Mountain.

The grandmother accepted the order and went to relay it. Li Changsheng, carrying his grandfather, leaped onto Chi Yu's back and flew ahead towards Qilin Mountain.

...

...

Qilin Mountain differs from Qinglan Mountain in that its terrain is gentler, resembling a crouching giant beast lying quietly on the vast land.

The red feather circled once on the mountaintop before slowly descending. As soon as the grandfather landed, he paced around, holding an ancient compass in his hand, the needle trembling slightly, while he muttered incantations.

"Chang Sheng, come and see." He squatted down, parted a clump of weeds, revealing dark blue rocks underneath. "There used to be a temple on this mountain during the previous dynasty."

Li Changsheng walked over and squatted down to examine it closely. There were traces of artificial carving on the surface of the rock, and although it was severely weathered, it was still possible to identify that it was the foundation of a building.

Grandfather said, "I inquired with the old people in Qilin Town. They said that there was indeed a temple on this mountain during the previous dynasty, and it was quite popular. Later, for some unknown reason, the temple was destroyed, and the statues of the gods disappeared. As for the reason, there are many different opinions. Some say it was due to war, some say it was due to natural disasters, and some say... something happened to the gods enshrined in the temple."

Li Changsheng didn't reply, but simply stood up and looked around.

Grandfather, carrying a compass, walked and stopped among the weeds, finally halting before a slightly raised mound. The compass needle spun wildly before settling steadily at his feet.

"This is it," Grandfather said confidently. "The place where the dragon's head is."

Li Changsheng waved his hand: "Red Feather."

Chi Yu took flight, unleashing a blazing fireball from its mouth. The fireball landed, instantly turning the barren grass to ashes, sending waves of heat surging through the air. Immediately afterward, Chi Yu flapped its wings, unleashing countless azure wind blades that swept away the massive boulders scattered across the ground.

Amidst the rising dust, a wide, flat area of ​​land came into view.

Li Changsheng's gaze sharpened.

On the ground, ancient patterns can be faintly seen—traces of ancient runes! Although many places have become blurred over the endless years, the overall outline remains intact.

This is an ancient Taoist temple!

Grandfather was also stunned. He squatted down, brushed away the loose dirt with his sleeve, and carefully examined the runes and patterns, his voice trembling slightly: "This...this is an ancient formation! It's so well preserved!"

Li Changsheng and his grandfather joined forces to use magic to completely clean the soil from the altar. The entire altar was revealed—spanning several dozen feet in circumference, with the ground paved with bluish-gray rocks, covered with densely packed array patterns and runes. These runes were ancient and profound, each stroke exuding an aura of vastness and antiquity.

However, the spiritual energy was exhausted, and the array patterns became dim and lost their original effectiveness.

...

...

A cacophony of voices could be heard from the foot of the mountain.

Grandmother arrived with dozens of members of the Qi Refining Clan. Li Chang'an carried a hoe, Hu Xiaoyue held a stack of talismans, and Li Changming directed the clansmen to move timber and stone. Everyone's face was filled with excitement.

Li Changsheng called Hu Xiaoyue to his side.

"Take a look at these talismans, can you recognize them?"

Hu Xiaoyue squatted down and examined the talismans carefully for a long time. Then she took out the encyclopedia of talismans she always carried with her and compared them over and over. Finally, she shook her head, a hint of shame on her face: "Clan leader, the drawing techniques of these talismans are completely different from the talisman-making methods of our time. I... I can't tell what they are."

Li Changsheng was not surprised. Ancient talismans had been lost for a long time; it would be strange if he could recognize them.

"It's alright," he said. "You can study it at your own pace later."

Hu Xiaoyue nodded vigorously, carefully imprinting the patterns of the talismans and storing them in her storage bag.

...

...

"Chieftain! Chieftain!"

The voice of the eldest cousin, Li Changming, suddenly rang out, filled with barely suppressed excitement.

Li Changsheng walked over and saw Li Changming squatting beside a pile of freshly cleared rocks, holding a fist-sized stone in his hand. The stone was light blue, with fine lines on its surface, and gleamed with a warm luster in the sunlight.

"Molybdenum stone!" Li Changming's voice trembled. "This is an excellent material for building the Dharma House! Clan Chief, is there a molybdenum stone mine on this mountain?"