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

hum!

The Book of Destiny trembled, and a large amount of yellow light surged forth.

Then.

Lines of text appeared one by one:

Seeing no hope of breaking through, Chen Wenyuan went to Tianlang Mountain in search of an opportunity. Three months ago, while hunting, he discovered a hidden cave halfway up the mountain, but dared not venture deeper due to the aura of a fierce tiger within. Now, with the imperial deadline fast approaching, he decided to take the risk. Inside the cave was a mid-grade Jade Spirit Fruit; after consuming it with his mortal body, Chen Wenyuan exploded and died.

Li Changsheng's pupils contracted.

"My brother-in-law can't get into trouble!"

The eldest brother-in-law is sensitive and feels inferior because of his status as a son-in-law.

In his early years, he desperately tried to integrate into the family and prove himself, but he was repeatedly guarded against and ostracized by the elders, which made him increasingly withdrawn.

But he treated his wife's younger brothers and sisters-in-law very well.

Every time they came back from the mountain, they would always share the wild fruits and bird eggs with them first, and they would always be obedient to their eldest sister without ever saying a word.

I've already intercepted his chance for a spirit stone once, how can I just watch him die?

"No!"

Li Changsheng suddenly stood up.

He strode toward the yard where his father trained hunting dogs and led out the strongest and most agile wolfhound, "Black Wind."

Black Wind recognized its young master and affectionately rubbed its hand against his.

"Black Wind, it's up to you now. Take me to my brother-in-law!"

He handed a piece of old clothing that Chen Wenyuan often wore to Hei Feng.

Black Wind let out a low bark and followed the scent out of Li Family Fortress, with Li Changsheng close behind.

The Tianlang Mountain was shrouded in shadows under the night sky, with the roars of beasts and the chirping of insects never ceasing.

Blackwind lived up to its reputation as an excellent hunting dog, nimbly navigating the rugged mountain path before finally stopping in front of a nearly vertical cliff covered in vines. It raised its head and barked softly, indicating that the scent had reached its strongest point.

Li Changsheng focused his mind and sensed it.

With his five senses far surpassing those of ordinary people at the first level of Qi Refining, he carefully discerned the scent in the wind and the traces on the ground. Finally, in the middle of the cliff, behind an exceptionally dense patch of green vines, he "heard" an extremely faint breathing sound—a human's breath, accompanied by painful gasps, and another heavy, animalistic stench.

"Found it!"

He climbed along the vines in the rock crevices, approaching silently, and parted the green vines to reveal a dark cave entrance.

A strong, pungent smell of blood filled the air.

The scene inside the cave was horrific.

A fierce tiger with piercing eyes and a white forehead lay in a pool of blood, its body twitching slightly, black blood seeping from its mouth and nose, clearly poisoned, but its eyes still stared fixedly ahead.

Chen Wenyuan leaned against the cave wall, his clothes tattered, his body covered in deep claw marks that revealed the bone, his left arm bent unnaturally, and his face as pale as paper.

In the center of the cave stands a plant, its leaves as white as jade, bearing a fruit the size of a pigeon's egg, radiating a hazy glow.

"With this, I'm sure I can break through! I'm sure I can... prove I'm not a waste!"

He struggled to his feet, stretched out his intact right hand, and tremblingly reached for the nearest fruit.

"stop!"

Li Changsheng darted into the cave and grabbed Chen Wenyuan's wrist.

Chen Wenyuan turned around in shock and saw Li Changsheng. He exclaimed in astonishment, "Changsheng? What are you doing here?"

"Brother-in-law, this fruit can't be eaten directly!" Li Changsheng said urgently.

But in Chen Wenyuan's eyes, Li Changsheng was nothing more than a wild child who was not yet grown up, and he was not going to listen to him.

Li Changsheng steeled his heart, drew the dagger from his waist, and with lightning speed cut off a tiny piece of the Jade Spirit Fruit flesh. Ignoring Chen Wenyuan's exclamation, he flicked it into the mouth of the dying tiger.

In just a few breaths.

The tiger's body suddenly stiffened, then swelled violently, its eyes bulged out, blood flowed from its seven orifices, and then with a muffled "bang," it exploded from the inside, sending flesh and blood flying everywhere!

"this……"

Chen Wenyuan was splattered with blood. He stared blankly at the horrific scene before him, his body ice-cold, filled with lingering fear.

If Changsheng hadn't stopped him, he would have been the one to explode and die right now!

"Chang...Changsheng...you..." His voice was hoarse, his eyes filled with shock, gratitude, and deep confusion as he looked at Li Changsheng. "How did you know about this fruit...?"

Li Changsheng no longer concealed anything and said, "Brother-in-law, I have successfully guided Qi into my body."

"What?!" Chen Wenyuan's eyes widened in disbelief, followed by genuine elation. "Really? That's wonderful! Our ancestors' fiefdom is safe!"

He was so excited that he forgot about his injuries, as if he himself had broken through.

Li Changsheng felt a warmth in his heart; this brother-in-law truly cared for the Li family. He took out the only two low-grade spirit stones he had left and placed them in Chen Wenyuan's hand:

"Brother-in-law, with this item to assist the 'Circulation Guiding Technique,' you will definitely be able to draw qi into your body!"

Chen Wenyuan knew immediately upon touching it that it was an extremely precious spirit stone, and tried to push it away as if it were burning his hand:

"No! This is too precious! It should be left to your own siblings. I... I'm just an outsider..."

"Brother-in-law!" Li Changsheng interrupted him, his gaze intense. "Haven't you always wanted a chance to prove yourself no less than anyone else, to prove you're worthy of my eldest sister, worthy of the Li family? Now, your chance is here. These spirit stones are for you. You're not an outsider; you're my brother-in-law, a member of the Li family."

Chen Wenyuan trembled violently, and his eyes instantly reddened.

Having lived as a son-in-law for many years, I've heard countless cold stares and idle gossip, and the resentment in my heart remains hard to dispel.

Li Changsheng's words struck at the deepest desires and grievances in his heart. This dignified man choked back tears, saying:

"Chang Sheng... Brother-in-law... Thank you."

After speaking...

Chen Wenyuan immediately grasped the spirit stone, sat cross-legged, and began to cultivate his internal energy.

Li Changsheng looked at the Jade Spirit Fruit; the luster of its peel had already dimmed slightly.

"The medicinal effects of this fruit are waning; it seems we must refine it on the spot."

...

...

The square in front of the ancestral hall in Lijiabao.

The atmosphere was heavy and oppressive.

A stern-faced immortal master, dressed in a blue robe from the Zhen Shi Si (a high-ranking official position), stood with his hands behind his back. The elders and direct descendants of the Li family knelt on the ground, their faces ashen.

"The deadline has arrived. Has anyone in the Li family successfully initiated Qi cultivation?"

The old clan chief's lips trembled as he closed his eyes in despair.

The other elders also sighed and lamented, and no one responded.

A barely perceptible hint of regret flashed in the immortal master's eyes.

He did have some old friendship with Li Muxian, but unfortunately the Li family had no heir, and the verdict was subsequently announced:

"Since no one has broken through, according to the law, the Eastern Wilderness Spirit Vein fiefdom is reclaimed. Considering Li Muxian's merits to the court, the Li family is hereby granted the title of a third-class meritorious family in the secular world, enjoying..."

"Immortal Master, please wait!"

A slightly hoarse but powerful shout interrupted the imperial decree.

The crowd suddenly parted.

Chen Wenyuan, covered in blood and with torn clothes, strode forward with firm steps and knelt directly before the immortal master:

"This junior, Chen Wenyuan, has successfully guided Qi into his body! Please, Immortal Master, verify this!"

"Oh?"

The immortal master raised an eyebrow, pointed a finger, and a ray of spiritual light entered Chen Wenyuan's body.

After a moment, he nodded slightly:

"It is indeed the induction of Qi into the body, the initial generation of spiritual energy. The Li family's fiefdom can be protected."

"Phew—" All the Li family members felt as if they had been granted a pardon, and many of them collapsed to the ground, weeping with joy.

But the immortal master's next words made everyone's hearts leap into their throats:

"Those who draw qi into their bodies are the standard; according to precedent, they should be the masters of this place. Chen Wenyuan, are you willing...?"

"Immortal Master!" Chen Wenyuan interrupted again, and amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, he clasped his hands and said loudly, "Immortal Master, my Li family has another person who successfully guided Qi into the body long before me, and is a direct descendant of the Li family! He is currently on his way back, please wait a moment, Immortal Master!"

"Two people?"

The immortal master was genuinely surprised and stroked his short beard:

"In such a barren land, without any external assistance, two people have broken through in just three months? Your Li family does have some luck."

He glanced in the direction of the ancestral hall, thought of his deceased friends, and his expression softened:

"Very well, I will wait one more day. If what you say is true, the direct descendants come first, this is the proper order of things."

The Li family was naturally extremely grateful that the immortal master had waited for them.

After the immortal master was led away to rest, everyone immediately surrounded Chen Wenyuan, chattering away.

"Wen Yuan, who are you talking about? Who broke through before you?"

"Yes, tell us! This is incredibly joyous news!"

Chen Wenyuan wiped the blood off his face and said clearly, "It's Changsheng."

"Immortality?!"

"That troublemaker?"

"Li Changsheng, who idles away his days, bullying his servants and teasing his maids?"

"Him? Introducing Qi into the body? Wen Yuan, are you out of your mind?"

The atmosphere in the room instantly became strange.

There are some pleasant surprises, after all, preserving the fiefdom means the family has a chance to rise again.

But the thought that the one who would soon become the clan leader and control the spiritual veins was the infamous and incompetent Li Changsheng made most of the clan elders and seniors' expressions complicated and worried.