The fairy forced me to marry into her family, so I retorted by throwing myself into the Pool of Fate

"It's alright."

Li Ping waved his hand and sat down calmly.

But he waited for three hours, until night fell, before the steward led him to a small hut.

Upon entering the house, one sees a young man sitting at the head of the table, his face resolute and his expression solemn.

His gaze fell on Li Ping, and he remained silent for a long time.

"Li Ping, a disciple of the Mu family, greets Senior Brother Fang Xu," Li Ping said neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"My Mu family has many sons-in-law, but you are the only one who has risen to such heights in one step."

Mu Fangxu stood up, moved closer to Li Ping, looked him up and down, and shook his head: "Actually, I didn't approve of this marriage at first."

"To pair Qi Refining with Foundation Establishment, my Li family would lose all face if word got out."

He glanced at Li Ping, seeing that he remained expressionless and silent, and then asked, "What does Fellow Daoist Li think?"

"How could a Qi Refining cultivator know what a Foundation Establishment cultivator is thinking?" Li Ping said indifferently. "I suppose Yuebai has her own reasons."

Mu Fangxu snorted coldly, his face showing dissatisfaction.

He let the matter drop, then changed the subject, saying, "I don't care how you are in your clan, but once you come to Xikou Market, you must abide by the rules and do your job properly."

"If you continue to bully others by abusing your power, I guarantee you will suffer greatly."

He raised his head and coldly emphasized, "The Foundation Establishment jade tablet in your hand is useless here."

News of events on the island spread so quickly?

Li Ping was puzzled but didn't want to cause trouble, so he simply replied, "Don't worry, Senior Brother Fang Xu, I'm only here to contribute points and have no intention of causing any trouble."

"That would be best."

After Mu Fangxu finished speaking, he let the steward in.

After that, Li Ping was taken to collect his identity token.

During the journey, he learned that he had been assigned to Mu Ming's patrol team.

"A group of acquaintances, not bad."

Li Ping carefully put away his identity jade token and went to the residence of the Mu family cultivators on the island.

Far from the hustle and bustle of the city, nestled against the mountains, this place is where three streams on the island converge.

Rows of courtyards and houses line the stream, creating a pleasant environment.

Li Ping stepped into a courtyard and, as expected, saw Mu Ming and his group.

"Brother Li, what is this?" Mu Ming asked.

"What a coincidence, I've been assigned to your command." Li Ping took out his identity jade token and smiled gently.

Mu Ming took it and saw that it was true, and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Good, good, good. With Brother Li here, we won't have to fear even the strongest Tribulation Cultivators in the future."

After saying that, he looked at the other two young cultivators and introduced them: "Mu Junyi and Mu Chengyuan, they're in the same team."

Both were mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators, one at the fifth level and the other at the sixth level, both slightly higher than Li Ping in cultivation.

"Greetings, fellow Daoists," Li Ping said, bowing.

"I have met Fellow Daoist Li."

After exchanging pleasantries, the four of them went inside.

Mu Ming brewed some spiritual tea and personally poured a cup for Li Ping: "Fellow Daoist Li, please have a taste."

Upon tasting the tea, a sweet sensation arises, accompanied by a faint spiritual energy, making this spiritual tea stand out slightly.

"Brother Ming, this tea is excellent," Li Ping praised.

"The tea isn't the key; the water is." Mu Ming shook his head.

"Is the water used the stream from the island?" Li Ping asked, puzzled.

"Exactly." Mu Ming nodded. "Xikou Market, besides the market itself, is located on the character 'Xi'."

The island has three streams with clear, sweet water—perfect for brewing tea.

"When I arrived on the island today, I saw those vendors selling water bottles. Was that water inside?" Li Ping asked.

Mu Ming nodded and said, "Fellow Daoist Li, you probably didn't expect water could be sold, did you?"

Li Ping laughed heartily, realizing that he was still quite naive.

He moved on to the important matter after putting that aside.

"I wonder how they patrol the island?"

"The teams will rotate shifts randomly, and the patrol area will be centered on the market town, extending outwards for five miles," Mu Ming said.

"Five miles? That's already outside the island and out to sea."

Mu Ming waved his hand and said in a low voice, "In the past, we only patrolled the island, but after Senior Brother Fang Xu came, we changed that."

According to him, this is to prevent problems before they occur.

"How was the result?" Li Ping asked.

"Since his arrival, there have been no more incidents of robbing cultivators in the neighborhood."

Li Ping nodded, seemingly lost in thought.

Although Mu Fangxu was unfriendly to him and had some prejudice against him.

Judging from the effectiveness of his governance of the market, this person was intelligent and farsighted.

Due to the damage caused by the siege, Xikou Market has always lagged behind the other two markets of the Mu family in terms of both foot traffic and revenue.

However, as a key node for venturing out of the eight outer islands, its location is too special, and the Mu family cannot give it up.

Mu Fangxu's move was intended to boost his reputation, ensure long-term operation, and transform Xikoufang Market into an outlet to the sea.

However, in Li Ping's view, if the calamity of the Great Black Sea is not eliminated, it is ultimately only a temporary solution.

"Did you encounter any raiders during your patrol, Brother Ming?" Li Ping asked.

"It's more than just encounters; in just two months, we've already fought five or six matches," Mu Ming said.

"So many?" Li Ping exclaimed in surprise.

Mu Ming sighed slightly: "These two hundred contribution points aren't so easy to earn."

He paused, then changed the subject, chuckling lightly, "However, with Brother Li here, the three of us can relax a bit."

"Junyi, Chengyuan, from now on, Brother Li will be the main force, and you two will assist him."

As soon as he finished speaking, the two men looked at each other with a strange expression, sensing that something was amiss.

"This... I'm afraid it's not a good idea," Mu Junyi said.

Mu Ming saw through their thoughts at a glance and chuckled, "Don't underestimate Brother Li just because his cultivation is lower than yours. If you ask me, the two of you combined are no match for him."

Upon hearing this, the two men's expressions shifted slightly. They looked at Li Ping, clearly disbelieving.

"Brother Ming, you flatter me," Li Ping interjected.

"Sigh, I know you can kill someone at the sixth level of Qi Refining in one move." Mu Ming waved his hand.

He didn't give the two a chance to argue. After deciding on Li Ping's position as the main force, he pulled him aside for a long talk before they dispersed.

Back inside, Li Ping sat cross-legged, his gaze falling on his dantian.

The drop of blue blood essence remained suspended steadily, surrounded by emptiness, where magic could not penetrate.

"The Rock-Fire Iron Bone Technique is good, but it uses earth energy to refine the body, and this essence blood..."

Li Ping pondered this in his heart and immediately began to try it.

There are six realms in physical cultivation: Qi and Blood Realm, Rock Realm, Talisman Body Realm, Golden Body Realm, Nirvana Realm, and Immortal Realm.

Each realm corresponds to a cultivation method, but the Golden Body Realm is a watershed moment. Before this, physical cultivators are generally stronger than cultivation methods, but the opposite is true afterward.

In the Qi and Blood Realm, physical cultivation requires refining the limbs, bones, skin, muscles, and fascia to establish channels for the circulation of Qi and blood.

The channels of Qi and blood are like the meridians through which Qi and blood circulate, nourishing the blood and allowing it to advance into active spiritual blood.

When this state is perfected, one's vital energy and blood can permeate the body, forming a veil around the body, which allows the cultivator to withstand magical artifacts with their bare hands.

Therefore, when facing practitioners of the same Dharma realm, physical cultivation can be said to be overwhelmingly superior.

Li Ping extracted a wisp of blood essence from the blue blood essence, intending to temper his body using the Rock-Iron Bone Technique.

But the blood and qi did not obey his commands at all; once they entered his flesh and blood, they moved freely.

Li Ping sighed helplessly and had no choice but to let it do as it pleased.