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

Two months have passed in the blink of an eye.

Li Ping has been living in this small courtyard in Xikoufangshi for more than half a year.

The old tree in the yard has sprouted new leaves, and the ivy plant that Li Ping casually planted in the corner is growing lushly, with its vines climbing up the bamboo trellis and the top of the wall, a verdant expanse.

Early that morning, before dawn, Li Ping had already sat cross-legged in his room.

His breathing was long and even, with minimal rise and fall of his chest with each breath.

The magical power within the body flows along the meridians of the Han Shui Jing, like a stream flowing over a rocky beach, neither hurried nor impatient.

For the past two months, Li Ping has hardly left his home.

Every day, all I do is cultivate.

To outsiders, he seemed like the son-in-law of the Mu family, well-behaved and obediently secluded in his room.

But only Li Ping himself knew that he was racing against time.

Mu Fangxu's purge operation could begin at any time.

When the time comes, if your cultivation level is not high enough when facing a cultivator undergoing tribulation, you will not only be unable to exert yourself, but you will also have difficulty surviving.

Therefore, Li Ping has been cultivating desperately for the past two months.

Patrol by day, hone your magic by night.

This method of ascetic practice, while rapidly increasing magical power, keeps the dantian meridians constantly tense. Over time, this can lead to meridian damage or even demonic possession.

Ordinary cultivators simply couldn't withstand it.

But Li Ping was different. He had consumed Xuan Shui Ning Lu and cultivated water magic. With the combined effects of these two methods, the resilience of his meridians was much stronger than that of ordinary cultivators.

At this moment, he sat cross-legged on the futon, and his aura gradually changed.

The previously stable magical power began to fluctuate, like ripples spreading outwards from a pond after a stone has been thrown in.

Li Ping opened his eyes, his gaze calm.

Two months of arduous training, all for this moment.

He reached for the porcelain bottle beside him and poured out a pill.

This pill is pale yellow and has a refreshing medicinal fragrance; it is Huangya Dan.

Similar to the Qi Gathering Pill, this pill helps cultivators restore their mana.

However, the difference between the two is huge. The Qi Gathering Pill has many impurities and mixed medicinal properties, and one pill is worth less than one spirit stone.

The Yellow Sprout Pill contains pure spiritual energy, and each one costs five spirit stones. It is something that only cultivators in the late stage of Qi Refining can afford to use.

Li Ping bought this bottle of Huangya Dan for fifty spirit stones.

I feel sorry for you, but now is not the time to save money.

As the pill entered my mouth, a cool sensation flowed down my throat.

The next instant, it felt as if a spoonful of boiling oil had been poured into his dantian, and spiritual energy exploded out.

Li Ping grunted, not daring to be negligent, and hurriedly activated the Han Shui Jing to guide that massive spiritual energy into his meridians.

The magical power that was originally just ripples now boiled over completely.

The magical power in his dantian surged wildly, like the rising tide, wave after wave.

Li Ping focused his mind and slowly pushed his magical power towards the dantian wall.

With each breakthrough in the Qi Refining realm, the dantian increases in size by one unit.

The process was extremely dangerous. The magic power was pushed outward too forcefully, and the dantian could not withstand it, shattering on the spot and ruining all cultivation.

If you push too slowly, your magical power will be insufficient, and you will run out of energy halfway through. At best, you will fail to break through; at worst, you will suffer a backlash and injury.

Li Ping dared not be careless in the slightest. He controlled his magical power and pounded against the dantian wall like a tide.

With each strike, Li Ping's dantian expanded outwards slightly. After an unknown amount of time, fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and the throbbing pain in his dantian grew stronger and stronger, as if something was about to burst his stomach from the inside.

The medicinal power of Huangyadan continued to surge forth. Li Ping gritted his teeth and let out a low shout, pushing the last bit of magical power towards the dantian wall.

With a crisp sound, Li Ping's aura suddenly surged.

His dantian expanded dramatically, and surging magical power poured into the newly opened space like a flood bursting its banks.

An unprecedented feeling of fullness surged into my heart, and my limbs and bones felt as if they had been soaked in warm water, which was extremely comfortable.

Sixth level of Qi Refining, achieved.

Li Ping opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath.

He looked up at the sky and realized that about half an hour had passed.

Li Ping's lips curled up slightly, secretly pleased.

For ordinary people, breaking through to the next level takes at least a day, and for those whose magical power is not pure enough, it may even take two or three days.

His breakthrough within half an hour was entirely due to the refinement effect of absorbing that blue essence blood.

The magic power was repeatedly refined, impurities were removed, and it became extremely pure.

In this way, there is very little resistance when expanding the dantian, so the effect is naturally twice as good with half the effort.

Li Ping closed his eyes and carefully sensed the magical power within his body.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, a hint of joy flashing in them.

At this moment, the magical power in his dantian, in terms of both quantity and purity, was no weaker than that of a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

"With my strength, I should be able to handle someone like Xiong Bihai, who has reached the pinnacle of Qi cultivation."

Li Ping silently considered the matter in his mind, and then sat down cross-legged to regulate his breathing and stabilize his cultivation.

This adjustment of breath lasted for most of the day.

Once his cultivation had completely stabilized, the sunlight outside the window became scorching hot, and it was already afternoon.

Suddenly, the courtyard gate creaked open, and a burly man sneaked in.

The man was wearing shorts with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his two thick arms.

He didn't make a sound after entering the room. He first went to the window of the room on the left and peered inside while leaning against the windowsill.

He shook his head, seemingly having seen something, and then tiptoed to the next room.

This time I looked more closely, almost sticking my head through the window.

A moment later, he shook his head again and went to the window of the third room.

As they craned their necks to look inside, suddenly, a face appeared at the window without warning.

The burly man was so startled that he took three steps back and almost fell on his backside.

He clutched his chest, his face pale, and roared, "What are you doing in broad daylight, Li Ping?"

Laughter came from inside the room. Li Ping slowly walked out, leaned against the door frame, and laughed so hard his shoulders shook: "How was I supposed to know that Mu Yan, who is fearless, is actually so timid?"

The person who arrived was Mu Yan.

It had been a long time since I'd seen him. He'd gotten quite tanned, and the angles on his face were more defined. But his eyes were still the same as before, exuding a kind of wildness.

Mu Yan snorted, straightened his clothes, puffed out his chest, and glanced sideways at Li Ping.

He stood with his arms crossed, saying meaningfully, "It's only because I've reached the eighth level of Qi Refining that I don't bother with you."

After saying that, he turned to the side, looked up at the sky, and put on a profound and unfathomable expression.

The sea breeze ruffled the hem of his clothes, and coupled with his profound expression, he truly possessed the air of a sage.

Unfortunately, Li Ping wasn't buying it.

After waiting for a long time, Mu Yan didn't hear the exclamation he expected, which made him a little strange.

He maintained his posture, his eyes secretly glancing down at Li Ping.

Li Ping was leaning against the door frame, a faint smile playing on his lips.

That smile, no matter how you look at it, is just so irritating.

Mu Yan's heart skipped a beat.

"I'm not very talented," Li Ping said casually. "I just broke through to the sixth level of Qi Refining."

Mu Yan was startled and turned around to look intently.

When the divine sense landed on Li Ping, it could be felt that his aura was faintly overflowing, like ripples on water, which was indeed the fluctuation of the sixth level of Qi Refining.

Moreover, the fluctuation of that magical power was profound and sustained, showing no trace of the superficiality that one would have experienced upon breaking through.

What does this tell us?

This means that they had already broken through to the next level and even stabilized their realm.

Mu Yan's expression froze.

He was just putting on airs like a master at the eighth level of Qi Refining, but the other person broke through without a word.

This kid was only at the fourth level of Qi Refining a year ago, and now he's already at the sixth level.

Mu Yan immediately lost interest, his face fell, and he muttered, "You're so boring."

Li Ping chuckled: "That's called 'there are always people more capable than you, and there's always something beyond your understanding'."

Mu Yan was unconvinced and stared at Li Ping for a long time. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he said confidently, "It must be Sister Yuebai who gave you some rare and precious treasures. Otherwise, how could you cultivate so quickly?"

Li Ping was worried about having no excuse.

His cultivation speed was indeed dazzlingly fast, and if it aroused suspicion, it would always be troublesome to ask him questions.

Now that Mu Yan has taken the initiative to push this matter onto Mu Yuebai, it saves him a lot of trouble.

Li Ping immediately put on a guilty look, his eyes darting around, coughed twice, and changed the subject.

Seeing this, Mu Yan burst into laughter and put his arm around Li Ping's shoulder: "I knew it."

He laughed heartily, all the frustration he had felt earlier vanishing.

Mu Yan laughed as he dragged Li Ping into the house: "Come on, come on, let's talk inside, it's so hot outside."

The two entered the house, and Mu Yan sat down with a thud, took the water pouch from his waist, and took a big gulp.

Li Ping sat down opposite him and poured him a cup of tea.

Mu Yan is a boastful person. Every time we meet, he always tells us about his recent great achievements from beginning to end, as if he is afraid that others will not know how capable he is.

Sure enough, before he even got comfortable sitting down, he started talking non-stop.

"Didn't I tell you last time? The clan sent me to secure a shipment of goods, along the eastern route. I thought, 'It's just securing some goods, what big deal could it be?' But guess what happened?"

Li Ping asked cooperatively, "What's up?"

"We've run into Tribulation Cultivators." Mu Yan slammed his hand on the table. "Three of them, a full three Tribulation Cultivators."

"Three?" Li Ping looked surprised.

"One at the seventh level of Qi Refining, and two at the sixth level."

Mu Yan spoke while gesturing enthusiastically.

Li listened quietly, nodding occasionally and asking a few questions now and then.

When he mentioned the thrilling part, he even gasped for breath.

Seeing this, Mu Yan spoke even more enthusiastically.

This lecture lasted for almost half an hour, from the robbery of the cargo to the hunting of beasts at sea. Later, Mu Yan's throat was so dry that he had to gulp down a large mouthful of water.

After he finished speaking, Li Ping stood up and solemnly cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you so much for making this special trip for my sake."

Mu Yan chuckled and waved his hand, "We're practically family, and besides, your presence here isn't your problem."

He took a wooden box from his pocket and placed it on the table, then took a cloth bag from his waist and handed it over.

"Fifteen hundred spirit stones, Hong Xing asked me to deliver them, saying it was payment for the Tide-Generating Vine. One soul token, from that Zhou Dahai."

Li Ping took it, opened the wooden box, and inside was a neatly stacked pile of spirit stones, colorful and full of spiritual energy.

Next to it was a palm-sized soul tablet, completely black, cold to the touch, and one could faintly feel the restrictions flowing within it.

Li Ping carefully put the wooden box away and asked, "Oh? Is there anything else?"

Mu Yan sighed, his smile fading slightly: "This time I have to make a trip to Qingfeng City."

Li Ping's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "Our ferry has only ever sailed around this inland sea before. Are you going to open up a new route?"

Mu Yan nodded: "The elders have discussed it and decided that I will be in charge of the route from Qingfeng City to Crescent Island from now on."

Li Ping simply said "oh" and didn't ask any further questions.

But his heart was in turmoil.

Opening up new air routes is never a rare or unusual event.

Leaving aside the expenses of dealing with both ends, just finding a safe waterway would require an unknown amount of manpower and resources.

The sea is dotted with reefs of varying depths. Some reefs are visible above the surface when the water is shallow, but are hidden underwater when the water is deep, making them difficult to guard against.

If a ferry were to collide with it, it would suffer damage to its hull at best, and sink on the spot at worst.

Just to find a safe waterway, it is necessary to send monks who are familiar with the water to repeatedly explore it.

In addition, any lurking monsters that might be stealing cultivators along the waterway must be eliminated one by one.

The entire process is quite costly.

The Mu family is currently being eyed covetously by the Zheng and Huang families, and their lives are not easy. Under such circumstances, why would the clan still invest a lot of resources to open up new air routes?

Is there another plan, or is it simply a desire to expand outwards?

Li Ping suppressed his thoughts and smiled, "Qingfeng City is great. It will be convenient to ask you to bring things over in the future."

Mu Yan rolled her eyes at him and said with dissatisfaction, "You only care about your own convenience and don't care about me at all. This trip will take at least half a month, and life at sea is not easy."

Upon hearing this, Li Ping immediately stood up and pulled Mu Yan up, saying, "Who said I don't care about you? You can drink whatever you want at the Island's Relief House today, it's on me."

Upon hearing this, Mu Yan's expression softened considerably.

The two left the courtyard and walked along the stone-paved road of the market.

Jieyoufang is located at the east end of the market. It is a two-story wooden building with a wine flag fluttering at the entrance, on which a wine jar is painted.

The two went up to the second floor and found a seat by the window. Mu Yan didn't stand on ceremony and ordered a large table of dishes.

The two ate and drank, and after a few rounds of drinks, Li Ping put down his chopsticks and said seriously, "There's something I'd like to ask you."

With a crab leg stuffed in his mouth, Mu Yan mumbled, "Speak."

"I recently needed a miraculous medicine called Crimson Marrow and Mysterious Fungus."

Mu Yan chewed and swallowed, wiping his mouth: "That thing isn't cheap."

"I know." Li Ping nodded. "Spirit stones are not a problem. While you're in Qingfeng City, keep an eye out for me."

Mu Yan thought for a moment and readily agreed, "Sure, I'll be staying there for a while anyway, so I'll ask around for you."

Li Ping cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?" Mu Yan picked up the wine bowl and drank it all in one gulp. "Your business is my business."

After dinner, Li Ping took Mu Yan for a walk around the island before returning to the courtyard.

Just as Li Ping was about to push the door open and go in, Mu Yan stopped in his tracks.

I'm leaving tonight.

Li Ping was taken aback: "So urgent?"

Mu Yan smiled wryly: "The clan is pressing hard and keeping a close eye on things; there's nothing I can do."

Li Ping frowned upon hearing this. Why did the clan attach so much importance to this new air route?

He nodded and asked no more questions.

"Then I'll take you."

The two then returned to the dock.

Night had fallen, and the sea shimmered with light.

A ferry belonging to the Mu family was moored at the dock, with a lantern hanging at its bow, its light swaying in the sea breeze.

Mu Yan jumped onto the boat, turned back and waved to Li Ping: "Wait for me to come back, then we'll have a drink together."

Li Ping stood on the dock, watching the ferry slowly sail away, its silhouette growing smaller and smaller until it gradually disappeared into the night.