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

The five-day appointment was fast approaching.

Li Ping returned to the shop selling magical artifacts.

As soon as he entered, the shop assistant jogged up from behind the counter, a smile on his face, carrying a sword case in both hands.

"Fellow Daoist, you've come at the right time. It was just finished last night. Please take a look and see if it suits your taste."

Li Ping took the sword box; it felt slightly heavy in his hand.

The box is made of black ironwood, covered with a layer of black sharkskin, and has dark copper corner protectors at the four corners, with rivets neatly and tightly driven in.

He flipped over the sword case, pressed it gently, and the hidden compartment popped open, revealing three layers with tightly sealed partitions.

"Not bad." Li Ping nodded, took the spirit stone pouch from his waist, counted out the remaining payment, and handed it over.

The shopkeeper took the spirit stones, visibly relieved, and said with a smile, "Fellow Daoist, if you need any work in the future, just come to us."

Li Ping slung the sword case over his shoulder, turned and left the shop, walking quickly back home.

Halfway there, a familiar voice came from behind.

"Brother Li!"

Li Ping turned his head and saw Mu Ming, Mu Junyi, and Mu Chengyuan walking out of another alley.

"They've emerged from seclusion?" Li Ping stopped and scanned the three faces one by one.

Mu Junyi nodded and grinned, "It's been over a month, I'm about to suffocate if I don't leave seclusion soon."

His smile made it difficult to suppress his aura.

Li Ping raised an eyebrow and carefully examined him, discovering that Mu Junyi had already reached the seventh level of Qi Refining.

"Congratulations on reaching the late stage of Qi Refining. I hope you will take good care of me in the future," Li Ping said with a cupped hand and a smile.

Mu Junyi blushed at his words and quickly waved his hand, saying, "I dare not say that. I am only at the late stage of Qi Refining, and I am afraid I cannot defeat Brother Li."

Li Ping laughed heartily and turned his gaze to Mu Chengyuan.

Although the latter did not speak, the composure between his brows was even greater than before, and his cultivation level had broken through from the fifth level of Qi Refining to the sixth level of Qi Refining.

"Congratulations, you've reached the sixth level of Qi Refining." Li Ping also cupped his hands in greeting.

Mu Chengyuan smiled slightly and returned the greeting, which was considered an acceptance.

Where there is laughter, there is sorrow.

Of the three, only Mu Ming's cultivation level remained unchanged, still at the seventh level of Qi Refining.

He stood beside the two of them, his expression calm and composed, but the faint trace of sorrow between his brows could not escape Li Ping's notice.

Li Ping understood that Mu Ming was the most talented of the three, and was the first to break through to the seventh level of Qi Refining. Now, seeing his two companions break through one after another while he remained stagnant, he naturally felt bad.

"Brother Ming, why do you say this?" Li Ping stepped forward and said slowly, "Cultivation in the late stage of Qi Refining is not easy. You were the first among us to break through to the seventh level of Qi Refining, and you will probably be the first to break through to the eighth level of Qi Refining in the future."

Mu Ming was taken aback upon hearing this and looked up at Li Ping.

"I was being too attached to appearances."

Seeing that he had come to his senses, Li Ping felt relieved and prepared to go back with the three of them.

Just as he took a step, Mu Junyi approached him: "Brother Li, we're planning to explore that underwater cave, would you like to come along?"

Li Ping paused in his steps.

He was fully aware of Mu Fangxu's scheme, and he knew better than anyone what was inside that cave.

But since he couldn't say it outright, he could only find an excuse to decline.

"I've recently had some enlightenment in my cultivation, and I can't get away," Li Ping shook his head, then added seriously, "If you go, be careful. There are many people and dangerous things outside that cave. Money can tempt people, and nothing is more important than your life, no matter how valuable it is."

Seeing his solemn expression, Mu Ming and the other two did not try to persuade him further. They nodded in agreement and then turned to head towards the dock.

Li Ping stood there, watching the three figures disappear before continuing to walk back.

The stone table in the courtyard was spotless. Li Ping placed the sword box on it, then turned and went into the house, taking out the thirty-six array flags from the wooden box in the corner.

He placed the battle flags one by one into the sword case.

The thirty-six flags filled all the slots perfectly, neither too crowded nor too empty.

He closed the box lid, then opened the hidden compartment on the back, counted out one hundred spirit stones from the spirit stone bag, and put them inside.

Li Ping then sat down on the stone bench, opened a book on formations, and read it while waiting.

Half an hour later, he estimated that the array flags were full of spiritual power, so he closed the book, picked up the sword box, and stood in the courtyard.

He took a deep breath, held the box in one hand, and gently patted it with the other.

The sword case vibrated, and nine streams of light flew out of the case, landing precisely in nine different locations in the courtyard.

The banners took root on the ground, fluttering even without wind, and a pale blue light curtain rose out of thin air, enveloping the entire courtyard.

Li Ping silently counted in his mind.

From the moment the box was opened to the formation being completed, it only took five breaths.

He looked satisfied and pointed, causing the nine battle flags to rise from the ground and transform into streaks of light, flying back to the sword case.

The light curtain then dissipated, and the courtyard returned to its original state.

The sword case and the battle flags are truly a perfect match.

If someone uses this move during a battle, who can defend against it?

It's just that Li Ping currently has too few types of formations under his control. Otherwise, with the combination of this sword box formation flag, he would dare to challenge a cultivator in the early stage of Foundation Establishment.

Thinking of this, Li Ping suddenly burst into laughter.

After laughing, he touched his nose and felt a little smug.

What is the concept of the early stage of Foundation Establishment? It is an old monster who has cultivated for hundreds of years. His magical power is far beyond that of the Qi Refining stage. Even if he stands still and lets him hit him, he may not be able to break through the protective spiritual light of the other party.

Li Ping composed himself, obediently opened the book on formations, and continued studying it.

……

……

The underwater cave had become a pot of boiling porridge after the formation was broken.

The monks swarmed in and began fighting.

The discovery of a spiritual plant that has broken through its grade often means that all the cultivators in the vicinity will instantly become enemies.

The first person to grab the spiritual plant will almost immediately be besieged from all sides.

Only the strongest group of people were able to bring the spiritual plants out of the cave alive.

Covered in blood and wounds, they rushed into the pharmacy in the market, exchanged the stolen spiritual plants for gleaming spirit stones, then meditated to recover. Once he was healed, they returned to their cave to fight their way back.

Li Ping had been walking around the market these past few days and had personally witnessed several cultivators covered in blood running from the direction of the dock.

The scene was even more chaotic than he had anticipated.

Originally, Li Ping intended to take this opportunity to sell the nine spiritual plants he had.

However, because his spiritual plants were too intact, Li Ping dared not sell them.

Which of the spiritual plants that others have stolen are not broken roots, broken stems, or incomplete?

If he makes a move, anyone with discerning eyes will immediately see the problem.

At that point, let alone selling spiritual plants, they probably won't even know how they died.

Having no other choice, Li Ping went to Mu Fangxu and asked him for help.

This time, Li Ping didn't get it for free; he specifically gave him a reward of 500 spirit stones.

With the matter of the nine spiritual plants temporarily put aside, Li Ping turned his attention to cultivation.

Of the three spells, Abyss Flow Collapse, Overlapping Waves Technique, and Water Dividing Illusion, the latter two have already reached perfection, but Abyss Flow Collapse is still at the minor completion stage.

In recent days, he has practiced in the courtyard whenever he has free time, and his understanding of this spell has been deepening.

The opportunity for a breakthrough came sooner than expected.

Three days later, in the early morning, Li Ping, as usual, practiced standing meditation and circulating his qi in the courtyard.

He formed a hand seal with his fingers, and a spark of light appeared at his fingertips, slowly condensing into a fist-sized, water-blue spring.

The spring water spun around his fingertips, solidifying with each rotation.

As his spiritual energy circulated faster, the spring's rotation speed also increased.

In three breaths, the magical power was fully gathered.

Li Ping suddenly opened his eyes and saw that the spring was no longer water blue, but had turned into a pure white.

It spins quietly on your fingertips, without a sound, yet it exudes a heart-stirring vibration.

"It's finally complete."

Li Ping took a deep breath, scanned the courtyard, and finally locked his gaze on the blue stone in the corner of the courtyard.

With a gentle flick of the fingertip, the spring water flowed out of the hand.