The Immortal Clan begins with deductive intelligence.

The sun was quite strong, shining on the bluestone slabs with a white gleam.

Li Shan approached us unnoticed, his hands tucked into his sleeves.

He smacked his lips twice, unable to hide the envy in his eyes.

"Clan Chief Xu, this time it's truly a case of leaping over the dragon gate."

"Four outer disciples—that was something we wouldn't have dared to dream of before. From now on, who will dare to look down on the Xu family on this great swamp?"

As Xu Changqing walked back, he straightened his cuffs.

"Elder Li, you flatter us. They are just a few babies who have just been weaned. Once they enter the sect, they will only be destined to serve tea and water. If they want to achieve anything, they will have to endure."

"Even if we have to endure it, it's still better than us having to dig for food in the mud."

Li Shan sighed and followed Xu Changqing's steps.

The two walked through the bustling market streets, their initial tension gone, and their pace slowed down.

As Xu Changqing passed the vendor selling candied hawthorns, he paused for a moment.

His gaze swept over the bright red fruit, then moved away, and he continued on his way.

The return journey on the hearse was much emptier.

Li Shan sat at the small table, no longer in the mood for drinking, just holding a teacup in his hand, turning it around and around.

"Clan Chief Xu, there's something that's been bothering me."

Li Shan put down his teacup, leaned forward, and lowered his voice.

"The Zhang family's illegitimate daughter has entered the inner sect... Shouldn't we start making plans about this soon?"

"Inner disciples are people who can get in touch with Foundation Establishment elders. If she speaks ill of us, our two small sects might not be able to withstand the trouble."

Xu Changqing stood on the side of the boat, watching the turbid river water recede below.

"Is Elder Li afraid?"

"How could I not be afraid?"

Li Shan gave a wry smile and spread his hands.

"We teamed up to rob the Zhang family's goods before. Although we did it cleanly, there are no secrets in this world. Once the Zhang family recovers, or if that girl really becomes powerful, we'll be meat on the chopping block."

Xu Changqing turned around, his expression calm.

"That girl has just entered the inner sect, and her foundation is not yet stable. Just cultivating and dealing with the infighting within the sect is enough to keep her busy. How could she have the time to care about family feuds hundreds of miles away?"

Xu Changqing walked to the table, sat down, and poured himself a cup of cold tea.

"If Elder Li is truly worried, he should urge his clansmen to cultivate more after returning home and repair the clan's protective formation..."

Xu Changqing paused and glanced at Li Shan.

"We've stolen the spirit stones; it's not good to just hoard them and not use them."

Li Shan blushed and awkwardly picked up his teacup to cover it up.

"Yes, yes, Chief Xu is right. I'll have someone repair the formation as soon as I get back."

When the spirit boat docked at the Cangwu Island ferry, it was already close to dusk.

The setting sun cast a blinding red glow on the water.

Xu Dayou led several clansmen to guard the pier, craning their necks.

"Chief! Has it been sent inside?"

Xu Dayou came forward and asked eagerly.

"They're inside."

Xu Changqing nodded, and only when his feet touched solid ground did the feeling of unease in his heart dissipate.

"Good! Good! Good!"

"Thanks to our ancestors, our Xu family is finally seeing a return on our investment."

Xu Changqing didn't correct his strange statement. He waved everyone away and returned to the inner courtyard alone.

He shook his head, putting the discomfort out of his mind, and sat back down cross-legged on the futon.

Spiritual practice is a solitary path; after the excitement, one must eventually face the long, dark night.

Xu Changqing took out the broken jade bottle from his bosom, and the bottom of the bottle was filled with a drop of milky white jade liquid.

He tilted his head back and swallowed the drop of jade liquid.

The liquid flowed down the throat and transformed into the purest spiritual energy, which naturally merged into the limbs and bones, eventually converging in the dantian.

Xu Changqing closed his eyes and looked inward.

The cyan vortex within his dantian spun faster with the infusion of this new power.

The effects of this jade liquid are subtle and gradual, not only increasing cultivation but also refining spiritual power over and over again.

He practiced asceticism without speaking.

......

After completing the last cycle of Qi circulation, Xu Changqing slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.

At this rate, with another ten drops, or fifty days, he will be able to reach the threshold of the sixth level of Qi Refining.

If word got out about this speed, even the scions of powerful families would be envious.

Xu Changqing got up, pushed open the door, and wanted to get some fresh air.

It was already late at night, but a dark figure stood in the courtyard.

Wan Huaiyi had already appeared there at some point.

He wasn't wearing that hideous mask; his wide black robe fluttered in the night wind, revealing the sharpness of a drawn blade.

Xu Changqing paused, and upon seeing his attire, he understood what was going on.

My injury has healed; it's time to go.

"Fellow Daoist Wan, what refined taste you have."

Xu Changqing didn't go over either; he just stood under the corridor, his hands tucked into his sleeves, his tone indifferent.

Wan Huaiyi turned around, his pale and gloomy face revealing little expression.

Only the long-accumulated deathly aura in his eyes had mostly dissipated, replaced by a resolute look.

"Clan Chief Xu."

When Wan Huaiyi spoke, his voice was still a little hoarse, but it had become much stronger.

"I've been bothering you for over a month."

"Now that my injuries have healed, I should take care of the things I haven't finished."

Xu Changqing nodded, without saying anything polite to persuade him to stay.

This person is carrying a wanted poster from the Qinghe Sword Sect. Staying here would be a disaster. It's better to leave sooner rather than later.

"We're doing a transaction, each getting what we need, so there's no question of bothering you."

Wan Huaiyi looked at Xu Changqing, a strange light flashing in his eyes.

The patriarch of this small family is indeed quite interesting; he can take things in stride and let them go, and what's even more remarkable is his sense of propriety.

"Although I, Wan Huaiyi, am not exactly a gentleman, I do not like owing favors to others."

He flipped his wrist so that his palm faced upwards.

"I taught those kids before to pay for their lodging. Now that I'm leaving, I need your help in buying me medicine."

"Tell me, what do you want?"

Wan Huaiyi spoke with an arrogant tone.

"Cultivation techniques? Magical artifacts?"

Xu Changqing looked at him but did not answer immediately.

Xu Changqing's mind raced, and he thought of the piece of "lightning-struck agarwood" he had picked up from the market in his storage bag.

This is a second-tier spiritual material. It would be great if it could be refined into a magic weapon, but more importantly, it can assist in cultivating lightning magic.

Thunder magic is the most powerful offensive technique, specifically designed to break through evil spirits and protect the body's spiritual energy; it possesses immense power.

The Xu family's current attack methods are too simplistic; apart from that insidious "Ling Shu Ci" technique, they only use common, low-quality methods.

"I want a Rafale."

Xu Changqing spoke.

Upon hearing this, Wan Huaiyi's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

"Thunder Magic?"

He looked Xu Changqing up and down, seemingly somewhat surprised.

"You cultivate the wood-based technique 'Evergreen Skill,' and you are naturally peaceful. If you want to switch to thunder magic, that's a viable path. Wood generates fire, and thunder is a transformation of wood and fire, so there's no conflict."

"only……"

A hint of unease appeared on Wan Huaiyi's face.

"Thunder magic is the orthodox tradition of Taoism, which emphasizes uprightness and integrity and draws upon the power of heaven and earth. My Qinghe Sword Sect establishes its path with the sword. Although we have the Thunder Sword lineage, I have never come into contact with such a core inheritance."

Xu Changqing's heart sank slightly. Was there no hope?

Wan Huaiyi pondered for a moment, then reached into his robes and rummaged around for a while before finally pulling out a dark-colored jade slip with broken edges.

"I do not possess the orthodox lineage of thunder magic."

Wan Huaiyi threw out a jade slip.

"This is something I obtained in an ancient cave in southern Xinjiang many years ago. It is a fragment of a technique called 'Thunder in the Palm'."

"This thing is incomplete; it only contains one starting move and half of the method for channeling energy."

"Moreover, this method is extremely domineering and puts a great strain on the meridians. If you don't practice it properly, you might blow your hand apart."

"However, with your Qi Refining stage cultivation, if you can master this move, even if it's just a fragment, it will still be incredibly powerful."

"how?"