Li Ximing fell silent for a moment before asking, "How is Daoist Master Qiuhu?"

A complicated look flickered through Li Zhouwei's eyes. "Daoist Master Qiuhu has already remained in seclusion for over a year without emerging even once. Lin Wuning is mediocre at best, so how could he possibly keep those beneath him under control... The current Azure Pond Sect is filled with competing factions. Chaos reigns from top to bottom, and they no longer even have the strength to suppress the local regions...

"According to Quan Yuduan, market districts and islands are rarely assigned clearly anymore. If someone wants a position somewhere, a few Spirit Stones and spirit materials spent in the right places are usually enough to secure it."

That was an extremely bad sign. Li Ximing frowned slightly and asked, "If they can earn everything back after greasing a few palms, how can things continue like this in the long run..."

Li Zhouwei took a sip of tea before replying, "What granduncle says is correct. Ever since the disaster at Mount Bianyan, the Azure Pond Sect had already become a mixed bag of good and bad. The Ning Family was weak to begin with, and now it has fallen apart in a single breath. Daoist Master Qiuhu has also loosened her grip entirely, leaving everyone below at a loss. The various prefectures are deeply dissatisfied and only remain obedient out of fear of the Daoist Master's might.

"Now everyone merely borrows the Azure Pond Sect's name and influence while pursuing their own agendas. Most tributes exist in name only and have long since ceased in practice. I fear that very few, even within Simin Prefecture beneath Mount Azure Pond itself, still truly stand with the Azure Pond Sect."

Li Ximing shook his head with a sigh as he said, "What does this even amount to? Even if the Azure Pond Sect has rotted to the core, the scraps from its skin alone are enough to feed the families of every prefecture for a hundred years. Right now, it's merely loosening its grip and taking a brief nap. As long as the treasures sealed within its vaults remain untouched and its Fruition Attainment still stands high above all others, this is ultimately nothing more than allowing the local regions to recover for a while.

"The day it turns over and awakens again, the cycle will simply begin anew."

An unreadable expression crossed Li Zhouwei's face as he quietly said, "I'm afraid it may never wake again."

The two fell silent for a moment and said no more. Then Li Zhouwei's expression turned serious. "There is, however, one matter I wish to discuss with senior. Jiangqian is currently in seclusion, and judging by the timing, it won't be long before he emerges and reaches the late-stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm. We should begin paying attention to his portion of Purple Mansion Realm spirit items."

Li Ximing's heart tightened slightly as he began calculating in silence, The [Heavenly Scripture of the Dimming Radiant Day] is a sixth-grade art with four secret techniques. Back then, I cultivated three of them, and it took me a little over ten years in total...

The [Heavenly Scripture of the Dimming Radiant Day] ranked a tier above the [Radiant Essence Scripture], but the secret techniques of the [Radiant Essence Scripture] were far simpler, so the two naturally could not be compared directly. Moreover, the guidance and resources Li Jiangqian now received were entirely different from what Li Ximing had back then, so he settled on a semi-conservative estimate.

Even assuming his cultivation speed is exceptionally fast and he masters the secret techniques within fifteen to twenty years... that would still be enough to cultivate a divine ability. We really do need to start considering it now.

After pondering for a long while, Li Ximing said somewhat awkwardly, "That's true enough. In fact, we should also consider Quewan's share at the same time. That [Whole Pill] spirit item was traded away back then, which still falls on me... If we only have twenty to twenty-five years, securing both of them would already be rather pressing.

"Fortunately, I now have a few connections on the southern border... I'll write some letters and ask around among those demon kings there. Perhaps we'll uncover a few leads."

Li Zhouwei nodded in response. "Granduncle has considered things thoroughly."

In truth, he had been wondering whether entering Wanlin Heaven in the future might yield some opportunity, but nothing was certain yet, so it was difficult to say more. Silently, he thought, It seems the Pavillion Viewing faction is Mount Luoxia's most direct subordinate. If that's the case, then he would naturally want my cultivation speed to increase as quickly as possible. Should Wanlin Heaven ever open for entry, they would at least intentionally reserve a spot for me.

Seeing Li Ximing already deep in thought over spirit items, Li Zhouwei took out a thick letter and handed it over with a smile. "This is a letter from Lacquer Marsh. It arrived at the family over a month ago, but no one dared open it for fear of offending you. They waited specifically for you to return first."

Li Ximing laughed despite himself and unfolded the letter. After only a brief glance, a strange look flashed through his eyes as he smiled. "This is actually good news!

"That Daoist Master Luo from the southern border... has taken an interest in the portion of [Wondrous Wisdom Tendril] in my possession. Over these past days, he went all the way to the Southern Sea and found the demon king Tuodu of Si Sea, trading for a piece of metal called [Heavenstar Crimson Gold]."

The name sounded vaguely familiar to Li Zhouwei, and he asked in return, "The white elephant from the [Baleful Essence] Dao who's under the control of the Buddhist cultivators?"

"Exactly... This Heavenstar Crimson Gold... is a Purple Mansion Realm spirit material aligned with [Radiant Fire]. It forms when the stars in heaven shift positions and the light of Radiant Metal falls into the frozen seas below and condenses. It's considered an exceptionally suitable spirit item for forging armor."

The letter was thick, seemingly filled with all sorts of flattering words. Li Ximing smiled as he continued, "There's even a personal letter from Tuodu included here. He explained the origins of the spirit item in detail, saying he obtained the [Heavenstar Crimson Gold] within the Reef Sea and split it evenly with Changyun of Chengyun Gate. There shouldn't be any issue with its provenance."

"That's only the first matter." Li Ximing laughed heartily before continuing, "There's also this invitation from that white elephant... The demon's poor as can be. He wants me to refine pills for him, yet he can't bear to offer anything truly worthwhile in return, only saying he'll take half the pills produced... Honestly, there's no fun in that at all."

That said, Li Ximing showed no intention of being polite and merely laughed. "As for me, not only will I take one or two pills from him, I'll also make sure he receives far more than he ever imagined possible, leaving him owing me a favor in return... Then I can have him gather information on spirit items for me!"

He laughed heartily and continued, "And that's not all. Senior Liu Changdie has already been in the Eastern Sea for over a year now. With him personally taking action, the [Under-Neck Feather] have most likely already condensed into form. You just focus on cultivating in peace while I handle all these matters myself!"

Li Zhouwei could not help but smile and shake his head. With a light wave of his sleeve, the doors of the hall shut one after another. His expression gradually turned serious as he asked, "Granduncle, do you still remember the profound token of the Upper Firmament Pavilion? Do you remember how many immortal merits remain on it?!"

Affected by his solemn demeanor, Li Ximing replied doubtfully, "Of course I remember. Three hundred fifty-seven, untouched by even a single point!"

Li Zhouwei lowered his voice and said, "After these recent battles, I deeply felt the shortcomings in my own abilities. Once the fighting ended, I intended to select a few arts, so I went into the pavilion to examine various Bright Yang arts. Among them, I took a liking to one called [Imperial Divergence Light]."

Li Ximing immediately understood and answered at once, "What's there to hesitate over? If you exchange for an art, both you and I can cultivate it. Even if I don't have the spare energy to actively use it myself, merely studying it would already be worthwhile. What sort of effects does it have? And how many immortal merits does it cost?"

Though interrupted, Li Zhouwei continued with a serious expression, "There's a reason I chose this art. It's somewhat similar to the [Heavenly Radiance, Hidden Light] art, yet it's fifth-grade. [Heavenly Radiance, Hidden Light] relies on long accumulation before erupting outward in a heavy, oppressive burst, whereas this technique concentrates divine ability between one’s eyebrows, projecting streams of light and shadow. It excels through sheer quantity, sharpness, and rapid, relentless movement."

"The [Heaven-Venerating Gate] divine ability is already cumbersome by nature. If both my spirit artifacts and divine abilities are all heavy and overbearing, it becomes far too easy for others to target and counter me. I should naturally cultivate something lighter and swifter as well. The two arts would complement one another, while also making things easier for granduncle's own research... and this would finally allow me to make use of the Supreme Yang spirit item [Hidden Plunder Gold]!

"As for the cost, it requires one hundred and nineteen immortal merits."

Li Ximing was overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately made the decision. "Then exchange for it!"

Li Zhouwei smiled and shook his head, a trace of delight appearing in his eyes. He said, "That isn't the only matter I wished to mention. At the time, I felt something stir in my heart, so I took the profound token and checked it against the stone platform within the Upper Firmament Pavilion. By accident, I discovered... the immortal merits had risen to four hundred and seventeen!"

"What?!"

Li Ximing froze briefly. Then his heart stirred as his gaze met Li Zhouwei's faintly delighted eyes, and realization finally dawned upon him, Sacrifice demons, eliminate devils, suppress the Heterodox Daos!

Li Ximing had never dared speak of what happened in the heavens back then, yet the memory remained vivid in his mind. That immortal general had once explained exactly how immortal merits could be obtained! 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

His eyes lit up as he asked, "Could it be from all the turmoil over these past years?!"