Chapter 9

The next morning, before Li Qing finished his cultivation, Meng Ran's voice came from outside the door.

"Brother Li,"

Li Qing got up and opened the cave abode. Outside, Meng Ran was on guard, investigating the surroundings.

"You're finally back."

"You don't know that Wei Xuan has already sent two groups of people to look for you," Meng Ran said cautiously.

Li Qing pondered for a moment.

"Alright, I understand."

"Thank you for the warning, Brother Meng," Li Qing said with gratitude.

After thanking Meng Ran, Li Qing intended to return to his cave abode.

"Hey, hey,"

Meng Ran quickly called out to Li Qing.

"How are you going to handle this? In my opinion, it's better to go out and avoid the heat for a while, to get through the current crisis," Meng Ran advised.

Although their relationship was good, it wasn't particularly close. However, Li Qing's situation made Meng Ran feel a sense of shared fate.

His parents had left some resources, which were also seized by some people with ulterior motives.

Moreover, Li Qing's predecessor had a good relationship with him, which is why he was more concerned about Li Qing.

Hearing Meng Ran's words, Li Qing stopped.

"Brother Meng, where can I hide with my current cultivation?" Li Qing smiled lightly and shook his head slightly.

After Li Qing spoke, Meng Ran was stunned and fell silent.

Indeed, as Li Qing said, although the competition within the sect was fierce, at least there was no threat to one's life inside the sect. On the contrary, the outside world was even more lawless.

"Brother Li, you know who stands behind Wei Xuan. A wise man doesn't fight a losing battle,"

Meng Ran gave a final well-intentioned warning before getting up and leaving.

Li Qing also returned to his cave abode.

Li Qing had already made up his mind about Wei Xuan.

No matter what, Li Qing currently faced only Wei Xuan.

The Foundation Establishment cultivator behind Wei Xuan would not directly act against Li Qing for the time being.

There were rules within the sect. A Foundation Establishment cultivator would not personally act to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill, which required Li Qing's cooperation.

The rest was merely a contest between Qi Condensation cultivators.

With the Sea Stabilizing Pearl, Li Qing had gained some confidence.

As long as he had more time, with the help of mature Blood Spirit Fish, he could cultivate the Thunder Spirit Technique to the late-stage of the early rank.

By then, he would have the means to face the challenge head-on.

Li Qing would not easily give up the Foundation Establishment Pill. As an important resource within the sect, he feared that if he gave it up, he might not be able to obtain another one in the short term.

The path of cultivation lies in the word "struggle."

Who could predict whether Li Qing would face even greater crises when he encountered new Foundation Establishment Pills in the future?

For now, Li Qing had a better understanding of Wei Xuan. At the very least, Wei Xuan would not take his life, as he needed Li Qing to obtain the Foundation Establishment Pill.

The sect had a rule: to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill, one must personally appear.

---

The next morning, Li Qing went out while there were few people around and purchased a few Grain Avoidance Pills with the few remaining spirit stones he had.

The Grain Avoidance Pill was specifically refined for Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment cultivators. Taking one could satisfy one's hunger for a month, and most people who were in seclusion would purchase a few.

After returning to his cave abode, Li Qing activated a simple warning array at the entrance.

As Li Qing input his spiritual power, a large cloud of white mist rose around the cave abode, concealing it.

This was a simple warning array that all outer sect disciples' cave abodes possessed, capable of blocking spiritual sense intrusion.

The sect had a special rule: once one entered seclusion, no one could disturb the disciples' cultivation except for major sect affairs.

Just as Li Qing was securing time for himself by entering seclusion, someone had already begun their schemes.

On the outer island of Thousand Domain Island, at Clear Spring Peak.

As a peak with a second-grade spirit vein, only Foundation Establishment cultivators could establish their cave abodes there.

A cave abode located halfway up the mountain was surrounded by lush greenery and rich spiritual energy.

A tall, thin man in light armor was listening to his subordinate's report with a grim expression.

The elegant and secluded courtyard did nothing to suppress Wei Xuan's anger.

"Very well."

"Who would have thought that I, Wei Xuan, would be toyed with," Wei Xuan stood in the courtyard, his eyes filled with a fierce light.

In front of Wei Xuan, two outer sect disciples, one tall and one fat, were bowing and reporting the situation.

"Brother Wei, in my opinion, this kid is clearly unwilling to yield,"

The tall, thin man, seeing Wei Xuan's anger, quickly agreed to avoid being implicated.

"I think so too," the other outer sect disciple echoed.

"Just wait and see."

Wei Xuan's eyes glinted with a cold, vicious smile.

He, Wei Xuan, was a notable figure among the outer sect disciples. Not to mention a mere Li Qing, even late-stage Qi Condensation cultivators in the outer sect treated him with respect.

Although he was in the Law Enforcement Hall, it did not mean his abilities were limited to the Law Enforcement Hall.

"About half a year left."

"This is what you've forced me to do."

Wei Xuan's eyes glinted with a vicious light as he muttered to himself.

"You may leave."

"Keep an eye on Li Qing and see when he ends his seclusion," Wei Xuan said calmly after calming his anger.

The two subordinates, seeing Wei Xuan's vicious eyes, shuddered.

Wei Xuan's reputation for cruelty was not unfounded.

---

White clouds drifted by, and time passed quickly.

One day, the mist surrounding Li Qing's cave abode dissipated.

A purple lightning bolt flashed, and the door of the cave abode opened.

Li Qing, with a smile, walked out of the cave abode. It had been more than four months since his last seclusion.

He came to the side of the courtyard and made a starting gesture towards the empty ground.

"Crackling"

A series of small electric arcs sounded.

Numerous small purple electric arcs appeared on Li Qing's body, and as he moved, the arcs on his skin began to gather on his right hand.

When all the purple arcs gathered on Li Qing's palm, his right hand looked like it was wearing a purple glove.

The explosive aura of thunder began to spread.

"Purple Lightning Palm"

With a low shout, Li Qing's palm struck the ground.

As Li Qing's palm struck the ground, a purple lightning palm the size of a basin descended from the sky and struck the ground forcefully.

Bang!

A large, deep pit about ten feet wide appeared on the ground.

At the bottom of the pit, faint electric arcs still flickered.

This was a technique that could be cultivated after reaching the late-stage of the first level of the Thunder Spirit Technique.

It could be said to be the only offensive technique in the early stages of the Thunder Spirit Technique.

The first level of the Thunder Spirit Technique was equivalent to the Qi Condensation stage. As for the second level, Li Qing had not yet obtained the cultivation method.

The purple jade slip containing the Thunder Spirit Technique had a seal, and only after reaching the great completion of the first level could he obtain the subsequent cultivation method.

He was unclear about the origin of the cultivation method, but the information that it could be cultivated to the realm of a great cultivator was given to him by his parents along with the jade slip.

The realms of body cultivators were divided into: low-rank body cultivator, mid-rank body cultivator, high-rank body cultivator, and great body cultivator, corresponding to the Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, and Nascent Soul realms, respectively.

Li Qing looked at the results of his hard cultivation with satisfaction.

No matter what, he finally had a trump card.

This seclusion had taken Li Qing four months.

This was the first time Li Qing had been in seclusion for such a long time since coming to this world.

His Thunder Spirit Technique had advanced further, reaching the late-stage of the early rank Qi Condensation cultivator.

Although he appeared to be a mid-rank Qi Condensation cultivator, his true strength could barely match that of a late-stage Qi Condensation cultivator.

Of course, the price Li Qing paid was significant. The fifty Blood Spirit Fish he had purchased were all consumed.

To advance his cultivation, he also used over ten Mystic Water Spirit Fish.

The only regret was that his cultivation was still at the fourth level of Qi Condensation.

Fortunately, compared to before, he had made some progress, albeit slowly, but he could still feel his cultivation steadily advancing.

"Tap, tap, tap"

A sound of footsteps came.