Chapter 67

Wei Zhe was incredibly swift, surpassing all expectations, and the very next day, he delivered ten thousand taels of gold, 200 pounds of marine silk, and 20 spirit stones.

Li Xian thought for a moment about the 20 spirit stones. He and Xia Qingqing would keep two for themselves. Then, Xu Ren, Tang Rong, and other high-ranking officials would share two, and the rest of the employees would share another two—two spirit stones could set up a Zhou Tian Spirit Gathering Array, which could be used for ten days, and this could be managed.

Four more spirit stones were given to Xia Qingqing for the children in training.

The remaining ten spirit stones, Li Xian allocated three to the research lab, gave two to his elder brother, and had Song Xing take the remaining five, hidden among the goods, to his father, Li Yulong, in Wuyang City.

"Truly beautiful!" Li Liang, holding the spirit stones Li Xian had given him, was momentarily entranced; even at the late Foundation Establishment stage, he had never seen a spirit stone before.

"With these two spirit stones, my husband can break through to the Golden Core stage." His wife pushed the two spirit stones in front of Li Liang.

Li Liang smiled slightly, "Yunqing, whatever I have, you will have too."

Lü Yunqing shook her head, "Husband, the northern Cai Kingdom is already stirring. You must advance to the Golden Core stage as soon as possible. Otherwise, how can you protect me, how can you protect your younger brother?"

After much hesitation, Li Liang finally took the two spirit stones and turned to enter seclusion.

The Qingyun Valley was bustling with activity. In the past, without spirit stones, the Spirit Gathering Arrays were barely effective, almost useless. Now, with the Zhou Tian Spirit Gathering Array and Li Xian's willingness to share the spirit stones, the Qingyun Valley was in a state of excitement.

To be honest, the effect of a small Spirit Gathering Array shared by ten thousand people was negligible. But this small gesture once again united the hearts of the people. Especially when Li Xian generously allocated four spirit stones to the children, he won even more support.

In the evening, Li Xian rarely sat in meditation so seriously. Facing Xia Qingqing, each of them held a spirit stone to cultivate. In this era, where cultivators were more numerous than ever and cultivation resources were more scarce than ever, being able to cultivate with a spirit stone was truly a luxury.

The spirit stone gave Li Xian a completely different feeling: "What pure spiritual energy! In comparison, the spiritual energy gathered by the Spirit Gathering Array is impure, like the difference between clear mountain spring water and muddy river water!"

In a daze, Li Xian felt his soul stepping on a cloud, rising higher and higher, until it seemed to reach the edge of something.

"Jump up, jump up and you will reach the Foundation Establishment stage!" A thought flashed through Li Xian's mind.

"Then I'll jump!" Without hesitation, Li Xian was about to jump. Suddenly, he felt his feet lose their support. Looking down, he was shocked to see that the cloud beneath him had become extremely thin. With the cloud so thin, Li Xian couldn't even maintain his position, let alone jump, and he fell directly from the sky...

"Ah!" Li Xian plummeted and finally landed with a thud, flattened like a pancake.

"Ah!" Li Xian suddenly woke up, and when he looked around, it was already dawn, and Xia Qingqing had left—being in charge of education, the princess was very busy. Looking at his hands, the spirit stone had already turned into a transparent, lifeless stone.

"If I had two spirit stones just now, would I have reached the Foundation Establishment stage?" A hint of regret flashed through Li Xian's mind, but he still smiled easily—after a few more days, he would have five thousand spirit stones! Then he could rush to the Golden Core stage and gain a five-hundred-year lifespan!

Although he failed to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, Li Xian still reached the tenth layer of the Qi Condensation stage, achieving great perfection.

"Cultivation indeed relies on spirit stones. But what is the structure of these spirit stones? Why can they store and release spiritual energy? Why do they become useless after use? Can they be artificially created? Can they be reused?"

——

While Li Xian was busy developing, a young master from Nanyang Prefecture quietly arrived in the northern Cai Kingdom of the Great Xia.

After a brief inquiry, he found the residence of the Cai Kingdom's prime minister. "Please inform him that a secret envoy from the Southern Kingdom is here to visit."

The guards at the prime minister's residence looked at him. The visitor seemed ordinary, with no distinguishing features, and they were somewhat hesitant.

"I am surnamed Kong, and this is my identification." The visitor handed over his identification.

"Please wait a moment." The head guard went in to report, while another guard arranged for the visitor to wait under the eaves.

The head guard returned quickly, holding out a jade pendant, "Sir, the prime minister is waiting for you in the main hall."

Kong Yingcai took back his identification and walked inside. Inside the gate, the prime minister's steward greeted him and led him smoothly to the prime minister of the Cai Kingdom, Yan Ze'an, a powerful and capable minister!

"Kong Yingcai of the Kong family, paying respects to Mr. Yan."

Yan Ze'an smiled warmly, "Please sit. Nephew, you have traveled far to our Cai Kingdom. Is there anything you wish to discuss?"

"I dare not presume to instruct. A new thing called industry has appeared in the Great Xia. Have you heard of it?"

"Is that all? Strange things have emerged in recent years. Spirit mediums, evil sorcerers who practice curses, fortune-tellers, and even cultivators who specialize in arrays or spells. The emergence of industry is not particularly significant." The prime minister was dismissive—of course, this was just a surface act.

Kong Yingcai was well-prepared, "Sir, this industry is completely different from other cultivation changes. Other cultivation methods are just that—cultivation. But this industrial change is a completely new system with infinite potential!"

The prime minister showed a slight hint of doubt and interest, "Infinite potential? How so? Can it compare to immortal artifacts?"

Kong Yingcai spoke with conviction, "A strong crossbow made from ordinary materials can kill a Golden Core cultivator. And this industry has only been developing for a little over a year. What if it develops for ten years? Fifty years?"

The prime minister shook his head, "Being excellent at the beginning does not guarantee future excellence. Can you be certain of the industry's infinite potential?"

"I can!" Kong Yingcai said without hesitation.

"Proof?"

Kong Yingcai suddenly sneered, "On my journey here, I noticed that the textile industry in the Cai Kingdom is already declining, overwhelmed by the high-quality, low-cost fabrics from our Great Xia. Is this enough?"

The prime minister finally smiled warmly, "Hehe, nephew, your observations are truly meticulous. That's enough. What brings you here?"

Kong Yingcai deliberated for a moment, "I want to share the core of the industry with the Cai Kingdom."

"How exactly do you propose to do that?" Prime Minister Yan Ze'an was naturally clear in his mind, but it was better to let the other party speak—this was called leverage.

Kong Yingcai did not hesitate, as he had no other choice. "We will involve the Great Xia's internal military and political affairs, ensuring that the Great Xia will be tied up for at least five days. Your country can take this opportunity to attack Anyang. A small county like Anyang, with only one county's territory, can surely be captured with a surprise attack by three thousand elite troops.

"After the battle, we will divide the craftsmen of the Brilliant Stars Trading Company and copy the Brilliant Stars' records."

"Agreed! However, we are not very familiar with the geography of the Great Xia. Can you provide a map? With a map, we can surely win quickly and reduce variables!"

"Of course!" Kong Yingcai took out a scroll of silk, on which the geography of Anyang was drawn.

"Excellent. Nephew, please rest for a moment. I will go see the emperor. Zhang Ping (the steward), prepare the horse!"