Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan Chapter 1 The Li Family (Signed, Please Follow, Please Recommend, Please Favorite)
In the eastern reaches of the Profound Origin Continent, near the coastline, a violent river surges into the vast ocean. This waterway is famously called the Bailang River due to the churning currents that produce endless white foam. Naturally, the surrounding territory it carves through became known as Bailang County.
The Bailang Li family stands as the undisputed ruler of this land, which stretches across more than a hundred li.
Rumors say the Li family is a prestigious cultivator clan of legendary origin. Their founding ancestor was once a simple mountain hunter who, by a stroke of luck, rescued a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Beast Taming Sect. Discovering he possessed Spiritual Roots, the hunter was invited into the Sect to begin his journey of Cultivation.
Decades afterward, the Li ancestor encountered a massive stroke of serendipity, allowing him to achieve a breakthrough into the Foundation Establishment Realm and solidifying his status within the Beast Taming Sect. However, following a series of unforeseen circumstances, he departed the Sect and settled in Bailang County to establish the Li clan.
For over three hundred years, the Li clan has maintained its legacy. By the time of the ninth generation, represented by Li Zhirui, the family's power had plateaued, remaining stuck at the Foundation Establishment Realm for generations.
Fortunately, the birth of Li Zhirui has provided the clan elders with a newfound sense of hope!
This is because Li Zhirui was born with Water-Wood Dual Spiritual Roots!
Sadly, the purity of his Water-Wood Spiritual Roots is only at fifty, which prevents him from being classified as a top-tier genius. Nevertheless, he is the first clan member in nearly a century to possess dual spiritual roots, making him the family's best hope for reaching the Golden Core Realm.
The reason he isn't viewed as a peerless talent is based on the laws of Cultivation: the quantity of Spiritual Roots dictates how fast one absorbs Spiritual Energy, while the purity determines the efficiency of refining that energy into Mana.
While Li Zhirui can gather Spiritual Energy rapidly, his refinement efficiency is mediocre. He even lags behind certain cultivators who possess Three Spiritual Roots but have a purity level exceeding seventy-five.
At this moment, Li Zhirui was secluded in his chambers, absorbing the Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth.
Sitting cross-legged, a soft reddish light pulsed from his body. With every breath, two steady trails of Spirit Light were pulled into his nose and mouth, flowing through his Meridians for purification before finally settling as Mana within him.
After an unknown amount of time, Li Zhirui’s eyes snapped open. A sharp light flashed within his dark irises, and his aura suddenly intensified with a violent surge.
A look of pure joy crossed his handsome features, and his voice trembled with exhilaration. "I have finally reached the late stages of Qi Cultivation!"
Li Zhirui was not originally from this world; his soul belonged to another realm. He was a transmigrator—a recent college graduate who had just entered the workforce before his life took this turn.
Though his memories of his past life offered little help in a world filled with immortals, demons, and ghosts, his maturity gave him a willpower far beyond his peers. He understood perfectly that Cultivation was the only thing that mattered here.
Consequently, despite his natural talent, Li Zhirui never grew arrogant. He practiced with tireless dedication every day, constantly pushing for improvement.
Once he composed himself, Li Zhirui stood up and walked out into the courtyard. Detecting the change in energy, Li Shiren spotted him and immediately asked, "Zhirui, have you achieved the breakthrough?"
As one of the clan's only three Foundation Establishment cultivators, Li Shiren could easily perceive the young man's cultivation level. He only asked because he wanted the joy of hearing the confirmation aloud.
When Li Zhirui nodded, Li Shiren exclaimed with visible excitement, "Eighteen years old and already at the late stage of Qi Cultivation! Even in the Beast Taming Sect, such a feat is rare! Our Li family... is finally on the rise!"
To avoid placing an unnecessary burden on the youth, Li Shiren cut himself off before finishing that last sentence.
"Go and stabilize your cultivation base. I will go tell the Clan Leader the fantastic news!" With those words, he hurried away.
Unable to slow the elder down, Li Zhirui watched him leave and then secured the courtyard gate.
Turning back, he noticed Da Qing slumbering peacefully by the pond, and a gentle smile touched his lips.
Da Qing was a Rank 3 Spirit Beast known as a Qingxuan Turtle. The family had invested a massive fortune to purchase it specifically to be Li Zhirui's contracted companion.
A Rank 3 Spirit Beast has the potential to reach the Golden Core Realm. Even if that final step is difficult, reaching Foundation Establishment is almost guaranteed, making the Qingxuan Turtle incredibly valuable.
The Li clan had paid twelve thousand Spirit Stones for the hatchling, a clear testament to the expectations they had for Li Zhirui.
The turtle had been with him since he was five years old when his dual spiritual roots were first discovered. At age eight, when his Meridians were strong enough to begin Cultivation, he reached the first layer of Qi Cultivation. It was then, aided by the elders, that he established the contract with the creature.
This bond was not one of master and slave, but a symbiotic partnership where both parties benefited from each other's growth.
However, the contract had its limitations. One major drawback was that the cultivation gap between the human and the Spirit Beast could not exceed a single major realm; otherwise, progress for both would come to a halt.
This was all tied to the cultivation technique Li Zhirui practiced: the "Wanling Sutra."
As subordinates of the Beast Taming Sect, most Li family members practiced this technique, and Li Zhirui was no different.
As the core manual of the Beast Taming Sect, the "Wanling Sutra" is a high-grade technique covering everything from Qi Cultivation to the Nascent Soul Realm. It is the very pillar upon which the Sect was built.
Practitioners of the "Wanling Sutra" can bond with a new Spirit Beast at every major realm breakthrough to bolster their combat power.
Furthermore, contracting with beasts that share the same elemental attributes can actually enhance a cultivator's own talent, effectively increasing the purity of their Spiritual Roots.
However, it is common knowledge that Spirit Beasts cultivate slowly. To keep them at a competitive pace, a cultivator must pour a staggering amount of resources into them.
Because of this, most people do not actually take on a new beast at every stage of their advancement.
If the Li family had not performed great services for the Beast Taming Sect in the past, they never would have been granted the manuals stretching from the Qi Cultivation Realm to the Golden Core Realm.
Currently, the sleeping Da Qing was absorbing the feedback from the contract caused by Li Zhirui's recent breakthrough.
Knowing the turtle wouldn't wake up soon, Li Zhirui returned to his room. Once he triggered his protective Formation, his body vanished instantly!
In the blink of an eye, his surroundings shifted. He was now standing in a private dimension filled with rows of first-grade Spirit Grain and Spiritual Medicine.
The area was small, roughly two square miles. It featured a small hill only a few dozen meters high, a fifteen-meter-wide pond at its base, and a sprawling Spirit Field packed with plants.
This hidden space was the "cheat" or "Golden Finger" that Li Zhirui had brought with him from his previous life.
Through years of testing, he had figured out its primary functions, which could be summarized in two points:
First, burying Spirit Stones near a plant would accelerate its growth. A single Spirit Stone could provide a one-month growth boost to a Spiritual Object.
Since most first-grade Spiritual Medicines take a year to grow, twelve Spirit Stones could make one mature immediately.
The downside was economic: a first-grade medicine usually sells for about ten Spirit Stones, or even less in bulk. Thus, this ability wasn't a magic way to get rich, as Li Zhirui had initially hoped.
Still, it was far from useless; its value depended entirely on how he applied it.
The second function also required Spirit Stones. By tossing them into the central pond, the overall Spiritual Energy of the entire dimension would be upgraded.
Li Zhirui also noticed that this space ignored the specific environmental needs of plants. No matter the attribute or required climate, any Spiritual Medicine planted here grew perfectly.
...
Li Zhirui walked to his cultivated Spirit Field and expertly cast the Spirit Rain Skill to hydrate his crops.
To his left, the green Spirit Grain stalks were heavy with harvest-ready heads, releasing a fresh, life-filled scent.
To the right were various Spiritual Medicines. These ranged from common Golden Bud Grass to more expensive Spirit Nurturing Fruits, all growing in orderly rows.
After finishing the watering, Li Zhirui spent an hour meticulously pulling weeds and checking for pests. Even then, he didn't leave; he began climbing the small hill, which was also densely planted with various Spiritual Medicines and Spirit Plants.