Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan

"I'm aware of that, rest assured," Jiang Fengwu replied, not one to disregard the severity of matters but still concerned, she asked, "But how can we keep this a secret forever?"

She couldn't possibly confine the Spirit Beast to the restrictive spaces of the Spirit Beast Bag or her cave abode forever; once released, the day would come when it would be exposed.

"That's why I'm going to enter seclusion to make a breakthrough after a while. By then, I'll be able to resolve this issue," Li Zhirui revealed his intended solution.

"I'll be busy refining Spirit Pills these next few days. You should find some time to go to Green Mountain State and purchase one or two Spirit Beasts that meet your requirements. Once you've changed your cultivation technique, you can form a contract with them and then nurture them slowly."

All the Spirit Beasts currently owned by the family are recorded, and if Jiang Fengwu were to collect one, it would likely become known throughout the entire family by the next day. Hence, it would be better to spend some Spirit Stones to purchase them outside.

"Okay," Jiang Fengwu replied cheerfully, immediately beginning to ponder which kind of Spirit Beast to choose. Although she was an Array Master, she was still very familiar with Spirit Beasts, having been influenced by the Li family.

Seeing her eagerness, Li Zhirui shook his head with a touch of helplessness and reminded her, "I haven't taught you the cultivation technique yet; there's no need to rush like this."

Moreover, even if she settled on a particular type of Spirit Beast now, it wasn't certain that she would be able to purchase it later, as the Wanling Sutra requires the Spirit Beasts to be juveniles for contracting.

Li Zhirui took Jiang Fengwu back to their room and handed her a Soul Jade Slip, already prepared with restrictions, "First master the cultivation technique thoroughly. If there is anything you don't understand, you can come to me with questions to ensure there are no issues before you switch the cultivation technique, so as to ensure that it is foolproof."

Seeing that he had taken all aspects into consideration, leaving no need for her to worry, Jiang Fengwu smoothly agreed.

"Spend these days immersing yourself in the cultivation technique. I will ask for leave from the Array Hall on your behalf." Seeing that Jiang Fengwu was engrossed and paying him no attention, Li Zhirui wasn't upset and simply stood up and left.

----

"Dad, what has mom been doing these past few days?" One day, Li Chengshuo seized the opportunity as Li Zhirui came out of the Alchemy Room and hurriedly ran up to stop him.

"Fengwu has had some insights and is digesting her recent gains. She won't be coming out of seclusion anytime soon."

It was better that fewer people knew about the change in cultivation technique, particularly because Li Chengshuo was cheerful and lively, and there was a fear that she might unintentionally spill the beans.

Upon hearing this, Li Chengshuo's eyes lit up, and she quickly pressed further, "Dad, did mom make any advancements in her cultivation while refining arrays?"

"Yes, so if it's not necessary, try not to disturb Fengwu. If you have any problems, you can come to me."

"Dad, I actually do have something to ask you!" Li Chengshuo called out to stop Li Zhirui as he was about to leave.

"What is it?"

"Didn't you ask us to consider what skills we'd like to learn? I've made up my mind. I want to study array formations!"

"Array formations?" Li Zhirui paused and turned around with a skeptical look at Li Chengshuo. It wasn't that he underestimated his own daughter, but... given her temperament, would she actually have the patience to seriously study even the basics of array formations?

It was known that among the six arts of cultivation, array formations were not only the most difficult to begin but also the hardest to master.

But on second thought, there were benefits to Li Chengshuo learning array formations—it could at least change her impulsive nature.

The look of doubt flashed by, and Li Zhirui smiled, "Yes, the way of array formations helps one to comprehend the heavens and the earth, benefiting the understanding of the Laws and enhancing one's realm."

"Since you've decided to study Formation, tomorrow I will take you to Array Hall to register so you can begin learning. Let's see if you have any talent in this field."

"Thank you, Father!" Li Chengshuo hopped and jumped away, leaving in high spirits.

However, what she didn't know was that, in the days to come, she was going to experience extremely difficult times!

She wanted to quit several times, but because of her background and her initial confidence that had already been set high, she couldn't admit defeat if she had no shame. However, since she cared deeply about her reputation, she could only grit her teeth and persevere.

Later on, Li Chengshuo did learn a great deal of foundational knowledge and slowly made significant progress in the way of Formation.

Li Zhirui also intended to put her to the test, so after sending Li Chengshuo to Array Hall the next day, he deliberately suppressed the matter, avoiding concern or inquiry to prevent himself from seeing her struggle and feeling the impulse to bring her back.

Seeing his sister had found her direction, Li Chengsheng was not worried. Instead, he went to the Scripture Pavilion to gather all the basic knowledge of various skills that the family possessed, reviewing each one to find what interested him the most.

However, the Li family's rise to wealth had been too rapid. Aside from six major skills such as Alchemy and Artifact Refining, there were only a few others like Spirit Food, brewing, puppetry, with only one or two generations of heritage. The rest were too fragmented to form a complete system.

"Father, I want to study divination."

One day, Cheng Sheng approached Li Zhirui with a request that took him by surprise.

"Sheng, why do you want to study divination?" Li Zhirui had observed his recent actions but never expected him to take an interest in divination.

To be honest, Li Zhirui didn't quite approve of it. First, the family heritage was incomplete, which would make it very difficult for Chengsheng to learn divination. Second, the path of divination was mysterious and enigmatic, likely to entail many karmic consequences and expose one to the backlash of fate.

"I'm very interested in divination."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhirui couldn't help but frown. After explaining the pros and cons, he tried to persuade him, "Sheng, wouldn't you consider looking into other skills?"

"You needn't say more, my mind is made up."

Li Zhirui was quite troubled, knowing his son's stubborn nature all too well. Once Chengsheng set his mind on something, not even nine bulls could pull him back.

In order to avoid provoking his defiance, Li Zhirui had no choice but to relent, but he set a condition, "You must not use divination recklessly!"

This was to ensure Chengsheng would, to some extent, avoid unnecessary karma and reduce the chance of backlash from fate.

"Alright, I understand! Don't worry!" Chengsheng's face showed a trace of happiness, and he stood up to take his leave.

"Sigh!" Watching his retreating figure, Li Zhirui sighed deeply.

But he didn't expect that the next day, the news of Chengsheng wanting to learn the art of divination spread throughout the family, leading to much discussion.

Because of this, Li Shiqing specifically called him over to ask about it, or more accurately, to give him a good scolding!

After all, Chengsheng was a promising youngster, and now he was intent on pursuing the bleak path of divination, which greatly angered the old man.

"I've advised him, but if Sheng refuses to listen, what can I do? I can't just force him not to learn, can I? You know his temperament. If I really did that, it would only provoke his rebellious spirit," Li Zhirui explained somewhat aggrievedly.