Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan

Chapter 352 - 358: Closed-Door Training

Li Zhirui and Jiang Fengwu spent a tender night together, and early the next morning, Zhirui entered the meditation chamber to start his seclusion for a breakthrough.

At the same time, after a night of thorough discussion by Li Chengmo and others, the implementation methods for various measures were finally determined.

Above all, the most urgent matter was to completely eradicate the evil cultivators hidden in both states.

So, without taking any rest, they publicized this matter, allowing clan members to make their own decisions.

”Exterminate evil cultivators? Isnʼt that too dangerous?” A clan member quivered in fear of getting hurt.

”Idiot! Itʼs voluntary, and the family isnʼt forcing you, what are you worried about?” Evidently, the speaker looked down on him.

”I know youʼre strong, but is there really a need to demean your clan brothers like that?”

”Hmph! Whatʼs it to you?” Yet, knowing he was at fault, he quietly left the scene.

Many clan members, upon seeing the announcement, promptly took on the mission, with some forming teams and others going solo.

A clan member named Li Dapeng, who had just recently made a breakthrough in Foundation Establishment and felt a significant improvement in strength, coupled with owing the clan a large amount of Contribution Value, decided to act alone to earn more Contribution Value.

A group of clan members were gathered and led by the family directly to both Yunping and Guangqing States.

”This training mission is quite dangerous, so everyone must proceed with caution. A momentʼs negligence could cost you your fortune or even your life!” The leading Elder warned gravely before disembarking.

As for how many people took it to heart and followed through, that remained unknown.

But Li Dapeng etched these words deeply in his memory. Upon entering Guangqing State, he disguised himself as a Loose Cultivator and began searching for the whereabouts of evil cultivators.

Li Dapeng was lucky; he indeed discovered several evil cultivators in succession, and they were all Qi Cultivation evil cultivators.

What he didnʼt know though, was that he had caught the attention of a Foundation Establishment evil cultivator!

On his way back to the Marketplace, Li Dapeng fell into the trap set by the evil cultivator!

”Damn it!” Li Dapengʼs face turned pale. The smooth sailing he had experienced lately made him lose his usual caution, resulting in his current predicament.

However, Li Dapeng wouldnʼt just give up; he drew a top-grade, first-tier Spirit Sword, fully focused and on guard for potential attacks.

Whoosh—

Suddenly, a faint sound of air being split came from behind. Li Dapeng swiftly swung his Spirit Sword in hand, successfully blocking the initial probing strike.

Then, surprisingly, he charged in the direction of the incoming attack. His sword light slashed continuously forward, forcing the evil cultivator to reveal himself and stand his ground in defense, unable to dodge or move.

A flicker of excitement passed through Li Dapengʼs eyes. As long as he could force the opponent out, he didnʼt need to worry about hidden attacks!

The cultivation level of the evil cultivator was the same as his, both at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, but as is well known, evil cultivators possess patchy mana and weaker strength.

Therefore, Li Dapeng didnʼt fear the opponent at all, directly charging forward with his sword, wanting to engage in close combat.

But suddenly, a huge fireball appeared behind him. Its intense heat alerted him to the danger, forcing him to abandon his offensive and dodge to the side.

No sooner had Li Dapeng made a move than the cornered demon cultivator prepared to launch a magical attack.

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Roar!

A sudden roar of a fierce beast resounded, and out of nowhere in the not-so-large space, a giant black bear appeared—the Black Rock Giant Bear contracted by Li Dapeng!

Although the black bear was only in the later stages of the first tier, it had extremely strong defensive capabilities, able to block attacks for Li Dapeng and allowing him to focus on offense without worry.

In the end, at the cost of serious injuries, one of the evil cultivators died, while the other fled.

Li Dapeng was not the only one to encounter such an ordeal; some were luckier and emerged unscathed, while others were less fortunate and met their demise.

This trial had led to the fall of numerous clan members, but even more gained experience; some had firmer Dao hearts, others made breakthroughs in their cultivation, and, at the very least, most gained hands-on combat experience.

However, all of this had nothing to do with Li Zhirui, who was in the midst of a closed-door meditation.

Li Zhirui was seen sitting cross-legged in the center of the Spirit Cave, with streams of rich spiritual energy emerging from the underground Spirit Vein. As he breathed in and out, the spiritual energy separated into the five elements, with blue and green Spirit Light twining around him, keeping the other three types of spiritual energy at bay.

As the Wanling Sutra circulated, the spiritual energy was absorbed by Li Zhirui, cycling through his meridians again and again in complete circuits.

Time passed, and the surrounding spiritual energy suddenly began to rush towards Li Zhirui. A massive amount of mana converged in his meridians, eventually pooling into the Golden Core within his Dantian.

However, the breakthrough that Li Zhirui anticipated did not occur, which left him somewhat helpless. He could only take out a jade bottle and pour out three Mystical Ginseng Pills: they were yellowish-brown and emitted a refreshing medicinal fragrance.

These were the top-quality Mystical Ginseng Pills that Li Zhirui had previously selected from those he had refined, saved for this very moment!

Without hesitation, he placed the Mystical Ginseng Pills into his mouth. The Spirit Pills dissolved instantly upon entry, and immediately, an enormous amount of mana emerged within his body, threatening to spiral out of control.

Li Zhirui quickly stabilized his spirit and went all out to guide this vast mana, directing it towards the Golden Core in his Dantian.

As the mana gathered, the Golden Core spun rapidly, expanding slightly after absorbing all the mana.

But in the end, he returned unsuccessful, as the Golden Core still failed to break through that invisible bottleneck.

Li Zhirui was incredibly disappointed. He even doubted whether his previous sensation was mistaken, wondering if he hadnʼt actually reached a breakthrough.

Suddenly, a tortoiseʼs roar echoed in his Sea of Consciousness, instantly dispelling the veil that had obscured his vision.

At this time, inside his Dantian, the Golden Core was slowly expanding, but due to insufficient mana, this process seemed exceedingly slow!

Having experienced a breakthrough before, Li Zhirui knew exactly what was happening. He pushed down the ecstasy in his heart to calm himself and then began to swallow the third-tier Spirit Pills he had in hand.

Pop—

Time passed indeterminably until it seemed as if a shackle had been broken—a strange sound burst into Li Zhiruiʼs mind.

Li Zhirui suddenly opened his tightly shut eyes, his long hair stirring without any wind, and his aura increased by seventy to eighty percent from before!

”Iʼve finally broken through!” Even with his disposition, his face was filled with joy and excitement at this moment.

He then closed his eyes for inner vision towards his Dantian and discovered that the previously six-inch Golden Core had crossed the threshold and grown to seven inches!

A mere inch might not seem like much, but it signified a transition from the Middle Golden Core Stage to the Golden Core Late Stage, bringing him one step closer to the Nascent Soul.

”Next, Iʼll solidify my cultivation level and then conceal my strength a bit before I go out and explore,” murmured Li Zhirui. ”I wonder how long I have been in closed-door meditation this time.”

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