Chapter 67: The State of Cai

Wei Zhe quickly exceeded expectations, sending over ten thousand taels of gold, 200 pounds of sea soul silk, and 20 spirit stones the next day.  

After some consideration, Li Xian decided that he and Xia Qingqing would each keep two of the 20 spirit stones. Then, he allocated two to senior members like Xu Ren and Tang Rong, and two for the wider staff—enough to set up a surrounding spirit gathering formation, usable for ten days, which could be shared.  

The remaining four were given to Xia Qingqing for the children who were currently being trained.  

As for the last ten, Li Xian distributed three to the research lab and two to his older brother; the remaining five were entrusted to Song Xing, who would take them among the goods to deliver to their father, Li Yulong, far away in Wuyang City.  

“Really beautiful!” Li Liang exclaimed, holding the spirit stones sent by Li Xian, momentarily entranced; after reaching the late stage of foundation establishment, he had never seen what spirit stones looked like.  

“With these two spirit stones, husband can break through to the golden core stage,” his wife pushed two spirit stones towards Li Liang.  

Li Liang smiled slightly, “Qingqing, as long as I have it, you will definitely have it too.”  

Xia Qingqing shook her head, “Husband, the northern country of Cai is already stirring; you must quickly reach the golden core stage. Otherwise, how can you protect me and your younger brother?”  

After much hesitation, Li Liang finally took the two spirit stones and turned to enter closed-door cultivation.  

The Qingyun Valley was bustling with activity; when there were no spirit stones, the established spirit gathering formations were only marginally effective, barely better than nothing. Now that there was a surrounding spirit gathering formation and Li Xian was willing to openly share spirit stones, the valley was in an uproar.  

To be honest, sharing a small spirit gathering formation among thousands of people would yield minimal results; yet, this small act allowed Li Xian to once again win the hearts of the people. Especially since he generously allocated four spirit stones for the children, it truly earned him their goodwill.  

That evening, Li Xian rarely sat down to meditate seriously. He and Xia Qingqing faced each other, each holding a spirit stone for cultivation. In an era where cultivators were unprecedentedly numerous and cultivation resources were exceptionally scarce, being able to hold a spirit stone for cultivation was truly a luxury.  

The spirit stone gave Li Xian a completely different feeling: “Such pure spiritual energy! In comparison, the energy gathered from the spirit formation is utterly mixed. It’s as distinct as sweet mountain spring water versus the murky river water!”  

In a hazy state, Li Xian felt as if his soul was stepping onto a white cloud, continuously rising higher and higher, and at a certain moment, it seemed he had reached a new threshold.

“Jump up, jump up and you’ll reach the Foundation Establishment stage!” A thought suddenly flashed through Li Xian’s mind.

“Well then, let’s jump!” Without a second thought, Li Xian prepared to leap. Suddenly, he felt a lack of support beneath his feet. Looking down in shock, he realized the white clouds beneath him had become incredibly thin. With the clouds so thin, not only could Li Xian not jump, he couldn’t even maintain his position and fell directly from the sky…

Wah! Li Xian accelerated downward and finally landed with a thud, like a pot sticker.

“Wow!” Li Xian jolted awake, and looking around, he found it was already dawn. Xia Qingqing had left—being the head of education, the princess was very busy. Looking down at his hands, he saw that the spiritual stone had already turned into a completely lifeless, translucent rock.

“If I had two spiritual stones just now, would I have reached the Foundation Establishment stage?” A trace of regret flashed through Li Xian’s mind; but he still smiled lightly—after a few more days, he would have five thousand spiritual stones! Then he could break through to the Golden Core stage in one go and gain a lifespan of five hundred years!

Although he failed to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, Li Xian had still achieved the perfection of the tenth layer of the Qi Refinement stage.

“Cultivation really relies on spiritual stones. But what exactly is the structure of these spiritual stones? Why can they store and release spiritual energy? And 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 County quietly arrived in the northern region of the Great Xia Kingdom, in the country of Cai.

This person made some inquiries and found the gate of the Cai Kingdom’s Prime Minister. “Please announce my arrival, just say that a secret envoy from the Southern Kingdom is visiting.”

The guards at the entrance of the Prime Minister’s residence looked him over; he appeared ordinary, lacking any distinguishing features, causing them to hesitate for a moment.

“My surname is Kong, here is my waist token.” The visitor presented his waist token as proof.

“Please wait.” The head guard went inside to announce, while another guard arranged for the visitor to rest under the gate.

The head guard went in quickly and came out just as fast, holding a jade token. “Sir, the Prime Minister is already waiting for you in the hall.”

Kong’s family member took the waist token and walked inside; upon entering, he was greeted by the Prime Minister’s steward, and they made their way easily to the Prime Minister of Cai, Yan Ze’an, a capable official with real power!

“Kong Yingcai from the Kong family, I greet you, Mr. Yan.”

Yan Ze’an smiled warmly, “Please, take a seat. Nephew has traveled a long way to my Cai Kingdom; do you have any advice?”

“Advice is too much to say. There’s something called industry that has emerged in the Great Xia Kingdom; have you heard of it?”

“Is that what this is about? In recent years, many strange things have emerged. There are soul-calling shamans, evil sorcerers who practice curses, fortune-tellers who predict auspiciousness, and mages who specialize in formations or spells, among others, appearing one after another. The emergence of industry is nothing special,” the Prime Minister said dismissively—of course, this was just for show and should not be taken literally.

Kong Yingcai was already prepared. “Sir, this time the industry is completely different from other changes in cultivation. Other forms of cultivation are merely that, but this change in industry represents a completely new system. The potential is limitless!”

The Prime Minister showed a slight hint of skepticism and interest. “Limitless potential? How limitless? Can it even compare to an immortal artifact?”

Kong Yingcai spoke firmly, “A strong crossbow made from ordinary materials can kill a Golden Core stage cultivator. And this industry has only developed for a little over a year, yet it already possesses such power. What if it develops for ten years? Fifty years?”

The Prime Minister shook his head. “Just starting out as excellent doesn’t guarantee it will remain so. Can you be certain of its limitless potential in future developments?”

“I can!” Kong Yingcai answered without hesitation, insisting firmly.

“Evidence?”

Kong Yingcai suddenly sneered. “As I traveled here, I noticed that the textile industry within Cai Kingdom has already begun to decline, with high-quality and cheap fabrics from our Great Xia Kingdom flooding everywhere. Is that enough?”

The Prime Minister finally revealed a warm smile. “Haha, nephew, your observation is quite meticulous. That’s sufficient. I’m curious, what brings you here?”

Kong Yingcai pondered for a moment, “I wish to share the core of industry with Cai Kingdom.”

“How specifically do you plan to do this?” Naturally, the Prime Minister, Yan Ze’an, was somewhat confused, but some things were better left for the other party to explain—this is called holding a handle.

Kong Yingcai didn’t hesitate, as there was no retreat left. “We’ll stir up internal military and political turmoil within Great Xia, making it impossible for them to respond for at least five days. Your country can take the opportunity to send troops to attack An Yang. A small place like An Yang, which is only one county in size, I believe that with just three thousand elite soldiers launching a surprise attack, it will be easily captured.

After the battle, we will evenly divide the craftsmen from the Brilliant Star Trading Company and copy their documents.”

“Good! However, we aren’t very familiar with the geography of Great Xia. Can you provide a map, nephew? I believe that with a map, we can win quickly and reduce uncertainties!”

“I have one!” Kong Yingcai pulled out a scroll of cloth depicting the geography of An Yang.

“Very good. Nephew, please rest for now; I will go see His Majesty. Zhang Ping (the steward), prepare the horses!”

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