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Chapter 688: Chapter 694: Exciting
The Nascent Soul that was seated in the Dantian suddenly erupted with a powerful force of engulfing, madly absorbing Spiritual Energy from the outside world.
The commotion was so great that it formed a massive Spirit Qi Vortex outside, and even during the bright daylight, one just needed to look up to clearly see the dazzling and captivating azure and blue colors from any corner of Wanxian Island.
"This is..."
Li Darong hurried out of the great hall, excitedly saying, "The ancestor has broken through!"
He was both happy about the event and because he would soon welcome the easy and comfortable days ahead!
And the other members of the clan were naturally overjoyed because the stronger Li Zhirui was, the better the family would be, and the more help they would get in their cultivation.
"The gap is getting bigger and bigger!" Jiang Fengwu from the same courtyard, while happy for him, couldn’t help but sigh with a bitter unwillingness.
Originally, the two started with the same level of cultivation, but as time passed, she was completely unable to keep up with his pace and could only watch Li Zhirui’s figure from afar.
Perhaps one day he would even break through to Divine Transformation, while she was still struggling in the mid-Nascent Soul stage.
"No, this can’t go on!" decided Jiang Fengwu, planning to enter a retreat to death, and not to come out until she broke through the mid-Nascent Soul stage!
"Late Nascent Soul stage! I have finally succeeded in the breakthrough!"
The Spirit Qi Vortex lasted for a full hour, and the influx of a large amount of Spiritual Energy made Li Zhirui feel full of strength.
But speaking of how much difference there is between the late and mid-Nascent Soul stage, it was not that significant; it was just that more mana could be stored in the Dantian, and the Spiritual Soul’s Sun Transformation advanced further.
And for the last minor realm before breaking through to Divine Transformation, what Li Zhirui needed to do was refine his mana to have enough strength to face the Thunder Tribulation and not to perish within it.
Sun Transformation Divine Soul, this was a critical point because without this precondition, he could not break through.
But now, there was no rush, after all, he had just broken through.
Li Zhirui spent one or two months to thoroughly consolidate his realm and then ended this years-long retreat.
Then he saw several Communication Talismans stuck on the door, scanned them, and found they were all from Li Darong.
However, he figured they couldn’t be anything important, otherwise, they wouldn’t have been sent to him while he was still in retreat. Casually activating one, he found its contents were indeed simple: apart from a greeting, the rest was a verbose waste of words, with the only point of note asking when he would end his retreat.
The contents of the other Communication Talismans, though different, shared a similar theme.
"This kid Da Rong, so eager for me to end my retreat, what exactly does he need from me?"
Seeing Jiang Fengwu was not at home, Li Zhirui left a brief note explaining his destination, then headed for the clan’s great hall.
"Ancestor, have you ended your retreat?" Li Darong’s tone and expression were filled with excitement.
With slightly raised eyebrows, Li Zhirui smiled and said, "You sent several Communication Talismans in a row, is there something you wish to discuss with me?"
"Yes, indeed, a few years ago Wen Li successfully broke through to Golden Core. I was planning to resign from the position of Clan Leader and have him succeed me, but you, my elder, were in retreat at the time, so he has been carrying the title of Acting Clan Leader all this while," said the plump-faced Li Darong, his face brimming with smiles. "Although he has done very well, it still isn’t quite legitimate, so when I saw you had successfully broken through, I thought about when we could remove the word ’acting’."
"I think you’re tired of being in charge and want to pass on the responsibility as soon as possible!" Li Zhirui shook his head, showing no intention to reprimand him, after all, it was he who had maneuvered Li Darong into the position.
However, he did not immediately agree to allow Li Wenli to take over the position. He needed to investigate and understand the situation first.
"If there’s nothing more here, I will head back now."
Li Darong opened his mouth, wanting to ask for his opinion on the matter, but thinking of Li Zhirui’s character, he ultimately didn’t ask.
After leaving the clan hall, he went to Da Qing’s cave dwelling.
"Jiu, have you come out of retreat?" Da Qing, who was watching the children play, saw the visitor and immediately got up to greet him.
Li Zhirui nodded and glanced at the lively little Qing turtles, asking, "How are they? They’re all right, aren’t they?"
"It’s all thanks to the Luminous Green Fruit you brought back that these kids have survived."
"But have you been neglecting your cultivation these past few years?"
With his discernment, how could he not see that Da Qing’s mana had hardly improved at all!
Da Qing was tongue-tied, unsure of how to respond.
"Now that they’re all right, you should learn to let go and not always worry about them," Li Zhirui said earnestly. "Don’t fall behind in your own cultivation, too."
"Jiu, I know, but I just can’t help worrying."
"But they’re healthy now and don’t need your constant attention. Moreover, other spirit beasts won’t dare approach the area around your cave dwelling, so they can’t possibly encounter danger. The clan can also arrange for someone to take care of them."
Li Zhirui shook his head and didn’t say much more, "Think about it for yourself."
Then he went to find Xiaoqing, but since he wasn’t in the cave dwelling, he could only give up and turn to go home.
As he pushed open the gate of his courtyard, he saw Jiang Fengwu sitting inside, obviously waiting for him to return, and a warm current surged in his heart.
"Zhirui, I’m planning to go into a deep and possibly endless retreat."
Li Zhirui was taken aback, unclear why Jiang Fengwu would suddenly have such a thought. Her cultivation speed wasn’t slow, and if things went smoothly, she should be able to make further progress in about ten years.
"Why have you suddenly had such a thought?"
"Isn’t it because of you!" Jiang Fengwu gave him a glance and said, "Being with you puts too much pressure on me!"
Li Zhirui suddenly didn’t know what to say. Could he possibly advise her not to feel so much pressure, to tell her they were different? After all, he had a cheat, but she did not.
"When do you plan to go into retreat?"
Jiang Fengwu calculated the time, "In the next few days, I think. I don’t know when I’ll come out, so I want to make sure everything in the Array Hall is taken care of before I retreat."
"Alright, I’ll try to refine more fourth-tier Precious Pills."
"Then I’ll leave that to you."
For the two of them, to say thanks to each other was just too formal.
"Did you go to see Da Rong today? Did he mention resigning?"
Jiang Fengwu began praising, "That young man named Li Wenli, sharp-minded, both circumspect and capable, is a very good successor."
"Oh?" Hearing her say so, Li Zhirui became interested in this young junior he had only met a few times.
He knew that Jiang Fengwu generally didn’t discuss affairs beyond the Array Hall, but now even she spoke well of him, it seemed that Li Wenli truly had some exceptional qualities.
