"Yeah, but since we aren't from the same family, the generation rules aren't so strict. The Li Clan's 'De' generation and the Wang Clan's 'Wen' generation count as the same generation. Marriages between the Wang and Li families don't rigidly follow seniority—cultivators live for so long that many who are over a hundred years old have children, which naturally scrambles the generational lines! Therefore, the two clans consider only age and cultivation level—unless someone is a direct elder, in which case, juniors must pay proper respect."
"Alright, stop talking," Li Derong frowned, feeling that Wang Hao was complicating their relationship further. If he kept dodging the issue, she would only seem guilty and pretentious.
The two set off again, speaking occasionally along the way, and their relationship improved noticeably.
"Fairy Li, if you consume a raw Ningyuan Fruit directly, what are your odds of Foundation Establishment?" Wang Hao asked thoughtfully. He sensed that the fruit's effect on him would be very weak—Old Wang hadn't yet given him a Meridian-Protecting Pill, so the risk would be far too great.
"About seventy percent," Li Derong replied after a moment's thought, then lapsed into silence, contemplating the weight of that goal.
"Actually, there's no need to rush. I have a spirit beast—the Golden-Eyed Duck—that will advance soon! When that happens, we can fly over the gorge!" Wang Hao said earnestly.
Li Derong frowned slightly. "Spirit beasts don't advance so easily. The Black-Feathered Eagles raised by my Li Clan took two hundred years to reach the mid Second-Rank!"
Wang Hao thought to himself, "That's because you didn't feed them properly. If I fed them hundreds of Spirit Stones per month like I do, even a rock would become a beast!" He ignored her point.
"These are details we can consider later. Fairy Li, first recover your energy," he said.
It took over ten days for the pair to return to the cabin. Wang Hao spent that time continuously refining healing pills and Bigu Pills, handing them to Li Derong with, "Fairy Li, these pills should last you a full year."
Li Derong tucked the jade vial away and replied coolly, "Thank you. Once we get out of here, I'll repay you with Spirit Stones."
Wang Hao smiled and shook his head. "No need to thank me. These are herbs I collected in the valley—they're not worth much. Besides, we need to work together to get the Ningyuan Fruit. How can we keep track of favors like this?"
Li Derong said nothing more. Hearing that, she accepted the pills and secluded herself again to recover.
Wang Hao likewise used the time to refine his cultivation. About half a year later, a wave of spiritual energy heralded the triumphant laughter of Wang Yanfeng:
"Ninth level of Qi Refinement—hahaha!"
At only forty-two years old, he still had eighteen years before sixty. It was not impossible for him to establish his foundation now.
Wang Hao did not go out to congratulate him, as he too was on the verge of breaking through and needed to focus on cultivation. He left a talisman-message for Wang Yanfeng posted outside, so there was no need for a face-to-face celebration.
Another half-year passed, and Li Derong emerged from her seclusion fully healed. Wang Hao, however, remained in deep meditation.
Li Derong calculated the Ningyuan Fruit's ripening schedule and did not disturb him.
Three months later, Wang Hao finished his breakthrough, his eyes shining: "I, too, have reached the ninth level of Qi Refinement!"
"Brother Wang, you are truly unpredictable. A cultivator of Five-Element roots reaching Ninth-Level Qi Refinement at such a young age!" Li Derong praised, stepping out of the cabin. Wang Hao quickly rose to greet her.
"You flatter me, Fairy Li. I reached this point by piling up pills. I cannot compare to your pure magic!" Now only thirty-one, Wang Hao had achieved Ninth-Level Qi Refinement much faster than expected, thanks not only to his dual-attribute cultivation method but also to the blessings of formation-based cultivation, spirit pills, spirit fruits, and his Jade-Ice Muscle Refinement Technique.
"Now that our strength has improved and the Ningyuan Fruit is nearly ripe, it's time to prepare for action." Wang Yanfeng was equally excited and asked with a grin, "And what about your spirit beast?"
"The Golden-Eyed Duck began sleeping a month ago and has already begun its advancement!" Wang Hao said. He had raised the Golden-Eyed Duck for over ten years, feeding it lavishly every day. Its slow progress now seemed due to its lineage—it might ultimately only reach Second-Rank as a spirit beast.
The White-Tiger of Frozen Gaze, a few years younger, had already advanced to High First-Rank. The Illusionary Moon Butterflies progressed even faster. As long as Wang Hao continued to feed them spiritual fruits, they churned out enormous amounts of fertilizer. Within three or four years, they had entered their second slumber, their rank surpassing that of the Golden-Eyed Duck!
Wang Yanfeng sighed. "In that case, we should wait for the Golden-Eyed Duck to advance."
Li Derong visibly disagreed. "Brother Wang, there are only three Ningyuan Fruits—and the next harvest won't come for another fifty years. Are you sure you want to waste this opportunity?" Though she herself was the Li Clan's pride—and the next Foundation Establishment Fruit was destined for her—it would still be over ten years before she attained Foundation Establishment. The sooner she established her foundation, the sooner she could begin forging a Golden Core. Any ambitious cultivator would never let such a chance slip away!
"Hehe," Wang Yanfeng chuckled awkwardly. "Yes—how could I miss such an opportunity? I, too, contemplate the Great Dao."
"Since no one objects, let's depart." The three gathered their supplies and headed toward the Jade-Green Lake.
In the still, deep valley, Wang Hao and the others stood atop an ancient, towering tree, carefully watching a lake a thousand meters below, its surface shrouded in faint mist. More precisely, they stared at the Ningyuan Fruit tree in the center of the lake, eyes unblinking.
Wang Yanfeng swallowed hard, covetous: "Fairy Li, Wen Hao, what do you think we should do?"
Wang Hao considered and said, "Although we have a formation, a direct confrontation would obviously be unwise. My suggestion: you two distract the Demon Fish while I slip in and steal the three fruits. As for the tree, we can call the Foundation Establishment cultivators from our clans to transplant it!"
Regarding division, each fruit would go to one of the three of them, and the tree itself would rightfully belong to the Wang Clan. But since Li Derong was the main driving force and provided the formation, the Li Clan would certainly not relinquish their claim. Resolving that issue would have to wait for the patriarchs of both clans, not the three of them here!
Logically, until they were strong enough, that Ningyuan Fruit tree would be like an irresistible prize—and once word spread, they might be wiped out. Therefore, the three agreed to keep the matter secret and only inform their family heads at the right moment.
Li Derong nodded. "All right, I'll prepare the formation," she said, glancing at Wang Yanfeng. "Brother Wang, you'll have to help lure the Demon Fish!"
"Me?" Wang Yanfeng pointed to himself. "Um…"
"Eighth Uncle, only you can do it. I must stay hidden at first. If you don't want to, we could switch and you could be the one to steal the fruits."
Wang Yanfeng shook his head vigorously, "No way—I'd better leave the fruit theft to you." Distracting the demon fish was undoubtedly less dangerous than infiltrating the lake's very center. Wang Yanfeng knew he wouldn't have enough strength for the latter.
The three spent some time preparing—first forming the core of the Five-Talent Demon-Seizing Formation, then replenishing their spiritual energy before acting.
Before beginning, Li Derong took out a piece of incense. "When I light this, it will conceal fluctuations in your magical energy. As long as the Demon Fish cannot see you, it won't detect you with its divine awareness either!"
Wang Hao had also practiced the Spirit-Hiding Technique. With both methods combined, not only were his magical fluctuations hidden, but even his presence became invisible to spiritual perception.
With all preparations complete, Wang Hao quietly began creeping toward the Jade-Green Lake.
Five li… two li… five hundred meters!
Upon entering the five-hundred–meter radius, Wang Hao deliberately paused. According to the range of a mid Second-Rank Demon Fish's divine sense, it would detect him under normal circumstances!
However, looking around, the water's surface remained still, without any ripple of alarm.
Wang Hao breathed a sigh of relief and, using the bushes at the lake's edge for cover, continued advancing slowly.
At last he reached the lake's rear, less than twenty meters from the water's edge, and froze in place.