Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 53 A Small Battle of Magic
Two days later.

The Changyang Valley Gathering was held as scheduled.

In the center of the tall terrace, there was a large altar that would take four or five people to encircle with their arms. Incense smoke swirled around it, and bells and drums resounded.

Although Li Xiangming was in charge of this gathering, he was not very experienced. The one who actually presided over the prayer meeting was Li Chenglu.

Li Chenglu was dressed in plain clothes, his face solemn, and his voice steady and powerful.

After the eulogy, the prayers began.

Nine cultivators from the Li family, dressed in Taoist robes and holding magical implements, chanted scriptures and prayed for blessings, or performed spells. Their movements were skillful and elegant, as if they were communicating with heaven and earth and conversing with the gods.

In addition, ten pairs of boys and girls dressed in colorful costumes ran around, banging gongs and drums.

Some people even held up colorful flags, stepped on the seven stars, and cheered.

The terrace was backed by the Phoenix Cry Tower, while the other three sides were crowded with monks watching the ceremony.

Among these cultivators were members of families like the Luo, Chen, and Lingwu Sect, who had been invited by the Li family. There were also members from smaller, less prominent families in the surrounding area who wanted to get closer to the Li family. The majority of these were independent cultivators who came from all directions, waiting to exchange information and resources.

Li Xiangming and Li Qianxiong stood on the top of Fengming Tower and looked around; there were at least 120 or 130 people.

"Xiangming, there are more people than expected."

"This further illustrates that Pudong urgently needs its own cultivation market."

Li Qianxiong nodded, deeply agreeing.

"It's rare to see such a lively scene. It's a perfect opportunity to showcase the grandeur and strength of the Li family. Keep a close eye on things and make sure no one causes trouble."

"Xiangming understands."

Watching Li Xiangming leave, Li Qianxiong's eyes lit up with excitement. How many years had it been since the Li family had witnessed such a grand occasion?

It's better to be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a big pond; my decision to relocate to Pu County was correct.

Only by leaving Hengyue Sect can the Li family have a chance to grow and prosper.
-
"Good sister, look at that person, hahahaha."

Chen Ling'er held Tang Xueyan's hand and pointed to a young man on the stage with white lines on his face, who was none other than Li Xiangcheng.

At this moment, Li Xiangcheng was playing the role of an evil god who destroyed crops on stage. He was suppressed by the gods and was in a sorry state.

Just as she was about to catch her breath, she saw Chen Ling'er pointing and gesturing, and her face flushed red. She cried out in her heart, "Why did they assign me this kind of work?"
Seeing Li Xiangcheng's utterly hopeless expression, Chen Ling'er laughed even harder.

Even the Chen and Luo families in the surrounding area looked over.

"It's that young friend from the Li family who led the way before," Chen Zhonghe thought to himself.

The Buddhist ceremony held by the Li family was quite spectacular, with a clear beginning and end and a tight plot, no less impressive than any grand drama in the mortal world.

But no matter how many different kinds of prayer ceremonies there are, they are nothing more than praying for favorable weather, abundant harvests, and prosperity for people and livestock. The scope of the prayers is still limited to Danggui Mountain, so the visiting cultivators are naturally not interested.

After finally getting through this stage, young boys and girls offered blessed sweet soup to the onlookers.

Everyone accepted the drink, but didn't drink much.

Only a few families, such as the Chen family, the Luo family, and the Lingwu Sect, gave them face.

Tang Xueyan didn't want to drink it, but seeing Chen Ling'er urging her, she took a small sip.

The Li family didn't care and slowly removed the rituals and offerings from the terrace.

Li Chenglu returned to the terrace and faced the crowd: "Fellow practitioners, you have taken time out of your busy schedules to come to Changyang Valley of the Li family to participate in this event. It is truly an honor to be able to refuse your kindness. To express our gratitude, the Li family is holding a small tournament of magical combat, which will be presented to everyone in the form of a ring competition."

"Anyone willing to participate, come to my right and draw lots. The competition rules are that it is a two-on-one duel. The winners will advance to the next round, and the losers will be eliminated. The two final winners will both receive a reward from my Li family."

As he spoke, Li Chenglu held up a tray with a bottle of pills, a magic artifact, a set of array plates, and a talisman on it.

"The winner will choose first, does everyone agree?"

Can we participate too?

Some people were eyeing the treasure in Li Chenglu's hands with greedy eyes.

"Of course, it's voluntary."

Upon hearing this, a commotion arose below, as many independent cultivators had not expected this step to be included.

Even Chen Zhonghe and Luo Wantao exchanged glances, assuming that the magical duel was specially organized for them.

However, thinking about it, it would be quite uncomfortable for the Li family to only fight against a few families and leave the others out in the cold.

“Old man Li, why don’t you introduce what you’re holding?” At this moment, a burly man in his thirties with stubble shouted loudly.

Li Chenglu glanced at him, ignoring the other's disrespect, and slowly said, "The pills I have in my hand are twelve Qi-Nourishing Pills. You all know the value of Qi-Nourishing Pills, so I won't go into details."

"The magical artifact is called Startling Rain. It is a mid-grade flying sword. Within a hundred miles, it is as fast as lightning and as powerful as a sudden rainstorm."

"The array is called the Golden Horse and Iron Cavalry Array. It is a first-class high-grade array. Those trapped will be trampled by the army day and night, and their fate is uncertain."

"As for the talisman, it is a second-tier talisman, the Flame Burst Talisman. As an advanced version of the Fire Burst Talisman, even Foundation Establishment cultivators cannot withstand it with their physical bodies."

After Li Chenglu finished speaking, there was an uproar around him.

All four prizes are rare and precious items.

The Peiyuan Pill can strengthen the foundation and nourish the vital energy. It has excellent effects in many aspects, such as strengthening the foundation, nourishing qi and blood, and consolidating the spirit and soul. For cultivators in the Qi Refining stage, it is simply a miraculous medicine.

As for mid-grade flying sword magic weapons, you can hear their sound before you see them. They can kill people from a hundred miles away or travel the world on their swords. Who doesn't dream of becoming a sword cultivator?

As for the top-grade first-tier array plates, they can be used as trump cards. If arranged properly, killing enemies of higher levels is not a problem.

In comparison, the Flame Burst Talisman is somewhat inferior. Although it is said to be a second-tier talisman capable of killing Foundation Establishment cultivators, if you actually use this thing to provoke a Foundation Establishment cultivator, you won't even know how you died.

However, even if it cannot deal with Foundation Establishment cultivators, it is an unsolvable problem against Qi Refining cultivators of the same level.

In an instant, the crowd of cultivators below surged with excitement.

Any one of these items would be enough to change their current situation.

Even Chen Zhonghe and Luo Wantao were secretly alarmed and filled with doubt.

It's important to understand that this was just a small gathering open to outsiders, not a major family competition.

Why would the Li family spend so much money?
"The Li family has a deep-rooted history."

Chen Zhonghe couldn't help but sigh.

Luo Wantao glanced at him but didn't say anything. The Chen family's foundation was not as strong as the Li family's, but it was still deeper than the Luo family's.

At this moment, Luo Wantao felt a strong sense of crisis.

"Silin, you must do your best later."

Hearing his father's telepathic message, Luo Silin tilted his head and asked, "Which one should I choose later?"

Luo Wantao was speechless. He hadn't expected Luo Silin to make the choice ahead of time. This confidence infected him as well. He patted his son on the shoulder and said, "Choose either the formation plate or the flying sword."

Both elixirs and talismans are one-time use items; once used, they are gone. However, magical artifacts and array plates can be reused.

Meanwhile, the members of Lingwu Sect were also discussing the matter.

"The three of us are all at the late stage of Qi Refining, so securing a spot shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Pei Wenfa asked.

"do not know."

Jiang Liang shook his head and glanced at the location of the Chen and Luo families. "Look at that kid from the Luo family, he's not someone to be trifled with. In comparison, the Chen family is not a concern. It seems they didn't send their most outstanding disciples. As for the rogue cultivators, it's hard to say."

What is there to pay attention to about rogue cultivators?

He Jing was puzzled.

Independent cultivators are inferior to those from aristocratic families or sects in every aspect, including inheritance, comprehension, magic, financial resources, connections, etc.

When all these things are added together and spread over a period of twenty or thirty years or even longer, the gap between them is comparable to a chasm.

Even if they were forcibly brought to the same level and fought with the same aptitude and magical power, rogue cultivators, limited by their perspective, would often be no match for the children of prominent families.

"I saw a few people who are not to be trifled with."

Jiang Liang offered an explanation and then turned his gaze to a burly man with a full beard.

Just then, the burly man with stubble sensed something, turned around, and even smiled.

Jiang Liang suddenly felt unwell, as if something was grabbing his heart.

The discomfort quickly subsided, and Jiang Liang came to his senses, muttering, "Was it just my imagination?"

(End of this chapter)