Clan Cultivation: Starting from Foundation Establishment on Mount Luoxia

A ray of light pierced the void, and Li Xiaoyao stepped out of the Sunset Realm, flying towards the Immortal Sect's headquarters.

The purpose of this trip was clear—he wanted to enter the [Heavenly Decree Mysterious Heart Mirror] again.

The third supernatural power is just beginning and will take a long time to reach perfection.

More importantly, there wasn't even a trace of the fourth supernatural power. Cultivation at the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion realm couldn't be achieved through mere patience and effort. He needed time, a great deal of time.

Good deeds are few left. I bought pills for my elder brother, added flying boats, magical artifacts, and labor to the family, and prepared gifts for the younger generation. Now I only have a little over eight million left.

This small act of kindness is nothing compared to even a fraction of what Xuanxin Jian could achieve, let alone cutting in line.

The headquarters of Xianzong is Si Tiantai.

As Li Xiaoyao landed, he saw the Master of Ceremonies sitting on the stone steps in front of the hall, drinking tea.

The Golden Core True Monarch who controlled the immortal artifacts raised his eyelids slightly upon seeing him, revealing an expression that said, "As expected, it's you."

"Young friend Shangyuan, you want to use the mirror again?"

Li Xiaoyao cupped his hands in greeting: "True Lord, this junior wishes to enter the Mysterious Heart Mirror once more."

The master of ceremonies, Zhenjun, put down his teacup and looked him up and down: "It's only been over sixty years since you last went in, hasn't it? What, you've tasted the sweetness of success?"

"I am dull-witted and can only rely on clumsy methods."

The master of ceremonies shook his head, took out a jade slip from his sleeve, and handed it to him: "Take a look for yourself. The rules haven't changed, but there are more people in line."

Li Xiaoyao took the jade slip, probed it with his divine sense, and his brows gradually furrowed. One use right, fifty million merit points.

The queue list was densely packed with nearly two hundred names, the oldest of whom had been waiting for over forty years. He was number one hundred and sixty-seven.

"Fifty million merits..." Li Xiaoyao smiled bitterly, "True Lord, even if I emptied my coffers, I still couldn't come up with that number."

The master of ceremonies, Zhenjun, slowly took a sip of tea: "Then let's wait."

"How long will it take?"

"At the current rate, it will take about 120 years. Of course, if someone cuts in line, it will take even longer."

Li Xiaoyao was silent for a moment: "Is there a way to cut in line?"

"Yes. Of course." The master of ceremonies put down his teacup. "Either a fellow Daoist of the True Lord level is willing to give you a spot—like what happened at Mount Tai last time. Or..."

He paused for a moment, then said, "You need to do tasks to accumulate contribution points, and use those points to offset queue time. The Immortal Sect has this rule, but you'll have to ask the External Affairs Hall for details on how it works."

"Anything else?"

The master of ceremonies glanced at him and said, "If you can perform another great service like an undercover agent in the amusement park, I'll give you a vote of veto power and let you jump the queue."

Li Xiaoyao smiled wryly. Being an undercover agent in the amusement park was something you could only hope for, not something you could always find.

"Then I'll go to the Foreign Affairs Hall to inquire." He put away the jade slip, thanked them, and turned to leave the Astronomical Bureau.

The Outer Affairs Hall is located on the east side of the Immortal Sect's main headquarters; it is an inconspicuous gray pavilion.

When Li Xiaoyao arrived, there were already more than a dozen people lined up inside, most of them were juniors in the Foundation Establishment stage, and there were also a few in the Purple Mansion stage.

He found an empty seat and sat down, waiting for his number to be called.

This wait lasted for most of the day.

When it was his turn, he was greeted by a young female cultivator in the Foundation Establishment stage, who was polite but businesslike: "Senior, are you accepting a mission or handing in a mission?"

"I have something to ask you," Li Xiaoyao said, explaining his purpose.

The female cultivator checked for a moment, then looked up and said, "There are two ways to redeem the [Heavenly Decree Profound Heart Mirror] in queues."

"The first option is to accept high-difficulty missions issued by the Immortal Sect. Each mission can reduce the waiting time based on its difficulty and completion rate."

"The second option is to serve as an instructor in a celestial sect, teaching juniors below the Foundation Establishment stage to cultivate. This can offset one year of waiting time."

"How much will be deducted for high-difficulty tasks?"

The female cultivator flipped through the records: "The most recent high-difficulty mission is the deep exploration of the Desolate Ruins, which requires at least the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion realm and a minimum exploration time of one year. Upon completion, it can offset thirty years of waiting time. However, seven True Immortals have already accepted this mission, and there are only three spots left."

Thirty years. Li Xiaoyao did the math in his mind. One hundred and twenty years of waiting time, thirty years for each task, leaving ninety years. Four tasks, or two plus thirty years of teaching...

"Can a teaching position offset one year of waiting time?"

"Yes. However, there is a minimum ten-year teaching requirement before deductions can be made."

Li Xiaoyao frowned slightly. Ten years of teaching in exchange for ten years of credit was too slow.

"Is there any other way?"

The female cultivator shook her head: "There are only these two options for now. If you have a fellow Daoist at the True Monarch level who is willing to give up their spot, that's also an option."

Li Xiaoyao thanked him and got up to leave.

He stood on the steps for a while, lost in thought, after leaving the Hall of External Affairs. One hundred and twenty years—it was too long.

My elder brother is still in seclusion, and with Changhu keeping an eye on things at home, there's no rush. But his own cultivation cannot stop.

The accumulation required to progress from the middle to the late stages of the Purple Mansion realm far exceeds that required to progress from the early to the middle stages. Relying solely on gradual, persistent effort, it might take two hundred years to reach perfection.

He needs the Mysterious Mind Mirror. He needs the hundred years contained within it.

Just then, a voice came from the side: "Fellow Daoist Shangyuan?"

Li Xiaoyao turned his head and saw a middle-aged Taoist priest in a gray-white robe smiling at him.

The Taoist priest had a sallow complexion and three long wisps of beard under his chin. He looked somewhat familiar, but no one could quite place him.

"I am Xuanwei. Last time in the Heavenly Demon Realm, we were both under the command of True Man Taixu," the Taoist introduced himself.

Li Xiaoyao remembered. Xuanwei Zhenren, a member of the Xuantu Daoist lineage, was in the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion realm and was responsible for guarding the western front when he was in the Heavenly Demon Realm. At that time, the two didn't interact much, but they were at least nodding acquaintances.

"Fellow Daoist Xuanwei," Li Xiaoyao said, bowing.

Master Xuanwei walked over and said with a smile, "You look so worried, is it because you can't get a turn in line?"

Li Xiaoyao smiled wryly: "Fellow Daoist, you've also lined up?"

"It's been twenty years since we got here," Master Xuanwei sighed. "There are still more than eighty ahead of us. I'm more anxious than you. I've been stuck at the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion realm for almost three hundred years, and I'm counting on the progress of the Xuanxinjian in deducing the fourth divine power."

The two walked out side by side, chatting casually. Master Xuanwei was a talkative person, speaking eloquently about cultivation matters and recounting the stories of the immortal sects with great familiarity.

"Do you know why the queue for Xuanxinjian is getting longer and longer?" Master Xuanwei suddenly lowered his voice.

Li Xiaoyao shook his head.

"Because in the last three hundred years, the number of Purple Mansion True Persons in the Immortal Sect has doubled."

Master Xuanwei held up two fingers. "After the conquest of the Heavenly Demon Realm, the Immortal Sects relocated hundreds of billions of humans back from there, and there are countless seedlings with spiritual roots."

"Many geniuses have emerged from among these people, some have reached the Foundation Establishment stage in a hundred years and others in the Purple Mansion stage in two hundred years."

"They get promoted quickly, but their foundations are unstable; they all rely on Xuanxin Jian to hone their skills. Add to that us old guys..." He gave a wry smile, "How can the team not be long?"

Li Xiaoyao seemed to be deep in thought. The Immortal Sect was growing stronger, which was a good thing. However, resources were limited, leading to fierce competition.

The two reached a fork in the road, and Master Xuanwei stopped: "Fellow Daoist Shangyuan, if you are really in a hurry to use the Xuanxin Mirror, I do know a way."

"What method?"

"Go ask at the Heavenly Market Enclosure. Some True Lords have quotas they don't use themselves, and they occasionally exchange them for things. But the price..." He shook his head, "is beyond the reach of ordinary people."

Li Xiaoyao's heart sank. He couldn't even come up with 50 million merit points, let alone anything the True Lord was asking for.

Master Xuanwei saw his predicament and laughed, "If all else fails, just wait in line patiently. One hundred and twenty years is neither a long nor a short time. Cultivate while you wait, and perhaps by the time it's your turn, you'll have already comprehended the fourth supernatural power."

Li Xiaoyao smiled, cupped his hands in farewell.