After thoroughly ransacking the Endless Life Sect inside and out, then using Fire Control to burn away all traces, Li Pingcan immediately returned to Spirit Mountain, his excitement and surprise barely contained.

"Endless Life Sect? I think they should just rename themselves the 'Gift-Giving Child Sect'!"

The entire fortune of the sect’s leader was now under the Li family name!

Star Iron and Corefire Jade were both first-tier superior spirit materials, top-grade resources for upgrading the family’s Seven Spirit Array and the Spirit Gathering Formation at Listening Wind Cliff!

Before, they had no funds and could only afford “beggar-tier” formations. Now, they had upgraded from slingshot to cannon overnight, stepping straight into prosperity.

Having never fought such a wealthy battle before, Li Pingcan was fully motivated. With the newly acquired superior spirit materials upgrading the formations, the safety of his cave dwelling instantly skyrocketed!

He then took out a pill, pitch black all over and emitting faint traces of a bloody stench, frowning deeply.

“This isn’t a pill at all. It’s clearly a wrapped bomb! If you take this, you’d probably die on the spot. Only some heretical cult would do this.”

Fortunately, this wasn’t a “human boat” pill refined by martial artists but merely filled with demonic energy, or else he would never have taken it.

Li Pingcan directly activated Divine Blessing of Nature.

A soft emerald green glow enveloped the pill. After a moment, the pill’s medicinal fragrance became pure and free of any evil aura.

He swallowed it in one gulp.

The overwhelming medicinal power instantly spread throughout his body like warm streams, flushing through his meridians and converging into the dantian’s qi sea.

For several days straight, he cultivated while taking pills. The resources accumulated by the Holy Lord over a hundred years wildly transformed into his magic power and cultivation.

The bottleneck at the peak of Refining Qi Stage Two finally shattered on a certain day, like paper torn apart by the relentless assault of pure medicinal power!

Boom!

Li Pingcan felt his sea of consciousness suddenly clear as the magical power cyclone within his dantian violently expanded more than twice its previous size, becoming denser and purer. The surrounding spiritual energy seemed attracted to him, swirling like a vortex and flooding into his body.

Refining Qi Stage Three was achieved!

The status panel popped up, granting three Tier Upgrade Points.

Without hesitation, Li Pingcan allocated them to Beast Form Intent, Water Manipulation, and Spore Sense, upgrading them all to Tier One spells.

There was reason for choosing these three skills: Beast Form Intent would improve the family’s combat strength; Water Manipulation would greatly assist his future treasure hunts along the Great Yu River; and Spore Sense, while boosting martial power, was equally important for gathering intelligence.

The panel then updated accordingly.

Beast Form Intent (Tier One)  

“Your Five Spirit Play, derived from your understanding of birds and beasts, transcends mundane martial arts and truly integrates with Druid combat arts. When casting this spell, you no longer simply imitate the spirit beasts’ essence but transform their 'form and intent' into tangible reality.”

“Can it even manifest a true martial soul body?”

Li Pingcan’s eye twitched involuntarily, wanting to complain about many things but unsure where to start—felt like something was missing from the Heavenly Spectrum!

But if it could enhance his strength, a martial soul body it would be!

He continued reading.

Water Manipulation (Tier One)  

“Your control over water has made a qualitative leap. You can now command an entire body of water, freely altering its form and properties at will.  

Water into soldiers: You can create ‘water soldiers’ that automatically perform simple attacks. As your Druid level rises, the number of water soldiers increases (this ability lasts one incense stick time).  

Water breathing: You can breathe freely underwater like a fish, and water currents will not impede your movements.”

Fungal Lord Domain (Tier One)  

“The mushroom spore network you planted has evolved from a simple ‘monitor’ into a combined reconnaissance and communication system.  

Your divine sense can fully integrate into the fungal carpet network, allowing you to be aware of every subtle movement within its coverage, gaining an almost omniscient god’s perspective.  

You can communicate simple thoughts with any intelligent creatures entering the network’s range through fungal vibrations and transmit complex tactical information to distant allies.”

Water Manipulation’s new water soldiers and underwater breathing were expected, but what truly delighted Li Pingcan was the upgrade of Spore Sense into Fungal Lord Domain!

Originally, Spore Sense’s largest “monitor” had only ten points, a limited number of nodes. Now it had evolved into a large-scale 4D panoramic map!

Moreover, those holding mushrooms could communicate telepathically, effectively becoming a wireless communication device. This meant Li Pingcan no longer needed his Golden Eagle to shuttle back and forth to the family to get delayed updates on their situation!

“Assign a mushroom to Big Brother, Second Brother... everyone!”

Wherever the mushrooms were, every member of the Li family became his ears, eyes, and voice!

............

Meanwhile, at the Yunshui County Government Office.

Magistrate Liang sat upright in the Grandmaster’s chair, his face as cold as water.

Below the hall, the two Li brothers stood side by side, heads bowed respectfully.

“Well, very well indeed!”

Magistrate Liang slowly raised his head, his gaze like a blade, piercing straight into Li Pingfu.

“I truly underestimated you. The security in Yunshui County has become so ‘good’ that even heretical demon cultists dare to defy the county government!”

Though he said “good,” his tone was dripping with cold sarcasm.

Li Pingfu’s heart churned but showed no expression. He knew well that this celestial official did not genuinely care about public security at this moment but needed a scapegoat.

And he was the perfect candidate.

“Please calm your anger, Your Honor.”

Li Ping’an stepped forward, bowed, showing the perfect mixture of fear and guilt.

“The demon cult’s wolfish ambitions caused this disaster, disturbing Your Honor’s peace. This is a crime deserving ten thousand deaths.”

The anger in Magistrate Liang’s eyes softened slightly, but his tone remained icy: “Deserving ten thousand deaths? Hmph, I have no interest in your lives. I only want to know, why did the demon cultists become so arrogant?!”

“It was my incompetence!”

Li Ping’an bowed again, lowering his head even more. “We previously thought the Endless Life Sect was just a disorganized band of rogues. We never imagined they would dare commit such a heinous act.  

Fortunately, Your Honor presides over the county government, bearing the dynasty’s dragon energy and commanding mighty heavenly authority. This suppressed the cult’s evil magic, causing their failure.  

Though my brothers and I are incompetent, we fought desperately and managed to kill the demon cultists on the spot!  

We also followed the trail and destroyed several of their strongholds, completely rooting out these rioters. This was all thanks to Your Honor’s divine protection!”

Magistrate Liang’s expression relaxed somewhat.

What he wanted was an attitude.

The brothers’ demeanor greatly satisfied his authority, giving him a sense of “everything is under control.”

Seeing this, Li Ping’an calmed internally, knowing the first step was correct.

They had credited all the merits to Magistrate Liang and stroked his ego.

He continued, “Though the demon cultists have been exterminated, the plundered wealth should be returned to the people. My brothers and I dare not act arbitrarily and have come to ask Your Honor how to handle it.” He then presented a wooden box containing “stolen goods” with both hands.

A flicker of surprise passed through Magistrate Liang’s eyes. His divine sense swept over the box, seeing hundreds of low-grade spirit stones, some pills with pure medicinal power, and a few rare forging materials lying quietly inside.

Only then did Magistrate Liang’s face truly soften.

The massive stir caused by the Endless Life Sect clearly indicated the presence of cultivators behind them. It was unsurprising that their bases had pills and spirit stones.

As for why he did not worry about them secretly hiding items: innocent men do not carry guilt, but those who harbor valuables invite disaster. If a non-cultivating family hoarded spirit stones and pills at home, once detected by wandering cultivators, they would be wiped out.

Li Ping’an’s cleverness meant he understood this fully.

And the rare materials that could be exchanged for martial pills... pure water has no fish; they must leave something for their underlings.

He picked up his tea cup, leisurely blowing the foam away, and said lightly, “Enough. Considering your merits as nest thieves and your inexperience as newcomers, I will not punish you severely this time.”

His tone shifted, eyes returning to Li Pingfu, “But though you escape death, you cannot avoid punishment. Li Pingfu, as County Captain, you bear some responsibility for negligence. Effective immediately, you are suspended for three months, confined to reflect on your mistakes.”

“Thank you for your mercy, Your Honor!”

The Li brothers bowed together.

A three-month suspension bought the family precious time to develop—this was a good bargain.

Magistrate Liang nodded in satisfaction, waving his hand, “Enough, all of you may withdraw. Remember, this must not happen again.”

The brothers bowed and left the back hall.

Watching their retreating backs, a deep cold gleam flashed in Magistrate Liang’s eyes. He sipped his tea lightly, a cold smile curling in his heart.

“Two brats who don’t know their place, really think they can overturn my palm?”

Playing with a crystal-clear spirit stone, his mood lifted a bit.

“But they are still sensible—two dogs I can use to bite others and extort money. Just need to keep the leash tight; they’ll be useful.”

............

Night was like flowing water, and the Li family mansion was brightly lit.

Four father and sons sat around the table, the atmosphere somewhat heavy.

“Big Brother, do you really think that sneak wind blade attack was Magistrate Liang’s doing?” Li Ping’an broke the silence first.

Li Pingfu said coldly, “Who else could it be? The timing of that wind blade was too sly, appearing exactly when I was about to capture the Black Lotus Envoy. If I hadn’t retreated quickly, I’d be dead now.”

He paused, voice growing even colder. “In all of Yunshui County, besides Magistrate Liang, who else has such cultivation and motive?”

That life-and-death crisis still haunted him. That was no ordinary cultivator’s attack—razor-sharp and unmatched, clearly from a master expert in this path.

Li Rongzhou’s angry expression showed that though he wanted to protect his family and country, he almost lost his eldest son. Being a coveted official was no easy task.

Or rather, any official who truly wanted to do something for the people had it hard.

He pondered aloud, “If it really was Magistrate Liang, then his cunning is too deep. On one hand, he uses us to fight the Endless Life Sect; on the other, he doesn’t want us to grow too powerful, so he struck in a critical moment, hoping we and the demons would both fall…”

“That fits his style perfectly.” Li Ping’an sneered. “This celestial official is best at balancing power. What he needs are obedient dogs, not wolves that threaten him.”

The study fell silent again.

After a long time, Li Pingcan, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke slowly, “Big Brother, though you are a natural expert, Magistrate Liang holds an official position and can mobilize the dynasty’s destiny energy.  

Moreover, the County Captain and Deputy are both his confidants, and his bodyguard, Old Wu, is a natural expert with a swift sword that is extraordinary. If we tear up with him, it would become very troublesome.”

Magistrate Liang was a formation expert who rarely left his array and had innate protection plus the dynasty’s destiny energy blessing. He was not easy to deal with.

The Emerald Dream was “just recovering from a major illness.” Li Pingcan’s Druid training site was set within it, so the dynasty’s destiny energy would not detect it, but it required rest and steady development.

From his deep understanding of the training site, Li Pingcan knew that if the dynasty’s destiny energy deepened, even a mid-Refining Qi cultivator like Magistrate Liang could be temporarily granted the “Foundation Establishment” rank!

No wonder the Holy Lord exposed himself to construct the site, aiming to achieve Foundation Establishment. Even the Great Yu Dynasty would struggle to capture him. It would truly be like a carp leaping over the dragon gate, free as a bird soaring in the sky.

Likewise, if the Li family wanted to strike Magistrate Liang, they had to act quickly and decisively, leaving no trace.

Li Pingfu nodded. He was not reckless, and what Li Pingcan said was correct. The Li family was not yet at the stage to tussle with a county magistrate.

The Li family’s rapid rise required a stable environment and time to nurture the next generation for the future.

Li Pingcan smiled with relief. No matter how angry his big brothers were, they wouldn’t lose their rationality and would always make the right choice first.

He said, “No need to worry too much. Magistrate Liang is cautious and does not want to tear relations with Second Brother’s Mu family behind him. He also fears Big Brother, the natural martial artist. Now that Big Brother is suspended, he can peacefully cultivate at home and stabilize his realm.”

Li Pingcan looked at the long term.

With the Druid training site established and silently accumulating power, the balance of power might one day allow them to battle Magistrate Liang.

.........

Seasons passed swiftly—spring to winter, cold to heat.

Two years flew by.

During these two years, the Li family acted increasingly low-key.

After Li Pingfu’s suspension ended and he resumed office, he no longer made sweeping changes. He simply fulfilled his duties, training the patrol camp daily to maintain basic city security, with no further reckless behavior.

Li Ping’an continued to work diligently within the county government, handling complex paperwork and showing ever more deference to Magistrate Liang. His yearly “respect” never ceased, appearing to be a compliant and capable official.

The brothers’ “sense” pleased Magistrate Liang greatly. To him, they were thoroughly subdued by his “shake the mountain to scare the tiger” move.

Emerald Dream.

Using the array foundations and Saint Lotus Hearts left by the Holy Lord in major towns, Li Pingfu easily established the Chang Lingyan Training Site scattered throughout the Emerald Dream of Yunshui County.

Emerald Dream was a spiritual projection of the real world. Its true range encompassed the entire heaven and earth, but because the training sites hadn’t expanded, the Emerald Dream outside Yunshui County was a mere illusion.

Exploring these illusory areas quickly required more spiritual power, but weak spiritual power would be swept away by many “whirlpools” in the illusory region, making it quite safe.

For caution, Li Pingfu avoided venturing into these areas and instead quietly strengthened his divine sense.

This white jade lotus flower, transformed from the Saint Lotus Heart, quietly bloomed. Each petal flowed with strict holy light.

Sitting atop the lotus platform, he felt unprecedented peace and clarity.

In the real world, every bit of heaven and earth spiritual energy attracted and purified by Nature’s Heart would manifest in this spiritual plane. After transformation by the lotus platform, it would become the purest soul power, endlessly nourishing him.

“A real cheating artifact!”

Li Pingcan admired inwardly. Cultivating here in Emerald Dream, the growth speed of divine sense was much faster than meditating outside.

No wonder the Endless Life Sect leader went to such lengths to build a training site. This method of creating a home ground to convert heaven and earth power for one’s use was true immortal cultivation style.

He tried repairing the lotus platform, carefully injecting magical power into it. Unfortunately, after two years, the cracks on the platform slowly mended so subtly that the naked eye barely noticed, only partially repairing a tiny bit.

But even that tiny bit made Li Pingcan feel his connection with the training site grow stronger.

Even more exciting, he discovered the lotus platform could not only convert spiritual energy but also seemed able to analyze “rules.”

He sank his mind deeply, attempting to analyze the elusive yet omnipresent “dynasty dragon energy.”

From the dream’s perspective, the destiny of Yunshui County was like streams of golden rivers rising from thousands of households, ultimately converging into the county government’s official seal called the “Yunshui Mirror.” Then, through this seal, it connected to the higher-level, vast dragon energy representing the entire Great Yu Dynasty.

Magistrate Liang was the manager of this “lake.”

His “Druid training site” was like quietly carving out a new, hidden “natural lake” in the upstream of this water system.

Although the diverted “merit” was small, it had already touched the most fundamental rules.

“I see now.”

Li Pingcan’s heart cleared completely.

Officials like Magistrate Liang were not merely cultivators but like threads woven into the populace to exchange for the dynasty’s destiny energy blessing, serving as their cultivation resources. This was a form of exploitation of the lower classes.

The “Druid training site,” however, essentially created a completely different cycle system on this royal land. It was based on nature, sheltering local creatures. The flourishing of those creatures in turn nourished the site, forming an independent merit and destiny system.

This was like planting a new tree beside the dynasty’s territory. Though still a sapling, it instinctively began competing for sunlight and rain.

To truly settle the family on this land, there were only two paths.

Either flee far away with family, completely severing ties with the Great Yu Dynasty’s system, going to overseas immortal mountains or other dynasties to become a carefree wandering cultivator. But this was no easy task—dangerous roads and new environments with new dragons awaited.

Or...

A flicker of ambition flashed in Li Pingcan’s eyes—one even he had not noticed before.

Instead, take over and become this land’s new “guardian deity”!

“The essence of the dynasty’s system is to harvest merit and destiny energy. So why can’t I use Emerald Dream to reverse harvest the dynasty?”

This was not mere destruction but a more brilliant form of “theft” and “integration,” silently covering the dynasty’s system with Emerald Dream and the Druid training site.

Eventually, all the destiny energy of this heaven and earth would be entirely converted for his own use.

Once this thought arose, it grew wildly like rampant vines, impossible to restrain.