In the sky above the Divine Capital, in the Nine Heavens Squall Layer.
Li Mu sat cross-legged in the air with his upper body naked, allowing the biting cold squall to blow on his body. After using the squall to train his physical body for a while, he used his magic to prop up a shield and continued to fly upwards.
Flying past Shangguan Li, Li Mu continued to fly upwards. A trace of defiance flashed through Shangguan Li's eyes. After moving upwards for a distance with difficulty, she fell several meters under the huge pressure and landed back at her original position.
Knowing that Li Mu's cultivation had far surpassed hers, she could only sit cross-legged where she was obediently.
Before Li Mu started cultivating, she had already reached the fifth level with the help of the Empress. Now, Li Mu was only one step away from the sixth level, and she was still stuck at the fifth level.
Sighing softly in her heart, Shangguan Li closed her eyes and continued to channel her magic, enduring the huge pressure brought by the squall.
Li Mu floated several meters above Shangguan Li and sat cross-legged again. This was about the limit of his magic power. He looked up and saw another figure sitting cross-legged in the distance.
After Xuanzong was taught a lesson, Li Mu deliberately realized his own slack.
If he could use half of the time he usually spent fooling around and flirting to cultivate, he might not be so passive when he encountered similar situations again.
Not only did Li Mu become diligent, but he also pulled the Empress to cultivate with him.
Refining his body for two hours, tempering his magic power for two hours, practicing painting for two hours, writing talismans, and dealing with political affairs. He spent 12 hours with the Empress every day.
The remaining 12 hours, besides sleeping, were spent with his family and learning dragon language from Cheng Xin.
Strictly speaking, sleeping was also considered cultivation. The speed of dual cultivation, especially Li Mu and Liu Hanyan's, was far faster than guiding and cultivating Qi.
Unfortunately, Li Mu's cultivation seemed to have encountered a bottleneck. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't see any hope of breaking through.
Going from Zao Hua to Dongxuan was the first natural chasm on the path of cultivation. Other than hard work in cultivation, to a certain extent, it also depended on luck. If the luck was there, one could break through the realm. If the luck was not there, one could be trapped for life.
In addition to breaking through to the next realm, Li Mu was faced with another problem.
Outside of Luoyang, the largest cultivation market on the Zu Continent was being built quickly. When the time came, thousands of cultivators from all over the Zu Continent would come to collect their Fu-lu. When the market was completed, there would be no shortage of customers.
What they lacked was merchants.
A market that could accommodate hundreds of shops couldn't just have one Fu-lu Pavilion. The imperial court needed to attract important businesses, such as the Pill Cauldron Sect, the Spirit Array Sect, the South Sect, the North Sect, and so on.
If they could get the support of these four sects, they wouldn't have to worry about the market's future customers.
The problem was that the Great Zhou court was obviously making an enemy out of Xuanzong. The Fu-lu School and Xuanzong had shed all pretense of cordiality, but the other sects hadn't. After all, the Taoist sects were one family. They couldn't help outsiders against their own family for a little benefit, even if the imperial court took 20% less of their profits than Xuanzong.
If they couldn't convince these four sects, then the market that was about to be built in Luoyang would be a joke.
Li Mu didn't have any relationship with these four sects, nor did he have such great influence. He could only place his hopes on Xuan Jizi. For this reason, Li Mu personally returned to Mount Baiyun to discuss this matter with him.
Hearing Li Mu's words, Yuzhenzi shook his head and said, "This is very difficult. The other four sects have no enmity or grudge with Xuanzong. The Great Zhou and Xuanzong are at loggerheads. They won't help outsiders and offend their own sect. Apart from our relationship with the Pill Cauldron Sect, we don't have too deep of a relationship with the other sects. On the contrary, Xuanzong has a lot of contact with them."
Li Mu had anticipated this situation before he came. He could only say, "Let's convince as many as we can first."
The relationship between the Fu-lu School and the Pill Cauldron Sect was indeed a bit closer. Back in Xuanzong, Li Mu and the Pill Cauldron Sect's Senior Sister Jadesun chatted happily. Once, the Fu-lu School even wrote a Heavenly Secret Talisman for the Pill Cauldron Sect. Li Mu had even comprehended the Heavenly Book of the Pill Cauldron Sect.
Xuan Jizi thought for a moment and said, "Then Junior Sister, you go and contact Senior Sister Wuchen."
Yuzhenzi looked at him with a strange expression, but didn't say anything. He left the Dao Palace. Li Mu knew that the Six Sects had a special magic item that could transmit projections over long distances. The Six Sects often used this method to hold important meetings.
Not long after Yuzhenzi left, he came back and said to Xuan Jizi, "Senior Sister Wuchen said that if you want to discuss this matter, she wants you to go to the Pill Cauldron Sect personally."
Xuan Jizi said decisively, "Nonsense. If the headmaster of a sect could leave the sect at will, I would have gone with you to Xuanzong last time. You go to the Pill Cauldron Sect in my place …"
Yuzhenzi shook his head and said, "Senior Sister said it very clearly. If you don't go to the Pill Cauldron Sect personally, there is no possibility of discussion."
Li Mu instinctively felt that there was something hidden in this matter. Xuan Jizi seemed to be very resistant to going to the Pill Cauldron Sect. Before he could ask, Grand Elder Tianyangzi walked in from outside and said to Xuan Jizi, "You go. In the past, we two old fellows weren't here. Now that we two old fellows have returned, even if you leave the sect for a year and a half, nothing will happen."
Xuan Jizi still wanted to say something, but Grand Elder continued, "Our Fu-lu School and Xuanzong have already reached this point. As the headmaster, you should think more about the sect."
Xuan Jizi was silent for a moment, then sighed and said, "Disciple understands."
Li Mu had never seen Xuan Jizi like this. Seeing him leave with a heavy heart, Li Mu was suspicious. He asked Yuzhenzi, "What happened to Senior Brother?"
Yuzhenzi shook his head and said helplessly, "Because the Pill Cauldron Sect's Senior Sister Yuzhenzi likes Senior Brother, and Senior Brother wholeheartedly wants to revitalize the sect. He doesn't want to be burdened by love affairs. Senior Sister Yuzhenzi's talent is outstanding, but because of this, she is unable to transcend …"
Li Mu finally understood why when he and Xuanzong had a conflict, Xuan Jizi got the news from Yuzhenzi.
However, to be honest, love affairs will indeed affect cultivation and the revitalization of the sect. If one only knew how to talk about love every day, how could one have time to cultivate? How could one have time to plan the future of the sect? No one knew this better than Li Mu.
Being immersed in the land of warmth and tenderness all day will greatly breed laziness.
Perhaps the Pill Cauldron Sect wanted to facilitate the two of them to become Dao companions. Li Mu didn't know whether Xuan Jizi didn't like Yuzhenzi or was worried about the sect. If it was the former, then Li Mu also didn't want him to sacrifice himself for the sect.
Feelings can't be forced. After all, Xuan Jizi wasn't a lecherous person like Li Mu. Forcing him to spend his life with a woman he didn't like was rather too cruel.
Li Mu walked out of the Dao Palace and saw Xuan Jizi standing alone at the edge of a distant cliff. The mountain wind blew his Dao robe, making this figure appear particularly lonely.
Li Mu walked to the edge of the cliff and said: "Regarding senior apprentice-sister Yuzhenzi, what does senior apprentice-brother think in your heart?"
Xuan Jizi said deeply: "Before master's lifespan ended, he gave the Fu-lu School to me. What I bear is not a love affair, but the rise and fall of the sect. As the headmaster, I must live up to the responsibility on my shoulders, live up to master's dying wishes, live up to the ancestors of the Fu-lu School, and revitalize the sect …"
Standing together with Xuan Jizi, Li Mu suddenly felt somewhat ashamed.
He was also a disciple of the Fu-lu School and the future headmaster, but he didn't have the same sense of responsibility and mission as Xuan Jizi. He never took the initiative to think about doing anything for the Fu-lu School. To strengthen the sect, to fulfill the wishes of the ancestors, to make the Fu-lu School the number one sect of the Dao …
For someone like him who controlled countless resources, this clearly wasn't too difficult a matter.
Li Mu took a deep breath, and in his heart he strengthened a certain belief. He looked at Xuan Jizi and said: "If senior apprentice-brother trusts me, then hand the sect over to me. I will do my best to revitalize the Fu-lu School …"
Xuan Jizi suddenly turned around and walked towards the Dao Palace in large strides. He said: "Senior apprentice-brother, change your clothes. You also prepare to go to the Pill Cauldron School. Immediately, immediately!"
Li Mu stood in the mountain wind, looking at Xuan Jizi's back as he left with large strides. His expression was somewhat chaotic.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
