Family Cultivation: I Become a Mirror-Chapter 108 - 102: Back to the Market

Li Tongya, having attended the funeral, changed into a fresh white robe. Realizing it was the hour for Wangyue Lake's market day, he gathered up the monster pelts and various materials he had hunted in the past few days and set off northward.

He rode the winds, circling a few times through the reed marshes. He had intended to wait for the right moment to harvest a whiff of River Essence Qi but saw only yellowed reeds and cracked riverbeds. With no choice, he left empty-handed, frustrated.

"It's been dry for several months, the riverbeds are parched, and the reeds have all turned yellow; where can any River Essence Qi be harvested?"

After leaving the reed marshes, Li Tongya rode the wind towards Wangyue Lake. The waterline of Wangyue Lake had receded hundreds of miles, and the ground was covered with the wriggling maggots upon fish carcasses; many small islands had also emerged on the lake's surface.

With a brush of his sleeve, Li Tongya activated the hidden Formation in the air, which immediately triggered flashes of silver light.

Times had changed, and with a sweep of his Spiritual Sense, he quickly located a large boat on the lake. With a few steps through the air, he descended onto it.

"Esteemed sir, are you perhaps heading to the Wangyue Lake market?"

A young man hurriedly ran out from the cabin below, a mere third-layer Fetal Breathing Cultivator, and asked eagerly.

"Indeed."

Li Tongya found a seat and sat down, just as the young man brought him tea. He noticed the absence of the white-haired old man from years ago and inquired,

"I remember that a white-haired old man used to steer this boat more than a decade ago. Why has he been replaced?"

The youth feigned enlightenment, gently set down his teacup, and replied repeatedly,

"Senior may not know, but the old man failed to break through Qi Cultivation and died of old age ten years ago. His family didn't have a Spiritual Aperture Seed; the eldest son converted the Spiritual Objects into land and returned home to become a wealthy household head."

Li Tongya paused, gently lifting the teacup. Out of caution, he refrained from drinking the tea and set it back down, expressing his regret,

"What a pity."

"Ah."

The young man looked down and made a bowing gesture, hastily adding,

"Senior might not be aware, but the old man lived to the age of one hundred and eight and died a natural death. All of us who work on the boats envy his good fortune!"

"Oh?"

The young man saw that Li Tongya, who looked barely over thirty, had already achieved Qi Refinement and wore a Storage Bag and Qi Absorption Bottles at his waist, realizing this person must be a scion of a great family. He could only smile wryly and said,

"Senior may not know, but we Loose Cultivators inherit rudimentary techniques and mostly use First Grade Fetal Breathing Techniques. Spending more than a decade just to barely touch the edge of Wheel Cultivation is normal, and spending one's life stuck in Fetal Breathing isn't unusual."

"So it is."

The young man had worked on the lake for over a decade and had seen many high and mighty Qi Refining Cultivators who disdained to speak. Yet Li Tongya listened attentively and nodded frequently, prompting the young man to open up and continue eagerly,

"Senior has exceptional talents, achieving Qi Refinement at such a young age, unlike us Loose Cultivators who spend a lifetime clinging to a single Fetal Breathing Technique and yet cannot manage to draw a Talisman or refine a pill without proper inheritance. It's truly a bitter fate!"

Hearing this, Li Tongya suddenly thought of the Taiyin Breathing and Wheel Nourishing Scripture at home and mused,

"This Cultivation Technique is probably worth tying together all the families around Wangyue Lake! The rate of cultivation must be at least ten times that of ordinary methods, not to mention the purity and solidity of the cultivated Mana, far surpassing others."

Feigning nonchalance, Li Tongya smiled and lamented,

"I wonder what grade the Fetal Breathing Techniques practiced by those great Sect disciples are!"

The youth nodded vigorously and chuckled,

"I have been boating on this lake for over ten years and have seen big Sect disciples of twenty years old practicing Qi Refinement, but also ninety-year-olds stuck on the first layer of Fetal Breathing. I've heard that the Fetal Breathing Technique of the Green Pond Sect is unparalleled among all Sects, a Fifth Grade technique, which is four times faster than ordinary methods!"

"Truly remarkable!"

Li Tongya exclaimed in admiration, skillfully changing the subject and bantering about Shanyue with the man.

"I've heard the monsters to the west in Shanyue are quite fierce!"

"Indeed they are!"

The youth nodded repeatedly and boasted,

"I've heard that their king has already reached the Qi Cultivating Peak! He's managed to scatter the families of Tang Jin Sect's West Bank in disarray. Even Cultivating Family Heads have lost three men, with countless other losses."

As Li Tongya listened on, more people joined the boat. The youth, reluctant to leave, excused himself, and Li Tongya quietly pondered,

"Ganixi is still formidable; better he dies soon, so we can sleep peacefully at night."

Li Tongya listened to the others converse for a while and felt the boat shake; the Wangyue Lake market was now right before him.

After stepping off the boat, he pawned a Spirit Stone to rent a stall and displayed all his materials. He casually tossed several Talismans he had acquired from slaying others onto the table, then pulled out a Wooden Slip and started reading through Cultivation Techniques at his stall.

He had been researching Talismans for over a decade and his drawings barely hit a success rate of one in ten—just enough to cover the cost of the Talisman Paper. Factoring in the Talisman Ink, it was still a loss, so he continued practicing, hoping to one day profit from these Talismans.

After some thought, and spotting his Storage Bag and two Qi Absorption Bottles, Li Tongya guessed how the boatman had identified him as a family scion. He wrapped a piece of Spiritual Cloth around the bottles and tucked them inside his clothes, now looking more like a Loose Cultivator.

Li Tongya arrived early this time and the crowd was still significant. Within an hour, he sold almost all his wares. Not wishing to wait to sell the last few items, he packed up, retrieved his Spirit Stone, and paid a rent of ten jin of Spirit Rice.