After initially appeasing the spirit beasts, Li Zhirui and the others couldn't leave immediately, because the next few days were crucial to determine whether the spirit beasts had adapted to their new environment or not.
Fortunately, the Li family had summarized numerous methods for nurturing these six kinds of spirit beasts and hadn't run into any trouble. All they needed was to arrange for a few clan members to come and feed the spirit beasts daily.
Having arrived at Da Rong Island and with a bit of free time, Li Zhirui finally got the chance to enter his space and tend to the various spiritual objects.
Meanwhile, inspired by Li Zhirui's breakthrough, Da Qing, who had fallen into a deep slumber, also woke up from his cultivation.
"You broke through?!" Li Zhirui, who was casting the Spiritual Rain Skill, flew over upon hearing the familiar voice, looking at Da Qing with a face full of surprise.
Li Zhirui, of course, hoped that Da Qing could advance further because this would also be an enhancement to his own strength. However, the probability of this happening was not high, so Li Zhirui didn't hold out too much hope.
In the three hundred years since the Li family's establishment, there weren't more than three instances where someone broke through to Foundation Establishment and their contracted spirit beast did too, like Li Shiqing had.
Da Qing didn't respond to Li Zhirui at all, or rather, with his current level of spiritual intelligence, he wasn't capable of responding to such a question. Instead, he kept making noise on his own.
"Glutton," Li Zhirui said, somewhat annoyed, but he didn't mistreat Da Qing either, immediately pulling out a few spirit fruits and bringing them to Da Qing's mouth.
This, in fact, was the main reason for Da Qing's breakthrough.
Because of the space's presence, Li Zhirui never shortchanged Da Qing when it came to feeding him. In fact, Da Qing's treatment was absolutely the best among all the Qi Cultivators' spirit beasts in the family, never lacking in spirit fruits.
Letting Da Qing enjoy the spirit fruits, Li Zhirui continued to tend to the spirit fields, and once everything was finished, he left the space together with Da Qing.
Leaving Da Qing to get familiar with the temporary residence, Li Zhirui then started his cultivation for the day.
...
Finishing with the spirit beasts didn't mean Li Zhirui had nothing else to do. The family had just moved to Da Rong Island, and there was a multitude of tasks to be handled, so soon, Li Zhirui and others were roped in to help with the hard labor.
In the following extended period, the seventy-some cultivators of the Li family became extremely busy. Aside from their daily cultivation, they hardly had a moment's respite.
But it was also this busyness that helped the clan members forget the sorrow of leaving their homes and start to develop a sense of belonging to Da Rong Island.
Days passed, and the Li family firmly rooted itself on Da Rong Island. The clan members no longer needed to be as busy as before.
On the same day, Da Rong Island saw its first second-order Spirit Vein. From then on, everyone no longer needed to rely on spirit stones to cultivate.
Li Shiqing, the clan leader, once again gave a speech, culminating in the assurance that the family would have a better future, and then most of the clan members were free to go about their usual activities.
However, Li Zhirui wasn't among those clan members, because according to the family rules, those in the late stages of Qi Cultivation were qualified to take up the position of Elder.
Of course, there were limited positions, and the family couldn't establish that many elders. However, to ensure the smooth transition of responsibilities, Qi Cultivators in the late stage were allowed to sit in on meetings to familiarize themselves with clan affairs.
This wasn't mandatory, as there were always some who didn't like wielding power, but Li Zhirui had just made his breakthrough. Moreover, this was the first high-level meeting after the family had undergone changes—both publicly and privately, he had to attend.
"Yesterday, I received a message from my fifth brother. On the same day we left Bailang County, the Beast Taming Sect was destroyed by the White Jade Sect! It is said that not one in ten of the disciples of the Beast Taming Sect survived!"
As soon as Li Shiqing opened his mouth, he dropped a bombshell, leaving everyone dumbfounded and taking a long time to recover.
Although everyone had anticipated it, they couldn't help but feel scared and lucky when they actually heard the news.
"Second Brother, how did the White Jade Sect treat the Xie family, Jiang Family and other clans?" The first to speak was Li Shilian, the eldest among the attendees.
"Imposing a penalty of ten thousand Spirit Stones and demanding the relinquishment of their ancestral lands." The first condition was manageable; ten thousand Spirit Stones weren't much for these Foundation Establishment clans.
But giving up their ancestral lands was akin to cutting off the very foundations of these clans. It seemed that the White Jade Sect wanted to deal with them without spilling any blood!
Upon hearing this, everyone's faces filled with relief. If they hadn't reacted quickly and decisively, might they have ended up in the same situation?
However, Li Zhirui harbored a trace of concern which no one seemed to voice, so he had to gather his courage to ask, "Clan Leader, has the White Jade Sect issued any warrants for our families that escaped early?"
He had learned that the White Jade Sect possessed Nascent Soul Cultivators, and certainly, the Li family wasn't the only one who had fled.
Although Da Rong Island was far enough from Bailang County, and several powers lay between them on the continent, who could guarantee that the news of the Li family's move to Da Rong Island wouldn't reach the ears of the White Jade Sect?
Li Zhirui's words made the atmosphere in the hall, which had just relaxed a bit, tense again.
Li Shiqing looked at Li Zhirui with a hint of surprise and then, with a smile, said, "It seems there's always someone with talent in the new generation. It looks like we're getting old."
This comment wasn't something Li Zhirui, as a junior, could easily agree with. He could only chuckle awkwardly and try to make himself as inconspicuous as possible.
"I will have my fifth brother send someone to inquire about this matter. To be safe, the family should act cautiously until we have confirmation," Li Shiqing stated.
Besides this issue, the most important thing was how the Li family should develop from here!
Regarding this, Li Shilian, who was most familiar with the White Jade Sect's governance of Yunping State, offered his suggestion: "Yunbo, Yunhe, and Yunqing counties, due to their coastal location, have all developed well, but among them, Yunqing County has prospered the most."
Not only because Yunqing County is centrally located among the coastal counties, serving as a transit point between the northern and southern states, but also due to the concentration of Spirit Veins in Yunqing County. The three second-tier Spirit Veins brought rich Spiritual Energy to Yunqing Marketplace, attracting many Cultivators.
"So, if the family is considering setting up shops, Yunqing Marketplace would be the best choice."
The discussion then unfolded around this topic, with the Elders sharing their viewpoints, and Li Zhirui, being a junior, just needed to listen attentively.
"Zhirui, what's your opinion on this matter?" Perhaps because of the previous reminder, Li Shiqing made a point to ask Li Zhirui directly for his input.
After organizing his thoughts based on what he had just heard, Li Zhirui said, "I think the family should restructure our industries."
In Bailang County, due to the presence of the Beast Taming Sect's Sect Master, all the Spirit Beasts raised by the vassal forces were sold as raw materials, and then the Beast Taming Sect would process them to make Spirit Food for sale.
Li Zhirui had tried two types of Spirit Food when he broke through to the sixth level of Qi Cultivation, thanks to being brought by Li Shiren to a restaurant operated by the Beast Taming Sect. One was a ginseng stew made with Crimson Feather Chicken, and the other was crystal roasted pork made from Tusked Swine.
Both tasted quite good and could even enhance a Cultivator's Mana, but they were not cheap; the two dishes cost twenty Spirit Stones.
However, from Li Zhirui's observations, a single Crimson Feather Chicken could make at least six servings of the ginseng stew, and a single Tusked Swine could yield fifty servings of the crystal roasted pork.
Considering the prices at which the Li family sold these two types of Spirit Beasts, the Beast Taming Sect only needed to sell a few servings of Spirit Food to make a profit!