The Southern Edge Commerce Association was coming on strong, having opened a multitude of shops elsewhere and seized nearly thirty percent of their market share, and that figure was still rising. How could the Xuanfa Pavilion stand it?
Unfortunately, the strength of the two commerce associations was roughly equal, and they were simply incapable of annihilating each other, only able to compete through business means.
And Shen Leishan, this domain of ten thousand miles, is the only area in the East Continent’s cultivation world, apart from Xuanfa State where the Xuanfa Pavilion headquarters is located, that does not have a Southern Edge Commerce Association shop, and they absolutely did not allow the Southern Edge Commerce Association to get a foothold!
At the same time, Xuanfa Pavilion was already preparing a team to, like the Southern Edge Commerce Association, enter the South Continent’s cultivation world and directly attack their territory, forcing them to retract their influence and thereby reducing pressure.
When the Yuanming Sect received the message from Xuanfa Pavilion, Mingling immediately showed a cold smile and said, "Just the Li family, thinking they can play both sides and seek benefits amidst these major forces with just three Golden Core cultivators?"
"The Li family has always been cautious, so the Xuanfa Pavilion just suspects them without evidence."
Jiang Tianming frowned and said, "Now they’re not ready to waste energy on the Li family, so they’re tossing this matter to us, intending to use another’s hand to eradicate them."
"Senior brother, we can’t deny that this is indeed a good opportunity to eliminate the Li family!" Mingling volunteered, stepping forward to say, "Leave this matter to me. I will certainly find evidence that will sever the Li family’s lineage once and for all!"
Jiang Tianming glanced at his younger fellow disciple. Already a proud and haughty person, he watched his former vassal, the Yuanming Sect, grow step by step to this point, even surpassing the Yuanming Sect, and his heart was filled with resentment and unwillingness.
Furthermore, Li Zhirui’s conduct during the previous auction further fueled his wrath, and before he knew it, the Li family had become an obsession in his heart!
Although the influence of this obsession was far from reaching the level of a Heart Demon, without a doubt, it caused certain hindrances to his cultivation.
"Go, but conceal your identity well and avoid conflict with the Li family," Jiang Tianming couldn’t help but caution.
If it were in Yuanming Mountain, there would be no need to worry about the Li family taking action, but if one were alone in the outside world, once the Li family detected their presence, they might face the three Golden Core cultivators joining hands to ambush and slaughter them!
If such a thing really happened, then Yuanming Sect would truly be in danger of being wiped out.
"Senior brother, rest assured, I will not take our sect’s legacy lightly," Mingling said solemnly.
Having said that, he turned into a rainbow light and left Yuanming Mountain, flying toward Da Rong Island.
——
"The Southern Edge Commerce Association has already started selling Essence-Enhancing Pills. There might be people secretly observing nearby. Uncle, you need to be even more careful when making trades outside," Li Zhirui said worriedly after hearing about this behind the main hall.
Li Shiqing laughed heartily and said, "Hahaha, don’t worry. Several months ago, Li Shilian and I dug a tunnel that goes directly from Da Rong Island into the Boundless Sea, making the chance of being discovered extremely low."
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Slipping into the Boundless Sea and then emerging from a spot hundreds of miles away from Da Rong Island—if they really were to be discovered, it could only mean that the Li family’s fortune was waning and its decline was not far off.
Hearing this, Li Zhirui indeed felt much more at ease. Although it was not a one hundred percent guarantee against exposure, it had greatly reduced the probability.
The reality was indeed such; Mingling hid in the vicinity of Da Rong Island for several months without detecting the Li family sending anyone to contact or trade with the Southern Edge Commerce Association, even though he had arranged for many disciples to do so.
Seeing that there was no news for an extended period, Jiang Tianming knew that continuing would be a waste of time, so he called Mingling and the others back.
"Junior Brother, stop wasting time and remember that cultivation is the foundation!" Seeing Mingling’s reluctance, Jiang Tianming showed a rare sternness.
Startled by these words, Mingling paused, and after some time, with a noticeable change in his demeanor, he bowed and said, "I understand now, thank you, Senior Brother."
"Good!" Jiang Tianming was overjoyed; he hadn’t expected Mingling to have a breakthrough in his state of mind, which meant that the doors to the Middle Golden Core Stage were now open to him.
The Li family continued to conduct secret transactions with the Southern Edge Commerce Association, and with the abundant Essence-Enhancing Pills that surfaced, Li Zhirui’s strength was rapidly increasing.
As for the elderly Li Shiqing and Li Shilian, even though the family had amassed quite a few Essence-Enhancing Pills, they were reluctant to consume them, preferring to save them for Li Zhirui and the upcoming Golden Core family members.
No matter how much Li Zhirui and the others tried to persuade them, the two old men would not budge, and in the end, they had no choice but to respect their wishes and store the surplus Essence-Enhancing Pills.
——
As spring passed and autumn came, time flowed unhurriedly, and in the blink of an eye, five years had passed.
During these five years, with the efforts of the three Golden Core cultivators, Da Rong Island had merged completely with Red Pine Island, Nine Springs Island, and Blue Mountain Island, forming an expanse spanning hundreds of miles, larger than Yunping State.
Such vast territory was enough for the Li family to expand for hundreds of years without worrying about insufficient land.
Moreover, a portion of the Spirit Stones earned by the Li family every year was used to create Spirit Veins on the island, enriching every corner of Da Rong Island, albeit with a thin presence of Spiritual Energy.
With the changes to Da Rong Island, voices within the family began to emerge, calling for a name change as the name "Da Rong Island" was far too common.
Li Zhizhun thought the same, so he pushed vigorously for the renaming of Da Rong Island and had received approval from Li Zhirui, Li Shiqing, and others.
"Why don’t we involve everyone in this?" he suggested. "After names are submitted, we’ll perform a primary selection. The top five with the most votes will enter the second round, and then we’ll determine the winner."
Sparked by inspiration, Li Zhirui added, "During this selection process, some of the good names that don’t become the new name for the island can still be used to name various mountains and rivers."
Da Rong Island, having merged many islands, now featured varied and disorderly terrain; indeed, it wasn’t right to be without proper names.
The Li family also wanted to carve out plains or cluster mountains together to maximize land use.
This would be excellent, whether for ordinary people to open up farmland, or for planting Spiritual Medicine and rearing Spirit Beasts.
However, there was nothing to be done; the Li family possessed only the Island Moving Divine Ability and lacked the Mountain Moving Divine Ability, unable to drastically change the terrain on a large scale. And unlike the former, the latter was definitely not a minor Divine Power and was beyond the current Li family’s reach.
Because of Li Zhirui’s proposal, the naming event had evolved into a grand celebration for the entire family!
All clan members participated eagerly, hoping that the names they came up with would become the new name for Da Rong Island, or at least the name for a mountain peak or a river on the island.
After all, once chosen, it would be a matter of pride for countless years! Discover stories at freewebnovel