After the path was cut off

The morning light outside the window was slightly cool, falling on a corner of the desk.

Li Wangxiang sat at the table, pen in hand, the tip hovering over the paper for a long time, hesitant to make a stroke. The dark ink clung to the tip, gradually losing its original luster.

On the table lay an unfinished letter home, with several lines of neatly written small characters:

"Your foolish younger brother bows again in longing for home."

Is my elder brother well? Are things going smoothly at home? Have all my nephews grown up?

Even though I live far away in the mountains, my longing for home never ceases.

He was so engrossed in his ascetic practice in the mountains that he didn't notice the passing years. When he finally realized it, Qingming Festival had already passed. He was ultimately unfilial and was unable to return to his hometown to pay respects to his ancestors.

My elder brother is getting older; I hope you will take good care of yourself and not worry about those who are far away.

The handwriting is steady and restrained to an almost unusual degree.

But when he was writing the last part, his pen suddenly stopped.

That line only got started:

"Soon I will—"

That was the last time.

Li Wangxiang stared at those words for a long time, but ultimately couldn't continue writing.

The words "returning home" lingered in my heart for a long time, but when I finally put them on paper, they felt incredibly heavy.

Is he really still alive to go back?

Since there is no certainty, I dare not make a promise to return.

I dare not let my brother wait in vain from afar, nor can I allow this letter, which crossed mountains and seas to be sent back to the Central Plains, to ultimately become nothing more than empty words.

Li Wangxiang remained silent for a long time before finally gently placing the pen back on the inkstone, slowly folding the family letter, and putting it into the wooden box.

As the wooden box closed, his gaze gradually calmed down.

Only by taking down the Rotten Water Abyss can we have the chance to return home.

Li Wangxiang raised his hand and flicked it, and several jade slips and a thin book appeared on the table.

These were all delivered by my senior brother last night.

Regarding the bidding for spiritual lands, the vassal sects, the old customs of general affairs, and the records of disciples within the sect, my senior brother has brought everything that could be transferred for him.

When that senior brother received the message, he didn't ask any questions.

She neither asked Bei Chen nor why he had suddenly become interested in these mundane matters, but simply delivered the items in silence, as if she had long been accustomed to it—she did not ask about things that should not be asked.

Since his senior sister was tasked with her mission and perished, his senior brother has become increasingly silent, as if he has buried many things inside his shell.

Li Wangxiang did not spend too much time on this matter.

After going through all these things last night, he suddenly realized that Shen Bai's words yesterday were not entirely true.

The statement that "only when a war of pioneering begins will new spiritual lands be released" is only half true.

At the beginning of the new era, the most spiritual lands were indeed released.

However, that does not mean that the sect has no other spiritual lands to circulate. There are many affiliated immortal sects, both within and outside the borders, that are poorly managed, unable to protect their spiritual lands, or unable to complete their general affairs. If something goes wrong in these places, the General Affairs Hall will still reclaim the spiritual lands and release them for others to compete for.

Shen Bai's silence was simply a way of taking advantage of his ignorance of worldly affairs and testing him.

To test whether he left the clan for the sake of his relatives, or whether he had truly reached a point where he had no choice but to leave.

Ah, this senior brother, even before entering the mortal world, his words were half true and half false; he should have realized this long ago.

But what good is it if he tries? He has no other way out.

Li Wangxiang stopped being distracted and opened a book.

The above is the written rule for this bidding for the spiritual land in Yunmeng.

The sacred sites released this time are divided into two rings.

The first ring has 321 sections.

The second ring consists of fifty-six sections.

All disciples of the Tianxuan Sect are welcome to participate.

In addition, affiliated immortal sects can also participate in the bidding, but affiliated immortal sects are not allowed to compete for spiritual land within the first ring.

Next, we move on to the bidding process—

Each sacred site can be purchased by a maximum of three people together.

During the bidding, only the immortal cultivation level is considered, not the spirit stones.

Li Wangxiang stared at the words "immortal skill" for a long time, lost in thought.

As the saying goes, a true disciple receives the full attention of a sect, and this immortal skill is the most direct proof of that.

Such merits can only be obtained by completing specific tasks issued by the Three Halls, and can be exchanged for all the resources in the sect's treasury.

Ordinary Foundation Establishment disciples toil for years and barely accumulate more than a thousand skills, but he, as a true disciple, possesses over forty thousand immortal skills.

However, his foundation was shattered, and the judgment of the Hall of Mastery hung like a sword over his head, his status as a true disciple could be revoked at any time.

Will this immortal skill be taken back then?

Li Wangxiang didn't know.

Therefore, this magical skill must be used up as soon as possible.

As for how to spend it, it's not hard to figure it out.

A small portion was used to fight over the corrupt waters, while the majority was used to exchange for the resources needed to build the immortal sect.

Li Wangxiang's gaze slowly fell on the rubbing of the Yunmeng map on the corner of the table.

The rules are clear, and the stakes have been settled.

What remains to be seen is the resistance.

The biggest obstacle, however, was himself.

The identity of a survivor of Beichen is too eye-catching.

Since he stepped out of the cave, countless eyes have been fixed on him. If he were to personally step into the fray now and openly compete for the Corrupted Water Abyss, it would only further solidify those gazes upon him.

Therefore, he cannot reveal his hand in this bidding process.

He needs someone to stand in front for him.

And that's not all.

The Corrupted Water Abyss is in the second ring, and even vassal immortal sects can get involved. With the defeat in the Northern Plains, many will lose their spiritual lands and their roots. It's said that some have been causing trouble day and night at the mountain gate, demanding an explanation from the General Affairs Hall.

It's easy to imagine how chaotic the bidding for the second ring of sacred land will be.

These people may not be able to surpass him in terms of immortal skills, but they might cause trouble in other ways.

But as his thoughts shifted, Li Wangxiang did not immediately relax. Instead, he turned his gaze to a jade slip.

The Autobiography of Chen Bingshan.

The jade slip records the entire process of how a disciple of a sect established himself in the borderlands, how he managed his sect, and how he watched his years of hard work crumble amidst the changing times.

It contains too many pitfalls.

How to choose a sacred site, how to examine the ley lines, how to probe the surrounding forces, how to recruit affiliated rogue cultivators, how to take in disciples, how to divide the profits, how to exchange resources, how to negotiate prices... one thing after another, each and every one of these matters weighs heavily on the mind.

He simply cannot learn these things in a short period of time.

Therefore, he also needs someone who truly understands spiritual matters and business management.

The rules are not the problem.

Immortal skills are not a problem either.

The real problem is using these things to influence the right people.

Li Wangxiang leaned back in his chair and gently closed his eyes.

Five days remain until the bidding for the Lingdi site.

The time was still too short.

We can't just keep searching in isolation; we have to get someone to come to him.

As long as he releases the news that he will also participate in the bidding for the spiritual land, those who are truly interested in leaving the sect to establish their own and eyeing the Yunmeng spiritual land will not be able to bypass him.

At that time, there will naturally be no shortage of people coming to sound him out, to win him over, and to test his abilities.

All he had to do was pick out the usable ones from among them.

As for this wind—

He can't put it there himself.

A name quickly came to mind for Li Wangxiang.