Chapter 121: The Plan

Listening to Li Shang’s explanation, Li Tian’s eyes grew increasingly bright. It was the first time he had realized that, as it turned out, one could actually be on the side of justice when taking someone else’s belongings.

"I understand, Family Head."

Once Li Shang had finished his lengthy theoretical exposition, Li Tian spoke up immediately. Li Shang nodded in satisfaction. "There are a few more things you must keep in mind."

"What are they?"

Hearing that his Family Head had further instructions, Li Tian looked up at once. After listening to his leader’s words today, he felt as if he had experienced a legendary moment of enlightenment. Methods that would have been impossible to conceive of before were now flooding his mind, echoing in his thoughts, making him yearn to put them into practice immediately. However, he forcibly suppressed this intense urge because his Family Head still had more to say. With this in mind, his eyes filled with anticipation and worship.

Sensing Li Tian’s gaze, Li Shang felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction. This feeling of being worshipped by a junior was something he could never experience in reality. After savoring the moment for a while, he did not hesitate and spoke directly:

"Wealth knows no distinction between high and low; many a little makes a mickle. Never refuse to ‘borrow’ something just because it doesn't seem precious. Even if it is of no use to you, you can bring it back for the other younger brothers and sisters in the clan to use. Even if no one needs it for the time being, using it to fill the family treasury is an excellent thing. The growth of a family is built upon such accumulation, bit by bit."

"Furthermore, when you go to borrow things, you must strike with full force and aim for an instant kill. If you encounter someone playing the pig to eat the tiger and you cannot defeat them, you must look behind them, shout for the family elders to save you, and take advantage of their distraction to flee immediately."

"Also..."

Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.

After hearing Li Shang’s teachings, Li Tian left the house, walking thoughtfully toward the marketplace of the Hundred Demon Mountain outside the city. He was ready to go and find his "fated one."

Watching Li Tian depart, Li Shang rubbed his nose. For some reason, he had the strange feeling that the family’s moral compass had been steered off course by him.

"Forget it, I’d better start accelerating time and strive to enter the next stage sooner."

Li Shang shook his head, pushing the thought to the back of his mind, and immediately activated time acceleration. The early stage of the game *Cultivation Family* was really just a learning phase for players to master the game mechanics, so it wasn't difficult; with a little thought, it could be passed quite easily. He had learned from the comments section that the game's main plot truly began only after the third generation of family disciples came of age. What he needed to do now was accumulate more resources and raise the strength of the others in the family as quickly as possible. Otherwise, once the plot began, his family would simply vanish if they lacked sufficient power or value.

[Li Tian killed Lian Qi fourth-layer cultivator Wang Miao and obtained 21 Spirit Stones]
[Li Dazhu was forgiven by Lin Qiao; cultivation speed increased by 10%]
[Li Xia observed the flowing stream and formed a Sword Intent: Fine Water]
[Li Xia broke through to the seventh layer of Lian Qi]
[You were favored by the top courtesan of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion]
[Li Xiu’er shows great potential in formations and has become a low-grade formation master]
[Li Tian killed a North Nether Sect disciple, framed the Luo City Li family, and obtained the Five Elements Foundation Establishment Method]
[Li Xiu’er used 1024 family spirit stones to build a primary Spirit Gathering Array; the entire clan’s cultivation speed increased by 25%]
[Li Dazhu successfully refined a magic treasure: Boots of Treading Clouds]
...
[You broke through to the tenth layer of Lian Qi]
...

Seeing that his cultivation had reached the peak of Lian Qi and that only one step remained to reach Foundation Establishment, Li Shang immediately stopped the time acceleration. As his consciousness returned to his body, he checked his gains from this period.

There were eleven magic treasures. Eight were weapons providing purely combat power, while the others were accessories with special uses, such as accelerating alchemy or increasing cultivation speed. After a simple distribution, Li Shang turned to the other items.

Li Tian had killed many people during this period and had harvested quite a few strange items. After examining them, Li Shang took out the scroll recording the Five Elements Foundation Establishment Method.

[Five Elements Foundation Establishment Method]:
Earth-grade Foundation Establishment Method.
Required materials: Foundation Establishment Pill, Five Elements Spiritual Objects...

Seeing the contents of the Five Elements Foundation Establishment Method, Li Shang raised an eyebrow. It was the first time he learned that Foundation Establishment had tiers. Those who achieved the realm by simply taking a Foundation Establishment Pill were considered Human-grade. Those who used rare treasures to establish their foundation achieved the Earth-grade. As for the Heaven-grade, the scroll had no detailed records, only noting that it was extremely powerful, though how powerful was unknown.

He carefully put away the scroll, deciding that this method would never be taught to outsiders. Even if it wasn't Heaven-grade, it was incredibly precious; even the largest Li family in Luo City did not possess such a technique, which showed its rarity.

Once the secret of this Five Elements Foundation Establishment Method were leaked, his entire clan would face total annihilation.

After tucking the method away, Li Shang checked the other items in the treasury. Aside from one or two useful things, he couldn't discern the origin of the rest. They might be useless trash, or perhaps his own vision was too limited to see their true value. Having experienced finding hidden gems before, Li Shang naturally wouldn't throw them away randomly. They didn't take up much space, anyway. His biggest fear was throwing something away only to discover later that it was actually a treasure; that would be truly frustrating.

After organizing his belongings, Li Shang walked out the door. He intended to purchase the materials for Foundation Establishment and begin the process. In the vast city of Luo City, it was impossible to truly establish a foothold without being in the Foundation Establishment stage.

"Once I reach Foundation Establishment, I can also start setting up the herb gardens."

Without the strength of the Foundation Establishment stage, artificially cultivating spiritual herbs was no different from giving them away to others. Only with such strength could he protect the family business.

Stepping out, Li Shang saw the Spirit Gathering Array Li Xiu’er had set up. It didn't cover a large area, just enough to encompass the courtyard. However, small as it was, it was a complete formation, and its wonders were beyond words. Under the operation of the array, wisps of white spiritual mist seeped into the courtyard, constantly increasing the concentration of spiritual energy. In time, it might even become a sacred ground for cultivation.

"After I reach Foundation Establishment, I can build another formation near the spirit fields to accelerate the growth of the herbs."

With that thought, Li Shang did not hesitate and walked toward the busiest part of the city, where the largest shops in Luo City were located. It shouldn't be difficult to buy all the necessary materials; his only concern was whether he had enough spirit stones. After such a long period of accumulation, the family treasury had quite a stock—about five thousand stones. Most were harvested from Li Xia killing demonic cultivators, and the rest were earned by himself, Li Dazhu, and Li Tian.

"As expected, killing people and stealing goods is the fastest way to make money." After counting the spirit stones he was carrying, Li Shang clicked his tongue and stepped into the shop. He had been here many times; during the accelerated game time, the AI would often come here to sell things, so he was quite familiar with the clerk. After some polite pleasantries, he inquired about the Five Elements Spiritual Objects. He learned that they came in many varieties, ranging from precious to rare.

"It seems the more precious the Five Elements Spiritual Objects used for Foundation Establishment, the better the effect."

While pondering, Li Shang chose to buy objects priced between 600 and 800 spirit stones per kilogram. He knew that higher quality was better, but his current funds were limited. He still needed to buy the Foundation Establishment Pill, and if he increased the quality of the spiritual objects further, he would certainly run out of stones.

"Still short on money."

Having purchased the required materials, Li Shang returned home and called all his family members back.

"From today on, I must enter seclusion to perform Foundation Establishment. Remember, no one is allowed to enter my room. When I emerge, it will be time for our plan to begin."

He looked at the four members before him, who had changed significantly. Nearly ten years had passed since the start of the game, and the original juniors were now adults, each with an extraordinary bearing. Li Dazhu was mature and steady, Li Xiu’er was nimble and clever, and Li Tian had an evil, wild charisma. Aside from the juniors, Li Xia’s transformation was also immense. He was shrouded in a thick aura of bloodlust, like a sharp, unsheathed sword, his gaze so piercing that others could not look him in the eye.

"Big Brother, I will guard the door for you," Li Xia said coldly. Years of fighting demonic cultivators had changed his personality; he had become simple, direct, and disliked idle talk.

Li Shang nodded without objection. After a few more words of instruction, he entered his room to begin his seclusion. Of course, breaking through on his own was impossible; he could only open the acceleration and let the AI help him push through to get by.

Once Li Shang closed the door, Li Xia looked at Li Tian. "How is the task assigned by the Family Head going?"

"No problem. I have always used the name of the Luo City Li family outside, and I have secretly accumulated quite a few enemies for them."

The "Li family" Li Tian referred to was not their own five-person clan, but the local tyrants of Luo City—the Li family that controlled the entire city, possessed a population of thousands, and had thirteen Foundation Establishment cultivators. Long ago, Li Shang had instructed everyone in his family to smear the other Li family’s reputation and provoke powerful enemies for them. The original Li family had been untouchable in Luo City, but after years of their tireless efforts, people now emerged from time to time to challenge them, causing significant damage to their prestige.

Li Xia nodded. He, too, had been going out under the guise of the Luo City Li family to hunt down demonic cultivators, killing countless disciples of the demonic path. Just recently, he had heard that several demonic sects were preparing to move against the Li family, so he had laid low to avoid exposing his true identity.

After a moment of thought, Li Xia told the others, "Pay more attention to the movements within the city. Just ask the beggars; they spend their time begging in the city and are familiar with everyone who comes and goes. If any demonic cultivators from outside enter the city, they will surely recognize them."

"Understood."

After receiving their orders, the three did not linger and immediately set out to collect information from various parts of Luo City. The following arrangements would determine whether their family could rise; they would certainly not fail at this critical juncture.

...

In the blink of an eye, a month had passed in the game. During this time, the atmosphere in Luo City was terrifyingly oppressive, with people constantly going missing. The city guards patrolled back and forth, searching, but found no clues. People continued to disappear. A sense of unease grew in the hearts of most of the residents. Many of the more astute ones had already left the city with merchant caravans, distancing themselves from this place of trouble. Those who remained dared not leave their homes, huddled inside in fear. This made the entire city much quieter, with a strong sense of a coming storm.

*Creak.*

The door, which had been closed for a full month, was finally pushed open. Li Shang walked out. He looked no different than before, but if there was one change, it was his aura. The powerful tenth-layer Lian Qi aura had completely vanished. On the surface, he appeared to be an ordinary person without a shred of cultivation. Yet, in every movement he made, there was a certain rhythm, as if he were merging with heaven and earth.

This mystery was the divine ability gained from using the Five Elements Foundation Establishment Method: "Dao Follows Nature!"

Now, he did not need to recite incantations; he could cast terrifyingly powerful spells with a mere gesture, as if it were instinct. His combat strength had increased more than a hundredfold compared to when he was at the tenth layer of Lian Qi.

The other four family members were waiting outside. Seeing Li Shang emerge, they immediately stepped forward.

"How did the investigation into the matters I assigned go?" Li Shang asked.

Hearing his inquiry, Li Tian took a small booklet from the storage bag at his waist. "These are the locations where the demonic cultivators in the city are currently residing."

Li Shang took the booklet and nodded slightly. "Wait for me a moment."

With that, he vanished on the spot. He had used an Earth-Escaping Technique to arrive at the nearest demonic cultivator hideout. He would have needed to learn such spells before, but after gaining the "Dao Follows Nature" ability, any spell related to the five elements could be cast with a thought, as naturally as breathing.

In the room Li Shang arrived in, two Lian Qi demonic cultivators were discussing their next move. Midway through their conversation, they saw Li Shang suddenly appear before them.

"Who are you! You’re courting death!"

One of them reacted quickly, jumping up and drawing a sword made of human vertebrae from his waist, thrusting it straight at Li Shang. Li Shang did not dodge; he merely flicked a finger, and the bone sword was instantly burned to charcoal by a wisp of spiritual fire. Seeing Li Shang effortlessly destroy his weapon, the attacker’s face turned deathly pale. He knew he had run into a formidable opponent.

Just as he was about to speak, Li Shang struck out with a palm. There was no sound. By the time he withdrew his hand, only a wisp of charred smoke remained, drifting through the room.

"Senior, spare me!" The slower-reacting cultivator immediately knelt and begged for mercy.

"The one who kills you is an elder of the Li family."

Ignoring the plea, Li Shang struck him with a palm, leaving him severely wounded and unconscious. Having finished, he did not linger and immediately headed to the next location to do the same. He left one or two survivors at every hideout so they could return and spread the news, allowing his plan to be carried out even faster.

After visiting all the locations Li Tian had identified, Li Shang returned to the courtyard, activated time acceleration, and waited for the chaos to ferment.