To be honest, Xia Changsheng was not particularly interested in Han Li's proposal.
First of all, there was naturally no guarantee of safety. Although his true strength was already comparable to a Qi Condensation Perfection cultivator, he outwardly displayed only the Mid-stage Qi Condensation. Since Han Li was already a Late-stage Qi Condensation Cultivator, it made no sense for him to skip teaming up with others and come to him instead; there was bound to be more to it than met the eye.
He was no fool. With his life experience from Planet Blue, he could see right through that much.
Secondly, he possessed a golden finger; he could improve his strength simply by lying back and taking it easy—why on earth would he go courting danger?
Entering a secret realm might yield rewards, but that was all contingent on nothing going wrong. With various factions gathering together, conflicts were inevitable. To play it safe, there was no need to take that risk.
Playing it safe was the only way to be secure.
However, even though he had already made up his decision, he still pondered for a moment before shaking his head and declining: "The Xia Estate was established not long ago, and our foundation is still shallow. I won't be going on this trip to the secret realm."
Han Li, who had been full of anticipation, could not help but feel deeply disappointed upon hearing this. He was about to try and persuade him further when a deep, resonant voice interrupted them.
"Thank you all for waiting."
The host had finally arrived. The newcomer was none other than the initiator of this meeting, the head of the Li Clan—Li Yuancheng.
Li Yuancheng was dressed with a celestial air, his temples slightly gray, and his hair meticulously combed.
As he walked slowly into the grand hall, he naturally exuded an indescribable warmth.
He was not actually very old. In his youth, he had been too uninhibited and arrogant, fond of valor and pugnacity, and had damaged his foundation during a fight with someone, which was why he had aged so noticeably.
Seeing the host appear, the cultivators who had been gathered in twos and threes quickly took their seats in order.
At the front, close to the main seat, were all Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Behind them, seemingly ranked according to the strength of their clans, the Qi Condensation cultivators took their seats one by one. The Han Estate was ranked near the very end; obviously, the Han family ancestor's lifespan was running out, and most of these people knew something about it, which was why the Han Estate could only occupy the very last seat.
Of course, there was now the newly added Xia Estate.
Xia Changsheng did not mind much—it was just an empty title—so he walked straight to the very last seat, close to Han Li.
"This must be Daoist Xia, I presume."
Li Yuancheng's gaze swept slowly across the room, landing on Xia Changsheng with a genial smile.
"Greetings, Daoist Li."
As the saying goes, one does not hit a smiling person. Since the other man was being polite, no matter how reluctant Xia Changsheng felt inside, he had no choice but to stand up and return the courtesy.
"I hear that Daoist Xia and your wife hail from Taixuan Mountain. It truly takes an extraordinary, grand sect to cultivate an exceptional talent like Daoist Xia."
"You flatter me, you flatter me. I have failed to live up to the sect's cultivation. Limited by my aptitudes, I could only come down the mountain to establish a clan and idle away the rest of my days."
"Daoist Xia need not belittle yourself. With a ninth-grade aptitude, who is to say there won't be a day you reach Foundation Establishment?"
"I cannot compare to Daoist Li."
The two exchanged pleasantries, engaging in mutual flattery like old friends of many years, leaving Han Li looking rather dumbfounded.
However, upon hearing of Xia Changsheng's background, quite a few people cast friendly glances his way, including even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Evidently, these people had some connection to Taixuan Mountain.
Of course, having already left the sect to make his own way in the world, everything had nothing to do with Taixuan Mountain anymore, and these connections could not bring much convenience. In the end, one could only rely on oneself.
"Everyone is here. Let's begin."
A Foundation Establishment Cultivator in the front row calmly spoke to remind them.
"Daoist Chu is right."
Li Yuancheng smiled in response, then looked straight at the crowd and slowly began to speak.
Sitting at the back, Xia Changsheng listened with idle boredom. The speech was roughly about the changes in Liucheng over the past five years, with particular emphasis on the impact brought by the addition of a Golden Core Real Person. Naturally, he did not omit the Xia Estate, which now had a Foundation Establishment Cultivator holding down the fort.
The resources in Liucheng were only so abundant.
Every extra variable would naturally bring about a redistribution of interests, which was unavoidable.
For a long time, the major Foundation Establishment factions in Liucheng had all taken the Li Clan as their leader. Only by doing so could they barely resist the oppression of the factions backed by a Golden Core Real Person.
Avoiding mutual internal friction was precisely the fundamental purpose of such meetings.
After a round of discussion, once Xia Changsheng made it clear that he had no intention of contending and only wanted to protect his own acre and three quarters of land, this topic was brought to a direct close.
"Daoist Xia is magnanimous."
In an instant, the people around him burst into praise, and many of those who had previously looked at him coldly seemed to change their faces in the blink of an eye.
A bunch of frogs at the bottom of a well.
Outwardly, Xia Changsheng remained expressionless, but inwardly he sneered endlessly. True enough, whether on Planet Blue or in this realm, everyone operated on the principle that interests came first.
It was a pity these people did not know that, in his eyes, they were nothing more than clowns. He had no intention of fighting over those scraps of petty profit right now; once he grew strong by playing it safe in the shadows, all of this would amount to nothing.
The second item on the agenda was the matter of the Dahuang Mountain secret realm that Han Li had mentioned earlier.
After discussing for quite a while, the group finally finalized the rules. Just like in the past, each clan would send one Qi Condensation cultivator to rely on their own abilities inside. These were basically the highest-cultivation members of each clan apart from their Great Foundation Establishment Cultivators—for instance, the Han Estate sent Han Li, and the Li Estate sent Li Yuancheng.
Xia Changsheng once again politely declined.
Seeing this, although the others had their doubts, having one less competitor was still a good thing.
Han Li still wanted to persuade him, but was refused with a smile.
With the serious business settled, the next order of business was naturally the luncheon.
The few Great Foundation Establishment Cultivators had no intention of staying and left first, most likely to arrange the candidates who would enter the Dahuang Mountain secret realm.
As for the rest, they remained behind.
A lavish luncheon accompanied by song and dance left both host and guests thoroughly satisfied.
During this time, Li Yuancheng's children also made their appearances one by one—a son and a daughter.
The son wore an arrogant expression, looking quite casual, perhaps having inherited Li Yuancheng's temperament from his youth.
As for the daughter, she was blessed with stunning beauty and dressed in an intellectual style, quietly accompanying Li Yuancheng with poised and elegant manners.
Her name was Li Sisi.
Her mother was Li Yuancheng's principal wife, hailing from Taixuan Mountain. It was said that back then, much like Liu Qingyue, she had been a prominent figure in the outer sect, adored by many male disciples. Unfortunately, during an outing to gain experience, she happened to meet Li Yuancheng, and for reasons unknown, the two fell for each other. Afterward, she left the sect and married Li Yuancheng. By now, she was already a Great Foundation Establishment Cultivator and had become one of the foundations of the Li Estate.
Li Sisi's appearance made Xia Changsheng's eyes light up, but that was all.
This woman was very famous in Liucheng, with suitors as numerous as crucian carp crossing a river. Even direct descendants of Golden Core factions fancied her, yet she had always ignored them all.
Outside rumors claimed that her talent might even surpass the eighth grade, but whether these rumors were true or false, the Li Estate had always kept it under wraps, remaining deliberately ambiguous.
The luncheon came to an end.
Everyone bid their farewells one after another. Watching Xia Changsheng leave, Han Li opened his mouth as if to speak, but hesitated. In the end, he could only let out a helpless sigh, shook his head, and also left the Li Estate.