Half a month later
"Reporting to the Alliance Leader there's new intel on the Ma Clan!"
Luo Feibai approached the edge of the field, respectfully delivering the report, though the shock in his eyes was still hard to hide.
Li Ye didn't respond right away. Instead, he continued carefully planting the sprout of a Tier-2 spiritual crop Qingxuan Rice with precise movements. He cast the appropriate cultivation spells, waiting until the system notifications appeared before his eyes.
[You have successfully planted a Tier-2 spiritual crop, Qingxuan Rice, using exquisite technique. The crop's vitality has been maximized. Experience +1...]
[...]
A faint smile touched Li Ye's lips as he read the notifications. Only then did he straighten up.
With a flick of his hands, the soil brushed clean and returned neatly to the field. He stepped out from the farmland and casually asked Luo Feibai,
"What happened with the Ma Clan?"
As he handed over the intel with both hands, Luo Feibai began his report:
"Reporting to the Alliance Leader both the Ma Clan's Foundation Establishment Ancestor and Elder Yuquan have gone missing. The clan leader who managed affairs and all the heads of the various branches were dead. Furthermore, their entire treasury has been looted..."
"Without any Foundation Establishment cultivators left, the Ma Clan is now guarded only by a few low-level juniors. They couldn't hold the family estate. Neighboring powers have already taken over their spiritual lands and industries. A once-powerful clan has collapsed overnight..."
As he spoke, Luo Feibai couldn't help but tremble slightly.
He was a sharp man.
From the moment Li Ye ordered him to investigate the Ma Battalion and the Ma Clan, to his return after acquiring spirit rice when the Ma Clan spies were caught trying to snoop around and now, the shocking news that all three of the Ma Clan's Foundation Establishment cultivators were dead, and the clan had disintegrated…
Everything seemed unconnected on the surface, but somehow all pointed back to Li Ye.
Even the time when those Ma Clan spies were released… and the subtle fluctuations in the formation atop Mount Pingyang afterward... That hidden escape of a cultivator it all lined up.
Even the days when Li Ye was supposedly in closed-door cultivation seemed to align disturbingly well with the Ma Clan's downfall.
The more he pieced together, the harder it was to believe this was all just coincidence.
The destruction of the Ma Clan was likely Li Ye's doing!
Single-handedly killing a mid-stage Foundation Establishment patriarch… wiping out a clan with multiple Foundation cultivators...
Could this truly be the strength of someone who had only just entered the Foundation Establishment?
A mixture of fear and reverence surged in Luo Feibai's heart, and he struggled to keep his composure.
"Is that so?"
Li Ye sounded slightly surprised.
"In that case, there's no need to worry about anyone coming after me for killing Ma Ying. You can stop gathering intel on the Ma Clan."
"Understood!"
Luo Feibai answered with respectful resolve, his belief in Li Ye growing even deeper.
After a brief hesitation, he asked cautiously,
"Should we erase any trace of our past contact with the Ma Clan… just in case someone down the line leaks something?"
He didn't know why Li Ye had handled the Ma Clan in such a secretive manner, but it never hurt to ask one more question.
Li Ye glanced at him, then smiled faintly.
"If you think it's necessary, go ahead."
He patted Luo Feibai lightly on the shoulder.
"While no one remains who can pose a threat to us, a little caution never hurts."
Luo Feibai's face brightened slightly. He bowed deeply and declared with conviction:
"Your subordinate obeys!"
"So much time has passed, and the news is only just getting out... that in itself is no small feat."
Li Ye's gaze drifted toward the distant sky, his expression gradually settling into a faint but unmistakably pleased smile.
Even now, when he thought back to what he had gained from the Ma Clan, he could barely contain his joy.
First and foremost was the harvest in terms of cultivation methods the Ma Clan's collection was truly vast.
They had multiple complete techniques that could take a cultivator to the Foundation Establishment stage, including exactly what Li Ye had been looking for: the Qingyuan Technique.
Not only could it support cultivation to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, but it also came with all the relevant secret parts intact.
Although it couldn't compare to the Yellow Sand Scripture practiced by the Ma Clan's patriarch which could take a cultivator to the peak of Golden Core it more than fulfilled Li Ye's current needs.
Since obtaining this advanced technique, he had been able to adjust his cultivation path, and his progress had finally begun to steadily accelerate.
But that wasn't all.
Among the Ma Clan's spoils, Li Ye had also discovered Tier-2 formations and Tier-2 artifact crafting manuals!
The artifact crafting, he could set aside for now. It wasn't urgent he hadn't reached the Golden Core stage yet and had no immediate need to craft his magical treasures. He also had other ways to earn profit, so there was no rush to study it.
But formation arts was a skill of critical importance to him!
This inheritance didn't just deepen his foundation. The various Tier-2 formation evolutions detailed in it were a massive upgrade to his current arsenal.
Next time he faced an enemy, he'd have far more options and flexibility in how to respond.
With so many references, even advancing his formations to Tier 3 now seemed far more achievable.
As for other odds and ends such as pill recipes and secret techniques he found little that was useful. Only one item stood out: a recipe for Earth-Calming Pills, suitable for Foundation Establishment cultivators with an earth spiritual root.
That was a bit of a disappointment.
He'd also hoped to find some body-tempering techniques that could boost his combat and survival abilities but came up empty-handed.
Still, thanks to the spoils from Xu Pingyang and the Ma Clan, Li Ye now had nearly a complete set of Tier-2 pill recipes for various effects. But in terms of directly boosting spiritual power, he had found only two.
That alone spoke volumes about how rare and valuable such recipes were.
Then again, it all came down to one thing his own faction and connections simply didn't have enough depth yet.
"If I were backed by a great sect like the Purple Profound Sect, maybe these things wouldn't even be a concern…"
Li Ye sighed softly, then shook his head.
While having the support of a sect like Purple Profound would grant easier access to these resources, it would also mean being at their beck and call. It was nowhere near as free and independent as owning his faction like now.
In any case, thanks to the powerful Firecloud Pills, several major forces had already expressed interest. Elders had begun visiting to negotiate trades it was only a matter of time before he acquired the remaining pill formulas he needed.
Besides, it hadn't even been a full year since he broke through to Foundation Establishment. There was no need to rush he had time.
What mattered more was that, after claiming all the assets of both the Ma Clan and Mount Pingyang, Li Ye had amassed a fortune that could only be described as staggering.
Even without the perfect pills, he could now afford to use spirit stones freely to assist in spiritual vein cultivation. The result? A solid, accelerated pace of improvement!
Yes, it was extravagant but wasn't that exactly what spirit stones were for?
The Ma Clan had been completely carved up, and as the secret mastermind and biggest beneficiary, Li Ye had remained completely in the shadows. Even the matter of the lava palace had been perfectly concealed.
Feeling thoroughly satisfied, Li Ye returned once again to the spiritual fields.
Now that he was working with Tier-2 crops, even spiritual rice couldn't be planted as densely as before. The planting rate had dropped to about 5,000 stalks per mu, with only one harvest per year.
However, the rice produced was far superior in both size and spiritual energy compared to Tier-1 rice. The total yield per mu would even exceed that of Tier-1 rice!
The only downside? The experience feedback was halved he wasn't gaining as much XP as he had hoped.
Still, since he needed to set aside some land for future medicinal herb cultivation and didn't have unlimited seeds, his options were limited.
Even so, for the sake of his advancement, Li Ye had decisively laid down formations to accelerate the growth of two full mu of Tier-2 spiritual farmland, dedicated entirely to rice cultivation.
He worked diligently, planting seed after seed, until finally, the last rice sprout was in the ground.
[You have successfully planted a Tier-2 spiritual crop, Qingxuan Rice, using exquisite technique. The crop's vitality has been maximized. Experience +1...]
[...]
Looking at the system notifications, Li Ye couldn't help but smile and mutter to himself in satisfaction:
"Ten thousand experience points in the bag. Finally... time to level up a bit."
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