One month later.
Pingyang Mountain.
Suddenly, a long, resounding howl echoed through the mountains as a powerful Foundation Establishment aura surged openly from a tightly sealed cave residence.
Luo Feibai, shrouded in spiritual light, soared into the air, his expression filled with elation and delight.
Such a commotion naturally drew the attention of many cultivators on the mountain. Seeing him bathed in radiant spiritual light and sensing the unmistakable pressure of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, gasps of astonishment rippled through the crowd.
Luo Feibai had never revealed his intention to enter closed-door cultivation to break through!
Even those like Wen Chu, who had temporarily taken over his duties, had merely speculated in secret and never made it public.
Now that he had successfully broken through, Luo Feibai's status on the mountain would be elevated far above the others from this day on!
"Only about a month and you've already broken through. Congratulations..."
A voice rang out it was Li Ye.
Still basking in the joy of his breakthrough, Luo Feibai was startled and immediately turned, bowing deeply to Li Ye in full view of everyone.
"Without the alliance leader's generosity, this subordinate would never have succeeded in breaking through so smoothly!"
"The alliance leader's great kindness, I will never forget... Now that I have established my foundation, I can serve the alliance leader for another hundred years it is truly my honor!"
Despite having stepped into the Foundation Establishment, Luo Feibai's demeanor remained impeccably respectful and humble, showing not the slightest change.
His attitude now was even more deferential than before his breakthrough bordering on flattery!
This display gave many onlookers who had been curious about how his relationship with Li Ye might shift after his breakthrough a bit of a chill.
It wasn't that they looked down on Luo Feibai...
Rather, they were struck with a renewed sense of fear and reverence toward Li Ye and even a spark of hope.
Luo Feibai was now a fellow Foundation Establishment cultivator, yet he still acted with humility before Li Ye. This went against the pride and independence usually expected of those at this stage.
But considering he was the Vice Alliance Leader personally appointed by Li Ye, and one of the people who interacted with him most aside from his attendants this display spoke volumes.
What's more... did Luo Feibai just say he broke through thanks to the alliance leader's reward?
Due to Li Ye's reputation as a master of alchemy, many throughout the Chidi Mountains had long speculated that he might possess Foundation Establishment Pills.
Now, it seemed Luo Feibai's case had confirmed it!
If someone like Luo Feibai could earn such a reward through loyal service and diligence, didn't that mean others could too if they performed just as well?
This success story was the perfect example. Compared to the time when Li Ye had merely gifted Luo Feibai a spirit pill to boost his Qi Refining stage, this moment held far greater weight and influence!
Even if not all these cultivators could reach Qi Refining perfection before age fifty, just the hope of it was enough to ignite their desire and push them forward with newfound motivation.
........
Never expected this one to be so obedient.
Even after breaking through to Foundation Establishment, he hasn't let it get to his head. Not bad at all!
Li Ye gave Luo Feibai a long, meaningful look and couldn't help but smile.
As usual, he reached out with a light wave of his hand. His profound spiritual power lifted Luo Feibai with ease.
"Now that you've broken through, your cultivation from here on can't do without a second-grade spirit vein. I'll leave Dengjin Mountain to you. Aside from the two acres of spiritual fields, everything else is yours to manage."
"When your cultivation has stabilized, head to Tengyun Market and take charge of the fire beast cleanup efforts."
Still reeling from the ease with which Li Ye's spiritual power had lifted him, Luo Feibai's reverence deepened. But when he heard the rest of the words, a look of joy spread across his face.
"Many thanks for the Alliance Leader's great favor! I will make it my top priority to eliminate the fire beast threat as quickly as possible!"
You're talking big.
I couldn't even settle it, and here you are promising the world. If you manage not to get yourself killed, that'll already be impressive enough...
Li Ye thought silently with some sarcasm, but his expression didn't change. He simply patted Luo Feibai on the shoulder.
"Go on. Just be careful above all else."
The news of Luo Feibai's breakthrough, making him another Foundation Establishment cultivator on Pingyang Mountain, caused a sensation across the Chidi Mountains.
Xu Pingyang, despite overseeing the area for many years, had never trained a single Foundation Establishment-level deputy. Yet Li Ye had accomplished this effortlessly in just five years.
And to the dismay of many rival families and factions who had secretly hoped for a power struggle between the two Foundation Establishment cultivators no such discord occurred. Luo Feibai remained utterly respectful toward Li Ye, practically like a loyal hound.
This utterly shocked many onlookers.
Rumors even started to spread, mocking Luo Feibai for disgracing the very identity of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
But Luo Feibai didn't feel ashamed in the slightest. On the contrary, he wore it as a badge of honor.
He quickly dispatched his people to deal with those spreading such divisive rumors, and even publicly declared multiple times that without the Alliance Leader, he wouldn't be where he was today. He leaned into the image of a "loyal dog" completely.
From then on, no one dared to say another word.
Luo Feibai might be humble only in front of Li Ye but to everyone else, he carried the full dignity and authority of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Pingyang Mountain had become a fortress of unity, and the cultivators across the Chidi Mountains grew even more compliant.
A new trend surged once more currying favor and pledging loyalty to Li Ye.
After all, Pingyang Mountain now had two Foundation Establishment cultivators!
When it was just Li Ye alone, no one dared cross him. Now that Luo Feibai had joined him and was still this loyal their dominance was unshakable.
And besides... we're talking about Foundation Establishment Pills here!
If showing loyalty could bring even the chance of obtaining one, who wouldn't be tempted?
With the situation settling into this rhythm, Li Ye remained secluded in the mountain, continuing his cultivation, while Luo Feibai took over the task of managing the fire beast clean-up in Tengyun Market.
Only now…
Did cultivators across the Chidi Mountains and the merchants and allies who traded with them begin to realize that the appearance of fire beasts might hold a deeper significance?
Occasionally, Foundation Establishment cultivators would visit Li Ye out of curiosity. But due to his famed alchemical skills, none dared act rashly or conduct any investigations on his territory. At most, they brought up the matter in passing conversation with envy.
It still seemed to most that this was merely a small calamity, quietly brewing deep within the underground fire veins of the region.
"Brother Li, your Firecloud Pill has practically become a regional specialty at this point!"
At a banquet, Deng Tiancheng couldn't help but speak with a hint of envy in his tone.
A word about the fire beasts and their crystal cores had inevitably spread, and their usefulness was no longer a secret.
Li Ye had taken the opportunity to refine a large stockpile of Firecloud Pills using the Foundation Establishment-grade crystal cores he'd accumulated over time and they were selling like crazy.
This allowed him to trade for a wide array of rare herbs he needed.
Some cultivators had even volunteered to stay behind, offering to help the Chidi Mountains resolve the crisis by joining Luo Feibai in hunting down the increasingly frequent appearances of Foundation Establishment fire beasts and fire puppets.
All in the hopes of collecting crystal cores and exchanging them directly with Li Ye for refined Firecloud Pills.
This took a significant load off Luo Feibai's shoulders.
After all, he had only just recently broken through to Foundation Establishment. He'd even nearly been gravely wounded by a fire beast… It wasn't until Li Ye gifted him a low-grade spiritual artifact that he was finally able to hold his own against the ferocious creatures.
Of course, that only made more people green with envy.
"Specialty product, you say?"
Li Ye let out a bitter chuckle.
"At this rate, these fire beasts are about to tear up my entire territory. If my spiritual lands fall, what good is making a quick profit?"
"True enough…"
Deng Tiancheng nodded, his eyes flickering with thought, before asking,
"Brother Li, have you ever considered following the underground fire vein tunnels to investigate the true source of these fire beasts?"
"If their lair could be destroyed in one blow, wouldn't that end the crisis once and for all?"
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