The stunt that Li Wei pulled did not go unnoticed and soon after an entourage of his mother and four elders came to his location. He hurriedly explained himself while unconscious servants were laid across the floor in an unsightly manner.
“I hadn’t known that my new creation would cause such a commotion. Again.”
He said the last word and then coughed awkwardly when he received blank stares.
A snort came from the group with Li Xue just shaking her head and then gazing up at the enormous tree.
“So, what does it do?” She inquired.
Excitedly, Li Wei went through his thought process.
“I wanted something that could grow in power, protect us, and allow us to improve our capabilities without outside intervention!”
At these words, Li Bo, one of the elders who had arrived, squinted his eyes at the horizon. His eyes tracked upwards, and he could vaguely notice something familiar surrounding the clan estate. He would know the resemblance anywhere as both an array and formation specialist.
“This tree expresses a natural formation?!” He blurted in shock, eyeing Li Wei in a stupor.
Every other member paused their activities and looked up immediately before returning their dumbfounded faces to Li Wei.
The center of attention responded with a nod.
“Indeed. The barrier accepts any person acknowledged as a member of the Li Clan and rejects outsiders. It will make exceptions by command of myself and any of the elders. Though my commands hold the supreme authority.”
Li Bo had a thoughtful expression.
“I suppose that’s why you had me disable the defensive formation a few days ago. Truthfully, I couldn’t grasp such a frankly dumb decision at the time. I guess you had this in mind. A far better approach. What is the power threshold that it can prevent and reject?”
A smirk carved over Li Wei’s lips.
“As a C grade item, the tree expresses a formation that can reject and defend against anyone under the 5th Step.”
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A serious expression appeared on Li Bo’s face.
“I’m being serious, Leader Wei.”
“So am I.” Li Wei countered.
For approximately five minutes, utter silence existed in the garden until exasperated sighs could be heard by every elder.
“You do realize that none of the other factions in the district have such strong defenses.” Li Bo said while rubbing his temples as a headache had started to form.
A chuckle escaped Li Wei’s lips as he nodded in affirmation and gazed at the tree with all its glory. He did know that a formation of this caliber was more commonly found in the districts closer to the center of Solara City. Li Wei had specifically made this item as a precaution against even unknown threats. Especially if events unfold unfavorably in the future.
“Oh, and the tree recycles Qi in a unique way that produces more Qi, increasing the Qi density throughout the estate. Not sure how it works but I figured that would increase cultivation speeds immensely.” The clan leader remembered.
He shrugged nonchalantly, walking to the exit of the garden as many of the servants were beginning to rise out of their slumbering states. His mother, who had already checked out of the conversation to retain some of her sanity remained in the garden, informing the gardeners of the situation. She had them swear oaths while the group of elders followed Li Wei to poke and prod out more information on the tree and his power. Of course, there was a limit to what he would tell them, and they soon got the message. Things were going to be interesting, to say the least.
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2 months later
The progress that took place in these last few months within the Li Clan would have sent many factions into an uproar from its sheer absurdity. With both the increase in the Qi density within the estate and the original Qi cycling method of the clan universally adopted, the average pace of cultivation had improved by leaps and bounds. Moreover, the Li Records drastically progressed the overall skill level of every clan member beyond what is deemed typical for a 1st Step faction. Finally, the average level for members of the clan jumped from level 20 to level 45 with a few talents closer than ever to the 1st Step.
To say that the Li Clan had changed would be an understatement. A fact that Li Wei and the elders wanted to ensure did not become known by the outside world. The only way to do this was to have every member of the clan remain on estate grounds for the foreseeable future, except for the retainers who did not receive the same benefits as true clan members. For an undetermined length of time, the retainers would be the sole method of gaining intel, trade, and anything else from the outside world. While many were frustrated with the lack of freedom, it did allow the clan to reach new heights which neutralized the dissatisfaction.
Speaking of new heights, Li Wei had reached level 180 purely from cultivation. Compared to when he gained tons of levels through improving skills, it might not seem like a considerable improvement, but it should be noted that doing so weakened his foundation within the 1st Step. The reason skills corresponded with steps is to allow secondary progression. For cultivators, that is improving their Soul Attribute, which is primarily done with a cycling method. If he kept focusing on skill progression for these past two months, he could have been level 400, but he would also be one of the weakest 4th Step cultivators in existence in terms of the Soul Attribute. He might have skills beyond his Step, but their effectiveness will not be at its peak if his Soul does not meet the standard. A nuance that must be taken into account going forward, especially early on.
As of now, Li Wei’s approach will be to wait for the level before each evolution to improve his skills. When someone reaches the required level for class evolution, they are met with what could be considered an immediate response by the Heavenly System. However, if he can attain enough insights into multiple skills and act quickly enough, he should be able to rank up a few skills before the Heavenly System registers them as progress. It was a gamble but also not something he had to worry about just yet.
These thoughts swirled through his mind as he hovered above a dense forest that echoed various strange sounds of clawing and growling. A notorious location for the 77th District; The Restless Forest. Unpredictable despite its regular culling by city officials and the best for combat experience. Perfect for someone who needs to understand his current combat capabilities.
‘Time to go beast hunting.’