Chapter 418: Closed-door Retreat
Since he was unsure how long he would be in closed-door cultivation, Li Zhirui had prepared an abundance of resources for Jiang Fengwu and her son, including those for their Spirit Beast, enough to last them several years.
If by that time Li Zhirui had not emerged, then they could also exchange for resources from the family, though the quality would not be as good as what he had prepared.
"Okay!" Jiang Fengwu was silent for a moment but eventually took the storage bag and said, "I have been researching a Formation these years, one that gathers the nearby Spiritual Energy and can, according to our needs, retain only certain types of Spiritual Energy."
"Really? Have you managed to develop it?" Upon hearing this, Li Zhirui's eyes lit up as he asked eagerly.
Because if such a Formation indeed did exist, then during a breakthrough, when absorbing a massive amount of Spiritual Energy, one could concentrate more on controlling the Mana within the body, without needing to distract oneself by discerning the Spiritual Energy, which in a sense, would be an enhancement to the chances of a successful breakthrough.
"Just a little bit left, I should have it deduced in about half a year's time." Jiang Fengwu estimated in her mind and gave a fairly precise answer.
In reality, Jiang Fengwu had been working on deducing this Spirit Qi Differentiation Array for quite some time, aiming to help Li Zhirui. According to her original plan, she should have succeeded recently.
But due to her transition to a new Cultivation Technique recently and the time and effort spent on nurturing their Spirit Beast, the progress had been delayed until now.
"Half a year?" Li Zhirui thought for a moment, believing such a short period unlikely to yield significant results. When the time came, he would emerge from seclusion to have Jiang Fengwu set up the Formation.
"Then just call for me at that time, I will leave a sliver of my consciousness to be alert to the outside world," Li Zhirui pulled Jiang Fengwu into his arms and said, "I'm afraid this period will be tough on you."
Although Li Zhirui was not an Array Master, he knew that deducing a completely new Formation was no simple task. Thinking back to the time he had spent deducing the third-tier Hundred Herbs Pill, he understood just how difficult it could be.
"Helping you is no trouble at all."
In Jiang Fengwu's view, she and her husband should support and assist each other, but in reality, Li Zhirui had given much and received little, making it seem as if she were no more than his dependant.
However, Jiang Fengwu had her pride, and it did not allow her to "fall to such a state." That is why she started working on the Formation, her most familiar and talented area, taking more than a decade of hard work to bring the research to its final stages.
When feelings ran deep, all else naturally followed.
——
The next day, Li Zhirui announced to Li Chengsheng and Li Chengshuo that he would be entering seclusion for a breakthrough and cautioned them, "You both must behave well and not make your mother angry, otherwise, when I come out of seclusion, I won't be lenient!"
"Daddy, don't worry, with me being so well-behaved and sensible, how could I possibly make mother angry?"
However, Li Chengsheng spoke of something else, "Dad, Mom, I plan to go out for some adventure for a while."
"Why have you suddenly decided to do this?" Li Zhirui was puzzled. His son had been studying divination just a few days ago; how had he suddenly decided to seek adventure?
"When I was divining, I vaguely sensed an opportunity, so I wanted to go and see," Li Chengsheng explained his reason.
"An opportunity?" Li Zhirui looked bemused. His son, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, could actually sense his own chance encounter?
If he did not know Li Chengsheng well enough to be sure that he would never lie, he would have found it utterly unbelievable, a fairytale.
Meanwhile, a sense of anticipation and regret also arose in his heart. Perhaps this boy of his family really had a talent for divination! However, obtaining the methods was difficult, and acquiring advanced knowledge wasn't an easy task.
As for Li Chengshuo in the field of formations, his performance was just passable. Even with the instruction of Jiang Fengwu, a great master of formations, he was only slightly better than the average apprentice, showing no exceptional natural talent.
"I want to go too!" Before Li Zhirui or Jiang Fengwu could speak, Li Chengshuo hurriedly expressed his opinion.
"No!" Jiang Fengwu refused without hesitation, she was already anxious about Li Chengsheng, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, gaining experience outside, let alone Li Chengshuo, who was an even weaker Qi Cultivation cultivator.
"Daddy!" Knowing Jiang Fengwu would not change her mind, Li Chengshuo turned to Li Zhirui with a pleading tone, hoping he would say a few good words for him, "Who knows, maybe the chance for my breakthrough is in this experience?"
"I think you just want to go out and have fun!" Under the fierce gaze of Jiang Fengwu, Li Zhirui naturally would not agree.
And he wasn't wrong. The last time they went out for experience, Li Chengshuo wasn't really practicing, but touring instead.
Furthermore, Li Chengsheng's own strength wasn't that formidable either. If he had to take along Li Chengshuo, who was a burden, they might both end up unable to escape in the face of danger.
"Just practice well within the family. When you break through to Foundation Establishment, that's when I will agree to you gaining experience outside."
Having said that, Jiang Fengwu then turned to Li Chengsheng, who was silent yet resolute, and said, "Since this concerns your chance, then go take a look. However, be cautious about your safety."
"Mm!" Li Chengsheng visibly brightened up at the prospect.
As for Li Chengshuo, who was shouting about injustice and considering 'raising the standard of revolt,' Jiang Fengwu easily suppressed him.
Li Chengsheng might have truly been a bit too eager, as he submitted his report to the family that very day and left Wanxian Island the next.
It seemed hurried, but in fact, all the necessary preparations had been made, and his hands were holding several third-tier Spirit Talismans to save his life.
If he ended up using all the third-tier Spirit Talismans and still couldn't escape, then it could only be said that his fate was destined for such a calamity.
However, what Li Zhirui and Jiang Fengwu didn't expect was that after Li Chengsheng left, Li Chengshuo became even more diligent and hardworking. He was determined to quickly understand the Laws and accomplish his own Foundation Establishment.
"This is indeed an unexpected pleasure," Jiang Fengwu was very pleased, but she now had more important things to do and couldn't spare too much energy to pay attention to Li Chengshuo.
Li Zhirui, after briefing the two elders, didn't tell anyone else and quietly entered his meditation chamber to begin this session of secluded cultivation.
"I wonder how many years it will be before I see Zhirui again," Li Shiqing said with a hint of loss.
If Li Zhirui's secluded cultivation lasted just a little longer, this might be their last meeting.
"Second brother…"
Li Shiqing waved his hand and smiled, "Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the laws of the Heavenly Dao. Apart from real Immortals, who can avoid it?"
"Even Immortals, can they truly live forever?"