Chapter 617 – Late Foundation Establishment, the Hundred Beasts Formation (1/2)

He had witnessed the various forms of water. He possessed god-like talent. He was the lord of countless rivers and lakes. However, he had never considered the meaning of water.

Was the meaning of water softness? That seemed right.

Was it goodness? That was probably correct too.

Streams trickled, while rivers raged gloriously. The white clouds were soft, but the ocean was deep.

The water in the tank nurtured life, while the water under the eaves hid allegories.

It was as if every single form of water possessed a deep meaning. Because water was everchanging and took no fixed form, it only made it more difficult to find its meaning.

Li Qingshan waved his hand. Countless droplets of water condensed into a smooth mirror.

Innate ability, Watermirror’s Image.

He stared at his reflection in the mirror for a long time before suddenly smiling. He realised that he was not searching for the meaning of water, but the meaning of “me”. Just like the water mirror, if it reflected flowers, then it was flowers. If it reflected the moon, then it was the moon.

That was why Ru Xin had not answered his water. What good-natured like water? What triumphing force with gentleness? What others said was meaningless. Water could take on a myriad of forms, so all he had to do was ask himself, What type suits you the most?

Was it the gracefulness of the clouds? Was it the forcefulness of the rivers? Or the steadiness of dripping water?

No, none of them! There was only a single type that suited him. Ru Xin had never shown him it, but it had always been deeply embedded in his memory. It was the boundless ocean. It could surge violently, and it could be completely flat. Apart from the vague word “boundless”, there was nothing else that could easily summarise the ocean.

The ocean was probably the most difficult to imitate.

All rivers converged in the ocean. It was boundless in capacity.

How much pain and setbacks did a person have to go through to be able to calmly accept all of the grit and sediment? And how much forbearance and intelligence was needed to suppress the ever-surging sea of consciousness?

Li Qingshan was still unable to answer these questions. He was still too young, but he was not dejected, as he was still very young. He had plenty of time to experience it all. He believed even the ancient oceans began accumulating from a single droplet of water.

He spread his arms with a smile, and his mind expanded into the surroundings indefinitely, sensing the endless water spiritual qi and gathering it towards him. He lit up with blue light, shining brighter and brighter.

With a boom, all of the light dispersed. He had finally reached the sixth layer of the Arts of the Boundless Ocean, and at the same time, he had also broken through to late Foundation Establishment.

Outside the Qing Xiao dwelling, Chu Danqing happened to be running out of patience when the formation suddenly opened up, and Li Qingshan strode out. “I’ve made you wait. Let’s go meet up with them!”

Chu Danqing was mildly surprised. He smiled. “Qingshan, congratulations on breaking through again! Golden Core is in sight!” The more powerful Li Qingshan was, the more confidence he had when meeting up with them.

Li Qingshan smiled. “That’s called an Ocean pearl for me. Let’s go! We can’t make them grow reckless from waiting!”

Although he still could not break through to the fifth layer of the spirit turtle, he was no longer in a hurry either. He could already see the direction he had to head off in. There would be a day when he managed to merge fire and water.

The two of them travelled eastward and arrived at the boundary of the Clear River prefecture. The mountains stood like huge pillars or sharp swords, extending towards the sky. White clouds drifted between them, which formed a precipitous and beautiful landscape.

“Look, it’s right there!”

Chu Danqing pointed at the tallest mountain among them. It was surrounded with sheer cliffs such that even monkeys would struggle to climb up them. Only birds could scale the mountain. However, two men and a woman sat at the very top, overlooking the other mountains as they sipped tea or alcohol. All three of them seemed graceful and unrestrained like immortals.

“Little junior brother, you’re late. Who’s this?” the eldest male cultivator asked.

The three of them gazed over from afar. The eldest male cultivator seemed to be in his forties or fifties. He gave off the greatest sense of maturity and level-headedness among them. No one could tell he was one to betray his master.

“First senior brother, this is my friend, as well as the Scarlet Hawk commander of the Clear River prefecture, Li Qingshan.” Chu Danqing introduced.

“Friends? It’s a gathering between juniors and seniors, yet you’ve called an outsider to come along. What is the meaning of this?”

The female cultivator squinted her eyes and studied Li Qingshan, finding the name rather familiar. She was in her thirties, with a thin and beautiful appearance. She wore a palace dress, and she was quite a beauty. However, her cheekbones protruded slightly, which made her seem rather mean.

Chu Danqing replied in a way that was neither rude or submissive, “Second senior sister, master told me before he passed away that if my seniors were to ever come and find me, I had to bring commander Li along to preside over the situation and ensure fairness.”