Chapter 27: Insufficient Potential

Yan Qingwan’s voice remained gentle, though this time, it lacked the unintentional air of superiority that she usually exuded as someone of high status addressing her inferiors.

Li Ji’an offered a slight bow. “Thank you, Miss Yan. I only wish to remain within the clan.”

Hearing this, Yan Qingwan’s smile deepened, and she nodded in approval. “To bestow kindness without expecting repayment, to hide merit without harboring resentment—you are admirable! But that was something I promised long ago. Now that you have saved my life, I cannot fail to reward you. To speak boldly, I will guarantee your future!”

“In that case… I hope to secure peace for my descendants,” Li Ji’an ventured.

“Very well! I promise you!” Yan Qingwan was even more pleased at his words.

“To be frank, before you answered, I was prepared to argue with the clan elders. Your spiritual roots are poor, your age is advanced, and your path in cultivation holds no promise. If you had asked for further advancement on the immortal path, the elders would never have agreed—especially now, with the front lines tense and resources scarce.”

Li Ji’an bent slightly at the waist, a gentle smile on his lips. “I am not without self-awareness.”

“Ha! Such self-awareness—isn’t this what you joked about years ago? ‘No one expects anything of you, and you yourself can’t measure up either.’” Yan Qingwan was in high spirits, recalling their three years of joint study in alchemy, when she had casually asked about his past and he had replied with mock solemnity.

“But I must warn you,” she continued, “the clan is in need of people. To recruit outside support, the elders have offered even outsiders a chance to join the clan, which means there are few eligible women left for marriage. If you intend to have a family, let me know. While I can’t guarantee a wife of great spiritual talent, I will do my best to find one with five or more strands of spiritual resonance.”

“Thank you, Miss Yan!”

With that settled, Yan Qingwan once again requested Li Ji’an to demonstrate and instruct her in Mo Dan Master’s recent alchemy techniques.

That night, as Li Ji’an returned to his small courtyard and prepared to cultivate, he received a message from Zhang Tiezhu.

As tensions escalated between the two clans, Zhang Tiezhu, who had become a pawn on the Yan family’s front lines due to land reclamation, barely had time to return home, guarding his post tirelessly.

After reading Zhang Tiezhu’s message, Li Ji’an couldn’t help but laugh. The meaning was clear: “Foolish people with money—come quickly.”

The message reported that the fighting had intensified, with more combatants on both sides. Zhang’s opponents were all mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivators from the Wei family, but with his body refinement skills, he thrived on the battlefield. Not only had he achieved several victories, but he had also secretly kept a share of the spoils. He was optimistic that, once the clan wars ended, he would have the resources to break through to the late stage of Qi Refinement.

He also mentioned that the Yan family had bestowed upon him a powerful earth spell—one that could shake the ground with a thought. If he were in the Celestial Dynasty, he would surely be hailed as a local earth god!

Li Ji’an could sense Zhang’s excitement and anticipation in his words.

Beyond this, the latter half of the message contained a suggestion:

“Since we’ve fully integrated into this world of cultivation, why not adopt its customs? It would be more fitting for us mortals to address each other as ‘fellow cultivator’…”

His tone was hesitant and awkward, making Li Ji’an chuckle and shake his head. He cared little for titles now. Who knew, the next time he “grew young again,” he might have to address that oaf as “uncle.”

He replied at once: “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”

Zhang Tiezhu responded much faster than expected:

“Good, good! Fellow cultivator Li, have you made up your mind? The Yan family needs people. With your body refinement skills, you’ll stand out. If accepted, you could cultivate at a second-grade spiritual vein site—only there can you have hope. Otherwise, this life is hopeless.”

“Fellow cultivator Zhao wrote recently as well. Thanks to his body refinement, he’s been recognized by his employer and has a promising future.”

Not wishing to be pestered further, Li Ji’an paused, then sent: “I appreciate your concern, fellow cultivator Zhang. But I’ve already joined the Yan family and am cultivating on a second-grade spiritual vein.”

Previously, in the marketplace, uncertain of his future and involved in secret dealings with the Yan family, he had kept Zhang, a half-member of the Yan family, in the dark. Now, it no longer mattered.

After sending the message, there was a long silence.

“When I return to the clan, you’ll have to tell me everything,” Zhang finally replied.

And that wait lasted three full years.

One day—

“Bang!” Yan Hongsheng took a kick to the arm and went flying.

“Again!” He stood, dusted himself off, and charged Li Ji’an once more.

“Crack!” Li Ji’an deflected him easily; Yan Hongsheng’s legs split awkwardly apart.

“Hiss—” Yan Hongsheng stood, clutching his groin. “Your moves are getting dirtier.”

Li Ji’an smiled and cupped his fists. “Seventh Elder, you’re too kind.”

Though known outside as the “Raging Daoist,” in truth, it was merely a persona crafted by the clan—a reckless, irritable, and impulsive figure meant to make outsiders think twice.

Twenty years ago, after failing to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill and attempting the breakthrough on his own, Yan Hongsheng damaged his cultivation base and lost hope of further advancement. To bolster his strength, he had been practicing body refinement for several years.

Alas, age and poor spiritual roots left him stuck at the early stage. Three years before, when Li Ji’an saved Yan Qingwan, Yan Hongsheng—next to Yan Qingwan herself—the greatest beneficiary, would have regretted it for life if things had gone otherwise. Thus, upon returning from the front, he privately sought out Li Ji’an to express his gratitude.

Discovering that Li Ji’an was also an early-stage body cultivator, he sparred with him whenever he returned from the front.

Yet, even with Li Ji’an’s body cultivation, Yan Hongsheng stood no chance once he sealed his own dantian’s spiritual power.

After all, Li Ji’an had cultivated vitality for three lifetimes; two decades spent refining the art of qi and blood, while Yan Hongsheng and his peers invested all their energy in spiritual power.

Naturally, with Li Ji’an’s tact and social grace, after three years, the two became close friends.

“Hey, how many times must I tell you? Just call me ‘Seventh Brother,’” Yan Hongsheng grumbled.

Li Ji’an only smiled. The difference in status and cultivation was too great; getting used to such intimacy would only cheapen their bond.

“So, have you broken through to mid Qi Refinement yet?” Yan Hongsheng asked, not pressing the issue.

Li Ji’an shook his head. “Not quite.”

He was helpless. With only two traces of spiritual resonance from his fire root, he finally understood despair. Three years, and he hadn’t even perfected the third layer, let alone faced the bottleneck to the fourth.

“Sigh, without that breakthrough, you won’t live past a hundred. You’re thirty-six now, aren’t you? Soon your vitality will decline. Better find a wife and start a family while you can,” Yan Hongsheng advised, shaking his head.

Li Ji’an could only smile bitterly. “Seventh Elder, perhaps you could teach me a few more fire spells.”

All these years, Li Ji’an had applied the same rigorous approach he’d used to study martial arts in the Celestial Dynasty to the study of spells, hoping to lay a foundation for future growth. Unfortunately, spells required far more insight and understanding, and his resources were limited. Lacking the ability to extrapolate, all he could do was accumulate more samples.

“Hmph! With your third-layer qi, as thin as a wisp of smoke, what good will a spell do? Even if you manage to cast one, do you expect a wisp of smoke to kill your enemy?” Yan Hongsheng scolded, half-joking.

But he still passed on another spell to Li Ji’an—the Ninefold Inferno Technique.

Just as Yan Hongsheng was imparting the spell, Yan Qingwan arrived gracefully, followed by a stiff, wide-eyed Zhang Tiezhu!