Cultivation Starting from Choosing Augments-Chapter 91 - 88: The Plain Liu Family’s Shock and Crisis

Chapter 91: Chapter 88: The Plain Liu Family’s Shock and Crisis

「Two days later, in Pingyuan County.」

WHOOSH!

A streak of golden light shot across the fields, covering hundreds of feet in a single flash.

Boosted by his Liquid Magical Power, the speed of his Vertical Earth Golden Light had surged once more, so fast it was almost impossible to see.

Fortunately, with his Divine Sense to guide him now, he wouldn’t make the same embarrassing mistake of crashing into a tree again.

’Is that the Liu Family’s estate up ahead?’

From a distance, Xiao Chen could see a large, sprawling estate built against a mountain, its buildings layered and staggered.

Pavilions and towers were arranged in a picturesque manner, connected by winding, ribbon-like corridors.

The most striking feature was in the very center: the Wave Breaking Green Wave Array, which emitted a faint glow.

Like a massive, inverted, light-blue bowl, it shielded the Liu Family’s most important ancestral hall and the main clan hall.

’Huh? Why is the Array active in broad daylight?’

Xiao Chen looked around but saw no enemies, which made him very curious.

He quickly arrived outside the Liu Family’s main gate, only to find it shut tight with not a soul in sight.

Seeing this, he simply leaped over the courtyard wall and headed toward the center of the estate. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Xiao!"

When he reached the Array, he indeed found many Liu Clan members gathered.

One of them, a junior brother with an unfamiliar face, recognized him at once.

Xiao Chen didn’t recognize him, but thankfully, Liu Benxin was nearby. "Xiao is here. Please wait a moment, Senior Brother."

As he spoke, he ran into the main hall and quickly returned with a thick-browed, large-eyed elder, who opened a narrow, person-sized path through the Array.

The moment Xiao Chen stepped inside, he felt an unfamiliar Divine Sense sweep over him.

The sensation was not a pleasant one. With a flicker of his Divine Thought, his own Divine Sense surged forth, instantly repelling the other’s.

"What!"

Liu Zhishan was stunned. He never would have imagined that their visitor was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

He immediately cupped his hands and apologized, "My apologies, Xiao. We have Tribulation Cultivators lurking outside, and I was on edge for a moment. Please don’t take offense."

He had just heard Liu Benxin’s form of address and assumed the visitor was a Qi Refining Cultivator from the Sect.

Qi Refining Cultivators could hardly detect a Divine Sense scan unless they relied on a Magical Artifact, so he had subconsciously used his Divine Sense to perform an Investigation.

He hadn’t expected the other party to immediately counter with his own Divine Sense.

More importantly, the other party’s Divine Sense was actually a notch stronger than his own!

In the cultivation world, casually scanning others was a grave offense.

That was why Liu Zhishan had immediately apologized to clear up the misunderstanding.

The moment he said this, Liu Benxin was completely baffled. "Xiao?"

Upon hearing this, the Liu Family Patriarch, Liu Zhiyuan, also walked out from the main hall. "I was not aware of your arrival, Xiao. Forgive me for not welcoming you sooner. Please, come inside and talk."

The group entered the main hall and took their seats in order of precedence.

Liu Zhiyuan first ordered someone to serve Spirit Tea, then asked, "May I ask the purpose of your visit this time, Xiao?"

Xiao Chen took a Storage Bag from his robes. "The Sect sent me to deliver a batch of Qi Nourishing Pills and Rejuvenation Pills. They’re all in here."

???

The hall fell silent.

’Isn’t this the kind of task you can just send any disciple to do?’

Liu Zhiyuan was taken aback for a moment. "Ha, well, you certainly have a lot of leisure time, Xiao."

"Junior Brother Xiao! What are you doing here?"

Liu Shi Qing emerged from the rear hall, her jaw dropping at the sight.

She had been in the back and heard that a great Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the Sect had arrived, so she had hurried over to pay her respects.

She hadn’t expected that when she arrived, she wouldn’t see any great Foundation Establishment Cultivator, but would see Xiao Chen instead.

SMACK! Liu Zhishan slammed his hand on the table and yelled at Liu Shi Qing, "Have you no respect for your elders? How dare you speak to Xiao like that!"

Huh?

Liu Shi Qing looked closely and saw that Xiao Chen was seated in the seat of honor on the right.

He *was* the visiting Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Liu Shi Qing’s mind went blank. She stood there, wide-eyed and completely at a loss.

Half a year ago—no, not even half a year.

Just five months ago, she had met Xiao Chen for the first time on the Flying Boat to the Flame Pool Secret Realm.

Back then, he was just a junior brother at the eighth level of Qi Refining.

But a few days later, when they met for the second time, he had already broken through to the ninth level of Qi Refining and saved all of them from a pack of lions.

From that day on, Liu Shi Qing knew Xiao Chen was no small fry and would reach Foundation Establishment sooner or later.

But she truly never expected that now, at their third meeting, he would already be at the Foundation Establishment Realm.

’Isn’t this a little too soon?’

Liu Shi Qing recalled how it had taken her over half a year to cultivate from the eighth to the ninth level of Qi Refining.

How could Xiao Chen break through a Major Realm faster than she could break through a Minor Realm?

As someone at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, she could clearly feel the massive bottleneck between Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment, which was like a celestial chasm.

’Where was your bottleneck? Where was your chasm?’

Liu Benxin was thinking the exact same thing. He had been staring blankly at Xiao Chen ever since he entered.

Back at the Second Division, a junior brother at the fourth level of Qi Refining had been assigned the Spirit Field next to his. At that time, he himself had already been at the sixth level of Qi Refining.

Back then, he had simply admired this junior brother for his diligent and hardworking cultivation.

Who could have imagined that a year later, he would now have to address him as an elder?

Xiao Chen took the initiative to explain, "It’s alright. I only reached Foundation Establishment a few days ago myself. Besides, I don’t care about such formalities."

"That will not do. It is a matter of etiquette." Liu Zhiyuan disagreed, his expression hardening as he looked at the Liu Family siblings. "What are you standing there stunned for? Come and pay your respects!"

Liu Shi Qing and Liu Benxin took two steps forward.

Their expressions turned distinctly respectful as they bowed in unison to Xiao Chen. "Greetings, Elder Xiao."

BOOM!

Suddenly, the sound of an explosion came from outside.

Xiao Chen immediately put down his teacup and stood up, ready to face an enemy attack, but he saw that the Liu Family members around him had numb expressions.

Their strange reaction caught him off guard.

Seeing his reaction, Liu Zhiyuan explained with a pained expression, "Sigh, it must be that Hundred Poison Demon causing trouble again. What a joke for you to witness, Xiao."

"But rest assured, that bastard can’t do anything to the Jade Wave Array. He’ll leave after venting his frustration."

’No wonder the Array was active outside, and all the clan members were gathered together.’

But Xiao Chen was still a bit puzzled. "I did hear before that the Spirit Farmers of Pingyuan were being harassed by Tribulation Cultivators."

"But do they really dare to stick around and not leave?"

The Liu Family itself has several Foundation Establishment Cultivators and is no small-time household, not to mention their backing from the Li Huo Sect.

Logically speaking, even if led by a Foundation Establishment Tribulation Cultivator, they should at most conceal their identities, launch a surprise attack, grab what they can, and run.

How did it turn into a situation like this?

Generally, the higher a person’s Cultivation, the more they cherish their life. But it seemed the Liu Family had already seen through the enemy’s identity.

’Are there really Foundation Establishment Cultivators so unafraid of death?’

Liu Zhiyuan looked extremely frustrated, seeming to want to say something but holding back.

So, Liu Zhishan spoke up to explain, "You may not know this, Xiao. After several clashes, we’ve discovered that this Hundred Poison Demon is very likely a madman from the Luotian Sect."

"I’ll be blunt: if it were an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator, our Liu Family is no pushover to be bullied by just anyone."

"But as it happens, this Hundred Poison Demon possesses a specially crafted Hundred Poison Demon Soldier."

"That Demon Soldier is incredibly bizarre. It can unleash three great Exotic Poisons that even a late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator would find hard to resist."

"The last time my brother and I went out to pursue him, we were careless and suffered a hidden loss. For now, we have no choice but to endure."

Liu Zhiyuan added, "These past few days, I have been consulting the clan’s records. Once I find a countermeasure, I will definitely make that Hundred Poison Demon know who he’s messing with."