Yin-element Water Jade

The series of actions Lu Qing made by using the Karma in the system all had practical effects.

He had obtained the herd of Water-Spirit Horses, the herbs, and the prescription. He had enhanced Lu Weiwen's conflicted Double Spiritual Roots to exceptional Double Spiritual Roots. He had turned her from a cultivator with average potential to someone who would have immense potential in the future…

All of these actions did enhance the strength of the clan. However, that was all he could do. All of these actions did not have immediate impacts. He could not solve the greatest problem the clan was currently facing.

That included Lu Weiwen, the cultivator with Double Spiritual Roots. She was merely someone with good potential. The path of cultivation was merciless. How many people with good potential had died in the middle of their cultivation?

No, most of the people would not even make it far in the path of cultivation. Only a significant minority of people would experience some level of success.

However, he could immediately profit if he could take down the Water Ghost Lake in front of him.

Even if he did not sell the Yin-element Water Jade, he could exchange it for a treasure that could help lightning element cultivators and help Lu Chaoxi reach the next level. That was the better choice.

The situation faced by the clan would be drastically reversed if they had another Initial Enlightenment cultivator.

Lu Qing continued to think about this matter on his journey back to Yuyan Mountain.

He had to take down the Water Ghost Lake. However, how to take the lake down was another problem.

These monsters were all underwater. That was a completely different environment. The cultivators would be at a disadvantage if they had to dive underwater to do battle with the Water Ghosts.

Also, the strength of the horde of Water Ghosts was not low.

They would have a chance if they gathered all 50-odd cultivators of the clan, but many people would have to die.

Lu Qing hesitated a little when he thought about this.

He was not an indecisive man. When he was still alive, he was famous for being merciless. He, as an unaffiliated cultivator who had made it to the Golden Core stage, had experienced many things. It was easy for him to disregard his life.

However… It was a whole different story if it concerned his clan. The 50 cultivators from the Lu Clan were all his descendants.

Even if he disregarded that and thought about the situation as mercilessly as he could, the death of too many of his clan members would negatively impact the clan's development in the future.

He first considered the probability of defeat. If they could not defeat the Water Ghosts, then the lineage of the Lu Clan would be broken. It would be game over.

"We have to attack. We definitely have to. But we have to think about the matter in the long term. We cannot be too rash…"

As he deliberated about the matter, an intense feeling of fatigue welled up in his heart.

He was at his limits.

He was still about two hours away from Yuyan Mountain.

At this moment, a warning sprung up in the system interface.

[Warning: You've spent too long away from your physical body. Please return to your body's side to prevent your consciousness from scattering.]

[You can spend 2 Karma to recover from the time you spent outside.]

[Hint: Before you return to your body, the cost of the next exchange will be doubled.]

******

The distance he traveled had pushed his limits.

Lu Qing estimated that he would be able to hold on until he returned to Yuyan Mountain. He had made his calculations before the journey. There should not be too much of a problem. Thus, he disregarded the warning.

"I'll spend the Karma if I really cannot hold on. Karma is quite valuable," he thought.

However, the function of extending the time he could spend outside his body was quite good. If this was the case, even though he need not use it now, he could choose to explore a place that was farther away in the future. All he had to do was estimate how much Karma he had to spend.

"This spirit form is quite useful. Even though I cannot attack, I can become the greatest scout. No one could notice me. I could fly in the air or dive into the water. I think even places that are locked cannot stop me…"

"I wonder if I could enter secret places with restrictions in place?"

"Unfortunately, I can only float within the confines of my territory. I can't go to places that are out of the clan's control."

"However, this flying speed is too slow. I don't feel the authority I had as a Golden Core cultivator! Furthermore, the time imposed is also greatly limiting. It has not been 24 hours, yet I already feel this fatigued…"

"Perhaps the situation might improve after the level of the clan and the system increased in the future?"

Lu Qing returned to his chamber without much trouble. His feelings of fatigue quickly receded when he was by the side of his body.

It was not a huge problem. He could still work around it!

When he returned, he did not rush to tell his clan members about the Water Ghost Lake. Even more so, he did not speak about the Yin-element Water Jade.

There was no need for that.

He opened up the map and started to study and research it.

Before this, he saw several areas that were marked red on the map. The Water Ghost Lake was the one that was closest to Yuyan Mountain. It was also the only place that he could head there and return within a day. That was why he chose to examine that area.

He had thought that he was unable to scout the other areas due to the time limitation he had when he left his body. He thought that he could only send his clan members to scout the other areas. He did not expect that he could restore the time he spent away from his body by spending Karma.

Since that was the case, he could scout the other areas himself.

He had to prepare several things if he wanted to attack the Water Ghost Lake. Under the situation where there was no quick way to boost the strength of the clan or nurture an Initial Enlightenment cultivator within a short time, he had to make use of arrays and powerful magic equipment if he wanted to attack the Water Ghost Lake. The clan did not currently have all of these.

Lu Qing was not an expert in arrays. When he was training, he was rather decent in forging but was still ordinary when compared to others. He had placed most of his attention on his cultivation level.

It would be useless even if he were adept in arrays. An array had to be personally set up by a high-level Array Mage. The most powerful Array Mage in the family was his seventh son, Lu Chaohe. However, Lu Chaohe was merely a Level Two low-grade Array Mage.

However, in terms of forging, he could impart a few forging techniques and special methods of creating magic equipment when the clan nurtured a good forger.

That was a topic for the future.

Other than the array, he also needed powerful magic equipment.

The clan was impoverished. Even Lu Mingchao and Lu Chaohe did not have the right magic equipment, much less the Qi Refining cultivators.

It would be easier to defeat monsters if they had powerful equipment.

Lu Qing was prepared to explore a few more areas marked red on the map in the coming days. He wanted to see if any areas were suitable for the clan to conquer.

It was all right even if the area did not have a treasure that was as good as the Yin-element Water Jade. The Karma—as well as the rewards that came with the conquest and achievements—was enough to give the clan an upgrade. Furthermore, the clan might even gain something extra if they fought a few demonic beasts.

Lu Qing deliberated about the matter. He found a red dot that he could probably head to and come back in two days and then flew east toward the area.

That area marked red on the map was positioned at the east side of Yuyan Mountain, northeast of Pingyao County.

When he arrived, Lu Qing realized that this was a forest by the side of the merchant path toward Luyi County.

After he headed deep into the forest to explore the area, Lu Qing spotted the tracks of about nine demonic beasts.

Cave Foxes were fox-type demonic beasts. They were several times more crafty than regular foxes and wielded demonic power. Cultivators might find it easy to deal with them, but ordinary people would become targets of their hunt.

These demonic beasts usually only had abilities at Level One low-grade or mid-grade. However, they were not easy to capture. They were naturally crafty and agile and had great sensory abilities. They would run away and disappear at any rustle of the wind. Their speed, while fast, was secondary. What was more important was that they usually dug out multiple holes in the area where they rested. These holes could either be connected or reached a dead end. It was very challenging to find them.