Late Qi Refinement

As the last cultivator stepped down from the platform, the trading event officially came to an end. Yang Tianyou and Li Shiqiong walked out of the teahouse side by side, then parted ways.

Returning to the Purple Moon Pavilion, Yang Tianyou went straight to the top floor and came to Yang Tianyun's room.

"What is it, Nineteenth Younger Brother? From the look on your face, could it be that something good has happened?"

Dressed in a water-blue gown, Yang Tianyun carried herself with gentle grace. She smiled with her lips pressed together as she spoke.

"I got a treasure, so I came especially to present it to you, Fifth Sister."

Yang Tianyou grinned and took the small blue cauldron he had traded for earlier out of his Storage Bag.

"Oh? This is..."

Ripples spread through Yang Tianyun's beautiful, limpid eyes. She stood up, accepted the small blue cauldron, and examined it closely. Judging by her expression, she seemed extremely pleased with the Law Artifact.

"Nineteenth Younger Brother, where did you get this Alchemy Cauldron? Judging by the Artifact Refining technique, it should be the work of a master."

The more Yang Tianyun looked at the Alchemy Cauldron, the more she liked it, and she asked out of curiosity.

"I traded for this little cauldron at the Exchange Gathering. Its original owner..."

Yang Tianyou briefly recounted how he had traded for the little cauldron and described the gold-robed young man's appearance, hoping to see whether his Fifth Sister, Yang Tianyun, knew this Daoist Friend Jinge.

"Jinge?"

Yang Tianyun frowned slightly. After a moment, she shook her head, indicating that she had never heard of him.

"He's probably a cultivator from somewhere else. There's no need to find it strange. Yellowstone Market is a Third-Tier Market, after all. Fish and dragons mingle there, and you'll find all sorts of people. As long as there's nothing wrong with the item, that's all that matters."

Hearing this, Yang Tianyou nodded slightly. He felt the same way: as long as there was nothing wrong with the item, everything else was a minor matter. Besides, Jinge had exchanged contact methods with him, so they would have dealings with each other in the future.

Meanwhile, Yang Tianyun put away the Alchemy Cauldron. After pondering for a moment, she took a Beast Hide and three hundred Spirit Stones from her Storage Bag and handed them to Yang Tianyou.

"Nineteenth Younger Brother, I like this Alchemy Cauldron very much, so I'll shamelessly accept it. This Beast Hide came from a First-Tier Superior-Grade Metal Attribute Demon Beast, a Gold-Eating Rat. Take it and use it to make Talismans. As for these three hundred Spirit Stones, consider them payment for the remaining difference."

Without declining, Yang Tianyou accepted the items. The siblings chatted for a while longer before he took his leave.

In a room at the center of the Purple Moon Pavilion's fifth floor, Yang Tianyou stood before a table. A sheet of golden Blank Talisman Paper lay on its surface.

He mixed the ink and set his brush in motion.

As Spiritual Power flowed into the Azure Rainbow Talisman Brush, wisps of Azure Light bloomed from it. Yang Tianyou's brush raced like a dragon and snake, laying pale-gold Spirit Ink onto the Blank Talisman Paper bit by bit.

Hooking and flicking, drawing straight lines and curves, he traced out one intricate, precise rune after another. Arranged and combined, they formed a First-Tier Superior-Grade Talisman beneath Yang Tianyou's brush.

"Whew..."

Yang Tianyou breathed out softly and released the Jade Register Heavenly Book's enhancement. His Great White Gold Eyes dimmed as well, and his overall vitality and spirit declined considerably.

Drawing Talismans was no easy task. Not only did one need to prepare Talisman Paper, Spirit Ink, and a Talisman Brush beforehand, but drawing also demanded complete concentration of one's vitality and spirit. No interruption could be allowed during the process, or all the effort would come to nothing. What was more, Yang Tianyou was drawing Talismans beyond his own tier, making it even harder.

Without the Jade Register Heavenly Book enhancing his comprehension and making his thoughts agile, and without the penetrating sight of the Great White Gold Eyes allowing him to see every detail of the Talisman Crafting process as clearly as a fire, Talisman Crafting would have been far less easy than it was now.

After making a First-Tier Superior-Grade Talisman, Yang Tianyou sat in meditation and regulated his breathing for half an hour. Then he took out another sheet of Blank Talisman Paper and began crafting another Talisman.

The first Talisman was a Golden Shield Talisman. For this one, Yang Tianyou planned to make a Golden Sword Talisman.

Making an Offensive Talisman was very different from making a defensive one. The clearest indication was the way Yang Tianyou wielded his brush.

He held the Azure Rainbow Talisman Brush as though he were gripping a treasured saber. Its tip was like a saber's edge, and drawing the Talisman was like carving it. Even his bearing changed noticeably as he worked.

If his bearing while drawing the first Talisman had been like a mountain, then while drawing the second, the Golden Sword Talisman, Yang Tianyou seemed to have become a saber himself—a matchlessly deadly, incomparably sharp saber.

After the time it took an incense stick to burn, the Talisman was complete, another success. Yang Tianyou was naturally beside himself with joy.

However, after drawing this Talisman, Yang Tianyou had used up all the Talisman Paper and Spirit Ink he had on hand. He would have to buy more.

At the thought, he gave a wry smile. Cultivating immortality, cultivating immortality—what immortality was he cultivating? It was clearly money, Spirit Stones, that he was cultivating.

Shaking his head, Yang Tianyou walked out the door. Fengling was sound asleep outside. A month had passed, and the wolf seemed to have grown considerably fatter.

Because they were in Yellowstone Market, Yang Tianyou did not dare let Fengling run around as he had in Purple Moon Town. With nothing to do, the fellow had nothing left but eating.

On top of that, because Yang Tianyou was the purchasing steward, the people under him could not curry favor with him, so many turned their attention to Fengling.

Everyone knew the Purple Moon Wolf Clan's standing in the Yang Household, to say nothing of the cultivators affiliated with the Yang Household.

And what did it take to please a wolf? All sorts of Spirit Beast Meat, of course.

Fengling was very alert, however. Whenever he received Spirit Beast Meat, he never ate it right away. Instead, he brought it back for Yang Tianyou to inspect, and only after finding nothing wrong with it did he tuck in with relish.

Yang Tianyou fondly stroked Fengling's fur, then took out a wooden comb, sat on the ground, and gently combed it.

Time flew, and three years passed in the blink of an eye.

Early one morning, Yang Tianyou opened the window and stood with his hands behind his back, admiring the brilliant sun rising on the horizon.

He wore a white Daoist robe, his long hair falling over his shoulders, and his expression was serene.

After three years, his once slightly youthful face had fully matured. His features were sharply defined, with swordlike brows and starry eyes. His platinum-white eyes shone with a bright gleam, full of spirit.

His cultivation had also broken through to Late Qi Refinement a month earlier. Combined with his powerful physique, Yang Tianyou's strength had advanced so greatly that he could even exchange a few blows with an ordinary Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement cultivator.

Suddenly, the Storage Bag at his waist trembled slightly. Yang Tianyou smiled knowingly and took out a Communication Talisman. "The door isn't locked. Come in!"

"Brother Yang, have you been well these past few months? Oh? You've broken through to Late Qi Refinement? Congratulations, congratulations!"

The visitor had a warm, gentle voice and wore a gold robe. His eyes were full of sincere laughter.

This was none other than Jinge. Perhaps it was fate: the two had formally met after the Exchange Gathering three years earlier.

Afterward, Jinge had taken the initiative to invite Yang Tianyou to discuss the Dao. Yang Tianyou saw no reason to refuse, so they booked a private room at the teahouse where Jinge's Exchange Gathering had been held.

Both had benefited greatly from their discussion, and their personalities and temperaments suited each other. After meeting back and forth, they had grown familiar.

Come to think of it, Jinge could be considered Yang Tianyou's first close friend outside his clan.

Li Shiqiong did not count; the two were merely nodding acquaintances.

"I can't compare with you, Brother Jinge. Your cultivation reached the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement long ago. Perhaps you'll break through to Foundation Establishment tomorrow, and I'll have to address you as Senior!"

Yang Tianyou laughed and replied.

As he spoke, he gestured with his right hand, and the two sat opposite each other at the tea table.