High-grade Talisman Inheritance

These two Rogue Cultivators were also brothers.

One was called Wang Da, the other Wang Er.

They had been in the Rogue Cultivator business for many years. In the past, things had almost always gone smoothly for them; never had they been this stifled!

"Don't rush. Wait a little longer. I refuse to believe that Old Turtle will never leave the Marketplace in his entire life!"

Wang Da gritted his teeth.

When Rogue Cultivators encountered a cultivator like Li Chang'an, most of them would get a headache.

He had no need to venture outside the Marketplace. He only needed to stay at home and wait for an "Auspicious Divination" to appear, and opportunities would naturally fall into his lap.

This turtle-like way of life might have seemed rather dull to others.

But Li Chang'an enjoyed it immensely.

At this moment.

He had arrived at the Marketplace's Trading Area, searching for the brown stone shown in the divination.

"There are truly quite a few stones being sold in this Marketplace. I wonder which one it will be?"

Li Chang'an's expression remained calm as he walked through the noisy crowd.

His gaze carefully swept across every stall.

Around two quarters of an hour later.

He began to act, buying the stones he had set his sights on one by one.

Some stones came from Secret Realms, some from Predecessor's Cave Mansions, and some were said to have been brought out from mining pits all over the place.

Their prices varied, though most were cheap.

Over the course of the entire morning.

Li Chang'an bought more than thirty brown stones in total, spending less than seventy Spirit Stones.

If he could uncover an Earth Origin Pearl, it would definitely be a huge profit!

"That should be about enough."

Carrying several storage bags full of stones, Li Chang'an returned to his room.

He activated a Soundproofing Talisman.

Then he got to work.

He smashed the stones he had bought one after another.

"Boom... boom..."

Stone after stone shattered, fragments scattering everywhere.

When the sixth stone was smashed.

A crystal-like, translucent ore fell from within.

"Hm?"

Li Chang'an was surprised and temporarily stopped.

"This is Spirit Stone Ore?"

He picked up the ore and sensed the dense Spiritual Energy within it, unable to stop a smile from appearing.

Who would have thought.

That opening these stones would bring such an unexpected delight.

"I had hoped to uncover an Earth Origin Pearl, yet I found such a large chunk of Spirit Stone Ore instead."

Li Chang'an made a rough calculation.

If this chunk of Spirit Stone Ore were cut apart and refined, it would yield at least fifty Spirit Stones.

He remembered.

When he had purchased this stone, the stall owner had said it had been transported from deep within a mining pit.

"I've heard that stone gambling is popular in certain places. The owners of major mines specifically establish Gambling Houses, drawing cultivators who want to try their luck and pick out stones... Does this count as me accidentally taking part in it?"

Li Chang'an put away the Spirit Stone Ore, feeling especially pleased.

He continued opening stones.

No more unexpected delights appeared afterward.

When he smashed the twenty-third stone, a round Earth Origin Pearl fell out.

"I finally got it!"

Li Chang'an's lips curled up as he snatched the Earth Origin Pearl.

The power contained within this pearl was just as Li Chang'an had learned: heavy yet gentle, as though it held an entire stretch of earth within.

Off to one side.

Da Huang's eyes gleamed, his tail wagging nonstop as drool ran from the corner of his mouth.

"Da Huang, catch!"

Li Chang'an casually tossed it over.

"Woof!"

Da Huang was overjoyed. He gave a light leap and caught the Earth Origin Pearl in his mouth.

Then he swallowed it.

Before long.

His aura began to rise steadily, becoming stronger and stronger.

He was about to advance!

"Advance in peace. I'll stand guard beside you."

Li Chang'an tossed out several Talismans, isolating the Spiritual Energy fluctuations within the room from the outside world.

He then took out the chunk of Spirit Stone Ore he had opened earlier.

With one palm strike, he shattered it!

In an instant.

Dense Spiritual Energy surged forth, filling the entire room.

"With the Earth Origin Pearl's help, advancing should not be a problem."

Li Chang'an pondered.

After all, this was only an advancement from First-tier Mid-stage to First-tier Late-stage, not an advancement to Tier 2.

For a Spiritual Beast like a Yellow Sand Dog with a Mid-grade Bloodline, advancing to the late stage had never been difficult.

Very soon.

A hazy pale-yellow glow appeared over Da Huang's body.

The fur all over his body continuously fell away, while new fur began to grow. It was as though he were shedding his mortal body and exchanging his bones, his aura steadily stabilizing and rising along with it.

Everything went smoothly.

In less than half a quarter of an hour, the advancement was complete.

"Woof woof!"

Da Huang was filled with delight. The aura radiating from him had already reached First-tier Late-stage!

He was comparable to a Human Race cultivator at the late Qi Refining stage.

"Not bad!"

Li Chang'an smiled and lightly patted the dog's head.

Now.

He himself was at Mid Qi Refining, while his Spiritual Beast was at First-tier Late-stage.

Within Clear River Market, there were already very few people who could pose a threat to him.

Of course, in the eyes of outsiders, he was still merely a minor cultivator at the Third Layer of Qi Condensation.

"Alright, continue keeping an eye on those two."

Li Chang'an instructed Da Huang.

Da Huang, now at First-tier Late-stage, already possessed enough strength to handle two Rogue Cultivators at Mid Qi Refining.

But Li Chang'an had no plans to act for the time being.

"Let Da Huang consolidate his realm and get used to his strength first. Then I'll find an opportunity..."

Li Chang'an silently thought.

Before the time was ripe, it was not suitable to make a move.

Three months hurried by.

During this period.

Aside from cultivating, Li Chang'an spent his time refining Puppets.

The Puppets he refined grew increasingly complex.

Finally.

One night.

He successfully refined a Humanoid Puppet.

"The earliest Spider Puppet only barely possessed the strength of the First Layer of Qi Refining. This Humanoid Puppet, however, already has the strength of the Third Layer of Qi Condensation, similar to the strength I display to the outside world."

Li Chang'an stood before the Puppet with a satisfied expression.

This Puppet.

Had been crafted according to his own build.

After refining this Puppet, his Puppet Skill had basically reached the peak of a First-tier Low-grade Puppeteer.

"I can learn the First-tier Medium-grade Puppet Inheritance now."

Li Chang'an pondered.

However, before that, he intended to deal with those two Rogue Cultivators first.

During these days.

Wang Da and Wang Er had already waited until they were thoroughly impatient.

Zheng Jinbao had also lost patience and urged them several times.

But they truly did not dare act in a place watched over by a Foundation Establishment Ancestor, so they could only endure again and again.

Every day spent in the Marketplace made them feel uncomfortable all over.

In the end.

The two began taking turns.

One of them kept watch on Li Chang'an, while the other went out beyond the Marketplace to move about.

"These two really are cautious. No wonder they've survived for so long. If Wu Yun had even half their caution, he would never have entertained the thought of coming to my door to kill me."

Li Chang'an sat cross-legged, calm and composed, silently waiting in his room for the Midnight Hour to arrive.

Just after the Midnight Hour passed.

A golden light appeared before his eyes.

[Divination Result Refreshed]

[Today's Divination Result: Auspicious]

[You take action against two Rogue Cultivators. The process goes extremely smoothly. Not only do you obtain a large amount of Cultivation Resources, you also seize an opportunity that originally belonged to the two Rogue Cultivators, obtaining a First-tier High-grade Talisman Inheritance from that opportunity.]

"An opportunity? A high-grade Talisman Inheritance?"

Li Chang'an was delighted.

He had been worrying that his Talisman Skill had reached its limit.

Trying to raise his Talisman Skill from medium-grade to High-grade through his own research was simply far too difficult.

An inheritance contained the experience and methods summarized by those who came before.

A single inheritance could let him avoid many detours and save a great deal of time.

"It seems their opportunity is fated to be mine."

Li Chang'an was determined to obtain that inheritance.

He calmed himself and began making careful plans.

Although the divination was Auspicious.

He still could not afford to be careless.