Hexagram Image · Ominous

Zheng Jinbao was helpless as well.

He truly had never expected it.

That such an utterly insignificant low-level cultivator as Li Chang'an would actually know the Young Miss.

Since he was uncertain how much weight Li Chang'an carried in the Young Miss's heart, he had no choice but to pay up to avert disaster.

He absolutely could not offend the Young Miss because of this!

Li Chang'an ultimately accepted the Spirit Stones.

Seeing this, the smile on Zheng Jinbao's face grew a little broader.

"All right, Chang'an. There's still business in the Marketplace that I need to handle. Let's chat more when we have the time."

"Take care, Steward Zheng."

"All right."

With a face full of smiles, Zheng Jinbao turned and left.

The moment he turned around, the smile vanished from his face, and he cursed his bad luck several times inwardly.

Inside the room.

Li Chang'an closed the door.

He calmed himself and pondered for a moment.

"Zheng Jinbao's status isn't low. Apologizing to a low-level cultivator like me must have left a bad taste in his mouth."

However, as long as he remained in the Marketplace,

with the Young Miss as his backing, Zheng Jinbao should not dare to attack him openly.

Thinking of this,

Li Chang'an warned himself inwardly.

"From now on, I must watch my words and actions in the Marketplace, cultivate quietly, and keep a low profile. As long as I don't cause trouble, Zheng Jinbao will have no reason to make a move against me."

Before he became strong enough, the lower-profile he kept, the better!

Strength was the foundation of everything!

Li Chang'an sat down cross-legged. Without wasting the slightest bit of time, he began that day's cultivation.

At the same time, he harbored a faint sense of anticipation.

"I wonder what tonight's Hexagram Image will be?"

Time passed, and the sun sank beyond the western mountains.

Before he knew it, night had grown deep.

Midnight Hour had just passed.

A Golden Light suddenly flashed before Li Chang'an's eyes, transforming into several lines of text.

[Divination Result Refreshed]

[Today's Divination Result: Ominous]

[Your friend invites you to explore a Predecessor's Cave Mansion. You readily go, but an unexpected change occurs inside the Cave Mansion. Your group suffers heavy casualties, and you yourself are severely wounded.]

An ominous hexagram!

Li Chang'an's eyelid twitched.

"An invitation from a friend?"

Li Chang'an pondered. He did not have many friends.

They were none other than the people who had been rejected by the Immortal Sect Gate alongside him and had then come to Clear River Market together.

Several of them were Hometown Fellows, and they had a good relationship.

"If it's one of them inviting me, I'd probably go, only to end up seriously wounded."

Li Chang'an secretly felt fortunate.

With the Hexagram Image,

the path of cultivation had become much safer!

The next day, around noon.

A knock sounded from outside the room.

"Knock, knock, knock..."

Li Chang'an rose to open the door.

Standing outside was a dark-skinned youth with an honest, simple face.

Xu Fugui had come from the same Mortal World village as Li Chang'an. The two had embarked on the path of seeking immortality together, then arrived at Clear River Market together.

Among their Hometown Fellows, Li Chang'an had the best relationship with him.

That was because,

in this life, Li Chang'an's Parents had passed away when he was very young.

Xu Fugui's Parents had seen that he was alone and helpless and had helped him in many ways.

"Fugui, is something the matter?"

Li Chang'an asked with a smile.

Xu Fugui's face was filled with excitement.

"Big Brother Li, it's good news—wonderful news!"

His tone was agitated, as if he had encountered some earth-shattering joy.

"Early this morning, when Chu Daniu and I went into the mountains to chop firewood, we discovered a Cave Mansion left behind by a predecessor."

It was exactly as the Hexagram Image had described.

He had come to invite Li Chang'an to explore the Cave Mansion together.

"Big Brother Li, although that Cave Mansion is protected by an Array, the Array is already damaged! As long as we join forces, we'll definitely be able to break through the damaged section and open it!"

Xu Fugui's eyes shone brightly.

According to their guess,

that Cave Mansion had at least been left behind by a late Qi Refining stage expert. There ought to be quite a few treasures inside.

"Big Brother Li, hurry and come with me. We'll go call a few more people!"

Xu Fugui was almost bursting with impatience.

But Li Chang'an shook his head slightly.

"Fugui, there may be more than treasures inside a Predecessor's Cave Mansion. There could also be all kinds of Mechanisms and Traps. I'm devoted to seeking stability and don't want to take this risk."

"Huh?"

Xu Fugui froze.

An astonished look surfaced on his face.

"Big Brother Li, this is a rare opportunity!"

"Fugui, you should understand that opportunities and danger go hand in hand."

Li Chang'an spoke calmly as he looked at him.

"Actually, I hope you won't go either."

"This..."

Hearing this, Xu Fugui immediately fell into a dilemma.

Before leaving home, his Parents had instructed him to listen to Li Chang'an no matter what.

But now,

an opportunity lay right before his eyes, and he truly did not want to give it up.

"Big Brother Li, I... I'll go discuss it with Chu Daniu and the others again."

Xu Fugui gritted his teeth and hurried away.

Li Chang'an said nothing more.

He was grateful for the help Xu Fugui's Parents had given him back then, which was why he had spoken up to dissuade him.

But he could not forcibly stop Xu Fugui. After all, he had no justification.

The matter of the Hexagram Image was his greatest secret.

He would not tell anyone.

Before long,

Xu Fugui and Chu Daniu's group finished their discussion and decided to enter the mountains together.

There were more than ten people in their party.

Although they were all at the early Qi Refining stage, with the strongest being only at the Third Layer of Qi Condensation, they were all full of confidence.

"With all of us working together, we'll definitely be able to break that Array!"

Xu Fugui waved his fist.

Before setting off,

he looked back at Li Chang'an's residence, secretly feeling it was a pity.

"There'll definitely be a great haul this time. What a shame Big Brother Li isn't coming."

Xu Fugui sighed.

Inside the room.

Li Chang'an sat cross-legged, breathing in and refining Spiritual Energy.

He cast the matter of the Cave Mansion to the back of his mind and devoted himself to his personal cultivation.

Before he knew it,

it was deep into the night again.

Midnight Hour had just passed, and a new Hexagram Image surfaced before Li Chang'an's eyes.

[Divination Result Refreshed]

[Today's Divination Result: Auspicious]

[You enter the mountains to chop wood and unexpectedly discover a fox den. Inside the den, you find a Jade Slip containing the "Talisman Inheritance."]

"Talisman Inheritance!"

Li Chang'an's eyes blazed, and delight instantly filled him.

There was a saying in the Cultivation World about the Hundred Arts of Cultivation.

Alchemizing pills, Drawing Talismans, Artifact Refining, setting up Arrays, and other techniques all belonged to the Hundred Arts of Cultivation.

A Rogue Cultivator with a skill had a much easier path of cultivation than an ordinary Rogue Cultivator!

"As long as I possess even one skill, even if it's only a Low-grade First Tier skill, it can meet the basic needs of cultivation!"

The reason Li Chang'an's cultivation had been so slow in the past was not only because his talent was rather poor.

It was also because he lacked Cultivation Resources!

Without pills, Spiritual Medicine, and other resources, relying solely on absorbing the world's Spiritual Energy meant his cultivation speed could never become fast.

"I'll go find that Jade Slip tomorrow morning!"

Li Chang'an restrained his excitement and did not plan to search for it immediately.

The mountain forests were extremely dangerous at night!

Many Demonic Beasts liked to move around after dark.

Although he desperately wanted to obtain that Jade Slip, he still placed the word "stability" first.

"Life is the most important thing!"

Li Chang'an slowly closed his eyes and continued cultivating.

The night passed without incident.

When he opened his eyes again, brilliant dawn light filled the world outside.

He immediately left the house, slung a basket over his back, grabbed his ax, and hurried toward the mountain forest where he usually chopped firewood.

This time,

his luck was good.

After chopping for barely fifteen minutes, he spotted a fox den.

There was a large pile of miscellaneous things inside—Withered Branches, dry grass, leaves, and the like. Mixed among them was the Jade Slip described by the Hexagram Image.

"Found it!"

Li Chang'an's eyes lit up, and he reached out to take it.

He roughly browsed through the contents inside the Jade Slip, and his face instantly blossomed with delight.

"As expected, it's a Talisman Inheritance! Although it's only a Low-grade First Tier Inheritance, it'll be enough for now!"