Skill Breakthrough

Luo Kun!

This senior had just been recruited by the Zheng Family as a Guest Elder.

It was said that the Zheng Family had assigned him an excellent residence.

Li Chang'an had not expected it.

That residence was actually right next door to his!

"I heard that aside from his fondness for wine, this senior has no other hobbies. He probably won't be too rowdy."

Li Chang'an pondered this. He did not want someone overly rowdy living next door.

Of course.

Most cultivators preferred peace and quiet.

There was no need to worry too much.

"No need to overthink it. Cultivate in peace."

Li Chang'an calmed himself.

He returned to his room, sat down cross-legged, and took out the Spirit Eye he had acquired earlier.

The instant the Spirit Eye appeared.

The surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy surged toward it in waves.

"The Spiritual Energy concentration this residence provides is comparable to a High-grade First Tier Spirit Vein. Now, with the Spirit Eye's assistance, the Spiritual Energy concentration has risen even further..."

In an instant.

Li Chang'an felt.

His entire body had been enveloped by dense Spiritual Energy.

The Spiritual Energy around him had faintly approached the level of a Second-tier Spirit Vein.

"I used to worry that Spiritual Energy was too sparse and insufficient for cultivation."

"Now, the Spiritual Energy is so abundant that I can't absorb it all."

Li Chang'an could not help but smile.

One had to know.

Second-tier Spirit Veins were meant for Foundation Establishment grand cultivators.

His cultivation was still too low, and his Cultivation Method was too ordinary. It was merely the common Low-grade Cultivation Method, the Evergreen Cultivation Method. He simply could not absorb so much Spiritual Energy.

He had looked in the Black Market yesterday, but he had not found a better Wood-element Cultivation Method.

There was none in the Marketplace either.

Better Cultivation Methods were all kept in the Zheng Family's Library Pavilion.

"If I can make the Zheng Family owe me another favor in the future, I'll exchange that favor for a better Wood-element Cultivation Method."

Li Chang'an considered it.

Saving Zheng Yunting last time had been purely accidental.

He did not know whether he would get another such opportunity in the future.

He gathered his thoughts and began cultivating earnestly.

Before he knew it.

Nearly half a month had passed.

The Zheng Family's recruitment of Guest Elders had ended.

Some cultivators possessed Mid-grade First Tier skills, yet were still rejected by the Zheng Family.

After all.

Many skills ranked near the bottom among the Hundred Arts of Cultivation and were not particularly valuable.

That day.

Quite a few congratulatory voices rang out from the residence where Luo Kun lived.

"Congratulations, Senior Luo!"

"I knew all along that Senior Luo could become a Zheng Family Guest Elder!"

Liu Yue and the other Low-grade Talisman Masters had all come.

Every one of them wore a broad smile.

As they looked at the spacious estate, their hearts brimmed with envy.

"Alas, I wonder when I'll have a day like this?"

Liu Yue sighed inwardly.

Those who lived in such residences were either rich or noble.

She was still far from that point. She could only exhaust every means and think of ways to climb higher.

"Senior Luo, let me offer you a toast!"

Liu Yue smiled sweetly, her cheeks rosy as peach blossoms.

She had dressed up carefully today, all so Luo Kun would look at her a few more times.

The other Low-grade Talisman Masters also each displayed their own methods, pulling out all the stops as they tried to say things that would please Luo Kun.

"Speaking of which, Senior Luo is celebrating his move, yet that Li Chang'an actually didn't come to offer congratulations."

"He must be regretting it terribly now."

"Such a wonderful opportunity had once been placed before him..."

When Li Chang'an was mentioned.

They could not help but speculate about how he might be feeling now.

Li Chang'an was in an exceptionally good mood right now!

His Puppet Skill had broken through again.

"It won't be long before I can produce a First-tier Medium-grade Puppet."

A smile rested on his face as he looked at a component he had just finished inscribing.

This was a core component of a First-tier Medium-grade Puppet.

Successfully producing it.

Meant that.

He had barely stepped across the threshold of a Mid-grade First Tier Talisman Master.

"A First-tier Medium-grade Puppet possesses strength comparable to Mid Qi Refining. It will be of considerable help to me."

Li Chang'an took a deep breath.

He intended to strike while the iron was hot and complete every component of the entire Puppet.

"Unfortunately, my Talisman Skill still hasn't broken through. My previous attempts all failed."

Although he had obtained the First-tier High-grade Talisman Inheritance.

Li Chang'an had never managed to successfully draw a High-grade Talisman.

The greatest problem was...

Insufficient Mana!

Under normal circumstances, drawing a First-tier High-grade Talisman required the Mana support of the late Qi Refining stage.

But Li Chang'an was only at the Fourth Layer of Qi Condensation.

"There's no rushing this. I'll take it slowly."

Li Chang'an had a good mindset.

In any case, the inheritance was already in his hands. Sooner or later, he would be able to draw it.

A few days later.

A large pile of damaged components from failed inscriptions had appeared in a corner of the room.

Before Li Chang'an stood a brand-new Puppet.

It was precisely a First-tier Medium-grade Puppet!

"Move!"

With a thought from Li Chang'an, he controlled the Puppet.

The Puppet immediately began to move.

Its movements were smooth, its Mana circulated perfectly, and it had not the slightest flaw.

"Success!"

A smile curled at Li Chang'an's lips.

Today.

He had officially become a First-tier Medium-grade Puppeteer!

At this point, both his Puppet Skill and Talisman Skill had reached Mid-grade First Tier.

Li Chang'an was in high spirits.

But at this very moment, someone else was in an exceptionally foul mood.

At the center of the Marketplace.

The Hall of a Hundred Affairs.

Zheng Jinbao furrowed his brow, irritation churning within him.

"Why is there still no news from Wang Da and Wang Er?"

He had placed great expectations on those two Rogue Cultivators.

Because.

Recently, many Rogue Cultivators had been suppressed until they no longer dared show their faces.

Yet Wang Da and Wang Er had dared to accept this task, and both were quite capable.

"With their strength, there's no way they could have fallen to Li Chang'an. Could it be that the two of them ran away?"

After turning it over in his mind, Zheng Jinbao felt that this was the most likely possibility.

Perhaps pressured by the Foundation Establishment Ancestor, the two brothers truly had not dared to act and had simply left the Marketplace.

However.

Once they had left.

Who else could he find to do it?

Zheng Jinbao grew increasingly agitated, a trace of hesitation flashing through his heart.

In the end.

He gritted his teeth, seemingly making up his mind. He left the Hall of a Hundred Affairs and headed toward the outskirts of the Marketplace.

At the edge of the Marketplace.

Inside an ordinary house.

Zheng Jinbao met a cultivator with a hunched figure and a body as thin as kindling.

"Five hundred Spirit Stones. Help me kill someone!"

"Hehehe..."

The hunched cultivator let out a strange laugh.

With amusement in his eyes, he said with a smile:

"Zheng Jinbao, you're a member of the Zheng Family. Doesn't your conscience hurt, cooperating with me?"

"What's a conscience worth?"

Zheng Jinbao's expression darkened.

Unless he had no other choice, he truly did not want to seek this man out.

Because this man was the renowned Black Wind Mountain Third Boss!

Not long ago.

Because of the deaths and injuries suffered by Zheng Yunting and the others, the Zheng Family had officially issued a bounty on Black Wind Mountain.

The two sides were now enemies.

By all rights.

The moment they met.

They should have fought to the death.

Yet Zheng Jinbao had kept a channel for privately contacting Black Wind Mountain, because he needed these Rogue Cultivators to handle certain dirty matters for him.

"I heard your Evasion Technique is unparalleled, and that you can escape alive even when pursued by Foundation Establishment experts?"

Staring at the man, Zheng Jinbao asked bluntly.

"It's merely the praise of fellow cultivators."

The man understood the implication behind his words.

"Could it be that you want me to risk being discovered by a Foundation Establishment Ancestor and kill someone inside the Marketplace?"

"What, you can't do it?"

"Heh, something this dangerous..."

The man paused.

His shriveled fingers tapped lightly against the table as his hoarse voice slowly sounded.

"I can do it, but you'll have to pay more!"