Trading Investments

Moon Empress.

Wuqi Mountain, Small Turtle Peak.

Inside the cave, a powerful aura of Demon Power erupted, almost breaking through the Restriction.

Guan Qiaozhi and Mu Bingyun were terrified, their bodies surging with fear, and they trembled slightly.

Secret Chamber.

A streamlined orange-purple Rat Demon, its size comparable to a tiger or leopard, was surrounded by a layer of dark yellow demonic wind, powerful enough to crush metal.

The Demon Power it emitted reached the mid-stage of the second tier.

"Not bad, it seems the Black Blood Lotus Seed are having some effect."

Lan Chang'an said with a smile.

In fact, the Earth Rock Rat had been stuck at the bottleneck in the early stages of the second tier for many years, and only needed a catalyst to break through.

Back then, the Earth Rock Rat's bloodline underwent a slight mutation, advancing from the upper-middle grade to the High Grade Bloodline category.

On Small Turtle Peak, Second-Order Spiritual Vein, the Earth Rock Rat eat Spiritual Rice every day, and are occasionally given some spirit medicine as a supplement.

As the main force in the work, they have no shortage of training.

With his bloodline and aptitude, promotion is only a matter of time.

The Black Blood Lotus Seed is the icing on the cake, making the Earth Rock Rat's High Grade Bloodline more stable, so it is no longer at the bottom.

Ten days later, Lan Chang'an conducted a simple test on the Earth Rock Rat's strength.

Its abilities remain unchanged; it retains the basic characteristics of an earth-type Rat Demon, but with the added agility and speed from its mutation, it possesses even stronger melee capabilities.

Without using any trump cards like Talisman, Lan Chang'an could at best only manage a back-and-forth battle with the rat in his normal state.

After leaving the pass, the Earth Rock Rat arrived outside its cave, glanced at the Mystic Water Turtle by the pool, and slightly bared its teeth.

Plop! Splash!

The Mystic Water Turtle was so frightened that it flipped its shell over and hid in the Lotus Pond, not daring to show its face.

Don't scare the Little Turtle Treasure.

Guan Qiaozhi stood guard by the pool, glared at the Earth Rock Rat, and reached out to comfort the Mystic Water Turtle in the pool, which poked its head out in grievance.

The Earth Rock Rat disdainfully scurried into a nearby cave.

"A Earth Grade Bloodline."

Seeing this, Lan Chang'an couldn't help but shake his head.

No wonder the Mystic Water Turtle isn't popular; back then, he managed to buy the fragile turtle eggs at a low price.

This tortoise is still many years away from reaching the second tier, even with Lan Chang'an significantly accelerating its growth.

Fortunately, the Mystic Water Turtle has a long lifespan, so it can slowly endure the hardships and become Lan Chang'an's Spirit Pet for many years.

For battle pets, the Earth Rock Rat is sufficient.

In the blink of an eye, almost a year has passed.

Lan Chang'an is ninety-four years old, well into his late thirties.

Secret Chamber.

Lan Chang'an finished his daily cultivation, released Evergreen Mana from his palms, and nurtured the twenty-two Treasure Talisman on the spirit table.

The earliest of these Treasure Talisman had been nurtured for over twenty years.

The latest ones are those that have been nurtured within the last year.

A year ago, Lan Chang'an bought two Spirit Bamboo from Chen Fuhai. They were of good quality, and he used them to draw nine Treasure Talisman.

At that very moment.

A Cloud Glow Escape Light, carrying a beautiful woman in a white dress with exquisite features and a cool demeanor, arrived at Wuqi Mountain.

Before long, the gently sloping and open Small Turtle Peak came into view.

Zhao Siyao looked down with her bright, beautiful eyes.

"What a tranquil and serene Spirit Vein Dao Field."

From the mountainside to the summit of Small Turtle Peak, the golden Spirit Grain ripple like waves in the autumn wind.

At the mountaintop, spiritual trees provide shade, and rare flowers and jade trees abound. Various spiritual flowers and exotic herbs are arranged in large patches, creating a magnificent and beautiful scene.

In front of the cave dwelling, there is Lotus Pond covering ten acres, with blooming lotus flowers, their tender stamens glistening with dew, pure and beautiful, like Holy Fairy bathing in the lake.

Whoosh!

A dark blue Spirit Turtle, over four feet wide, surfaced, carrying a lotus seedpod in its mouth, and offered it to a beautiful woman in a traditional Chinese dress by the pond.

The woman in the ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) sensed a fluctuation of Spiritual Qi emanating from Small Turtle Peak.

A female cultivator in a white dress, her feet Cloud Glow Escape Light, slowly descended towards Small Turtle Peak.

"Fairy Zhao!"

Guan Qiaozhi quickly got up and went forward to greet her.

After landing, Zhao Siyao, led by Guan Qiaozhi, took her seat in the pavilion beside the Lotus Pond.

Another young woman, with a fair complexion like snow, wearing a green dress, served spiritual tea and pastries.

"Who are you?"

Zhao Siyao found the woman in front of her to be somewhat familiar.

"This junior Mu Bingyun," the girl in the green dress replied.

Guan Qiaozhi accompanied her, quietly introducing Mu Bingyun's identity and background.

Zhao Siyao pursed her lips, seemingly lost in thought.

"Daoist Zhao."

Lan Chang'an came out of the cave to greet them.

Zhao Siyao stood up, the two bowed to each other, and entered the cave.

Before long, Guan Qiaozhi and Mu Bingyun served up a series of exquisite Spirit Cuisine dishes, their aroma filling the air.

"Daoist Lu, you are truly blessed."

Zhao Siyao couldn't help but admire it, and a hint of envy arose in her eyes for such a leisurely and carefree life.

Lan Chang'an rose from a sect reject to the Foundation Establishment Realm, becoming Second-Order Talisman Master.

Now he enjoys a private Dao Field on a Second-Order Spiritual Vein, raising turtles, planting herbs and spiritual trees, and eating the Spiritual Rice he grows every day.

Even among cultivators of sects, very few can achieve such a lifestyle.

For Rogue Cultivator, this is an even more coveted state.

"Daoist Zhao, there's no need to be envious. This is just a facade of leisure. Besides cultivating, I, Lu, also have to draw talismans, refine Puppet, and manage this vast mountain area every day. My days are quite monotonous."

Lan Chang'an said modestly.

After the banquet, Zhao Siyao mentioned the purpose of her trip.

"The Azure Underworld Secret Realm will open in two years, and I'm fortunate enough to have secured a spot. I've come here to purchase Second-Order Middle-Grade or higher Talisman from Daoist Lu."

Zhao Siyao was poised and elegant, her eyes filled with anticipation.

More than ten years ago, she asked Lan Chang'an about this matter.

At the time, Lan Chang'an said that he was not yet able to refine High-Grade Talisman, but who knows what might happen in ten years, and asked her to come to Wuqi Mountain then.

Given Zhao Siyao's understanding of Lan Chang'an, she must have been somewhat confident in saying those words.

"Knowing that Fairy Zhao was coming, I have already prepared a set of Talisman."

Lan Chang'an smiled and took out a Talisman Box.

Zhao Siyao opened the Talisman Box and saw that there were twelve Talisman inside.

Eight Second-Order Middle-Grade, all of them are excellent.

There are also four Second-Order High-Grade.

These Talisman cover a wide range of purposes, including attack, protection, escape, and breaking restrictions.

"Daoist Lu's set of Talisman has exceeded Siyao's expectations."

Zhao Siyao exclaimed in surprise.

In order to fortuitous opportunity in the Azure Underworld Secret Realm, she has been preparing for years by hunting Demon Beast and completing sect missions.

With this set of Talisman, her overall strength and even her survivability in the Azure Underworld Secret Realm increased by at least 30%.

Regarding the price, Lan Chang'an offered a discount, 10% of the market price.

Even if he sells them in bulk to large stores, he won't get the market price.

"This time, I am deeply grateful for Fellow Daoist Lu's guidance."

Zhao Siyao took out a bag of Spirit Stone and bought the Talisman.

The cost-effectiveness of second-tier High-Grade Talisman is actually very low. About five or six of them are equivalent to one top-grade magic Law Artifact, and they are very difficult to buy.

Limited by materials and success rate, Lan Chang'an's reserves were not particularly large.

Of course, second-tier High-Grade Talisman were no longer a trump card for him.

The talisman skills that Lan Chang'an displayed to the public were only at the Second-Order Middle-Grade, making it difficult for him to draw High-Grade Talisman.

However, given his age of nearly a hundred, producing a second-tier High-Grade Talisman is not obviously excessive.

Zhao Siyao was the Foundation Establishment cultivator he trusted most, and they had been friends for over seventy years.

Back then, the two "collaborated on alchemy." Zhao Siyao did not covet the Foundation Establishment, and even protected him, an elderly cultivator with little chance of Foundation Establishment, for a month.

"Daoist Zhao, is it permissible to bring Spirit Pet or Puppet into the Azure Underworld Secret Realm?"

Lan Chang'an asked.

"Second-tier or higher Spirit Pet are not eligible; they're subject to quotas. Puppet, however, have no such restrictions."

Zhao Siyao said.

The Azure Underworld Secret Realm is a shared resource of the Cultivation World in the Liang Kingdom, and every spot is extremely precious.

For cultivators of a sect, obtaining it is slightly less difficult.

Besides competing and paying a price to gain entry, Zhao Siyao had to hand over at least 60% of her gains to the sect.

"Daoist Zhao, would you be interested in buying a few Puppet?"

Lan Chang'an promoted the idea.

"A first-tier Puppet is of little use to me."

Zhao Siyao saw the Puppet Lan Chang'an had crafted on the mountain and in the cave; they were at most only of the first-grade superior level.

Lan Chang'an has been studying Puppet for twenty years and has been selling his wares in Wuqi Mountain for many years.

His Puppet were sold in Small Turtle Peak with second-tier Talisman, allowing him to recoup his costs while making a small profit.

In the Cultivation World, there are many who simultaneously master two or more skills.

However, most of them can only specialize in one skill, and their other skills lag behind.

On the surface, Lan Chang'an is Second-Order Middle-Grade Talisman Master and a high-grade first-tier Puppet Master.

"Daoist Zhao, please follow me."

Lan Chang'an led Zhao Siyao to Secret Chamber.

He took out three low-grade second-tier Puppet from his Storage Bag.

"A second-tier Puppet?"

Zhao Siyao's eyes were bright and clear. She was somewhat surprised, glanced at Lan Chang'an, and didn't ask any further questions.

"Second-tier Puppet are very useful in secret realms. However, with the purchases and expenses of the past few years, plus the cost of buying Daoist Lu's set of Talisman, I don't have many Spirit Stone left."

Zhao Siyao regretfully withdrew her gaze.

"The Puppet can be sold at half price. Daoist Zhao only needs to keep an eye out for information on the owners of important resources within the secret realm. If you can obtain one of the items recorded in the Jade Cylinder, I, Lu, will purchase it at a high price..."

Lan Chang'an handed Zhao Siyao a Jade Cylinder.

Outside of the sect, there are some secret realm slots that are sold to outsiders at high prices, but Lan Chang'an has no intention of entering the secret realms to fight.

He plans to invest in his Foundation Establishment friend who is entering the secret realm.

The resources required for the Jade Cylinder include:

Tier 3 Spirit Bamboo, Longevity Pill main ingredient), Golden Core Realm Auxiliary Ingredient, Law Treasure Materials or Embryos, High-Quality Talisman Raw Materials, etc.

It would be best if Zhao Siyao could get one or two of these.

If they can't get their hands on it, they can gather intelligence. Lan Chang'an will then be outside the secret realm and secretly contact the person who obtained it.

"This matter requires some thought, but the risk is not high. I agree to cooperate with Daoist Lu."

After reading the Jade Cylinder, Zhao Siyao nodded.

She selected two second-tier Puppet, paid for most of the Spirit Stone, and used two bottles of the Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation pills as a discount for the remainder.

Lan Chang'an estimated that the transaction between the Talisman and the Puppet had drained Fairy Zhao of her Spirit Stone.

Two low-grade second-tier Puppet are worth nearly four High-Grade Magic Item.

Since Lan Chang'an offered a 50% discount, Zhao Siyao gritted her teeth and managed to afford it.

Zhao Siyao bought the Turtle Puppet with strong defense.

Lan Chang'an didn't care. Those were just his works from earlier years. Now his skills were even better, and he was already preparing to refine Second-Order Middle-Grade Puppet.

An ordinary second-tier low-grade Puppet is not even as strong as his physical body.

After the transaction was completed, the two, who hadn't seen each other for many years, chatted from afternoon until evening.

In the end, Zhao Siyao did not stay overnight at the mansion and left gracefully.

Several days later, at dawn.

Two Escape Light, each from the Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, pierced through the hazy clouds and mist of Wuqi Mountain.

"Daoist Zheng, rest assured, Fairy Shi is my ex-wife, and she will certainly do her utmost to customize an excellent Clan Protection Array for your clan."

A Liang Crown hat led the way with a slightly solicitous air.

Every cultivator on Wuqi Mountain knows this person's identity.

The Foundation Establishment cultivator beside Chen Sheng.

He was a robust, dark-skinned elderly man with a face covered in pigmentation, dark scars, and pits.

(End of this chapter)