A Sudden Shift in the Situation

Every night, quite a few Mu Family cultivators came to Jade Moon Lake to "hunt birds."

Most were young people at the Qi Refining Early-Stage.

Most of the Mu Family's young and able cultivators were stationed at the Purple Copper Mine Area.

The fish eagles at their doorstep were merely half-spirit beasts and posed almost no threat to Qi Refining Realm cultivators.

Such work carried little risk and earned contribution points, so the clan members were happy to do it, including some mortal martial artists.

However, these half-spirit beast fish eagles were not easy to catch.

First, Jade Moon Lake's shoreline stretched for several hundred miles. There were only so many cultivators, and they could not guard against everything.

Fish eagles possessed a degree of intelligence and moved only at night.

Second, fish eagles could both fly and dive, and their eyesight was better than that of humans.

The fish eagles could not defeat Qi Refining Realm cultivators, so they only targeted the Spirit Fish and aquatic produce in the lake.

Before human cultivators could even approach, the fish eagles would notice them. Whether flying through the air or diving underwater, they were difficult to capture.

"Let's split up and search."

Lan Chang'an paused by the lake for a moment before making the suggestion.

"Fine! Let's see who catches a bird first."

Li Ergou was brimming with excitement. With a splash, he plunged headfirst into the lake.

No wonder they can't catch any birds.

Lan Chang'an did not enter the water. Instead, he used the Lightness Technique and made a circuit around Jade Moon Lake's shore.

From time to time, he stopped to observe the patches of aquatic grass along the lakeside.

After living for several hundred years across two lifetimes, Lan Chang'an knew a little about tracking.

After completing his circuit—

Lan Chang'an stopped beneath a patch of shade by the lake.

With his back against a tree, he circulated the Evergreen Art and restrained his aura.

His sense of presence diminished greatly, as though he had become a branch extending from the tree itself.

Half an hour later—

In the darkness of night, a brownish-gray waterbird with a thick neck and sharp beak silently descended from the sky.

The fish eagle looked around, preparing to dive into the water.

Whoosh! Smack!

A pebble tore through the air, swift as a thunderbolt, and struck the fish eagle in the belly.

The fish eagle let out a shriek. A small blood hole burst open in its abdomen, and it fell into the lake.

"One."

Lan Chang'an walked across the waves and retrieved the fish eagle's corpse.

He used the Water Purification Technique to remove the smell of blood, sealed the corpse in a bag, and finally stored it in his Storage Bag.

After finishing all this, Lan Chang'an changed locations.

He continued to wait by the stump for rabbits.

By the end of the night, Lan Chang'an had caught four fish eagles.

Li Ergou came up empty-handed.

"Brother Lu, could you teach me a few tricks?"

When it came to hunting birds, Ergou was thoroughly convinced of Lan Chang'an's skill.

"Can you accomplish the following three things?"

"First, analyze the fish eagles' habits and find a place to lie in ambush."

"Second, can your hiding place fool a fish eagle's eyes?"

"Third, can you be fast, accurate, and ruthless—striking true in a single blow?"

After hearing those three points, Li Ergou was deeply shaken.

Never mind whether he could manage the first two.

A few days ago, when luck had favored him, he had encountered fish eagles as well.

But his casting speed and accuracy were lacking. By the time he launched a Fire Bullet, the fish eagle had already fled far away.

Lan Chang'an dealt with fish eagles by using martial arts' Celestial Finger Flick to fire hidden weapons, without any spiritual energy fluctuations.

That was a major advantage.

Over the following days, Lan Chang'an caught and killed several fish eagles every night.

The rumor of a "bird-hunting expert" had only just begun to spread...

Lan Chang'an hid his achievements and reputation deep away, no longer making a move.

This sort of low-risk, high-reward work was fine to do once in a while.

Lan Chang'an feared that if he kept at it for too long, he would draw the hatred of whoever was directing the fish eagles from behind the scenes.

Each fish eagle could be exchanged for five contribution points.

Within just a few days, Lan Chang'an had exchanged them for over a hundred contribution points.

"Together with the hundred contribution points I earned from drawing talismans over the past two years, I've accumulated more than two hundred in total. I can exchange them for a better-quality magic item at the Artifact Forging Pavilion."

After returning to the clan, Lan Chang'an calculated silently.

Now that the conflict between the two great cultivation families had flared up again, he had to prepare for the worst.

He needed to strengthen the means by which he protected himself on the path.

Previously, Li Ergou had wanted to buy fish eagle corpses from Lan Chang'an to earn contribution points and exchange them for a Breakthrough Pill.

Lan Chang'an had refused.

His relationship with Li Ergou was good, but not to the point of becoming his father and mother.

Ever since becoming a Talisman Master, Lan Chang'an had lived quite comfortably in the Mu Family over the past three years.

The talisman-making materials the Mu Family gave him each year were enough for him to maintain an outward appearance of ordinary quality and success rates.

The excess materials became his additional profit.

Every few months, Lan Chang'an would go to September Pavilion to sell some talismans.

His financial circumstances improved more and more.

By now, Lan Chang'an had saved two or three hundred Spirit Stones.

That was only because Lan Chang'an was cautious and feared attracting envy. There were quite a few talismans in his Storage Bag that he had not converted into Spirit Stones.

Time reached the middle of the month once more.

With ample funds at hand, Lan Chang'an made another trip to September Pavilion.

September Pavilion was merely a small-scale trading fair within the clan, and its standards were not high.

It was impossible to buy Mid-Grade Magical Artifacts there.

For Mid-Grade Magical Artifacts, he still had to exchange contribution points at the clan's Artifact Forging Pavilion.

After selecting for a long time at September Pavilion, Lan Chang'an bought two relatively high-quality Low-Grade Magic Tools.

They were the Black Gold Saber and the Seven Skill Needles.

The Black Gold Saber was a standard offensive magic tool. Its material was hard, making it one of the finest among Low-Grade Magic Tools.

The Seven Skill Needles were a set of needle-shaped magic tools. There were seven in total, each as long as a chopstick, though far slimmer and sharper.

"Is it because the clan conflict is about to erupt that magic item prices have risen within the clan?"

Those two fine Low-Grade Magic Tools cost Lan Chang'an more than two hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

Ordinarily, a Low-Grade Magic Tool of average quality sold for only sixty or seventy Spirit Stones.

The next day, Lan Chang'an went to the clan's Artifact Forging Pavilion.

He spent two hundred contribution points to exchange for a Mid-Grade defensive magical artifact called the Bedrock Shield.

The steward of the Artifact Forging Pavilion repeatedly tried to dissuade Lan Chang'an.

"Qi Refining Early-Stage cultivators find it difficult to control Mid-Grade Magical Artifacts. Since you have these contribution points, you would be better off exchanging them for breakthrough pills."

The steward was not wrong.

Low-Grade Magic Tools and Mid-Grade Magical Artifacts corresponded to the Qi Refining Realm.

High-Grade Magic Items and Top-Grade Magic Items corresponded to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Even Qi Refining Mid-Stage cultivators could only control one Mid-Grade Magical Artifact at a time, or two Low-Grade Magic Tools.

Their spiritual power and divine sense both imposed limitations on their use of magic items.

Lan Chang'an insisted on exchanging for the Mid-Grade Magical Artifact, the Bedrock Shield, claiming that he would save it for future use.

In truth, Lan Chang'an's divine sense was no weaker than that of a Qi Refining Late-Stage cultivator, sufficient for him to control a Mid-Grade Magical Artifact.

However, limited by his spiritual power, he could not use it for too long.

He bought three magic items in one breath.

After Lan Chang'an returned and refined them, his sense of security rose greatly.

Lan Chang'an had also previously refined the Square Handkerchief magic item he obtained when he killed Purple Rose Fairy that year.

Besides the magic items, Lan Chang'an had as many as twenty or thirty high-quality talismans in reserve!

They were all First-Order Mid-Grade and High-Grade talismans.

Even a Qi Refining Late-Stage cultivator would have their scalp go numb when facing so many powerful talismans.

After refining the magic items—

Lan Chang'an cultivated while keeping watch over the situation between the Zheng and Mu Families.

First were the fish eagles.

A few days ago, the Zheng Family suddenly withdrew the fish eagles they had been using for harassment.

It was said that the Zheng Family's fish eagles had suffered heavy losses, and they felt it was not worth it.

The timing was precisely after Lan Chang'an, the "bird-hunting expert," had stopped.

Second was the Mine Area.

The Mine Area was far away, located in the mountains between the two clans.

The news was unreliable.

Lan Chang'an heard that the young and able cultivators of both clans were confronting one another in the mine tunnels, with more than one elder standing guard.

Several days later—

Li Ergou brought good news.

His second son, Mu Ershun, had been tested and found to possess a Low-Grade Spiritual Root.

Li Ergou was beside himself with joy.

Among that original batch of Immortal Seedlings, Li Ergou was the first to produce a descendant with a spiritual root.

Li Ergou's eldest son was named Mu Yifan. He was already over seven years old and was a mortal.

His second son, Mu Ershun, had just turned six.

He also had a three-year-old third son and a one-year-old daughter.

"Congratulations."

For this reason, Lan Chang'an even attended Li Ergou's celebratory banquet.

"This bastard, how is he so good at having children?"

The Immortal Seedlings attending the banquet were filled with bitter envy.

Not long afterward, Li Ergou received a reward from the clan head.

A Clear Qi Pill.

It was precisely the Breakthrough Pill he had dreamed of.

First to have offspring, first to produce a descendant with a spiritual root.

Both rewards landed in Li Ergou's hands.

"This kid's luck really isn't bad."

Lan Chang'an could not help but sigh inwardly.

He had originally thought Li Ergou would be blocked by his bottleneck. With his advantage of rebuilding his cultivation, Lan Chang'an should have been the first to enter the Qi Refining Mid-Stage.

Ten days later—

Li Ergou emerged from seclusion and advanced to the Qi Refining Fourth Layer, becoming one of the younger Qi Refining Mid-Stage cultivators in the clan.

After emerging from seclusion, Li Ergou was high-spirited and full of vigor.

He held another banquet.

Those Immortal Seedlings were utterly numb. They had to give gifts again.

Yet they did not dare offend Li Ergou.

A Qi Refining Mid-Stage cultivator counted as an important figure within the clan.

At the banquet, Li Ergou announced something.

He would change his name to Li Changqing.

That name seemed to have drawn inspiration from Lan Chang'an.

Now that he was already at the Qi Refining Mid-Stage, continuing to use a lowly name like Ergou truly sounded unpleasant.

Everyone understood Li Ergou's thoughts.

"Li Changqing..."

Ergou had suddenly changed his name, and Lan Chang'an found it difficult to get used to for a while.

"Brother Lu, what do you think of my new name?"

Li Ergou was overjoyed and drank himself into a stupor.

During the banquet, Lan Chang'an hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping himself.

He wanted to tell Li Ergou that a cultivator's name and Daoist Title could not be changed casually.

It concerned one's fortune, even one's fate.

Some name changes suited a cultivator, letting them move like a fish in water.

An unsuitable name, however, could clash with one's fate.

Half a month later.

"Brother Lu..."

Li Ergou came looking for him, wailing at the top of his lungs.

Lan Chang'an was startled. "What happened?"

After asking around, Lan Chang'an learned some bad news.

Over at the Mine Area.

The Mu Family and the Zheng Family had fought a battle, with no small number of casualties.

The Mu Family urgently needed to replenish its manpower and had called back able-bodied cultivators from the Lineage.

It mainly targeted those at the Qi Refining Mid-Stage.

Unfortunately, Li Ergou had recently advanced to the Qi Refining Fourth Layer and was drafted by the Lineage.

"Brother Lu! If I die, I hope you'll help look after my wife and children..."

With tears and snot streaming down his face, Li Ergou pleaded.