Body Refinement Initial Completion

Two or three years later.

Jade Moon Mountain Villa, Lakeside Courtyard.

A trace of the passage of time flickered past the white-robed youth sitting cross-legged.

Feeling the boundless vitality of Evergreen Mana within him, Lan Chang'an opened his calm, unruffled black eyes and ended his daily cultivation.

"Squeak, squeak!"

A brownish-yellow rat with a bulging belly rubbed against his robes at his feet, its eyes full of ingratiating pleading.

Lan Chang'an looked somewhat disgusted and kicked it away.

Compared to two or three years ago, the Earth Rock Rat had grown fatter and rounder.

Two years earlier, nourished by precious spiritual herbs, the Earth Rock Rat had successfully broken through and become a First-Order Late-Stage Spirit Beast.

Its theoretical cultivation exceeded that of Lan Chang'an, its master.

Lan Chang'an had entered Qi Refining Fifth Layer one year ago, taking five years in total.

Li Ergou next door had advanced to Qi Refining Sixth Layer more than half a year ago, several years ahead of him.

"Qi Refining Fifth Layer at thirty-three."

Lan Chang'an cultivated the Longevity Cultivation Art, which benefited his State of Mind, leaving him neither hurried nor impatient.

Compared to his one hundred and eighty years of lifespan in the Qi Refining Realm, he was still in the springtime of his youth.

After his routine cultivation.

Lan Chang'an removed his clothes and sat inside a medicinal barrel filled with Spiritual Sand Stone, circulating the method of the Cloud Sand Body Refining Art.

Steam billowed upward. Threads of azure-red crystalline light appeared on his skin, while some of the Spiritual Sand Stone in the barrel gradually lost their color.

"With an unbroken supply of Spiritual Sand Stone and precious medicinal baths, the progress of my Body Refinement Art is nearly catching up with my mana cultivation."

Lan Chang'an's Cloud Sand Body Refining Art had recently entered its second level, corresponding to Qi Refining Mid-Stage.

The strength of his physique rivaled that of a first-order mid-stage spirit beast.

Such rapid progress could be called the work of a body-refining genius.

It was thanks to Lan Chang'an's financial backing and his abundant time and energy.

As well as the formidable self-healing power of the Evergreen Art!

Any Body Refinement Art would inevitably wear down the body during cultivation, leaving behind minute injuries.

Yet aside from its long and enduring qi channels, Lan Chang'an's Evergreen Art possessed self-healing power far beyond others of the same rank.

Strong self-healing meant that Lan Chang'an could spend more time tempering and refining his body.

"If this continues, my Body Refinement Art may surpass my mana cultivation."

Lan Chang'an pondered whether he had strayed a little off course on this path of cultivation.

The precious spiritual herbs that had not been fully fenced over the previous years had been used by Lan Chang'an for medicinal baths and fed to the Earth Rock Rat. Now, not a trace remained.

Their total value had been several hundred Spirit Stones. Though it was rather wasteful, it saved him the trouble of fencing them.

Not only had it reduced the risk, but both Lan Chang'an and the Earth Rock Rat had gained tangible improvements.

Besides body refinement, Lan Chang'an dabbled in alchemy during his spare time.

In his Previous Life, he had needed to cultivate, study Talisman Dao, and concern himself with Lineage affairs. He simply had no energy to learn the other hundred arts of cultivation.

In his Third Life, Lan Chang'an planned to venture into alchemy.

Alchemists ranked among the best of the hundred arts of cultivation because cultivation was the foundation of everything.

After trying it out, Lan Chang'an discovered that his talent for alchemy was quite ordinary, far inferior to his talent in Talisman Dao.

With the memories of two lives and the support of his powerful divine sense, he had only barely become a First-Order Low-Grade Alchemist after all these years.

Lan Chang'an stretched lazily and strolled into the courtyard.

Squeak, squeak!

The Earth Rock Rat obediently carried over two letters.

The courtyard was now equipped with two first-order formations, one for defense and one for concealment.

Ordinary cultivators found it difficult to probe it, allowing the Earth Rock Rat to come aboveground from time to time.

Lan Chang'an took the letters and fed the Earth Rock Rat a medicinal pill.

The two letters had respectively been sent recently by Lin Yi and Zhao Siyao.

In his letter, Lin Yi arranged the talismans for their next transaction.

At the same time, Lin Yi mentioned a happy occasion: his sixth son possessed a Spiritual Root.

His spiritual root sensitivity was eighteen, just short of becoming a Mid-Grade Spiritual Root.

Lin Yi came from a Royal Marquis Estate, married earlier, and had wives and concubines in droves. The children he had fathered over the years were no fewer than Li Ergou's.

Lin Yi's sixth son was named Lin Lu.

He said he hoped the boy could be like Lan Chang'an in the future: steady and grounded, advancing with firm steps.

Lan Chang'an's face twitched.

Even with his State of Mind, he nearly cursed aloud.

Lin Yi naming his son that seemed suspiciously like taking advantage of him, making it convenient to order around Little Six and Little Lu in daily life.

He suspected Lin Yi harbored some kind of resentment toward him.

Opening Zhao Siyao's letter, he found that it shared some recent developments.

Worth mentioning was that Zhao Siyao had successfully risen to become a Core Disciple in an inner sect competition two years ago.

Not only that, Zhao Siyao had taken a False Core Female Cultivator as her master.

Having become a Core Disciple, Zhao Siyao received greater resources and cultivation support.

Two years ago, she had repaid the Spirit Stones she owed Lan Chang'an and the other two in full, clearly stating in her letter that she owed them a favor.

Borrowing and repaying, promising a favor in return.

Lan Chang'an's investment in making connections had begun to bear fruit.

If Zhao Siyao advanced to the Foundation Establishment Realm in the future, this favor would carry considerable weight.

At the bottom of the Cultivation World, having ties to a sect friend in Foundation Establishment could be considered having some backing to rely upon.

Lan Chang'an had not given much in the first place, and the Spirit Stones he lent had been repaid. He was usually quite free, so a little investment of time was nothing.

If he had more potential friends like this, he would naturally move through the Cultivation World like a fish in water in the future. It was far more secure than fighting and killing, making enemies everywhere.

"Still, even if Zhao Siyao has become a Core Disciple, obtaining a Foundation Establishment Pill will not be so easy."

As their correspondence continued, Lan Chang'an gained a deeper understanding of Golden Cloud Valley.

Foundation Establishment Pills had to be exchanged using Sect Contribution.

Core Disciples had higher priority when exchanging for Foundation Establishment Pills and even received a slight discount.

Zhao Siyao's cultivation was nearly at Qi Refining Ninth Layer. In the years to come, she would likely have to run herself ragged for a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Lan Chang'an walked out of the courtyard to clear his mind.

He discovered Li Ergou in the neighboring courtyard teaching his second son, "Mu Ershun," a spell.

"Uncle Lu."

Seeing Lan Chang'an, Mu Ershun, with his thick brows and large eyes, respectfully greeted him.

Mu Ershun was now twelve or thirteen years old and at Qi Refining First Layer.

Normally, the clan elders instructed him, instilling in him the idea of loyalty to the Lineage.

"Fifteen years. Time truly flies. Li Ergou's child has already become a cultivator."

Lan Chang'an sighed inwardly.

Had he not had wives, concubines, and many descendants in his Previous Life, seeing those around him marry, have children, and reunite happily with their families in this life would surely have filled him with loneliness.

"If the cultivation regions of Great Kun in my Previous Life and Great Qing in this life both belong to Tianheng Continent, I wonder whether any of my descendants have become outstanding cultivators."

Lan Chang'an had entertained such thoughts more than once.

In his Previous Life, he had not been called Lan Chang'an.

Strictly speaking, he no longer shared a bloodline with those descendants.

"Big Brother, look at my son Er Shun. Do you think he can learn talisman drawing in the future?"

Li Ergou, who had grown increasingly prosperous-looking, led his son out and asked with a beaming smile.

Mu Ershun possessed only a Low-Grade Spiritual Root, with a spiritual root sensitivity of merely twelve. He basically had no chance at Foundation Establishment.

Li Ergou wanted his son to learn a useful skill.

Lan Chang'an's talisman craft could earn Spirit Stones and protect one on the path of cultivation. Li Ergou had envied it for a long time.

"Drawing talismans depends on his talent."

Lan Chang'an did not reach a conclusion.

"Before long, Eldest Miss will open a Talisman shop in the newly opened Bamboo Leaf Mountain Market. She says she wants to recruit two Talisman Dao Apprentices. I want Er Shun to give it a try."

Li Ergou voiced his thoughts.

"Bamboo Leaf Mountain Market? So soon?"

Lan Chang'an had heard a little about it.

Ever since the Zheng Family branch withdrew from Bamboo Leaf Mountain, the site of that Second-Order Spiritual Vein had been transformed into a marketplace by the Maple Leaf Huang Family over the past two years.

It was called Bamboo Leaf Mountain Market.

The former Bamboo Leaf Mountain Zheng Family had completely become a thing of the past.

To attract business to the newly opened marketplace, the Huang Family had practically given away several shops at half price to the Beast Taming Zhou Family, the Jade Moon Mu Family, and others.

The Mu Family had obtained two shops at very low prices.

One was being prepared as a restaurant specializing in Spirit Fish and aquatic produce, drawing upon the advantages of Jade Moon Lake.

The other would be opened as a Talisman shop.

"Alright. If I have the right to recommend someone, I'll put in a good word for you."

A thought flashed through Lan Chang'an's mind, and he understood Li Ergou's intentions.

He had a feeling that the Mu Family might seek him out soon.

Lan Chang'an's premonition was correct.

The very next day, a Mu Family higher-up came to visit.

"Eldest Miss, what matter requires you to come in person?"

Lan Chang'an rose to greet her, putting on a slightly flattered appearance.

Mu Xiuyun wore a long turquoise gauze dress. She was gentle and quiet, elegant and poised.

She was about the same age as Lan Chang'an and had preserved her appearance well. She looked around twenty, carrying several more shades of charm than in her girlhood when they first met.

She was now at Qi Refining Eighth Layer, unquestionably one of the Lineage's upper ranks.

"There is no need for such formality between us. In your eyes, I cannot sense any genuine reverence toward anyone."

Mu Xiuyun smiled radiantly, her gaze flowing like ripples.

Both were Talisman Masters, and after so many years in the Mu Family, they naturally had some dealings with each other.

After welcoming Mu Xiuyun into the main hall, Lan Chang'an prepared tea.

"Lan Chang'an, the Lineage plans to open a Talisman shop at Bamboo Leaf Mountain Market. Are you interested in going there as the chief Talisman Master?"

Mu Xiuyun went straight to the point.

"Don't rush to answer. I will manage the shop. You only need to refine some talismans and teach the apprentices along the way. On top of the treatment originally agreed upon with the Lineage, I will offer you an additional salary."