Li Xiuchang found himself in a difficult position.
He could put off the summons from the General Affairs Hall for a few months, but Zhao Yuansi's summons would be harder to delay.
This was Zhao Yuansi's first summons since Li Xiuchang had become his disciple. It would certainly look bad if he simply failed to attend.
Besides, he had always wanted to attend Zhao Yuansi's lessons and see how much attending a master of the alchemical arts could increase his length.
Yet even counting from the day he entered the sect until the day Zhao Yuansi gave his lecture, less than five months would have passed.
A little over four months, from an ordinary mortal to the Fourth Layer of Qi Condensation...
If this had happened to a genius disciple of the inner sect, it would not exactly have been commonplace, but it would still have been understandable.
But for an outer sect disciple like him, it was somewhat exaggerated.
"After half a month, if I go to the lecture as usual, apart from my master, there probably won't be anyone else who knows me. Perhaps I won't attract any attention."
"If anyone really asks, I'll just say it was thanks to spending money and the Breakthrough Pill."
Li Xiuchang had reached the Third Layer of Qi Condensation in two months through spending money. With another Breakthrough Pill added to the equation, reaching the Fourth Layer of Qi Condensation in a little over four months was also achievable.
It was just that pills like the Breakthrough Pill often had side effects. They could not be taken too frequently, or they might affect one's potential.
Normally, no one would take a Breakthrough Pill during the Early Qi Condensation stage.
The explanation was somewhat far-fetched, but Li Xiuchang did not want to miss that lesson, nor did he want to incur Zhao Yuansi's displeasure because of it.
For a moment, he could not make up his mind.
"If only I had a spell that could conceal my Cultivation Level... No, that wouldn't work either. It doesn't seem very useful."
His own Cultivation Level was too low. Even if the spell concealing his Cultivation Level were powerful enough to fool Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators, could it really fool Nascent Soul cultivators, or even great cultivators above the Nascent Soul level?
The Immortal Dust Sect was filled with powerful experts. Great cultivators of this sort were not particularly rare. If he were discovered deliberately concealing his Cultivation Level, it would instead arouse suspicion.
Besides, even if he could hide it for a while, he could not conceal it forever. It was easy enough to explain while his Cultivation Level was low, but if his Cultivation Level became high and he continued making explosive progress, he would inevitably attract attention.
When the time came that he could no longer hide it, he could only consider leaving the Immortal Dust Sect and cultivating as a Rogue Cultivator.
Just then, his expression suddenly shifted slightly. He took out his Identity Token and sensed that someone had left another message.
"It's Senior Brother Wang Long. He successfully advanced to a Tier 2 Talisman Master!"
The message had just been left. Senior Brother Wang Long had probably come to his door to share the good news, only to discover that he was in seclusion. Thus, he had left a message and departed.
He probably had not gone far yet.
Numerous thoughts flashed through Li Xiuchang's mind.
He could use Senior Brother Wang Long as a test and see how he reacted.
Wang Long knew that Li Xiuchang had always spent money to cultivate, and he also knew what Li Xiuchang's cultivation speed had been like before. If there were anyone most capable of accepting that Li Xiuchang had already reached the Fourth Layer of Qi Condensation, it would certainly be Wang Long.
Moreover, after working with Wang Long for so long, Li Xiuchang understood his character very well. Wang Long could be considered one of the people he trusted most within the sect.
"If even Senior Brother Wang Long finds it unbelievable that I've broken through to the Fourth Layer of Qi Condensation, then I'll have no choice but to miss the lecture half a month from now."
With that thought, Li Xiuchang opened the Courtyard Protection Array, pushed open the gate, and walked out.
He saw Wang Long's departing back and hurriedly called out, "Senior Brother Wang Long!"
Eastern Geng District No. 1.
As soon as Wang Long entered the Eastern Geng District, Zhang Wanzhi and Mo Tu sensed it.
They also knew about the messengers previously sent by the General Affairs Hall and Zhao Yuansi.
Thus, they had been watching Li Xiuchang's current predicament and had discussed it long ago.
"He needs a secret method to conceal his Cultivation Level. Otherwise, even if he muddles through this time, he won't be able to hide it later. Still, standing out in the Immortal Dust Sect isn't necessarily a bad thing. It shouldn't be a major problem." That had been Zhang Wanzhi's initial thought.
The Immortal Dust Sect had countless geniuses, and people with fortuitous opportunities were everywhere. A slightly faster cultivation speed was not a major matter.
There were even several people who had muddled along from Registered Disciples all the way into the inner sect's core circle. Who did not know that they had great fortuitous opportunities?
But what ordinary cultivators considered great fortuitous opportunities was not even worth a glance in the eyes of the few old monsters at the top of the Immortal Dust Sect.
After all, those few old monsters had all glimpsed the splendor of the Upper Realm...
But Mo Tu did not think so:
"Based on the speed of the Cultivation Level improvement he has displayed so far, along with his talent in Spirit Plant Cultivation Arts, if he does not conceal himself, he will soon enter the inner sect. He may even enter the upper echelons of the Immortal Dust Sect in the future. By then, everything will fall beyond our control."
"Besides, you don't want him to attract the attention of those few old monsters in the Immortal Dust Sect too soon."
Zhang Wanzhi's face showed deep thought. Li Xiuchang was their hope of breaking the deadlock, but they did not need Li Xiuchang to remain in the Eastern Geng District forever.
What they needed was Li Xiuchang's growth.
But if Li Xiuchang entered the core of the Immortal Dust Sect, entering that towering city with its deep moats and walls, what happened next would no longer be something they could predict or interfere with.
Mo Tu continued, "What I mean is, find him a secret method to conceal his Cultivation Level and let him choose for himself.
"As for what comes afterward, we'll wait until Old Gui returns before deciding."
Zhang Wanzhi understood what Mo Tu meant. They did not want Li Xiuchang to enter the Immortal Dust Sect's core echelon, but they were not so shameless as to forcibly interfere with his choice.
Fate was fickle and beyond human control. Without Gui Wuyan's help, they could not see the trajectory of destiny clearly either.
Under such circumstances, forcibly interfering might instead produce the opposite result.
If Li Xiuchang could enter the inner sect, it might not necessarily be a bad thing for him. He would be able to receive the Immortal Dust Sect's abundant resources and nurturing.
But being unable to hide and not wanting to hide were two different matters. Right now, Li Xiuchang wanted to hide but could not; he had no room to choose.
If Li Xiuchang obtained a secret method to conceal his Cultivation Level, then whether he hid it or not would be entirely his own choice.
Zhang Wanzhi pondered for a moment before saying, "When it comes to concealing one's Cultivation Level, that's Chen the Turtle's specialty. If we want a Qi Condensation cultivator like Li Xiuchang to fool those old fellows in the Immortal Dust Sect, only Chen the Turtle's unique secret method can do it. Looks like we'll have to pay Chen the Turtle another visit.
"But this secret method can't be given to him directly. If too much is exposed, he'll only become suspicious of our identities."
"Preaching Ranking." Mo Tu merely uttered the three seemingly unrelated words, but they made Zhang Wanzhi's eyes light up.
"Senior Brother Wang Long!" Li Xiuchang called out and stopped Wang Long.
Wang Long halted and turned around in delight. "Junior Brother Li, you've left seclusion?"
Li Xiuchang did not answer. He smiled and clasped his hands. "Congratulations on becoming a Tier 2 Talisman Master, Senior Brother!"
Wang Long could not help bursting into hearty laughter, feeling incomparably exhilarated. He had finally broken free from the mire of being a Tier 1 Talisman Master. How could he not be delighted?
Still, he remained modest in his words. "It was merely luck, merely luck. Even as a Tier 2 Talisman Master, I still can't compare with how popular you are as a Spirit Chef Apprentice."
He was not just saying that.
Compared with a Tier 1 Talisman Master, the circumstances of a Tier 2 Talisman Master were indeed much better. At the very least, Tier 2 Talismans had higher profit margins than Tier 1 Talismans and were easier to sell. A Tier 2 Talisman Master would not end up losing money making and selling Talismans.
But because of the enormous number of Tier 1 Talisman Masters, the Tier 2 Talismans market was affected as well, causing the income of Tier 2 Talisman Masters to remain at the bottom among all Tier 2 artisans.
Thus, if one were truly comparing the ability to earn spirit stones, Li Xiuchang's Smoked Spirit Meat business really did make more than that of an ordinary Tier 2 Talisman Master.
Wang Long then asked, "Junior Brother, did your skills improve during this retreat?"
Li Xiuchang froze. Had Senior Brother Wang Long failed to notice that he had broken through to the Mid Qi Condensation stage?
Otherwise, why would he ask about the progress of his skills?
If he had discovered that Li Xiuchang had already reached the Fourth Layer of Qi Condensation, he would never have thought that Li Xiuchang had entered seclusion to practice his skills, would he?
Li Xiuchang could not help wondering whether his breakthrough in Cultivation Level was really that inconspicuous.
But thinking about it, it did not seem strange.
The Immortal Dust Sect was a place where Foundation Establishment cultivators were everywhere and Golden Core cultivators were as numerous as dogs. Who would care about the slightest fluctuation from a mere Qi Condensation cultivator like him?
Even Senior Brother Wang Long, who had interacted with him the most, had not noticed immediately.
"Sure enough, my life actually doesn't have that many spectators. I was just worrying needlessly." Li Xiuchang thought to himself.
What he did not know was that, at that moment, there were already two "spectators" not far away, watching the situation around him with great interest.
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