Lan Changsheng

Ili City.

Chaotic Star Tavern.

It was still morning here. Most people were absorbed in their work and had no time to return to the tavern to make a racket.

Thus, in a secluded room of the tavern, a gray-clad youth stood before a square table.

He held a Talisman Brush in his hand, fully focused as it danced across a sheet of Talisman Paper, brimming with spiritual intent.

Drawing Talismans!

The gray-clad youth had rented this secluded room precisely so he could have a quiet environment for crafting Talismans.

Otherwise, if he were suddenly disturbed while drawing with complete concentration, all the work he had done beforehand would go to waste.

Just like now.

His right palm suddenly twitched. As the gray-clad youth was about to complete the Talisman's head, his brush tip abruptly paused and left behind a large slanted stroke.

Looking at the Talisman he had botched again, the gray-clad youth sighed and flipped his hand, summoning his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul.

His name was Lan Changsheng, and he too had come from Shrek Academy.

However, unlike those Transmigrators who followed the group and had system cheat abilities, he had transmigrated twice.

The first time, he had transmigrated from Earth into a cultivation world where mortals sought immortality. He struggled and cultivated there until reaching Qi Cultivation Grand Perfection.

But as an independent cultivator, he had neither the opportunity nor the resources to purchase a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Thus, when he attempted to break through to Foundation Establishment, his spiritual power ran rampant, and he died.

The second time, he transmigrated into the body of an ordinary middle-aged Soul Grandmaster in Suotuo City on Douluo Continent.

Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, twenty-first-level Soul Grandmaster.

However, through a cultivation secret art, he could make his Bone Age appear to be only twelve or thirteen, fooling the teachers' inspections at Shrek Academy.

Originally, he had planned to lie low at Shrek Academy, follow the group, and mooch some Immortal Herbs off the protagonist group.

But unfortunately, there were too many monsters there.

Lan Changsheng shook his head inwardly and opened his palm. A lush Blue Silver Grass swayed vigorously in his hand, appearing full of life.

Yet Lan Changsheng frowned. "The sensing connection to the grass seeds I cultivated using the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul here has vanished?"

"Did Zhou Xiu die?"

He knew about Zhou Xiu's Golden Finger ability.

It was very powerful.

The only reason he could resist it was because he had been a Cultivator at Qi Cultivation Grand Perfection in his previous life and could use Spiritual Sense to withstand it.

But aside from him, who else in this city could block that guy's Golden Finger ability?

Although Zhou Xiu had been the first person driven out by those people from Shrek Academy, that absolutely did not mean his Golden Finger ability was the weakest.

It could even be said that Zhou Xiu's powerful control ability ranked in the upper-middle tier among that group of monsters.

The reason he had been driven out first was purely because his mouth was too foul and his temper too awful.

Nobody liked him, so they had joined forces to drive him away.

Lan Changsheng frowned for a moment before grabbing the Blue Silver Grass and withdrawing it.

No matter who had killed Zhou Xiu, that person was definitely powerful. It might even have been Tang Hao.

So, this place was no longer safe for him.

Even though he had never shared Zhou Xiu's intention of harming Tang Hao, placing his life at the mercy of a powerful person's moods was unwise.

"Alas, I originally wanted to lie low at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and use their wealth to aid my cultivation."

"Now I can only give that up."

Lan Changsheng sighed. He and Zhou Xiu had not come to this city without a plan.

Their original plan had been for Zhou Xiu to use his Golden Finger ability to control the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Meanwhile, he would lie low there and use the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's wealth to collect natural treasures for artifact forging and gather herbs for pill refinement...

To strengthen his path of cultivation.

But now...

He could only abandon it.

With that thought, Lan Changsheng acted without hesitation. He collected all the Talisman Brush materials from the table, swiped a finger over them, and stored them in his Storage Soul Tool.

He then pulled out another Talisman, opened the room's window, and stuck it to his leg. Instantly, he became a swift blur and raced toward the city gates.

Divine Speed Talisman, the most useful Talisman for low-level cultivators fleeing for their lives.

"Who goes there?"

A patrolling soldier atop the city wall noticed something amiss and shouted down from above. The Godly Zhuge Crossbow in his hand instantly turned toward Lan Changsheng.

But Lan Changsheng paid him no heed. He took out another Talisman and slapped it onto himself, and a violent wind immediately rose.

His body soared into the air like a great bird, clearing the city wall and speeding toward the outskirts.

Wind Riding Talisman.

It could command fierce winds and grant him the experience of flight.

Other than its immense spiritual power consumption and costly materials, it had no drawbacks whatsoever.

Yet that one drawback was the most painful of all.

As he ran, Lan Changsheng's heart ached. This was all capital he had painstakingly accumulated by drawing Talismans day and night.

Damn Zhou Xiu. Acting with those young people had truly been a waste of time.

Now he could only flee to the Star Luo Empire and lie low in Gengjin City.

He hoped he could quickly forge a magical artifact there.

Otherwise, a Cultivator without a magical artifact truly had abysmal combat power and could not even lie low properly.

With long sighs all the way, Lan Changsheng swiftly vanished from the soldiers' sight atop the city wall.

By the time news of Lan Changsheng's escape from Chaotic Star Tavern reached Tang Hao, it was already noon.

Tang Hao looked over the information on Lan Changsheng that King Ilisa had sent someone to deliver, and surprise briefly crossed his solemn face.

Sticking a strange sheet of paper onto one's body allowed one to fly through the air?

Wasn't that a Talisman?

A Cultivator.

He had not expected Zhou Xiu's fellow traveler to be a Cultivator.

But since the other party was a Cultivator, why had he not worked together with Zhou Xiu's ability?

The powerful control ability of [Friends and Family, Brothers in Arms], combined with a Cultivator's strange secret arts, could absolutely make even a Titled Douluo suffer.

Unable to understand it, Tang Hao continued waiting here.

Until the next day, when the Iliza Royal Family mobilized its forces to gather intelligence through the era-spanning invention known as the Telegraph,

A complete intelligence analysis was soon placed before him.

"So they were merely traveling the same road, not members of the same group?"

The intelligence sent by the Ili Kingdom contained not only information about Zhou Xiu and Lan Changsheng's journey here, but also a corresponding analysis of that information.

In this regard, the Ili Kingdom, still in its kingdom era, possessed many specialists in intelligence analysis.

Tang Hao read through it, and combined with his own understanding of Zhou Xiu and ordinary Cultivators, he immediately knew the analysis was correct.

That Transmigrator named Lan Changsheng likely held no killing intent toward him.

However,

"A Cultivator..."

Tang Hao stood in his room, his eyes shining as he looked at the report.

After delivering the intelligence, King Ilisa had returned to handle state affairs.

Prince Ilir was much the same. He was responsible for tracking down Zhou Xiu in Suotuo City of the Balak Kingdom to see exactly who Zhou Xiu was.

Thus, Tang Hao was once again left alone here.

Looking at the description of Lan Changsheng in the report, Tang Hao's curiosity surged.

A Cultivator, cultivation techniques.

Who would not feel intense curiosity toward a hometown fellow named Lan Changsheng after seeing that?