Wood Spirit Thorn

Inside the alley.

"Third Brother."

When another cultivator bandit approached from the other end and saw the figure sprawled on the ground, he was shocked and enraged. He hurried forward and used the Object Manipulation Technique to prop up his brother.

After confirming there was no trick, he discovered that Third Brother had already lost all signs of life. His face filled with terror. His brother had been killed so quickly—no!

He had to leave at once!

Yet as he prepared to flee, he casually reached for his brother's Storage Bag. The next moment, a wave of searing heat rushed at him, painting his cheeks red.

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"Not good!"

Firelight reflected in his pupils. Just as he hurriedly cast a mana shield, a streak of azure light flashed across his back. His mana shield flickered, and a tiny crack revealed that something had pierced through it.

Boom!

As the flames burned, Lin Chang'an calmly emerged from the shadows and swept past him, raising his hand to tuck the two Storage Bags, whose owners could no longer speak, into his robes.

In the silent alley, the firelight scattered in the wind, leaving behind only a few scorched traces.

He changed disguises several times throughout the Market. He even visited a Restaurant filled with rouge, powder, and languid melodies, muddling the scent on his body.

At the same time, he disposed of the two Storage Bags. There had only been a dozen or so Spirit Stones inside.

Only after repeatedly confirming that no one was following him did Lin Chang'an return home.

Inside the cultivation chamber.

"With a magical tool to support it, its power is actually this great!"

After returning home, Lin Chang'an could barely suppress his shock. Those had been two genuine cultivators of the same rank.

Though the ambush had been the main reason, what mattered more was that their mana shields had been pierced in an instant.

Between cultivators of the same rank, how could a mana shield be so easily penetrated?

"Let's try it."

With a grave expression, Lin Chang'an attached a Mid-Grade Golden Light Talisman to the wall. The next moment, he raised his hand and unleashed this Minor Divine Ability.

Pfft!

Azure light flashed. Accompanied by a dull stone-piercing sound, the Golden Light Talisman on the wall was penetrated, and its pale golden radiance slowly faded.

"A Mid-Grade Golden Light Talisman was pierced through in a single strike!"

He had tested this spell's power before, but its might when paired with a magical tool made Lin Chang'an swallow hard.

The defensive power of a Mid-Grade Golden Light Talisman was equivalent to the mana shield of a Qi Refining Mid-Stage cultivator.

In other words, against someone of the same rank, so long as they were caught off guard at close range, he could kill them instantly.

Of course, there was one more condition: the other party could not have a defensive magical tool either.

"What if it were a Premium Mid-Grade Talisman?"

As though struck by a thought, Lin Chang'an's expression turned solemn as he took out another talisman.

A Premium Mid-Grade Golden Light Talisman—its defensive shield was said to be infinitely close to that of a Qi Refining Late Stage cultivator.

The same procedure.

[Wood Spirit Thorn]

Pfft!

This time, it was visible to the naked eye. The pale golden mana shield held for an instant, yet it was still pierced through.

"How is that possible?!"

As Lin Chang'an stood stunned, the sound of a skill breakthrough echoed in his mind.

[Wood Spirit Thorn +80 (Perfect Grade 1/10000)]

Over the past three-plus months, relying on its low consumption and recovering with Spirit Stones, he had directly raised it to the Grandmaster Realm.

Of course, another reason for such rapid improvement was the notes Yun Yao had handed him. The cultivator who created this spell had recorded everything in painstaking detail, allowing him to comprehend it so quickly.

He had never expected there to be another level beyond skill Grandmaster.

The insights from a Perfect Grade skill drew Lin Chang'an into a wondrous state of comprehension once again.

At that moment, it was as if he had become the cultivator who created this minor spell, progressing from the simplest Spirit Flicking Finger to developing this immensely powerful Minor Divine Ability with the aid of a magical tool.

"So that's how it is!"

After a long while, Lin Chang'an finally opened his eyes in realization. This insight had brought his mastery of this spell to a level no less than that of its creator.

Of course, that was assuming the other party had not held anything back.

"So Perfect Grade means allowing a cultivator to reach a state of complete harmony with the creator."

With a lift of his hand, two wooden thorns flew out from the wall, which was covered in dense little pits. A smile appeared on Lin Chang'an's face.

"Three Wood Spirit Thorns. No wonder this spell was granted the name Minor Divine Ability by Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Its power is terrifying. In other words, even against a Qi Refining Late Stage cultivator now, I have the strength to contend with them."

Of course, that was only in a close-range ambush. In a real battle, there were far too many factors to consider.

Qi Refining Late Stage cultivators not only had sharper five senses, but also possessed more magical tools. They were not poor wretches like those at the Qi Refining Mid-Stage or Early Stage.

If they had protective magical tools, the chances of capsizing in the gutter would be high.

It could only be said that Perfect Grade allowed him to rival the cultivator who created this spell, giving him another trump card.

"And this is with this incomplete High-Grade Magical Tool."

Lin Chang'an thought greedily, then shook his head and sighed.

A High-Grade Magical Tool cost over a thousand Spirit Stones.

Though he could earn that much in a year, with his current cultivation, he could not bring out the full power of a complete High-Grade Magical Tool. It would also more easily draw the greed of others.

"If I really had a thousand Spirit Stones, it would be enough for me to cultivate to the Qi Refining Late Stage."

Lin Chang'an smiled and shook his head, but then Yun Yao came to mind.

It had been nearly half a year since she borrowed those Spirit Stones. Hopefully she could return, since Yun Yao owed him quite a few Spirit Stones.

If she truly could not return, then all those favors would be gone with her.

With means of self-protection now at hand, Lin Chang'an went to the Gathering Immortal Pavilion with Er Niu. Little Marquis Shen Lie and Lu Qingqing were also deeply worried.

But Yun Yao's cultivation was stronger than theirs, and they did not know what she had gone off to do.

They could only pray that nothing happened to her, that she at least returned safely. With days and years stretching ahead, there would always be opportunities.

Afterward, Lin Chang'an resumed his daily routine of talisman drawing and cultivation, though he added the practice of the Spirit Wood Thorn spell.

The walls of the secret chamber, however, had become rather unfortunate. They were covered in dense pinpricks, as though a torrential Pear Blossom Needle Rain had plowed across them.

Then, half a month later, the Market's peace was shattered once more.

"Monster beasts again!"

The entire Market descended into chaos. Countless cultivators stared in shock at the formation that had activated above the Market.

Yet this time, the moment the disturbance appeared, the Foundation Establishment Cultivators of Li Fire Palace and Mystic Sound Pavilion shouted coldly. In an instant, the entire Market was illuminated as brightly as day.

"Wind-Splitting Eagles!"

When Lin Chang'an stepped out of his house and saw the night sky transformed into daylight, he could not help but be stunned.

Huge Second-tier Monster Beast Wind-Splitting Eagles circled above the Market, dozens upon dozens of them. These were flock-dwelling, Second Tier Foundation Establishment-level monster beasts.

"Who the hell poked a nest of Second-tier Monster Beasts!"

Watching the Wind-Splitting Eagles circle overhead and continuously attack the Market's barrier, Lin Chang'an could not help cursing whoever had done it.

Damn it all, these were not Black Wind Wolves, but dozens of Second Tier Foundation Establishment Monster Beasts.

And they were flying monster beasts. At the same cultivation level, Human Race Foundation Establishment Cultivators held no advantage at all in the sky.

That night, the Market did not sleep. The Foundation Establishment Cultivators of the major lineages, along with those from Li Fire Palace and Mystic Sound Pavilion, furiously unleashed spells and magical tools within the Market.

Through the barrier, beneath a dazzling feast of multicolored spells, they spent the whole night shooting birds—no! Eagles.