Hearing Devil Lord Duanmu Ji's words, Luo Chuan gave a cold snort inwardly. He had known all along that there were no Yingbian Pills in the Ancient God Land.
They were just a lure Demon God Tuo Sen would use to draw cultivators to the Ancient God Land, so he could catch them all in one net, seize their bodies, and break through Ancient God Tusi's seal.
The original story had mentioned that, among the cultivators who entered the Ancient God Land this time, only Wang Lin obtained Ancient God Tusi's Memory Inheritance. Everyone else became Demon God Tuo Sen's puppets.
Duanmu Ji kept one hand behind his back and shrugged. Calmly, he asked, "Have you decided? If you agree, and we get enough Yingbian Pills, we'll give you one."
Luo Chuan rubbed his chin and thought, I'll be going to the Ancient God Land soon anyway. I might as well travel there with them and use them to obtain the Ancient God's Memory Inheritance.
"How long until the Ancient God Land opens?"
Duanmu Ji stroked his pale goatee and replied, "According to our calculations, the Ancient God Land will open in three years. If you're interested, fellow cultivator, come to Star-Shattering Chaos in the Demon Cultivation Sea three years from now. This old man will wait for you there."
As he spoke, Duanmu Ji swung his right hand forward, tossing a blue jade pendant toward Luo Chuan.
Luo Chuan caught the pendant and glanced at it, then nodded slightly. "In that case, I'll see you in three years."
Devil Lord Duanmu Ji nodded with a faint smile, then left without lingering, departing the Huofen Kingdom to prepare the magical treasures for their trip to the Ancient God Land.
After returning to the War God Hall, Liu Mei looked at the jade pendant in her master's hand and asked curiously, "Master, what did that Spirit Severing Realm expert say to you?"
"He asked me to accompany them to a certain place. As for whether we'll obtain the legendary Yingbian Pills, that remains to be seen."
Luo Chuan put the jade pendant away again, turned, and looked at Liu Mei and A-Dai. "Have the Tianli Pills been refined yet?"
Liu Mei shook her head. "Li Muwan and Li Qiqing are refining them, but it'll take three months before they're ready."
Pill refinement took a great deal of time; there was no doubt about that. And since the Tianli Pills were especially difficult to make, completing them in three months was already no small feat.
Hearing this, Luo Chuan nodded slightly. He wasn't in a hurry; they still had plenty of time.
The next three months flew by in the blink of an eye. Before long, Li Muwan arrived at the courtyard holding two successfully refined Tianli Pills.
At that moment, Luo Chuan was in the courtyard, staring at the azure system screen before him to claim this month's sign-in reward.
[Congratulations, Host, on successfully signing in. You have received one Teleportation Jade Slip. No matter where you are, crush the slip to teleport to any location within a thousand-mile radius.]
Looking at the prompt that appeared on the system, Luo Chuan raised his brows and thought, This really is a useful item. I might be able to use it in the Ancient God Land.
Just then, Li Muwan flew over on her sword and landed steadily on the ground. She cupped her hands respectfully toward Luo Chuan.
"This junior, Li Muwan, pays her respects to Senior Luo Chuan."
Luo Chuan dismissed the system screen and looked at Li Muwan, who seemed somewhat worn out. He nodded slightly. "Have the Tianli Pills been successfully refined?"
Li Muwan pressed her lips together, then opened her palm. Two Tianli Pills, shimmering with a faint golden light, appeared in the air.
Because of their special properties, the pills' energy began to dissipate as soon as they were exposed to the air. If they weren't taken within an hour, their efficacy would drop sharply.
"Liu Mei, A-Dai, come out and take the Tianli Pills. Break through to the Golden Core Realm."
At Luo Chuan's words, Liu Mei and A-Dai landed steadily on the ground. Each took one Tianli Pill and put it in their mouth, then sat cross-legged and began absorbing its energy.
By the usual measure of breakthrough time, even with the Tianli Pills' help, it would still take the two of them a while to reach the Golden Core Realm.
As the saying went, one day in the mountains could mean a thousand years in the mortal world. It described the cultivation of cultivators perfectly: close your eyes for a short while, and who knew how much time might have passed outside?
Watching the two of them sit cross-legged and absorb the Tianli Pills, Luo Chuan set up a barrier to protect them, then turned to Li Muwan.
"Let's go for a walk."
Li Muwan nodded shyly and glanced at the room behind her. Then she followed Luo Chuan toward the back mountain of the War God Hall.
The sun sank toward dusk, and the distant mountains were dark as ink.
With one hand behind his back, Luo Chuan stood by the lake in the Moonlit Night Rain-Listening Garden, letting the chilly breeze wash over him as he gazed at the green mountains beyond the city.
His heart was a lake of jade, rippling in gentle waves.
A pavilion on the lake lay veiled in green waters and mist, surrounded by red lotus roots and green lotus leaves, its beauty touched by shimmering water and evening clouds.
Li Muwan asked curiously, "Senior, you're always holding a jade flute. Are you a sound cultivator?"
Sound cultivators fought using all kinds of sound-producing magical treasures. The power they unleashed was terrifying; even cultivators of the same realm might not be able to withstand it.
Luo Chuan took the wine gourd from his waist and drank several deep swallows. Then, smiling faintly, he answered, "I am an Exiled Immortal. The jade flute is merely a magical treasure; I'm no sound cultivator."
"An Exiled Immortal..."
"That's right. I shut out the world beyond my ears and devote myself to the sages' books. The world calls me an Exiled Immortal."
Luo Chuan leaned against a tree, resting one hand behind his head as he gazed at the shimmering lake. Then he looked at Li Muwan beside him.
"Your cultivation has already reached the Mid Foundation Establishment Realm. Have you never considered breaking through to the Golden Core Realm?"
Li Muwan smiled warmly. "This junior is dull by nature. It was no easy feat to reach the Mid Foundation Establishment Realm at my age. As for the Golden Core Realm, I expect I'll need more time."
In the original story, Li Muwan didn't break through to the Golden Core Realm until two hundred years after Wang Lin had finished his time in the Ancient God Land. If she hadn't exhausted her life force refining pills and formations for Wang Lin back then, with her talent, reaching the Golden Core Realm within a hundred years would have been easy.
Luo Chuan swept his right hand forward. A peach blossom petal drifted gently into Li Muwan's palm, then transformed into tiny pink motes of light and merged into her body.
Li Muwan's pretty face froze in surprise. "Senior, what is this...?"
"It's a seed of opportunity condensed from spiritual energy. It can speed up your cultivation. Consider it a way for me to thank you on behalf of my two disciples for refining the pills."
"If you ever reach the late Nascent Soul Realm, I'll personally guide you in breaking through to Spirit Severing."
Hearing this, Li Muwan was so moved that she started to kneel, but Luo Chuan caught her jade hand and pulled her back up.