Half a month later.
Little Turtle Peak, beside the lotus pond.
A nimble and playful girl in a floral dress sat on the back of a black water turtle, touching the simple texture on the turtle shell with her bare hands, looking reluctant to leave.
"Tan'er, if you don't go back and delay your practice, your master may blame you."
Lu Changan said with a straight face.
The last time I said goodbye to Feiyue Lake, I didn't expect that this niece, who was in the foundation-building stage, would take the initiative to beg to come over and see the Xuan Water Turtle.
More than ten years ago, Zhao Tan'er planned to build a foundation and came here with his master Zhao Siyao, and fell in love with the cute Xuan Shui Turtle.
"Uncle Lu, my master is going to attend the lantern festival in Bauhinia Fairy City next month. Are you really not going to go there and give her a surprise?"
Zhao Tan'er jumped down from the turtle shell, looking at Lu Changan's expression with a pair of smart eyes.
"At this lantern festival, my master was arranged by a master of Jiedan to meet with his junior. If you don't take action, Uncle Lu, you may make a mistake for life."
In the past few days since coming to Xiaogui Peak, Zhao Tan'er has overtly or covertly brought Lu Changan and Zhao Siyao together more than once.
Lu Changan was dubious about what this woman said.
Zhao Siyao was a high-quality single female foundation-building monk in Jinyun Valley, and it was not uncommon for her to be matched by her elders.
If Zhao Siyao was willing to cling to or accept the unspoken rules, he would have given in as early as the ninth level of Qi Refining and would not have waited until today.
"You don't understand the things between elders."
Lu Changan shook his head.
"Uncle Lu, just go once, okay?"
Zhao Tan'er's teeth were like shells in her mouth, she slightly pursed her lips and begged.
"Uncle Lu, your aura has recently exploded. He wants to overcome the problem of talismans and hit the second level high-grade. He just doesn't have time. You must go next time."
Lu Changan was too lazy to argue anymore, so he entered the cave and opened the restriction to isolate Zhao Tan'er.
"Hmph, you are as cowardly as a turtle, why can't you take the initiative for once?"
Zhao Tan'er was angry and helpless.
"Xiaoqing, see you next time."
Zhao Tan'er stretched out a green finger, trying to hook the Xuan Shui Turtle's head.
Saw her approaching fingers.
The Xuan Shui Turtle instinctively showed pain and immediately retracted into its shell in fear.
Zhao Tan'er is not a gentle girl. She has a special way of liking her. She has scared the Xuan Shui Turtle these days.
"Hmph! You are the same, you are a coward!"
Zhao Tan'er was dissatisfied and flew away from Xiaogui Peak in boredom.
Plop!
After confirming that the woman had left, Xuan Shui Turtle excitedly reveled in the lotus pond.
"Finally gone."
In the cave, Lu Changan breathed a sigh of relief.
He didn't come out immediately.
Go to the alchemy room in the cave and pick up the alchemy that has been abandoned for some time.
Many years ago, Lu Changan's alchemy skills reached the threshold of a second-level alchemist.
But in order to fully become a second-level alchemist, this step has not yet been achieved.
He paid the price and occasionally managed to refine second-level elixirs, but he absolutely lost all his money and the quality of the finished elixirs was very unstable.
Faced with this big bottleneck, Lu Changan chose to take a break from time to time, review alchemy again, and seek a breakthrough.
"Um?"
When refining the elixir this time, Lu Changan felt that his technique was smooth, his fire control was precise, and he felt at ease.
A few days later, he refined a second-level cultivation elixir.
There are six Yuan Ning Dan and two Cheng Dan, with no obvious flaws in quality.
Lu Changan was overjoyed. This rate of elixir formation reached the standard of a second-level alchemist.
After a few days of rest.
He opened the furnace again to refine the second-level elixir, but the finished elixir dropped to 20%, and the quality dropped significantly.
The previous time, it seemed like he was just performing beyond his normal capabilities.
However, Lu Changan was determined that his alchemy skills had improved, and it was only a matter of time to break through this level.
In the following years, he slightly increased his investment and practice in alchemy.
…
Three years later.
Xiao Guifeng, inside the alchemy room.
A strong medicinal fragrance emitted.
The brass alchemy furnace, which was about ten feet tall, shone with light and the lid of the cauldron trembled slightly.
Lu Changan did not hesitate, he knitted the secrets in his hands and expertly performed the furnace-opening method.
A ray of spiritual energy burst open the lid of the cauldron, and steaming heat swept across it.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh...
Six pills flew into the palm of Lu Changan's hand.
Three of them are as black as carbon and are waste elixirs.
There is an elixir with most of the fourth line on its surface missing, which is somewhere between a useless elixir and an inferior elixir.
The other two pills are full and crystal clear, like green tea.
The total quantity of finished elixirs is related to the total weight of materials.
"Yes, the quality of the elixir and the rate of elixir production have stabilized. If you refine familiar second-level low-grade elixirs in the future, at least you won't lose money."
Lu Changan smiled and nodded, putting away the pills and the pill furnace.
About half a year ago, his alchemy skills were stable at the second level.
It took decades, with the blessing of cultivation and spiritual consciousness, and so many years of investment, to reach the second level of alchemy skills.
It is enough to prove that Lu Changan's alchemy talent is indeed a bit poor.
In comparison, the puppetry skills he trained later were almost second-level high-grade.
If it weren't for the rareness of second-level high-level puppet materials and the limited opportunities to practice, Lu Changan might have become a second-level high-level puppet master within the next few years.
"It will take another year for me to reach the fifth level of foundation building."
"At that time, you can go to the 'Liaoyuan Fairy City' to purchase second-level high-quality puppet materials, and look for third-level spiritual bamboos, second-level longevity elixirs, knotted elixir auxiliary medicines, etc."
Lu Changan thought.
He is now one hundred and thirteen years old, and it is expected that he will build the fifth floor when he is one hundred and fourteen years old.
One of the reasons why we considered the farther "Liaoyuan Fairy City" instead of Huanglong Fairy City was that the latter had declined significantly in recent years.
Liaoyuan Fairy City is the first fairy city in Liang Kingdom, located on the east side of Lihuo Palace.
The actual controller behind this fairy city is the Lihuo Palace of Nascent Soul level forces.
Back then, Lu Changan was planning to build a foundation and chose to go to Huanglong Fairy City because it was a holy land for casual cultivators, with a down-to-earth atmosphere and cheap talisman materials, making it suitable for casual cultivators with no background.
The prairie fire fairy city is often visited by the real person Jiedan. The scale and grade are higher. The house prices, rents and prices in the city have naturally increased.
When his cultivation was weak, Lu Changan avoided meeting real people, even just entering their sensory range.
Now in the middle stage of foundation building, the ability of Evergreen Gong to gather Qi and hide it has been greatly increased. Ordinary real people can't tell the truth from the truth, so there is no need to be too taboo.
…
Lu Changan walked out of the cave and received the two letters presented by the Earth Rock Rat.
One of them was from Guan Qiaozhi.
All in all, it has been five or six years since Guan Qiaozhi left.
In the past few years, she settled in the area around Hengshui Mansion and adopted some orphans.
Some were abandoned babies and didn’t even have names.
Guan Qiaozhi took it upon herself to give the baby boy the surname Lu and the baby girl the surname Guan.
It seemed that he wanted to use this alternative method to help Lu Changan continue his heirs and make up for his shortcomings.
In this letter.
Guan Qiaozhi focused on the spiritual-rooted boy "Qi Feng".
Qifeng is the descendant of Lu Changan's adoptive father "Qi Jingyun" several generations apart.
A few years ago, Qi Feng was discovered by Guan Qiaozhi to have mana fluctuations in his body, and she was officially introduced to the path of immortality.
"Being from a Jianghu gang, he is experienced, smart and steady in his actions, has a low-level spiritual root, and aims at the great road..."
Guan Qiaozhi described in the letter that Qi Feng was similar to Lu Changan in many aspects.
Therefore, as an immortal, she took some care of Qi Feng and gave him some guidance, but she did not give many resources.
Recently, Qi Feng has reached the fourth level of Qi Refining and will officially enter the world of immortality.
When Guan Qiaozhi discovered Qi Feng, he had been practicing the "Open Source Sutra" for many years and had a solid foundation in the second level of Qi refining.
"Chiffon? That's fine."
Guan Qiaozhi took care of his adoptive father's spiritual descendants, which was actually in line with Lu Changan's wishes.
He can understand Guan Qiaozhi's above behavior of "relying on emotions".
As long as Little Guifeng is not used as an orphanage, he has no objection.
As a caring person, Guan Qiaozhi understands his temperament and will not do such a thing to throw away the burden.
…
The second letter is from Li Erqing.
The content of the letter was completely within Lu Changan's expectations.
With the three major foundations of the Mu family, the number of clan members increased greatly during the Qi Refining Period, and the spiritual vein land of Feiyue Lake was no longer enough.
In the past two years, Feiyue Lake Mujia considered expanding to surrounding areas.
As a result, the plan collapsed.
The main reason is that there are no suitable goals and opportunities.
The Ji-building families on the north side of Feiyue Lake are far away from each other, making it difficult to provoke conflicts. Moreover, this force has a good relationship with the beast-controlling Zhou family, and is almost like a half vassal.
On the south side of Feiyue Lake is Maple Leaf Huang Family, and on the east side is Zhuye Shanfang City, where the cultivators reside.
They are all the territory of the Huang family.
Not only did the Huang family have the protection of the Foundation Establishment in the later stages, they also took a breather in the past two years and gave birth to a young Foundation Establishment monk.
The foundation-building and immortal-cultivating family on the southwest side is closer to Jinyun Valley. The ancestors of this tribe had a fake elixir master decades ago, and they still have connections with Jinyun Valley.
In the end, the Mu family, which has three branches and three foundations, only annexed one or two small surrounding families in the Qi refining stage, slightly expanding the family's industry and sphere of influence.
However, the fundamental problem has not been solved.
If it cannot expand outward.
The internal conflicts within the family have further intensified, with the old and new lineages in opposition, and limited resources and spiritual lines, which can only squeeze the middle and lower class members.
Li Erqing was worried about the Mu family's plight and hidden dangers, and expressed a vague request for advice in the letter.
…
A few days after this letter arrived.
Li Erqing rushed to Xiaogui Peak in person and talked with Lu Changan until late at night.
"The younger brother suddenly realized the profound meaning of the third suggestion made by the elder brother when Ren Longbo died."
Li Erqing had a complicated expression and sighed.
At that time, Huang Tankong plotted against the Mu family, leaving only Li Erqing, whose surname was Zhuji.
In order to prevent the Mu family from splitting, Lu Changan made three suggestions.
The first two resolve conflicts from within.
They were to let Li Erqing delegate power and train new foundation-building monks in the Mu family's old lineage.
The only third suggestion is to divert conflicts from the outside.
"If one day, the situation in Feiyue Lake is stable and cannot meet the training needs of your lineage. You can take your direct lineage and go outside to establish your own family."
Recalling what Lu Changan said back then, Li Erqing had to admire his far-reaching vision.
As long as Li Erqing is still around, the interest demands generated by his huge clan descendants will continue the confrontation between the old and the new for a long time.
"Er Qing, are you ready to start your own business?"
Lu Changan said with a smile.
If Li Erqing takes this step, it is in line with human nature.
Building the foundation in this life is the end, and the road is hopeless.
If you create a family of immortal cultivators with your own surname, and the bloodline of your descendants continues to multiply, the immortal cultivator asked, perhaps a powerful person will be born in future generations.
This way of continuation of bloodline can be regarded as the pursuit of immortality in a sense.
"Haha! How can I, Li Erqing, let my elder brother look down on me so easily?"
Li Erqing shook his head and grinned.
"I hereby swear that as my son-in-law, I will be a member of the Mu family for the rest of my life and protect Feiyue Lake until the last moment."
Looking at Lu Changan who was moved and surprised, Li Erqing felt an inexplicable sense of joy and pride.
"Oh, then how are you going to solve the hidden danger?"
Lu Changan was indeed a little surprised.
Li Erqing's doing this can be regarded as a model of repaying kindness.
After all, without the support and cultivation of the Mu family, Li Erqing would not have had the prosperity of having children.
"Congren learned of my thoughts and voluntarily went to remote areas to expand, taking away most of my direct descendants."
"In this way, there will be no opposition between the old and new lineages within Feiyue Lake."
Li Erqing said the future countermeasures.
"This kid Congren is very responsible."
Lu Changan praised.
No wonder Li Erqing was full of praise for his grandson Mu Congren a few years ago.
At the same time, Lu Changan understood the deeper meaning of doing so.
Li Erqing will protect the Mu family for life and will not start his own business.
However, his grandson brought his direct bloodline to expand abroad, and when the time came, he had the capital to establish his own family.
Li Erqing discussed a lot with Lu Changan about Mu Congren leading his tribe to expand abroad.
In the area near the border of Liang Kingdom, there are cheap second-level spiritual veins for rent and sale.
Because of its remote location, trade was not prosperous and conditions were difficult.
Moreover, being located on the edge of the sect's influence, the public security environment is also quite poor.
"My little brother is here this time, and I would like to ask Congren for some means to protect his path and save his life."
Li Erqing said.
When Lu Changan heard this, his heart moved.
He happened to have a lot of reserves of second-level talismans and puppets on hand.
Especially second-level, middle- and low-level puppets that are trained by hand, because they do not reveal their identity as second-level puppet masters, they cannot be sold openly.
"This set of talismans is a little thought from my eldest brother. The rest of the protection means are sold at the purchase price of the store."
Lu Changan first handed over a talisman box, which contained several second-level low-grade talismans.
Then, he took out a box of second-grade talismans, mainly low- and medium-grade, with a small amount of high-grade.
He also took out two or three top-quality magic weapons and several second-level puppets.
"this……"
Li Erqing couldn't help but froze, his eyes stared straight, and his throat squirmed as he swallowed.
Li Erqing struggled for a long time, took a deep breath, and looked away with difficulty.
The look he looked at Lu Changan seemed to indicate a new acquaintance.
He came here this time, fully prepared, and raised a lot of spiritual stones, but at this moment he felt that it was a drop in the bucket.
The above-mentioned war necessities can only be regarded as Lu Changan's regular methods. He doesn't mind showing a little bit to people he knows and trusts.
In the end, Li Erqing drained all his life savings, including the support from the Mu family elders, and still owed Lu Changan two thousand spiritual stones.
Purchase a top-quality magic weapon, two second-level puppets, and more than ten second-level and high-quality talismans.
The next day, Lu Changan sent away Li Erqing, who had an empty expression and hinted of physical pain.
Li Erqing has never spent so many spiritual stones in his life.
It was actually Lu Changan's war supplies. They were of high quality and low price, and the temptation was too great.
The two thousand spirit stones owed by Li Erqing.
Lu Changan is not worried. Anyway, he has many descendants and there is no shortage of people to repay his debts.
…
one year later.
Little Turtle Peak, inside the secret room.
"One hundred and fourteen years old, five levels of foundation building. The cultivation progress in the middle stage of foundation building has reached two-thirds."
Lu Changan slowly finished his work, the lake of spiritual energy in his dantian expanded a bit, and Changqing's magic power became stronger and deeper.
With this kind of small level advancement, the quality of mana does not change much.
However, the total amount of mana has been increased by about 30%, which is helpful for drawing charms and protracted battles.
Huchi! Snort!
The black water turtle was in front of Lu Changan, sucking in the breath greedily and making some kind of excited and urgent cry.
"Oh? Have you already reached the limit of the late first level?"
Lu Changan investigated the situation of Xuan Shui Turtle, and found that the magic power in its body was brewing to its peak, and it only lacked an opportunity for a qualitative change.
The Xuan Shui Turtle stuck out its tongue restlessly and rubbed his clothes enthusiastically and happily, looking impatient.
~~Happy New Year to everyone~~
Here, the store manager would like to thank all book friends for their support, allowing this new book to exceed 20,000 yuan before the New Year! !
Finally, thank you to all book friends who subscribed, tipped and voted.
…
(End of chapter)
