Tantai Feiyue smiled and poured Lin Changheng a cup of tea. "The last ti I saw you, Brother Lin, I wanted to discuss this very matter. But so things ca up, and I didn’t get the chance. Afterward, you were always in the Alchemy Room, so..."
Lin Changheng nodded. He had realized this afterward, which was why he had co to visit.
He then heard Tantai Feiyue add, "Didn’t the Xu Family value my potential in the Talisman Dao before? They intended to cultivate . They even searched for a Middle Grade Talisman Dao inheritance for ."
"Indeed."
Lin Changheng was aware of this.
"Life as a Loose Cultivator is difficult these days, so I accepted a new proposal from the Xu Family’s upper echelons to cooperate more deeply with them."
"It’s nothing more than an agreent that I cannot abandon the family for a set period. In return, the Xu Family will fully support my progress in the Talisman Dao, including an early promotion to Honored Guest Elder, continuing to collect Talisman Making inheritances and Magic Techniques for , and also providing Talisman Materials..."
Tantai Feiyue listed many details of her cooperation with the Xu Family, her expression quite calm.
Lin Changheng was taken aback upon hearing this. After a mont, he smiled and said, "The Xu Family has an upright way of doing things, and their leadership is ambitious and capable. Their day to soar may be coming soon. It’s indeed a good choice."
"So, the Xu Family will satisfy most of my requests, and I took the opportunity to add the Pan Mountain Essence Blood to the list."
As Tantai Feiyue spoke, she winked at Lin Changheng and gave him a brilliant smile.
But Lin Changheng knew that the stronger the support, the stricter the Xu Family’s demands would be.
’There’s no such thing as a free lunch.’
’Feiyue must have tied herself deeply to the Xu Family this ti.’
’She has always been quite intelligent; she must have thought it through. With an inadequate Spirit Root, advancing is difficult. By relying on her profound Talisman Dao to accumulate resources, she might still have a chance to glimpse Foundation Establishnt.’
’But when it cos to finding a patron, there probably isn’t a better choice than the Xu Family.’
’In a great Noble Family like the Talisman-Making Song Family, if she were to join halfway, she would surely be overlooked among their many powerful Talisman Masters. Even if their Talisman Dao inheritances are rich, that advantage would most likely never fall into her hands.’
In Lin Changheng’s position, he couldn’t change anything, nor did he intend to.
To him, the Xu Family was just a temporary stop.
For Tantai Feiyue, stability was perhaps better.
Afterward, Lin Changheng took out so Spirit Stones and offered them to her, not wanting to owe Feiyue such a huge favor.
More importantly, he didn’t have any Wood Elent Middle Grade Pills on him; otherwise, that would have been a better way to repay her.
But the female cultivator refused him.
Her soft voice drifted out, "How could re Spirit Stones ever compare to even a sliver of the friendship between us?"
"Thank you."
Lin Changheng could only take them back, planning to gift her so Wood Elent Elixirs in the future instead.
After that, neither of them spoke, falling into a comfortable silence.
After a long while, Tantai Feiyue suddenly asked, "I was wondering, Brother Lin... would you consider staying with the Xu Family in the future?"
Lin Changheng froze for a mont, not expecting the female cultivator to ask such a question. Then, under her slightly anxious gaze, he still shook his head. "No."
Tantai Feiyue’s tension vanished, replaced by a hollow feeling in her heart. Although she had already guessed the answer, hearing it still brought a sense of bitterness.
Then she forced a smile. "Mm, I understand."
Lin Changheng watched as her red lips parted slightly but made no sound. Only after pressing them together again did she speak. A strange emotion flashed through his heart, and he didn’t know what to say.
...
「Back in his own courtyard.」
Lin Changheng took out the Wooden Box and deftly poured the Talismanic Ink and Essence Blood into a basin, preparing for Spirit Stealing.
But his mind couldn’t help but drift back to when Princess Tantai saw him to the door.
The sight of the cold, clear moonlight, the sudden fragrant breeze that filled his nostrils, and the warm, gentle touch that had abruptly appeared on the side of his face.
It was there one mont and gone the next, followed by the frantic sound of a door shutting.
But the mory was still vivid.
His gaze then hardened. He stopped reminiscing, plunged his hand directly into the basin, and connected his consciousness to the Primordial Cauldron.
WHOOSH!
[Pan Mountain Turtle Treasure Seed·Third Layer]
[Spirit Stealing: 2/100]
[Can continue to Refine into Demon Race Lifebound Talent: Earth Escape]
Lin Changheng plucked the Treasure Seed directly. A heavy, solid feeling imdiately pierced his Divine Soul and coursed through his entire body.
[Obtained: Earth Escape Technique: Tongming]
However, in the next instant, he didn’t contemplate the Utility brought by the Treasure Seed. Instead, he stared directly at the spot in the Tripod Mouth where the [Pan Mountain Turtle Treasure Seed] had been.
He instantly let out a sigh of relief.
There, a new, illusory, earth-yellow Treasure Seed was forming.
"It didn’t end here."
"There’s more to co!"
In Lin Changheng’s heart, the [Earth Escape Technique] was indeed useful. But if, like the [Wood Puppet Fox Treasure Species], its potential was limited to only the Third Layer, that would be unacceptable.
Thankfully, a new phantom appeared, which ant... the Third Layer was not the end. At the very least, it could tamorphose into a [True Core] Demon Technique, or even a [Dao Fruit] Divine Ability.
’Sothing to look forward to.’
A mont later, he began to comprehend the new power from the Treasure Seed.
[Utility: Precisely sense the rhythm of the earth and freely rge with and travel through soil layers.]
Lin Changheng activated it on the spot. His entire body turned into a streak of yellow light, burrowed into the ground, and vanished.
He only reappeared a full ten breaths later.
"I can go about twenty feet deep. After ten breaths, the pressure becos unbearable, forcing out. Both the depth and duration have improved significantly."
"And I can sense the rhythm of the earth more clearly and intuitively, borrowing its power to move. A quick test shows a huge change in my tunneling speed and distance. I preliminarily estimate I can cross a distance of five hundred yards."
Although the distance is five hundred yards, in practice, this ans if soone were chasing him and guessed his direction wrong, the gap between them could grow to as much as a thousand yards.
That’s a gap of over half a mile.
Among Qi Cultivation Stage cultivators, even for soone at the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer, catching up would not be easy.
...
「Two days later.」
It was the day the envoys from the Spirit Fox Mountain Liu Family were supposed to arrive.
Although the Xu Family didn’t hang up lanterns and colored banners, they still made thorough preparations.
It had the air of an envoy from a superior state visiting another country.
Aside from the closed-door eting between the upper echelons and the Liu Family’s people, Lin Changheng was qualified to participate in all other events by virtue of his status as a Middle Grade Alchemist.
That evening, a grand banquet was held in the main welcoming hall on the Black Water Riverfront.
Lin Changheng naturally attended. On the way, he ran into Xu Fugui, and the two headed over together.
Tantai Feiyue had now been announced as a Talisman Dao Honored Guest. Her status was sufficient, but she didn’t want to join in the festivities, nor did she need anything from the Liu Family, so she did not attend.
By this ti, Lin Changheng had already received Xu Fugui’s wedding invitation and learned that Xu Fugui was confird to beco an Elder’s Son-in-Law. He therefore probed, "What is the purpose of the Liu Family envoy’s visit?"
Hearing this, Xu Fugui had no intention of hiding anything. He glanced around, and seeing no one else nearby, lowered his voice. "There’s no definite news, but there is a rumor, though I can’t vouch for its authenticity."
"Let’s hear it."
Lin Changheng’s interest was piqued.
"The rumor says that Juechen Valley is in a good location within the New Wilderness Land. It’s not too far forward, where it would face the backlash and assault of Demon Beasts, but it’s not too far back either. It can supply the new frontier’s needs and also serve as a hub for supplies from the rear..."
Xu Fugui spoke without hesitation.
’Based on that description, could it be that the Liu and Xu families want to open a Marketplace in the New Wilderness Land?’
’The location and function are both suitable.’
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