"Why did it take so long for you to co out? What did you discuss with the Master?"
Li Lingyu said, as the two were the only Qi Refining disciples under their master’s tutelage, they had each other’s backs when purchasing spiritual objects from other marketplaces.
Her Foundation Establishnt is due within the next few years, and the Five Elents Essence needed for the mandatory tasks isn’t much, but after Foundation Establishnt, she would need to submit higher-level spiritual items. Strapped for resources, she may not be able to complete the tasks.
Thus, she had the sa idea as Ji An, thinking to buy more Essences and earn so profit, which would help ease her financial strains.
For this reason, she recently borrowed over a hundred Spirit Stones from several senior brothers and sisters.
"The Master tested my Magic Techniques."
Ji An only spoke half the truth. It was better not to ntion borrowing Spirit Stones to avoid sparking any unpleasantness or potential resentnt.
"The Master has always intended to cultivate a disciple capable of succeeding her. A few senior brothers and sisters are quite talented in Alchemy, but nearly no one wants to invest effort in planting. Your talent is sure to make the Master fond of you."
Li Lingyu spoke softly, with a hint of dejection in her words; she felt that despite her earnest efforts over the years, she hadn’t received half the attention from the Master as Ji An now did.
"Alas, I’m just a caretaker of the Spirit Field.
Sister, the sect’s flying ship to Cyan Cloud Immortal City departs only once a month, and we have to wait seven to eight more days for the next departure. Waiting ans missing out on the opportunity.
I’m considering visiting the small and dium-sized marketplaces established by the surrounding Cultivation Clans of the sect, choosing a route to Cyan Cloud Immortal City. The only uncertainty is whether such a route is safe enough."
Ji An changed the subject, having noticed the subtle emotion in her tone.
After going to Cyan Cloud Immortal City, Wei Songnian would not return by flying ship but would instead pass through various marketplaces.
However, they were a group of familiar sect disciples traveling together; ten plus Late-stage Qi Refining disciples traveling together was a guarantee of security.
"In both the sect and other marketplaces, Law Enforcent Teams are established to regularly purge Tribulation Cultivators, aiming to maintain the order of the Western Continent.
Because only with stabilized order can sects and various Cultivation Clans achieve better developnt.
I know the routes those trading disciples take; the safety is assured.
So, I’ll first rent a Flying Tad Beast. Even if Tribulation Cultivators set their sights on us, they can’t catch up to us."
Li Lingyu faintly smiled, proudly saying,
"Actually, most Tribulation Cultivators are miserable Loose Cultivators. Their mastered Magic Techniques and Magical Artifacts can’t compare to us sect disciples.
Both of us are Ninth-Layer Qi Refining. If we encounter Tribulation Cultivators, who knows who’ll be robbing who."
"Sister is right. I need to make a trip to the dicinal Garden. Where shall we et afterward?"
Ji An said, still needing to return to his place to retrieve the Talismans accumulated over two months, to trade them in Cyan Cloud Immortal City for more starting capital.
"Let’s et at the flying ship platform of Luoxia Mountain. Leaving Luoxia Mountain and heading southeast for 300 Li, there’s a small marketplace, which can be our first stop."
With that, the two parted ways. Ji An first went to the dicinal Garden to give Old Xiang a few directives, asking him to be more attentive in the coming days, then returned to the bamboo house at the foot of the mountain to pack the Talismans into his Storage Bag.
Finally, he put the Spirit-Seeking Rat into a cloth bag, fed a Spirit Feeding Pill to the grey-feathered sand goose, and rode on it.
...
Four days later.
Cyan Bamboo Mountain Marketplace is the largest market within 800 Li radius. Ji An swept all the Five Elents Essence and Five Elents Spiritual Objects from the store shelves and didn’t let the stalls of Loose Cultivators escape either.
As the two of them headed out of the marketplace, he exclaid,
"There’s not enough goods!"
His Storage Bag was filled with nearly three thousand Spirit Stones, having only spent a bit over six hundred, and they were already halfway through the journey.
At this rate, he could spend at most eleven to twelve hundred Spirit Stones before reaching Cyan Cloud Immortal City. Borrowing so many from the ntor but failing to utilize them is a shaful waste of purchasing power.
Li Lingyu bared her teeth, having spent all her Spirit Stones at the previous marketplace. She tentatively asked,
"Maybe we don’t need to reach Cyan Cloud Immortal City before returning?"
She wasn’t surprised by this junior disciple’s wealth compared to her own; her Spirit Stones were all exchanged for Foundation Establishnt Pills, while he was preparing for the exchange, so having more Spirit Stones was normal.
"I still need to go to Cyan Cloud Immortal City. Sister, have you forgotten I need to deliver Talismans to the cooperating shop?"
Ji An smiled and added,
"Sister, please accompany . I don’t know the way, and traveling alone to the Immortal City doesn’t feel safe.
Rest assured, I won’t let sister go on a futile trip; any surplus losses will be covered by , along with a token of gratitude."
Sect’s Beast Taming rental is charged daily, so he couldn’t let her suffer a loss. Besides, the ti cost is also a cost, to be accounted for.
"There’s no need for so many words between siblings,"
Li Lingyu smiled, feeling good about his words.
She didn’t intend to take his token of gratitude; she only asked him to cover the additional rental cost lost.
The two left the marketplace, heading toward their next target.
Roughly flying thirty plus Li, Ji An looked back with a sense of sothing, spotting an ink-colored flying ship hurtling directly toward them, barely three to four Li away.
Imdiately on alert, he knew that cultivators in the wild would avoid each other from afar if they wished to prevent conflict.
Li Lingyu also noticed, her eyes narrowed and her tone grew cold as she said,
"Seems like it’s headed for us, ha! And they have a flying ship."
If they really are enemies, they will surely catch up with us. Land, I want to see who dares to have such audacity!"
The two of them were wearing sect uniforms and were at the Ninth-Layer Qi Refining. Soone charging at them so boldly must be an enemy rather than a friend.
When leaving the sect, although she ntioned being targeted, it was actually just a joke. She hadn’t expected that soone would really dare to co.
The two quickly landed in the dense forest. Ji An glanced at the grey-feathered sand goose and cursed silently; without a Spirit Beast Bag, this brute couldn’t be put away.
This tad beast is fast, but its combat power is dismal.
"Run farther away."
He waved his hand, signaling the sand goose to move away, and shook the bag at his waist, causing the Spirit-Seeking Rat to jump down.
’Hide first, and attack to distract the enemy when you hear my signal.’
The Spirit-Seeking Rat nodded, its body flashed with spirit light and burrowed into the ground.
It was an Earth Elent Demon Beast, having awakened its talent technique, Earth Elent Technique.
The jet-black flying ship was extrely fast and arrived at their landing spot in just four or five breaths.
"Heh heh, no need to hide, two young friends from the Golden Spirit Sect.
I’m here just for money. Hand over your storage bags and magical artifacts, and I’ll turn away without saying another word."
A hoarse voice echoed through the mountain woods. Zhang Tiezhu, wearing a black hood that only revealed his eyes, was recklessly spreading his divine sense, trying to locate the hidden individuals.
Feeling the spiritual pressure from the sky and the divine sense sweeping over him, Ji An’s face turned extrely grim; the opponent was unexpectedly a Foundation Establishnt Tribulation Cultivator.
He glanced at Li Lingyu, her face displaying the sa bitterness.
No one would believe an enemy’s words; surrendering their magical artifacts would make them lambs to be slaughtered. Only by displaying sufficient strength could they scare off the enemy.
"Senior sister, we must fight to have a sliver of hope. The blue talisman is the Water Curtain Talisman, the gold one is the Geng tal Talisman, both are top-quality among the middle-grade talismans, don’t hold back."
Ji An transmitted his voice, taking out a stack of talismans from his storage bag and handing them to her.
In his heart, he had steeled himself; he had brought more than twelve hundred talismans today. Unless the enemy quickly neutralizes them, even against a Foundation Establishnt Cultivator, they could put up a fight.
Li Lingyu’s initially panicked eyes steadied as she received the talismans and transmitted:
"Then let us, as senior and junior, challenge this thief. Let’s move out, he’s already discovered us."
Saying this, she produced a short-handled umbrella-shaped magical artifact and then activated a Golden Armor Talisman to protect her entire body before striding forward to confront the intruder.
The magical artifact was her father’s legacy, the Celestial Net Umbrella, capable of both attacking and defending.
Made of Windmill Copper and Refined Iron Essence, the umbrella surface was a muted pale gold, densely inscribed with runes, and the edges outlined sharp curves.
The umbrella surface appeared thin but incorporated eighteen layers of Dharma prohibition, with a defense power surpassing those shield-class magical artifacts, even more so.
This magical artifact could be controlled with a spell to spin at high speed, incredibly sharp, having once sliced a Unihorn Python with innate Rock Armor into two parts.
Ji An ford a spell gesture to release the Wind Control Technique, and imdiately a light spirit power enveloped his body.
The Wind Control Technique he released many tis daily, drop by drop, had reached the Perfection Level.
He lifted the Stone Turtle Shield, clutching a stack of talismans in the other hand, closely following his senior sister.
"You have guts, befitting sect disciples. Looks like you two want to test my skills."
Zhang Tiezhu was the shopkeeper of the ’Hundred Refinent Pavilion’ in the marketplace, occasionally engaging in risk-free transactions.
Today, Ji An had spent over a hundred Spirit Stones in his shop without batting an eye, arousing Zhang’s greed; such wealthy sect disciples undoubtedly are pri targets.
Later, seeing the opponent visiting every artifact refining shop, Zhang’s greed intensified, firmly deciding to seize the opportunity.
The magical power of a Foundation Establishnt Cultivator forms liquid, with a magic power quality one level higher than the Qi Refining Stage, making the sa magic technique at the sa level significantly different between Foundation Establishnt Cultivators and Qi Refining Cultivators.
Even if he only knew one Foundation Establishnt attack technique, dealing with two Ninth-Layer Qi Refining cultivators shouldn’t be difficult.
Zhang Tiezhu spoke, as a fiery red magic sword flew from behind him, dragging a fiery tail toward Ji An, who had just stepped out. It turned out his magical artifact had always been suspended behind him.
This flying sword was his proud creation, incorporating two fire-elental spiritual objects and using copious amounts of fire elent essence to nurture its spirit; it was a top-grade magical artifact.
Not only extrely sharp but capable of fire attribute attacks when attacking.
At the sa ti, he produced a yellow triangular flag in his hand which, when infused with magical power, the flag’s Dharma prohibition pattern surfaced, enveloping him in a dusky yellow spirit light.
This was another defensive top-grade magical artifact of his, capable of invoking Earth Elent Spirit Light.
Being an artifact refiner, he profoundly understood the principle that magical artifacts need to be refined rather than nurous.
As the fiery glow reached Ji An’s eyes, he activated the Water Curtain Talisman to block the incoming attack.
Ever since the Dao Seed for Cloud Formation and Rainfall was ford, he felt the Water Curtain Talismans he drew had slightly changed, seeming more resilient.
A gentle blue water curtain rose, forming a perfect hemispherical surface.
Ji An infused magical power into the Stone Turtle Shield, with a yellow spirit light rising on its surface, adjusting the shield’s position with a spell, advancing instead of retreating.
He hadn’t personally experienced the thods of a Foundation Establishnt Cultivator, but understood that rely defending would slowly wear them out. They must pose a threat to scare off the enemy; now it depended on whether their attacks could exert sufficient pressure on their opponent.
The Perfection Level water curtain rely delayed the flying sword for a mont; as spirit light shattered, the sword pierced the Stone Turtle Shield, causing a tallic clang.
Ji An instantly realized the defensive spirit light on the Stone Turtle Shield had been breached in an instant.
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