Chapter 82: Breakthrough

On this day.

In the temporary hiding spot of the Black Wind Mountain Tribulation Cultivators.

An angry roar echoed out.

"They’ve gone too far!"

The Big Master, unable to contain his fury, smashed the stone table before him with a single slap.

"The Zheng Family is simply shameless! They blame everything on my Black Wind Mountain!"

The matter of Zheng Jinbao hadn’t even been solved yet.

And now Zheng Songcheng was added to the list.

The Big Master felt like he’d inexplicably become a scapegoat.

He was seething with pent-up frustration.

Looking back, the deaths of several elders from the three great families had also been attributed to him.

"Big Master, calm your anger. We’re Tribulation Cultivators, why should we care about our reputation?"

Fourth Lady Mei stood to the side, persuading him in a low voice.

But the Big Master couldn’t swallow this insult.

"Fourth, I told you to deal with that Li Chang’an. Why haven’t you captured him for me yet?"

"Don’t be anxious, Big Master. It will be soon."

A trace of hatred flashed in Fourth Lady Mei’s eyes when she heard Li Chang’an’s name.

For the past several days,

she had been cultivating a special Gu Insect.

’Once it’s ready, I’ll definitely be able to capture Li Chang’an.’

"Big Master, give me three more months. In three months, I will bring Li Chang’an before you!"

...

Due to Zheng Songcheng’s death, the Zheng Family increased the bounty on the Black Wind Mountain Tribulation Cultivators and called upon the Loose Cultivators in the Marketplace to help eliminate them.

But Zheng Lingfeng refused to believe that Zheng Songcheng was dead.

’No, Grandfather can’t be dead. He was clearly going to bring back Dream Soul Grass for me. Why would he go hunting Tribulation Cultivators?’

He muttered to himself, his eyes bloodshot.

’Could he be trapped in a Secret Realm? Or maybe the Tribulation Cultivator fled too far, and he’s still in pursuit?’

From beginning to end, he never once suspected Li Chang’an.

It was only because Li Chang’an’s own strength was too mediocre.

The last time he had managed to force Zheng Songcheng to retreat was purely because he was relying on an array.

Suddenly, a cold laugh rang out by Zheng Lingfeng’s ear.

"Heh, what a pitiful wretch."

"Who’s there?"

Zheng Lingfeng’s heart jumped. Someone had managed to approach him without a sound.

He forced himself to focus, scanning his surroundings with vigilance.

"It’s me."

From the shadows not far away, a thin-faced cultivator slowly emerged, a strange smile on his face.

Upon seeing this person, Zheng Lingfeng’s pupils contracted. He scrambled back several steps and activated a number of Defensive Magical Artifacts.

"Cao Shaolin, you dare come to Qinghe Marketplace?"

"Why wouldn’t I dare?"

The man replied with a smile.

He was none other than the Young Master of the Foundation Establishment Cao Family, the Celestial Pride known as their Qilin Child.

Cao Shaolin!

For someone of his status to dare enter the Zheng Family-controlled Qinghe Marketplace was simply unbelievable.

If the Zheng Family’s Foundation Establishment Ancestor discovered him, he would suffer greatly, if not die.

"Cao Shaolin, what are you planning?"

Zheng Lingfeng stared at him intently, not immediately notifying the other Zheng Family members.

He knew in his heart that Cao Shaolin wouldn’t seek him out alone without a reason.

"Heh, I want to make a deal with you."

"You, a member of the Cao Family, want to make a deal with me? Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell my family’s Ancestor?"

Zheng Lingfeng’s expression was wary, his entire body tense, not daring to relax in the slightest.

Cao Shaolin continued to smile, showing no fear.

"I’ll only ask you one thing: do you want to reach Foundation Establishment?"

"I..."

Zheng Lingfeng’s words caught in his throat.

The two words, "Foundation Establishment," struck his heart like a heavy hammer.

He hesitated for a moment before staring at Cao Shaolin and asking.

"Speak. What do you want me to do?"

"Heh, don’t worry, it’s nothing major. I can swear on my Dao Heart that after this is done, you will be the Zheng Family’s next Foundation Establishment Ancestor!"

...

「Half a month later.」

In his residence.

Li Chang’an sat cross-legged, circulating the Cyan Wood Technique and slowly breathing in Spiritual Power.

’Back when I killed Zheng Songcheng, my Spiritual Power had already accumulated to the peak of the Fifth Layer. After more than a month of polishing, there shouldn’t be any problems.’

He placed the Spiritual Eye in front of him.

All around him were scattered a large number of crushed Spirit Stones.

The Spiritual Qi Concentration in the entire residence had temporarily reached an astonishing level, and it was firmly locked in by the array, preventing it from dissipating anytime soon.

’Today is the day of my breakthrough!’

Li Chang’an took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began to break through to the next level.

It was just a minor realm breakthrough, so with his current accumulation, there would be almost no issues.

As expected, in less than ten minutes, a profound and mysterious aura emanated from his body.

"Qi Refining Sixth Layer!"

Li Chang’an opened his eyes, a smile spreading across his face.

The breakthrough had been exceptionally smooth.

Over the next few days, he did not emerge from seclusion, instead focusing on consolidating his cultivation.

「Seven days later.」

A letter from Yellow Crane Immortal City brought Li Chang’an out of his seclusion.

’A letter from Fugui.’

He sat in the courtyard, opened the letter, and carefully read its contents.

Xu Fugui wrote in his letter that he had recently been helping Li Chang’an collect the auxiliary medicines for the Foundation Establishment Pill.

As the disciple of a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator and having met many people through his skills as a Spirit Chef, his network was quite extensive.

Many Loose Cultivators were willing to do him a favor.

Therefore, it wasn’t difficult for him to collect some of the more common auxiliary medicines.

’Fugui has already collected nineteen different auxiliary medicines for the Foundation Establishment Pill!’

Li Chang’an was delighted. This would save him a lot of trouble.

’Of the auxiliary medicines Fugui collected, only six overlap with what I have. The other thirteen are all new to me.’

Furthermore, Xu Fugui had also been inquiring about various inheritances for Skills.

However, Tier Two inheritances were indeed rare.

He had yet to find a good way to obtain one.

"Brother Li, near the Immortal City, a Foundation Establishment Clan has posted a bounty. Whoever can kill the Tribulation Cultivator known as the ’Five Poison Wanderer’ will receive their family’s Tier Two Talismanic Inheritance."

This was the latest piece of information Xu Fugui had gathered.

Li Chang’an shook his head as he read.

He had heard about the Five Poison Wanderer from a vendor at the Black Market. This was a notorious Foundation Establishment Stage Tribulation Cultivator, a Poison Cultivator who was incredibly difficult to deal with. His poison techniques were said to be unfathomable!

’Fugui really thinks highly of me, telling me this kind of news. Does he actually think I can kill a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator?’

With his current strength, Li Chang’an was no different from an ant in front of the Five Poison Wanderer.

A Tier Two inheritance was good, but not worth dying for.

As for treasures that could help a Demon Beast break through to Tier Two, Xu Fugui had also inquired about many leads, but none of them were useful.

Li Chang’an finished reading carefully.

At the very end of the letter, Xu Fugui shared a piece of news that took Li Chang’an by surprise.

"Brother Li, a few days ago, I ran into an old acquaintance. Guess who? It was that little tyke who used to follow us around back in the day, Su Yuyan. She’s all grown up now."

’Su Yuyan?’

Li Chang’an was lost in thought.

That name had been sealed away in his memories for a long time.

Back then, on his path to seek immortality, he had saved Su Yuyan, who was not even six years old at the time.

Afterward, the little girl had followed him on his quest, weathering many storms together, and eventually received her own immortal opportunity, successfully entering an Immortal Sect.

’That little one... if I remember correctly, she had a Middle Grade Gold Spirit Root, right?’

Li Chang’an recalled the scene of the Immortal Sect’s assessment back then.

The Immortal Sect’s assessment, in truth, consisted of only two parts.

One tested for Spiritual Root, and the other tested one’s character.

Li Chang’an’s character was excellent, but he was too old and his Spiritual Root was only Low Grade, so he was rejected.

Meanwhile, the young girl Su Yuyan had a Middle Grade Spirit Root and an equally excellent character, so she was chosen by the Immortal Sect.

From that moment on, their lives were separated by the gates of the Immortal Sect.

When they parted, Su Yuyan’s small face was stained with tears as she clutched the corner of Li Chang’an’s robes, unable to bear his departure.

In the end, an Immortal Sect Elder who looked like an old crone intervened, causing the little girl to fall unconscious before taking her into the Immortal Sect.

’Without realizing it, so many years have passed.’

Li Chang’an sighed with emotion.

The Immortal Path was long, and time was merciless.