Chapter 124: The Death of the 3rd Senior Martial Brother

"Li, I often hear Xuan’Er mention you."

Zhou Sheng’s expression was gentle. He reined in his Foundation Establishment aura, making sure Li Chang’an didn’t feel any pressure.

Taking the opportunity, Li Chang’an chatted with him for a while longer.

During their conversation, when the topic of the Profound Crystal came up, Zhou Sheng stated that he wasn’t fond of Beast Taming, so the crystal was useless to him.

However, he was in dire need of a treasure like the Celestial Cyan Dew.

"Li, the Celestial Cyan Dew is indeed difficult to find. If you really can’t acquire it, you can trade either a Jade Sea Tear or a Nine-leafed Blue Flower with me instead."

"Thank you, Senior!"

Li Chang’an was instantly overjoyed.

Clearly, the senior was making a concession, no longer limiting the trade to only the Celestial Cyan Dew.

For Li Chang’an, this was good news.

...

「That evening.」

The Foundation Establishment Ceremony came to an end.

During the event, Li Chang’an met many disciples from the Seven Great Noble Families through Zhou Xuan and Xu Fugui, significantly expanding his network of contacts.

Just before he left, he heard some very surprising news.

Zheng Qingqing had signed a twenty-year Spirit Contract with the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower, becoming their Honored Guest Elder.

As a Foundation Establishment Powerhouse whose Alchemy Skill had also broken through to Tier Two, the terms offered to her by the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower were exceptionally generous.

"Lady Zheng, are you planning to reside in the Immortal City long-term?"

Li Chang’an asked in confusion.

Zheng Qingqing nodded.

"That’s right!"

She told Li Chang’an.

She explained that she had signed the Spirit Contract with the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower in exchange for a Life-Extending Treasure.

That Treasure could extend Zheng Yuandao’s life by ten years. Combined with the Ten Thousand Years Green that Chu Daniu had sent, his life could be extended by a total of twenty years!

Zheng Qingqing confided in Li Chang’an.

"As long as the Ancestor is alive, I won’t have to return to watch over the Marketplace."

"I see."

Li Chang’an understood her reasoning.

The Zheng Family currently had two Foundation Establishment cultivators.

One was stationed to guard the family estate, and the other guarded the Marketplace.

They were tied down by the family, forced to remain constantly vigilant against attacks from the Cao and Wu Families. They had no long-term freedom and could only venture out on rare occasions.

Now that Zheng Yuandao’s life had been extended by twenty years, Zheng Qingqing had two decades to cultivate freely, without being distracted by family affairs.

’After twenty years, perhaps I’ll have groomed a new Foundation Establishment cultivator for the Zheng Family by then.’

But Zheng Qingqing wasn’t so sure.

’Could she really groom a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Zheng Family to take her place watching over the Marketplace in just twenty short years?’

Li Chang’an asked, "Lady Zheng, now that your Alchemy Skill has advanced, are you able to refine Foundation Establishment Pills?"

"Not yet. Don’t be anxious, Daoist Li. Just give me a few more years."

Zheng Qingqing chuckled, having seen through Li Chang’an’s plan.

’Clearly, with Li Chang’an’s cautious personality, he wouldn’t feel safe having anyone else perform the alchemy.’

However, what puzzled Zheng Qingqing was whether Li Chang’an could even gather a full set of materials required for refining a Foundation Establishment Pill.

All she knew was that he had acquired a Blood Dragon Vine at the auction.

’With his strength, it’s unlikely he could gather a full set of materials by himself. He probably plans to cooperate with others on the alchemy, with each person providing some of the ingredients.’

...

After the Foundation Establishment Ceremony ended, Li Chang’an returned to his residence and began to take stock of his gains from the event.

He hadn’t socialized with the disciples of the Seven Great Noble Families just to chat and discuss the Dao.

During that time, he had traded for quite a few Treasures.

He had already collected over half of the Blood Tempering Stones he needed for the Ninth Stage of Body Refining.

’These Noble Family Descendants really are wealthy.’

Li Chang’an mused.

’Though none of them were as wealthy as him, each one carried one or two rare Treasures.’

’If he attended a few more banquets and ceremonies like this, he would be able to gather all the Treasures he needed!’

...

「The next day.」

Li Chang’an was in the middle of a medicinal bath when a strange voice suddenly called out from outside his courtyard.

"Is Daoist Li present?"

"Who is it?"

Li Chang’an frowned and maneuvered a Puppet Body to the courtyard gate.

The person outside responded.

"My name is Qiaoshan. I just moved in across from you."

At these words, Li Chang’an opened the courtyard gate.

Standing outside the gate was a gaunt-looking, middle-aged man.

The man smiled broadly and offered him a gift.

"Daoist Li, we’re neighbors now, right across the way. We’ll be seeing a lot of each other, so we should stay in touch."

"Daoist Qiao, how did you know my surname is Li?"

Li Chang’an asked, puzzled.

Qiaoshan answered with a smile.

"It was your neighbor, Daoist Wang, who told me."

"I see."

After some conversation, Li Chang’an learned that this Qiaoshan was also at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer.

Furthermore, he was a Tier One Top Grade Spirit Doctor.

Being neighbors with a Spirit Doctor wasn’t a bad thing at all.

After all, the Immortal Path was fraught with peril. Who knew when one might suffer a grievous injury?

"Daoist Li, these are just some health-preserving Spirit Medicines. They aren’t worth much."

Qiaoshan beamed as he handed the gift to Li Chang’an.

Li Chang’an didn’t refuse.

In return, he offered a set of Talismans as a gift.

In the days that followed, the two of them visited each other often and grew familiar.

...

Time flew, and several months passed in the blink of an eye.

「On this day.」

Li Chang’an went to Yuelai Restaurant, planning to enjoy a meal of Spiritual Cuisine.

But he quickly noticed that the atmosphere throughout the restaurant was off.

"Fugui, what happened?"

"Big Brother, my third senior brother was killed by a Tribulation Cultivator!"

Xu Fugui said, his face etched with grief.

"Hm?"

Li Chang’an was taken aback.

"Your third senior brother, Gu Shanxing? The one who obtained the Seven-leafed Colored Lotus?"

"Yes, that’s him."

Xu Fugui looked utterly heartbroken.

He had been at Yuelai Restaurant for many years and had long since come to see his senior brothers and sisters as his own family.

According to him, after Gu Shanxing obtained the Seven-leafed Colored Lotus, he began to cultivate even more diligently. He frequently entered Secret Realms to search for Treasures, hoping to build up his reserves for Foundation Establishment.

A short while ago, he had successfully broken through to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, meeting the basic requirement for attempting Foundation Establishment.

But who could have imagined that in the blink of an eye, he would be killed by a Tribulation Cultivator!

After listening, Li Chang’an asked, "Have they caught the killer?"

"Not yet. We don’t even know who’s responsible."

Gu Shanxing had died in a Secret Realm.

When his body was found, he had been decapitated, and his Storage Pouch was missing.

"Sigh... I thought Third Junior Brother would be the next person in Yellow Crane Immortal City to reach Foundation Establishment."

Nearby, Mo Chen sighed softly, also appearing deeply saddened.

Li Chang’an frowned slightly and glanced at him.

His gaze then shifted, landing on Tang Suran, who was sitting in a corner.

At this moment, Tang Suran’s face was pale and her eyes downcast. She sat in silence, looking like a walking corpse that had lost its soul.

She had pinned all her hopes on Gu Shanxing, even giving him her precious Seven-leafed Colored Lotus, hoping he would successfully achieve Foundation Establishment.

But now, everything was gone.

’The Immortal Path is treacherous, and the ways of the world are unpredictable.’

Li Chang’an lamented in his heart.

’Gu Shanxing was considered a genius, having cultivated to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer at such a young age. His chances of reaching Foundation Establishment were not small.’

’But now... he was gone in the blink of an eye.’

’Until you reach Foundation Establishment, you are nothing more than an ant!’