Chapter 114: Hope of Advancement

And just like that, the matter was over.

The Law Enforcers didn’t dare to linger.

"Daoist Li, this was our misunderstanding. Please don’t take offense."

"It’s nothing."

Li Chang’an smiled, his expression relaxed and friendly.

He didn’t show any signs of displeasure.

"You were all just doing your duty to ensure the stability of the Immortal City."

"We appreciate your understanding, Daoist Li."

They all breathed a sigh of relief.

They feared that Li Chang’an would hold a grudge, which in turn would draw the attention of the Female Sword Immortal.

Soon, they took their leave, taking the heavily injured Huang Feng with them.

Everyone else was still in a state of shock.

The entire restaurant descended into an eerie silence.

A moment later, Xu Fugui’s delighted voice rang out.

"Big Bro, you actually know Elder Pei? This is fantastic!"

Before this, his biggest worry had been that Li Chang’an had no backing.

Yellow Crane Immortal City was filled with numerous Cultivators and complicated factions.

A Cultivator without backing could easily be taken advantage of.

The reason Xu Fugui had worked so hard to cultivate and expand his influence over the years was so he could become Li Chang’an’s backer, making it easier for him to operate in the Immortal City.

But now, all those worries were gone.

No backing in the world could compare to having a connection to a disciple of the Huang He Master!

"Big Bro, why didn’t you say so earlier?"

"It wasn’t a big deal."

Li Chang’an replied with a relaxed smile.

Xu Fugui spoke urgently. "Big Bro, you were almost sent to the Black Prison! How is that not a big deal? Right, you’ve just arrived in the Immortal City, so you don’t know how terrifying the city’s Black Prison is. Let me tell you..."

According to him, the very mention of the Black Prison made the Cultivators of the Immortal City turn pale.

Of those who went in, few ever came out in one piece.

No one knew exactly how many people were imprisoned inside. It was even rumored that Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators were locked away in its deepest levels.

Xu Fugui rambled on for a long time.

Afterward, Tang Suran and the others also came forward to chat with Li Chang’an.

This time, Tang Suran’s attitude toward Li Chang’an had become much more respectful.

After everything had settled down, Li Chang’an sent a private Sound Transmission to Xu Fugui. "Fugui, something isn’t right with that second senior brother of yours. Be careful."

He had observed everyone’s reactions during the day’s events.

Mo Chen’s behavior, in particular, had struck him as very odd.

Many of the things the man had said sounded like they were for Xu Fugui’s benefit, but in reality, they were just luring him into a trap.

"Big Bro, Second Senior Brother should be fine, right? He’s just concerned about me."

Xu Fugui frowned, finding it hard to believe.

For all these years, Mo Chen had treated him very well, just like a real brother.

He trusted Mo Chen completely.

If someone had claimed Mo Chen was a Tribulation Cultivator, he would have refuted it just as fiercely and taken his side.

"Be careful who you trust. You know a person’s face, but not their heart."

Li Chang’an advised him earnestly.

Xu Fugui said confidently, "Don’t worry, Big Bro. I know what kind of person he is. I’m not the same as I was before. Nobody can fool me."

"Fine. Just be careful."

Li Chang’an sighed to himself.

’Fugui has certainly become more shrewd, but it’s still not enough.’

...

「The next day.」

Li Chang’an rented a residence in the Inner City.

The residence wasn’t far from the Yuelai Restaurant, and its Spiritual Qi Concentration reached Tier One Top Grade, making it perfect for a Cultivator at the Late Stage of Qi Refining.

It had both a front and back courtyard and was larger than his previous home in Qinghe Marketplace.

’Time to set up the arrays.’

Li Chang’an took out three sets of arrays.

They were the Shadow Slaughter Array and the Cloud Mist Hidden Killing Array, both Tier One Top Grade arrays.

And the Thundercloud Annihilation Array, a Tier Two Low Grade Array.

The three arrays were layered one over the other, array within array, creating a formation of astonishing power.

Once the setup was complete, Li Chang’an breathed a sigh of relief.

’I should be reasonably safe now.’

Only with the protection of the arrays could he feel at ease cultivating here.

Yellow Crane Immortal City was teeming with experts, a mix of the good and the bad. It would be a huge problem if a Tribulation Cultivator targeted him without these arrays for protection.

Before long, Chu Daniu rushed over, carrying several jars of fine wine.

"Big Bro, why didn’t you even give me a heads-up? If Fugui hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known you’d arrived!"

"I just got settled in. I was about to come find you."

Li Chang’an smiled and took out two small bowls.

He and Chu Daniu sat across from each other to drink, and Li Chang’an asked about his friend’s experiences in the Immortal City.

"Don’t worry, Big Bro. I’m doing fine. I’ve already obtained the legacy for Tier One Top Grade Spirit Wine, though my own Skills are temporarily stuck at Tier One Middle Grade."

A Tier One Top Grade legacy, even for a less-regarded skill like brewing Spirit Wine, was still incredibly valuable.

The eight hundred Spirit Stones Li Chang’an had given Chu Daniu were nowhere near enough to afford it.

Presumably, his benefactor had helped him a great deal.

However, Chu Daniu still didn’t reveal who this benefactor was, only telling Li Chang’an not to worry.

"Big Bro, my benefactor is very good to me. He gave me quite a few Treasures and even taught me a lot of Magic. I think he’s training me to be his disciple."

"That’s good."

Li Chang’an smiled and offered his congratulations, saying nothing more on the subject.

’Everyone has their own path. As long as they can walk it, that’s what matters.’

...

For the next few days, Li Chang’an didn’t rush to cultivate. Instead, he took the time to properly explore Yellow Crane Immortal City.

He paid special attention to the city’s trade district.

This district was much larger than the one in Qinghe Marketplace.

The stalls were filled with a dazzling array of Treasures, so many that he could hardly take them all in.

On the evening of the third day, his Divination indicated that he would be able to find a hidden gem.

「The next day.」

He headed straight for the trade district and picked up the "Bright Gold Stone" his Divination had shown him.

’The opportunities in Yellow Crane Immortal City are truly extraordinary,’ he thought. ’I’ve only been here a few days and I’ve already found a Tier Two Treasure!’

This Bright Gold Stone was a Tier Two Low Grade Gold Element Treasure.

It was incredibly valuable.

Although Li Chang’an couldn’t use it himself, he could trade it for other Treasures he needed.

During this time, he was also asking around for news about the various Treasures he needed.

He was especially looking for Treasures to help his Profound Water Turtle advance in tier.

’It’s best to prepare two types of Treasures: one to increase the probability of a successful evolution, and another to guarantee it won’t suffer a backlash if it fails.’

Li Chang’an mused.

’The Immortal City is vast and its treasures are abundant. I’ll be able to buy what I need sooner or later.’

Over the past few days, he had also visited many of the Immortal City’s treasure shops, like the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower, Treasure Pavilion, and Mysterious Treasure Hall.

He had managed to buy some Treasures suitable for a Spirit Beast’s advancement.

But their quality wasn’t high enough.

「On this day.」

Li Chang’an walked out of the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower once again, somewhat disappointed.

’They don’t even have the Cold Nether Pill, which is needed for a Water Element Demon Beast’s advancement. What gives them the right to call this place the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower?’

The Cold Nether Pill he wanted was a Tier Two Middle Grade Water Element Elixir.

After a Water Element Demon Beast consumes it, it won’t suffer a major backlash even if the advancement fails.

At most, it would only need a few months of rest to recover completely.

’Whatever, I’ll just go ask somewhere else.’

Li Chang’an was just about to head to another treasure shop to inquire.

Just then, Xu Fugui came running over, his face wreathed in smiles.

"Big Bro! I was just about to look for you. I can’t believe I ran into you here!"

"Fugui, what is it?"

"Big Bro, I’ve got a lead on the Cold Nether Pill you asked me to find!"

"Oh? Tell me everything!"