Chapter 142: Advancement in Skills

Not long after, Li Chang’an left the secret room.

Before he left, he also posted two missions.

One was to search for "Bone-Washing Grass," and the other was to find advancement treasures for Earth Element Demon Beasts.

The rewards he offered were quite high, about ten to twenty percent above market price.

’The Three Tribulations Alliance is a major power in the Yellow Crane Immortal City region. They should be able to help me find some treasures, right?’

Li Chang’an had originally wanted to post a mission for a Tier Two Demon Core as well.

But after some thought, he decided it wasn’t very practical and gave up the idea.

After all, the leaders of the three major powers were only at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer.

Their so-called Foundation Establishment combat strength relied purely on Demon Beasts, Puppets, and Spirit Plants.

If any treasures related to Foundation Establishment were to appear, they would certainly be intercepted by the leaders of these three powers.

...

「Several months later.」

Li Chang’an began to receive some news intermittently.

It was all related to Bone Tempering Grass.

He made several trips to the Black Market for transactions, obtaining some Bone Tempering Grass.

In addition, Bone Tempering Grass would occasionally appear in shops like the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower, and he bought it all.

’I’m still short a bit, but at this rate, I should be able to gather it all soon.’

Li Chang’an was especially satisfied with this progress.

He had to admit, there were definite advantages to joining a major power.

During this time, he no longer had to worry about the treasures needed for Body Refinement and could focus on honing his Talisman Art.

「On this day, at dusk.」

Li Chang’an gazed at a Talisman on his desk, a look of delight on his face.

’A High-quality Talisman. I finally succeeded!’

The Talisman on the desk was a "Giant Shield Talisman." It was considered a High-quality item among Tier Two Low Grade Talismans. Once activated, it could form a giant Spirit Shield in front of the user.

’This breakthrough in my skills took a little longer than I expected,’

Li Chang’an mused.

This was mainly because his focus had been divided by other matters.

Still, things had gone smoothly overall.

After all, his proficiency had been steadily increasing without hitting any bottlenecks.

At this point, Li Chang’an had completely mastered the contents of the Tier Two Low Grade Talismanic Inheritance.

Once again, he had reached the end of the road in his study of Talismans.

He had no further inheritance to learn from.

It would be difficult to improve his Skills any further.

’My current Talisman Art is sufficient for now. I’ll continue to hone my proficiency and try to raise my success rate to over ninety percent.’

Li Chang’an set his goal and stopped worrying about his future inheritance.

He picked up his Talisman Brush and began to paint a High-quality Talisman called the "Jade Sword Talisman."

The Sword Qi released by this Talisman was even more fearsome than that of the Blood Sword Talisman.

...

「A few days later, in the morning.」

Li Chang’an was in the middle of Talisman Painting.

Suddenly, a visitor arrived outside.

"Brother Li, are you home?"

’Yuyan?’

Hearing the familiar voice, Li Chang’an paused for a moment before getting up.

He walked into the courtyard and opened the gate.

Standing outside was the graceful and elegant Su Yuyan!

She wore a pale yellow dress, her eyes curving into crescents as she smiled. She was bright and captivating.

"Brother Li, you really did move to Yellow Crane Immortal City!"

"Yes, I moved here a while ago."

Li Chang’an nodded, a smile appearing on his face as well.

He was currently in the Borrowed State, his strength close to the Foundation Establishment realm, so he could sense that Su Yuyan had already reached Qi Refining Ninth Layer in her Cultivation.

Of course, in Su Yuyan’s eyes, he was merely at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer.

Li Chang’an asked her, "Yuyan, are you planning for your Foundation Establishment?"

"Yes, but my master was worried my temperament wasn’t steady enough, so she had me come down the mountain with my junior sister to train for a while longer."

As she spoke, Su Yuyan introduced the person beside her to Li Chang’an.

Beside her stood a Female Cultivator named Jiang Yuerong, at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer. She was Su Yuyan’s junior sister.

On this trip down the mountain, Su Yuyan’s role was just like her senior sister Yuan Ying’s on their last outing.

She was there to both temper herself and protect her junior sister.

Li Chang’an cupped his hands in greeting to Jiang Yuerong.

"Daoist Jiang."

"Daoist Li, my senior sister often mentions you."

Jiang Yuerong, dressed in a white gown, replied with a smile.

She sized Li Chang’an up, a flicker of imperceptible surprise in her beautiful eyes.

This was because she had always assumed that someone Su Yuyan would call "Brother" must be quite powerful, at least at the eighth or ninth layer of Qi Refining.

But Li Chang’an was only at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer, not even a match for her.

However, she concealed her emotions well and showed no sign of anything being amiss.

Afterward, Li Chang’an invited the two into his courtyard and brewed them some fine Spirit Tea.

"Brother Li, have you run into any trouble in Yellow Crane Immortal City?"

Su Yuyan’s eyes were lively as she looked at Li Chang’an.

She was worried that Li Chang’an’s strength was too low and that he might be bullied in Yellow Crane Immortal City.

After all, this wasn’t Qinghe Marketplace. This was the Inner City of an Immortal City, where the streets were filled with cultivators stronger than Li Chang’an.

Li Chang’an shook his head with a smile.

"Yuyan, there’s no need to worry. I haven’t gotten into any conflicts since I arrived. The order in the Immortal City is quite good."

"That’s good."

Su Yuyan’s face lit up with a smile, her worries eased.

She said with a grin, "Brother Li, if anyone tries to bully you, feel free to use my name. You can use the reputation of the Cyan Cloud Sect to put them in their place."

The moment these words left her mouth, Jiang Yuerong’s expression changed.

This sort of thing was forbidden by the Sect!

The Sect Elders most detested Loose Cultivators who used the Cyan Cloud Sect’s name to oppress others.

Jiang Yuerong said worriedly, "Senior Sister, before we left, Master instructed us not to—"

"Junior Sister!"

Su Yuyan cut her off directly.

"Don’t worry, Brother Li is kind-hearted. He wouldn’t just go around bullying people."

"But..."

Jiang Yuerong’s lips parted, but she hesitated to say more.

But when she noticed a stern look in Su Yuyan’s eyes, she had no choice but to close her mouth.

Su Yuyan was particularly pleased by this.

The last time she’d left the mountain, her senior sister Yuan Ying had been managing her every move.

This time, she was finally the one in charge of someone else!

Li Chang’an sat across from the two of them, taking in this subtle change.

He spoke up, "Yuyan, have you prepared all the treasures you need for Foundation Establishment?"

"Don’t worry, Brother Li. I exposed a spy for the Sect earlier, saving it from a disaster. The merit points I earned were enough to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill. As for the Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object, my master has already prepared one for me..."

Su Yuyan said with a sweet smile, recounting her experiences within the Sect.

Her preparations for Foundation Establishment were much easier than Li Chang’an’s.

She had gathered all the necessary treasures with almost no effort.

This made Li Chang’an sigh with emotion.

’Having a Major Sect at your back really makes a difference. The path of cultivation is so much smoother than it is for a Loose Cultivator.’

’If the Cyan Cloud Sect hadn’t rejected me back then, where would I be now?’

The thought flashed through his mind.

But alas, there are no "what ifs" in this world.

"Yuyan, your Foundation Establishment is imminent. I don’t have much else to give you, but this booklet contains some insights from a Sword Cultivator. Just take a look."

Li Chang’an handed her the journal of insights that Pei Yingyao had given him.

Su Yuyan was also a Sword Cultivator.

The insights of a Foundation Establishment Sword Cultivator like this should be beneficial to her.

"Thank you, Brother Li!"

Su Yuyan accepted the journal with a smile.

Although the insights were probably useless to her, she still cherished it greatly.

After all, it was a token of Li Chang’an’s goodwill.