If he didn’t act, then so be it; but once he moved, it had to be a thunderous sweep, leaving no room for counterattack.
Several days later, Lu Chang’sheng finally saw Fang Yuan again.
"Alchemist Lu, I’m glad I didn’t fail my mission."
Fang Yuan stood atop the head of a puppet beast—over three ters tall, shaped like a ferocious tiger, and strikingly lifelike.
Lu Chang’sheng, well-versed in the Puppetry Technique, recognized the puppet beast at a glance.
It was called the "Puppet Tiger," with strength comparable to a late-stage Qi Cultivation body cultivator.
Lu Chang’sheng’s heart tightened slightly; before now, he had never seen Fang Yuan use such a puppet beast. It seed that, even if this wasn’t his trump card, it was still one of his strongest thods.
"This Puppet Tiger is strong, sure, but its reactions are a bit sluggish." Fang Yuan laughed as he saw Lu Chang’sheng’s gaze linger on the Puppet Tiger, then leaped down from its back and broke it apart into more than a dozen separate pieces, which he stored in the Treasure Vault Immortal Insect.
Otherwise, trying to store an intact puppet beast over three ters tall would require a very valuable Treasure Vault Immortal Insect.
And as a puppet master who’d achieved Great Success, it only took a dozen breaths to link and reassemble those parts.
Lu Chang’sheng reluctantly withdrew his gaze from the Treasure Vault Immortal Insect, gaining deeper respect for Fang Yuan as a seasoned puppet master.
At that mont, he noticed faint streaks of blood on Fang Yuan’s robes. Upon asking, he learned it was from a mid-journey assassination attempt.
"Good thing I was cautious enough to leave ahead of the auction’s end."
Lu Chang’sheng quietly warned himself that he’d best avoid attending such unmasked auctions, if possible, in the future.
Even rely holding a Barrier-Breaking Pill formula practically got soone like Fang Yuan ambushed—if a re fourth-layer Qi Cultivator like himself acquired such a valuable item, he might not dare leave the Immortal City for decades.
······
After obtaining the superior Barrier-Breaking Pill formula, Lu Chang’sheng returned to White Cloud Cave Mansion and imrsed himself in studying it.
The days passed one by one, and soon, half a year was gone.
Through slow, grinding cultivation, his magical power was now restored to about what it had been before he converted it into the Cyan Essence Immortal Technique.
The difficulty of making progress with his cultivation left him deeply moved.
Apart from that, the progress on his several most important techniques remained limited.
The Rejuvenation Pill had reached Minor Achievent; to reach Great Success, relying on his current level in the Alchemy Dao alone would still take so ti.
This was still due to his exceptional talent in the Alchemy Dao.
If his talent in the Alchemy Dao had been as average as his Immortal Dao Root Bone, reaching Great Success might have taken several tis as long.
Puppetry Technique was much the sa—even with Fang Yuan as a "teacher" passing on experience often, it would still take ti and patience.
His aptitudes in other arts were decent, but not comparable to his alchemical talent.
Still, he was close to Minor Achievent.
And then there was the matter of cultivating the Barrier-Breaking Pill—the formula was indeed exceedingly complex, the most intricate he’d encountered, and the materials needed were hard to find. As a result, Lu Chang’sheng hadn’t gained much hands-on experience so far.
After half a year, he still hadn’t managed to reach Entry.
Early one morning, Lu Chang’sheng received a ssage from Fang Yuan: a small gathering at Lu Mansion that evening.
In the past, such gatherings had happened before; they’d been held at Qingfeng Building or the Qu Family, but this ti, Fang Yuan specifically suggested Lu Mansion, which took Lu Chang’sheng by surprise.
He knew that the oldest mbers of these families held him in decent regard, but as Foundation Establishnt realm patriarchs, on both status and strength, their pride ran deep.
Now, selecting Lu Mansion for this gathering was likely due to the acquisition of the Barrier-Breaking Pill formula.
And also, external pressures grew ever greater.
In the past half-year, disputes among factions had increased; even their own supplies of pills were under considerable strain.
Soon, night fell.
The group took their seats.
After so small talk, they got straight to the point.
Their aim was to pre-order a batch of pills from Lu Chang’sheng.
"Alchemist Lu, you must be attempting to refine the Barrier-Breaking Pill now. We can exchange so Barrier-Breaking Pill materials for a batch of other pills."
These families had accumulated so wealth after many years in Platinum Immortal City.
Lu Chang’sheng had no objections. He cast a fleeting glance at Fang Yuan, who kept his expression closed and detached, as if none of this was his doing; clearly, he’d brokered the deal behind the scenes.
Sure enough, after the others departed, Fang Yuan said, "Barrier-Breaking Pill materials are rarely seen in the market—they’re usually hoarded by the Immortal Sects. Only those prominent families or powerful loose cultivators sotis have spare bits."
"I’ll ask around for you, see if I can pull a few more together."
"I have a feeling that in a few years, there may be great changes—and when that happens, the price of pills will probably skyrocket."
Fang Yuan made sure Lu Chang’sheng knew about his efforts, otherwise he’d miss out on the credit.
"Where does that feeling co from?" Lu Chang’sheng’s mind stirred, and he pressed further.
He wanted to see if Fang Yuan’s suspicions matched his own.
Fang Yuan said, "The Supre Profound Sect has always had designs—big or small—on every Immortal City influence under their rule. This isn’t a secret. Their inaction so far is simply out of caution."
"Against any single Foundation Establishnt group, the Supre Profound Sect could easily crush them; but within their domain, there are several Immortal Cities, and more than a dozen Foundation Establishnt-level forces. Altogether, the number of Foundation Establishnt cultivators is hardly below that of the Sect itself."
"They worry that destroying one would lead to others joining forces. That’s why they’ve tolerated these factions for so long."
"But from their recent moves, it seems this balance may be breaking."
"I was reminded of the ten Foundation Establishnt Pills put up for auction—they were a heavy cost for the Supre Profound Sect. At first, I thought it was for the Demon Calamity, but now it seems that wasn’t the whole reason."
Lu Chang’sheng nodded inwardly. He’d heard rumors about that wave caused by the ten Foundation Establishnt Pills as well.
Just two months ago, a battle between Foundation Establishnt cultivators broke out outside Supre Profound Immortal City.
Even though every Foundation Establishnt cultivator used deep disguises, a battle at that level was still perilous. One mistake could lead to death, so after the fighting began, unique individual traits couldn’t stay hidden for long.
The number of Foundation Establishnt cultivators in Guangnan Domain was limited; the odds of exposure were simply too high.
"It really was a chaotic lee—a true free-for-all. Rumor has it so Foundation Establishnt cultivators suffered irreparable wounds."
Irreparable wounds are beyond the ans of anything below the Foundation Establishnt level to heal—only rare things like Longevity Pills can maintain their lives.
Like the late Qu Sheng, who suffered such an injury.
As is the custom for many accomplished cultivators, by the ti one reaches the Foundation Establishnt Realm, there’s hardly any Longevity Pills left unused.
Thus, if a Foundation Establishnt cultivator is wounded irreparably, it ans they’re basically done for.
Lu Chang’sheng’s expression beca somber as well.
"Is this reliable news?"
He couldn’t afford not to be cautious—a dying Foundation Establishnt cultivator might do absolutely anything.
Such cultivators are even more terrifying than evil cultivators.
"Not sure—no one dares get close to a Foundation Establishnt battle."
Fang Yuan didn’t know much more, which Lu Chang’sheng found disappointing.
As they were parting ways, Fang Yuan ntioned sothing that seed unrelated to Lu Chang’sheng.
"Word has it that White Cloud Cave Mansion acquired one Foundation Establishnt Pill during that auction."
Lu Chang’sheng’s eyelids twitched.
Before, he wouldn’t have thought much of it; but given the current situation, any faction in possession of a Foundation Establishnt Pill could draw a lot of attention.
It could be those Foundation Establishnt cultivators on the verge of death, or it could be—the Supre Profound Sect.
"There shouldn’t be too much trouble. Master Baiyun isn’t an average Foundation Establishnt cultivator; he’s rather well-known in the Guangnan Domain."
"Plus, he’s also a second-rank Alchemist and an official second-rank Spirit Array Master. For soone at Foundation Establishnt, his connections are probably ahead of most peers."
Fang Yuan smiled, signaling Lu Chang’sheng to rest easy.
Lu Chang’sheng nodded. "Fellow Daoist Fang is right."
But it was still best to stay vigilant.
Lu Chang’sheng thought to himself.
He’d never been the type to put his life and fortune in other people’s hands.
After parting with Fang Yuan, Lu Chang’sheng paid far more attention to the Foundation Establishnt battle. He was eager to find out who had been wounded; failing that, he’d at least gather as much information as possible about what happened that day.
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