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Thousands of li away from Qingsha Bay, there was a dium-to-large-scale market built by the riverside, known as the "Heluo Market."
The overseer of this market was none other than the Xinyue rchant Association of the Jing Kingdom rchant Alliance.
A few days later.
In the highest pavilion of Heluo Market.
Several high-ranking mbers of the Xinyue rchant Association gathered, the atmosphere heavy and tense.
Seated at the head of the group was a silver-bearded man with an intense gaze, his aura emanating a distinct wave of core power. He was clearly a Fake Dan cultivator.
"Guest Elder Fang, what insights do you have on the death of Vice President Kou Sen?"
The gazes of the gathered high-ranking mbers fell upon a burly, purple-faced man in the late stage of Foundation Establishnt, who was deep in thought.
This man was none other than Fang Zhong, who had crossed the border into the Jing Kingdom along with Lan Chang'an.
"President Le, I suspect this incident is related to Lan Chang'an!"
Fang Zhong's words shocked everyone.
"Lan Chang'an alone? Impossible!"
"Kou Sen was one of the strongest in the late Foundation Establishnt stage. He possessed third-rank talismans and other trump cards, enough to hold his own even against a Fake Dan cultivator."
"Even if a Fake Dan cultivator were to kill Kou Sen, it would take a great deal of effort and would definitely cause a commotion."
"Though Lan Chang'an is strong, with his cautious nature as a 'Turtle Talisman Master,' he would never risk his life in a head-to-head confrontation."
The guild's upper echelon all shook their heads in disagreent.
"Guest Elder Fang, what grounds do you have for suspecting Lan Chang'an?" the silver-bearded president asked, his eyes glinting with curiosity.
"Firstly, it’s my intuition."
Fang Zhong paused, his eyes sharp. "Back on the inter-kingdom spirit ship from Jiuchen rchant Association, we were neighbors for two months, and I was completely deceived by him. This shows that Lan Chang'an is exceptionally good at hiding his true self."
"Secondly, in the Xia Family territory, besides the clan head Xia Hongyu, Lan Chang'an is the only one strong enough to threaten Vice President Kou. The others couldn't possibly endanger him."
Hearing Fang Zhong’s reasoning, a few of the guild's senior mbers seed thoughtful, showing slight signs of wavering.
Perhaps Lan Chang'an couldn't have acted alone, but if the Wufu rchant Association had other hidden hands, it was a possibility.
At that mont, the silver-bearded president at the head of the group took out a milky-white jade pendant with a faint glow and closed his eyes for two breaths.
"According to the latest intelligence from the Xia Family, during the ti of Kou Sen’s death, Lan Chang'an never left Qingsha Bay. Many people saw him, and he didn’t step off Autumnwind Isle at all up to the day the intelligence was gathered."
The silver-bearded president glanced coolly at Fang Zhong.
A high-ranking guild mber shook his head and said, "Fellow Daoist Fang, maybe there’s so personal grudge between you and Lan Chang'an, but don't let it cloud your judgnt." ℞
"I... don't!"
Under the skeptical gazes of everyone, Fang Zhong's face flushed, yet he had no rebuttal.
He gritted his teeth in frustration. Could it really be just his own delusion?
Years ago, when Lan Chang'an's identity was exposed, Fang Zhong was deeply shocked.
Hailing from the Liang Kingdom, Fang Zhong had long heard the inspiring tale of Lan Chang'an, a late-bloor who reached Foundation Establishnt despite his advanced age.
Later, he investigated Lan Chang'an’s background in detail and increasingly felt that this man was far from ordinary.
Not to ntion, given Lan Chang'an’s talent and age, reaching the late Foundation Establishnt stage was no small feat.
They had lived side by side for two months, and he had completely concealed his true cultivation from a peer-level sect elite—sothing no ordinary person could achieve.
"With Vice President Kou gone, we’ve lost a significant martial strength in our campaign against the Wufu rchant Association."
"In my opinion, we don’t need to rely on petty tricks anymore. Instead, we should increase our support for the Xin Family and apply pressure from inside and out by leveraging our advantage in Fake Dan cultivators..."
As the other high-ranking mbers discussed, Fang Zhong had lost interest.
Despite the intelligence clearing Lan Chang'an of suspicion as the culprit, he couldn't shake the feeling that Lan Chang'an was sohow involved.
He sighed deeply. Unfortunately, no one would believe him.
...
Half a month later.
Autumnwind Isle residence, inside the dicine chamber.
Xia Wenyue was dressed in a light blue cloud-patterned gown, her snow-white complexion delicate as a painting, her slender waist like a willow branch. The usual shadows of illness in her brows had mostly faded, replaced by a subtle anticipation.
Today was the day Lan Chang'an would help her again by using his power to warm and dispel the cold within her body.
The warmth of Master Lan’s magical power gave her an indescribable sense of comfort—clear, gentle, and refreshingly soothing.
This treatnt had steadily improved her condition, giving her hope that she might one day shed the shackles of her frail health.
After a while, Lan Chang'an entered the chamber, dressed in a white robe.
"Master Lan."
She greeted him softly, lying down on the bed in a serene, obedient manner.
But this ti, Lan Chang'an didn’t imdiately start the treatnt.
"In previous sessions, I only removed the surface layer of cold poison. Now, to address the root cause, I will need to use up my own vital energy, which will impact my own cultivation and progression."
Lan Chang'an spoke calmly.
"Master Lan, if there’s anything Wenyue can do, I will comply without hesitation."
They had already made a prior arrangent, and Xia Wenyue knew that Lan Chang'an wouldn’t help her without expecting sothing in return.
In fact, if he asked for nothing, it would be more cause for concern.
Master Lan had once told her that free gifts were often the most costly.
"I don’t need you to serve for life like a slave. Just take a heart demon oath and agree to fulfill one request."
Lan Chang'an smiled faintly.
Xia Wenyue’s eyes flashed with surprise. Curing her ailnt might require him to spend over a decade of his energy—an enormous cost.
She had been prepared to dedicate herself to him, willing to serve him for a lifeti.
After all, Master Lan was handso as jade and otherworldly in temperant; she felt no aversion to the idea.
"Please speak plainly, Master Lan," Xia Wenyue said, sitting up with a respectful expression.
"In the future, when you reach the mid to late stages of Core Formation, you must give the only drop of ‘Taiyin Jade Essence’ that your Dao Physique can produce."
"And you must keep this agreent a secret from everyone else."
"Taiyin Jade Essence?"
Xia Wenyue had no idea what role her own innate Dao Physique could play at this mont.
Lan Chang'an didn’t hold back, explaining so of the records about the "Cold Soul Jade Marrow" Dao Physique to her.
To produce the "Taiyin Jade Essence," she would need to maintain her purity until reaching mid-to-late Core Formation, requiring her full cooperation.
Of course, Lan Chang'an didn’t tell her the actual purpose of the Taiyin Jade Essence.
"This is not difficult. Wenyue is willing..."
Xia Wenyue agreed without a second thought, not even questioning the reasons behind it.
"Not difficult?" Lan Chang'an chuckled inwardly.
Even with an earth spiritual root’s cultivation speed, it would take Xia Wenyue over a hundred years to reach mid-to-late Core Formation.
Even immortals are subject to emotions and desires.
Cultivators, at their core, are still human. To suppress all such urges for over a century would be no easy feat.
"I, Xia Wenyue, hereby swear..."
Quickly, Xia Wenyue took the heart demon oath, feeling an odd sense of relief.
This agreent ant that, aside from the one thing he requested, Master Lan would place no further restrictions on her life.
This demand was far less than what she had expected.
Lan Chang'an, of course, had thought this through carefully.
...
A wait spanning over a hundred years would be filled with countless uncertainties.
Following the typical path, Lan Chang'an would need to adopt a "nurturing" approach, providing resources and protection to guide Xia Wenyue to the mid-late stages of Core Formation.
But Lan Chang'an already had two spiritual pets to care for. His life wasn’t easy, and he didn’t want to take on another burden.
Besides, Xia Wenyue was extraordinarily beautiful, gifted with a peerless innate Dao Physique. She would undoubtedly attract attention and trouble as she grew stronger.
Lan Chang'an had no desire to constantly clean up after her.
Even without the Taiyin Jade Essence, he had hopes of reaching the Nascent Soul Realm in this lifeti.
"In short, the investnt is high, the risks are great, and the potential reward is uncertain..."
Thus, Lan Chang'an ultimately dismissed the idea of nurturing her himself.
If he were to take that route, the best option would be to make her his Dao Companion.
Otherwise, with her superior talent, she might surpass him in cultivation by the ti she reached late Core Formation, which could alter her perspective.
And beyond that, nurturing an extraordinary beauty by his side for over a hundred years without being able to touch her... was hardly appealing.
"Today, I simply plant a seed, and let her grow on her own..."
Lan Chang'an’s plan was to assist Xia Wenyue only in the initial stages of her cultivation, offering occasional guidance.
This way, his investnt would remain minimal.
As long as she didn’t et an untily end, Xia Wenyue should at least reach the level he attained in his previous life, and likely at a faster pace.
Even if she changed her mind in the future, he wouldn’t mind negotiating terms or earning a favor from a peak Core Formation cultivator.
...
Half an hour later, Lan Chang'an completed the treatnt.
This ti, he secretly used the Evergreen Technique, expending a slight amount of his lifespan.
Curing Xia Wenyue’s condition entirely would cost him only one or two months of lifespan—a negligible amount compared to his five hundred years of lifespan, far less taxing than so other techniques.
As always, he planned to treat her gradually over a long period, ensuring his actions wouldn’t draw undue attention.
"This ti, the nurturing treatnt felt even more refreshing," Xia Wenyue remarked, noticing the unusual sensation.
Looking at the pale, slightly sweating Lan Chang'an, her heart stirred with gratitude.
Silently, Xia Wenyue resolved to repay him in the future.
"You’ve reached the eighth layer Qi-Refining; your progress is impressive, and your health has greatly improved. However, the technique you’re using is unsuited to your innate Dao Physique—it’s a terrible waste."
Before leaving, Lan Chang'an handed her a jade slip.
"From now on, cultivate with this technique."
"Thank you, Master Lan."
Xia Wenyue placed the jade slip on her forehead and discovered it contained a cold-attribute technique called the "Ancient Sealed Ice Scroll," which could be cultivated up to the late stages of Core Formation.
This technique was sothing Lan Chang'an had obtained in his previous life in Great Kun, supposedly from a destroyed Nascent Soul sect from long ago, with no lingering ties or disputes.
The "Ancient Sealed Ice Scroll" was powerful but had high requirents for talent and bone structure, and it was incomplete.
In his previous life, Lan Chang'an hadn’t been able to use it due to his incompatible spiritual root and only acquired it after reaching Core Formation, making it nearly useless to him.
"The Great Kun of my past life and the Great Qing of this one both exist on the Heaven Honoured Continent, but they are separated by an unknown distance…"
Lan Chang'an wasn’t worried about this technique revealing anything about him.
...
A month later.
In the skies above a mountain range in southern Jing Kingdom.
A team of rchant guild cultivators maneuvered a convoy of flying carriages through the clouds.
In the world of cultivators, large-scale transportation of goods still required caravans, and guards were indispensable.
Massive amounts of goods couldn’t be carried solely with storage pouches.
After all, cultivators’ storage pouches didn’t have independent spaces.
The spaces within ordinary storage pouches were only about the size of a regular room, limiting both volu and weight.
Weight, especially, was a constraint.
Although the bag’s formations could reduce the weight significantly, it still required considerable strength from the cultivator carrying it.
If a Foundation Establishnt cultivator filled several storage pouches with a million pounds of iron ore, even with weight-reducing formations, they wouldn’t be able to fly.
Moreover, it would drastically slow down travel speed.
"Liu Immortal, unidentified cultivators spotted ahead."
A canyon appeared in view, prompting the convoy to slow down as guards surrounded it, ready for anything.
"Hmph! How brazen, openly ambushing a Snow Fox rchant Association convoy."
Inside the central, ornate carriage, an elder in green robes snorted coldly, his voice rumbling like thunder through the sky.
This green-robed elder was the Fake Dan cultivator tasked with protecting the convoy.
Ahead, six or seven figures with bronze masks erged from the clouds.
Though they were outnumbered, each was at least in the mid-Foundation Establishnt stage, and the leader emitted the unmistakable aura of a Fake Dan cultivator, fearlessly matching their opponent’s pressure.
The Liu Immortal in the carriage felt an uneasy chill run down his spine, as if a powerful spiritual sense had scanned him.
Realizing the enemy lacked a clear advantage yet boldly ambushed them, he sensed things might not go well.
Just as a bloody battle seed imminent, the six or seven figures in the lead seed to receive a command and reluctantly retreated.
It left everyone feeling baffled by the anticlimactic retreat.
In the valley below, within a dense forest.
A Core Formation female cultivator with flowing purple hair and a proud, curvaceous figure stood gracefully, like an orchid blooming in a secluded valley.
She had been watching the convoy, but suddenly her expression turned grim, feeling a bone-chilling aura rising from beneath her feet.
It was the aura of a Great Demon at the Core Formation level, potentially stronger than her.
"Snow Fox rchant Association, it seems, has earned the favor and protection of a third-rank Great Demon."
Fu Xuei remained expressionless, deciding not to attack.
A third-rank monster concealed underground was staring at her, creating a standoff.
Due to the layers of rock between them and the isolation of the demon’s demonic aura, her spiritual sense couldn’t penetrate to see its appearance.
After a while, the monster finally withdrew.
"The elder of the Ten Thousand Beasts rchant Association, Elder Huang, promised to provide information on how to revive my ‘Huang Dragon Beast’ in exchange for my help in this mission," Fu Xuei sighed in relief.
According to the agreent, she wasn’t supposed to fight a Core Formation expert, only to kill or severely injure the lead Fake Dan cultivator.
She hadn’t joined the Ten Thousand Beasts rchant Association, but this was a one-ti collaboration.
To recruit her formally, they would have to bring her Huang Dragon Beast back to life.
Unfortunately, even the Ten Thousand Beasts rchant Association, renowned for beast-taming, had no solution for this.
Luckily, Elder Huang of the Ten Thousand Beasts rchant Association claid to know a way to revive the Huang Dragon Beast.
...
Several hundred zhang beneath the rock layers.
A layer of earth-yellow light enveloped a man and a rat.
The fully-grown Earth Burrowing Rat was about two zhang long and could serve as a mount, though it wasn’t nearly as comfortable as the Profound Water Turtle.
The rat burrowed through the earth in jerky movents that would make an ordinary cultivator dizzy.
"Repaying my first favor to the Snow Fox rchant Association turned out to be quite easy."
"I didn’t expect that the Ten Thousand Beasts rchant Association would invite Fu Xuei for this..."
Lan Chang'an was slightly surprised but not shocked.
Over the years, due to the ongoing war, many cultivators from the Liang Kingdom had migrated to Jing Kingdom.
There were few Core Formation cultivators among them, and Fu Xuei was one of the rare ones.
Back then, the collapse of the Huanglong Mountain had the silent approval of the Fla Departing Palace. Naturally, Fu Xuei wouldn’t remain in the Liang Kingdom to help the sects fend off the invasion of the Golden Sun Sect faction.
Having cultivated in the Jing Kingdom for over a decade, Lan Chang'an had heard rumors.
It was said that several large rchant guilds had tried to recruit Fu Xuei, but none had succeeded.
Lan Chang'an’s past grudges with Fu Xuei had long been resolved.
He wasn’t particularly concerned about her reappearance.
As the war dragged on, it was likely that more familiar faces from Liang Kingdom would cross his path.
After safely escorting the Snow Fox rchant Association's convoy to its destination, Lan Chang'an began his journey back.
On his return, he stopped by the Cloudsmoke Immortal City and collected his reward of third-rank beast pills from the Snow Fox rchant Association's branch.
...
Back on Autumnwind Isle, Lan Chang'an dedicated part of his ti to cultivation and occasionally guided Xia Wenyue in her training.
Her previous cultivation thod had no specific attribute, making it easy to transition to the "Ancient Sealed Ice Scroll."
With this new cold attribute technique, Xia Wenyue’s cultivation speed increased significantly.
Lan Chang'an estimated her speed now surpassed that of an ordinary earth spiritual root.
Not only that, but her cold-based magical power and the potency of her spells were stronger than described in the "Ancient Sealed Ice Scroll."
"Truly worthy of an innate Dao Physique, a favored child of the Great Dao."
Lan Chang'an couldn’t help but feel a hint of envy, even a tinge of bitterness.
Not only was her cultivation speed extraordinary, but her magical power and abilities were further enhanced by her special constitution, putting her strength beyond others at the sa level.
It was enough to drive anyone to frustration.
If Xia Wenyue were fortunate, her future potential would be unimaginable.
There might co a day when Lan Chang'an himself would need to rely on her support.
...
In the blink of an eye, a year and a half passed.
While Xia Wenyue made rapid progress, Lan Chang'an hadn’t been idle.
After cultivating at the seventh level of Foundation Establishnt for fifteen years, he finally advanced another level.
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