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Chapter 56: Thirty Years of Cultivation
The sky gradually darkened.
Lan Chang'an declined Master Guan's invitation to stay overnight in his residence. After all, the living space was not large, and there was also a young girl present, staying the night would not be quite appropriate.
Lan Chang'an rested at an inn in the inner city that night.
The next day, accompanied by Master Guan, Lan Chang'an went to a grand hall in the center of the inner city and signed a spirit contract to lease a property.
The courtyard residence in Jinxiu Lane was leased to Lan Chang'an for ten years at a price of eighty spirit stones per year.
Since it was a long-term lease, there was a certain discount on the price.
A total of eight hundred spirit stones, are to be paid annually.
The price was not cheap; according to Master Guan, this courtyard had only been vacated half a month ago.
On the same day, Lan Chang'an moved into the courtyard residence with light luggage.
"Water Moon Residence, not a bad name." Lan Chang'an glanced at the plaque above the courtyard gate.
Guan Qiaozhi brought some fresh fruits and vegetables and helped Lan Chang'an clean up the courtyard and remove the weeds.
Lan Chang'an cast spells to clean the interior of the buildings and also set up two small-scale first-rank formations within the courtyard.
After a busy day, he was invited to Master Guan's home for dinner in the evening.
The young girl was clever and skillful, with decent culinary skills. She added only a few spiritual ingredients to make a meal that was rich in flavor and left a lingering aftertaste on one's tongue.
Lan Chang'an experienced the benefits of Master Guan taking in a female disciple.
...
Two days later, after moving into his new residence, Lan Chang'an planned to visit his neighbors on the left and right.
Especially the large mansion to the left, which was the residence of Alchemist Du Wei.
In this area, any cultivator able to reside in an independent courtyard mansion was certainly not ordinary.
Before Lan Chang'an could take action, a neighbor came to visit him first.
"I heard that a new talisman master neighbor has moved in. This humble lady is here to pay a visit and offer some desserts that I made myself." a gentle and charming female voice came from outside the courtyard gate.
It was a beautifully dressed lady, around twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, with elegant eyebrows and bright eyes, as lovely as a peach blossom.
It's her?
Lan Chang'an was slightly surprised and opened the formation.
The beautifully dressed lady was named Su Xuetong and lived alone in an exquisite courtyard residence to the right.
"Talisman Master Lan, I am Su Xuetong. I hope I have not disturbed you?" Su Xuetong, dressed in a plain palace-style dress, appeared demure and elegant, yet her every movement exuded charm and grace.
"Not at all. How did you know my name, Miss Su?" Lan Chang'an welcomed Su Xuetong in and accepted the box of desserts.
"I ran into Qiaozhi and heard her mention it in passing." Su Xuetong smiled sweetly, gently swaying her slender waist as she sat down with her legs crossed, every gesture and movement exuding an alluring charm.
Lan Chang'an would not underestimate the beautiful woman before him.
A female cultivator living alone in the cultivator city, where talents of all kinds mingled together, was often not as simple as she appeared.
Not to mention that Su Xuetong possessed charming arts and was concealing her true cultivation base.
On the surface, she appeared to be at the sixth layer of Qi-Refining. But her true cultivation base was the eighth layer of Qi-Refining. Su Xuetong's concealment skills were highly refined.
However, Lan Chang'an's spiritual sense was almost at the early Foundation Establishment Realm, and at such close proximity, he could discern the subtle signs.
Master Guan had warned Lan Chang'an not to be bewitched by this woman's beauty. Apparently, a late-stage Qi-Refining cultivator had once coveted Su Xuetong's beauty and made flirtatious remarks, and even attempted to grope her.
A few days later, the corpse of that late-stage Qi-Refining cultivator was found in a drainage ditch within the city.
During that period, Su Xuetong had a perfect alibi for her whereabouts.
There were rumors that Su Xuetong was the mistress of a powerful figure, hidden away in luxury here.
"Miss Su, please take care." Lan Chang'an chatted briefly with Su Xuetong before she rose to take her leave.
Su Xuetong only asked about Lan Chang'an's talisman skills and where he had studied previously.
Lan Chang'an said that he had only recently become a first-rank superior-grade talisman master and had stayed in a certain market town before, without mentioning the Mu Family of Feiyue Lake.
Lan Chang'an examined the desserts left behind by Su Xuetong and found nothing suspicious, so he destroyed them.
...
Shortly after, Lan Chang'an went to the large mansion to the left of Water Moon Residence, which was the residence of Alchemist Du Wei.
The plaque read "Pill Heart Residence."
There was an early-stage Qi-Refining old servant at the gate.
"I am Talisman Master Lan, who has just moved into the neighboring Water Moon Residence, and I have brought a gift to pay a visit to Alchemist Du Wei." Lan Chang'an instructed the old servant to announce his arrival.
He emphasized bringing a gift because he had heard from Master Guan that Du Wei loved wealth.
As long as Du Wei was not too busy, he would generally make time to meet visitors who brought gifts.
"My master happens to be free today." the old servant did not announce Lan Chang'an's arrival but directly led him into Pill Heart Residence.
Pill Heart Residence was a two-courtyard mansion, with the main building having three floors, uniquely designed and luxuriously grand.
In a reception room, Lan Chang'an met the owner.
Du Wei was a middle-aged man with a thick beard, short in stature and slightly obese, with a large nose and bright, piercing eyes.
To put it bluntly, he was a short and stout man. Of course, Du Wei was not poor. During this meeting, he was accompanied by a voluptuous and charming concubine on each side, who were adept at maintaining their youthful appearances.
"So it's Talisman Master Lan" Du Wei smiled warmly as he accepted the gift box of talisman cases from Lan Chang'an.
"May I ask Talisman Master Lu's age and grade of talisman mastery?"
During the conversation, Du Wei asked directly.
"I am almost forty-six years old, a first-rank superior talisman-grade master." Lan Chang'an did not conceal the truth.
On a first meeting, displaying one's value and capabilities was the first step in a pragmatic social interaction.
Du Wei's expression did not fluctuate, nor did he belittle Lan Chang'an.
In less than an hour, Du Wei raised his teacup, signaling the end of the meeting.
Lan Chang'an bid farewell and left.
As fellow first-rank superior-grade masters, an alchemist naturally held a higher status than a talisman master. This disparity was even more pronounced in the Huanglong Immortal City.
Because of its proximity to the Black Fog Mountain Range, a large number of beast furs circulated within the city, providing raw materials for talisman drawing.
This led to an abundance of talisman masters in the city, especially those of middle and low grades. Superior-grade talisman masters were not overly common, so they enjoyed a bit more comfort.
Moreover, Du Wei was a disciple of a renowned second-rank alchemist, further elevating his status.
"Middle-grade talisman? No superior-grade talismans, this Talisman Master Lan may not necessarily seek my assistance." Du Wei opened the talisman case and picked out four middle-grade talismans, casually tossing them onto the table.
"Take these as a gift for you two!"
"Thank you, husband." the two beautiful consorts, who were at the early stage of Qi-Refining, were delighted to receive the middle-grade talismans.
...
After leaving Pill Heart Residence, Lan Chang'an smiled slightly. Du Wei's greed for wealth and lust actually worked in his favor.
It was better to deal with someone greedy for wealth and lust, than someone completely inflexible and incorruptible.
A first-rank superior alchemist was not someone Lan Chang'an needed to fawn over. He wanted to get acquainted with Master Hua, the second-rank middle-grade alchemist behind Du Wei. A second-rank middle-grade alchemist at the Foundation Establishment Realm held a lofty status, so he would need someone to serve as an intermediary.
"It will take at least another one to two more decades before I can reach Foundation Establishment." Lan Chang'an did not need to rush to succeed.
He estimated it would take eight years to reach the eighth layer of Qi-Refining, and another nine years to reach the ninth layer. From the ninth layer to the peak would also require many years.
With his long lifespan, he could steadily cultivate without arrogance or impatience, carefully planning things out. f𝚛e𝐞𝐰𝚎b𝚗o𝚟𝚎l.c𝗼m
Humans are not like plants and trees, devoid of feelings. Over the long course of time, he and Du Wei would inevitably develop a relationship.
...
After visiting Du Wei, Lan Chang'an turned his gaze towards the small courtyard across from Water Moon Residence.
There was no plaque on the courtyard gate, and it was two residences away from Master Guan's home. This courtyard was home to a reclusive puppet master who rarely interacted with others.
Puppet masters belonged to a relatively obscure branch of cultivation arts. The art had a high threshold and strict requirements for innate talent and spiritual sense.
The creation of puppets was very complex, with few inheritors, causing this occupation to remain outside the mainstream.
"The gate is open." a man's voice came from inside the courtyard after Lan Chang'an explained his purpose for visiting.
Entering the courtyard, he saw several puppets and scattered puppet parts.
A muscular, barefooted man with a hunched back was sharpening the claws of a puppet.
The barefooted man, surnamed Sang, was at the seventh layer of Qi-Refining.
Upon seeing Lan Chang'an enter, he did not rise to greet him, but continued his work. However, whenever Lan Chang'an spoke, Puppet Master Sang would respond.
What Lan Chang'an learned through their conversation left him a bit disappointed. Puppet Master Sang could only create first-rank middle-grade puppets.
A first-rank mid-grade puppet was not even as powerful as Lan Chang'an's physical body after his body refinement.
In the hands of ordinary cultivators, puppets could hardly exert the full battle prowess of a cultivator at the same level.
For low-grade puppets to unleash their true might, a controlling talisman was required, which would consume a portion of the user's spiritual sense.
When a Qi-Refining cultivator operated a magical weapon, it would also consume magical power and spiritual sense, naturally limiting the puppet's displayed strength.
Moreover, puppets were much more expensive than magical weapons of the same grade.
Lan Chang'an was an exception, with an extraordinarily powerful spiritual sense far beyond his current level. Unfortunately, the puppets Puppet Master Sang could create did not meet his requirements.
...
After getting acquainted with his neighbors on the left and right, Lan Chang'an officially settled down in the Huanglong Immortal City, Jinxiu Lane, and Water Moon Residence.
In the blink of an eye, two and a half years passed.
"Thirty years of cultivation..." On this day, Lan Chang'an opened his eyes, emanating an aura of having experienced the passage of ages.
The intensity of his Evergreen mana had increased by another chip.
From the age of eighteen when he awakened his memories in Jin Yun Valley, to his current forty-eight years of age in the Huanglong Immortal City, it had been a full thirty years!
"In my first life, I was also at the seventh layer of Qi-Refining at this point."
"In my second life, I reached Foundation Establishment Realm before the age of forty."
"However, in this life, my foundation is more solid than ever before, my spiritual sense is powerful and refined, and my mental state far surpasses my previous two lives. This is the life with the greatest hope of reaching the Nascent Soul Realm." Lan Chang'an's heart was calm and unperturbed.
In the Nine Seal Stele, the white-haired old man at the peak of Core Formation Realm in his second life had illuminated dozens of strands of hair after many years of soul nourishment. He estimated that it would require reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm to accelerate the illumination speed.
The handsome young man representing his first life was only at the peak of Qi-Refining, so the projection of its soul power was too weak for anything beyond a brief possession, severely limiting his capabilities.
Lan Chang'an speculated that the second life at the peak of Core Formation, with his profound foundation and powerful soul, if he were to project this soul's manifestation, the divine abilities he could unleash would far surpass that of the first life.