Immortality and cultivation begin with drawing talismans...

Chapter 115 Second-Order Spirit Brush
Juxianlou.

"Brother Lin, you really haven't changed at all."

Even a cultivator in the late stage of Qi Refining cannot stop the passage of time from leaving its mark when they reach their sixties.

Shen Lie had a middle-aged face; although he still had black beard and hair, wrinkles had already appeared at the corners of his eyes.

Perhaps it's because of her age, or perhaps female cultivators pay more attention to maintaining their appearance, but Lu Qingqing is still quite good-looking.

"This is just one advantage of cultivating wood-attribute techniques. Although it is not good at killing and its attack power is somewhat lacking, it is the best in terms of cultivating the body and nourishing the skin."

Lin Chang'an chuckled and teased, which made Lu Qingqing, who was standing to the side, nod with a light laugh. She cultivated a water-attribute technique, which was no less effective than a wood-attribute technique in terms of beauty enhancement.

"Erniu is almost too busy to work. Yifan needs resources for his cultivation, and the two children below also need them, although the Zhou family is not short of resources."

But what parent doesn't want the best for their child?

Shen Lie shook his head and laughed as he said that Li Erniu now devoted himself to raising his children and no longer had the same mindset as before.

His cultivation has even been delayed in the past two years, resulting in him still being at the seventh level of Qi Refining.

Wei Buyi, unusually, joked, "Don't let Erniu's busy schedule fool you, he's been living a very comfortable life these past two years. He's even taken two concubines, and not only has he become more prosperous, but he's also thinking about having children."

Upon hearing this, Lu Qingqing chuckled, and Lin Chang'an also shook his head with a smile.

There's really no comparison in this respect.

Disciples of large families tend to have many children. As long as they have spiritual roots, no matter how bad they are, they can still get a share of cultivation resources, which is far better than that of independent cultivators.

The situation is different for independent cultivators. People like Shen Lie and Lu Qingqing are the responsible type. If they lack resources, they will have a child.

When resources are concentrated, it will be easier to cultivate talent.

Of course, there are also some independent cultivators who hold the same idea of ​​having many children and grandchildren, believing that children and grandchildren have their own blessings.

This is a broad-based approach.

"Brother Lin, this is a two-hundred-year-old spiritual fruit that I collected some time ago."

Amidst laughter and chatter, Lu Qingqing took out a spiritual fruit from her storage bag, which made Lin Chang'an nod in satisfaction.

"Keep an eye on suitable spiritual fruits and plants for me."

With Wei Buyi, a mid-grade first-level alchemist, there's no fear of misjudging these spiritual plants.

However, seeing Lin Chang'an still persisting in his arduous cultivation even after becoming a Foundation Establishment cultivator, Wei Buyi admired him even more.

"Brother Lin, I, Old Wei, truly admire you."

Wei Buyi nodded in admiration. An ordinary rogue cultivator who breaks through to the Foundation Establishment stage should have already started to enjoy life.

Of course, there are also a very small number of cultivators with firm wills, and Lin Chang'an is clearly one of them.

However, faced with this praise, Lin Chang'an shook his head and sighed softly:

“It’s not that I don’t want to, but although the situation in Yue Kingdom is clear, no one can say for sure when war will break out. You have to understand that Tianxuan City is adjacent to Li Huo Palace, so it’s easy for war to break out.”

When Lin Chang'an mentioned the current situation in Yue, Wei Yingying and Shen Fan, who were pouring tea and water, didn't seem to think anything of it.

However, Shen Lie, Wei Buyi, and Lu Qingqing, who had come all this way, all had furrowed brows and looked worried.

"Yes, Tianxuan City is adjacent to Lihuo Palace. Once the war starts, this place will probably be the front line."

"I heard that the Grand Elder of Xuan Yin Pavilion has been seriously injured all these years and has not yet recovered. True Master Lu will definitely not sit idly by and watch Xuan Yin Pavilion fall from power."

Everyone knew one thing: if war broke out in Yue again, it would be a joint attack by Li Huo Palace and Shen Jian Sect on Xuan Yin Pavilion and Tian Xuan City.

"That's why I dare not stop for even a moment and seize every moment to cultivate."

At this point, Lin Chang'an said with a rare sigh, "The aptitude of low-grade spiritual roots is too poor, and the treasures that can improve spiritual roots are far beyond the reach of ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators like us."

"Therefore, I have been able to rely on spiritual fruits and herbs to aid my cultivation all these years. Fortunately, I cultivate wood-attribute techniques, which are a perfect match."

While simple spiritual fruits and herbs are not as effective as elixirs, they still offer advantages for Foundation Establishment cultivators practicing wood-attribute techniques.

More importantly, second-tier pills that can enhance the cultivation of Foundation Establishment cultivators are hard to find, so it's perfectly normal for Lin Chang'an to collect them on the surface.

What outsiders don't know is that he has been secretly collecting spiritual fruits and herbs to refine elixirs.

"In the past two years, I have noticed that Yingying has a talent for cultivating spiritual plants. Although Shen Fan is not good at these things, he has a kind and honest personality, and I think he has great potential in the path of cultivation."

Lin Chang'an wasn't boasting about this; he genuinely admired Shen Fan.

Very few teenagers of this age can settle down and cultivate for a long time.

Simply put, Shen Fan is a born ascetic.

Hearing Lin Chang'an's praise, Shen Lie scratched his head and revealed a proud smile, but he restrained himself in front of his son.

"I knew it! This brat must have inherited at least one of my and Qingqing's good qualities."

This remark immediately caused Lu Qingqing to roll her eyes at her husband.

Only Lin Chang'an smiled and shook his head, for he truly sensed how solid Shen Fan's foundation was.

With a solid foundation, it might actually be possible in the future.

Thinking of this, Lin Chang'an glanced at the honest and simple Shen Fan without leaving a trace, considering the resources of Shen Lie and Lu Qingqing.

Supporting this kid to cultivate to the late stage of Qi Refining is not a problem at all; he just needs to persevere in his arduous training.

and!

Looking at Wei Yingying beside him, whose eyes were full of mischievousness and longing for Shen Fan, Lin Chang'an couldn't help but shake his head with a smile. This kid is so lucky.

All he needs to do is focus on cultivation. His parents have the resources, and he'll have that mischievous girl Wei Yingying in the future, so he won't suffer any losses.

"Alright, everyone, don't slack off on your training. It's not a bad thing to take it a step further. In this turbulent situation, self-preservation still depends on strength."

Lin Chang'an's earnest reminder made Shen Lie scratch his head and nod secretly, as if he had been somewhat lax in the past six months.

He's at least at the eighth level of Qi Refining, and maybe with some effort he can reach the ninth level.

Wei Buyi, however, was holding back a lot of energy. He was not convinced when Erniu surpassed him. In the past two years, he had already reached the sixth level of Qi Refining and was just one step away from breaking through.

"Alright, I'll go to the market and see if there are any suitable spirit fruits."

Lin Chang'an smiled and bid farewell to everyone, while Wei Yingying, ever the mischievous one, dragged Shen Fan along, escorting him all the way out.
"Uncle Lin, I'll keep an eye out for you from time to time."

Under the glare of the little girl Wei Yingying, the honest Shen Fan finally managed to stammer out a sentence, which made Lin Chang'an laugh.

"Alright, you're lucky, kid. You won't suffer any losses with this little devil around."

Under Lin Chang'an's teasing, Wei Yingying blushed deeply, while Shen Fan just scratched his head and smiled憨厚ly.

As long as Uncle Lin doesn't blame him for being bad at talking, that's fine.

After Lin Chang'an left, Shen Fan turned around and looked at Wei Yingying with a puzzled expression, "Yingying, why is your face red?"

"You're such a blockhead! You're just a big blockhead!"

The sight of the two children on the streets of the market was also observed by Shen Lie, Lu Qingqing, and Wei Buyi at Juxianlou.

"Heh heh, Brother Shen is quite the schemer. Is he trying to swindle all my possessions?"

Wei Buyi, his beard bristling and eyes wide, realized that he only had one daughter.

Meanwhile, Shen Lie, who was standing to the side, chuckled and looked completely bewildered. He stepped forward, put his arm around Shen Lie's shoulder, and changed the subject.

“Brother Wei, look how many years we’ve known each other. What do you mean by scheming? If things don’t work out, I’ll have Fan’er call you ‘father’ later.”

"you!"

"Come on, Brother Wei, let me treat you to some wine, the finest spirit wine."

After the two grown men walked away, hugging and cuddling, only Lu Qingqing shook her head with a smile. However, she truly liked Wei Yingying. "With this girl around, Fan'er won't be afraid of suffering losses in the future. I heard that Brother Wei seems to have made some progress in his alchemy skills, and he will probably break through soon."

Thinking of the wealth of a master alchemist, Lu Qingqing smiled with satisfaction.

With the resources of both families, if Fan'er proves himself in the future, he might be able to try to reach the Foundation Establishment stage.

……

Walking through the market trading area, Lin Chang'an had already disguised his identity.

"What's the price of this Heavenly Spirit Fruit? It's so expensive!"

"A two-hundred-year-old Myriad Spirits Flower, yours is still more than ten years short, at most it can only produce..."

Along the way, Lin Chang'an had changed identities, and his storage bag had accumulated quite a few alchemy materials.

"Now that my alchemy skills have broken through to the second level, the pill formulas are relatively easy to obtain. It's just that I need to collect spiritual herbs and fruits each time and I have to try many times."

Along the way, Lin Chang'an pondered inwardly that these easily obtainable pill formulas were all ancient ones.

Many of the medicinal ingredients in the recipes have become extinct, or are not available in the Yue Kingdom. This requires the alchemist to have the experience to replace them with other spiritual herbs with the corresponding medicinal properties.

Otherwise, how could these pill formulas have been obtained so easily?

The improved elixir formula is a closely guarded secret that keeps every alchemist's livelihood a closely guarded secret.

This explains why, even with the same elixir, there can be subtle differences in quality and efficacy between different alchemists.

"To improve the quality of pills right now, we either need to work on the age of the medicinal materials or the quality of the pill-making furnace."

After careful consideration, Lin Chang'an shook his head and sighed helplessly. Whether it was high-grade medicinal herbs or high-quality alchemy furnaces, both required a large amount of spirit stones.

Although he is exceptionally talented and can earn spirit stones, there are too many places where he needs to spend spirit stones right now.

"These rogue cultivators are such a hassle. They have to do everything themselves. No wonder so few rogue cultivators can stand out."

"Let's go find this Fellow Daoist Song first. The alchemy furnace will definitely need to be purchased incognito, so we can only wait until the auction in six months. But we can replace the spirit brush with a new one in the meantime."

Thinking of this, Lin Chang'an smiled with satisfaction. There was no rush with the alchemy furnace; he could wait a bit.

But he's used this ordinary second-tier spirit pen for so many years, it's time to replace it with a better quality one.

After all, he is ostensibly a second-tier talisman master, so it's perfectly normal for him to buy a high-level spirit pen.

"I'll be a mid-tier second-level talisman master soon, I should at least live up to my status."

[Tier 2 Low-Grade Talisman Master (Proficiency 498/500)]

Looking at his proficiency in talisman mastery, Lin Chang'an smiled.

Before long, he will become a mid-grade second-tier talisman master.

……

Since the successful auction three years ago, which was of unprecedented scale, Tianxuan City has decided to hold it every three years.

It was even designated as a major event in Tianxuan City.

It could be said to be the largest auction in the Yue Kingdom, and even in the surrounding neighboring countries.

"Ordinary second-tier spirit brushes and alchemy furnaces are relatively cheap, but those of better quality are extremely expensive."

However, he was prepared this time. The most ordinary second-tier spirit brush only costs about six or seven mid-grade spirit stones, which doesn't seem expensive.

But in reality, this is at least a month's income for a second-tier low-grade talisman master.

"The spirit brush I used before, although it was called second-tier, was actually not up to standard. Normally, a second-tier low-grade spirit brush would cost more than ten mid-grade spirit stones."

A second-tier mid-grade spirit brush is worth around 100 mid-grade spirit stones, while a second-tier high-grade spirit brush is worth around 300 mid-grade spirit stones.

"In terms of price, it's not as expensive as a spirit weapon, but for an ordinary second-tier low-grade talisman master, three hundred mid-grade spirit stones would take more than four years to accumulate."

Lin Chang'an secretly pondered, knowing the principle of not flaunting wealth, otherwise it would easily bring trouble.

"However, it also depends on who this wealth is being revealed to."

With a calm smile, Lin Chang'an headed towards the Fengle Auction House.

As a second-tier low-grade talisman master, he also possesses the top-grade magic weapon, the Green Bamboo Sword, and his previous hundred acres of superior spiritual fields, it's quite normal for him to have accumulated this much wealth.

Moreover, this fellow Daoist Song probably doesn't even look at him.

Fengle Auction.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, it's a rare sight to see such a reclusive cultivator as you."

As soon as they reached the third floor of the auction house, they saw Song Tingfeng, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, looking at the auction items he had received with satisfaction.

Upon seeing Lin Chang'an, this Fellow Daoist Song's eyes lit up with excitement as he greeted him.

Upon seeing this, Lin Chang'an chuckled and nodded, saying, "Fellow Daoist Song."

This scene is something that others have become accustomed to.

The Foundation Establishment elder surnamed Feng, who was presiding over the auction, shook his head and remained speechless.

This terrible chess player never expected to meet a talent scout.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, you've come at the right time. Let's find a private room and have a proper discussion about this array formation."

Upon meeting, this Fellow Daoist Song couldn't help but excitedly chatter on. Although he lacked talent in formations, he couldn't resist his tendency to talk too much.

Moreover, unlike most others who try to ingratiate themselves or get closer to others, this fellow Daoist Lin is genuinely learning and making progress.

Now we can have a discussion with him.

"Fellow Daoist Song, I will certainly visit you about formations when I have time in the future, but I have important business to attend to today."

Others would avoid Song Tingfeng and his talkative nature like the plague, but Lin Chang'an's eyes would genuinely light up when he saw him.

Or rather, the two of them were simply kindred spirits upon meeting.

"Come, come, Fellow Daoist Lin, you're one of us, please have a seat."

Song Tingfeng smiled broadly. Based on what Lin Chang'an had done back then, there was absolutely no way he could possibly join the Li Huo Palace.

"Fellow Daoist Song, the auction will be held in six months. I came here to see if there are any spirit brushes of good quality."

"A magic pen!?"

Upon hearing this, Song Tingfeng's expression hardened, while Lin Chang'an nodded with a calm smile.

"Tsk tsk, then I must congratulate you in advance."

Song Tingfeng gave Lin Chang'an a long, appraising look, which prompted Lin Chang'an to humbly wave his hand and say:

"I don't deserve such praise. It's just that I've recently gained some insights into talismans, so I gritted my teeth and decided to find a better quality spirit brush."

Lin Chang'an's humble demeanor, yet with a hint of a smile in his eyes, made Song Tingfeng nod in approval.

I had long known that this Fellow Daoist Lin had good comprehension and had made some achievements in the art of talismans, which is why he has come this far.

He's only been a second-tier rune master for less than ten years, yet his skills have improved again.

"A mid-grade second-tier talisman master, even in Tianxuan City, is one of the top tiers."

Song Tingfeng said with emotion, while Lin Chang'an waved his hand modestly, saying that he was still lacking in experience, and had only gained some insights.

His behavior is perfectly normal. In the various arts of cultivating immortality, besides practice makes perfect, what matters most is this comprehension.

Moreover, at his age and with his progress, being a mid-grade second-tier talisman master is considered to have good talent, but he can't be considered a top genius.

(End of this chapter)