Immortality and cultivation begin with drawing talismans...

Chapter 135 Middle Stage of Foundation Building
Tianxuan City, the stars and constellations shift.

On this day, Lin Chang'an sat cross-legged in his cave, surrounded by a powerful surge of magical energy, imbued with the breath of life.

Surrounded by a mysterious aura, the magical power within his body seemed to have reached a critical point, suddenly surging into his dantian like a flood and returning to the sea.

After a long while, the fluctuations in the magical energy within his body finally stabilized.

At the same time, Lin Chang'an's magical power nearly doubled.

【Lifespan: 71/242】

[Realm: Mid-Foundation Establishment (0/100)]

"Mid-Foundation Establishment stage, finally broken through!"

Lin Chang'an slowly opened his eyes, sensing the changes in his strength and the significant increase in his lifespan after breaking through to a higher realm, and couldn't help but reveal a joyful smile.

"If I hadn't lost thirty years of lifespan when I refined my natal spiritual plant, I would now be over two hundred and seventy years old in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage."

Thinking of this, Lin Chang'an couldn't help but sigh inwardly. If he broke through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment, wouldn't he have to live for more than three hundred years?

However, things aren't bad now. With the long-term nurturing of the Foundation Establishment stage cultivator's magical power, the cultivator's lifespan will also increase slightly.

When he breaks through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment, his lifespan will be close to three hundred years.

"At the age of seventy-one, I finally broke through to become a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator. Now I can be considered to have the ability to protect myself among Foundation Establishment cultivators."

Lin Chang'an chuckled heartily. He was now confident that even if he couldn't defeat a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, he could still escape.

As long as you don't encounter a Golden Core cultivator.

In the entire Yue Kingdom, how many Golden Core cultivators and Pseudo-Core cultivators are there in total? We can't let him run into one, can we?

[Techniques: Eternal Green Technique (Proficiency: 168/500), Fiendish Sword Technique (Grandmaster 3214/5000)]

Then Lin Chang'an looked at his own cultivation technique and nodded secretly.

Although this ancient cultivation method is slow to progress, it is incredibly profound. At the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, his magical power is almost twice that of other cultivators of the same level.

He was extremely satisfied with this demonic sword technique.

"With the mastery of sword techniques at the Grandmaster level, combined with my current mid-Foundation Establishment strength, I wonder how powerful it will be now!"

The next moment, Lin Chang'an's expression changed, and with a wave of his hand, a second-grade mid-level Vajra Talisman transformed into a golden bell shimmering with golden light in the air.

In an instant, the green bamboo sword in his hand emitted a blood-red, murderous sword light.

The moment the metal clashed, the golden bell's illusory light lasted for half a breath before being pierced by the sword's edge.

Seeing the power of the sword's edge, Lin Chang'an couldn't help but let out a hearty laugh.

"A second-tier, mid-grade Vajra Talisman, whose defensive power is comparable to the mana shield of an ordinary mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, was actually pierced through by my sword."

At this moment, Lin Chang'an was confident; he was also a formidable opponent in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

"The power of a Grandmaster-level master of the Fiend Yuan Sword Technique is already comparable to a strike from an ordinary late-stage Foundation Establishment sword cultivator."

Lin Chang'an nodded in satisfaction. As expected of a demonic cultivation technique, its power was indeed strong. He had already displayed the attack power of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator in the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.

Although the side effects are significant, his self-healing ability allows him to fight a war of attrition without fear.

[Second-Tier Mid-Grade Talisman Master (Proficiency 691/1000)]

[Second-Tier Mid-Grade Alchemist (Proficiency 15/1000)]

"In about five more years, my talisman skills should be able to break through to the second-tier high-grade level. At that time, I will be able to gain access to higher-level resources in Tianxuan City."

Thinking of this, Lin Chang'an pondered inwardly, and even when he explored the secret realm with Yun Yao in the future, this second-grade high-quality talisman would give him some peace of mind.

"Not only my cultivation level, but my alchemy skills have also broken through to the second-tier mid-grade. Next, I should prepare some materials for second-tier mid-grade pills."

Previously, he was only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, so he was cautious and did not hunt mid-stage second-tier demonic beasts.

Now that his strength has greatly increased, he cannot refine mid-grade second-tier pills to improve his cultivation speed without hunting mid-stage second-tier demonic beasts.

This made Lin Chang'an secretly reflect on how he had reached the Foundation Establishment stage at the age of fifty-four, and how it took him seventeen years to progress from the early to the middle stages of Foundation Establishment.

This cultivation speed isn't considered unusual.

"I thought I would have to wait until next year to break through this realm, but I am really grateful for the monster resources that Lao Hu and the others hunted last time."

Lin Chang'an sighed with emotion. He had saved Lao Hu and the others and obtained three demonic beast resources, two of which were mid-stage second-tier demonic beasts.

That's why his cultivation progressed so quickly this year; of course, Yun Yao's dual cultivation secret technique also played a part.

"Although I have broken through, I have almost exhausted all my cultivation resources this time."

Lin Chang'an slowly got up and looked at the cultivation resources in his storage bag, which had been completely used up, and shook his head.

The cultivation speed is impressive, but the energy consumption is also high.

Especially his natal spiritual plant, which has gained more vitality over the years under cultivation, and with the feedback from the plant, not only has his self-healing body become stronger.

His spiritual sense was comparable to that of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"At least I can control this gilded needle at will."

Under Lin Chang'an's calm expression, a golden light swirled around him, revealing the gilded needles.

"It's time to hunt mid-stage second-tier demonic beasts, otherwise my cultivation speed won't be able to keep up."

Then, with a relaxed smile on his face, Lin Chang'an pushed open the cave where he had been in seclusion for several months and walked outside.

Inside the pool, the Green Horned Ox was still soaking in the water as always, enjoying a rare moment of leisure.

But the moment Lin Chang'an stepped out, the Green Horned Ox noticed him and leaped out of the pool in delight, splashing water everywhere.

"Moo!"

The green-horned ox was excited, but also a little aggrieved, because its owner had gone into seclusion and it had run out of food.

If he hadn't been a second-tier demon beast, he would have starved to death long ago.

Lin Chang'an, who had just broken through and was in a great mood, couldn't help but widen his eyes when he saw that the Green Horned Ox was still in the early stage of the second tier.

"It's been so long, and you've been consuming so many of my spirit stones every year. If you still can't break through to the mid-stage of the second tier within two years, you'll have to find yourself a big pot to cook."

The cow's eyes widened instantly, and then it let out a pitiful moo.

This is too unfair to the ox! Master, you're cultivating with elixirs and occasionally using dual cultivation techniques, but what about it?
What does it have?
There isn't even a cow in this one pond outside, let alone any elixirs.

"Moo!"

Seeing the Green Horned Ox's aggrieved expression, Lin Chang'an remained calm. He decided to increase the ox's strength during this hunting trip, hoping it would break through to the next level sooner.

He then put the Green Horned Ox into his spirit beast pouch.

Completely bewildered, the Green Horned Ox had no idea what level of difficulty it would face this time.

"Work hard this time you go out, and I'll try to give you an extra demon core to use for your breakthrough."

Lin Chang'an then disguised himself and used the Breath Concealment Technique to control his cultivation at the early Foundation Establishment stage before leaving his cave and heading to the market trading area.

They first purchased some supplies before disappearing from Tianxuan City and heading towards the Cloud Mist Mountains.

Just a few days after Lin Chang'an left Tianxuan City.

As two rogue cultivators disguised themselves and passed by on the outskirts of Tianxuan City, one of them noticed a change in his expression as he sensed the unusual movement of the spirit beast pouch at his waist.

"There's prey out."

"Let's hurry back and report to Senior Brother Huang."

"These ignorant rogue cultivators have no idea about the wonders of Senior Brother Huang's Earth Dragon Beast."

"Yes, Senior Brother Huang is really generous, using the blood of a small earth dragon beast to cultivate spiritual fruit. Only this female can confirm that this aura is her own child."

Two cultivators, disguised as independent practitioners, headed towards Tianxuan City with casual smiles on their faces, secretly communicating with each other.

No one expected that the infamous Jie Xiu had been hiding in Tianxuan City all along.

However, Lin Chang'an was unaware of all this, as he was currently cautiously venturing deep into the Cloud Mist Mountains in search of suitable prey.

……

Inside Tianxuan City.

On this day, Chen Wen came to Master Song's place. "Master Song, could you please not contact me unless it's absolutely necessary? It's easy for something to go wrong this way. Also, when exactly will I be able to lead the Chen family out of Tianxuan City?"

Chen Wen's face was ashen. Ever since he reached the Foundation Establishment stage, he had been entangled with these Tribulation Cultivators.

Fortunately, this group wasn't just pure cultivators; they were from the Li Huo Palace after all, so he had the idea of ​​joining the Li Huo Palace.

Going to Li Huo Palace, one of the three major sects in Yue Kingdom, is much better than living in fear and trepidation in Tianxuan City.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, why the rush?"

"How can I not be anxious? The Li Huo Palace promised to accept my Chen family. Now I live in fear in Tian Xuan City, afraid that my grandfather will find out one day."

"Alright, the target you had your eye on last time has finally left the city. You've been waiting for a whole year."

Master Song gave a cold laugh, "With such little courage, you dare to become a Tribulation Cultivator?"

If the Chen family weren't of impeccable lineage and the best candidates for development, he wouldn't have sought out such a spineless rogue cultivator.

"We've left the city!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Wen was taken aback at first, but then he realized what was going on.

He only gave away two spirit fruits in total, one of which was traded at a trade fair. The person who gave it away had disappeared six months ago.

Then there's only one left.

"Lin Changan!"

Thinking of this person, Chen Wen's face was full of resentment. If Lin Chang'an had helped him exchange for two Foundation Establishment Pills, he would never have been entangled with the Tribulation Cultivator.

It's all Lin Chang'an's fault!

"Don't worry, even if we fail, it has nothing to do with us. After all, we are also victims. Who would have thought that there was something wrong with this spiritual fruit?"

Master Song is quite old, but he has a very stable mindset. This isn't the first time something like this has happened.

Those who frequently engage in cultivation know that the key is to remain calm at all times.

……

Deep in the misty mountains.

From the dense miasma-filled land came a piercing chirping of insects and the angry roar of the Green Horned Bull.

"Moo!"

White breath escaped from its nostrils as the Green Horned Ox, in its rage, pierced through the insect that was gripping its face in pain.

At the same time, crimson sword light attacked from all directions.

As green venom splattered, the monster emitted a piercing insect-like chirping sound.

This made Lin Chang'an frown. Holding the Green Bamboo Sword, with his internal meridians already injured, the power of the sword light he forcibly activated was even greater.

"Pfft!"

Ultimately, the monster was brought to its knees by the combined efforts of the human and the beast.

"That piercing insect chirping was actually a mental attack."

Looking at the poisonous insect that had finally been killed, Lin Chang'an frowned and couldn't help but show a pained expression while sitting on a big tree nearby.

His head was really throbbing with a buzzing pain.

This was also the first time he had encountered a demonic beast capable of launching attacks using divine sense.

"Fortunately, thanks to the support of my natal spiritual plant over the past few years, my spiritual sense has become comparable to that of the late Foundation Establishment stage; otherwise, I would be in excruciating pain today."

This kind of mental tingling is hard to describe; it causes dizziness, nausea, and tingling all over the body, but it is not physical pain.

"Moo!"

If Lin Chang'an only experienced a stinging sensation in his mind, then the Green Horned Ox, venting its anger beside the corpse in the distance, was suffering from both physical and mental pain.

Despite the armor, the sharp barbs of the venomous insects left gaping, bloody wounds on the bull's head and body.

"Moo!"

The green-horned ox vented its anger, constantly exhaling white breath from its nostrils.

"Alright, I'll heal your wounds right away."

As Lin Chang'an rubbed his temples, the wounds on the Green Horned Ox visibly healed under the infusion of Changqing's magic power.

Monsters are inherently strong, and those with thick skin and tough flesh, like the Green Horned Ox, are even more formidable.

Now, with the assistance of Lin Chang'an's Changqing magic, his self-healing power has greatly increased.

"This mid-stage second-tier poisonous insect is not recorded in the Spirit Insect Treasure Mirror. It should have come from the depths of the Cloud Mist Mountain Range. I didn't expect it to be so troublesome."

He quickly cleaned up the battlefield, and carefully put away the mouthpieces that could launch spiritual attacks.

Then Lin Chang'an rode away from this place on a green-horned ox.

While traveling, Lin Chang'an, riding on the ox's back, took out the Spirit Insect Compendium, which he had bought at the market. It recorded the characteristics and attack methods of various spirit insects in the Cloud Mist Mountains.

However, since it's a common product, there are still many things that weren't fully documented.

Therefore, Lin Chang'an took out his spirit pen and recorded the spirit insect in the blank space on the jade slip.

At the same time, he also had some doubts in his heart: why would the spirit insects deep in the Cloud Mist Mountains come out to the outside?
Two months later.

Inside an underground cave in a place shrouded in miasma.

The green-horned ox let out a flattering moo, and the damp cave was not as stinking as it was outside.

However, the environment is extremely beautiful, with rare herbs growing all around.

"You greedy ox, these companion herbs are one of the main materials for refining second-tier pills. How can we let you waste them by chewing on peonies?"

With an excited smile on his face, Lin Chang'an carefully dug out each of the spiritual herbs and put them into his storage bag.

The Green Horned Ox watching from the side was extremely envious; it was already at the peak of the early stage of the second tier.

When demonic beasts reach a critical juncture, the power from their bloodline will make them even more greedy for spiritual herbs and fruits that can help them break through.

This is also the instinct of monsters.

"Don't worry, these plants will need to be cared for for another ten years or so to reach their best results. You'll definitely benefit from that."

It wasn't that Lin Chang'an was reluctant to part with them, but rather that these companion herbs were still quite old, which was why the monsters in the nest hadn't used them.

Otherwise, why would it have been left to him?

"It's a pity about these storage bags and cultivators."

After scraping the ground three feet deep, Lin Chang'an led the Green Horned Ox out and looked at a pile of dry bones outside the nest, as well as the cultivator's storage bag and magic robe.

Lin Chang'an shook his head in regret.

Miasma is not only highly poisonous to living things, but even magical artifacts and spiritual energy will lose much of their spirituality under long-term erosion, eventually becoming a pile of scrap metal.

It's obvious that none of these are worth taking advantage of.

"It is said that only the magic treasures of Core Formation cultivators are immune to most poisons in the world, and even the passage of time cannot affect them in the slightest."

Lin Chang'an sighed, filled with longing for the Core Formation cultivators.

"I wonder when I will be able to form my core!"

Thinking of this, Lin Chang'an sighed inwardly. Don't be fooled by the fact that there's only a late-stage Foundation Establishment stage between the mid-Foundation Establishment stage and the Core Formation stage.

But the distance between the two is still vast.

Even among cultivators in the late Foundation Establishment stage, there are at least one hundred, if not two hundred, in the entire Yue Kingdom.

But over the years, only the three major sects have been able to form the Core Formation.

Even this Master Lu, in order to form his core, had to travel to the Demon Beast Sea Abyss, which is how he became a Core Formation cultivator.

It is easy to imagine how difficult it is for cultivators to form their core.

(End of this chapter)